Mao's Kitchen - Venice Beach

This restaurant is incredible. The food is top-notch and the store design is elegant. It's definitely a hidden gem worth checking out.

We had the kung pao beef and sesame yam. The kung pao beef was ok, nothing exceptional. The sesame and yam was really delicious, the fried tofu complemented the thin slices of yam really well. The staff was very nice

I'm so glad this place is still here, as it brings me a lot of nostalgia from my old days living in Venice. It hasn't changed a bit since 2010, which is great. The restaurant is super accommodating to different dietary choices, like vegan and gluten-free, because they make everything from scratch. Loved the hot and sour soup and mapo tofu. Plus even the rice puffs they put on the table are gluten-free! AND, the food was super affordable for the quality and portion size. The female employee who took served on Saturday night was so kind and helpful, and I was thrilled that the vibe was so chill at 5pm (only a few people sitting inside, but many take out orders).

The service was very friendly, we loved the vibe of the place. Maybe the food wasn't that special but the portions were huge! I recommend it.

Good food, huge portions. Only one waitress for the whole place (she even bussed the tables) but she was great! Bare bones, nothing fancy, just plain good and reasonably priced.