Comment: Are wok robots the future of gastronomy in Los Angeles?

Are you ready for a revolution in robotic restaurants?

In Los Angeles, two robotic wok restaurants with nearly identical menus, packaging, and promises of fast, fresh, affordable food are competing for our hearts, minds, and stomachs. Shrinking wallets, skyrocketing operating costs, and a growing need for variety and convenience have set the stage for an epic restaurant robot battle.

On the one hand, a brand owned by two entrepreneurs from 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 robot-powered Chinese restaurant” in Los Angeles. Su co-founded the boba shop chain Sunright Tea Studio 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 the University of Southern California in September, and its origins are a mystery. The website lists five stores, although I couldn't find any others in Los Angeles. I called the number listed on the Robowok website. The person who answered said they had the correct number, but was not interested in talking. 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.

Both the Tigawok and Robowok use automatic woks for stir-frying, boiling, simmering, and stewing. Ingredients are loaded by hand into cylindrical drums that rotate like washing machines. The finished dishes are removed and placed on metal serving trays.

Counter-service Chinese restaurants feature a variety of “mini bowls” that are stacked on plastic trays. A Panda Express combo plate, only deconstructed. Prices range from $1.99 to $6.98 and menus include a variety of familiar dishes. Fried rice, chow mein, kung pao chicken, mapo tofu and orange peel chicken are among a list of rotating items.

The Tigawok color scheme is pale blue and white. Robowok's is white and teal. Both restaurants serve their food in the bottom half of takeout containers. There are stations equipped with appropriate lids, as well as plastic bags and cutlery available to take away.

Serving Chinese fast food fans across the galaxy, I set out to conduct a Tigawok and Robowok taste test, to determine which cuisine reigns supreme.

Tigawok Burbank

A selection of dishes made with the automatic wok at the Tigawok restaurant in Burbank.

(Jenn Harris/Los Angeles Times)

The Tigawok in Burbank is immaculate. Sterile like an operating room. The light wood, minimalist design and TV menu make you feel like you're dining inside your local IKEA. There's a constant stream of delivery drivers picking up orders, and most tables are occupied by lone diners in polo shirts, glued to their phones during their lunch break.

At the counter, a smiling employee gives a brief explanation of the restaurant and tells you to grab a tray. You can make a sort of combo plate, although everything is served in individual bowls. Steamed rice is $2.28 and a bowl of chow mein is $3.28.

A plate of fried rice at Tigawok restaurant in Burbank.

(Jenn Harris/Los Angeles Times)

The robot runs on the Tigawok and cooks at a maximum temperature of 600 degrees Fahrenheit. None of the dishes I tried achieved wok hei, the particular smoky, charred flavor that a seasoned wok produces, but they were almost there.

My Chinese grandmother insists that you can judge any restaurant by its kung pao chicken. Does the sauce achieve a glaze consistency? Is the chicken juicy and caramelized? She would approve of the mini bowl of kung pao chicken, studded with dried chiles, bell pepper and onion. The glaze on the chicken provided a nice slow burn.

The Wagyu beef curry was served in a velvety brown sauce with quivering chunks of beef and soft carrot and potato pebbles. A plate of fried rice was piled high with caramelized lap cheong slices and strips of scrambled eggs. The pork buns were fluffy and soft, filled with juicy pork meatballs.

What impressed me most was the orange peel chicken, with crispy fried nuggets lacquered with a citrus glaze.

And if we're allocating points for freebies, the condiment bar is stocked with free radish pickles, chili sauce, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Robowok

Dishes are transferred from an automatic wok to steam trays for service at Robowok restaurant in Los Angeles.

(Jenn Harris/Los Angeles Times)

The next day I was in line at Robowok, behind 10 students in USC sweatshirts. During my 30 minutes in the restaurant, the line was perpetually out the door.

The narrow space seemed cramped, with seating along one wall and a couple of tables outside.

I tried to replicate my Tigawok order from the day before, with a bowl of rice (plain this time), chow mein, kung pao chicken, orange peel chicken, broccoli and cabbage.

The orange peel chicken was suspended in a thick, sticky sauce that drowned out any hope of crispiness. The beef curry was watery and the broccoli and cabbage tasted steamed rather than stir-fried. There was more zucchini in the kung pao chicken than chicken. And like the other dishes on my table, the overall texture was bland.

A selection of dishes from Robowok restaurant in Los Angeles.

(Jenn Harris/Los Angeles Times)

Maybe the woks just needed to be set to a higher temperature.

Are these wok robots the future of gastronomy in Los Angeles? The world?

To reduce reliance on human labor, 62% of quick-service restaurants are adopting some type of robotic kitchen equipment and smart kitchen systems.

The automatic wok stir-fries a dish at Robowok restaurant in Los Angeles.

(Jenn Harris/Los Angeles Times)

The prospect of a restaurant industry completely run by robots makes me nervous. I crave the specific community and social interaction that only restaurants provide, and I value real humans in both the kitchen and the dining room.

Both Robowok and Tigawok require people to program, load and unload the machines, greet people, and serve food.

We haven't reached total robot domination yet, and that's a very good thing. And if asked to pick a winner of the robot wok restaurant battle, it's overwhelmingly Tigawok.