Originally drawn for the ambience stayed for the amazing food, great customer service! Will definitely be coming back again read more

Chubby Don - Japanese Near Me - Arcadia, California

Tasty food, nice staff, a good place to try Japanese style bbq... one thing to notice is, there's only bench seats, and maybe not very kids friendly. read more

Dylan is a great server. He answered all my questions since it was my first time eating here. Checks in often to see how everything is going. This location is small and cute and also good for solo eaters. read more

Unfortunately, this was a very disappointing experience from start to finish. First, it was unbearably hot inside the restaurant. Even with two fans running, the space still felt extremely stuffy and uncomfortable. At one point, I genuinely felt like I could barely breathe and had to drink several glasses of water just to cool down. I arrived shortly after 5:00 PM, not long after they had opened, but the condiment station was already in poor condition. The containers were greasy and clearly had not been wiped down, which made them unpleasant to touch and difficult to handle. The service was also frustrating. The staff seemed inexperienced and were not able to clearly explain the menu or the food. To make matters worse, the music was so loud that it was difficult to hear anything they were saying. I called the staff over several times because I needed assistance ordering, yet I was repeatedly told that I still had to place the order through my phone. Considering I was already speaking directly with the staff, this felt unnecessarily inconvenient and unreasonable. The food itself was mediocre at best. I ordered the scallion chicken skewers, and the very first bite was overwhelmingly salty. It tasted like far too much salt had been added, which completely overpowered the flavor of the chicken. The seating arrangement was another problem. The tables and chairs were packed so closely together that the person sitting next to me and I kept bumping elbows throughout the meal. read more

1. The actual portion size was very small and did not look anything like the pictures. 2. Due to what seemed to be a system error or the server overlooking our order, our meat patties never came out. We waited for a very long time... 3. Only the bar area was open, and people were packed closely together. There were no regular tables available. The servers were nice, and I could tell they were very hot and uncomfortable wearing masks, so I still left a generous tip as usual. However, overall, the experience was extremely disappointing. read more

Fantastic meal, very memorable, will come again, price is justified for the quality of food and service.

Really enjoyed Chubby Don! Everything we ordered was so good. The lychee pork belly skewer was probably my favorite. I wasn't sure about the combination at first, but the sweet lychee actually went so well with the savory pork belly. The burger beef was also super juicy and flavorful, especially with all the different sauces and toppings. The whole experience was fun too. I loved the open kitchen and watching everything being grilled right in front of us. The staff was friendly and the vibe was casual and perfect for coming with friends. They also have pet-friendly outdoor seating, which is such a plus! Definitely bringing my pup with me next time Will be back to try more! read more

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Patties are excellent! Worth to try Yakitory there are three options we like the chicken scallions, beef tongue and short rib Yakitory read more

Chubby Don - Patties taste excellent and Yakitory options are also great to try. It's a soft opening day when I try it reservation is a bit long - Japanese Near Me - Arcadia, California

Just went to the Soft Opening and it was a nice time. The hamburger patties were so delicious and soft. The skewers are wonderful as well - the zucchini with mentaiko is a must. I prefer the hamburger patty by itself but for a more American flair, try it with the cheese! It's mellow with a touch of sharp. This is a great place to go to if you want to treat yourself after a long week at work. The ambiance is great for a beer too. The servers are very attentive and give recommendations unprompted. Overall, 10/10 - I just wish the portions are bigger. read more

*FIRST REVIEW AFTER ALL THE SPECIAL PEOPLE GOT TO EAT DAYS BEFORE PUBLIC SOFT OPENING* Got an early reservation on soft opening day. It's their first day so I understand the slowness of their service and other easy to train things (my girlfriend getting her last patty long after I finish my meal, my beer being half foam, poorly poured, one of my patties being completely raw on the inside, they fixed with no issue). The staff did well to explain the menu and overall no complaints with the staff. The patties are cooked over an open flame. They were hot and somewhat juicy. I guess I was just expecting more of a smoky, charcoal flavor which the patties were missing completely. My girlfriend ordered one of her patties with cheese. It was American cheese and a grated (Parmesan?) cheese, it looked good on camera but doesn't add much to the taste. The sauces carry the meat, as the meat comes unseasoned. The sauces were nothing to write home about, they were just meh. I suggest putting the variety of sauces in bottles, as opening each lid and placing them on your plate was cumbersome (open lid, pull container out of holder, use spoon, close lid, place back in holder), with the bar seating it felt very crowded. They already have two of the sauces in bottles, just put the rest in bottles as well. The combo set meal I ordered came with a soup. The soup was clean tasting and slightly beefy. Good compliment. The combo also came with one veggie skewer and two meat skewers. I opted for the zucchini skewer, which came grilled and had this very weird mayo sauce on it. Very weird. I also got the wagyu fingerling skewer, and chicken/ green onion skewer. Cooked well, tender and juicy however both were gamely tasting and wasn't for me. My girlfriend got the lychee pork belly skewer, and it was okay. Imagine a hot tender thinly slice of pork belly with a whole bite of lychee wrapped on the inside. Very overpowering sweetness. The rice was cooked well, my fat self ordered an extra bowl. Overall 80 dollars for two meal sets (4 total patties, 2 veggie skewer, 4 meat skewers) was a little on the high side for me especially since I wasn't WOWed by the quality of the beef patty. I hate to say it but a Costco frozen patty grilled over charcoal and placed over rice would supercede what I ate. It was a good experience to try at least once, but I don't think I will be back. read more

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Food is mediocre, not bad not good. But the management should really think about how to navigate customers with their waiting time. We were one of the first few customers ( at max 3 ppl infront of us) and yet had to wait over 30 mins after opening to be seated. read more

Absolutely delicious food! They have perfect portions and I left incredibly satified! Everyone on staff is super friendly and accommodating. Ask for Chris if he's there! He served us and was a gentleman! read more

The service was really good and fast also the ambiance is very colorful and has good music too! Food was really delicious will come back for sure. Our server Chris was very helpful and nice and as well as Liya kudos to the both of them!! read more

First time at chubby don that I passed by for years. I'm happy to see how well it turned out. I was able to get in with my friend since we're the second one to get in line on the waitlist. The food was amazing, staff is really nice, and the menu ordering online is straight forward with the prices and understanding how it works. The prices are very reasonable. Combo is around $30-35 depending how much you order. Would recommend this place and was worth the wait since pandemic era read more

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Alina is attentive and courteous I enjoyed the efficient and fast service I would recommend coming here again read more

Ordered the combo with 2 hamburger patties and 3 Kushiyaki. The hamburger patty is really juicy and I recommend it with cheese! As for the Kushiyashi, I prefer the thick cut beef tongue kashi and also the zucchini with Mentaiko kushi! The waiter and waitress are really friendly 好吃 推薦起司漢堡排和牛舌烤串跟西葫蘆串 read more

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The food was great! Great service and nice fun eating experience! There were a lot of sauce that we could try out, my favorite was the house special burger sauce and the onion sauce read more

Food & service was amazing! Organized and the QR code is easy to use. Feels like I entered into another world!

Food was great servers were so nice and helpful. It was helpful to hear the reccomendations for sauces. They served Dylan has great arms

The food was amazing and the servers are really on top of things! The beef is super soft and tender, and it's really great seeing the patties grilled in person. Overall 10/10 will come again. read more

Chubbys first hamburger concept! The Hamburg is served with rice and soup, the soup being very refreshing. The food is grilled in front of you and service is bar style. The restaurant is very Japanese bar themed with various Japanese music playing in the background. Very good for a quick eat. read more

Chubby Don - Layout - Japanese Near Me - Arcadia, California

Such a great experience at Chubby Don! I ordered the 2-burger combo with 3 skewers, and everything was SO good. The burgers were unique and packed with flavor, and the skewers were delicious too. Definitely something different from your typical burger spot! The waiters were super attentive and made sure we were taken care of throughout our meal. The place is also clean, organized, and has a really nice setup. One tip: come early! It can get busy, so getting there earlier is definitely worth it. Overall, 5 stars! I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Great food and service! The foie gras and uni are must haves! A great first impression for the soft launch. read more

Chubby Don - Japanese Near Me - Arcadia, California

I really like your wagyu skewers and hamburger steak. You were really nice and keep up the good work. I would love to come again

Great new Chubby spot with a simple menu and great staff. Food was really good. Became a member and can't wait to come back.

your waitlist is a waste!!! the staff was not being honest with the waiting time. i have too much expectation with this soft opening but i dont think the staff was educated enough how to manage their customer waiting. Staff told us to wait for 15-20 mins which we did, and after 40 mins I asked again and then she told us to wait for another hour? If we was being honest at first the we could've gone already. we left hungry!! wasted time of waiting now we have to think where to eat because most of the restaurants were closed already. i would skip this place for now. read more

Dylan was absolutely amazing! He provided outstanding service, was friendly, attentive, and made the entire experience even better. It was my group's first time and he was able to break everything down to the sauces. Definitely a memorable experience 10/10 read more

The service at Chubby Don was excellent. The staff were friendly, attentive, and genuinely seemed to care about our experience. Unfortunately, the food was much more inconsistent and still needs some improvement. The onsen egg was both cold and overcooked. It tasted as though it had been prepared well in advance and over-refrigerated, which caused the yolk to become overly firm rather than having the soft, creamy texture you would expect. The hamburger steak itself was good, but its shape seemed to prevent it from cooking evenly, leaving the center a little too rare for my preference. Thankfully, it was served on a hot plate, so I was able to finish cooking it tableside. The sauce setup was also a highlight and gave you plenty of options to mix and match different flavors. The skewers were a mixed experience. Unfortunately, the chicken skewer was noticeably undercooked. The staff immediately offered to replace it, which I appreciated, but after biting into undercooked chicken, I had pretty much lost my appetite for another one. The remaining skewers were perfectly fine. There were some definite standouts. The Wagyu pieces were good, the pepper was cooked perfectly, and the caramelized pineapple was easily one of my favorite items. I would absolutely recommend the pineapple. Overall, the experience definitely felt like a soft opening. The service and staff were excellent, and there are some genuinely good ideas in the menu, but the kitchen needs more consistency--particularly with cooking temperatures and preparation. I'm planning to give Chubby Don another try in about four months once they've had some time to work through the opening issues. There's enough potential here that I'd like to see how the restaurant develops. read more

Had a great dinner at Chubby Don. The quality of the ingredients really stood out, especially the meat. The burger was juicy, fresh, and you could really taste the quality of the beef. My favorite of the night was definitely the beef tongue--tender, flavorful, and really well prepared. The oysters were also very fresh and a great way to start the meal. Overall, really enjoyed the food and the quality of the ingredients. Definitely a place I'd come back to. read more

Finally tried Chubby Don at the Santa Anita mall in Arcadia and it honestly lived up to the hype! It's counter seating right around the grill, so you watch them cook everything in front of you. Smells amazing the second you walk in. Here's what we got: Wagyu Hamburg Don: You get two beef patties grilled over charcoal served over hot rice with a raw egg yolk on top. The meat is super juicy with that perfect smoky flavor, and mixing the egg into the warm rice makes it so good. Skewers: The beef skewer was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the grilled zucchini with mentaiko sauce was surprisingly one of my favorite bites. The staff was really friendly and explained how everything worked since it was our first time. Tip: It's pretty small inside since it's mostly counter seats. Walk-in officially starts on 08/19. read more

The food at this restaurant is absolutely amazing. The patty is so juicy, and it pairs perfectly with their special burger sauce. read more

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great hamburger kinda of a slider really. Flavorful and juicy the cheese makes it happen

Good food, good portions! Bought the patty set. Dylan was a fantastic server! Good vibes.

Food was so delicious you can really tell the quality of the food was really fresh and there's a wide selection to choose from on their menu, service especially server Tracey was really nice, she really took good care of my gf and I and had quality knowledge of the menu, can't wait to go back with her!! read more

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We registered and waited, and the waiter said that people with more people should be seated first, without any order. That was outrageous.

The food is great. Evin is attentive and polite, great service! Will definitely comeback with the family!

Food was delicious, and I love the variety of sauce choices. Highly recommend to add the cheese snow! Definitely coming back again!! read more

Chubby Don - Beef tongue skewers and Wagyu hamburger steak with cheese snow - Japanese Near Me - Arcadia, California

went during the first week it opened. hard to get a reservation but we managed to. the service is great and the food was delicious read more

Chubby Don - seating - Japanese Near Me - Arcadia, California

Wagyu hamburg was super juicy. Line was a little long but worth the wait staff was very attentive and helpful. Loved the bar type of seatings as well! read more

Chubby Don - Japanese Near Me - Arcadia, California

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Great service! Hamburgers and A5 bomb. Recommend getting the shitake kushi. Must try lychee sparkling water