The Little Kitchen Asian Cafe

I was staying nearby and looking for a quick bite to eat. This place FAR exceeded expectations in all regards. Food was terrific. Staff was wonderful

We really enjoyed this restaurant. We ate there 2x during our 3 day stay at Dana Point. The food was great, our server Lauren was great and the place was clean. Would look forward to returning again sometime!

Best food in Dana Point. I've tried almost everything on the menu and nothing disappoints. However, hands down the best thing on it is the Hong Kong Black Peppered Steak. A close second is the Kitchen Beef.

New Asian in Town. Chinese food in Dana Point is quite limited to very few places. Leading the pack, in how successful and how long they have been around, Peking Dragon never had to worry about serious competition to challenge them. Enter The Little Kitchen Asian Cafe, a fairly new inclusion in the asian cuisine market, located in the same lot where old Ralph's and not too old Rite Aid exist, this place relatively new caught our attention after asking for more options to eat chinese in Dana Point. So we went.
Loren, our hostess, a very dynamic lady from Singapore became our waitress as well. My female companion and yours truly decided on the following dishes for our evening first time in the place try:
1. Fried Calamari: Soft, a little chewy, not over battered, on some places more salty than we would have preferred, and even though they did not arrived piping hot to the table, we both agreed that it was an auspicious beginning (3.5 out of 5 Stars).
2. Pumpkin Soup: This one is a special treat and every bit as tasty as it sounded and looked before ordering it. I could not resist and had a spoon, with proper permission that is, and I whole heartedly agreed that as unusual as it sounds as part of the menu in an asian food place, it had a wonderful texture and even better taste (4.5 out of 5).
3. Hong Kong Style Won Ton Soup: it was chili for Dana Point outside and nothing is more comforting than a good tasting broth with its share of fresh vegetable, which it had plenty, chicken, beef, and extra shrimp that is offered for a nominal fee if desired. Besides being very sparse with their shrimp the overall taste was very nice on a little murky broth but that never the less had a subtle flavor that suited the selection very nicely. The meats all were extra soft and must admit that the bowl can easily be shared by 2 or even 3, at most (4 out of 5).
Kitchen's Fried Rice: the shrimp version which costs about $1 more. Dark rice, with shredded egg, peas and green onions. Not a whole lot of the shredded ingredients, would have loved more, and rice overpower this well known dish. On the shrimp department this time it appeared a fare trade (3.5 out of 5).
Kitchen's Chow Mein: my lovely companion claims to have a predilection for this very popular serving and she ordered the combo, once again $1 added, and came to the table in a nice portion. Yes, I know that this one and the fried rice are the most elementals of choices. I am sure that the more exotic dishes could have been more interesting, but be that as it may, I tried a few and even though I personally never choose this dish, I must admit it was not too shabby. Came with beef, chicken, and shrimp (this time the shrimp were hiding pretty good until curiosity got the best of me and I counted only 3, which is too low of a count) and what else can one say about this dish (3.5 out of 5).
Lemon Chicken: this one came with a crust, like a breaded style deep fried and what I really liked about it was that the lemon sauce was brought to the table on the side. This allowed the diners the great freedom to add as much or as little as desired. I really though this was a good thing and it showed a little of the special touch this place seems to possess. In most places the crust is very soft and mushy due to the sauce the covers the dish and in this case, the chicken was as dry as a chicken patty. It looked good in the picture and even though it tasted nice I wouldn't classify it as a knockout (3.5 out of 4).
Service was constant, very alert and concerned, obviously trying hard to please. A young Singapore lady representing the place that had an open kitchen for everyone to see and two very foreign speaking asian food preparers and that, in my opinion, is another good thing, for many is the time when I have entered a supposedly asian eatery to find mexican cooks preparing the food. What I am saying is that for a place to be totally ethnic you have to have the real deal from the old world. Service was above average (4.5 out of 5).
The meal cost almost $59 so it was not cheap but it was plentiful to take about half of it home (guess what's for dinner tomorrow?) and in the end I was very happy to see that a new kid in town is delivering good food (a lot of people picked up orders for take out, much more than the half full place) and for now must wish them all the success. Peking Dragon no longer holds the monopoly in the area. The Little Kitchen Asian Cafe is stirring things a bit, in a nice way. 4 Stars.

The Little Kitchen Asian Cafe is a cozy establishment tucked away in Dana Point. The atmosphere has a sizzle in the air from the open style kitchen. The service was wonderful. My wife and I were greeted and felt welcome from the moment we walked in. You know the food is going to be excellent when you can smell it from the parking lot. I ordered the Orange chicken, and my wife ordered garlic shrimp. We shared a vegetable fried rice and had fried dumplings for our appetizer. If you're a fan of Asian cuisine, this restaurant is a must try. The proportions are quite large, so make sure you bring your appetite. We will definitely be coming back to taste more from the menu.

We had a wonderful dining experience! The atmosphere was great and the staff were courteous, friendly, and attentive. One thing to note for sure is that you need to bring your appetite because the portions are large, fresh, hot, and delicious! I forgot to take a picture of all the food we ordered coz I was busy eating🤣. We ordered Kung Pao, Sesame Chicken, Egg Foo Young, Beef , Kitchen’s Beef, Mongolian Beef, Egg Rolls, Dumplings. You will NOT leave hungry! A definite gem! Thank you for the hospitality! :)

The service here was great. The food came out pretty quick. Pictured is the chicken curry, Kung Pao chicken lunch special, and dumplings. The food smelled and tasted delicious. Very please with everything, they even opened 10 minutes early, they had a small crowd waiting already. Pleased with everything, thanks guys.

Loved the personal touch, loved the wonton soup, excellent amount of wonton, chicken and vegetables. Loved because the server was friendly, personable beyond the "how is the food". Asking questions and was polite. Just perfect. (Much better than an entitled server at ChinaMoon). This is in my opinion the best Asian restaurant around here. Love it!

Some of the tastiest sweet and sour pork I've had. Singapore noodles weren't bad either. My wife had the kitchen chicken which she said was delicious.