Liu's Cafe

One of my favorite meals of 2025 easily. We rolled up on a Saturday around lunch time and put our name in, then walked around the block for a bit. The wait was 45 minutes and a huge group outside. So just put your name in, no need to wait in any "line" outside, it only looks like a line because of the small sidewalk. The menu is mercifully short, likely because Liu's cafe knows what they do best. And they do it so so well. I love any time I get to say "I'll have one of everything" because that's exactly what we did and every dish hit a different spot in the best way possible. The pulled chicken had a great texture to it and the noodles were so tender. The pork was rich but not overpowering and the wontons with noodles had a wonderful brown sauce with delicious flavor. While we waited, I grabbed a turnip pastry and we ate it as we walked around--oh my god--I think it's my favorite pastry of all time. Immediately I exclaimed loudly: "fantastic I'll take 14 of them". Fortunately my wife helped restrain me from the kind wait staff who looked on at my pastry induced stupor and reminded me that we still haven't eaten. 5/5 and we will be back. I need to try every pastry they sell because I have NEVER found a pastry that was perfectly refreshing, crunchy, savory, and had 香肠 before and I need more!!!

I am definitely not someone who is willing to stand in line for more than an hour for a meal. Our office is two blocks away from here and me and my co-worker tried to dine there on two separate occasions, but neither of us were willing to stand in line. So, when we found out that this restaurant is on UberEats, we ordered delivery and finally got a taste of what all the hype is about. BTW, we ordered every food item (5 items) that appear on the delivery menu. 1) Pork and chicken bowls: They were nothing spectacular. I would order them again, but wouldn't go on "favorites" list. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how reasonably priced these dishes were. Big thumbs up to the owners for not price gouging.2) Cold noodle dish: Quite interesting. Again, nothing spectacular, but interesting nonetheless. Would most likely order it again.3) Cheddar and scallion biscuit: I don't think it was bad, but I have a hard time remembering how it tasted. Might be a nice side dish for some people. Again, very reasonable price.4) Pineapple bun: Now, here something to talk about. Simply put, this bun was absolutely amazing. The texture of the bun, richness of the cream inside, and everything else... We ended up ordering a dozen of these babies a few days later. Some people in our office are already "addicted" to these. I would definitely recommend everyone to try this bun when they visit the restaurant (or order delivery).Now, why am I giving just 4 stars instead of 5? Well, the problem I ran into is that the second time we ordered these buns, they had less filling inside. I would just consider it a bad batch perhaps. Even so, the buns were still great, but a bit more attention on consistency would help.

I have been wanting to try this place for awhile, so I was happy there was not too many people when I got there (although the restaurant filled up pretty quickly soon after). It was drizzling outside and the ambience inside, the smell of the sweet French toast mixed with Chinese spices, and a cup of hot milk tea... It was quite enjoyable.They have simple menu but everything we ordered was delightful. But if you do not like things too sweet, ask them for less sugar for your drink. Oh and don't forget to try some pastries! Their staff were welcoming and efficient. The only downside is that they don't have many seats and/so the wait could be long during lunch rush. Will I go back? Yes.

What We Ordered- Braised Pork Belly Rice- Spicy Wontons- Sesame Cold Noodles with Chili Crisp- Ginger Scallion Roll- Turnip Cake DanishThe best dish was the Braised Pork Belly Rice!!! It was so flavorful and comforting. Would have been even better with a soft boiled egg or sunny side up egg. My fiancé wished there was more meat. Spicy Wontons were more on the sweet side. It was easier to eat since it was folded like an envelope than a ball but felt that the filling was too less. Turnip Cake Danish is a must try! We came on a Saturday, 15 minutes before they opened and there was already a line! Tables are limited so I would suggest coming early to avoid additional wait times! Street parking only.

After hearing about how popular this place is, I decided to come and check out why the hype. We came on Super Bowl Sunday thinking it might be less crowded... wrong ! When we put our name down we were told the wait would be an hour. We ended up getting a drink at the 6IXTHSENSE coffee shop a couple steps down the street (it was good , and much better than standing outside on a narrow sidewalk looking at all the impatient and unhappy people. But thanks to their efficient staff, the wait was much shorter, about 30 minutes. We ordered their most famous dishes including chicken rice, braised pork rice, dry noodle, and spicy wonton. As someone who grew up and travel all over the island of Taiwan, I was ready to be picky... but I had to say: All good! they have got the taste of Taiwan !! 有台灣的味道!! Some additional kudos: lightning fast service, super reasonable prices, and you know how every place is now suggesting tips from 18 to 25%?? Their highest suggested tip amount was 10% -- I hope it lasts.

So happy I finally got to try the famous Liu's Cafe! I stopped by here on a late Wednesday morning, and there was no wait at all! I got my food within 5 minutes of arriving. I tried the chiayi chicken rice, pineapple bun, radish danish, and hot HK milk tea. Chiayi chicken rice: 8/10. Simple but so delicious and comforting. Great with added hot chili oil that they provide at all tables.Pineapple bun: 9/10. Delightful and not overly sweet!! The pineapple bun was crispy on the outside with a fluffy buttercream on the inside.Radish danish: 8/10. This was definitely unique, but worked really well! Loved the extra savory touch from the couple pieces of Chinese sausage on top.HK milk tea: 8/10. This milk tea came pretty close to the ones I've had in Hong Kong. Creamy warm and sweet (but not excessively so)!What a cool Taiwanese/HK spot in LA that's worth the hype. The restaurant is on the smaller side and has a cute casual vibe. Coming in on a weekday is the way to go if you have the chance!

Expect a line on weekends. Modest menu selection as a result of focusing on cooking up a handful of hot rice dishes well. Everyone comes for the braised pork belly over rice. Come in for a taste to quickly find out why. It's rich and comforting, tender and well seasoned. Be sure to get a cup of hot just-right-sweetened HK milk tea to cut through the richness of this rice bowl. The chicken rice bowl is lighter but still well seasoned with a tasty soy based sauce, moist and tender. The HK French Toast is deep fried--crispy battered toast prevents the bread from getting overloaded with grease--jacketing a warm flowing custard on the inside. It comes with a tiny pitcher of condensed milk which really gilded the lily here. My favorite though was the Ginger Scallion Roll. Warming it up before eating brings the best out of this roll which borrows its flavors from the ginger scallion relish of Hainam chicken and also reminds of crispy onion pancakes. Clean and compact dining room is tended by fast acting staff ready to clear the table for the next party to get seated. You will definitely need to channel your parking karma to land a nearby spot on the crowded street.

Liu's Cafe truly lives up to its promise of "Serving Taiwanese comfort food classics and Hong Kong-inspired pastries." The line was long when we arrived on a Saturday morning around 11 am--we waited a little over an hour--but it was absolutely worth it!A quick tip: you don't have to stay in line the entire time. Just find the host, put your name down, and come back before your name is called. That said, the location isn't the most exciting. The cafe is on a somewhat empty street with not much to see or do while you wait. I wish it were on a busier street so you could window-shop or explore nearby while waiting, but the food more than makes up for it.We ordered -Chiayi Chicken Rice -- MUST TRY, Pork Belly Rice -- MUST TRYSpicy WontonsButtercream Pineapple Bun -- HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDHK Milk Tea HOT -- HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDYuenyang Cappuccino HOT -- MUST TRYThe Chiayi Chicken Rice and Pork Belly Rice were incredibly delicious and comforting. The flavors were rich and authentic, reminding me of the dishes I've enjoyed in Taiwan. The Yuenyang Cappuccino stood out as one of the best I've tried in the States--perfectly balanced with the flavor of tea + coffee. Honestly, everything we ordered ranged from good to exceptional. I wouldn't hesitate to try anything on the menu. Liu's Cafe is a gem, and I can't wait to go back for more!

This place is so good!!!! Best in ktown! The staff is so friendly and the service is the best! Shout out to Alex who's so welcoming all the time and super attentive! He needs a raise! The food is so yummy and I always get chiayi chicken rice and their braised pork belly rice! The sesame cold noodles are also very good and the Hong Kong style French toast! The ambiance in here is so great! It's like I'm in Taiwan! Thank you for the great experience! Recommend this place to friends and family and will be back very soon! :)

I've been wanting to try this place out since it's been really trending on social media and I've been hearing good reviews on it. I came on a Saturday morning right when it opened, and already there was a long line out the door. I had to wait roughly 50 minutes before getting seated. You can't waitlist unless you physically go to the restaurant and put your name down. We stayed in line to order from their bakery, which you can take to-go, but to dine in, you had to wait until your name was called. From the bakery we ordered their pineapple bun and garlic cream cheese croissant. Pineapple bun was good (4/5): It was good for the first several bites but then it got to be really sweet. Luckily we had a savory pastry to balance it out which was the garlic cream cheese croissant (5/5). I really liked this pastry. It was super crispy and flaky on the outside, the filling was delicious and the garlic cream cheese flavor meshed well together. We eventually got seated at a communal table (one large table with different parties next to you). We didn't mind it, but in case you wanted your own private table, you might have to wait longer. We got their chiayi chicken rice dish and their formosa oolong tea. Chiayi (5/5) was amazing. It came with a lot of chicken and the rice was so fluffy. I would definitely come back here just to get this again. The formosa oolong tea (1/5): this tea didn't have any taste to it. It tasted like watered down ice tea and I didn't think it was worth the $5. I would have just stuck with the free water that they provide. Overall this place was not bad, but next time I'd just get their chicken rice and their savory pastry. The wait is long but the staff is friendly.