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A Taiwanese restaurant in California recently pulled one of its signature dishes after complaints about odor.
Golden Leaf, a restaurant in San Gabriel in Los Angeles County, has taken stinky tofu off its menu, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The establishment received violation notices and citations tied to the smell of the fermented dish, which is usually soaked in a brine of fermented milk, vegetables, herbs and spices.
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The publication compared the scent of stinky tofu to “gym socks soaked in pickle brine left out in the sun for a week or two.”
Restaurant owner David Liao told the outlet the scent of stinky tofu in Taiwanese night markets “is an invitation to community and tradition.”
Golden Leaf restaurant in San Gabriel, California, removed its signature stinky tofu dish after odor complaints from a nearby resident prompted city citations and enforcement action. (Google Maps)
“[It] is a cherished taste of home and a source of cultural pride,” he said.
The first smell complaint came in the fall of 2017, when a neighbor began calling the city, the LA Times said.
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“She said she could smell the stinky tofu, but we and other customers couldn’t smell it,” Liao said.
“If our commercial neighbors complained to us that it’s affecting their business, then we would understand,” he added. “But no one ever has.”
The owner said the dish represents cultural pride and tradition, even as complaints about its strong odor led to its removal from the restaurant’s offerings. (iStock)
Liao, who took over the restaurant from his parents, decided to bring the dish back in 2025 — but the neighbor started calling again.
“Keeping this unofficial national dish alive is crucial,” Liao emphasized. “For our customers, this isn’t just another menu item. It’s a connection to their roots.”
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One of the code violations referenced an “obnoxious or adverse odor that can be detected beyond the boundary of the lot occupied by that use,” per the LA Times.
Liao estimated that the stinky tofu represented 10% to 20% of the restaurant’s total revenue — making the decision to take it off the menu difficult.
“Keeping this unofficial national dish alive is crucial,” the restaurant owner said of the fermented dish. (iStock)
The restaurant looked into installing a new filtration system, but the cost — upwards of $100,000 — was prohibitive, Liao said.
San Gabriel City Council Member John Wu told the Times that he met Liao and has spoken with him about the violation notices.
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“We don’t stop people from selling dishes because they are smelly, but they should keep the smells inside the unit,” he said.
Wu admitted that it’s “subjective” and that “people feel differently about different smells.”
He added, however, that “we have many restaurants selling stinky tofu, but this is so far the only restaurant where we have those complaints from residents.”
“We hope the money he spends on a filtration machine will be worth it for him.”
Wu added that he hopes Liao “can start selling the dish again. … We hope the money he spends on a filtration machine will be worth it for him, but we can only offer that this might be a good solution and hope he gets a good result.”
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Wu did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Digital.
Liao told Digital he was “grateful” the story was being told, adding, “We know we’re not alone.”
Often fermented in a brine of milk, vegetables and spices, stinky tofu is prized for its bold flavor despite its strong smell. (iStock)
“No small business should have to fight this hard to cook their own culture’s food, and we hope this opens up a larger, constructive conversation about how we protect and celebrate that,” Liao said.
“Dishes like stinky tofu have been at the heart of Taiwanese culture for centuries, and they deserve a place at the table.”
The smell of stinky tofu “reminds me of an old gym sock,” said Adam Yee, a North Carolina-based food scientist.
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Yee, a California native, told Digital that, like blue cheese and kimchi, “people love its strong flavor and pungentness.”
He also said, “Stinky tofu is for the adventurous eater. If you like tofu, it’s worth a try, as I think it shows a really unique way of processing tofu.”
