Looking for General Tso’s like this one from Toronto.
Looking for General Tso’s like this one from Toronto.
by Bluefrogvenom
34 Comments
Bluefrogvenom
I had the best General Tso’s of my life when I was in Toronto awhile back. Spicy, SUPER crunchy, almost a candied crunch to it. I haven’t found anything even close in LA. Any recommendations? Thanks
gypsyhobo
Damn this looks delicious
ghostofhenryvii
LA’s version is orange chicken. It’s like crack for all the Mexicans I know. They have General Tsao’s at a place in the west SFV called Szechuwan Garden if you’re in the area.
banzaiburrito
Here in the states, there is a huge distinction between Chinese food types on the east and west coasts. General Tso’s is considered east coast Chinese food and that’s why it is almost impossible to find, whereas on the east coast, you would be hard pressed to find a Chinese place without it on the menu.
godofwine16
Fu Sing in Torrance makes a great General Tso’s also good fried rice. More like east Coast style American Chinese.
erock1119
This probably isnt super helpful but I used to get the General Tso’s Tofu from Twin Dragon in West LA which was very good. I never tried the chicken
thatlookslikemydog
Here in LA we prefer Specific Tso’s.
le_sighs
As someone from Toronto, it does not exist here. Trust me. I’ve looked.
AsleepArugula
Just judging from the photo you might like the orange chicken at Little Fatty in Mar Vista. It’s more sweet than spicy but is crunchy and delicious.
thesexrobot
Unfortunately hard to find in LA area, and don’t let some on this sub gaslight you into thinking this dish does exist in this form here(trust it happens in all of these threads for some reason).
Best bet is to make it at home when you get a craving, for better or worse.
Serious Eats has a really good recipe if you want to commit to whipping it up!
No clue if its any good but this random Chinese place in Duarte (Young’s Gournet) has general tso chicken
lissagrae426
Weirdly Erewhon’s hot foods bar makes a killer version of this, available a few days a week. It’s one of the only things I will buy there!
whoamdave
Chinese Fast Food on San Fernando/Sonora has a “spicy orange chicken” that might scratch this itch.
thekingcola
On the west side, try [Mandarin Chinese and Japanese Cuisine](https://www.mandarinsantamonicaca.com/) in Santa Monica, Wacky Wok in Venice, and Chin Chin in Brentwood.
j0ymonger
Chang’s Garden in Arcadia
soulsides
Hey OP: like others have said, this is not a common dish in Los Angeles. It is very much an East Coast Chinese food dish and even then, I have no idea if the New York style is similar to the Toronto style.
Regardless, the odds that you’re gonna find a similar match are pretty thin. If you simply search for the term in yelp, you might turn up some hits and then I would look at the photos to see how close it compares.
But again, this is not a dish that is remotely common with the vast majority of Chinese restaurants in LA and the ones that do serve it, likely are doing so in a way that you may not recognize
100_Muthafuckas
Wok on Soto in Boyle Heights has General Tsos just like this 🤙
DramaComprehensive96
Cant comment on that dish because i dont eat chicken anymore but i 1000 percent know the style you are talking about being from canada!!
Moon house is my fav Chinese spot that scratchs the itch. Worth a shot!!
Straight_Suit_8727
If you go to Chinese restaurants in the SGV, they don’t call it that.
NYC_Local_legend
Chin chin has a good one
Celestron5
Yeah that looks fire. Closest I’ve found has been Mama Lu’s on East Garvey. It’s delicious and they give you a ton for the price.
Edit: I just realized that if you showed them this picture I bet they could make it for you. It’s basically a hybrid of orange chicken and Peking sauce with some extra peppers for spice.
I just saw Kenji talking about this – it’s a mix of buy the chicken from Popeyes, make the sauce at home, but if you have a strong craving maybe this will scratch the itch
orangefreshy
Best General Tso’s I’ve had so far in LA was at Hunan Cafe
anunamongus
I had general tso’s chicken at Chang Garden in Arcadia last week. I am not a connoisseur of the tso and recalled liking a drier less sweet kind. This was good but not what I expected – sweet, crunchy, but not very spicy. The sauce looks right – you could always ask for them to make it spicier 🤷🏻♀️
Closest Ive found is the orange beef at Hu’s Szechwan in palms.
emceegabe
Not the same dish at all but one of my favorite dishes here is the spicy chicken at Meizhou Dongpo. Completely different because it’s dry fried schezuan and they put french fries in it.
It’s absolutely not the same but I would die for it. Their orange chicken is pretty good too.
middle-aged-iroh
Been searching for 12 years. Looking for an even darker hue as NY and Philly’s crispy version often came out closer to black than red.
lorem_ipsum4
Jones on third, wild card; but I think it’s exactly what you looking for
extraspicydonut
Damn 🥵
straypooxa
Maybe at Genghis Cohen?
quiblitz
This is ubiquitous on the East Coast and Midwest, even in the most provincial small towns. I learned that it really isn’t a thing on the West Coast and that, in general, this region’s take on Chinese takeout is pretty debased. That said, a pretty good approximation is “Jin’s Special” at Jin’s on Olympic in Westlake.
34 Comments
I had the best General Tso’s of my life when I was in Toronto awhile back. Spicy, SUPER crunchy, almost a candied crunch to it. I haven’t found anything even close in LA. Any recommendations? Thanks
Damn this looks delicious
LA’s version is orange chicken. It’s like crack for all the Mexicans I know. They have General Tsao’s at a place in the west SFV called Szechuwan Garden if you’re in the area.
Here in the states, there is a huge distinction between Chinese food types on the east and west coasts. General Tso’s is considered east coast Chinese food and that’s why it is almost impossible to find, whereas on the east coast, you would be hard pressed to find a Chinese place without it on the menu.
Fu Sing in Torrance makes a great General Tso’s also good fried rice. More like east Coast style American Chinese.
This probably isnt super helpful but I used to get the General Tso’s Tofu from Twin Dragon in West LA which was very good. I never tried the chicken
Here in LA we prefer Specific Tso’s.
As someone from Toronto, it does not exist here. Trust me. I’ve looked.
Just judging from the photo you might like the orange chicken at Little Fatty in Mar Vista. It’s more sweet than spicy but is crunchy and delicious.
Unfortunately hard to find in LA area, and don’t let some on this sub gaslight you into thinking this dish does exist in this form here(trust it happens in all of these threads for some reason).
Best bet is to make it at home when you get a craving, for better or worse.
Serious Eats has a really good recipe if you want to commit to whipping it up!
https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-general-tsos-chicken-food-lab-chinese-recipe
No clue if its any good but this random Chinese place in Duarte (Young’s Gournet) has general tso chicken
Weirdly Erewhon’s hot foods bar makes a killer version of this, available a few days a week. It’s one of the only things I will buy there!
Chinese Fast Food on San Fernando/Sonora has a “spicy orange chicken” that might scratch this itch.
On the west side, try [Mandarin Chinese and Japanese Cuisine](https://www.mandarinsantamonicaca.com/) in Santa Monica, Wacky Wok in Venice, and Chin Chin in Brentwood.
Chang’s Garden in Arcadia
Hey OP: like others have said, this is not a common dish in Los Angeles. It is very much an East Coast Chinese food dish and even then, I have no idea if the New York style is similar to the Toronto style.
Regardless, the odds that you’re gonna find a similar match are pretty thin. If you simply search for the term in yelp, you might turn up some hits and then I would look at the photos to see how close it compares.
But again, this is not a dish that is remotely common with the vast majority of Chinese restaurants in LA and the ones that do serve it, likely are doing so in a way that you may not recognize
Wok on Soto in Boyle Heights has General Tsos just like this 🤙
Cant comment on that dish because i dont eat chicken anymore but i 1000 percent know the style you are talking about being from canada!!
Moon house is my fav Chinese spot that scratchs the itch. Worth a shot!!
If you go to Chinese restaurants in the SGV, they don’t call it that.
Chin chin has a good one
Yeah that looks fire. Closest I’ve found has been Mama Lu’s on East Garvey. It’s delicious and they give you a ton for the price.
Edit: I just realized that if you showed them this picture I bet they could make it for you. It’s basically a hybrid of orange chicken and Peking sauce with some extra peppers for spice.
https://www.seriouseats.com/popeye-tsos-chicken-general-tsos-chicken-made-with-popeyes-chicken-nuggets-recipe
I just saw Kenji talking about this – it’s a mix of buy the chicken from Popeyes, make the sauce at home, but if you have a strong craving maybe this will scratch the itch
Best General Tso’s I’ve had so far in LA was at Hunan Cafe
I had general tso’s chicken at Chang Garden in Arcadia last week. I am not a connoisseur of the tso and recalled liking a drier less sweet kind. This was good but not what I expected – sweet, crunchy, but not very spicy. The sauce looks right – you could always ask for them to make it spicier 🤷🏻♀️
https://preview.redd.it/nz3gmgtgnite1.jpeg?width=2763&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5364f79b1220c7223a46d6821ed33694079a8303
Fu’s Palace close to Robertson on pico
Like.. bootleg Asian food..?🤭😳
Closest Ive found is the orange beef at Hu’s Szechwan in palms.
Not the same dish at all but one of my favorite dishes here is the spicy chicken at Meizhou Dongpo. Completely different because it’s dry fried schezuan and they put french fries in it.
It’s absolutely not the same but I would die for it. Their orange chicken is pretty good too.
Been searching for 12 years. Looking for an even darker hue as NY and Philly’s crispy version often came out closer to black than red.
Jones on third, wild card; but I think it’s exactly what you looking for
Damn 🥵
Maybe at Genghis Cohen?
This is ubiquitous on the East Coast and Midwest, even in the most provincial small towns. I learned that it really isn’t a thing on the West Coast and that, in general, this region’s take on Chinese takeout is pretty debased. That said, a pretty good approximation is “Jin’s Special” at Jin’s on Olympic in Westlake.
It’s only in Toronto