{"id":89943,"date":"2026-09-21T15:53:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T22:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/?p=89943"},"modified":"2026-09-21T16:08:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T23:08:50","slug":"lv-seafood-lion-dance-chinese-family-restaurant-cantonese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/eat-see-do-2\/eat\/lv-seafood-lion-dance-chinese-family-restaurant-cantonese","title":{"rendered":"Family-owned LV Seafood celebrates 30 years in Lakewood Village with customers who feel like family"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When the Huang family took over LV Seafood in 1999, they passed out flyers to the neighbors in Lakewood Village, hoping customers would show up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we started the business, [it was] very difficult,\u201d owner Sam Huang said. \u201cWe learned little by little.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every day the Huangs drive from Pasadena to the restaurant and work from 9 a.m. until they get home at 11 p.m. It began with just their family working in the kitchen, dining room and taking to-go orders over the phone, but now they have about 20 employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday, the Huangs celebrated their restaurant’s 30th anniversary with a lion dance performance by Ane Thanh Lion Dance<\/a> troupe from Orange County. Visitors got the chance to get a free LV Seafood tumbler and got coupons for Yamanaka Kakigori<\/a> \u2014 their son-in-law’s Japanese-inspired shaved ice spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam and his wife Yina started discussing the possibility of opening a restaurant after they got married in 1992, but didn\u2019t have enough experience. At the time, Sam\u2019s family owned several Chinese restaurants in Mexico. So to learn the ins and outs of the industry, they worked at one of their family\u2019s Chinese-Mexican restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they returned to Southern California, Sam was waiting tables at a nearby Chinese restaurant. The owner of LV Seafood at that time invited Sam to come see the operation. After partnering with the former owner, Sam and Yina eventually bought him out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Ane Thanh Lion Dance troupe performed at LV Seafood on Sunday, September 20, 2026. Photo by Harvest Keeney.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Their oldest son, Kevin, was only two months old when they bought LV Seafood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe whole family grew up here,\u201d Sam said. Customers often saw Kevin and his sisters, Denise and Diane, sitting in a booth doing their homework after school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are customers who remember me before I remember them,\u201d Denise said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin said he still remembers feeling bad about spilling water on a customer when he first began serving tables at the restaurant. He was just 10-years-old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he was even younger, Kevin brought a bowl of rice to a customer. When the customer paid for his food, he left a $10 tip for Kevin to use for school. For several years, that customer continued to leave $10 for Kevin every time he came in. He\u2019s still a regular at LV Seafood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s a really big community here that [my parents] have been able to build for the past 30 years,\u201d Kevin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Link<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI almost didn\u2019t realize it has been 30 years,\u201d Denise said. \u201cThis place has really felt like a home away from home. We are all so invested in this place and I think our customers know that too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the standout customer service, LV Seafood likes to make guests feel special. During birthdays, the staff brings out a lighted sign that reads, “Happy Birthday from LV Seafood” with a candle-lit dessert and sing \u201cHappy Birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yina said the customers are their main reason for staying open for so long. The Huangs put the same dedication into serving quality food as they do to quality service. Sam said he checks everything that goes through the kitchen: If the oranges at the market aren\u2019t sweet enough or the greens aren\u2019t green enough, Sam refuses to buy them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A table full of a variety of Cantonese food plates at LV Seafood on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jozella Reed and her 94-year-old mother Helena Kilpatrick have been making the drive from LA to LV Seafood since they opened. Thirty years ago, Reed said she was working nearby when she got a flyer from the family and was intrigued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are always glad to make the trip from LA,\u201d Reed said. \u201cIt\u2019s the best Chinese food we\u2019ve had in the area.\u201d Their go-to order includes yang chow fried rice, the tangerine beef, the string beans with X.O. sauce and \u2014 when they feel like splurging or for a special occasion \u2014 the lobster with black bean sauce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are always consistent and affordable too. We end up getting seven or eight items on the table and always leave with a big bag of leftovers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kevin Huang, Denise Huang, Sam Huang and Yina Huang stand in front of their restaurant, LV Seafood, which celebrated 30 years on Sunday, September 20, 2026. Photo by Harvest Keeney.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After running the restaurant for almost half of his life, Sam is preparing to retire at the end of this year. Kevin will take over and continue to run the restaurant with his mom, but Sam still plans to help out along with the rest of the family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don’t want the customers to forget us,\u201d Yina said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LV Seafood<\/em><\/a>, 4139 Norse Way, is open Monday through Friday for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., then they reopen for dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, they are open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the owner prepares to hand the business down to his son, the beloved Chinese restaurant marked its anniversary with lion dancing, food and giveaways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29035,"featured_media":89907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"As the owner prepares to hand the business down to his son, the beloved Chinese restaurant marked its anniversary with lion dancing, food and giveaways.","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32365],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[32346],"class_list":["post-89943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eat","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29035"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89943"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89962,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89943\/revisions\/89962"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89943"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=89943"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=89943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}