"There are two Mama Lu’s on Garfield Avenue, about three blocks apart. Why? No one really knows. But most locals will just shrug and point you to this one (the original). There are plenty of banquet hall-esque Chinese restaurants in the SGV that look like this, but Mama Lu’s remains a reliable go-to, especially when you need to feed a small crowd and don’t want to spend a fortune. Every dish at Mama Lu’s is absurdly jumbo-sized. Rice cakes are piled on a plate fit for an office party, and the dumplings are so big they could double as stress balls. And yet, everything is also wildly affordable—especially if you come in a big group." - cathy park, sylvio martins, brant cox, andrew ryce