Restaurant: Blue Magpie
Location: 41 W Huntington Drive, Arcadia, CA
Date: August 9, 2025
Cuisine: Taiwanese Fine Dining
Rating: Nice Modern Taiwanese!
Blue Magpie has been on my radar ever since it opened in Arcadia, bringing serious Taiwanese fine dining to the San Gabriel Valley. This isn’t your typical Taiwanese restaurant – it’s an ambitious, modern take on the cuisine with refined techniques and creative presentations that wouldn’t be out of place at higher-end establishments in the LA dining scene.
Located at 41 W Huntington Drive in Arcadia, Blue Magpie occupies a sleek, modern space that immediately signals its upscale aspirations. The restaurant focuses on Taiwanese fine dining, which is still a relatively rare category in the area – most Taiwanese spots lean casual or family-style, but Blue Magpie is going for something more refined.
The exterior is modern and inviting, with clean lines and large windows.
The main dining room.
The private room.
Crispy wontons. A light, delicate start to the meal.
PORK JOWL. 豬芭芥. guava relish, cabbage. Really interesting combination – the guava brought a tropical sweetness that balanced the rich pork perfectly.
BEEF TARTARE 生牛肉塔. orange soy, passion fruit, rice crisp, shallot. Bold flavors here – the citrus really popped against the rich beef.
SAUSAGE. 錢櫃香腸. truffle, cabbage, scallion. The truffle was nicely integrated without overwhelming the dish.
HOLLANDAISE TOFU. 豆腐皮蛋. preserved egg hollandaise, pork floss. This was pretty creative – bringing French technique to Taiwanese ingredients. Quite good.
CENTURY EGG. 鍋巴皮蛋. preserved egg, garlic, rice crisp, peppers. The rice crisp added great textural contrast to the creamy egg.
CRISPY RED SNAPPER. 立麟魚菲力. typhoon style garlic and pepper, scallion, cilantro oil. One of the standout dishes – the fish skin was perfectly crispy and the “typhoon style” preparation delivered on its promise with serious aromatics and heat.
KUNG PAO SCALLOPS. 宮保干貝. peppercorn, onions, cashew. Beautifully plated and the scallops were perfectly seared with that nice caramelization.
SEARED FILET MIGNON. 蔥鹽爆炒骰子牛. onion and scallion relish, quinoa. Nice beef, cooked to a perfect medium-rare.
SAN BEI DUCK. 三杯鴨胸. cherry tomatoes, basil. Classic Taiwanese preparation done well – the three-cup sauce was rich and aromatic.
FERMENTED RICE SHORT RIBS. 紅糟牛小排. peppers, shaoxing wine, lemon. The fermented rice added a unique funky complexity to the tender short ribs.
LOBSTER SPAGHETTI. 龍蝦擔擔麵. sesame béchamel, chili oil. This was absolutely killer – probably my dish of the night. The lobster was sweet and perfectly cooked, and the sesame béchamel with chili oil was this incredible fusion that shouldn’t work but totally does. Like a Taiwanese take on pasta that’s somehow better than most Italian versions.
WHARF FRIED RICE. 海鮮炒飯. flying fish roe, scallop, squid, scallions, egg. Beautiful presentation with the jewel-like tobiko on top. The rice itself had great wok hei and was loaded with quality seafood.
CABBAGE STIR FRY. 櫻花蝦高麗菜. garlic, pancetta, sakura shrimp, abalone. Don’t sleep on the vegetables – this simple stir fry had incredible depth from the dried shrimp and pancetta.
Sweet jelly.
Blue Magpie is doing something special in Arcadia. This isn’t just good Taiwanese food – it’s Taiwanese food elevated to fine dining levels while keeping the soul of the cuisine intact. The cooking shows real technical skill, from perfectly crisped fish skin to properly executed sauces, but more importantly there’s a coherent vision here. The chef understands how to balance traditional flavors with modern techniques and presentations without losing authenticity.
The standouts were definitely the lobster spaghetti (seriously, go for that) and the crispy red snapper, but honestly there wasn’t a weak dish in the lineup. Everything showed careful attention to ingredients, technique, and flavor balance. The space is lovely – modern and refined without being stuffy – and service was attentive.
For SGV dining, this sits in a unique sweet spot: more refined than the casual Taiwanese spots but more approachable than some of the ultra-high-end Chinese fine dining places. It’s the kind of place that works for both a special occasion and a really good regular meal if you’re in the area.
Definitely one to watch – and to return to soon.
