Newport Seafood Restaurant — Restaurant in San Gabriel

We went to Newport Seafood Restaurant for Chinese seafood in San Gabriel to celebrate a major milestone birthday. This restaurant is known for the Cantonese and Vietnamese seafood. The Chinese influenced interior decoration was charming with elegant mahogany partitions. Ambiance was very loud and busy. The hostess took us to a private banquet room set up.No warm greetings or introduction to the restaurant. We were told immediately that we got 90 minutes to finish our meal. The private banquet rooms are not very private and not sound proof. We kept hearing the constant celebratory noises and conversations from other private banquet rooms. Guess this is typical of a Chinese banquet hall. After we sat down (before ordering our dinner), a waitstaff walked in our banquet room with a tray of drinks and appetizers and tried hard to upsell us. We got the cucumber appetizers to start our meal but had to firmly declined to get their drinks and other side dishes.

For our dinner, we decided to try the classic combo family meal and added additional rice dishes:

Braided crabmeat and fish maw soup was a hit with our group. It was warm and delicious with detectable crab meats. Waitstaff didn’t serve up the soup to us like any traditional Chinese restaurants. In fact, waitstaff at this restaurant didn’t serve us at all, other than bringing us the dishes from the kitchen. The soup was a good start but unfortunately, it didn’t get much better….

Newport lobster special, the house special, was nothing special at all. It was overcooked and some pieces were difficult to get the meat out of the shell. Lobster was battered and fried before sautéed in the green onion and garlic sauce. This signature dish lacked distinct flavors and the meat was on the dry side and the presentation was lacking. It lacked the distinguished taste of herbs and spices and the normal fresh and sweet succulent lobster taste. Beef Luc Lac, the meat was thick and tender. Honey walnut shrimp was a good blend of texture and taste. Shrimps had the nice caramelized shell covered each & every shrimp and added a crisp texture. The shrimps were fresh, plump and covered with slightly sweet and flavorful sauce. Clams with spicy basil sauce was delicious, big and really fresh clams in a light basil sauce. Fried whole fish was a big disappointment. The fish was brutally burned/fried, super, super crispy texture, like eating crunchy French fries. It was fried so crispy and long that we couldn’t even find the fish cheeks.

Salt and pepper crab dish was a deep-fried mess. It was fried but overcooked to the point that the crab meat was stuck to the shell. We barely found edible chunks. Sautéed pea sprout was delish. The steamed, free range chicken dish was a total rip off with very little meat on the chicken, mostly just skins and bones served on a large plate. This dish was barely touched by our group for obvious reasons. House special fried rice was decent. And the Yang Chow fried rice was also good.

During the whole dinner time, the waitstaff hardly checked in on us. We had to flag down servers to request napkins, change of plates and the wet hand towels to clean our hands after eating lobster and crab. We didn’t get any attention. We were ignored by waitstaff who were making small talk with other customers. We didn’t want to leave a good tip since the waitstaff didn’t provide good services. However, we were coerced paying the mandatory 18% tips. Good tips should be earned and not mandatory.

Overall, this Michelin guide restaurant was very underwhelming at best due to the mediocre food quality at a hefty price tag and services were basically non existent. Near the end of our dinner, our waitstaff had the nerves to remind us that our 90 minutes allotted dining time was up. Our tab was over $1,000 and we absolutely didn’t get the Michelin guide experience at Newport Seafood. Do yourself (and your wallet) a big favor, go eat somewhere else as there are much better restaurants in the San...

For over thirty years, I have been a dedicated patron of Tan Cang Newport Seafood, and with each visit, this restaurant never fails to impress. Located at 518 W Las Tunas Dr, Tan Cang Newport Seafood has firmly established itself as a top dining destination in San Gabriel, renowned for its exquisite blend of Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Thai-inspired seafood dishes that consistently exceed expectations.

During my most recent visit, I had the pleasure of savoring the Clams with Black Bean Sauce, a dish that expertly combines the delicate sweetness of fresh clams with the savory richness of black bean sauce. The perfect balance of flavors and the masterful Chinese-style cooking techniques shone through in every delectable bite, leaving me craving more of its harmonious blend of earthy and salty notes.

Another standout dish was the Kung Pao Chicken, which stood out as a personal favorite. Unlike other versions that tend to be overly saucy, Tan Cang's rendition featured tender chicken pieces, roasted peanuts, and just the right amount of chili for a nuanced blend of spice, sweetness, and umami.

The House Fried Rice also left a lasting impression, with each grain perfectly seasoned and generously filled with shrimp, BBQ pork, and vegetables. The flavorful rice served as an ideal accompaniment to the other dishes, impressing with its balance and non-greasy texture.

The Catfish Soup was a delightful interlude, boasting a delicate and aromatic broth filled with tender fish chunks, vegetables, and an array of herbs and spices. Its fresh, light flavors provided a refreshing contrast before the grand finale.

And finally, the renowned Lobster with Black Bean Sauce and Noodles, the crown jewel of the menu, did not disappoint. The perfectly cooked lobster, enhanced by the savory black bean sauce, combined flawlessly with the noodles, creating a divine texture that truly showcased the culinary mastery of the restaurant.

The restaurant's traditional interior decor further elevated the dining experience, exuding warmth and charm with its wooden accents, intricate designs, and soft lighting, adding to the overall ambiance.

After three decades of patronage, I can confidently attest that Tan Cang Newport Seafood consistently delivers an unparalleled dining experience. It's not just a restaurant; it's a celebration of culinary tradition, flavor, and impeccable service. It deserves a resounding five-star...

Hands down, this is the best Asian anything restaurant in the entire Los Angeles/San Gabriel Valley area.

Yes, they do take credit card.

Expect an 1.5 hour wait (worth it)

The waiters are great, polite, and attentive. The food is absolutely mouthwatering amazing and no msg.

The house special lobster is a must. I came here with a party of 6 adults and the waiter recommended a medium lobster for our group and it was the perfect amount. I appreciate the honestly at this restaurant. It's truly rare to find Chinese Seafood restaurant where they don't try to cheat you out of your cash to get more than you need.

The lobster was roughly around 4.75 lbs at about $16.60 per pound, came out a few cents over $80.00.

What I also appreciate about this restaurant is they actually weigh the lobster and you'll see the exact weight on your receipt. I've noticed at a lot of Chinese restaurants they'll just round up, not this place. So you can rest assured your actually paying 100% of what you bought, not them trying to swindle your cash.

The French beef was perfectly cooked. It was tender like filet mignon and tasted like filet mignon and perfectly red in the middle of each cube of meat. Highly recommend you order this dish too.

The Crab Asparagus soup was AMAZING. It had tons of crab meat in a lightly flavored crab broth with bits of white asparagus. Perfect for a starter.

I get tired of pea shoots and chinese broccoli so we got the bamboo shoot with black mushroom. I highly recommend this, too. Excellent veggie dish.

There is a TON of lobster roe in the House Special Lobster. Be sure when you're done to mix the white rice in all the pepper/green onion/lobster roe bits left on the plate. It's like getting an extra rice dish for free!

The House Special Lobster dish itself is of course awesome. It has a light peppery sauce on it and you can pick how spicy you'd like it. The lobster is initially steamed then it's quickly sauted with green onion, peppers, lobster roe, and that peppery sauce, just to mix it all together.

They should think about selling that sauce. It's finger...