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Dying for Great Chinese Delivery - Hollywood/Highland

  • z

I'm new to this neighborhood but have been playing around here for years, and I've noticed that I can't seem to find any truly great Chinese delivery. Yeah, there's Zou's or Zood's or whatever it is, but... well, it doesn't inspire cravings for hot salty-sweet crunchy soft Chinese anything. Is it me, or is it the area?

I'm also looking for decent Thai--I know Thai Town is super-close, but I'd love to have a recommendation or ten.

Thanks, Chowhounds

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  1. There is no good Chinese in Hollywood. The closest decent place (and I don't think they deliver) is BBQ Unlimited #2 on Melrose near the 101. For real Chinese food you need to go to the SGV.

    As for Thai, Sanamluang and Kruang Tedd do it for me. I always eat at the mini-Thai Town in North Hollywood, so I don't know Thai Town very well at all... but in NoHo, you have the Wat Thai (weekend lunch only), Swan, Sunshine, Sri Siam, Cha Chaa, Bua Siam, Sanamluang, Krua and Khun Dang all within about half a mile of each other, and all great.

    1. "There is no good Chinese in Hollywood."

      I am crying into my keyboard as I type this.

      6 Replies
      1. re: Zool

        It's a constant source of sorrow for people on this board. The Valley and the Westside aren't much better -- it's astonishing, it'd be like living in Manhattan and having to go to Astoria for decent Chinese food -- sure, as a 'hound you'd do it, but not on a Thursday after you've worked ten or eleven hours and just want your food to meet you at your apartment.

        1. re: Das Ubergeek

          That's depressing. I recently moved to Westwood and was about to ask about Chinese delivery on this side of town. Is it really that bad here, too? Geez, there's even a Yang Chow in Woodland Hills, if you don't picking up.

          1. re: Hunter

            There there, you aren't totally out of luck. In Westwood, you have Noodle Planet and they do pretty darned well at Chinese and Vietnamese even though they are mostly Thai. We eat there a couple of times a month and get cravings for certain things. The Chinese style soups with rice/egg noodles and wontons are very tasty. I know from personal observation that they do it right, complete with soup made from all parts of a chicken. Honestly, I don't think we've had anything there that we didn't like.

            But they do NOT deliver---you will have to pick up.

            In general, aside from Noodle Planet in Westwood and BBQ#2 on Melrose, I concurr fully with Das Ubergeek: there is NO Chinese on the Westside, ie beyond Chinatown.

            The one caveat is, as I have been told, if you know one of the people who run a Chinese restaurant on the Westside [like really know], they will make you real Chinese food if you ask. Real as in NOT for white guys. We go to a Saturday Chinese school on the Westside and Chinese people we know told us that this can be done. And my husband has attended dinners on the West side in Chinese restaurants in connection with our school where they served real Chinese. But in general, it appears that no one running a Chinese restaurant on the West side of LA sees any reason to "waste" good food on the general populace. Sorry.

            1. re: jenn

              With all the condos along Wilshire and more going up all the time, sounds like there's a good opportunity here for someone. Chinese delivery is a way-of-life in NYC.

              1. re: jenn

                There's a couple of seafood restaurants that don't totally suck -- Jin Jiang is one of them, can't remember the name of the other one since I haven't lived on the Westside in years, but it's on Wilshire and Stanford in the People's Republic. Neither delivers.

                The general opinion of the board (replying to Hunter, since the 5-deep thread limit was reached) is that great Chinese food happens where Chinese people live -- which is not the Westside or Hollywood. Thus, I don't know that the fancy high-rise condos happening on Wilshire will ever beget good Chinese food, delivered or not. NYC Chinese is really its own beast, which isn't even close to be replicated here in LA (the closest I've come is Joy Feast in Burbank, and even that's a far cry -- but the egg rolls are closer than anywhere else in the city I've tried).

                Delivery is also an institution in New York that hasn't made such huge inroads here in LA. Yes, many places deliver but it's fairly easy to get to places, park and eat in here in LA (compared to New York).

                You'd think there'd be great Chinese near Pico/Robertson, but there's just not.

            2. re: Das Ubergeek

              No it's like living in manhattan and having to go to Astoria for decent greek food which you have to do.
              and incidentally, last time i was n manhattan (two months ago) the only seriously decent chinese food i came near was in flushing. there's very little in manhattan - except maybe east broadway for fujian stuff.
              if you like noodles and stuff consider mario's or any of a number of peruvian places that will do tallerin of noodles or chaufu (their version of chaofan - fried rice). my chinese friends who live in the area love it and substitute it for driving way east.
              you're in a new place - here's something new. sorry there isn't great take out here.

          2. There are some good places in Northridge. I used to go to a place called ABC Seafood which had some really good fish dishes and a great pea shoots dish.

            In Burbank it's pretty dismal. Some good green beans from Yen Ching. That's about it.

            1. Also on Melrose, near the 101 (4620 Melrose) is a decent Thai place called Prael. They're very good with the simple dishes -- I especially like the duck noodle soup. They also serve a dense, meat-stuffed spring-roll type thing called hoy cho that I like.

              1. Back to the Westwide:Tried a place on Westwood Blvd called Hong Kong tonite cuz it delivers. Kung pao crap.