Hidden inside a Tustin market, this Chinese restaurant is OC’s only location of a San Gabriel Valley chain
Growing from humble beginnings as a cottage food operator selling wontons and dumplings from a San Gabriel Valley home into a popular chain of Chinese restaurants, Mama Lu’s Dumpling House has had its ups and downs over the years – infamously including jail time for the original owners due to a tax evasion scheme. But unlike similarly tax-troubled Chinese chain Sam Woo, which closed locations and exited Orange County in 2021, Mama Lu’s survived and expanded, adding its first OC location in 2023.
All but hidden inside Rivera Food Service, a commercial supermarket in a Tustin plaza near Usuki Japanese Cuisine, FOB Fish Grill, and Thai Chaiyo, the OC location of Mama Lu’s is hard to spot from outside. Walk through Rivera’s doors and you’ll find it in a cavernous, boxy space off to the right, immediately next to Tustin’s location of Taiwanese dessert specialist Meet Fresh. Decorated with just enough Chinese decor to distract guests from looking at the warehouse-like market next door, the restaurants collectively offer seating for around 100 people, including generously spaced tables, benches, and chairs. The only unusual part of the environment on our visit was the sound of religious music and talk radio playing through the restaurant’s speakers – continuously loud and distracting during our meal…