Esther Tseng is a Los Angeles based freelance writer.

Esther Tseng photo/illustration

Esther Tseng (she/her) is a Los Angeles-based food, drinks and culture writer. She is a judge for the James Beard Foundation and Academy Chair for the USA West region of The World’s 50 Best Bars. Publications she has contributed to include The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Eater, Civil Eats, Saveur, SELF, LAist, Resy, VICE, Time Out and more. Esther is available for reported features, op-eds and more.

She is represented by Darlene Chan at Linda Chester Literary Agency.

Get in touch: esthert＠gmail.com

Recent

LA Times
The closure of Historic Filipinotown’s Genever leaves a void in L.A.'s bar scene
Netflix
Pressure Cooker - Yelp Doesn't Count (Ep 7)
Eat Drink Sleep Repeat
Food, drinks, & culture writer Esther Tseng on loving LA, bike-packing, a mezcal industry crisis and more
Resy
An Ultimate Guide to L.A. Thai Food (With Help From the Sisters at Tuk Tuk Thai)
Plate Magazine
The Chefs at L.A.'s Horses Found Big Success with a Low-Cost Build-Out
Joysauce
Where To Eat In LA's Little Bangladesh
Bon Appétit
The Challenges That Keep Asian Chefs From Cooking How They Want
LA Times
7 arcade bars to level up your night in L.A. (and relive your childhood)
Food & Wine
How Chef Alfonso "Poncho" Martinez Combines Food and Activism to Increase Awareness of L.A.'s Indigenous Communities
Resy
The New Kato is Proof: Taiwanese American Fine Dining Has Arrived
NYT T Magazine
In the Foothills of Los Angeles, a Celebration of Renewal
Harper Collins
Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now
2
Plate Magazine
How These Restaurateurs Are Making Mental Health a Priority
LA Times
Stop calling it ‘smoky’: Everything you need to know to be a better mezcal drinker
LA Times
Helping Indigenous Restaurant Workers in the Languages They Speak
Modern Farmer
Learning to Grieve and Grow In My Community Garden
Hear In LA
Hear In LA Podcast
Resy
Carlos Salgado Sees the Future For Taco Maria, And It Will Be More Focused
Bustle
The Suburbs Can Be Radical. One L.A. Neighborhood’s Restaurants Prove It.
Resy
David Kuo Brought the Westside the Taiwanese Soul Food It Needed
Bon Appétit
Heads of the Table: The Trailblazing, Community-Building, Future-Making Leaders Changing the Restaurant Industry
Bon Appétit
Take a Tour of Sesame LA, the Homey Superette in L.A.’s Chinatown
Politically Asian
Lucky Lee's, Congee Karen, What's Next? feat. Esther Tseng
Civil Eats
Chef Francesca Hong Is Proving that Food Is Political
3
Resy
The Oaxacan Traditions of Guelaguetza, As Seen Through Five Dishes
KCET
Thip Soulisak's Family Legacy Lives On Through His Lao Food Pop-Up
Catapult
The Silence of My White Friends After Atlanta
Plate Magazine
How Stanford University Became Teaching Model for Gender Equity
Resy
Jon Yao’s Taiwan-Inspired Cooking at Kato, As Seen Through Five Dishes
KCRW
Representation, the value of labor, and activism in the AAPI community
SELF
Eat Well: 16 People Redefining Healthy Eating
Resy
At Anajak Thai, a New and Californian Vision of What It Means to Be a Thai Restaurant
Resy
Uyghurs in America Want To Share Food and Culture. For Them, It's a Matter of Survival.
LAist
How Are Restaurant Workers Doing As 2020 Ends?
Los Angeles Magazine
Woman-Owned Businesses Are Making ROW DTLA a Destination—Even During a Pandemic
Plate Magazine
Chefs to Watch 2020: Bill Jeong and Chung Jeong, Paju, Seattle
4
Oregon Tilth
Four Entrepreneurs Changing the Way People See Oreganics
Bon Appétit
The Restaurant Industry Needs Indigenous Farmworkers. Yet Their Fate Hangs in the Balance
This Might Help
This Might Help with Matt Braunger: Esther Tseng will give you a taste of Helping!
Salon
How Brooklyn Avenue Pizza Company is fighting gentrification while honoring Boyle Height's past
Resy
A Breakfast That Provides a Taste of the Familiar
Resy
The Resy Guide to L.A.’s Chinese Restaurants, By Those Who Love Them Best
Food52
The LA Restaurant Helmed By Home Cooks From Around the World
Shondaland
Food Justice Impacts Who Eats and Who Thrives
Shondaland
Toxic Kitchen Culture: Reform Is Sorely Needed in 2020
Shondaland
How Our Food System Impacts the Environment
We Like LA
Now is the Time for Asian Americans to Re-examine Race, Justice, and Empathy
Civil Eats
Undocumented Restaurant Workers Have Held the Industry Together. Now They Stand to Lose the Most.
5
Shondaland
Bars, Breweries, and Wineries Are Getting Creative to Survive the Pandemic
Cultural Weekly
Moving East
Shondaland
The Chefs Giving Back During COVID-19
Los Angeles Magazine
Their Cups Runneth Over: Coffee Shops With Dinner Menus
LAist
How LA's Restaurant Industry Is Trying To Save Itself — And What You Can Do To Help
Food52
Is This the Next Big Sustainable Spirit?
Lunch Therapy
Lunch Therapy Podcast: Esther Tseng's Refrigerated Pizza from Von’s Reheated in a Toaster at Work
Shondaland
The Unexpected Wine Trends for 2020
Resy
At Dialogue, Dave Beran keeps pushing the conversation in new ways
The Spruce Eats
Brick Toast Is the Next Big Dessert You Need to Know
LA Times
Q&A: Love oysters? Here’s how to truly understand and appreciate these delicious bivalves
Eater LA
14 Comforting Rice Porridges to Savor in Los Angeles
6
Los Angeleno
One of LA’s Best Restaurants Shares Their Culinary Secrets on Film
LAist
A Tlayuda Pop-Up Speaks The Language of South LA's Indigenous Community
KPCC
Imported Goods And Homeland Vibes: Your Favorite Ethnic Markets In Los Angeles
Los Angeleno
Angeleno Wine Company is Bringing Back LA's Winemaking Legacy
KPCC
‘Letters To Our City’ – Presented By Unheard LA
Los Angeleno
Taiwanese Brick Toast: The Instagram-Worthy Dessert That’s Meant to be Shared
Spotify
Where Ya From Podcast - Guest Spot
Los Angeleno
The Good Luck Bar Closes: A Eulogy to Nights Spent
Eater NY
How Lucky Lee’s Could Have Gotten an 'American Chinese' Restaurant Right
LAist
17 Women Who Are Changing The Way LA Drinks
VICE
This Los Angeles Food Truck Isn't Afraid to Call Itself 'Woke'
Food & Wine
With LA Opening, Tartine Positions Itself for World Domination
7
Food & Wine
Shark Tank-Funded Vegan Sushi Will Take Over the World—and LA Is Next
Food & Wine
The 3 Keys to Curing Fish for the Ultimate Holiday Spread
Food & Wine
Ayala to Reinvigorate SF's Union Square with Fresh Seafood Takes
Eater
Cheese Tea Could Be the New Bubble Tea — If Americans Get Over the Name
LAist
Where to Eat Fried Chicken in Los Angeles Right Now
LAist
Where You Should Eat Filipino Food In Los Angeles Right Now
Tasting Table
At LA's Tesse, Charcuterie Is King, but the Wine Steals the Show
VICE
How Drag Queen Bingo Turned a Hamburger Joint Into a Legend
CNN: Explore Parts Unknown
Ararat, The Spirit of Armenia
Outside
Snowboarder Chloe Kim Is a Triumph for Asian-Americans
LA Times
This new distillery is making gin, beer, brandy and whiskey in Mammoth Lakes
LA Weekly
LA's Neighborhood Wine Bars Are Evolving
8
Time Out LA
Best Dim Sum Restaurants in LA
LA Weekly
LA's Goddess of Mole Is Turning Her Attention to Tacos
VICE
This Museum Exhibit Depicts the History of Latinx Farmworkers
Thrillist
Best Things to Do in Hollywood Without Looking Like a Tourist
LA Times
How and where to attend cannabis-infused dinners (and a cooking class) in Los Angeles
Thrillist
The Best Ski Mountains Within Driving Distance From LA, Ranked
PBS
THE MIND OF A CHEF | Season 5 Episode 11 Preview: LudoBites | PBS
LA Times
How to have a fancy dinner party in Wolfgang Puck’s test kitchen
Discover Los Angeles
Get Fired Up for LA's Best Hot Chicken
GOOD
Ballroom Dancing On Wheels
LA Times
Where to find a chicken Parmesan sausage and more unique links around town
LA Times
Going full matcha: Where to find matcha-infused doughnuts, tiramisu and cocktails
9
LA Times
This West Hollywood restaurant is making cannabis cocktails
Time Out LA
The Nine Best Pastrami Sandwiches in LA
Eater LA
The Fried Pork Chop at Old Country Cafe Taught Me to Embrace My Taiwanese Heritage
Eater
How ABC’s ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ Tells a Familiar First-Generation Story