Probably SGV’s most high-end omakase destination, Kogane is a seven-seat counter that serves incredible sushi from chef Fumio Azumi at a price of $300 for dinner. Opening co-chef Kwan has since moved on to a new sushi restaurant in Ohio. Those looking for a more reasonable experience can check Kogane out at lunch, which costs $120 for a smaller nigiri omakase. Kogane remains a special sushi experience deserving of the highest accolades.

This classic fast-food spot makes sliced pastrami an attainable art form, with sandwiches, hot dogs, and burgers used as a format for serving the preserved brisket. The Hat has always been a reliable spot for after-school snacks and late-night munchies in the SGV.

One of the main Sichuan restaurant powerhouses in SGV (the other being always-solid Chengdu Taste), Sichuan Impression has a way of serving polished, almost elegant regional dishes with enough spice to draw a decent of sweat on the brow. Start with the cold house special noodles and end with the mapo tofu with a bit of steamed rice.

A modern Asian American restaurant with chef flourishes, seasonal ingredients, and California-inspired fare, Yang’s Kitchen made some major changes over the past few years but has settled into good groove in the past year or so. Brunchy, all-day fare has some highlights, including a customizable set meal and cornmeal mochi pancakes. For dinner, check out the ‘dan dan’ campanelle pasta or the claypot mussel stew.

Malaysian and Singaporean flavors haven’t made large inroads in San Gabriel Valley, which tends to favor Cantonese, Sichuan, and other Chinese regions. Still, the melting pot of Peranakan and Malaysian flavors that trickled down into Singapore offers a compelling set of flavor-packed dishes like nasi lewak, Hainanese chicken rice, and roti canai from chef Kenji Tang, who hails from Ipoh, Malaysia. By morning, there’s classic kaya toast with kopi, plus beef rendang and the ever-popular bat kut teh, an herbal pork soup influenced by Hoklo and Teochew communities. Expect long waits during prime meal hours.

With a wide, elegant dining room that feels grown up compared to some of its SGV rivals, Jiang Nan Spring is a Shanghai-style restaurant with a big menu and elegant cooking across the board, from noodles to fried rice. The kind of place to have a slightly fancier Chinese dinner if the need arises, with a menu and dining area big enough to please a crowd. The house special fried fish flecked with seafood is especially good while the saucy pork ribs coated in a sweet sauce will put on anyone’s face.

Arguably the best overall Vietnamese spot in SGV, Golden Deli’s crispy, crunchy cha gio are always in demand, but everything from the bun to the pho are fantastic too. People are almost always waiting for one of the small strip mall restaurant’s coveted tables.

With an expansive Cantonese menu with Cambodian influences, this huge standalone building in San Gabriel remains one of the region’s top overall restaurants, especially for its fresh lobster made with green onion and garlic, as well as bo luc lac. Everyone makes sure to order the garlicky pea shoots to complement the seafood.

Cantonese bakeries are numerous across SGV, but Diamond Bakery might be near the best of the bunch, with a huge array of individually wrapped pastries to egg custard tarts to full cream-filled sheet cakes.

A new entrant to the Xian-influenced school of noodle making, this cozy restaurant in San Gabriel throws together well-executed biang biang noodles (wide, flat noodles), spicy lamb noodles in a red-tinted broth, rich beef chunks with long pulled noodles, and spicy cumin lamb burgers. Prices are low enough that bigger groups can order a bevy of noodle plates and share without a huge dent to the wallet.

It’s incredible that 78-year-old Siu Chen went from home cook to restaurant owner during the pandemic. The family-run operation is now Rosemead’s hub for Indonesian fare with beef rendang, lemongrass fried chicken, and grilled pork satay. It’s a takeout model where all food is prepared and pre-packaged, so order early or walk-in and try your luck.

In Rosemead lies perhaps the city’s best banh mi spot, serving the platonic ratio of ingredients stuffed into a bread baked on the premises, with a choice of French roll or light baguette. Staff recommends the latter for a lighter crispness. With meaty paté, head cheese, ham, chả lụa (steamed pork sausage), and crisp pickled vegetables with the intense spice of fresh jalapeño and bright cilantro, this sandwich has it all.

Previously awarded a Michelin star but no less stellar years after the award, Bistro Na’s boasts an extensive menu of palace-style fare with an ambience to match. Prices will be commensurate with the quality, but there’s no doubt that Bistro Na’s is the most upscale place to eat in San Gabriel Valley. Try the spicy dry-braised black cod served in a long oval platter. The chef is especially proud of the intricate Chinese-style rice cake desserts, so be sure to order them if available.

Tony He’s most streamlined dim sum and evening Cantonese restaurant which comes from Vancouver has expanded from Arcadia over to a shiny new location on the ground floor of the spacious Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Monterey Park. Though dim sum offerings are best available during the day, a few popular dishes remain in the evenings, like har gow and shu mai. Once the sun goes down, it’s best to order Cantonese seafood favorites like salt pepper shrimp.

The original landing spot in North America for this Taiwan-based chain, Din Tai Fung has relocated to inside the Westfield Santa Anita serving Shanghai-influenced xiao long bao and other stir-fried fare. In addition to dumplings, try the refreshing cold cucumber appetizer and comforting pan-fried rice cakes. There are other mall locations in Century City, the Glendale Galleria, and Torrance.

Though LA’s passion for Sichuan cuisine has waned somewhat from a high water mark a few years ago, Chengdu Impression has stayed the course and cooks perhaps some of the best overall Sichuan food in Los Angeles right now. The classics are mostly very good, including a terrific version of mapo tofu, but the large shareable entrees like chile-flecked sliced snakehead fish in pickle broth are better for showcasing the kitchen’s prowess with spicy flavors.