626 food stops

Locals will tell you the 626 is one of the best places to eat in the country, and anyone who drives these streets for work learns the lunch map fast. This page is not a review site and makes no claims about who has the best dumplings. It lists the two places Merick actually goes, a few local favorites that neighbors mention again and again, and a few practical notes on fitting a repair visit around a weekend of eating.

Merick’s regular stops

These two are where Merick eats between jobs. Both are long-running Chinese seafood restaurants on busy valley boulevards, both are big enough for family gatherings, and the listings linked below (the MICHELIN Guide for Newport Seafood, a map listing for Sea Harbour) are a better source for what to order than a handyman’s opinion.

• Newport Seafood, 518 W. Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel, CA 91776. Listing.
• Sea Harbour, 3939 Rosemead Blvd., Rosemead, CA 91770. Listing.

Hours change, and neither place is quiet at peak times on weekends. Calling ahead, or going on a weekday at an off hour, is the easy way to get a table without a long wait.

Local favorites

These are places neighbors around the valley often recommend. They are listed as local favorites, not as Merick’s own picks, with a link to a listing so you can check hours and details yourself.

• Lunasia Dim Sum House, 500 W. Main St., Alhambra, CA 91801. Listing.
• Din Tai Fung (Arcadia), 400 S. Baldwin Ave. #M5, Arcadia, CA 91007. Listing.

Every neighborhood has its own favorites that never make a list: the bakery on the corner, the noodle shop in a strip mall, the boba place the kids insist on. Ask the people on your street; they know.

Plan repairs around the weekend

Valley weekends fill up with dim sum, family dinners and errands, and nobody wants to spend Saturday waiting for a repair. A few habits help. Text photos early in the week, so a quote and a time are set before the weekend.

Bundle small jobs into one visit instead of several. And if the job needs the kitchen or a bathroom out of service, pick a day when the family is out anyway, such as the day of a big dinner out.

Getting the kitchen ready for hosting

Hosting a hot pot night or a holiday dinner puts a kitchen to work. A few checks beforehand avoid surprises with a table full of guests:

• Range hood filters cleaned so the fan pulls steam and smoke; see range hoods.
• Countertop outlets on a GFCI that resets; electric hot pots and rice cookers draw real power. See GFCI will not reset.
• A disposal that does not jam, and a sink that drains; see disposal repair or replace and clogged sinks.
• Extra seating and a folding table assembled before the day; see furniture assembly.
• A guest bathroom with a toilet that does not run and a faucet that does not drip; see toilet keeps running.

Leftovers and the fridge

Big family meals mean big boxes of leftovers. If the fridge’s ice maker or water dispenser has been leaking or the line is kinked, it is worth fixing before the fridge is packed; see appliance water lines. A garage freezer on a tripped GFCI is a quiet way to lose a lot of food, so check the reset button after any power blip.

Night markets and summer evenings

Summer in the valley brings outdoor night markets and long evenings outside. A working porch light, a motion light on the side yard, and a secure gate make coming home late easier; see outdoor lighting and fence and gate repair.

New to the 626?

People moving into the valley usually arrive with a list: change the locks, hang the art, mount the TV, swap a few dated light fixtures, and fix whatever the inspection report flagged. Working through that list in the first weeks frees up weekends for exploring. See small jobs welcome and the home maintenance checklist, which also covers finding your main water shutoff and labeling the breaker panel, two things every new owner should do in the first month.

For owners of rentals and back units

Many valley lots have a back unit or an ADU, and many owners rent to family, students or newcomers. A quick turnover between tenants, with fresh caulk, working screens, tested alarms and a kitchen that is ready to cook in, makes a unit easy to rent. See repairs for landlords.

Family visits and older parents

Big family meals often bring grandparents to the house. A grab bar by the toilet, a rail at the front steps and a brighter light in the hall make visits safer and easier for everyone. See home safety for seniors. These are short jobs that fit easily into a weekday visit before the weekend gathering.

Where we work

Szeto Handyman works across the San Gabriel Valley. See the cities we serve and the city sites for Monterey Park, Alhambra, Rosemead and San Gabriel. We speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Small jobs are welcome, and estimates are free.

Getting around

Valley boulevards like Valley, Garvey, Las Tunas, Atlantic and Rosemead get busy at lunch and on weekend afternoons, and restaurant lots fill fast. The same traffic shapes repair visits. Morning appointments usually mean easier parking and a quicker start, and we text before arriving so you know when to expect us. If your street has resident-only parking or a gated lot, tell us when you book so we can plan where to park the ladder and tools.

A note on this page

We are not paid by any restaurant listed here, and the listings are not ads. Addresses come from each restaurant’s listing at the time this page was written; always check hours before you go. If a listing changes or a place closes, we update the page. If you run a local spot and want something corrected, text us.