Ma Ma's Lu Dumpling House Corporation

The service was fantastic. The food was delish. And we were so surprised at how inexpensive it was. We fed a family of three for 40 bucks!!!

Described as “a traditional Chinese family-style restaurant with a Taiwanese twist” and praised by Jonathan Gold for its Shanghai-style specialties, Mama Lu's offers a wide array of dumplings, noodles, and more. Upon entering the original location, diners are greeted by a robust aroma of cooking meats emanating from the small kitchen. The predominantly Asian clientele speaks to the restaurant's authenticity, as does the fact that one specific server is designated to attend to all English-speaking guests. Though the ambiance is somewhat limited, with a well-spaced combination of booths and tables that can seat around eighty, the setting is functional, featuring advertising mats and hot tea upon arrival. Diners can explore a menu boasting 102 options, with the most popular dishes highlighted at the front. Generally, one or two plates per diner is sufficient unless they are especially hungry. With prices typically ranging from $5 to $10, and a whole chicken priced at $19.99 as Mama Lu’s priciest offering, they eventually settled on seven items. The famed Beef Roll was the first to arrive, impressively larger than a burrito and filled with seared meat and vegetables wrapped in a crispy pancake that had just the right amount of stretch to prevent it from falling apart. To cleanse the palate between dishes, they enjoyed a duo of vinegar cucumbers and sugared peanuts, followed by a fragrant green onion pancake priced at just $2.99—similar in style to the Beef Roll’s wrap. Those looking for something more “dim sum” should certainly try Mama Lu’s Fried Pork Buns, enhanced with sesame seeds for added flavor and texture. The pan-fried dumplings—eight for $5.99—were virtually oil-free and stuffed with tender pork and scallions. Next, they savored Mama Lu’s second signature dish, the Xiao Long Bao, which many consider the best in Los Angeles. These delicate dumplings feature wrappers that don’t tear easily with chopsticks and are filled with plenty of hot soup. Additional appetite was satisfied with a generous helping of Shanghai Chow Mein slicked in soy sauce. For dessert, item #17 should not be missed: it comprises eight pieces of deep-fried coconut bread served with a bowl of condensed milk for dipping.

Recently, S and I traveled to Los Angeles for a friend’s wedding, and we took the opportunity to visit a few places on our LA "to-do" list. One of those spots was Mama Lu’s Dumpling House (Chinese name: 一口福). This restaurant specializes in what is referred to in Chinese as mian shi, which means "flour food"—this includes items like noodles, dumplings, pancakes, and other starchy foods that aren't rice-based. I'm usually a big fan of rice, but I also love dumplings and am always eager to try new places. So, when I found positive reviews for Mama Lu’s Dumpling House in Monterey Park, I knew I had to add it to my list.

The soup dumplings here are quite good. If I could combine the filling from Mama Lu's with the wrapper from Din Tai Fung in a Dragon Ball Z-style fusion, you’d undoubtedly have the best soup dumplings ever. The salt and pepper spare ribs, beef noodle soup, and beef wrap are also exceptional. While the food is slightly oily, it's not overly soggy. But let’s be honest, that’s part of the appeal of Chinese cuisine, isn’t it?

Simply the BEST!!!. You'll have to go to China to find better than this. The beef wrap is probably the best thing I've ever had in my mouth...and I hate beef. The crab and pork dumpling (xiao long bao) with soup inside of the dumpling is, well words can't describe how good it is. The wonton noodle soup was good. The noodles are from scratch as well as the wontons. Although I've had better broth. The clam and noodle soup looked absolutely devine, but we didn't have enough room on the table or in our stomachs to order it, a definite for next time.<br/ <br/ The menu is short and sweet. A sure thing.<br/ <br/ Service is phenomenal. Long line, but seated within 10 minutes. VERY kid friendly. The waiter even tried to spoon feed my 3 1/2 year old and brought her an extra bowl of broth without being asked just because he noticed how much she liked it.<br/ <br/ Here's the best part. They also sell their dumplings frozen so you can take them home and steam them in your kitchen. Can you beat that?!?! A bag of 50 costs roughly between $10-15 depending on which kind you choose.