Culinary Connoisseur: Mao’s Kitchen

Mao’s Kitchen

1512 Pacific Ave., Venice

$7-$12

4 Paws Out Of 5

After a long day of hanging out in Venice Beach, drum-circling, freak-watching, tattoo-getting, or whatever it is that people do in Venice, you want a meal that is suitably quirky for your Venice Beach experience.

That meal is available at Mao’s Kitchen.

Mao, you ask? As in, the Chinese Communist leader, who may have been responsible for the death of thousands of people?

Yes, that Mao. And yes, he has a kitchen. In fact, the food is pretty good.

Though it’s likely not forged from the hands of Mao himself, the restaurant’s brand of Chinese food is just as flavorful as the decor.

Upon entering, the charm of the blue walls, the long, wooden tables and Mao’s face plastered upon every available free space would alone make the experience worthwhile.

The diversity of the menu, however, is what will inevitably cause you to pull up a chair.

With a menu offering dishes ranging from ones with catchy Communist-themed names such as “People’s Potstickers” and “Gang of Four Shrimp” and not-as-catchy names such as “Model Citizen Noodle Soup” to the more typical sweet and sour or kungpao, Mao’s Kitchen, if nothing else, offers some creativity patently unavailable at Panda Express.

Additionally, everything on the menu is made from fresh ingredients.

But unless you’re really hungry, or have the stomach capacity of a small horse, you might consider sharing. If not, you can always take your leftovers home in one of the classic Chinese takeout boxes.

If you’re a tea drinker, consider yourself in luck. With an extensive list of options, the tea comes in a pot suitable either for sharing or guzzling all by yourself. You might especially consider the latter if it happens to be the widely popular Jasmine tea. And at just $2 a person, the expense is worth it.

Broke? That’s OK. Mao’s still offers a diverse array of options that will leave you more satisfied than if you’d spent the equivalent amount of money at McDonald’s.

For instance, you can get a Beijing spring roll or a small salad for a buck, which, when paired with the unlimited (and highly addictive) wonton chips with sweet-and-sour dipping sauce they bring before your meal, can make for a great snack.

And just because they don’t serve alcohol doesn’t mean you can’t drink ““ they’re more than happy to supply glasses for whatever you want to bring, as long as you’re OK with drinking wine from a tea cup.

If Mao’s has a downfall, it would have to be the service.

Things are generally fine during the day and when they’re not terribly busy, but as night draws near and the benches begin to fill, their lack of staff might leave you having to beg for more water or wantons.

This fact is probably best exemplified by the two signs posted on the window ““ one a help wanted sign, the other a notice that due to lack of staff they are temporarily unable to stay open until their typical 3 a.m.

Overall, Mao’s is a great place to go with friends if you’re on a budget and just want something more novel than the typical greasy Chinese takeout joint.

And what could possibly be more fun than enjoying a meal under the watchful eye of Mao himself?