Mr Chow

For a price point this high, the food should be simply unforgettable. It's not. Close quarters, waiters who presume to know what you'd really enjoy for dinner and aren't shy about suggesting several pricey options, efficient service to the point where you feel like they are trying to turn the table as fast as possible. Celeb sightings galore. Not worth the price. Not romantic. Not the place for an intimate or serious conversation. more

I tried the Ny resturant first after weeks of bugging my boyfriend!) and I was not too impressed. It was very cold in the cramped little dinning area b/c they had the air cranked up so danm high and it was WINTER! They don't let you use menus beccause they kind of like to pick out the food for you........which is really weird! The waiter was pretty snooty about it too. Then when we ordered, he kept saying that these dishes didn't go well together and blah, blah, blah....kept suggesting things that we didn't really want but had to pay a fortune for. Then came the BIG bill. The food was good but not great. Then I tried the BH location which wasn't much better. It wasn't as expensive because we went during lunch but it was fairly good. You do get to see the celebs which are seated on one side of the resturant, and average people on the otherside with a glass window dividing the resturant. If you go, go for lunch. It's not that exciting but they do have some good dishes... I ordered two take out dishes one night and paid $65 for them -- rip off! Pros: you get see some celebrities; has some good dishes Cons: very expensive; can't use menus more

I created an account on citysearch, solely so that I could write about how ripped off I feel. The food is horrible, despite the fact that the waiters keep insisting that its delicious while you eat! The ""champagne guy"" looked down on me for asking the price of a glass of champagne (i'm glad I did... 35 bucks). The pre-fixed menu for three people amounted to an arrangement I could find at any late night Chinese take-out. Pros: Tap water is free Cons: way ovepriced, pretentious, and rude more

The editor is correct when they said you will rub elbows with celebs, or any other person who sits on the same side as you where the table has to be pulled out in order to sit down. As for the food, the golden crispy chicken was something I tried once, & won't try again, but the beijing chicken with red bean sauce is great along with the scallion pancakes which I think are awesome. The check @ the end that no one wants is not itemized so if you are eating in a group, this can be awkward. I've only done lunch here, but I have returned, so it's worth a try. EDIT: Just returned in August, & they now do an itemized check! You may also now get a little foldout booklet with every celebrity that has eaten at (or stepped foot in) a Mr. Chow dynasty. Hmm... Pros: beijing chicken, scallion pancakes Cons: unitemized check, too close for comfort more

I have never bothered to write a restaurant review before, but my ridiculous experience at Mr. Chow last has forced me to take the time to do so. I am no stranger to the pretentious LA scene, having been born and raised here-but Mr. Chow raises the bar for obnoxiousness. My friends and I were pressured to ""trust"" the waitor to bring out his recommendations instead of ordering from the menu ourselves (which is frowned upon). Apparently, we were supposed to be thrilled with this option I read a review before I went that said Mr. Chow is a pricier PF Changs, which ended up being dead on. Unfortunately, I left the restaurant with 65 dollars less in my wallat and a big chip on my shoulder. Basically, you eat what they bring you and you pay what they charge you...the customer has no control over their meal. Wonderful. Pros: Celebrities more

On vacation in December, I wanted to have lunch at a Beverly Hills restaurant and chose Mr. Chow. Before going in, I looked at the menu, posted outside, so there'd be no ""sticker shock"". We did not have reservations, but only waited about 10 minutes. I was disappointed in the size and the fact that the table had to be pulled out, in order for me to be seated. However, the wait staff was courteous. Our menus displayed the same pricey selections, but the food arrived swiftly and was excellent. My husband told me that Vivica A. Fox was seat at another table, so that was as added surprise. The only ""check"" surprise was bottled water at $8.00. With food so pricey, water at least should be complimentary. We'll be in LA in June, and plan to go to Mr. Chow again. Pros: Excellent food, Friendly staff, Good portion sizes Cons: Extremely crowded, Noise, Lack of privacy more

I went here a while back for my friend's birthday. The food was awful and we got totally ripped off. The highlight of the night was seeing Goldie Hawn. I do not understand all the hype surrounding this place. Pros: stargazing Cons: bad, overpriced food, cramped seating more

amazing food always! Yes, its crowded and sometimes loud but its always a great experience. I always eat here when i am taking people out on business because its always a big hit! Food is always great, service amazing, friendly host's and great wine list! Just tell your waiter what kind of food you like and he always brings out perfect dishes! you can't go wrong here......expect to spend $100 a person..it's worth it! more

An out-of-town friend with rich friends here invited me to join them here for dinner and I was so worried when I read the reviews here. They sat us immediately, before our whole party even arrived, and while it WAS incredibly expensive for the average diner (which I most certainly am), the food was quite good (the scallion pancake was THE BEST I've ever had and I am a scallion pancake connoisseur!), the service was wonderful, and as far as the people-watching, we were having so much fun at our table I didn't notice anyone else. It seems to bea great place for a group...if you have the $$$$$.... Pros: yummy appetizers, attentive service Cons: price, price, price more

After rushing to get to Mr. Chow's for our 9:00 pm reservations, we were told that we would have to wait.... we didn't know that wait was for 2 hours. I have lived in LA all my life and I have dined in some of the LA's nicest restaurants and never have I seen anything so ridiculous. The hostest lied for 2 hours, finally when we were seated, we didn't see a waiter until 15 minutes later. We were then insulted for not knowing about the fixed menu. We were so insulted at the waiters audacity we walked out without eating. Spend your money elsewhere... They don't need it and it seemed to us... they don't even care. Pros: Nice location Cons: Everything more

Insist on a menu if you are leary of the prices. Most items were in the upper $20's to $30 range. Ordered the chicken joanna & the sliced pork with chili which was excellent. Also ordered a pricier filet mignon dish, meat was tender but not much flavor. Asked our waiter to recommend a noodle dish, but he just said he would choose some appetizers for us and sent out four of them which added nearly $80 to the bill. I would recommend spring rolls and lettuce wraps. Dinner for four without cocktails was $225. Pricey, but I didn't feel ripped off and the food overall was quite good. Roberto was very personable and entertaining and made us feel just as special and welcome as any of those a-listers! Pros: Roberto, Star watching, Food Cons: Long wait to seat, Small bar, Expensive more

The emperor of good food! There's so much to say about this place to recommend it! The ambiance I love, the food is amazing and delicate and it's just a fun place to be! Highly recommend it! more

Um, try forking over $185 for two, and for nothing more than mediocre food. Uh, never again Mr. Chow! The food was as good as I can get at Chin Chin for 8x the price. Be prepared. When you get the honor of sitting on the bench side of the table, the host pulls out the table so you can get in, then they deposit you snuggly with the table preventing you from moving. (Not for the claustrophobic for sure!) Service was exquisite at first, then slacked. We had to waive away our dirty plates, flag staff down for the check. Oh, and don't forget the Hip Hop music playing. But wait. The raspberry hazelnut tort rocked. (But it wasn't worth the $185.) Pros: Dessert Cons: , Food, Trap more

Celebs get preferred treatment so they keep coming in to act as bait for the rest of us. Non-celebs keep coming in to starwatch, and they're the ones that get taken in by the ""no menu"" ruse. The food is mass-produced, barely edible slop. Frankly, anybody that says they enjoyed Mr. Chow is an insecure moron with no self-respect. For the best explanation you're likely to see of this operation, I have an extended review in the archive section of Socially Inept dot com. Pros: You might see a celeb Cons: IT'S A SCAM, fast-food quality for $100/person more

Ok, the portions were small and I am sure the bills was above $300 not including drinks. But c'mon, the food was good, Do you ever wonder why most asians are not FAT.,,, because they eat small portions. Hellooooooo. I had a very good experience and was even asked to be in a movie. Script handed over and all. LOL. Oh I also Spotted the most funny guy ever, Jason Biggs. Pros: movie stars, food, drinks more

After hearing so much about this place we decided to visit it. What a disappointment! Overcrowded with no sense of privacy whatsoever. The service is hurried and mediocre. Food quality is average or less. I've had better tasting food at PF Changs. Above all, no menus are provided and prices are somehow confidential. In other words, you have to order blindly through the waiter not knowing any prices. I have never heard of anything so ludicrous! Here's the best part - your bill comes unitemized. You will have no clue as to what cost what. Just a total which might frighten even the most avid horror picture fan. Thumbs down! Not worth the money or hassle. Pros: Clean more

I am a native of Louisiana, so I think I know good and bad food. I used to live in Los Angeles about 5 years ago, attending school, which is when I found out about Mr. Chow. I read about it in a magazine article and it was recommended by Regina King the actress. I went my first time for take out, I got the fried rice and the chicken Joanna, both EXCELLENT! Granted for that meal, which was enough to feed only me, I paid about $45 (yes, for takeout) but after a couple bad experiences with Chinese food at other restaurants in the L. A. area, to me it was worth it. I haven't even touched on the celebrities that I saw each time went! Overall, my experiences have been good there. (Other good recommendations are their broccoli spears and lobster tails - YUM!) Pros: Good Fried Rice, Celebrity Sightings, Personable Staff Cons: , Menus are by request, Tight seating area more

Despite what others have said, I would like to say that this was the highlight of my trip to LA. The service was wonderful and the food by far better than other chinese places (& I have been to many around the world). I liked that alot of the dishes were the same as those you could get elsewhere, but the quality was much higher. We had the chef choose our dishes for us, and he did a splendid job. Pros: food, service Cons: tight seating more

i didn't know it was possible to spend so much money just to eat lousy take-out quality chinese in a noisy, cramped, crowded restaurant. Waiters and other passers-by kept bumping into my boyfriend's seat because they've crammed the place full of seats for more people to come and throw their money down the toilet. The waiter suggested that he decide what to bring and unfortunately we agreed (although I doubt if we had ordered from the menu that we'd have fared any better). The food came pretty quickly, much more so that I'd expected. It was obvious that the food had been sitting in the kitchen for a while, The noodles were greasy, the beef was tough as leather and the desserts were straight out of the supermarket. Almost $400 later, we left, vowing never to come back again. Pros: Clean Utensils, "Fast" food Cons: worse than take-out, lousy service, cramped environment more

Having a Chinese background, I feel as if I am capable of discerning good chinese food from great. Mr. Chow is a restaurant with ""good"" chinese food. I eat in the San Gabriel Valley every weekend at little family run restaurants that cost less than 10 dollars a person for dinner that includes an array of chinese food that seems as if my Grandma had just made it on her stovetop in China. While Mr. Chow has a great celebrity sighting and impecable service (the waiters, maitre'd, and hostesses) were extremely pleasant and helpful, I found that the amount my date paid for dinner was a bit pricey. If you've got the money to spend, then I would definitely recommend this place. If not, then order in food from NBC Seafood on Atlantic Blvd; youll definitely end up full (of food, and cash!) Pros: service, great parking Cons: expensive more