Needle

"This shoe box-sized Cantonese restaurant on Sunset serves inventive dishes like salted egg yolk french toast and pork chop buns in a casual dining room that’s perfect for a low-key lunch or brunch. Needle’s small menu of Hong Kong-inspired brunch food is available from 11-5pm daily, and between the tiny dining room and small sidewalk patio, there are only about a dozen tables in total. It’s hard to go wrong here, but the must-order dish is the char siu bun. The plump and juicy pork patty is grilled over charcoal, glazed in honey, and then served on fluffy milk bread. " - Brant Cox, Nikko Duren

"When a chef who worked at spots like Otium and Trois Mec opens a Cantonese restaurant, you end up with a place like Needle—showcasing not only traditional Hong Kong food, but what a Cantonese chef with fine dining training creates when he has access to all the great meat and produce found on the West Coast. The char siu made with Berkshire pork belly is one of the best in the city—it’s nicely marbled (you can choose between regular or fatty cuts), perfectly charred, and instead of the usual hoisin-based sauce, it’s lightly glazed with honey and served with mustard to cut through the richness. Meals can be enjoyed either to-go, or on their small but cozy patio out front. " - fiona chandra, kat hong

"When sh*t hits the fan and we need a kind smile and plate of char siu stat, we go to Needle. Located in a bright-green building in Silver Lake, this order-at-the-counter Cantonese restaurant serves everything from pea shoots in garlic broth to pork chop buns to button mushrooms so good, they compelled us to change our Twitter name to “Funghi Fieri.” But the main event here is their char siu. Glazed with honey and served with a side of hot mustard, this pork shoulder is sweet, savory, and exactly what you want to be eating when you realize that Instagram has been sending your crush an alert every time you unsend a message." - brant cox, kat hong, brett keating

"Needle is a Silver Lake neighborhood spot serving an excellent menu of Hong Kong-inspired food. They reopened a small, self-service patio off Sunset Blvd., where you can comfortably eat your char siu with hot honey glaze, pork chop buns, and duck breast skewers." - brett keating

"The fact that three of LA’s restaurants seemingly closed and returned from oblivion is pretty close to miraculous. Here’s Looking At You, Needle, and Jun Won (now Jun Won Dak) all changed in fundamental ways, whether it’s the menu, model, or service format, but they’re just as exciting." - Eater Staff