Poging GOUD - Vrij

ARE ROBOT WOKS THE FUTURE OF DINING IN LOS ANGELES?

Los Angeles Times

|

November 23, 2025

WE TRIED TWO ROBOT-POWERED RESTAURANTS TO DETERMINE THE BEST.

- BY JENN HARRIS

ARE ROBOT WOKS THE FUTURE OF DINING IN LOS ANGELES?

A SELECTION of dishes, top, from Robowok restaurant in Los Angeles.

Photographs by JENN HARRIS Los Angeles Times

ARE YOU ready for a robot restaurant revolution? In Los Angeles, two robot wok restaurants with nearly identical menus, packaging and promises of fresh, affordable food fast are vying for our hearts, minds and stomachs.

Shrinking wallets, skyrocketing operating costs and an increasing need for variety and convenience have laid the groundwork for an epic robot restaurant battle.

On one side, a homegrown brand from two entrepreneurs in the San Gabriel Valley. On the other, a mysterious new local contender fueled by an army of hungry Trojans. Let the battle begin.

Tomas Su and Kelvin Wang opened Tigawok on Sawtelle Boulevard in the summer of 2024, calling it the "first-ever robot-powered" Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles. Su cofounded the Sunright Tea Studio chain of boba shops, and Wang owns Beijing Tasty House in San Gabriel.

They recently opened a Tigawok in both Burbank and Irvine, and there are locations planned for Chino Hills and Lake Forest.

Robowok is a restaurant that opened inside the Campus Plaza across from USC in September, and its origins are somewhat of a mystery. The website lists five stores, though I couldn't find any others in Los Angeles. I called the number on the Robowok website. The person who answered said I had the right number, but they weren't interested in speaking.

Before I could ask any questions, they hung up.

An online search revealed a restaurant with a similar name, Robo Wok, in Melbourne, Australia. And a RoboWok "rice and noodle studio" in Ontario, Canada.

MEER VERHALEN VAN Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Real-life hostage tale doesn't delve deep

‘Wire,’ from Et]

time to read

4 mins

January 08, 2026

Los Angeles Times

Iconic blimp is worth the ride

Re \"Inflated? Absolutely. Overhyped? Not a chance,\" Dec. 29

time to read

1 min

January 08, 2026

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Ole Miss, Miami to battle in game like no other

Fiesta Bowl to feature teams whose viability, deservedness fueled controversy in circles.

time to read

2 mins

January 08, 2026

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Another severe flu season already is upon us

U.S. infections are still surging in a repeat of last winter’s epidemic, and health officials say the situation is likely to get worse

time to read

3 mins

January 08, 2026

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

A striking pivot to 'outward imperialism'

[Trump, from A1]Court has only facilitated Trump's expansion of unitary executive power.

time to read

4 mins

January 08, 2026

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Musk’s AI floods X with sexualized images, study finds

Elon Musk’s X has become a top site for images of people who have been non-consensually undressed by artificial intelligence, according to a third-party analysis, with thousands of instances each hour throughout a day earlier this week.

time to read

4 mins

January 08, 2026

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley discuss making 'Train Dreams' and their inspirational trip to the Idaho panhandle

WITH DIRECTOR CLINT BENTLEY ON THE road promoting “Train Dreams” and his co-writer Greg Kwedar on set shooting his next film, the pair decided to pass reflections on writing the script back and forth.

time to read

3 mins

January 08, 2026

Los Angeles Times

EPA to reluctantly restrict a chemical in drinking water

The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it would propose a drinking water limit for perchlorate, a harmful chemical in rockets and other explosives, but also said that doing so wouldn't significantly benefit public health and that it was acting only because a court ordered it.

time to read

3 mins

January 08, 2026

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Getting back in rhythm of life

Musicians affected by last year's fires found some relief from the MusiCares charity.

time to read

6 mins

January 08, 2026

Los Angeles Times

Hybrids won't move the needle

Re \"Hybrid sales surge in a recalibrated market,\" Dec. 30

time to read

1 min

January 08, 2026

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size