Discover the vast array of different regional Chinese cuisines at these 12 LA restaurants

With the Lunar New Year starting Tuesday, a certain type of cuisine may be on your radar.

Most of us probably chow down on "Chinese food" without really thinking about what style it’s in or from which region it comes. Given that China is similar in size to America, it would be like eating "American food" without realizing that maybe you’re eating Maryland crab, Louisiana gumbo or New York-style pastrami sandwiches.

If you want to explore further, there's a wide variety of regional cuisines in L.A., from Cantonese dim sum to fiery and numbing Sichuanese food, as well as other lesser-known, delicious styles.

There are eight “great traditions” of Chinese cuisine, plus variations within them. Certain cities like Shanghai are also well known for their own style of food and dishes.

Here’s a guide to 12 restaurants you should check out.

Colette (Pasadena)

Region: Guangdong / Hong Kong (Cantonese)

An array of colorful dishes at Colette in Pasadena

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Fiona Chandra

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LAist

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Cantonese food is one of most common Chinese cuisines in L.A., with Hong Kong cafes and dim sum restaurants all over the San Gabriel Valley. Colette in Pasadena, however, serves some Cantonese dishes that are harder to come by, like Cantonese-style lamb stew. A must-order is the hundred flower chicken (labeled “crispy stuffed chicken” on the menu).

XIBEI (Arcadia)

Region: Shanxi and Inner Mongolia

XIBEI serves oat noodles, characteristic of this Northwest region of China.

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Fiona Chandra

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LAist

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The term “xi bei” means “Northwest” in Mandarin, so naturally XIBEI serves food from the Northwestern part of China, which includes Shanxi and Inner Mongolia. Dry and mountainous, oats grow more easily in this area compared to wheat and rice. That’s why you’ll find oat noodles on the menu at XIBEI, including honeycomb-shaped noodles topped with a tomato-based sauce. XIBEI also serves various lamb dishes that are typical in Inner Mongolia, from grilled lamb to lamb soup with turnips.

Hengry (Alhambra)

Region: Guizhou

Guizhou food is known for its sour and spicy flavors

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Fiona Chandra

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LAist

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Guizhou is an inland province in Southwestern China with mountainous terrain. One of the unique characteristics of its food is its sour and spicy flavor, as the area historically relies on fermentation to preserve food. Guizhou is also known as a home to the Miao and Dong ethnic groups, both of whom have their own food traditions. Hengry in Alhambra serves a traditional Miao sour soup, made using fermented tomatoes. (The proprietor’s father visited a Miao tribe in order to learn its recipe). Another Guizhou staple at the restaurant is the spicy chicken, stir fried using Ciba chili paste.

Chef Tian's (City of Industry)

Region: Hunan

Chef Tian’s originally opened in Vancouver, B.C., but recently brought its Hunan-style cooking to City of Industry. Instead of the numbing spice of peppercorns used in Sichuan cuisine, Hunan food tends to use fresh chopped chilies. Some of the signature Hunan dishes here include baby abalone and pork, stir fried with chopped chilies, of course. Being from Vancouver, Chef Tian’s menu also showcases the fresh seafood that the Pacific Northwest is known for. One of the special dishes at Chef Tian’s is the geoduck, a large clam, wok-fired with a heaping pile of chili peppers.

Dolan's Uyghur Cuisine (Alhambra)

Region: Xinjiang

Uyghur food is a combination of Chinese and Middle Eastern influences.

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Fiona Chandra

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Xinjiang is an autonomous region in Northwestern China that is home to a Turkic ethnic minority group called Uyghurs (pronounced WEE-gers), who've been in the news because of their persecution by the Chinese government. The food at Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine is a combination of Chinese and Middle Eastern influences. The Uyghur dish called polo is reminiscent of pilaf: a plate or rice with carrots, onion, raisins and lamb. Lamb is the protein of choice in Uyghur cooking, used in everything from kebab to laghman, the traditional hand-pulled noodles stir-fried with meat and vegetables.

Mien Nghia (Rosemead)

Region: Chaozhou (Chiu Chow)

Chaozhou (or Chiu Chow in the Cantonese pronunciation) is a city in the Chaoshan region of the Guangdong province. While Mien Nghia is a Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant, it actually serves Chiu Chow (also called Teochew)-style noodle dishes, as Chiu Chow people have had a history of migration to Southeast Asia since the 18th century, including to Vietnam. Chiu Chow food tends to be more delicate in flavor compared to some of the other regions, so the noodles, like the ones found at Mien Nghia, are served in a light, clear broth and usually topped with fish or meatballs, shrimp, fish cakes and quail eggs.

Chengdu Taste (Alhambra)

Region: Sichuan

Chengdu Taste in Alhambra is recognized as one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city

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Fiona Chandra

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LAist

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Today, one of the most popular regional Chinese cuisines you’ll find around Los Angeles is Sichuan food. Numerous Sichuan restaurants have opened here, but this recent popularity can be attributed to Chengdu Taste in Alhambra, which opened in 2013 and was quickly recognized as one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Sichuan food is known for its spicy and mouth-numbing flavors, thanks to the combination of chili peppers and peppercorns used liberally in dishes like toothpick lamb or boiled fish with green peppers.

Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle (Monterey Park)

Region: Yunnan

One of the most famous dishes from Yunnan, an inland province in Southwestern China, is called Crossing the Bridge noodles, the name of which comes from a story. Once upon a time, the wife of a scholar would bring him lunch while he was studying on an island in the middle of a lake. The wife would bring a noodle soup with all the ingredients in separate bowls in order to keep the chicken broth warm. She would combine all the ingredients once she crossed the bridge and reached her husband. Today, at Yunnan rice noodle shops like Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle, all the ingredients are still served in separate bowls, and the guest combines them at the table. The restaurant’s name refers to the hot soup cooking the other ingredients in ten seconds. Typical toppings for this noodle soup include thinly sliced meat, corn, pickled vegetables and more.

Liu’s Cafe (Koreatown)

Region: Taiwan

While not part of the People’s Republic of China, the island of Taiwan’s culture and cuisine are certainly deeply rooted in Chinese culture and cooking. Taiwanese cuisine is a blend of the various groups of people who inhabit the island, both in the past and present. It draws from Hakka and Hokkien (Fujian) cuisines, indigenous Taiwanese and influences from Japan, among others. Take for example the iconic dish of Taiwan, the beef noodle soup (niu rou mian). The dish was created by migrants from China’s Sichuan province who adapted the Sichuan beef noodle soup to the local palate. Taiwanese restaurants around L.A. like Liu’s Cafe serve classic comfort dishes such as cold sesame noodles, braised pork belly over rice and Chiayi chicken rice.

Bang Bang Noodles (Downtown)

Region: (Shaanxi)

Biang biang noodles are hand-pulled, chewy noodles that are unique to the region of Shaanxi

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Hiu Chung So

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Not to be confused with Shanxi mentioned in the entry for XIBEI, Shaanxi is a province in northern China that actually borders Shanxi to the east. Shaanxi is known for its rich history as its capital, Xi’An, was the eastern end of the Silk Road. It is this history that brings about one of Shaanxi’s iconic dishes: biang biang noodles (the restaurant, Bang Bang Noodles, uses an Anglicized version). Biang biang noodles are hand-pulled, chewy noodles, unique to Shaanxi, that are typically tossed in a spicy oil made with chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic and more. They’re also topped with lamb, which is commonly used in Shaanxi cooking.

Auntie Qiu Kitchen (Alhambra)

Region: Shanghai

Shanghai is one of the four cities in China that is not part of any province, and Shanghai has evolved its own style of cuisine, which is generally characterized by its use of soy sauce and its sweeter flavor compared to other regional cuisines. Auntie Qiu Kitchen is a locals’ favorite that serves up Shanghainese street food, including what is perhaps the most famous Shanghainese dish, soup dumplings or xiao long bao. Equally good, though, are the pan-fried pork buns, or sheng jian bao. Auntie Qiu also serves Shanghai-style shumai, filled with sticky rice instead of the more commonly found version of pork and shrimp.

Traditional Guilin Noodles (Monterey Park)

Region: Guilin

Guilin is a city in Southern China that is most famous for its limestone mountains and rice noodles. Guilin rice noodles have been a local specialty since the Qin Dynasty over 2,000 years ago. These rice noodles at Traditional Guilin Noodles are silky and bouncy, typically served with a savory and spicy sauce made of chili and fermented soy beans. It’s usually topped with slices of meat, roasted peanuts, scallions and pickled vegetables, which should all be mixed together with the noodles and sauce. Traditionally, the noodles are served without soup, although these days, places like Traditional Guilin Noodles also offer a soup version.