Utterly dissapointing. I walked in, was not greeted and told to sit at the booth. The guy there, probably in his 30s, ignored me for about 5 minutes before plopping a menu on the table. I ordered the #1 combo, which was fried chicken, beef which looked like rendang but tasted different, and on the menu it said you have a choice between sour and coconut soup. I wasn't given the option and ended up with the coconut soup. The chicken was disgusting. It was old, dry, and just had a faint taste of sweet soy sauce. The beef was pretty bland, it was in a sauce similar to a tomato based curry. The sambal looked and tasted homemade but was not spicy enough. The vegetables in the soup tasted like they came from a can. I was never checked on, and after waiting for a while I just went to the register to pay. I should have taken the hint that the restaurant was empty and the person working there was too busy socializing with 2 people (non customers) to bother serving his only customer. Oh well. You never know unless you try, right? Next time, no way. There will not be a next time. It's pretty dissapointing that this is the only restaurant in the immediate area that offers Indonesian food. read more

Food is good! Service is okay--wouldn't say it's the best, but they try. Recommendations: Pork Satay Gado Gado Weekend Special- Rice wrapped in banana leaf #47 - noodles and small bowl of soup with meatballs Corned Beef Fried Rice read more

We've been here a few times, food were delicious. We've tried a nasi rames, fried kweetiaw, gado gado, nasi bungkus, udang goreng mentega but their specialty I think is pempek. The best pempek in Los Angeles area among Indonesian restaurants. Service was so so ... hence the 4 stars, the waiters a bit cocky, need more friendly approach. read more

Was out in Industry last week (rare visit to that city) and went to Java Spice for a business lunch. A few of the hosts were Indonesian so I left the ordering to them. It was my first time having Indonesian food (except for the frozen "Nasi Goreng" from Trader Joes that I've purchased before), and it was good! There are many spices and flavors within the dishes that were all new to me. Besides the Nasi Goreng, which is basically fried rice, there was also satay (beef, pork, and chicken), rendang (a slow stewed tender beef), tempe (fermented fried tofu - interesting~~but good), fried fish, varieties of salads, etc., I was so stuffed after eating, I didn't even feel the food coma coming on, it just hit me suddenly and without warning ^_^ Indonesian food to me seems to be all about flavor - a dizzying array of yummy spices, coconut milk, and peanut sauce. Total mom and pop family vibe little restaurant. They have a bunch of snack items sold by the cashier - couldn't tell heads or tails what any of them were - but had I the room...I would've sampled a couple. Plenty of lot parking and a Lee's Sandwiches right next door! Banh mi and Vietnamese coffee for dessert anyone?? What a fun and unique dining experience! read more

If you ever see me here it will only because my friends dragged me along or I'm craving for a tripe fried rice, because their tripe is fried as well, it made it different than all the other Indonesian restaurants. Also, the manager kinda know us pretty well so we got our food pretty fast. The other foods they have are just regular and not anything special. read more

Decided to come here on a whim last week since I had no idea what my dad and I could have for dinner (we've milked all of Hacienda and Rowland for what they're worth). I'd been here once with a group of friends, but it was a long time ago, and I hardly had any recollections of this place or how its food was. Upon entering, we awkwardly stood there for like 5 mins because the owner was on the phone, looking around the booths (a customer had apparently lost something in the restaurant and the owner was searching for it). It also took a while for the people behind the register to notice it. We were seated shortly, though, and the lady who seated us apologized as did the owner when he came to take our order. I got the #1, which is pretty much steamed rice w/ the beef and chicken. I can't really remember the traditional names of the meats, so sorry about that. But it is #1 and it comes with a choice of soup (I got the coconut soup). The dish was pretty good and I thought the beef was great, since I have not had Indonesian food a lot (actually probably only one other time...and it was that first visit here so long ago). The chicken was good, too. My dad got some dry crispy noodle dish w/ cabbage it looked like, and it came with this dumpling soup thing. He actually didn't like what he had ordered, but I mean...we were both pretty new to Indonesian food, so it was a matter of trial and error I guess. Service from here on was good, might I add. I think it's professional of how the owner and lady acknowledged that they weren't quick on seating us and apologized (although I wasn't that annoyed by it or anything. I wasn't too hungry and wasn't in a big rush or anything). I'm just stating this because I have been to places (*cough*Chineseplaces*cough*) where the owners or employees have an attitude or think nothing was wrong with their service. I think I'll be coming back maybe sometime in the future, just to try out other dishes. read more

Not many choices at 11 AM on Saturday in Yes Plaza, so I decided to give it a try. I only ordered Water Spinach Fried with Shrimp Paste (fresh water spinach including 4 quail's eggs and 2 shrimps.) It was very good. The service was pretty good. too. The restaurant itself is clean. Since on the menu, it does not show the price for Water Spinach Fried with Shrimp Paste, only put "seasonal", when the bill came with $13 something (no rice), I think it's a little pricey. I might still order this item next time, but will ask for the price first. *A free iced tea deal with yelp check in. read more

Java Spice was my first Indonesian food experience. Needless to say, my rating sums up my overall enjoyments and impressions for this restaurant. Upon entering Java, my friends and I were warmly greeted by the store owner, Jere. He sat us down and asked us whether we've been here before. We said no, and he quickly gave an overview of the menu and their daily special. We ended up ordering the BananaLeaf Fries Rice dish (Saturday Special) amidst other dishes here and there, and they were all so amazing..and deliciously spicy haha. This restaurant is located a few stores right of BCD Tofu House in Yes Plaza. Java Spice's service, ambiance, and food are all exquisite and yummy. Therefore I highly recommend this Indonesian cuisine to everyone. read more

Indonesian foods that tasted like a bit of Thai and Chinese... It has the spicy part as well as the salty and sweet. The satay chicken is good with the rice cake and peanut sauce. They have a roasted or grilled chicken in dark brown coating, which I missed what it called, but the server said it was their special item. It feel like a family business operation. read more

I stop by here every time I am in the area for the Nasi Bungkus for my husband and the #44 fried noodles for me. Nasi Bungkus is only available on weekends and is a delicious mix of multiple types of meat and rice that comes out wrapped in a banana leaf. You will see most people ordering one of these two items on the weekends for good reason. If you like spicy you can mix in the delicious chili paste that comes inside your Nasi Bungkus. The fried noodles are bursting with flavor and worth ordering extra spicy for that kick that still leaves the flavor. I used to order it with Chicken every time but I got Tofu this last time and the tofu still had tons of flavor. If you really like insane spicy you might be able to ask for what I ordered the last time, though I found it slight overkill. The regular "hot" or "very spicy" of this dish packs plenty of heat while being easy to devour the whole dish in one sitting. I haven't found a noodle dish anywhere else that is this good, although Ramayani's fried noodles are very close. Prices are very reasonable, and under $10 for a plate. Despite living in San Diego we stop by this place every time we are in the area because we can't get enough of the food. I have ordered the fried noodles 4 different times and it is always fantastic. I'm not sure about the complaints about the service because we always receive everything quickly. Summary: Order the Nasi Bungkus or Fried Noodles #44. I love the noodles so much I haven't ordered anything else on each visit. read more

Nasi gorang was good! It's my second favorite that I've had from many different Indo restaurants in southern California. I had a few other things that were also good. I definitely would go back if I was in the area. read more

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Staff is very unprofessional and rude. Not willing to offer a solution for unsatisfactory service even though the piece of chicken they gave was smaller than my finger. The lady at the register was complaining that she cashed out her register and didn't want to offer a refund at 9:45 pm even though they close at 10 pm. read more

I'm sooooo picky when it comes to other people cooking Indo food because I only love my mom's food. But I love, love, love Java Spice! Their Nasi Bungkus is my FAVE!!! Nomz to the max. And their Ayam Kalasan is theeeee best. It's marinated perfectly and the moment you get it, it comes right off the bone. OH, don't forget the dipping sauce that comes with it. Absolutely heavenly. But the nasi bungkus is only served during the weekend. The portion may look small when you unwrap it but it gets you sooo full. Plus the green sambal is perfectly spicy, my family asks for extra because it's that amazing. All in all, I love Java Spice. And I have yet to have bad service here. read more

We love the pempek palembang! read more

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My bf and my friend decided to come here on a whim. We're like "hey! let's try something exotic!" And we never had Indonesian food, so I dragged them in here after shopping at Bora next door. (good place, btw) We had NO clue what was good here, so we asked the waiter...he said the chicken, sate, shrimp, and the noodle thing. OMG... The chicken tasted like it was cooked with sugar. For some reason, every bite of that chicken was sweet (yes!! without the sauce!) Sate & Shrimp A++++++++++ to the core~! Noodle thing tasted like pad see eww which I love!! I would give this place 5 stars, but the service was ehhhh...and it took kinda long. read more

My family and I like this place. We ordered the vegetable, stir-fried kangkung w/ shrimp, chilli, quail eggs. Chicken & pork Sate, the # 1 combination plate (Nasi Campur), Es Cendol (Indonesia drinks). Free jasmine tea by check in Yelp. Everything delicious, friendly services, and convenience location. We definitely will go back again. read more

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We ordered Nasi Bungkus--$8 (the special rice with different kinds of meat in banana leaf), Longtong Komplit--$7.45 (rice cake with stew filled with meats and coconut milk) and a vegetable plate (ong choy with quail eggs and shrimp)--$11.95. Personally, the food itself was okay but filling. It wasn't fantastic enough for me to drive back every other week or month just to have more. It might be because indonesian restaurants are hard to come by in southern California, but for asian food--especially food that was just "ok", it was too pricey for us--total plus tax $30.07. (I've never had ong choy this expensive before and their special was just a pile of rice under several pieces of not-so-marinated meats with a few strings of cabbage). The Lontong Komplit was the only unique dish we had as far and seasonings and spices, but for four pieces of rice cake, half an egg, two pieces of beef and over-boiled vegetables, it was definitely not worth $7.45. Their drinks, which we didn't have, was around $4-5--almost a price of a meal (sorry, their drinks are very similar to the vietnamese deserts which are MUCH cheaper) I guess we're just too cheap to ever come back to this place. We'll just stick to our homesome Vietnamese, Chinese, or Thai food, all of which are filling and would only cost half the price for more food. read more

We love this place and leave our irvine bubble just to come here at least once a month. Get the sate babi, Bakmi goreng, nasi bungkus! read more

Always coming back for more! I love their ayam kalasan (chicken) and their nasi campur great service the waiters are joyful and funny and great for lunch time they have nasi goreng and Mie goreng combinations during 11-3 pm Monday-Friday read more

Java Spice - Fried fish with sambal(chili) , Sayur Asam, ayam kalasan, and veggies - Indonesian Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

My experience with Java Spice was an up and down roller coaster. When we walked in there was two parties ahead of us but thankfully there were three parties already done and leaving. We were seated within 5 minutes. Thank God because I was hungry. We sat down and waited about 2-3 minutes for a menu. (Imagine also a party of 19 in the middle of the restaurant) We sat for another 7 minutes for someone to take our order. (The lady also took another parties order first that got there after us.) Finally...someone came and took our order (we ordered one chicken satay, one beef satay, one combination fried rice with egg, and one chendol with extra sugar) but did not offer us water. Someone came after another 5 minutes to ask us if we were already taken care of and we asked for water. We waited for another 20 minutes for our food, while I watched and noticed that other parties that had come after us were getting food as if they were ordering telepathically to the chef directly. Finally...our satay had come but we were still waiting for our fried rice and chendol. We waited for another 7 minutes for the rest of our food. Finally....the fried rice came and then the chendol after another 5 minutes but the chendol was not sweet enough and they took it back and put more sugar but alas it was still not sweet. The food is what bumps up the stars to four. The satay was juicy and flavorful and the peanut sauce was very peanuty and thick but not too thick and not thin or runny. The fried rice was flavorful and the rice was not dry like some fried rices are. The fried egg on top of the rice was like the icing on top of the cake. Overall, the food was delicious and is what makes me want to come back but the service was not good at all. I don't know if it was just because it was a Saturday and the huge 19 people party but I will be coming back and I hope that the service will be alot better. read more

I came here the first week I came to LA... and I LIKE it very mucchhh!!!... They improved their services and facilities within last two years... I don't like to eat tripes, but the tripe fried rice (nasi goreng babat) here is exceptional!!!! the tripes are so crispy!!! I lOVE IT!!!! OH, Don't forget the marinated chicken too... the tofu eggs, gado-gado, kangkung hot plate... All Good!!!! The owner is really nice. The place is clean. They serve quite well... read more

I only came here once and Oh. My. God. their nasi goreng babat is the best fried rice I've ever eaten in US. The crisps of the beef tripe and the seasonings of the rice is just right. I ordered one portion, but next time I come over I'm definitely ordering two. Also, the waitress is super nice. read more

I haven't tried all of their dishes yet, but I know that I'm a fan of "Empek-Empek." This is an Indonesian restaurant and as an Indonesian person, this is one of the good restaurants I've tried and yes, I've tried many. The price is high with small portion, but how many Indonesian restaurants do you know of or have been to? Even though the public health grade them a B, the food is tasty and when I miss Indonesian food, I just go to this little restaurant and I would be back in Jakarta minus the weather. Don't order their jasmine tea, even though it's really good but you can buy a pack of jasmine tea at 99 Ranch for their price of 1 box...not worth it. If you want something new, wild, and exotic you should definitely try this restaurant out. Experience it at least once. read more

We had been wanting to try this for a while now, but we're hardly ever in the Rowland Heights area. Finally, last week, we planned a special trip just to try out this restaurant. We ordered: Nasi Bungkus (weekend special), Chicken Satay, Chicken Noodle & Meatballs soup (noodle was served dried, and meatball soup comes in a separate small bowl), and Shrimp with butter. I was worried we ordered to much, but the portions weren't that big, and we managed to finish everything. We were also starving since we hadn't eaten all day. We probably won't order that much next time. The Mr. gave the Nasi Bungkus B+. It was a bit too spicy for his liking, but other than the spice level, he enjoyed it although the piece of rendang that came with it was a bit dry. Chicken Satay: B. We liked Sate House's chicken satay better (see my previous review of this place) Chicken Noodle & Meatballs soup: I'd give Chicken Noodle an A, but the soup was flavorless. Shrimp with butter: B. It wasn't mind blowing, but it was good enough. Overall, food wise, I'd give it B+. Prices were very reasonable for the portions. The restaurant is clean and comfortable. My only nitpick was the service/waiter. He continued to speak Indonesian to us, even though we had repeatedly indicated that we didn't understand him. I understand that it's an Indonesian restaurant, but you can't assume that everyone is Indonesian and speaks Indonesian. Other than that, we had a very pleasant experience here. We'll for sure come back, but will probably try other dishes. It looks like Pork Satay is very popular here. I wish we had gone with that instead of Chicken Satay. read more

this would've been a better experience, but the service screwed it up and made it a 1 star experience for me and my bf. If it was just the food, java spice might be a 3-4 star restaurant. We ordered the famous ayam kalasan, chicken curry w/ glass noodle & satay for our 1st (and last) visit and the server who took our order looks confused with our order w/ just 3 simple entree. Maybe because we didn't speak his language so he couldn't understand what we really wanted where we had to repeat 3 times back to him that YES, we want 1 order of the chicken!! Anyhow, he still managed to forget our order where we wonder why other tables who came in later got their chicken first? The server kept forgetting the straws we requested and the service was just below average. After finishing our glass noodle and satay and waited for another 10 minutes, we decided to pay at the cashier, leave the restaurant and never go back to java spice again. read more

The food is good, we would eat here again. The number 44 noodles we ordered with chicken was great. The Sate chicken was also excellent, but the portions are small. 5 all sticks, order two orders next time. The shrimp that looked good on the menu was ok, very small portions. It was the one with butter and lemon. The drinks we tried were not so great. The Tehbol that was free from checking in tasted like medicine, it was a type of ice tea in a juice kind of box. Don't get that one. We also tried the Milo ice drink that was watery. I told my daughter we could have just made it at home. We had to ask them for more Milo for the drink, and then it was still not great. Service was ok, we had to ask for stuff like the plates, go figure... Just to go order for next time... read more

Regardless I'm a native Indonesian, I have to admit Indonesian food is my personal favorite in terms of flavor, spice, and ingredients. Growing up, daily cuisines were Indonesian beef Rendang, Tumeric fried chicken, and Gado-Gado which created heavy cravings for serious relish whenever I'm away from home. Java Spice is one of a few authentic Indonesian restaurants in LA that reminds me that home isn't ten thousands miles away. 5 stars: Empek-empek // deep fried fish cake with egg filling submerged in hot and spicy vinegar sauce. Simply my favorite! Crispy yet moist deep fried Tilapia complimented with spicy, pungent dried shrimp chili sauce. Tasty pork satay with peanut sauce Kankung hotplate //stir fry water crest with garlic, belacan, quail egg, and shrimp. Ayam Kalasan // Deep fried chicken with sweet hints of coconut flavor. tasty!! for more pics - http://www.yummycrave.com/2009/11/java-spice-taste-of-indonesia.html read more

Came here several times, and the food were always alright Unfortunately the service is pretty bad Overall the food is kinda typical Indonesian food I tried their gado gado, nasi bungkus, lontong cap gomeh, some kind of deep fried fish with Chili sauce, and their Soto The flavors are not bad at all But its really hard to get anything in this restaurant Even if you want to get a water refill, you'll have to ask for many many times Apparently the owner do not have a good system to organize their staff The waiter seemed to be kinda all over the place Do not come here if you are starving and willing to wait half an hour for your food to come out Otherwise, its a descent typical Indonesian place read more

This was my first time trying Indonesian food so I feel like I don't have anything to compare it to...but I kinda liked it. Reminds me of a cross between Filipino, Chinese and Thai. My friend (who had been here before) ordered the half chicken. This nondescript chicken is AMAZING...It's so moist, delicious, tender, sweet...every good adjective in the world. They must marinate it in sugar or something...and then fry it. If you come here, you MUST try it. After we ate it, I wanted more...and then wished I had ordered some to take home! It doesn't come with rice though...boo. We also got a soupy type thing. It has beef, rice cakes, cabbage and egg. I think it was #35...#36? It was interesting tasting...reminiscent of shrimp paste-ish? Next time I will try something else though. The service was decent. Prices are fare. Just wish they gave you rice :( read more

One of my fav Indo Food. I like the Rice Wrapped in Banana Leaf. (nasi bungkus) I like the food. Only its hard To find parking space on the weekend. read more

I came for their pork satay.it was so good..so delicious...the rice its kinds dry tho...but its fine.. read more

Java Spice - Indonesian Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

I love Indonesian food!! Its so hard to find a good Indonesian resturant if any at all. I usually get the nasi bungkus to go which they only sell on the weekend. BEWARE this is very spicy!! Indonesian people love spicy food so if your not use to it I don't suggest you get this meal. Java Spice Nasi Bungus has rice, marinated fried chicken (ayam kalasan), tofu, tempeh, telur kecap (egg boiled in soy sauce), and of course, beef rendang, jackfruit curry. The negative about this place is its location. Its hard to find parking!! read more

The day I went to eat at Java Spice was on my birthday. Mom said to try out the new Indonesian restaurant that opened in Rowland Heights. I haven't had Indonesian food for awhile, so I agreed to give it a shot. When my mom and I went to small, hole-in-the-wall cafe style place, there were very few customers there. Then came the food. We ordered a salad, chicken sate, and soto ayam. The raw salad came out so-so, while the chicken sate was too sweet. For the soto ayam, it was too sweet also, and there was too little lontong (rice cakes) in the dish, so we had to order an extra plate! The es teler along with the hot Indonesian coffee wasn't that great either. I guess I have tried better Indonesian food back in San Francisco, or in Indonesia, or even at home! Maybe because there are not that much Indonesians living in SoCal. read more

I highly recommend the Nasi Campur. Its a good thing for indo food first-timers to try. It comes with rice, egg, marinated chicken (that I could not get enough of), and beef. Perfect combination of spicy, salty, sweet and whatever awesome flavors you can think of. And to top that off, its about 8bucks.. really cheap for good quality food. I liked the whole experience of unwrapping it from the banana leaves. I also liked the Nasi Goreng.. and the Rendang was just okay. I've only had the rendang before at a friend's house before (her aunt made it). And then for dessert, I forgot what it was called, but it was basically an indonesian version of the Filipino halo-halo. Thats was okay too. I prefer the halo-halo, but of course I'm biased:) lol I would have given 5 stars, but the last time I was there, I didnt like the service. They have one guy who is mostly serious the whole time.. and then they have this other friendly guy. But he was SUPER friendly, talking to us the whole time.. he would serve other tables while talking to us.. we couldnt eat cause he wouldn't leave us alone! but other than that, I'm a fan:) read more

Mom wanted to try Indonesian food and this was the first thing that popped up Yelp. It is located very close to the freeway and is located in a strip mall which has lots of parking spots but was completely filled by the time I went. On weekends they have a special dish which is made in banana leaves. I don't know how to describe it but I can tell you it contained eggs, rice, chicken, and a bunch of other tummy stuff. It was very different then any other dish I have been had before. And it was really good. Can't wait to try out other stuff on the menu the next time I come here. read more

I was about to walk in to this place because I love Indonesian food and theres not many around... as soon as we walked up to the place we noticed the big fat C rating in the window. We literally turned around and walked away...after looking at these reviews I am glad we did not go....eat here at your own risk you may get food poisoning we dodged a bullet!!!! read more

I've branched out...lol I still go here quite often now even though it's miles away from me. I still can't get enough of their empek2x. But then I now added items to my mixes: 1. Shomai Bandung: this is indonesian dim sum at it's best (shomai - not what you think you get in the chinese restaurants, potato, cabbage and tofu with peanut sauce) - the only place decent other than the bazaars they have at St. Stephens or that High School in Hacienda Heights 2. Kangkung: either Hot Plate or regular this will blow you away. Though it just kangkung (or waterchestnut leaf - i think that's what it's called not sure) just all that flavor from the hoisin sauce (i think i don't know but whatever they put on it is so good!) 3. Pecel Lele: Fried Catfish...enough said...get it cuz it's fried and its good. Going to expand more soon but I'm good with the food I've been picking so far! read more

average indonesian restaurant...the tripe fried rice was okay..i like their kangkung hot plate if im not mistaken.. CONCLUSION = RECOMMENDED! read more

The food are yummy and the servers are pleasant and friendly. Service is super quick for Indonesian standard. We had a pleasant experience dining here. read more

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Actually it's more 2.5 stars. Yes, I admit, the food is pretty good. I like their mie ayam, but after I ate it, I could taste that they use alot of MSG, now I know that's why it's very tasty. Also, the service was the worst. We came on Sunday afternoon, and it was full house, and only 1 person was there and service was very slow. Also, they don't have AC or they don't want to turn it on, only God knows why, but I felt very stuffy there. In the 90 degree heat, waited for so long for the food with the bad service and no AC, plus MSG in the food, it's better I cook at home myself. read more