Alice's Kitchen

The inspiration

The owners opened their first location in Monterey Park in 2019, then, after the pandemic, leaned fully into nostalgia with vintage decor and shipped-in Hong Kong touches¹ . The Temple City room, ringed with faux storefronts and neon Cantonese signage, is built to feel like a meal in Mong Kok² .

Who's behind it

Longtime supervisor Tim Yu, who spoke with LAist about the restaurant's post-pandemic makeover and its expansion to Temple City after customers asked for a location closer to them¹ .

What to order

• Pork and preserved egg congee: one shareable bowl with jelly-like century eggs and tender pork .²
• Salt and pepper squid: fried squid with spicy salt clinging to the craggy edges, plus chiles and green onions .²
• Seafood fried noodles: crunchy noodles that soften against the gravy, with squid, white fish, shrimp and choy sum .²

What people are saying

Critics at Eater LA describe the Temple City dining room as transporting, with food that merges Eastern and Western palates the way Hong Kong cooking does² .

Why you should try it

If you want the feel of a Hong Kong street-level diner without leaving the San Gabriel Valley, this is the room that pulls it off, decor and menu together^1,2 . Bring a group so you can work across the deep menu, from congee to baked rice, and finish with a strongly brewed milk tea² .