Located as it is in a part of town where restaurants change names, switch ownership and shut down as frequently as the Lakers have lost this season, it's something that Golden Deli has endured more or less intact for more than 25 years. It's also something how many people had their first taste of Vietnamese food here: that first bowl of pho; the first slurp of bún bò Hue; a first bite of blistered, golden Vietnamese egg rolls (cha giò). While any Vietnamese kid who has spent a Tet morning wrestling with those frustratingly tear-prone egg roll wrappers will testify to the greatness of Golden Deli's cha giò, the discerning pho connoisseur may argue that there are better broths elsewhere — which is beside the point. The point is: If Golden Deli was your first Vietnamese restaurant, then those egg rolls and whatever else you had here for the first time guaranteed it would not be your last. 815 W. Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel; (626) 308-0803, goldendelirestaurant.com. Mon.-Tues., Thurs., 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri., 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun., 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Entrees $5-$10. No alcohol.

 

Besha Rodell's Introduction

Anne Fishbein's Photography

The Google Map

 

The 99 Essential Restaurants List:

A-Frame
Alma
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Attari Sandwich Shop
Bäco Mercat
Bar Amá
The Bazaar
Bestia
BierBeisl
Bludso's
Cacao Mexicatessen
Canelé
La Casita Mexicana
Cemitas Poblanas Elviritas
Chichen Itza
Chung King
Cole's
Coni'Seafood
Cube Cafe & Marketplace
Din Tai Fung
Eva
Father's Office
Fred 62
Gjelina
Golden Deli
Go's Mart
Il Grano
Guelaguetza
Guisados
Hatfield's
Ha Tien Quan
Hawkins House of Burgers
Hayat's Kitchen
El Huarache Azteca
Huckleberry
The Hungry Cat
ink.
Jar
Jitlada
JTYH Heavy Noodle II
Kang Ho Dong Baekjong
Kiriko
Kiyokawa
Kogi Truck
Krua Siri
L&E Oyster Bar
Langer's
Little Dom's
Lucques
Ludo Truck
Lukshon
Mariscos Jalisco
Matsuhisa
Meals by Genet
Mélisse
Milo and Olive
Mo-Chica
Musso & Frank
Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa
Nickel Diner
Night + Market
Oinkster
Osteria Mozza
Pann's
Pa-Ord Noodle
El Parian
Park's BBQ
Philippe the Original
Picca
Pink's
Pizzeria Mozza
Playa
Pollo a la Brasa
Providence
R&R Soul Food
Ración
Red Medicine
Ricky's Fish Tacos
Rivera
Rocio's Moles de los Dioses
Salt's Cure
Sapp Coffee Shop
Savoy Kitchen
Sea Harbour
Shanghai No. 1 Village Seafood
Soban
Son of a Gun
Sotto
Spago
The Spice Table
Superba Snack Bar
Tacos Leo
The Tasting Kitchen
Tavern
Tsujita LA
Vincenti Ristorante
Wurstküche
Zam Zam Market

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