Pine and Crane Silverlake

Lately I’ve been trying more places serving Asian dishes in town than I used to be, and my most recent one being Pine and Crane. As expected, tough parking in Silver Lake, but fortunately ordering process wasn’t as bad. As the venue was busy, guests were required to place order at the counter before being seated. The staffs were super accommodating in trying to assure shorter wait time. Coming in a group of four, we’re trying multiple dishes by having family-style meals. We got their Pork Belly and Beef Roll for small plates, Wood Ear Mushrooms and Lotus for sides, and their iconic Dandan noodles from the noodle selection along with Twiced Cook Pork from the rice dishes. Price to portion was decent and sharing was certainly great idea to enable you trying multiple items. The pork belly had strong garlic flavor, so tender, and perfectly thin-sliced that it felt like melted in my mouth. The beef roll was one of my highlights, seemed simple combining beef slices and leek yet I was always a fan of this kind of Chinese pancakes. Then my number one was doubtlessly the most peanut-based Dandan noodles. This iconic dish was such comfort food especially for me a peanut lover. The noodles certainly elevated it, getting the whole group impressed by how cheesy it was and how flavorful the sauce was. The crushed nuts toppings enriched overall texture play on the plate. Besides, ordering extra sides of woodear mushrooms and lotus were great companions to this carbs! Their milk tea was also worth trying and pretty affordable.

Dan Dan Noodles are excellent here. The noodles were a little stuck together, maybe because I ordered takeout and they prepare them ahead of time, but honestly the flavor makes up for it. Could eat this every day. Kidding… kind of. Smashed cucumbers were great as always. I ordered online through their website and the pickup process was easy. Food was ready fast and waiting for me at the counter. Parking is definitely difficult, especially during busy hours, but usually you can find something around the area if you’re patient. Prices feel fair for the quality, portion size, and flavor. Yes, I’d recommend this place to friends and yes, I’ll be back again.

Where should I start? If you’re looking for slightly elevated Taiwanese cuisine that is medium authentic, has decent flavors then pine and crane is the place for you. Don’t get me wrong. The food here is good, but I do feel that the flavors are a little Americanized. The beef roll portion was huge. While the pancake itself was nice and crispy, the cucumber to meet racial was a little off. In my opinion. I wish it had a little bit more meat. The pancake overall had good flavor, but I do feel it was a little on the sweet side as well. I really enjoyed the smashed cucumber appetizer and the seasonal vegetable, which in this case was Taiwanese cabbage. Both were well done. As for the limited pan fried dumpling, I felt that it was too doughy. For the beef noodle soup, it was just okay in my opinion. The beef was tender, but the broth was lacking depth in flavor. This is a decent place if you don’t want to venture too far into SGV for authentic Taiwanese food. Portions were decent size and I would say probably even on the larger side. Would I drive all the way to eat here? Probably not. Is it a solid option if I’m in the area? Definitely.

A great place for quick bite and Asian comfort food. Order at the register, get a number then grab a seat. Been there many times. Place can get pretty busy. Went last week round 2ish - was quieter than I remember. Even though there’s no table service there are people walking around cleaning up and checking on you. The food is consistent.

If you want to try this place, be prepared to possibly wait. My party and I were thankfully able to beat the rush by getting there around 5:30 on a Saturday night. When we left the line was out the door. Overall the food is good. Not great, especially if you’ve wait for ever to eat. I ordered the beef noodle soup. It was good but I felt like it was missing something. It wasn’t as flavorful as I would have hoped. I gave 4 starts because the staff is very kind and attentive. I just wish their food had lived up to the hype.

The first time we ate here was great. The atmosphere and food was amazing. Very similar to Joy in highland park. However, I ordered food from here on DoorDash on Monday and I found a bug in my wonton soup. Everything was sealed from the driver and restaurant. This is very disappointing since I really enjoyed the food here and was becoming one of my favorite places to eat. This is absolutely disgusting.

The prices were good, the atmosphere was nice, and the food was generally delicious. Four of us went and ordered about six dishes, and 3 side dish which was just the right amount. Personally, I really enjoyed the beef roll and the shrimp wontons, and the sea salt cream tea was truly unique and tasty. I usually don’t like mixed drinks, especially creamy foods or teas, but this one was wonderful. Maybe because it was Wednesday morning, it wasn’t very crowded. I came back just a week later because I was craving this drink and foods again. I ordered the Salt Cream Green Tea which I love it, it didn’t taste like the salt cream at all. I asked a female staff member, and she told me it was correct, which made me wonder if maybe I was mistaken. But after a few more sips, I was still sure something wasn’t right. So I politely asked another staff member named SEAN if it would be possible to add more of the salted cream topping because I couldn’t taste it. Sean was incredibly kind and understanding. He took the drink back to add more salt cream, and when he returned, he sincerely apologized and told me I was right — it wasn’t salt cream . He immediately replaced it with a new drink, and even generously gave the same drink to my daughter for free. What impressed me the most was not just the correction, but Sean’s attitude, tone of voice, and the genuine kindness he showed. He made us feel respected and cared for, and completely turned the experience into a positive one. Because of him, I would absolutely come back and recommend this place to others. I truly hope the restaurant recognizes SEAN for his excellent customer service. He represents the business in the best possible way. At the same time, I hope all staff receive consistent training so every customer can have the same positive experience. Thank you again, Sean, for your kindness and professionalism. You made our day better.

For me, there are three things that define Taiwanese cuisine. Affordable. Delicious. Pine and Crane get- oh wait, that was only two. Forget it. Pine and Crane gets 1.75 of these right. Having lived in Taiwan for a year, P&C hits the mark on several dishes that make me feel like I’m back on that whimsical little island while at the same time reminding me that I’m actually in America. Here’s my breakdown. Restaurant/ambiance: Expect a long wait but a quick and efficient one. You’ll mostly be waiting in line surrounded by your Silverlake hipsters. As you transition from outdoors into the restaurant, you are immersed in what feels like a bombastic mix of a Taipei storefront and a typical LA restaurant. That being said, I appreciated the lively energy of a packed house, the subtle Taiwanese imports surrounding you, and the balance between communal dining tables and private parties of two. Also, you can have drinks while you wait for a table which is nice. 5/5 Three cup chicken: When I was eating this, I could have sworn I was eating lunch at the local bento place I frequented whilst I was living in Taiwan. P&C really hits the mark with this one. Moist chunks of chicken, a sauce simple as it should be, and some added chili peppers that differentiate this 三杯雞from the rest. 5/5 Dan dan noodles: Listen… I make this meal at home about three times a week. This one made me realize how bad mine actually is. Generous portion. If you want to share it with someone, don’t. Get your own. Cause you’ll wish you had. 5/5 Beef wrap: P&C staff, if you’re reading this, I would like to remind you that this is supposed to be 牛肉捲餅, not 牛肉tortilla. That sort of flakey, puff pastry texture you get on a typical beef roll in Taiwan was completely missing here. Although the beef, cucumbers, and sauce inside weren’t too bad, the tortilla-like wrap once again reminded me that I am in America. 2.5/5 Pork potstickers: They’re potstickers. 3/5 It’s not easy finding good Taiwanese cuisine in the city or even in California for that matter. Pine and Crane was a not-so-hidden hidden gem. Sure, it’s trendy. Sometimes, overcrowded. While not the most “authentic” Taiwanese food experience, it’s affordable and some of the bites that you’ll have here will definitely give you a glimpse of what it’s really like to eat in Taiwan. Highly recommend. 4/5