Sichuan Impression

Spice fiends flock to Sichuan Impression on either side of the city, probably because its founders—Chengdu natives Lynn Liu and Kelly Xiao—serve a jaw-dropping selection of Sichuan dishes that’ll keep you slurping up hot-and-numbing wontons, noodles, salads and entrées no matter how spicy it gets. Both the Alhambra and West L.A. restaurants (plus another outpost in Tustin) build upon familiar options such as mapo tofu and kung pao chicken, and feature harder-to-find items like mung bean jelly tossed in chili oil; wok-fried crab; and the “party in a pot” Leshan bobo chicken pot. Somewhat of a rarity among other Sichuan restaurants in town, Sichuan Impression also offers desserts, including a brown sugar rice cake, and pumpkin mochi wrapped around red bean paste.