Woon - Filipinotown

"Verdict: Quick, delicious, and reliable. The sidewalk patio has the best seats in the house. Woon has been around since 2019, but food TikTok can't shut up about how convenient, delicious, and fun this place is. We can confirm that all of the above is true. In roughly ten minutes flat, this casual Chinese spot in Historic Filipinotown serves chewy beef noodles, clouds of scallion pancakes, and pork belly bao so tender it basically disappears like Houdini. Woon only accepts walk-ins, and it's usually not too difficult to snag a spot. Order at the counter and then sit on the sidewalk patio where friends in matching corduroy drink Taiwanese beer on plastic stools. It's really that easy. Add Woon to your last-minute dinner rotation if you haven't already." - sylvio martins, brant cox, nicolas zhou

"In collaboration with dessert concept, Pique-Nique L.A., Woon is offering a Chinese New Year sweet rice cake special. Nin gou (or nian gao in Mandarin) is a dish signifying progress and growth in the new year. The pancake take-home kit features a golden pumpkin nin gou dough log plus festive accoutrements such as condensed milk, Woon peanuts + sea moss crumble, and salted duck egg yolk. Vegan coconut condensed milk options are also available. This special is running from February 5th through the 7th, and February 12th through the 14th. Visit Woon’s website to place a preorder." - kat hong

"From the menu of excellent Shanghainese dishes like scallion pancakes and braised pork belly bao to its sunny front patio on a Historic Filipinotown sidestreet, Woon is the kind of rare, fast-casual restaurant that’s both quick and efficient and nice to hang out in. Need an affordable, last-minute date spot with pork dumplings and plump fish cakes? Head to Woon. Does a third-tier friend from acting class keep bugging you to get dinner at “some place kinda cool”? Woon is the answer. As extremely niche and specific as that situation is, a bowl of their fantastic, chewy beef noodles and an ube ice cream bao is the only way you’re getting through it." - sylvio martins, brant cox, garrett snyder

"Most people have a starting line-up of clothes in their closet. These are the pieces that, as soon as they’re washed, come off the hanger and get worn again. They aren’t your best clothes, or the most expensive ones (those are for special nights), but you reach for them first because they make you feel good, always drum up a few unsolicited compliments, and most importantly, are perfect for almost any scenario. Which brings us to Woon Kitchen, a very good, family-run Chinese restaurant in Historic Filipinotown that we’ve quickly added to our starting line-up of useful LA restaurants. The first thing you notice about Woon isn’t the casual, all-white space or colorful front patio - it’s the efficiency. You order at the front counter, they hand you a number, and within 10 minutes you’re eating homestyle Shanghainese food. If you’re in a rush, or have an anxious boss checking the clock at the office, you can be in and out in as little as 20 minutes. That said, Woon is also a rare fast-casual spot where - if you have the time - you’ll actually want to sit down and relax, simply because you like hanging out here. Besides, when the food tastes this good, it’s appropriate to pause and appreciate it for a bit. Woon’s menu is condensed down to just a handful of mains, sides, salads, and a single dessert (there’s about 10 items total), which means if you’re with another person - or looking to get cozy with leftovers later tonight in bed - you can basically order everything. When the most expensive dish is $15, your options are wide open. During the pandemic, they’ve added an incredible home goods section to their menu, filled with pre-cooked noodles, Mama’s Ways sauce, house-made chili crisps, Chinese sausage, and most importantly, bags of frozen dumplings. Will it all taste as good in your own home? No, probably not. But that’s just because you forgot to take the pot off the stove. We’ve come here alone on our lunch hour, ordered the fantastically chewy beef noodles and a side of savory tofu fishcakes, then floated back to the office. We’ve met friends who needed a convenient dinner spot between Downtown and Hollywood, ate too much Chinese-sausage fried rice, and drank a few bottles of natural wine on their front patio. We’ve even stopped by on dates for post-dinner ice cream bao and a stroll down Temple. Whatever you’re in need of at the moment, this neighborhood spot consistently delivers. And unlike the clothes hanging in your closet, you don’t have to wait until the next laundry cycle to use it again. Food Rundown photo credit: Krystal Thompson Tofu Fishcakes On name alone, this might not be a dish that immediately jumps out at you, but it’s one of our favorite things on the menu. Plump tofu cakes stuffed with savory fish sauce then deep-fried to give them just a little crunch. One order comes with five cakes, but don’t plan for them to stay on the table very long. photo credit: Krystal Thompson Wood Ear Mushroom And Bean Curd Stick This is definitely the most interesting of Woon’s salads, but if it’s your first time here, you can probably skip it to make room for something else. It’s not a bad dish, but the flavor of the marinade overpowers all the umami from the mushrooms. photo credit: Krystal Thompson Beef Noodles This is the most substantial dish on Woon’s menu and one that absolutely needs to be ordered. The homestyle noodles are dense and chewy, the flank steak melts in your mouth, and the bok choy provides a much-needed crunch. It’s a perfectly balanced dish and one we’re going to eat immediately after finishing this caption. There’s also a vegetarian version. photo credit: Krystal Thompson Pork Belly Bao Bao aren’t normally the most shareable things in the world, but Woon’s are big enough to make it possible. On second thought, the braised pork belly inside is so good you’ll probably just keep the whole thing for yourself and order another one. photo credit: Krystal Thompson Fried Rice This is a good plate of fried rice made great with the addition of sweet, crunchy Chinese sausage mixed throughout. Also, with two good-sized helpings, it’s a perfect portion to share with someone else." - Brant Cox

"Let’s say you just met someone last week at a mutual friend’s party and barely know them. You probably want to choose a spot like Woon that’s easy for walk-ins, conducive to chatting, and quick enough that you don’t have to sit through awkward pauses if the conversation runs dry. This HiFi restaurant serves a mix of Cantonese- and Shanghai-style dishes, like chewy beef noodles, crispy scallion pancakes, and bao buns stuffed with tender pork belly, all of which come out within ten minutes of ordering. If dinner goes well, stick around to have Taiwanese beers on the outdoor patio." - sylvio martins, garrett snyder, nikko duren