You can now order authentic Chinese food from the San Gabriel Valley and have it delivered straight to your home or office. The company responsible for this wonderful new service is called ToGo626.com. The number 626 refers to the primary area code in the San Gabriel Valley, a place known for its dizzying array of fantastic Chinese restaurants — between 600 and 800 in total. 

The start-up launched in September of this year and currently has 70 restaurants on its roster. Available options include Sichuan food from Szechuan Impression, juicy meat pies from Beijing Pie House, and dim sum from Shi Hai Restaurant. You can get handmade, cumin-drenched noodles from Xi'an Kitchen, or pork chop over rice from Class 302. The food is insulated in containers and dropped off by a branded ToGo626 vehicle.

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So how does it work? All you have to do is go to the website, order your food and, if you live within a 10-mile radius, the meal will arrive within 45 minutes. There is no minimum. “We've had people just order a cup of boba,” owner Kirin Kang said. Delivery fees start at $2.99 if you're within a 3-mile radius of the restaurant; each additional mile is an extra 99 cents. 

“Business has been better than projected,” Kang said.

While the service primarily caters to homes and offices in the San Gabriel Valley, it has had calls from as far as Santa Monica. “We get a lot of orders from offices in downtown Los Angeles, too,” Kang said. Delivery zones go as far as 40 miles from the restaurant of choice. 

Kang is a Tianjin native but spent his childhood in the San Gabriel Valley. A Pasadena City College graduate, he started the business after noticing the lack of delivery options for folks in the area who are too busy or tired to go out or cook. He quit his full-time job as a sales associate at a clothing factory and started going door-to-door to local restaurants. Within three months, he has been able to create an impressive list of authentic and notable Asian eateries. 

“I started this because I got sick of ordering pizza and bad Chinese food from delivery services. There's no excuse. We have some of the best Chinese restaurants in the country,” he said. 

For more information or to place your first order, visit togo626.com 

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