Chef Chu's

Chef Chu's is a Chinese-American restaurant in Los Altos, California owned by chef Lawrence Chu. The restaurant opened in 1970 and has been operating since, and is known for hosting several heads of state, tech elites, and celebrities such as Steve Jobs, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Serena Williams, and Justin Bieber.^[1][2] The proprietor Lawrence Chu is also the father of director Jon M. Chu, known for directing the romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and the musical fantasy Wicked (2024).^[3] The restaurant is currently managed by Larry Jr., Chu's oldest son.^[4][5]

Chef Chu's
Restaurant information
Established	1970
Owner(s)	Lawrence C.C Chu
Food type	Chinese-American
Street address	1067 N San Antonio Road, Los Altos, CA 94040
Website	www.chefchu.com

History

Chef Chu's started as a take-out restaurant in a location in a strip mall, a former laundromat that sat alongside an appliance repair shop and a beauty salon in 1970 by Lawrence C.C Chu and his partner Ruth Ho.^[3] Chu's father operated a restaurant called Mandarin House where he learned the fundamentals of Chinese cooking from the head chef.^[6] Over the years, the restaurant expanded to occupy nearby businesses eventually occupying the whole building, including a second floor.^[1]

Reception

Chef Chu's is widely considered to be one of the best Chinese-American restaurant in Silicon Valley,^[7] including tweet endorsements from Serena Williams and Justin Bieber.^[3] It was ranked three on the list of America's 50 best Chinese restaurants by CNN in 2017.^[8]