Old Country Cafe (老鄉親)

Nice food. Nice service. We got pork chop rice, minced meat with rice, Taiwanese sausage, pork liver soup, green bean soup dessert.

The first Taiwanese place I've ever eaten in LA. I loved the unlimited refill on the boba though it wasn't particularly special. I like the pork chop rice - they give a good portion and it's at a good price. Though not my thing, they do have sticky tofu and other small Taiwanese eats. It's been awhile since I've been here so I'm not sure if this place is still cash only.

Old Country Cafe is one of my personal favorite gems in the 626 area. Everything about it is great - I come mainly for the pork chop rice dish because for $6.50 you get a huge plate of rice, minced meat, 3 veggies, half a tea egg and a big pork chop. All the dishes are delicious, cheap and the most authentic taiwanese food I've ever had. On top of that, they have fresh juice which is just so refreshing. I especially love that they're open late, no fuss and is just a genuinely good place to eat.

Cheap Taiwanese food - CASH only. Grew up with this place being 'the Taiwanese joint' in 626 back then, was always crazy packed, making millions before sold to new ownership. Today it is still an awesome mom and pop or ghetto fab joint now. #5 fried Pork chop over rice $7.95, #14 squid thick soup and rice noodle $8.95, #14 chitterlings appetizer or #15 boiled safer version. Deserts: customized shaved ice $5+, watermelon or fresh fruit juice $3.95, or hot desert soup like red or green bean, or peanut, or lotus seed $2.80. This place is older now, and have less fresh items so attentive in what you pick. No lines now. Mom and pop shops have it hard. Small small plaza = difficult parking. More parking downstairs. Not for inexperience drivers. If you don't speak Taiwanese, mandarin, then use your pointing skills or show them the food via yelp photos.

The stinky tofu is 4 stars. Great texture with a good stink to it (one of the stinker ones in the San Gabriel Valley for sure). It's not 5 stars because they give you such a small portion. But the stink is very similar to Tofu King and pretty strong. The squid rice noodle soup gets a 1 star. Poor flavoring, not savory at all, squid texture is way too chewy (almost crunchy) . Not even the black vinegar could save this soup. There are plenty Taiwanese comfort food restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley that can make your mouth water with how delish and savory they can make everything but Old Country Cafe is not one of them. Between the poor flavored soup and incredibly small portion of stinky tofu you might feel disappointed like I did.

CHEAP and GOOD. A combination I love. Completely unassuming and no-fuss kinda place. We sat at the counter for dinner, and since I wasn't too hungry, ordered the Chicken Rice ($4.95) and my BF ordered the Pork Chop Rice ($6ish) I also got the Passion Fruit Green Tea and he ordered the Watermelon Juice. Juices came out quick, and both of them were really refreshing!! There's FREE refills on tea (Not sure if it's all but for sure the Passion Fruit and Milk Tea). My tea kept me wired for the rest of the night, but it was so good! The Watermelon Juice was great as well, since it we basically saw them grab chunks of the fruit from the fridge, dump it in a blender with a bit of syrup and bam that was it. Totally worth it. Food came out promptly, and I definitely liked the Pork Chop Rice better than the Chicken Rice. Usually I'm not a fan of TW Pork Chop since I think it's too sweet, but this place makes it less so! Batter wasn't too overpowering and had a really nice CRUNCH. Cool! And it comes with side veggies that I love! We'll definitely come back to this hidden gem! :) AND open until Midnight???? Wow. *2 thumbs up*

This place easily goes unnoticed among its newer, flashier competitors. I didn't find out about it until someone told me about it! Favorite dish for the money has to be the pork chop rice. You get a plentiful amount of food that tastes better than average for what you pay for. Cash only, outdated ambiance, and bad parking are the only real minuses.

They have a delicious, inexpensive rice bowl w/ shredded chicken on it - served w/ pickled daikon (I think it is) & the usual brown (shelled) hard-boiled egg. Good hot tea, no charge for. They also have a (like) flattened pork chop - very good plate served w/ vegetable & a brown meat sauce on rice. I eat in, but they do a lot of take-out - for me, always a good sign. If little pk'ing lot is full, there's plenty of pk'ing available underneath the bldg. I recommend.