Chef Chu's
Chinese restaurant · Los Altos ·
Signature Beijing duck, family-run Chinese-American institution
Signature Beijing duck, family-run Chinese-American institution
"I saw that Los Altos restaurant Chef Chu’s got a moment in the limelight when director Jon M. Chu — whose parents own the restaurant — gave it a shoutout during his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on July 23. He quipped that his 80-year-old father, who still works at the restaurant every day, told him to name-drop the classic Beijing duck on the show, and he reflected on how growing up in the restaurant shaped his future as a filmmaker." - Justine Jones
"A longtime Bay Area institution, Chef Chu’s has been serving Chinese cuisine since 1970. The restaurant has been loved and visited by many Bay Area personalities, as well as advocates of the Asian American community. Even today, chef Lawrence Chu can be found in action in the kitchen, preparing his signature Beijing-style roasted duck, which is slow-cooked and barbecued in a traditional iron-cast Chinese oven. Regulars also rave about the Sichuan village-style clay pot, filled with meat that’s braised with a spicy sauce, as well as potstickers that are handmade daily." - Paolo Bicchieri, Cathy Park
"I saw that Silicon Valley’s 50‑year‑old Chinese‑American restaurant now spans three generations of Larry Chus, with 76‑year‑old Larry Chu Sr. still eager to be involved; when the crisis hit, Larry Chu Jr. doubled down on service by sending staff curbside to hand takeout to long lines of Teslas each Friday. A $100,000 gift from Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan helped them hire most of their kitchen staff back and prepare meals for frontline workers, and the family’s main challenge has been keeping Larry Chu Sr. away from the full service — he’s been allowed to come in early to inspect recipes and make sure none of his dishes have changed." - Becky Duffett
"I report that Los Altos Chinese spot Chef Chu's was among eight local restaurants that received $100,000 from Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan; the couple's spokesperson said the funds came from them as private citizens and were presented as large food orders rather than donations, to be used at the owners' discretion." - Eve Batey
"Opened in 1970 by an immigrant who started in restaurants as a busboy, this long-running Los Altos Chinese-American restaurant grew from a tiny takeout spot in a former laundromat into a multiroom, family-run institution known as a Silicon Valley power restaurant. It built its reputation by adapting popular Chinese dishes to American tastes—sweet-and-sour pork, chow mein, fried rice, and almond chicken remain top sellers—while also offering signature items like Hunan chicken, basil beef, candied pecans with jumbo prawns, and a much-photographed chicken salad. The founder, a gregarious host who insists on strict standards in the kitchen and personal engagement with diners, cultivated an atmosphere where business leaders and celebrities routinely dined; framed photos of notable visitors line the entry, and the second-floor “Nine Dragons” dining room features a wall of gold dragons salvaged from the founder’s father’s restaurant. Though sometimes labeled Chinese-American rather than “authentic” Chinese, the restaurant is credited with expanding local palates and helping pave the way for later regional Chinese and hot-pot concepts; it remains family-operated, with multiple children involved and the founder still overseeing quality daily." - Melissa Hung
