Kar Son

H Hanna 12 reviews · Local Guide 8 June 2026

A place worth try. I liked the service here. Food was spicy but all good. Pretty authentic.

A Abhishek Shankala 36 reviews · Local Guide 4 June 2026

Tried garlic beans, mapo tofu and fried rice - all vegetarian! The garlic beans with bean sause was really good, probably the best I've had. The mapo tofu & fried rice were good too and very authentic. Overall the food and ambience was really good but the lower rating is for the experience with the server and the staff. My friends had to wait to get their dish for very very long time and each time we asked the team, they didn't have any idea about it. Finally when it came out, it didn't feel like we were welcome to stay and finish it. To be honest, they did take the $ of the dish off the bill but it wasn't a pleasant experience in the moment.

R Rose Choi 73 reviews · Local Guide 3 June 2026

June 2026: This was my second visit to Kar Son. The food is good, but unfortunately the service has been consistently lacking. After we ordered, all of our dishes came out quickly except for one. About halfway through the meal, we asked our server about it and he told us it would be out in “about 2 minutes.” Nothing came. As we were finishing up, we asked another staff member, who said she’d let the server know. More time passed, so we asked yet another staff member and got the same response. At that point, we told our server we were basically done eating. He again said he’d check on the dish, then returned and said it would be out in 2 minutes and asked if we wanted it packed to-go instead. We hesitated, but agreed. About 7 minutes later, he brought the dish out on a plate and told us to “eat some now and take the rest to go,” which was confusing since he had just suggested packing it up. One of us awkwardly tried a bite before he came back to box it up. What made the whole experience especially frustrating was the complete lack of communication or apology throughout the entire situation. When the bill came, the dish had been comped, but again, nobody acknowledged what happened or said a word about it. The interaction just felt very awkward and dismissive. We had originally planned to order desserts, but by that point we just wanted to leave. What’s disappointing is that something very similar happened during my first visit — one of our dishes also arrived after we had already finished eating. The difference was that the staff at least apologized and handled it kindly that time. The food here is genuinely good, but the service on both of my visits has been poor enough that I don’t plan on returning. Jan 2026: Kar Son is an elevated Chinese restaurant that just opened in Downtown LA, and it’s a great addition to the area. Everything we tried was solid and tasted noticeably cleaner and lighter than what you typically find in the SGV—much less greasy, which we really appreciated. The menu features a mix of traditional dishes from different regions of China along with a few fusion items. My girlfriend, who’s from China, appreciated the elevated authenticity and thoughtful details, like the small bowl placed on top of the plate—little touches that show care and intention. Drink options are currently limited, and there’s no alcohol yet, but the food more than makes up for it. Prices are very fair considering the downtown location. Overall, I’m really happy to have a good Chinese restaurant so close to where I live, and I’m looking forward to coming back to try more of the menu. Bonus points for the free 2-hour parking at The Row.

N Nop Jiarathanakul 322 reviews · Local Guide 19 May 2026

Quite delightfully surprised! When my white friends invited me to a trendy Chinese food spot at the Row, I had to be a bit skeptical, but to my surprise the flavors are legit! These are traditional sichuan dishes with real sichuan taste (albeit not as strong.) The decor is so cute modern trendy Chinese, and atmosphere is so chill and relaxed. If only they have an alcohol license it'll be perfect!

J Jenna D'Agostino 1 review 15 May 2026

Sometimes you just have a meal that was so good it leaves you speechless. This was one of those meals. It was incredible. The service, the vibe, the flavors, everything. If you ever find yourself in the downtown LA area I highly recommend a meal at Kar Son. I had the cucumber salad, Dan Dan noodles and the soup dumplings. 12/10