Chinese banquet on Westside

[Discerning1]

Looking for a Chinese restaurant on the Westside, Santa Monica, Culver City, etc. for a Chinese banquet for 12 people. Nothing too obscure (some of the attendees would be uncomfortable), but nothing too bland either.

Help me, please.

[Discerning1]

Thanks, Chowhounders!

We had the graduation banquet at Hop Li last night and it was terrific. The management made it very easy for us and the food and setting were great. There were many UCLA grad banquets going on at the same time in the restaurant, but they all fit in comfortably.

Couldn't have pulled it off without you guys. Thanks!

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Hop Li Seafoood Resturant
11901 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

[sadiegirl]

another vote for Hop Li. great food!

[J.L.]

Hop Li, formerly known as JR Seafood, on Santa Monica Blvd.

Hop Woo, on the corner of Sepulveda & Olympic

VIP Harbor Seafood, as a distant third option...

Good luck!

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Hop Woo
11110 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

[maudies5]

Mandarin Kitchen would be my first choice.
http://mandarinkitchenla.com/

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Mandarin Kitchen
1822 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

[Chandavkl]

Foodwise, yes. But 12 people would almost take up the entire restaurant.

[J.L.]

Oh yeah! Forgot about that place! Yes, I also agree.

[nosh]

Mandarin Kitchen (in the stripmall on the east side of Westwood just south of Santa Monica Blvd.) has the most consistently good cooking I've experienced on the westside, under their current management. I'd call them to see if they can put the four tables on the south side of the restaurant together to seat twelve.

My other rec would be Hy's Szechuan, in the Palms area where Narional does a 90-drgree turn. Their kung pao shrimp or chicken, twice-cooked pork, and eggplant are excellent dishes.

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Mandarin Kitchen
1822 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

[ZoeZ]

Mandarin Kitchen has unbelievably good food - great porridge, excellent egg foo young (my comfort foods) and in fact every dish we have tried is well up in quality to many places in Monterey Park plus delivery happens in an LA minute with Wilson showing up with a happy smile and buckets of soup for those of us addicted to ice hockey, tennis, basketball and SOCCER.
Since this is our neighborhood place and has gone through several owners in the past few years and all of them awful, it just shows that you have to try a place when it changes hands on the off chance that change is a wonderful one.

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Mandarin Kitchen
1822 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

[J.L.]

Yeah, I'm also hoping Mandarin Kitchen stays around for a bit...

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Mandarin Kitchen
1822 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

[a_and_w]

Hop Li is where my relatives go for banquets because there's plenty of parking. Skip Hop Woo, which hasn't been the same since the original owners moved to Mandarin Kitchen a while back.