Pine & Crane (DTLA)

This place is so popular! I once saw a long line waiting outside this restaurant and was very curious what it was. It’s been bookmarked on my map for quite some time, and I finally got to try it for lunch!

When you arrive, grab a menu and order at the counter. You have the choice to either do take-out or dine-in, and if you dine-in, you grab a number and place it on your table. The restaurant is pretty casual, and there are both indoor and outdoor seating options! Utensils and water are available at the designated stations, and you can grab those yourself. The weather was nice when I went, so we decided to sit outside.

The food came very soon after we sat down. There were so many dishes I wanted to try, but this is what I decided on (food for two):

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken – Jidori chicken, Thai basil, pepper salt.
Pork Belly Clamshell Bun – braised pork belly, cilantro, mustard greens, peanut.
Panfried Pork Buns – Taiwanese cabbage, Kurobuta pork, scallions.
Dan Dan Noodles – sesame-peanut sauce, cucumbers, cilantro, peanuts. The Dan Dan Noodles were my favorite! The sesame-peanut sauce had so much flavor.

I also tried their Sea Salt Cream Cold Brew, which was just what I needed after a long morning.

Overall, I enjoyed the food and cold brew. Some of their dishes had smaller portions than you would expect, but it is worth a try! I would come again if I were in the area – there are still a lot of items on the menu I want to taste!