ABC Seafood Restaurant
708 New High St
Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 680-2887
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
32 Reviews for ABC Seafood Restaurant
Had dim sum here today ... overall, it was pretty scrumptious. I was lucky to arrive at the restaurant around 11:15, so I only had to wait a few minutes for a table.
The food was very good ... I was impressed with the shrimp and banana eggrolls, as well as the fried shrimp balls. Surprisingly, banana and shrimp go well together ... like peanut butter and chocolate. Shrimp balls? Never had them before today but plan on having them again. The pan fried dumplings had a nice texture, as did the crispy skin of the suckling pig ... yummm. Go piggy, go!!
Although the restaurant was a bit shabby, it had a nice, eclectic mix of people. The staff was extremely friendly, as well as attentive.
I remember when this place first opened and it was a shiny new restaurant. After only a few years, it rapidly deteriorated and now I wonder how it could possibly still be open.
There's a tiny, teeny parking lot next to it. You're better off paying for the large parking lot next door or trying to find limited street parking.
Walking in, I noticed the ceilings are somewhat low. I'm not excessively tall but I am taller than the average chick so I feel like my head is going to bump into the ceiling.
The last time I went was after grad night in high school so this was a while back. All I could think after being harassed by Chip and Dale, actually I think it was just Chip, was dim sum. We got back to LA and headed to this place where the only thing I liked was the chicken feet.
I actually can't decide which place I hate more; ABC or Empress. Actually, no I still would come to this dirty shop worn dim sum restaurant than Empress.
At least this place does a busy take out next door. I've gotten the usual BBQ meats there and it was fine.
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I haven't had dinner in the dining room - but have gotten the food to-go in their take-out section (which is on the side of the restaurant). You can buy some dim sum items (they have steam tables), roasted duck and other BBQ meats, and also fast-food style food.
Seriously - this is the best bang for your buck I've found in all of Los Angeles. For $3, you can get 2 items plus rice and noodles (chow mein, if you will). You can still buy $1 items, and there are also some bakery items too. $1 will buy you 3 cha siu bao (BBQ pork baked buns) which are as big as the span of your hands.
The food is decent (hey, its fast food!), but for the prices, it can't be beat and they give HUGE potions (like the take-out box actually bends!)
3.5 stars. Decent Cantonese food. Not a bad bet in Chinatown. Similar to Ocean Seafood.
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I'm not a fan of some of the dim sum places in Chinatown (I prefer places in the San Gabriel Valley, way more legit). However, this is one of the only places I'll eat dim sum at in Chinatown.
The decor and everything isn't super clean, so if you're one of those people who only eat a "A" grade restaurants, then this isn't your place. The food is good and staff is attentive. I love it because they come around with the carts full of goodies very often... so you're not sitting around waiting for food all day long.
Overall, it's a great place, pretty legit even if it's a little "shady."
A Cantonese style seafood restaurant similar to CBS Seafood across the street, only smaller and a little shoddier in atmosphere. I had dim sum here about two times, and several comprehensive dinner meals with family. Overall, the food at ABC is fairly good, but nothing much more.
The dim sum is authentic for the most part: served with the alot of the typical selections and taste. Strangely, the dim sum here is huge in portions, so much to the point that it sort of takes away from the taste of the some of the dishes, such as the shrimp shumai, because it's wrapped with a lot more noodles than shrimp. The taste of the dim sum isn't really the best I've had, as the overall quality of the food is so-so and the taste is not as not as fine as some of the better ones I've had. As for the menu food, it's probably a much better bet. I remember having the beef chow fun, the steamed rock cod fish, chinese style curry chicken, roasted duck, mapo tofu, salted shrimp, among others. All of them were pretty well cooked and of fairly good quality. Not the best, but still pretty good.
In all, I don't highly recommend this restaurant, but I don't discourage it either if you have no other choices. It's not the best in terms of quality and taste, but ABC is still better than places like YOUNG CHOW and the other Americanized Chinese restaurants in LA.
Had dim sum here twice. Both times with my dad.
The first time, the place was really good. That was on a weekend. The second time, it was on a week day. The food was not so good.
The first time, the dumpling skins were just right. They were noodlee in consistency and had a good mouth feel. The second time, the dumpling skins tasted like paste. Not good mouth feel.
The first time, the meat and seafood in the dumplings were tasty! The second time, the dumpling innards tasted like they were covered in paste.
I was excited to go back after the first time. After the second time, I doubt I'll be coming back.
OK. It's Mother's Day. I didn't make reservations for Aero Squadron so we were turned away at the door. Boo hoo. So where do we decide to go? Downtown of course. We end up in China Town and decide to have some dim sum. We wanted to go to CBS after recently discovering it but the wait was a little too much. So we ended up at ABC. Oh joy...
Everything I tried from the carts was either mediocre or just plain bad. One item I actually had to spit into My napkin it was so gross. And that was just the food. I made the mistake of using their bathroom and it was outright disgusting. Trash overflowing in both stalls. Urine on the floor. And when I tried to wash My hands there was no paper towels left. Needless to say we were not there for very long.
One word to describe this place? YUCK!!
I tried so hard to follow the advice of past Yelpers, but after asking "What??" a dozen or so times I just gave up and said yes to anything that remotely sounded like it had Pork in it (the safe white meat in my book).
We showed up around 2pm on a Sunday which seemed just right. There were just a few tables (mostly local families) and three carts making the rounds (surprisingly, all were friendly, attention and smiling- I felt a little ripped off by this!)
The decor was sparse and a little worn around the edges, but we didn't really have too much of a chance to check it out given we were immediately affronted with cart service before we even sat down.
Since I couldn't understand the official name of anything, here is what I THINK we ate:
1) Sticky pork rolls- these were the sticky kind of bready consistency with BBQ pork inside. I thought we were ordering the famed Pork Buns but I don't think this was it. It was okay- nothing mind blowing but good because it set our expectations short for the remainder of the meal.
2) Bok Choy- okay so this isn't pork but I thought she said pork! This was a huge serving and nicely prepared. I'm not a bok-choy fan (too green for me) but my brunch companions ate it up in seconds
3) Beef dumplings- these were huge slippery dumplings that made you look like a fool with chopsticks. They were a little gummy but definitely tasty and a nice portion for three of us.
4) Pork Bun- I think these were the famed pork buns. I saw them on a bottom shelf of the cart and asked for one hoping it would give me something to rave about and I wasn't disappointed- these things were great! She took them away to heat them for us and brought them back steaming. The bread was super fresh and the BBQ pork inside was just sweet enough to make you crave more.
The service was extremely attentive and polite and we walked away stuffed and rich after spending just $5 each on brunch!
I don't know if I'll come back here but it was definitely a unique experience I would recommend to others. If anything, this is your dive-bar alternative to dim sum. A good place to go when you don't feel like a lot of effort or a lot of expense.
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I dont get it. Maybe I was too hung over, but this place made me wanna barf, I did when I got home. That was the best part. Every item in the cart seemed to be pork in one incarnation or another. I tried at least 6 items. Bland, basic food that I've had much better of in the 2 side item combo fast food restaurants. The calamari was so greasy it was inedible. The wait staff is pretty inattentive, even though they are all around you.
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This place gets a three star rating because after buying 4 dim sum dishes, we walked away with a bill for $22 bucks. Now that isn't a huge bill by any means, but for dim sum, I could have gotten 2 or 3 more plates from somewhere else. The food was good though and the service was nicer than at Empress Pavillion down the street. But the food was better at Empress. Still, this place was a nice try and I'll be coming back next time I'm in the mood for dim sum but no crowd.
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We wander down the hill towards Chinatown from a friend's place with our focus on ABC. It was supposed to be good so why not? We find the front door and it's just take out. We wander over to the back to find a random door... we cautiously walk through it, we find the bathroom, make our way through the hallway into the dining room. Immediately the waiter is pointing at a table for us to sit down at. I'm thinking: hhmmm, we must have come in from the back.
The room is all mirrors, dimly lit, and reminded me of one of those run-down casino buffet places. It definitely wasn't my scene. It was about 1/2 full but we were also coming in a little late.
As soon as we sit down we get inundated with ladies pushing carts trying to sell us anything and everything. We got some bok choy, some pastry-type rolls with beef in the middle, and some other baked thingy with pork inside. I can't say anything really make a huge impression on me. I wasn't completely full but I wasn't ready to order more either. I was thinking that about finishing off my calories somewhere else with a boba tea or dessert.
As we get up to leave, I head towards what looked like the front. No, I was wrong. I guess we did actually walk through the "front".
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it's in the dim sum category, but i've never had dim sum here...
but i have had succulent peking duck, savory seafood pan-fried noodles, snowpea leaves, and their chicken corn soup. this is what i order every time i come here with my family. we always say we're going to try a different chinese restaurant in chinatown, but we are creatures of habit. this habit, we do not plan on breaking.
service is great....maybe a little too great.
i mean, yeah, who doesnt like awesome service but when the servers are looking over your shoulder or watching you stuff your face, it's a bit too much.
gets crowded on the weekends and very loud.
i thought koreans were loud. chinese families beat us by a long shot.
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Pretty good dim sum. I'm from the Bay, so I guess I'm spoiled. We live in Westwood, and went to this place because it was the most higly rated within a reasonable distance.
Not too shabby. Good shu mai. It didn't strike me as the freshest seafood, but it was pretty good. I'm not going to move out of my apartment to get closer to the place, but pretty good.
u know how u don't eat carbs for a fuckin long time and all u crave are carbs and when u see carbs u go ape shit and u eat too much and then u feel sick and then ur like i never wanna see another carb ever again but then u crave it and then u repeat the whole viscous cycle all over again cause all u want is a fuckin pancake?
that's how i feel about dim sum.
i mean. replace carbs with dim sum.
and that's how i feel.
what i mean is i ate too much cause i haven't eaten it in awhile.
but it was fucking good when i ate it.
but then it wasn't that good and only good cause i haven't had it in a long time.
that's why.
ok bye.
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One of the better places in China Town to get dim sum. Prepare to wait though if you get there during peak weekend lunch times.
Dinner there is somewhat average...
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I love the ambiance of this place. It's very old school chinese restaurant. I actually wish they were a chain and they brought it to vegas. I think my favorite during dim sum is when they bring the food around and you don't know what it is. But they push it on you.
"Ya you try"
"It good"
"No it no move it hot"
Hella saleswomen!
I like the menu I usually order the seafood house special chow mein with the tentacles floating around a cesspool of seafood carnage. Yea. I know it doesn't sound appealing. But hey - thas how dey do it in da hood. In China!
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Here's my 2-cents. I was looking for a dim-sum experience being new to LA and learned about this place throught the LA times. I went there by myself which was a big mistake as I don't speak Mandarin nor did I know what to order. The ladies there were very helpful and kind in heaping my table with everything I pointed at. There were sweet buns filled with bb-q pork, shrimp filled dim-dums, shu-mai and a plate of bbq-pork. I tried to keep up with the carts until there was no more room on the table. The ladies with the carts were giggling and pointing to my table until finally I called in reinforcements and had a few friends join me. Can't wait to go there again, only this time I'm not going by myself.
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Lousy. We went here looking for a Chinatown alternative to Empress Pavilion which has pretty good dim sum but long waits and bad service. (Last time we went we were seated off to the side as the crowd thinned out and were basically ignored by everyone but the guys refilling our tea pot.) So we gave ABC a try.
Stereotypical bad, shopworn Chinese restaurant decor (lots of beveled mirrors, overly-elaborate lucite chandeliers, dirty carpet...), bad service, not-great food. We had a couple good dishes, but most were decidedly uninspired. The search for a great dim sum experience in Chinatown continues.
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First of all the ABC Seafood Restaurant I went to was on Ord Street in Chinatown. I think this is the same place but I am not sure.
Wonderful tacky (big ass chandeliers and plastic sheet cushions - classic chinese eatery decor) place with solid Chinese food. I don't eat pork but the veg/shrimp dim sum was good, the lobster delish, but the Brocolli was yucky.
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I joke that this place has the best pork donuts in town becuase the more something sounds like a dare the more likely I am to eat it. But seriously, they do have the best pork donuts in town.
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Pink wallpaper and antique chandeliers that remind you of the 1950s because they are probably from the 1950s. This place does have it's charm. Okay, let's talk dim sum. Well, I've been here many many times and I have been able to compare it to many other dim sum spots. The verdict, the food here is not so fresh. A bit dried out like, it's been left out too long. But can you argue the price? This spot is the CHEAPEST dim sum spot in all of Downtown China town.
A great place for some unconventional dim sum. Must haves include shrimp and banana egg rolls, frosted baked bbq pork buns.
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The first time I went to Dim Sum, I was surrounded by 8-10 of my closest friends. We laughed. We dined. We Dimmed. We Summed. It was a rose-hued memory, the kind that brings a smile to my face in times of turmoil.
Okay, the real story is they were 8-10 of my new coworkers, most of whom I was still getting to know. I was the new kid. The kid from Oregon residing amongst the cool LA crowd. The kid who was trying to convince everyone of how Cultured (capital C) she was.
Unfortunately for me, using chopsticks had never quite equated into my cultural upbringing. So, surrounded by the witty repartee and chuckling banter of my coworkers, I silently floundered.
The slippery shrimp slipped. The dumplings dimpled and dumped their contents all over my plate. I hoped nobody noticed the error of my ways.
Luckily, salvation came in the form of BBQ Pork Buns. Big, too big for chopsticks. Sticky! Warm! Filled with savory pork! I delighted in their hand-held goodness.
Since that initial encounter, I've dimmed and summed with those coworkers quite a few times. Thankfully, my chopsticking has improved greatly.
But I still have a soft spot for those pork buns. And ABC Seafood as the best of 'em: steamed, baked, hot, cold, covered in doughnutty goodness. However you like 'em, they have the ABC's of pork buns covered.
(I'd be remiss if I didn't also point out the FANTASTIC delicacy ABC offers that is, in my opinion, on par with the pork bun: banana-and-shrimp rolls. Not since sweet met sour has such a pairing been so delicious.)
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This place still brings back alot of good childhood memories. The long wait, the constant bickering on when the table will be ready. The fight to get the number to be call so that you can be seated. And last but not least, chow down as much mini pork chops as you can. Ahh yes, the Sunday Brunch for all Chinese!
I'm sure there's alot of great dim sum places spring up all over San Gabriel, Hacienda Heights, and Rowland Heights (New Age Chinatowns). This place still has the stuff that makes me go back once in awhile. The quality did suffered, but not to a point where I thought it was going to blow.
Nothing of that has changed. The egg tarts is still the best. The normal dim sum items are still freshly made. The lines on Sunday is still bad, but not to the point of the yesteryear. It's too bad that Chinatown has become a tourist attraction because it still have some institutions. This is one of the place that goes way back with me. Luckily I still go there once in a blue moon, but less now because there's just nothing else there that I want to visit.
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Yeah, this place may have Empress beat for some quality Dim Sum. As Lawrence said, the pork buns and shrimp/bannana egg rolls are stand outs. Thanks to L for introducing this place to me.
It's certainly not as big or impressive as Empress, but you can't beat the quality and price. 7 of us went for lunch and came out under 70bucks with tip!
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We came here for the dim sum, but then didn't see none! Wha..? The waitress pointed out the dim sum plate to order - duh - but, but don't those places exist where folks walk around with carts letting you select a million different delicacies? Or was that just a dream? Anyway - this place has yum dim sum - tiny, perfect, steamed shrimp bundles. We ordered the chicken dish with spicy black bean sauce and finished off with some of the best pork buns I've ever had. Being surrounded by mirrors and brass was a little disconcerting, but reflected smiles all around.
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Ah...gotta love this restaurant. Yes, I do like eating at Empress, but ABC holds a dear place in my heart. Like everyone else says, their pork buns are just frickin' awesome. And as for its namesake, seafood is actually really good. I enjoyed their lobster and shrimp dishes...been too long to remember exactly what I ordered. But because I've eaten there numerous times before moving to Chicago two years ago, it must have been good. Why would I return if I didn't like it?
But I do remember their peking duck. Crisp on the outside with a pita breadlike thing to tuck the duck in. It's greasy and delicious. But yeah, I would definitely return just for the dim sum.
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My 2nd gen chinese friend made me go here with her for lunch once. I love Dim Sum and was used to the kind you get at Chin Chin. She said that THIS would be THE experience of a lifetime, the first-timer to a Dim Sum restaurant. And she was right, oh my god I'm so in love now.
Little old scowly faced ladies push around steamy carts filled with little food presents from heaven. Things I have never seen or heard of before. If you are like me you will make the mistake of accepting everything being offered to you, DON"T, you will end up surrounded by octopus arms or some other thing you don't want to eat but now have to pay for. Payment is all about the colored plates you collect, which they add up at the end of your MOW session.
When a cart comes by, don't be afraid to ask and if it looks good and you really want it, then take one. If you think you could live without it then wait, there will be another cart along in 2 minutes with something else as equally amazing, and another after that. Go slow too, I ate so fast trying to keep up with the carts that I couldn't walk out of the place unassisted.
Lastly, save room for the egg tart. My friend said that it was the most special part of the meal to her and her family and they couldn't end without having one, and I can see why as they are very tasty and not like anything you've ever had. Unless you have had an egg tart and then you know so I'll shut up now.
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Okay, so everyone is rating the dim sum served inside the place but no one has mentioned the BBQ takeout shown in the photo. The takeout is mind boggling with all sorts of BBQ fare to the right, steam table dishes to the left, and some dim sum items to the far left. I go with the two item combo for $2.99 and it's the cheapest meal in town. Maybe not the finest, but it's damn good. Fried rice and chow mien (or 4 other type of noddles) is standard along with two main course items. Some trays carry various fried foods (shrimp, chicken, fish, squid) and others carry various mixtures of chicken, beef, or pork mixed with Chinese vegetables. The orange chicken is very tangy and good. They also carry vegetarian dishes for those who don't eat meat. Want to try a third item? It's just $1 per container. A few items will add $0.25 or $0.50 to your $2.99 price tag but you've gotta laugh because the portions are huge and the price is so low. For less than $10, two people can share 4 types of noddle and 4 main dishes and still have enough left over for another meal. If you have to know what you're eating, steer clear since very little english is spoken. It's definitely a point at and let me try that kind of place.
this place totally has that "hole-in-the-wall" quality about it. and i LOVE it. i love hole-in-the-wall chinese places. the dim sum is varied which i like. it's cheap. and they have weird things i've never had before including banana and shrimp rolls and frosted char sui baus.
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We tried this place based on reading the yelp reviews prior to mine. I have eaten dim sum for 25 years, and this was the worst dim sum I have ever had. The baked dim sum , both sweet and savory, were very dry and stale; the fried dim sum was greasy with a thick dough; the rice noodles with shrimp had little tiny hard pieces in them - shells maybe? I'm sorry I can't support the other reviewers assessment, but this was really very poor.
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