Chicago's Lao Sze Chuan Opens LA Outpost in Glendale

Downtown Glendale has landed an unlikely Midwest transplant: Chicago's Lao Sze Chuan, which has almost a dozen outlets in Illinois and a major outpost in Las Vegas's Palms Resort. Founder Tony Hu, who is supposedly reducing the size and scope of his Chicago empire, always wanted to expand the concept nationally. And now open just across the street from The Americana at Brand, Lao Sze Chuan takes right over the old Guppy Tea House, which didn't even last a year.

Just yesterday Eater spotted the transition, with some staff inside preparing for last night's soft opening. Lao Sze Chuan is a bit of a pan-Chinese concept with a focus on familiar Chinese dishes like mapo tofu, three cup chicken, and cumin lamb. The opening lunch menu is currently up on Eat 24, which means Glendale office workers can get a taste of Lao Sze Chuan delivered to their cubicle.

Soft opening hours run lunch service until 3:30 p.m., with a closure until 5:30 p.m. Dinner service lasts 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. until longer hours commence in a few weeks time. Also, the menu they're running is a soft-opening bill of fare, so expect a larger set of Sichuan-heavy dishes by month's end.