Pork bun clamshell. Period. Great food, ambience, and customer service. Tucked away in a safe(r) corner of downtown called South Park, and when I'm with company I walk over:) line can get long during peak hours but moves reasonably. This is my staple!!

Long line on a Sunday around 1 pm but it moves quickly - ordering is done at the counter and then food is brought out wherever you sit. There's sparkling water and still water available for self-serve. We ordered the Taiwanese popcorn chicken, crispy rice cakes, and mushrooms, and Taiwanese sticky rice. I've always loved the seasoning - super salty and complex with its umami - on Taiwanese popcorn chicken and this was as tasty as expected! The crispy rice cakes and mushrooms had the same seasoning and fried basil leaves sprinkled throughout but the rice cakes were chewy and lent an amazing texture contrast to the crisp exterior. The sweet gravy on the Taiwanese sticky rice was interesting and delicious. The dish was pretty small for a "rice dish" - I thought it'd be an entree size but it was more like just a side of rice since the other two we ordered from the "small dishes" section were bigger. But these three together were more than enough for the two of us!

This is the better of the two P+C locations, in my opinion. Other than the torture that is finding street parking in DTLA, the restaurant is clean, beautiful, and in a relatively safe part of downtown. If you're not familiar, you'll order at the counter and take a number, then find a seat, grab water and utensils (self-serve), and they'll bring the food. In short, all the food I've tried here is delicious! However, here are my must-gets: - shrimp wontons (amazing sauce! I save it to drizzle on my noodles and rice) - dandan noodles (bouncy noodle texture and creamy sauce) - bok choy potstickers - crispy rice cakes and mushrooms (the breading is lighter than the popcorn chicken, but same addicting seasoning) - Taiwanese sausage (seems basic, but SO good) - sea salt cream tea Other items I enjoyed: - popcorn chicken - three-cup chicken - minced pork on rice - pan-fried pork buns - beef roll I love that the space is open and comfortable. The dishes are a good portion size where you can eat individually or choose to share a bunch of dishes family-size. They're well-priced ($5-$14 each). Love that P+C modernizes Taiwanese cuisine without adding on trendy pretentiousness or losing quality and taste!

I've been a devoted fan of Pine & Crane since the original location opened a decade ago. Ever since kids and COVID, I've become a regular delivery customer, getting several meals' worth of Taiwanese food every time I order. I usually order from Silver Lake, since it's a little closer to my house, but the DTLA location also delivers to me, and helpfully, it opens way earlier. Sometimes I don't want to wait until after noon for my minced pork on rice, and for those days, I'm glad to have Pine & Crane DTLA. The food is excellent, the same high quality Taiwanese fare I know I can count on from the original location. The menu is slightly different, but includes most of my favorites. The minced pork on rice is an easy go-to, with braised kurobuta minced pork over rice with soy-braised egg and house daikon pickles. The pork is so flavorful, and I love the way the sauce gets into the rice. The three cup chicken is superb, tender chicken stir fried with sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine, and Thai basil. My baby loves it so much that I actually made three cup chicken at home after the last time we ordered Pine & Crane's. The shrimp wontons are a great smaller dish, with six slippery wontons full of sweet, snappy shrimp, dressed in a spicy sauce and finished with scallions and cilantro. I'm also a fan of the dan dan noodles, with sesame-peanut sauce, cucumber, cilantro, and crushed peanuts. I've also liked a few items that are either different or absent from the Silver Lake menu. The sha gua mian is a satisfying noodle dish with soy sauce, vinegar, fried shallots, chili crisp, and scallions. I kind of like them best cold right out of the fridge. The fried peanut salad is a nice snack, the peanuts mixed with garlic, cilantro, scallions, vinegar, and Thai chili. The vegan mapo tofu is great, though I do prefer the original version, which has meaty trumpet mushrooms. Next time I'll get the regular pork mapo tofu here. On the vegan side, though, I do appreciate the sautéed seasonal greens, lightly seasoned with garlic, salt, and sesame oil. I got the yu choy last time and ate it with almost every dinner that week. I'm not sure I'll ever make it to Pine & Crane DTLA's brick and mortar, but I'll always have the place in my delivery rotation. It's a fantastic restaurant, and I look forward to my next giant order.

I arrived for dinner after Anime Expo and there was a line with at least 6 parties ahead of me. The line went by fairly quick with a 25 min wait. Grab a copy of the menu upfront by the register. The line goes to a register where you place your order then they give you a number and you find your own table. I was a bit surprised at this cafeteria style seating but it works. Lots of great options for vegetarians. There's mushroom hot and sour soup, veggie dumplings, and vegetarian mapo tofu. The drink list is great too with fruit teas and milk tea options (no alcohol for me). The food came out fairly quick. I appreciated that the server checked in if we liked the food and when we were ready, asked if we needed a box and went to get our shave ice. The interior is open air, minimalist with light wood tones. I especially love the Taiwanese goodies they sell near the register, all high quality and well regarded products from Taiwan.

Yum! Came here initially wanting some of their breakfast menu but they don't have it all day. However, their lunch menu didn't disappoint. It is clearly marked which items are vegetarian. It was empty enough that we just ordered at the counter, got a number and sat ourselves. The aesthetic of the place is really nice with muted mint tones and there is a self-serve water station (with still or sparkling water) and to-go containers to get yourself. Staff was really quick to take plates away as well and friendly. We got the seaweed salad, ma po tofu with mushroom, hot and sour soup, fried rice cake with basil and tang yuan. They were all super delicious. Surprisingly, we ended up ordering items mostly that were semi-spicy. The noodles were not and they were good as well. I think I prefer the dan dan noodles though because of the bit of cucumber in it for freshness. Parking can be a bit tough due to street parking but on a Sunday, parking was free and we found a spot! They are also next to a park of sorts so you could also take to-go and sit in the park. I saw some people doing that.

Pine & Crane DTLA offers a delicious and casual Taiwanese dining experience. The restaurant has a casual and inviting atmosphere, making it a great spot for a relaxed lunch or dinner. They have a counter service so you order at the counter and they'll bring your food to your table. Their menu features a variety of flavorful dishes, many featuring refreshing cucumber accents. The dishes here are well-executed, with bold yet balanced flavor profiles. The use of cucumber in various forms (pickled, shredded, or muddled) adds a delightful cool and textural contrast. Don't miss out on their hot jasmine tea. It's the perfect way to cleanse your palate between bites and complements the food beautifully.

I can't believe how affordable all their dishes were here, especially in Downtown LA! This is the place to go when you're craving Taiwanese food in Los Angeles! We spent less than $100 for two glasses of wine, two bowls of noodles, spicy wontons, and popcorn chicken, which is definitely a great deal in this economy! Most dishes don't cost more than ~$12-$15 and the food here taste great! They keep it simple by not adding to much extra to the dishes, and let the ingredients and traditional recipes shine through. The prices here are also proportionate to the portions you get, but I love it since you can try a little bit of everything without breaking the bank! It's definitely a must try if you're ever craving some noodles, wontons, and more, in DTLA!