These 5 Dishes Are Defining LA’s Chinatown Right Now
There is much to see — and eat — amid the beautiful and historic Asian-inspired architectural designs that decorate Los Angeles’ Far East Plaza. So, to help us find our way around the city, we enlisted the help of June Quan, Esq., the constantly smiling face behind one of our favorite Instagram accounts, @StirAndStyle.
Boasting just about 100K followers on her channel, June’s culinary expertise is more than trustworthy, and it was a blast tagging along with her around the city and discovering her favorite eats in our Hansen’s-presented series.
Our first stop was a must-try for any first-timer in Los Angeles, however, you better be willing to wait. On some days, Howlin’ Rays can have a wait time of more than two hours, so come hungry and bring something cool to sip on, because this Nashville hot chicken is the hottest of hot! Since 2015, Howlin’ Ray’s has been serving up that fuego inside Los Angeles’ Far East Plaza. You can’t go wrong with the Hot Chicken Sando, featuring a thick Nashville hot chicken breast, pickles, Howlin Rays Comeback Sauce, coleslaw served on a butter bun.
Next, we headed over to Ramen Champ for some Tonkatsu “Giro Style,” which features an incredible pork broth, that has captivated the masses entering Far East Plaza. Ramen Champ still makes noodles and ramen broth in house, using the same equipment that existed since the establishment opened.
Not far from Ramen Champ, our food trek continued through the Far East Plaza. Next stop: Lao Tao, for some Taiwanese street food. Featuring a modest storefront on the second floor of the Far East Plaza, June order her favorite, Rub A Belly with Rice made with braised pork belly with seasoned rice, a tea infused egg, Shiitake mushrooms, five-spice, dry shrimp, pickled daikon, sweet corns, rice, and seasoned veggies.
Now, no trip to the Far East Plaza would be complete without a stop at Eddie Huang’s Bao Haus. Bao is a tiny white bun, cooked with steam, and thanks to its versatility and deliciousness, more bao-based items have become a central focus of Asian-inspired cuisine. June ordered the Vegan Manager’s Meal, which features an eggplant salad, peanut cucumbers, stir fry Chinese Broccoli, fried tofu and garlic chili cabbage, served over a bed of Szechuan shaved cauliflower. We think it looks and tastes amazing.
If you’re like us, you’d be wise to take a seat at Burgerlords, where the some of the best burgers in Chinatown are created. They serve both classic and vegan California style cheeseburgers and fries. With simple, no-frills signage and a passion for creating delicious fast food, it’s hard to say no to becoming an honorary ‘Lord.’
Where to next, June?
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