Sam Woo Barbeque - Alhambra

The service attitude of the cashier lady was too bad, but the roast duck still tasted good.

The attitude of the cashier at the front desk was too bad, as if he owed her money.

Nostalgic vibe and price (the price feel like travel back in time, before the pandemic). Staff could speak some English, they are very welcoming if you speak Chinese with them.

This place was recommended to my family by a friend who has gone here for fried rice. When we entered we weren’t welcome so we didn’t know where to go, and ended up ordering by a cashier and then took a seat. The waitress where very rude and complained about us for no know how the restaurant works even though we asked around. The waitress kept staring at us with a mean face and made me and my family feel unwelcome. When we where about to leave, two waitresses kept us from leaving for not leaving any tips, and in the presses of leaving I happen to leave my baby’s baby bottle in the table, and it didn’t even took a minute to before I turned around to go get it, our table was clean and when I asked for the bottle every waitress said they don’t know anything. Not to mention the place smells weird, but at least the food was okay.

I have been eating at this place for a few years. It used to be one of a few A rated Chinese restaurants in town, but a recent B rating does not stop me from going. I admit that I normally don 't write reviews for places I visit, even as a regular customer, but I have seen a lot of unfair reviews or comments here, and I feel I must say something. This restaurant makes me feel like I 'm dining in a Cantonese cafe in old Chinatown in Manhattan or San Francisco. Its service staff and atmosphere give me a special feeling of history about first generation immigrants. However, I understand that not everyone likes its old setting. They offer the best value meal in town. Tell me if anyone can find other places offering a better deal! When the minimum wage for fast food workers has gone up to $20 an hour already (they are fighting for $24 an hour now), this place still offers many $6.99 meals if the orders are placed before 11:30 AM. It becomes unfair to compare the $6.99 dishes with those at $30 or $60 at other fancier places. So, please be realistic. Their regular priced menu usually costs about $10ish per dish, but it is still super affordable. Here, I want to give the following reviews about the food and service in a more realistic review. The food is not bad at all. Most of the dishes I ordered have authentic Cantonese flavor. I won 't say they offer the best Cantonese food in town, but I would rather pay $6.99 or $10 for an authentic Cantonese plate than a cheeseburger meal. I am not sure if it is because I can also speak Cantonese myself and communicate well with the servers, but I heard them speaking in English with other guests. They are excellent servers. I have always received good service from this place. The labor cost is so high now, and it is so difficult for any restaurants to find good servers. Sometimes, there is only one waitress or waiter to wait 6 7 tables in the restaurants, but they work diligently to provide efficient service to me whenever I eat there. We are very fortunate that there is still a place in LA or the U.S. that offers very affordable yet authentic Cantonese food in today 's super harsh business environment in general. After I eat there, I often order some BBQ to go, but keep in mind that the servers only take care of dine in options. All to go orders must be ordered and paid for in the designated area/counter for takeout. It is not the best Cantonese restaurant in town, but it is a place with a history. I hope they will continue doing well, and I want to come back again often. For today 's brunch, I ordered three dishes at $6.99 each for three persons (the congee comes with a small plate of rice noodles). We were very full. I uploaded the pictures here for your references.