THE HUNGRY HOURS
Why drive to the San Gabriel Valley for dim sum in LA? | The SGV dim sum map
In Taipei, dim sum is often a family meal at a hotel; in LA, you take the 10 to a strip mall in the SGV and grab a number. SGV dim sum spots, a translated menu, dim sum etiquette, and the old teahouses that are gone.
Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.
Key points
- The dim sum menu, translated: The romanizations on English menus are Cantonese, not Mandarin.
- Sea Harbour: Crystal shrimp dumplings, rice noodle rolls, char siu bao; for a shorter wait, go at lunch on a weekday.
- Longo Seafood: Dim sum by day, lobster noodles at night, and live king crab when they have it; reservations accepted.
- Atlantic Seafood & Dim Sum: The signature is the salted egg yolk pineapple bun; most waits are around 30 minutes.
- When you don't want to drive to the SGV: Din Tai Fung opened its first US location in Arcadia in 2000.
Full text
01 | Why drive to the SGV?
Monterey Park is called America's first 'suburban Chinatown': Hong Kong and Taiwanese families settled here in the 1980s, earning it the nickname 'Little Taipei,' and later the community spread east to Arcadia and Rowland Heights.
02 | Team carts vs. team order sheet
With carts, you see it and eat it right away, and NBC, Capital and Atlantic still push them; with order sheets, everything's made to order, so the dim sum comes out hotter. 'First time, go carts; for the good stuff, go order sheet.'
03 | The dim sum menu, translated
Har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai, cheung fun (rice noodle rolls), lo mai gai (sticky rice in lotus leaf), custard buns. The romanizations on English menus are Cantonese, not Mandarin.
04 | 5 rules of SGV dim sum
Lid propped open on the teapot = more water, please; tap two fingers on the table = thank you; pour tea for others first; get there early on weekends; bring some cash. Four people is the sweet spot so you can order everything.
05｜Sea Harbour
For many, the 'standard answer' for SGV dim sum, a 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand, with a line before opening on weekends. Crystal shrimp dumplings, rice noodle rolls, char siu bao; for a shorter wait, go at lunch on a weekday.
06｜Longo Seafood
A Bib Gourmand on Garvey Ave with especially big har gow and siu mai. Dim sum by day, lobster noodles at night, and live king crab when they have it; reservations accepted.
07｜Lunasia
The Alhambra original is a Bib Gourmand, with dim sum from morning to night. The Pasadena location moved east on Colorado Blvd in 2026: no carts, but there's a grand piano.
08｜NBC Seafood
A '90s-style banquet hall in Monterey Park, with carts still circling between the tables. Rice noodle rolls wrapped around crullers, chicken feet, salted egg yolk ma lai go; when the weekend line's too long, the takeout shop next door is the backup.
09｜Capital Seafood
The carts come by often, and the table fills up soon after you sit down. Chicken feet, egg tarts, crispy roast pork; the Monterey Park and Arcadia locations have different hours.
10｜Atlantic Seafood & Dim Sum
One of the few places in LA still using old-school carts, with even a congee cart where you pick your own toppings. The signature is the salted egg yolk pineapple bun; most waits are around 30 minutes.
11｜Chef Tony
Opened by the chef behind Sea Harbour: truffle siu mai, gold-leaf har gow, coconut pudding shaped like little bunnies; the bill runs high. Afterward, hit JJ Bakery in the same plaza for tomorrow's breakfast.
12｜Happy Together
Tucked inside a Holiday Inn in El Monte, with multi-hour waits at peak times. 'Join the Yelp waitlist first, then get on the freeway.'
13 | Team takeout: point at the glass case
Capital Dim Sum & BBQ is cash only, with buy-two-get-one dim sum after 5; at Lucky 1 you order through the glass; at Ocean Bo, most things are under $5; Hong Kong Dim Sum House has just six tables.
14 | When you don't want to drive to the SGV
ixlb in Hollywood and Westwood makes everything to order; Won Kok in Chinatown is an old-school hole-in-the-wall (info may be dated, so call first). Din Tai Fung opened its first US location in Arcadia in 2000.
16 | Three dim sum routes
Monterey Park cart route: pick one per day. Rosemead + Arcadia upscale route: finish at JJ Bakery. Don't want the freeway? Go to Lunasia Pasadena.
17 | Two-city mirror
In Taipei, dim sum is in hotel private rooms, with fewer and fewer carts; in LA, it's a strip mall banquet hall with a hundred round tables. 'The same basket of har gow is a family dinner in Taipei, and a whole generation of immigrants' weekend in LA.'
In this series
- The LA brunch map | An LA weekend starts with brunch
- The LA Taiwanese breakfast map | How far do you drive for shaobing youtiao in LA?
- The LA coffee map | Which kind of LA coffee do you want?
- The LA bakery map | Why do you have to get up early for bread in LA?
- When did LA bagels get this good? | The LA bagel map 2026
- The LA juice & smoothie map | Why does one smoothie cost that much in LA?
- The LA taco map | In LA, the taco is the real national dish
- Why does everyone's first meal in LA have to be In-N-Out? | The LA burger map 2026
- Why do people line up for seventy years for one pastrami sandwich? | The LA old-school deli map
- In LA, dessert is a mood | The LA ice cream & dessert map 2026
- The LA farmers market map 2026 | Which day, where, and which stall first
- The biggest Thai community outside Thailand, right next to Hollywood? | The LA Thai Town map
- Why does everyone hit Sawtelle for ramen in LA? | The Sawtelle Japantown map
An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).