dan modern chinese - pasadena
Chinese restaurant · Downtown ·
Handmade dumplings, noodles, and crab fried rice.
Handmade dumplings, noodles, and crab fried rice.
"Soup dumplings in the San Gabriel Valley are serious business, so when owner James Kim opened Dan in 2018, he was wading into a very competitive market. But his version — handmade, sturdy, and loaded with a bit more soup than some of the more famous offerings — has proved popular enough to turn one location into seven, spread throughout the southland." - Vox Creative
"This small local chain started in Pasadena in 2018, but has quickly expanded to four locations in Greater LA, including one on Sawtelle, thanks to their handmade dumplings and noodles. The star on Dan’s small menu is the dan mein - the thick, homemade noodles have a nice chewy bite to them and get stir-fried with your choice of protein in a sweet garlic sauce, which we think goes best with the tender short ribs. Besides the delicious dan mein, we like the especially crispy pan-fried dumplings and fried rice, which is prepared with a generous amount of Dungeness crab. " - fiona chandra, kat hong
"This small local chain started in Pasadena in 2018, but has quickly expanded to several locations around Greater LA, including one on Sawtelle, thanks to their handmade dumplings and noodles. The star on Dan’s small menu is the dan mein—the thick, homemade noodles have a nice chewy bite to them and get stir-fried with your choice of protein in a sweet garlic sauce, which we think goes best with the tender short ribs. Besides the delicious dan mein, we like the especially crispy pan-fried dumplings and fried rice, which is prepared with a generous amount of dungeness crab. Food Rundown Short Rib Dan Mein These thick, handmade noodles (which shouldn’t be confused with dan dan mian) are stir-fried with a sweet, garlicky sauce, shitakes, and snow peas, and are the best thing on the menu. While you can also get chicken, shrimp, or vegetables, we think the short rib goes best with the sweeter sauce and the bouncy, chewy noodles. Dungeness Crab Fried Rice The wok-fried rice here is cooked just right–you get that wok hei from the high heat of wok frying and the grains of rice never stick together. There's a pretty generous amount of fresh crab meat mixed into the garlicky fried rice too, though there’s always an option to add extra. Crispy Pan Fried Pork Dumplings Dan's offers dumplings with three different preparations, including steamed and regular pan-fried, but the one to get is the crispy pan-fried dumplings that give you that crispy crust/dumpling skirt at the bottom. Keep in mind that this particular preparation takes up to 30 minutes, but it’s always worth it." - Fiona Chandra
"A Pasadena-based soup-dumpling specialist that opened in late 2018 with a minimal menu and a wood-paneled dining room. Known for its focus on soup dumplings, the operation is rapidly expanding and is planning two Westside openings this year—one on Sawtelle near Mississippi and another in Manhattan Village in the South Bay—positioning it as direct competition to larger dumpling chains." - Mona Holmes
"Dan is a low-key dumpling and fried rice spot in Pasadena. You’ll think about the dungeness crab fried rice until you go to sleep, and then again when you wake up the next day. The xiaolongbao are soupier than some other soup dumplings in town, which is a good thing when the broth is quite this tasty. The ones with blue crab and pork should be your first order of business. Tack on some super garlicky sauteed green beans, and call it a meal. Be prepared for a line if you go at peak times, but things move pretty quickly here." - Brett Keating
