Duck House Restaurant

Any old hand at the greater Los Angeles food scene should know by now that Monterey Park is a gold mine of the finest Chinese food outside of China, to the point where I had often thought I could charge off in a random direction and find a gem hidden within. I've only tried this once seriously, and it was then I found this gem. When I passed by Duck House Restaurant, I was merely a curious bystander. Having dined there, I'm a convert to this - one of the most underrated Chinese fine dining experiences in the city, if not the country.

The pitch for Duck House is as follows: Go out for a big event or celebration, and experience an exemplary preparation of the famous Chinese roast duck, at a restaurant with a lovely aesthetic, that has been frequented by the likes of the late Chadwick Bozeman and the legendary James Hong. Yet, when I looked up Duck House after passing it on the street, I hesitated because of two things; the price of the dishes, and a handful of low reviews, particularly on Yelp.

It is true that duck house is no impromptu excursion if you want to sample the titular duck. But if you want to experience the restaurant at a reasonable price, you absolutely can. The green onion pancake is a ridiculously low $6, and balances the oily crisp of the edges with a soft gooey interior. The lunch specials are quite varied, coming in at 12 to $14 per dish, well in line with other similar restaurants. While my group did not attend during lunch, we ordered many of the dishes which would have been on that menu, including three different tofu dishes, all unique and tasty in different ways (though the group as a whole settled on the three cups tofu as the favorite) and an eggplant dish so good, it converted someone who had never liked eggplant before.

As to the reviews, from what I could see, there were two complaints: the service was bad, and the duck wasn't good. For us, the service was tremendously accommodating and friendly. When calling ahead to ask whether they could accommodate a vegan member of our party, they both confirmed that they could, and even guided me through the process of reserving, and made sure to let me know to reserve the duck ahead of time. When we were there, they would readily answer questions, be quick to replenish food and tea, even provided complimentary gelatin treats for the birthday, something we didn't ask for, and were not charged for, and seemed to enjoy their work, and for any concerned, were perfectly fluent in English.

But you're not here to hear about the staff. You may not even be here to hear about the prices. You want to know about the duck.

To anyone unfamiliar with the famous Chinese roast duck, it is certainly a classy dish, typically ordered at banquets, and meant to serve several people. It is usually served in two parts: The meat and skin on one plate, and accoutrements on the other. The idea is to take a provided wrapping, and put in the duck, some green onions, and some hoisin savory sauce and assemble it, burrito-like, to consume. It's always quite the treat, but of the dozens of ducks I've had over the years, this one may be the best.

Unlike many restaurants, Duck House separates the skins of the duck from the meat. Duckskin is always a resplendently crispy and savory part of a meal, sometimes a little bit too rich for some, and the separation gives you the option of taking more less of it. When you do taste it, it's very well balanced, abounding with flavor without being too oily. Duck meat can sometimes be inconsistent or chewy, but the thin slices here are a joy to eat, and the green onions and cucumbers balance out the meal effortlessly. From those of us who had been eating duck for years, to people who had never tried it before, our entire party of nine left satisfied and impressed. I truly have no idea what the negative reviews of this place are talking about when it comes to the duck.

So if you have an occasion worth celebrating, don't duck out on your responsibilities; Make a detour to the duck house - they're serving duck, but clearly laying golden eggs.

Awesome Peking Duck, authentic and delicious! We ordered it with the tofu duck bone broth and that was yummy as well.

I visited Duck House Restaurant to meet with my previous supervisor, and she picked a corner table up front that was very private, quiet and bright. We ordered several items on the menu. I had never had Peking Duck so she showed me how to wrap it and eat it. Basically into the rice skin, with onions and sauce. We also tried a pulled tofu dish, the green bean pork, a crispy rice pancake, and eggplant dish. Everything was delicious.

We came here for Peking duck. I searched google maps trying to find Chinese restaurant where this dish served among with rice pancakes, green onion and cucumbers. In NYC we could not such a serving. So, when we came to LA and I found Duck House Restaurant we were so exited to come here. We did not reserve a table, but it was not a problem. We also ordered some asparagus as extra. The Duck was delicious, tasty, yammy. We loved it very much!

Food is EXCELLENT. One of my favorites for Chinese food in the San Gabriel valley. Everything is fresh and richly flavorful. Faves are the duck, soup, and bean sprouts. Environment is no frills and good for dining w friends or family. Call in advance to order the duck!!! YUMMY