Severely understaffed. Not enough waiters, chaotic table system, and bad reception design. There should be one person always at the reception, not wandering around cleaning up tables trying to do two jobs at once.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Edwina
Fifty-One is definitely my go-to Chinese Restaurant. My favorite dishes are the Cantonese BBQ Roasted Crispy Pork Belly, Lobster Fried Rice, and the Hot and Sour Soup. Also, there's a Vegetarian Menu.Vegetarian options: Mapu Tofu
Mediocre at best. Used cups and water decanters cluttered the bar the entire time we were there, indicative of the lackadaisical wait staff. Teapot arrived with sticky sauce splattered on the outside. Dan Dan Noodles were served in a soupy broth with frozen peas and carrots atop; in addition to being inauthentic, presented poorly. I had a craving for good Chinese food. Frankly, for what we ordered, I would've been just as happy with Panda Express.
Val
This was a great dinner option on a Friday night. Our waiter gave us awesome recommendations—dim sum, lobster noodles, and the Mongolian beef. We were so hungry when we arrived and worried it wouldn’t be enough food for 2 adults but it was plenty. The sodas are not refillable and served as a can with the only options being Coke, Sprite, and Diet Coke. Everything came out very quickly and I had zero complaints.I would definitely come eat here again and recommend it to anyone.I’ll also add that their website advertises that they don’t cook with MSG. We are very sensitive to MSG and didn’t have any adverse reactions to this Chinese food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Dim Sum
Monique Sempio
Service was great, and food came out very quickly despite our large group. I tried the vegan Dan Dan noodles, the stir fry string beans, and the crispy tofu. The vegan Dan Dan noodles were disappointing. The sauce was unlike any other Dan Dan noodles I’ve had (not in a good way) and was topped off with peas and carrots?? Tofu would have been better. The stir fry string beans were tasty and cooked very well. The crispy tofu was bland, wasn’t crispy and the sauce that came with it saved it for me.Outside the food and service, the water tasted odd and I sat on a wet seat which I discovered later was due to a leak right above my head.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Stir Fry String Beans
I have been to 51-50 several times. The waiters the service is first class. I have been to China many times (Ghuannzhou) and this Chinese food at 51-50 is authentic. Noise factor is low so very beautiful ambience in dining
Mario Estrada
Food was good service was ok.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
foodie2inla
Enjoyed lunch special offered during week. I had kung pao chicken and my friend had walnut shrimp. On the special you receive soup, appetizer, rice and entree and small dessert for $13.99, recommend was good.
Tradchinese
They seemed short-staffed for the number of guests for a Lunar New Year day. The service staff lack sensitivity to how they were coming across (staff wearing all black but had dirty white rag hanging off back pocket loop; pulling tables together and making lots of screeching sounds across floor when could ask another staff to help move so no noise; some utensils and water glass were dirty (lipstick stain on water glass). For a beautifully decorated restaurants, those other elements made for a lack luster experience. Food was la bit one note across some entrees. And the long wait between staff checking on our party. This was our second time, and it was disappointing especially when introducing newcomer guests.
Pretty good dim sum for the Westside. It's half off on Sundays too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Kay Jay
Pretty good. Service is really professional. Atmosphere is nice. But place feels empty the night we were there.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
BDCSC
The staff was trying and fairly pleasant but they are not well trained. A very low stranded has been set by the owner/manager. The food was mediocre at best. The place has an odd vibe during lunch. It's rather large and the decor is meh. The worst part, however, is that the restroom reeked of sewage. Absolutely disgusting.
Kendrick Khoe
They have a $15 lobster noodle deal going. Add $5 for 2 more lobster tail.The lobster tails served are a bit small. Taste wise, more of a fusion American Chinese food flavor.Still pretty good deal for the price.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
T B
Overpriced. Horrible food quality and even worse service.Ok, I get it, Chinese restaurants are busy on Christmas Day. That is precisely why we booked a reservation days in advance for Fifty One Kitchen. My girlfriend and I had not been out for good Chinese in a very long time, so we found this place and the ratings and reviews online, as well as the menu, made it our choice for our Christmas Day dinner. We had been looking forward to this dinner for some time. We did not realize how utterly disappointing and deplorable our dining experience was going to be.We arrived just in time for our 7pm reservation. There was a big crowd of people around the front door and the place was packed. The host apologized and told us they were running a little behind but would seat us as soon as they could. About 20-25 minutes later we were seated. It took another 10-15 minutes before a waiter came to our table to take our order. We were really hungry at this point. We put in our rather simple, uncomplicated order – egg roll starters, won ton soup ($19.99) and two entrees; sweet and sour pork ($23.99) for me and honey black pepper steak bites ($31.99) for my girlfriend. Both with a side order of brown rice. We also ordered black tea and sake.Upon putting in our order, the waiter informed us that the kitchen was backed up and our order could take up to 40 minutes. At that point, what were we to do but wait? About 20 mins later we got the egg rolls. Both were slightly over-cooked. About 10 minutes later my entree, the sweet and sour pork arrived in front of me. But no won ton soup. No tea and no saki. And the entree for my girlfriend was absent as well. We figured it would be right out, so I waited before digging into my entree. But not before my girlfriend and I both had a little nibble. The sweet and sour port was lukewarm at best. Not hot. Time went by. I repeatedly tried to flag down a waiter. Meanwhile servers repeatedly stopped at our table mistakenly bringing us dishes for the surrounding tables, but not the rest of our order. After 30 minutes, I got up and stood and waited nearby as one of our waiters took the order of other diners. I was really frustrated, but maintained my composure in expressing my dissatisfaction with our service to that point. The waiter made excuses and made no amends. He did finally get us our tea and sake, but not before making excuses --- “No other restaurants around here are open and we are overly busy… etc.” I reminded him that we had made a reservation for that very reason. Another 20+ minutes later my girlfriend’s black pepper steak bites were finally served. I had finished my entree long before, at her insistence, and even bussed my plates because no on came to clear the table – as no one ever came to check on us. Still no soup, even though we were given the assurance it was coming. Meanwhile, other parties that were seated around us after we were seated received far better service and even got their soups. Oh, and we never got our sides of rice to go with our entrees either. It then took us some time to finally get the check. And we had to remind the waiter that we never got the soup so we should not be charged.The service was inexcusably bad. No one ever came to check on us. I had to chase down servers on 5 separate occasions to get what food I could from what we ordered. When expressing our dissatisfaction, no amends were made or offered. No acknowledgement or consolation whatsoever.Honestly, these guys managed to ruin our Christmas. I have had better Chinese food, far cheaper, at Panda Express. If I wanted that, I would not have wasted my time seeking out a dining experience. At least with Panda Express my food would be served to warm and together.We are usually good tippers. Tonight we left no tip and wrote a note of dissatisfaction on the merchant copy of our bill.We will never go back. And we will warn everyone in our social circles to steer clear of this place, as we are warning those of you reading this review.
Waiter was extremely rude and condescending
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Severely understaffed. Not enough waiters, chaotic table system, and bad reception design. There should be one person always at the reception, not wandering around cleaning up tables trying to do two jobs at once.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Fifty-One is definitely my go-to Chinese Restaurant. My favorite dishes are the Cantonese BBQ Roasted Crispy Pork Belly, Lobster Fried Rice, and the Hot and Sour Soup. Also, there's a Vegetarian Menu.Vegetarian options: Mapu Tofu
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cantonese BBQ Platter, Lobster Fried Rice, Hot & Sour Soup
Mediocre at best. Used cups and water decanters cluttered the bar the entire time we were there, indicative of the lackadaisical wait staff. Teapot arrived with sticky sauce splattered on the outside. Dan Dan Noodles were served in a soupy broth with frozen peas and carrots atop; in addition to being inauthentic, presented poorly. I had a craving for good Chinese food. Frankly, for what we ordered, I would've been just as happy with Panda Express.
This was a great dinner option on a Friday night. Our waiter gave us awesome recommendations—dim sum, lobster noodles, and the Mongolian beef. We were so hungry when we arrived and worried it wouldn’t be enough food for 2 adults but it was plenty. The sodas are not refillable and served as a can with the only options being Coke, Sprite, and Diet Coke. Everything came out very quickly and I had zero complaints.I would definitely come eat here again and recommend it to anyone.I’ll also add that their website advertises that they don’t cook with MSG. We are very sensitive to MSG and didn’t have any adverse reactions to this Chinese food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Dim Sum
Service was great, and food came out very quickly despite our large group. I tried the vegan Dan Dan noodles, the stir fry string beans, and the crispy tofu. The vegan Dan Dan noodles were disappointing. The sauce was unlike any other Dan Dan noodles I’ve had (not in a good way) and was topped off with peas and carrots?? Tofu would have been better. The stir fry string beans were tasty and cooked very well. The crispy tofu was bland, wasn’t crispy and the sauce that came with it saved it for me.Outside the food and service, the water tasted odd and I sat on a wet seat which I discovered later was due to a leak right above my head.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Stir Fry String Beans
I have been to 51-50 several times. The waiters the service is first class. I have been to China many times (Ghuannzhou) and this Chinese food at 51-50 is authentic. Noise factor is low so very beautiful ambience in dining
Food was good service was ok.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Enjoyed lunch special offered during week. I had kung pao chicken and my friend had walnut shrimp. On the special you receive soup, appetizer, rice and entree and small dessert for $13.99, recommend was good.
They seemed short-staffed for the number of guests for a Lunar New Year day. The service staff lack sensitivity to how they were coming across (staff wearing all black but had dirty white rag hanging off back pocket loop; pulling tables together and making lots of screeching sounds across floor when could ask another staff to help move so no noise; some utensils and water glass were dirty (lipstick stain on water glass). For a beautifully decorated restaurants, those other elements made for a lack luster experience. Food was la bit one note across some entrees. And the long wait between staff checking on our party. This was our second time, and it was disappointing especially when introducing newcomer guests.
Restaurantji Recommends
Pretty good dim sum for the Westside. It's half off on Sundays too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Pretty good. Service is really professional. Atmosphere is nice. But place feels empty the night we were there.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
The staff was trying and fairly pleasant but they are not well trained. A very low stranded has been set by the owner/manager. The food was mediocre at best. The place has an odd vibe during lunch. It's rather large and the decor is meh. The worst part, however, is that the restroom reeked of sewage. Absolutely disgusting.
They have a $15 lobster noodle deal going. Add $5 for 2 more lobster tail.The lobster tails served are a bit small. Taste wise, more of a fusion American Chinese food flavor.Still pretty good deal for the price.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Overpriced. Horrible food quality and even worse service.Ok, I get it, Chinese restaurants are busy on Christmas Day. That is precisely why we booked a reservation days in advance for Fifty One Kitchen. My girlfriend and I had not been out for good Chinese in a very long time, so we found this place and the ratings and reviews online, as well as the menu, made it our choice for our Christmas Day dinner. We had been looking forward to this dinner for some time. We did not realize how utterly disappointing and deplorable our dining experience was going to be.We arrived just in time for our 7pm reservation. There was a big crowd of people around the front door and the place was packed. The host apologized and told us they were running a little behind but would seat us as soon as they could. About 20-25 minutes later we were seated. It took another 10-15 minutes before a waiter came to our table to take our order. We were really hungry at this point. We put in our rather simple, uncomplicated order – egg roll starters, won ton soup ($19.99) and two entrees; sweet and sour pork ($23.99) for me and honey black pepper steak bites ($31.99) for my girlfriend. Both with a side order of brown rice. We also ordered black tea and sake.Upon putting in our order, the waiter informed us that the kitchen was backed up and our order could take up to 40 minutes. At that point, what were we to do but wait? About 20 mins later we got the egg rolls. Both were slightly over-cooked. About 10 minutes later my entree, the sweet and sour pork arrived in front of me. But no won ton soup. No tea and no saki. And the entree for my girlfriend was absent as well. We figured it would be right out, so I waited before digging into my entree. But not before my girlfriend and I both had a little nibble. The sweet and sour port was lukewarm at best. Not hot. Time went by. I repeatedly tried to flag down a waiter. Meanwhile servers repeatedly stopped at our table mistakenly bringing us dishes for the surrounding tables, but not the rest of our order. After 30 minutes, I got up and stood and waited nearby as one of our waiters took the order of other diners. I was really frustrated, but maintained my composure in expressing my dissatisfaction with our service to that point. The waiter made excuses and made no amends. He did finally get us our tea and sake, but not before making excuses --- “No other restaurants around here are open and we are overly busy… etc.” I reminded him that we had made a reservation for that very reason. Another 20+ minutes later my girlfriend’s black pepper steak bites were finally served. I had finished my entree long before, at her insistence, and even bussed my plates because no on came to clear the table – as no one ever came to check on us. Still no soup, even though we were given the assurance it was coming. Meanwhile, other parties that were seated around us after we were seated received far better service and even got their soups. Oh, and we never got our sides of rice to go with our entrees either. It then took us some time to finally get the check. And we had to remind the waiter that we never got the soup so we should not be charged.The service was inexcusably bad. No one ever came to check on us. I had to chase down servers on 5 separate occasions to get what food I could from what we ordered. When expressing our dissatisfaction, no amends were made or offered. No acknowledgement or consolation whatsoever.Honestly, these guys managed to ruin our Christmas. I have had better Chinese food, far cheaper, at Panda Express. If I wanted that, I would not have wasted my time seeking out a dining experience. At least with Panda Express my food would be served to warm and together.We are usually good tippers. Tonight we left no tip and wrote a note of dissatisfaction on the merchant copy of our bill.We will never go back. And we will warn everyone in our social circles to steer clear of this place, as we are warning those of you reading this review.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1