// LOS ANGELES // TEMPLE CITY //
bistro na's 那家小馆
elevated Chinese dining that doesn’t cater to a white audience
Bistro Na’s, or Na Jia can be directly translated to “that place.” Despite the seemingly humble name, the restaurant actually serves up imperial style Chinese dishes, meticulously prepared to stay true to the royal traditions. The restaurant hails from Beijing, where it is an established institution that brings old world ambiance to contemporary diners.
While many people know SGV for cheap, “authentic” Chinese food that can’t be found in LA proper, this is high end dining in the middle of a strip mall that also houses a popular Taiwanese chain ice shop and a popular Korean barbecue restaurant, which speaks to the evolving social and cultural fabric of this region. The restaurant caters to a new Chinese market looking for something a sophisticated dining experience that stays true to traditional cuisines without accommodating American palates. The space itself is transportive, evoking the elegance and grandeur of imperial China. The menu is filled with exquisite delicacies with straightforward translations like “Chef Su’s Pork Feet Jelly” that further prove their target audience.
Bistro Na’s is a restaurant that puts forth a new perspective of China, showcasing a little piece of Beijing in a SGV mall, in that way only LA can offer.
the details
| Address | 9055 Las Tunas Dr, Ste 105 Temple City |
| Website | https://www.bistronas.com/ |
| Yelp | https://www.yelp.com/biz/bistro-nas-temple-city-10 |
| @bistronasus | |
| Hours | 11:30a-3p, 5-8p every day |
| Price | $$$ – their price point may be higher than the typical Chinese restaurant in the US, but offering a high quality culinary experience for less than something of similar standards in any other cuisine |
| Aesthetic | elegant, regal, kind of feels like you’re stepping into the set of a movie set in the Qing dynasty |
good to know
Go here for: an elevated dining experience, a taste of fancy Chinese dishes that are hard to find elsewhere
Order this: if you like spice, get the Chili Pork with Cauliflower, for something lighter get the Drunken Chicken, and definitely get the fried tofu and tofu skin salad for “appetizers”
Amount of time to spend: an hour or two for dining, and probably some extra for waiting
When to come: try to avoid peak meal hours on weekends, or make a reservation
Parking: is not too bad, they are located in a popular strip mall, with a parking lot out front, and more parking down below if the main lot is full (which on weekends, it often is)
Other things to note:
- Most things on the menu come in different sizes, so you can scale up or down based on the size of your party (or food preferences)
- Highly suggested to make a reservation or utilize the Yelp Waitlist, as there is almost always a long wait on the weekends.
- They also have a location in Vancouver.
Last visited: December 2018
Last updated: June 2020
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