Where to find the best Chinese doughnuts in Los Angeles

The old adage “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” can easily be applied to Chinese doughnuts. The savory pastry — two golden strips of lightly salted fried dough, attached at the hip — goes by many monikers: you tiao in Mandarin, pathongko in Thai and dầu cháo quẩy in Vietnamese.

With origins dating to the 12th century in China, this doughnut’s reach has grown to become a breakfast staple throughout East and Southeast Asia. In its simplest form, it’s ripped in two and eaten alone as a snack. But the cruller also can be a vehicle to sop up flavors of other dishes. In Vietnam, it’s dunked in sweetened coffee and savory rice porridge. At Taiwanese joints, the doughnut accompanies warm soy milk and serves as the centerpiece of the rice-coated fan tuan.

As simple as the Chinese doughnut is, it requires skill to make it correctly. A high-quality you tiao should be crispy on the outside, with light and airy pockets inside. Timing is everything. Underproof the dough and there’s no fluff to the bread; if the oil isn’t hot enough, you get overly greasy crullers.

I grew up with the good fortune of having parents who are experts at making Chinese doughnuts and had the chance to eat hundreds of freshly fried sticks throughout my lifetime. As I explored 20 restaurants around Los Angeles County, I found that not all you tiao are alike — and some are much better than others.

I whittled my favorites to 10, with the focus of this list to be a starting point for others to enjoy different ways of consuming these doughnuts. Many of the best ones happen to be in the San Gabriel Valley and enjoyed with other dishes. It’s time to get your carbs on.