Won Kok Restaurant

Ham sui gok - absolute love! So crispy and chewy and their filling is so good and has a good amount stuffer in there

Sui mai - really good as well!

Har gao - now usually I am a fan of this at dim sum places but I think here there was waayyy too much of the outer dumpling wrapper to shrimp ratio and also the consistency was a bit softer than I feel like I remember/ am used to

Char sui bao - I really like their char sui baos here and they're super flavorful because they have cooked onions in it where as some places are just meat. It definitely enhances the flavor and I like that their bread is not dried out like some places as well.

Staple in LA & will be back

This review is for the walk up kiosk attached to the restaraunt.

So I'm driving along in Chinatown - fat, dumb and happy and I come upon the Won Kok kiosk. Why did I notice it? The line of people waiting to be served, 10-15 deep! I had to stop, right? So I did. I had already had lunch but I'm no fool, I had to take home some Dim Sum because this little kiosk specializes in Dim Sum. I ordered my favorite, Sesame balls along with Pork steamed and baked buns. Outstanding! Like I said this is a walk-up dim sum joint only, and a pretty good one at that!!

We were going to go to Mama Lu's Dumpling House but had stopped by a convenience store for some Asian snacks and they recommended we go here instead - we loved it!

They have a take out window but if you want to skip the line, go in and sit down and eat inside (or call ahead for pick up inside).

They'll give you menus but they didn't give us the paper dimsum menu, I had to go up and get it. Definitely get pork over chicken for everything. Get the dumplings and the steamed buns! The chow mein was SO good, get shrimp or chicken.

And sesame balls!! Amazing.

Food is really fast.

Ignore the social media hype. The dim sum here is nothing special; in fact, it's not even very good by 'the 626' standards (insiders know what I'm talking about.)
Go inside the restaurant and order real Cantonese grub from the menu, way better (4 stars) -- wonton soup (with roast duck add-on), fried bone-in chicken with crunchy shrimp chips, beef chow fun, shrimp egg or beef egg rice plate.

086/2024

Always busy here no matter what time we come.

Parking is very tight with limited spaces.

The dimsum bakery that is located inside the restaurant is also accessible to the public with a walk up window outside. Always a long line

Food lacks flavor and service slow




rather than falling in line outside walk up window.

So I saw this place on one of the Social Media apps on cheap eats. I desperately wanted to go immediately but I waited. I brought my daughter and my wife. My wife tends to change my plans so while I had planned on going to a local park and eat it on this beautiful sunny day, my wife decided we would eat inside the restaurant... at a cost of $2 per person.

That wasn't too bad, especially since we got tea and chili oil and a place to sit. The prices are amazing and we got to try lots of things for a very low price. The service was a little slow getting to us but that could be because we did not order from the restaurant menu. Although there were some good items in the menu.

First the bad; not a big fan of the chicken sticky rice. It was not bad but not something I would order again. Unless there is something I should have done to improve the taste. All I did was dip it into my chili oil on my plate. Which, hell makes anything taste good. Don't know if I would order the egg rolls either. Again, not bad but so many things that I would rather have on the menu.

The good; the pork bun[s]. Yes buns with an S because we tried both. Daughter and wife both said steamed was better but I think it was really close but the baked bun had a really buttery texture which gave it a slight edge for me.

The best; pork and shrimp dumplings. The pork Shu Mai and shrimp Har Gow is amazing. Is it possible that $0.90 Shu Mai going to taste better than $3 Shu Mai, I think so. Pieces are NOT discount dim sum, this is the real deal. Super tasty and served hot.

The WINNER is baked Coconut bun. It was sooo good. Can't wait to come back. I'll take it to the park and sit in our wonderful CA winter day. You know, 82 degrees.

BTW, we got lucky and only about 12 people in front of us in line when my wife convinced me to go inside. By the time we left, the line was 40 yards deep.

I've been coming to this place for over 10 years!! It's been a secret little spot I'd show friends when they visited for the best dim sum.


Now this place is getting featured in instagram must-go ads and other marketing is blowing this spot up. I'm happy about it I am!

However -

Today I stopped by for a quick meal before a show at the Ahmanson... I went in, asked for a table and menus for my friend and I. He asked if we wanted the dim sum menu. I said yes please. Typically I get a chow fun, or fried rice and some dim sum. Since we have less than an hour to curtain, my friend and I just decided to eat dim sum.

After waiting for the server to take our order. About 10 minutes or so...it's busy I get it...he then informs us since we are getting only dim sum it will be a $4 up charge to sit and eat it inside.

$4 and a waste of time.

I happily would've waited in line if I knew they started a new sit down dim sum surcharge. You're paying for the food, the service, we were gonna buy drinks, and tip...

Now...

I'm frustrated I admit it, but now I'm waiting in the dim sum line outside. It's dumb. They would've made more off of me as a customer if I was dining inside. Period.

Overall a decent take-out spot in LA chinatown, with most items under a dollar a piece.
Pork siu mai had a hearty meat flavor, but not much else. This was much better when I got home and had all my sauces at my disposal to dress it up. Baked cha siu bao had a great taste, but didn't have a lot of filling to it. The egg tarts were okay, with a flakey but dry crust and overly sweet custard. Both the cha siu bao and egg tarts were also much improved when I brought them home to "finish" them. I threw them in the oven to bake a little more. Straight out of the box, they were a bit blonde in color and taste, and this step added some more complex toasty flavors.

There was a very long line when I went on a Saturday morning, but it was after an event so I kind of expected a crowd. The ladies at the front were quick and efficient, just how I like takeout windows like this. Objectively kind of mid food but with my entire bill being under $10, it's hard to complain.

Parking can get a little tough in this area. There's an inside of the restaurant where you can dine in and there's a window outside where you can order dim sum. We were in line forever until we decided to go inside and order take out. Service wasn't the best and the food took forever to come out.

I came across this place on IG. The price point is what brought me to the area. Love the walk up window. I went on a Friday late afternoon and waited maybe 10 minutes, not bad at all.

Parking: They have a tiny parking lot area, very crammed. I was lucky, as I was entering, someone was backing out, so worked in my favor. If not, there is street metered parking down the street and around the block.

Order: I didn't go inside, stood to experience the walk up window. They have a menu to browse as you are waiting. The two windows were open, ladies were pretty quick and efficient. I got 8 dimsum pieces, pork and chicken, 90 cents each. A bbq pork bun, sticky rice cake, which was sweet and mushy really good, sesame ball- good and oily.

Price: For the 11 things that I got, I spent $11, which is not bad in LA. That's why I had to order a number of things.

Taste: The bbq pork bun, were on the smaller side, def not a NYC sized pork bun, but taste was good. The dimsum pieces were okay, kind of dry, a little disappointing. The rice cake was my favorite.

Verdict: If you are in the area, def worth trying. I wouldn't go out of my way to order again, unless I'm in or working near Chinatown. The price is what got me excited, and still happy that I didn't go over $20 for food in LA.