It seems like I am often asked where the best Chinese food is near Larchmont Village. If you don’t want to trudge all the way downtown to Chinatown, nor make your way to the San Gabriel Valley, where can one take their pearl handled chopsticks and dig into a decent plate of Szechwan noodles? Particularly this week, with Chinese New Year, the Year of the Horse, kicking off on Friday, January 31st.
It’s been a tough question to answer, as Korean and Thai seem to be the go-to for my family when we’re looking for Asian fare. Â So when Eater-LA came out with their list of “LA’s Best Chinese Restaurants Outside of the SGV” Â I scanned the list looking for Chinese food not far from Hancock Park.
The full Eater-LA list includes a map and brief descriptions of favorite dishes at 16 Chinese spots. We’ve pulled out the three spots not far from the neighborhood:
1.Tasty House – 4808 Melrose Ave (at Harvard Blvd) is known for its BBQ and whole roasted duck. A small storefront on a gritty section of Melrose, this is not elegant dining but may taste like real Chinese.
2. Pingtung Eat-In Market – 7455 Melrose AVe (at N.Vista St  ) is a clean-cut modern version of healthy Cantonese fare featuring pork buns and asian fusion in a bright environment with a patio out back. pingtungla.com
3. Bao Dim Sum House – 8256 Beverly Blvd (at Sweetzer Ave) offers traditional Hong Kong dim sum in a classy environment not far from Beverly Center. Baodimsum.com
Not on the list, but a standby for many Hancock Park area residents: the Mandarette Chinese Cafe on Beverly Blvd at Orlando. Mandarettecafe.com