🍜 Moving Back to the Bay

After moving back to the Bay Area, I finally escaped the LA traffic… but let’s be real — the food scene up here is… something else 🥲 Salty soy milk for $11, scallion pancake wraps for $15, undercooked rice noodles, burnt sausages… I miss LA’s Chinese food already! As a Chengdu native who loves spice 🌶️, here are my go-to spots in East LA — all near Valley Blvd, and totally worth staying nearby for (Hilton or Marriott will do!). 📍 San Gabriel / Valley Blvd Area: 1️⃣ Rong He Chinese Restaurant Absolute top-tier Sichuan food! As a Chengdu local, I can confirm — it’s legit, flavorful, and layered. 🔥 Must-order: Pork Liver & Kidney Stir-fry, Mao Xue Wang with Roast Duck 👎 Cons: Always a 1-hour+ wait — so I barely got to eat here! 2️⃣ Dong Ting Xian My favorite Hunan spot! Less crowded, wok-fired fresh, and the spice is fragrant, not just harsh. 💖 Love their: Xiao Chao Huang Niu Rou (Stir-fried Beef) 3️⃣ Dong Ting Chun Next to 99 Ranch — solid Hunan eats. You really can’t go wrong here. 4️⃣ Spicy King Was mind-blowing in 2024, but after recent price hikes… not as epic. Still good though! 🌶️ Try: Chili Eggs, Fish Slices in Hot Sauce 5️⃣ Motto Tea Cafe Dessert interlude! Their soufflé pancakes are fluffy, huge, and delicious — all flavors rock. (Just ignore the weird smell sometimes lingering inside…) 6️⃣ Spicy & Tasty Great alternative to Rong He — no crazy lines! Ate here 3 times — twice amazing, once just okay. Still solid for classics like Liver & Kidney Stir-fry and Mao Xue Wang. 7️⃣ Little Spicy Both Rowland & SG locations — Rowland’s is better! Fresh fish dishes 🐟 📍 Rowland Heights Plaza Faves: 8️⃣ Chuan Shan Jia Upscale Sichuan — originally from NYC! Elegant decor, guzheng music 🎵, consistently tasty. A bit pricier, but worth it. 9️⃣ Old Wharf Hot Pot Solid hot pot + their fried rice is a steal (~$4!) Same plaza as Chuan Shan Jia. 🔟 Da Yuan Stir-fried Chicken Shandong-style wok-tossed chicken — so fragrant and wok-heavy! Also try: Duck Egg with Clear Noodles 🥚 (Ask for less salt!) #LAChineseFood #SichuanCuisine #SanGabrielEats #RowlandHeights #SpicyLovers #BayAreaVsLA