Where Hunan Chinese Food Shines In Los Angeles

Hunan cuisine, one of China’s eight great culinary traditions, is celebrated for its bold, spicy, sour, and salty flavors. Although its often overshadowed by the famously fiery Sichuan cuisine, Hunan food was one of the first in China to incorporate chiles. The signature dishes frequently incorporate fermentation, using generous amounts of fermented black soybeans.

Fun fact: General Tso’s Chicken was invented by famed Hunan chef Peng Kuei and named after a 19th-century Hunanese general. Originally, the dish featured Hunan’s bold, savory and spicy flavors, but evolved into the more common sweet and deep-fried version designed for the American palate.

Here are some iconic dishes to order at a Hunan restaurant.

Hunan Steamed Fish Head (剁椒鱼头)

This famed, showstopping dish features a steamed fish head crowned with fermented and salted red chili peppers and flavored with fermented black beans. Bathed in oil, every bite is a flavor bomb of tender and aromatic fish and tofu.

Pearl Meatballs (珍珠丸子)

Although this dish originated in the Hunan region, these savory meatballs have proliferated beyond the area as a banquet, holiday, and celebratory dish. They’re a dim sum delicacy—a gorgeous bite of steamed minced pork coated with sticky rice.

Changsha Stinky Tofu (长沙臭豆腐)

Dating back to the Qing Dynasty, these odorous and pungent tofu cubes are deep-fried in oil and named after Hunan’s capital city. The beloved street food is fermented for days until deep-fried; the exterior is ultra crispy, and the inside is silky and custardy. Don’t be intimidated by the smell; fans of the dish are addicted to the funky umami flavor.

Smashed Eggplant With Century Egg (擂椒皮蛋茄子)

Often served in a mortar and pestle, this rustic dish melds teamed eggplants, green chilis and century egg. Before eating, diners are encouraged to mash the ingredients together until they are smooth and savory.

Here are the top places in Los Angeles to taste Hunan cuisine:

Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty is a lively late-night sports bar with a full bar. It attracts a youthful drinking crowd cheering on their favorite sports team, jumping on the microphone for impromptu karaoke sessions, or enjoying live music on the weekends. The menu includes Hunan-style pub bites and Asian-inspired housemade cocktails alongside traditional Hunan dishes. Don’t miss the charcoal-fired grilled skewers, pearl pork meatballs, grilled oysters, smashed eggplant with century egg, garlic vermicelli shrimp and pumpkin cakes.

Heng Zhou Chilli King

As the restaurant name indicates, don’t come here if you aren’t prepared for chili heat; almost all dishes are chili-laced. At Heng Zhou Chilli King, order the cumin lamb, spicy fish head, chili king and spicy chicken. Another standout is the house-special rice noodles with sliced beef, peanuts, pickled peppers, sour pickled radish cubes, cucumber, cilantro, and pickled long beans to cut through the heat.

Dong Ting Chun

This Hunan mainstay sits on the 2nd floor of Focus Plaza in San Gabriel. What’s most notable is that Dong Ting Chun makes its own Hunan-style smoked ham, which you can find here. Order the stinky tofu, spicy boiled fish fillet, spicy fish head, preserved eggplant and spicy stir-fried frog.

Chili House

Chili House has outposts in Rowland Heights and Rancho Cucamonga (East Plaza) for eastside diners. The dishes arrive in well-seasoned and generous portions. Order the fish head, sour and spicy fish, stir-fried gizzards, dry pot spicy chicken, shrimp fried rice, glutinous rice cakes and house special cauliflower pot.

Dong Ting Noodle

Find chili in practically every dish at Dong Ting Noodle, but diners still add the delectable house chili paste offered at every table. Sawtelle Some best dishes off the lengthy menu include the house signature pork rice noodles, Changsha-style spicy tofu, Changsha-style spicy medley, the signature peel-and-eat spicy crawfish and spicy chili beef noodle. It’s also one of the few places to find Taiwanese-style spicy beef noodle soup in West Los Angeles.