Hidden in the South Pasadena Upscale Neighborhood

I love wandering around South Pasadena when I have free time — that cozy, quiet, upscale vibe is just so lovely ✨ This time, I followed some locals to this Chinese restaurant, and it was really impressive! The interior design rivals those in Chinatown and has a cool Hollywood-style Chinese restaurant feel 🎬 🥟 Dumpling Tops 📍 800 Fair Oaks Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030 🅿️ Free parking available behind the restaurant 🍽 Organic Chicken Xiao Long Bao The "organic" label already gives it a "premium" vibe 🥟 It was delicious, and each dumpling was individually served — so delicate! As someone who grew up in Nanjing eating chicken soup dumplings since childhood, seeing chicken xiao long bao served with ginger and vinegar automatically earned bonus points ✅ 🦞 Lobster Tails with Typhoon Shelter Style The restaurant has a live seafood menu 🦀, but that requires pre-ordering. The lobster tails are available ready-to-cook. Stir-fried Typhoon Shelter style — super fragrant and not fishy at all! A slight downside: I felt the flavor could have been stronger. The lobster meat wasn’t fully seasoned, but it was still yummy 😋 🍜 Seafood Yaki Udon This stir-fried udon gets a highly recommended from me! 👍 It was my first time having seafood noodles with more seafood than noodles 🦐 The seasoning wasn’t too heavy, so it wasn’t greasy — just fresh and flavorful ~ 🥟 Vegetable Steamed Dumplings The wrapper wasn’t too thick, and inside were finely shredded mixed veggies. Very healthy-tasting, kind of like a vegan steamed roll vibe 🌱 🥟 Pan-Fried Three Delicacies Dumplings The bottom was super crispy, and they looked amazing! Personally, I prefer the open-ended style, but these definitely satisfied my craving 💛 🥒 Cucumber Salad This cucumber salad is trending online right now — I saw it on almost every table! Referred to as "cucumber salad" 🥒, but for us Chinese, it’s a classic homemade side dish 😄 If you’re near South Pasadena and craving Chinese food, this is a great spot! It’s also perfect for bringing non-Chinese friends — authentic yet refined Chinese cuisine 🥢 #LAFoodie #LosAngelesEats #FoodExplorer #SGVFood #SanGabrielEats #ChineseFoodLove