May 2023 - First of all, I pass by this place all the time and have never heard of it! It's super lowkey. Food/Pricing - Chicken Cutlet Curry Rice (mild spicy) - Wasn't spicy at all! Still yummy though! Perfect comfort food. Service/Ambiance - Quick, friendly, and prompt service. The restaurant has (you guessed it) rubber ducks everywhere and has a comfortable home vibe. Parking - Decent sized parking lot. Other business share the lot with them. read more

Ducks - Chicken Cutlet Curry Rice (mild spicy) - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

Our favorite go to restaurant for Japanese comfort food. The place decorated with ducks everywhere just like the restaurant name 'Ducks'. We always get the Katsudon, it was big portion and very comforting. But this visit, we also get the Chicken Karage, Gyoza and Curry Tonkotsu Ramen. They used the same batter for chicken karage and gyoza. It was crispy and huge. Gyoza was decent. I prefer the karage. Curry Tonkotsu Ramen was okay. Came with 4 pieces of slice chashu and bokchoy. Broth was very flavorful and huge portion. Service was quick. read more

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If you're into curry then you'll want to come to this comfort Japanese restaurant and order yourself some curry and or a soba dish. In my opinion the batter is too thick but overall it's pretty good. I like the curry enough that I'll overlook the overly battery batter. I got the chicken katsu curry plate. The service was nice and quick so we didn't wait long during lunch time. The place is small though but enough for about 20 people. They have their own parking in this small strip mall. They've been around for many many years read more

Had the cold soba with Katsudon, was delish! Came here after spending 6 hours at the rose bowl flea market, so we needed some cold, refreshing soba. Super quick service even though it was crowded. Interior isn't fancy, but otherwise fine. Would definitely come back! read more

Ducks - Cold Soba Mini Katsudon - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

Quick Summary Finally got a chance to try this long-standing Katsu spot and it was pretty good. Solid Japanese food that is made-to-order. Food- 5 stars Katsudon- this was pretty good. Everything about it was fantastic: the rice, the sauce, and the pork cats. Very solid dish Tempura- pretty good but standard Beef curry and soba noodle lunch special- curry was quite good. Pretty standard as well. It's just well-done home Japanese cooking Service- 5 stars Fast casual spot, but the staff was very attentive. Ambiance- 4 stars Casual spot with a lot of room in between tables. The ventilation could be a bit better though (Some oil fumes on my jacket when leaving) Bottom Line Excellent Katsu spot for a quick meal or delivery read more

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They have really good lunch deal sets here! This place has been around for a super long time and the food is always good here.

No AC today! Only hot fan I would not recommend to come during a hot day. Came here for lunch. Ordered the cold ramen and cold soba. Price around $22-24. More pricy than other Japanese restaurant read more

Ducks - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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I always come here for their soba noodles and they are always so good and tasty. There is also a set where you can get the cold soba noodles with a mini curry bowl as a deal for lunch. They don't ever disappoint. It's always clean and customer service is great. Parking is small, but there is always plenty. If you can't find parking at the parking lot, there is street parking. read more

Ducks - Cold Soba and Mini Curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

Prepare for a wait if you're coming during peak dining times, but it moves pretty quickly. They're very efficient. Mochi udon - I loved the broth flavor. It's been awhile since I've had such flavorful broth. The mochi was a unique touch that I haven't seen anywhere. i liked the slight crispiness of it being fried while being gooey in the middle. Chicken katsu Curry - fantastic! It's been awhile since I've been wow'ed by katsu curry. chicken was juicy, a very crispy exterior. Wonderful curry. Service: Very fast and efficient read more

Little auspicious restaurant but the food is superb. The chicken karage is the perfect blend of crunchy salty and a little spice. The curry is also wonderful if you are in the mood for curry. Service is quick and the food is always great. read more

Ducks - Karaage Chicken - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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Wow! I came in on a Saturday for lunch with a friend and was absolutely blown away by the flavors. I ordered the oyako don and my friend ordered the chicken katsu. The oyako don was genuinely some of the best Japanese food I've ever tried. The sweet shoyu complimented the crispy and perfectly salted chicken bits. The bed of rice it was on was so fluffy. I'm hungry just thinking about it. I tried a bit of my friend's chicken katsu and ended up really enjoying it. Crunchy exterior and flavorful sauce, it hit all the marks of a chicken katsu. The interior decor was adorable! There is a wall of ducks that we were seated next to. Very colorful addition. In addition, there is a manga library with a wall of cat pictures. Again, very cute, very eclectic collection of animals. I think it would be worth going to this restaurant just to check out the decorations. Overall, I will definitely be heading back to try their other dishes. Their oyako don is definitely worth trying. If you are visiting on the weekend, I would suggest you make a reservation as the waits can get kind of long. read more

Ducks - Oyako Don Katsu Don - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

The ambience is less than casual. Like you'd fit right in if you want to pop in after walking your pups, or after the gym. It's def no frills with green walls and have a hole in the wall feel. It is in a strip mall. Service is great. The waiters are highschool students who aim to please and do their jobs promptly. My waiter was super prompt in refilling my water, and I drink like 2 liters during my dinner- so he prolly came like 5 times. And everytime, he asks "how's everything? Can I get you anything else?" And after my food came he asks, "did you like it?" Now the food. I ordered katsu and it's not good. It was flat, bready, tough and dry. The rice was good and fluffy, and the curry was fine. It's... ok. Like I finished it. My friend ordered udon. I don't get udon in general, but it looked good. There was mochi in it and it was intriguingly gooey which piqued my interest but not enough to try it. I think I'd come back if someone insists they want to eat it. Like they've heard of it, and is like "I really heard their curry is good." Ok I can go. But I dunno, I feel like their katsu is slightly not as good as chain fast food joints.. for $16.95. So.. it's not a good value. read more

Ducks - Udon - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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Amazing soba noodle lunch special!!! Staff is kind and hospitable! Great miso soup and super delicious cabbage salad!!

Truly a hidden gem, Ducks is a local favorite for home-cooked Japanese food. The setting is cozy, with a small manga library and modest decor, and the food is clean and generous. Come here for a steal-- great quality, quick service, and (relatively) healthy comfort food at a more-than-reasonable price point. Tried their lunch special with soba and beef curry, the shrimp tempura mix, and the tonkatsu don. I think their lunch special is enough to feed two people! My favorite was the tempura, which is incredibly light, fresh, and well-cooked (no undercooked squash here). The soba was quite good too-- very light, and with no MSG. The curry and don were tender with fresh ingredients, although could be considered more homey (light in flavor) in taste. Ducks deserves all the praise for the lovely quality of food they serve for the price. It's the sort of small business that's rare to find these days. read more

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Definitely get the karaage. There were so many good looking things on the menu but I went for a katsu curry rice. It was good the curry comes on the side. I would come back to try their cold noodle dinner combos. Very busy place but I don't think the wait was too bad...maybe 20/25 min. Service was great. read more

How have I lived in SGV for all these years but have never been to Ducks?? True to its name, there are a ton of rubber duckies in a variety is sized all over the restaurant, it's rather cute. The soba noodle was solid, the curry was good but not as refreshing as their soba. They do get rather busy, so wait for your food is a tad longer than expected; so I wouldn't come here if you're in a rush! I also love that it's a family run business. There's a medium sized parking lot right outside. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area! read more

It surely a hidden gem on Las Tunas... And can't believe I haven't visit once in the last 25 years... Well today, in a casual occasion, first time... It's not a total disappointment... The cold soba and the curry are very good, one of the best in town, however the cutlet is a bit too thick and powdery, tempura too... Service is good, only 2 people running the show, a bit overwhelmed... Ambiance is a bit old ... Well I think the place have not had a remodeling in years... I think it is how to keep itself low key read more

Ducks - Cold Soba Shrimp and Veggie Tempura - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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I ordered the pork cutlet curry rice and was pleasantly impressed. I chose spicy and surprisingly it was the perfect amount of kick. The outside of the cutlet was also so crispy and paired so well with the steamy rice. I just wish they gave more of the little red radish because it really helped elevate the flavor. I also enjoyed the small cabbage salad, it was a very nice pairing. The service was pretty okay. I went during lunchtime with my friend so it was pretty busy but the lady let us in early since it was just the two of us. I would say the ambiance is very cute and hom-ey. I really don't enjoyed the rubber duckies on the window and the manga book shelf. Overall, the vibe felt like a home cooked meal. read more

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Ducks is truly a hole in the wall gem in the 626 and looks so unassuming on the outside, but the food is DELICIOUS. I'm surprised I haven't heard about it more considering how good it is! I came here with my friends for dinner and I ordered the chicken cutlet curry rice and my friends ordered the karaage bowl and the katsu don. My dish was so good, I was honestly blown away! The chicken was fried to the perfect crispness without being overly oily and the curry sauce was delicious as well! My only complaint is that I asked for my curry sauce to be spicy, however, I didn't taste any spice at all but I still enjoyed my food a lot despite this. My friends also sang their praises about their dishes and said that they were super tasty. Alongside this, we were also surprised by how large the portions were! One of my friends and I finished our dishes but were stuffed and my other friend took half her dish to go to have later. The restaurant is located in a small plaza with ample parking which is really convenient. It is a smaller restaurant but it's cute because the restaurant is decorated with different rubber ducks (hence the name of the restaurant). Service here is really good as well; our waiter was super friendly and attentive. I definitely recommend checking this place out and will be coming back in the future! read more

Ducks - Chicken Curry Rice - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

The mochi udon is good. Can even ask for an extra mochi at extra charge. Service is good. Katsu curry is good. Would recommend the mild curry if you can't stand spicy. Curry spaghetti was also favored. read more

I came here for lunch and ordered the chicken cutlet curry rice. It was good, but portion was a bit small and service kind of slow. read more

Ducks - Chicken Cutlet Curry Rice - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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Writing this review a few months later and I'm still thinking about the soba lunch special. I'm also wondering if that Escape room is owned by the same owner haha. My friends have frequented Ducks' for to-go on several occassions and we usually get their katsudon (saucy chicken katsu egg rice bowls) or katsu and curry! Hits the spot for delicious Japanese food. However, we finally wanted to dine in while we had some free time during lunch. This place gets filled pretty quickly during lunch and it seems like they have a lot of regulars! Nice homely sort of vibe and it was very comfortable! I sat near the table with the newspaper articles and toy ducks! Since it was a super hot day, I wanted to try their soba set that came with assorted tempura veggies and tempura shrimp. You start off with a sesame dressing salad and then your main meal. I just have to say the soba was AMAZING. Love the bouncy chewy texture, the cold broth with the green onions and wasabi, wow. And then the tempura with the tempura sauce was just perfect. I liked alternating between dipping the tempura in the soba broth or tempura sauce but I think I liked the soba broth more! Also the tempura was light, crispy, and cooked simply but perfectly! There was an array of veggies but I think one of the bundles of veggies was tempura parsley? IT WAS SO GOOD, I was shocked. I love most veggies but this was amazing. I think I also had a piece of tempura fish too which was fall apart good. My partner got the curry and katsu - again fail-proof order! Super delicious curry, definitely made with a lot of love. But if you can get the soba set, I would recommend it! read more

Whenever I come to Ducks, I HAVE to get their oyako don! The chicken is very juicy, and tender. The soft/scrambled egg is made where it's still a bit runny. Not only is their oyako don amazing, but their curry is to die for. The curry is simple, but very flavorful. You are always provided a generous amount of food where you'll be leaving full and satisfied. They also offer wonderful lunch combo special. When you walk into Ducks, you're quickly greeted by the rubber duckies placed along the window ledges and duck decor all around the restaurant. The staff is always so welcoming and helpful! This spot gives off a "hole in the wall"/"mom and pop shop" vibe which I love because you know that the food is going to be delicious! read more

Ducks - Oyakodon - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

This place is adorable and delicious! We got there right when they opened. When we left, so many people were starting to come in. I don't even know where I saw a post or ad or what, but I'm glad I found it! I knew we had to try to curry of sorts. Ended up with the pork cutlet w curry rice. Then the beef don. The winner dish for me was the beef! I just love how the rice soaked up all the juice! There's so many dishes to choose, I'd have to go back! I've never had soba, so I think that's the next one! read more

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We've had this place bookmarked for a while now and finally made it out! It's a cute tiny joint with maybe 10 tables for 2-4 ppl. Not meant for large parties. Everything we ordered was surprisingly delicious! Karage - it's a lot of batter, but the batter was so lite and crispy I didn't mind it. The Mayo dipping sauce was what really did it in!! Mild spicy mayo with hint of lemon. So nice! Pork cutlet rice - this is the closest we've come to curry house style. We asked for curry HOT. It was barely mild. Literally just a hint of spice. But the flavors were delicious! The pork cutlet was impressive meaty and juicy! And having the side of fukujinzuke is "chef's kiss" Udon - broth is dashi base, very lite and soothing. A nice surprise at the bottom of the bowl when I started getting hints of something herbaceous... Turns out, they add lemon zest!! So neat!!! Katsudon mini bowl - was plentiful and packed full of flavor!!! Probably one of the best I've had! Ribeye - who goes to a Japanese restaurant to get steak? My sister did lol. She was craving it. Enough said. Service was good. Couple of the servers seemed new and unsure of what they were doing? But overall service was good. Ambience is Japanese quirky! I love it!!! Thoroughly enjoyed admiring the decor, tiny rubber duckies, cat photos on the walls, manga shelf, baseball memorabilia etc!! What a cute place!!! Definitely would recommend if you need a curry fix or just some noods! read more

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This restaurant is very homey, casual and unique. They have little duck decorations everywhere, duck themed merchandise, and racks of old manga in the back. Very mom and pop feel. The food was tasty. The sets come with a cabbage salad and miso soup. My soba was cooked perfectly and the tempura was very crisp. They have some uncommon ingredients for the tempura like sprouts, carrot, and squid, but it was all very tasty. The place was pretty packed but the staff were attentive and our food came out real fast. There's plenty of parking for the restaurant as well. read more

Ducks - Grilled Eel set - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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I've been coming to Ducks throughout the years and my last visit was on Sun, 3/13 at noon. The restaurant isn't too big and can potentially get pretty busy throughout the lunch rushes. I've come with big and small parties and they have always been accommodating to us (ie. moving tables around, etc.). There are around 10 (or so) tables so there may be a wait depending on when you come. This time we ordered: -- Beef Don ($13.95 as of March 2022) This dish includes tender shredded beef cooked with eggs and sweet soy sauce over rice. The rice isn't too soggy if you eat it right away. The sweet soy sauce is a little too sweet in my opinion but still enjoyable. -- Cold Soba + Mini Chicken Curry ($11.50 as of March 2022) Yummy. I craved cold soba from time to time and I'm able to get my soba fix when I come here. They don't really give you too big of a portion but this + mini chicken curry does fill me up. The soba + sauce is so refreshing on a hot, summer day. The mini chicken tastes standard. However, the meat is tender and it's a nice balance of a hot + cold meal. We have also previously ordered the Katsu Don ($13.95) and Oyako Don ($13.95) and they have all been so tasty as well. In case you are interested, here is a link to their online ordering: https://www.toasttab.com/ducks-restaurant/v3 Please note that they are not opened the whole day. They open Weds-Sunday from 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM and reopen for dinner at 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM. All in all, I'll continue to stop by Ducks. Sure, the prices have gone up throughout the years but that's to be expected. Something about the food just satisfies my love of soba, dons, and udon! read more

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Ducks has been a staple hole in the wall with great good and great service Katsudon - I really like their katsudon here. Good amount of flavor in the sauce that it's cooked in and the cut of katsu is thick juicy pork. The only wish would be for more of the sauce to be added onto the rice but that's just me. Curry katsu - got mild curry this time, and the katsu curry was good! Love supporting local authentic family owned businesses and will definitely be back soon! read more

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I got the udon and katsu don combo. The udon is clearly on another level compared to other restaurants. I'm coming back for it alone. Katsu don was also good! Service is friendly and clean. Definitely a great experience. read more

Ordered the Ebi Tempura, Combo Yaki udon and fried gyoza. Possibly the worst so-called Japanese food I have ever had in my entire life. Shrimp was non-existent and consisted of 95% tempura batter. Yakisoba udon tasted non-Japanese and was oily and tasteless. Fried gyoza looked like someone threw it into a fryer full of old oil and had no resemblance to gyoza whatsoever but fried batter. Total waste of my $$$ over $50 spent and basically threw away the entire meal as unpalatable. This to go order tasted like it was cooked by a non-professional with little if no experience in the kitchen. Shockingly bad. I hardly post but this meal was too much for me to stay silent and keep to myself. A definite no go ever again for me. read more

Was super excited to try this place out but it the end it was just okay. My friend and I stopped by for lunch right at opening and when we walked it we were seated quickly. We noticed the AC wasnt on and it was pretty hot that day, almost 90 degrees by 12pm so we decided not to get anything soupy related. My friend got the cold soba noodles and I got the katsu curry. The food arrived in about 15minutes. I thought my plate looked a little plain. Just a whole bed of white rice and circular pieces of katsu. I poured some sauce on my rice in the picture. At first bite I thought the breading of the katsu was hard. It was hard and crunchy and it definitely hardened or was over fried because it was separated from the meat which was super disappointing. Since the breading separated I was able to just eat the meat by it self but was missing the the airy and fresh katsu breading it was supposed to have. The pieces were sized okay, it could be alot better like thick cut katsu slices like I am used to. It was very mediocre nothing special at all. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing? My friend who ordered the cold soba noodles said it was just okay as well. We decided we wouldnt be back for awhile. Service was okay and quick. Plenty of parking during opening. Next time we might come back to try something else but for now, it was nothing memorable! read more

Ducks - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

Yummy curry and wonderful little mom and pops Japanese restaurant! I love the soba too. The ducks theme is just so cute... it's a 30 year old treasure of the community. read more

Want to say thank you to this business who went above and beyond no other restaurant would do. We made a delivery order and we're missing a part of the meal. The quality of the meal was not like other days... clearly they were understaffed or something that day. We were taking care of an older family member who recently had surgery and also had a car in the shop so we were not mobile. Don't want to explain in detail because if I was a business owner I would not have gone to such lengths to help a single customer but thank you to everyone that made it so they were well fed with your good food. Definitely ended up with more than needed. God bless. Review update: a local staple in the area that satisfies your Japanese curry, udon, soba needs. It's Japanese home food that's prepared in clumsy to go containers but with incredible service. :) tip: request your broth to be on the side for carry outs. read more

Local hole in a wall restaurant that serves soba, udon, curry, and donburi! Its in a small plaza with plenty of parking, so parking is never an issue! It's a solid place. Their curry can be mild to spicy, and very thick. The fried chicken uses a different kind of batter than is typical in Japanese restaurants, I wish it were crispier! Good comfort food nearby at a small family restaurant, will come by again when I'm craving curry, katsu, or oyako don! read more

Ducks is a local Japanese comfort food restaurant in San Gabriel. It's a small place, with only 10 small tables at most. The restaurant is decorated with a ton of rubber duckies and duck stuffed animals, hence the restaurant name. We came for lunch and tried the following dishes: - Katsu don: large portion size, katsu was tender, nicely costed with egg and katsu sauce. This was probably my favorite item. - Karaage chicken: the batter was a bit thick. Not what I'm accustomed to for chicken karaage. The chicken was juicy, but the batter was a real miss. - Hot udon with mini tempura bowl: the udon soup had great flavor...I tasted a hint of yuzu which I thought was unique to udon broth. The tempura was only so-so. It was lightly fried, but quickly became soggy with the sauce covering the tempura. It also came with 4 veggie pieces, 3 of 4 were root vegetables and were pretty hard. Not a huge fan. What bothered me the most was I came out of the restaurant smelling like oil/grease. I typically don't get too bothered by this, but it was more noticeable than most restaurants I've been in. Overal, the food was okay. Nothing to rave about, but not bad. read more

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Amazing place for soba - hot or cold. I had the hot soba + tempura combo. It was perfect! Highly recommended. Family friendly, great service + lots of parking! I give it all the stars read more

Ducks - DUCKS!!! Cute decor! - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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Way too much batter on the cutlet, tastes very powdery than meaty. The curry was very generic, miso soup was the worst I ever had. Honestly didn't know you could mess up miso soup... small store, service was alright, couldn't even get their attention for water refills or the check even when we were sitting by the counter. Disappointed and not returning. read more

There's ample parking and the service was fast. The interior is small but have cute duck decor randomly around. I got the lunch special with udon and tempura. The dipping sauce for the udon was really good. I've had Tanakaya and I felt like their dipping was more plain. I would come back again! read more

This was a waste of time we signed in after a family of 5 and then it was us, page was full.. two other got in before us but came after us so it makes no sense. read more

Everything you could want in a hole-in-the-wall: no-nonsense prices, comfort food, and full of flavor. It's a great venue for a casual meal, though the interior is a bit small and unpretentious. I really enjoyed the Karaage Bowl. The batter was incredibly savory (though the batter to chicken ratio was a bit uneven). Also tried the Beef Don and Katsudon which didn't disappoint. The Veggie Yaki Soba was just fine. That said, great portions and service all around, so you really can't go wrong here. read more

Ducks - Karaage Bowl - Japanese Curry Near Me - San Gabriel, California

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