I wanted something quick for lunch and this place was near by, so I wanted to try it out. I was looking at the photos on Yelp and I saw the Katsu combination and I was excited to try it! It came with 2 sides and I got the macaroni salad which wasn't really good. It lacked in flavor and just tasted like mayonnaise and the cucumber seaweed salad had too much vinegar and not enough sugar to balance out the acidity. However, I did enjoy the Katsu because it was cooked nice and crispy. I wish the sauce for the Katus was homemade instead of coming in a packet. The combination comes with one and a half piece of katsu and I was still hungry. The pictures on the menu look more deceiving in pictures than in person, so don't be fooled like I was! I was left slightly disappointed, but price is reasonable for a casual quick place to eat. read more

My go to place for the past 16 years for a good chicken/combo bowl and California rolls special. Their teriyaki sauce is amazing. Place is very clean throughout and nice, friendly staff. Always consistent and will continue to drive 10 - 12 miles away to them. See you soon! read more

I was skeptical when recommended Mako Bowl. I was originally picturing a beef bowl and teriyaki chicken. We tried their salmon and avocado bowl and it was very fresh and delicious. I read about the spicy salmon bowl in one of the reviews and was hoping they had it because I didn't see it on their menu. It was REALLY superb and exceeded way over my expectation. Their curry chicken is excellent as well. read more

Mako Bowl is pretty great for fast Japanese food. We always order the spicy chicken teriyaki and it has never let us down. The chicken is nicely grilled and cut into strips. Then they pile it onto one side of a bowl filled halfway with rice. The other side of the bowl is for their steamed veggies (zucchini, carrots and broccoli). Then they drizzle the spicy teriyaki sauce over the chicken and veggies, and there you have it! I love spicy food and especially love the way that their spicy teriyaki leaves a nice kick in my mouth after I'm done with my food. Yesterday, we decided to try something new and ordered the spicy tuna bowl. It's basically what it sounds like: a bowl of rice, with a nice layer of spicy tuna on top. It comes with a slice of lemon, green onions, some ginger and wasabi. Like my friend said, it's like a huge spicy tuna roll and it was delicious! The spicy tuna had a nice little kick to it and it didn't taste or smell fishy. The rice was soft and room temp (so as not to cook the tuna). Mako Bowl is in a huge plaza with a Ralph's, Blockbuster, Jamba Juice, See's Candies, and a whole bunch of other small businesses. When it gets packed, like around lunch time, parking can be tough to find. But other than that, they have ample parking. read more

Very decent large Teri chicken bowl for $6.25. The chicken was tender, moist and not too charred. The rice was pretty authentic and sticky. The staff was very friendly too. read more

They are constantly very stingy with their soup; it's always just warm, but not hot enough to loosen up the noodle and the noodles are stick together most of the time. Attached a picture with full bowl of soup 3 years ago; and now only 1/3 of the soup. read more

Mako Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I go here often. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the chicken teriyaki bowl! It is fresh, healthy and filling. I sometimes get the combo meal with the sushi, but have to be really hungry to eat it all. Great service and nice crew. read more

It's not a fancy smancy restaurant and not quite fast food. It's somewhat in between, but delicious nonetheless. Chicken udon noodle soup and the 9 piece chicken nuggets are my fave with a siracha/soy sauce mixed sauce. I love this franchise! read more

The spicy teriyaki chicken bowls with extra sauce is good every single time. I don't know if you can request white meat, I never had to find out because even the dark meat is too too delicious. The quantity They give you and the quality of the sauce is a good time. read more

I haven't been to the one across PCC in a while so was surprised to see a clean, modern establishment with even cute little greenery on the tables (last time I visited, it was more a greasy spoon feel). For $7.25 got a chicken bowl, macaroni salad, cucumber-seaweed salad, drink. I like that the macaroni salad includes slices of ham and the cucumber-seaweed salad was refreshing with the dressing. Unfortunately, there was too much sauce for my liking on the chicken teriyaki rice. And worse, the sauce was too salty for my taste. Maybe if there wasn't so much sauce, I would've enjoyed the chicken teriyaki more. Next time, i'm asking for the sauce on the side. read more

I tried the chicken teriyaki and it was good, the only problem is that I was so thirsty afterwards. I probably drank a gallon of water, too much soy sauce. When I go to other places nearby I don't get that thirsty. The sushi was good as well as the price. But the tempura undo was AWFUL, two stingy shrimps and a bowl of noodles with no flavor just broth which tasted like water and green onions. Even a cup of noodles soup had more flavor. I should of gone to kabuki their undo is awesome. read more

I've been coming here since I discovered this place ditching class in middle school and I've been ordering the same thing ever since. Spicy Teriyaki Chicken Bowl. WONDERFUL.Don't forget to ask for an extra side of spicy sauce....YUMMM read more

Today I went for lunch with my husband and the food portion is small also we ordered and they called every one that was behind us in line first. The cashier was nice but the lady who was serving our food behind the glass had a MAD looking face. If your in customer service you need to smile. My husband asked for NO RICE so when the lady with the MAD FACE asked the cashier in Spanish they don't want rice the cashier said no then she said im not adding veggies they didn't pay for them. I felt that was rude not good service. read more

It was just ok. Our family are huge teriyaki eaters and the chicken teriyaki here is good. The taste of the sauce was nothing special, but that won't stop us from trying it again. :) read more

Out of all 3 Mako Bowls found in Pasadena, this one is by far my favorite. I love the simple yet clean atmosphere, the friendly and quick service, and of course the delicious Japanese food. read more

I went there went there today and the food is always great but the services from the workers horrible. I asked if I may have a lid for my soy sauce and she looked annoyed and then proceeded to point somewhere of where I can locate the cups. Her attitude was not necessary for a simple thing. She looked very irritated I retrieved a lid, I asked first and she ignored me. I think little things shouldn't be a big deal. I never complain but service was horrible. read more

I was looking for teriyaki place where I could get a variety of different dishes for a reasonable price. I especially like menus that have combos that include a wide range of dishes in one combo. This place did not have that, but you can just order the sides. My wife and I both ordered Combo #2s $9.30 which came with chicken teriyaki, short ribs, and a choice of two side salads and a drink. My wife order the cucumber & seaweed salad and macaroni salad. I order the potato salad and macaroni salad. In addition to that I ordered a miso soup for an extra $1, shrimp tempura for $3.75, shrimp gyoza for $2.95, and a California roll for $2.60. Overall, I thought the food was fine nothing spectacular. The flavors were milder than I would have cared for, but the chicken was tender as well as the short ribs. I like the Miso soup, shrimp tempura, and California roll. They only had shrimp tempura, and I would have wished they would have had some sort of mixed tempura also missing from the menu was beef teriyaki. I would come here again for the variety total price out the door was $33.41 for two people. read more

One star is generous. I had the combo teriyaki plate. The beef was stringy and basically inedible. The chicken was tasteless. I love Flame Broiler and was expecting something comparable. This was my first and last visit to this chain. read more

Normally don't right reviews but, oh well. I think it was just bad time of everything .. I ordered combo #2, and asked for a soda drink. I waited for my food to come out, and after I picked it up I asked for the soda cup, without any respiration, the register gave me the water cup. Not a big deal, I'll get soda with it, then for some magical reason the fountain stops working inconveniently.l and only water works.. it is what it is read more

I love raw fish, but I had one of the most disgusting spicy tuna bowl in my entire life, thank you very much for helping me to see the truth for the price of $10. read more

We just came to Mako Bowl and we were waiting in line for a few minutes. Once We arrived at the front of the line she looks at me and says sorry we are closed. She then closes the door and goes back to prepping orders and laughs with the guy who is helping her. We try to leave but the door is locked so we have to go and ask them to let us out. Very unprofessional. read more

Seriously weak. Particularly given we have B-man's in our area! Small portions. Low quality. There is no comparison. My son says the "beef is flaky" I don't even know what he means by that, but it's gross. High light was service, which was on point. With so much better available it's hard to feel it's worth it. read more

This is my spot! My go to spot! My eat here 2-3 times a week because it's that damn good spot - THE teriyaki chicken bowl spot! Freshly made, flavorful, delicious, with just the right portions. Tip: Ask for the spicy chicken teriyaki (well done) read more

I seriously drove all the way from Covina to come here. The spicy tuna bowl is so good. It's like a Poke bowl but the tuna is actually spicy and is mashed instead of the big chunks which takes out the chewyness. So damn good smothered in Sriracha and soy sauce. I wish they had one closer to me. read more

I use to eat Mako bowl everyday when I worked at See's. Its been a few years since I have been back in my old hood and I was suprised to see MB had moved! I actually tried Haiku Kitchen (owner's sister's place) because of their move. Anyway, Mako Bowl is tried and true and I love them. Spicy Chicken Mako Bowl!!!!! yum yum yum. OH and they seriously have the BEST macaroni salad ever!! read more

The taste was good, but the portion size for the price was not. Not enough meat & veggies. I would rather go to flame broiler or waba grill. But it was ok overall. read more

Found a long piece of hair in my teriyaki sauce that I ordered on the side. The worker made a joke about it sarcastically. Very disappointed because I love the food. read more

Their price on food is reasonable. But their food taste alright.. They give you more rice than meat. Service is nice but usually when i go there the girl who takes my order doesn't seem to happy all the time. but idk. read more

One of the best places to grab a teriyaki chicken bowl. They are cheap (great for my budget) and quick! Great to take home too.

I have been coming here for 10 years. Most always went to lunch here grabbed the #1 which is a teriyaki chicken bowl with California rolls on the side. Best plate for me and filling. Now mind you the pricing in 10 years has gradually gone up but to me it's always been a worthwhile purchase, oh yeah and it comes with a bottom less drink. So if you catch yourself on the east side of Pasadena off of Foothill Bl. & Rosemead then I suggest on stopping by and checking this place out the people behind the counter are always nice that includes the owner who is there a majority of the time. read more

For the price, it was pretty good. I recommend the salmon bowl (with extra avocado!) over the spicy tuna bowl. The spicy tuna was just OK. My boyfriend wasn't a big fan of the rice, but I think it was because of the rice vinegar they might have used. It was okay with me. I have to try it with brown rice next time. read more

Best chicken teriyaki bowls in town!! When I lived in Monrovia I used to go to Taisho all the time but when I moved to Pasadena I discovered Mako Bowl, which is owned by the same people. Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of their chicken bowls or katsu. Prices are really inexpensive and the food is on point! read more

I've only had the teriyaki bowl there and its good. The place is small and casual, but still has a Zen feeling! And everyone is really nice.

this is one of my "go to" lunch spots when i'm at work. It's well priced, fresh and a good portion size. Nothing fancy, but sometimes its just what you need to get you through the day. They have pretty good chicken avo burger too for like $3 and change. It's a "not a burger for lunch" spot. read more

I used to work near this place and would go often. I think they have the best teriyaki bowls around. Dark meat chicken gets a nice crispy outside from the grill. Sauce is nice and thick so it sticks on everything making it really yummy. Favorite menu items are the spicy chicken bowl and if you want to go the less healthy route...the teriyaki chicken sandwich w/ fries. read more

not very impressed. their rolls contained microscopic particles of spicy tuna and were too expensive for japanese fast food. also the store was not clean and service was very slow. nothing to see here, move along read more

I love this place. It's affordable and always GOOD. They changed containers which I don't care for I prefer the BOWL. Is the Name MAKO BOWL. The chicken always taste good. I only order the spicy chicken Bowl. Ever since they opened, I'm a faithful customer who has never been disappointed in my order. read more

Moderately priced, fairly fast service, healthy and more importantly, it's tasty! What more could you ask for from a fast food place! The only knock comes from there being a lack of variety. If you want that go to B-Man's. read more

Loved the spicy tuna bowl with avocado with miso soup! My husband and little one disagree on chicken. We asked for white meat but they stated they only do dark meat and it was all lean. Fast forward we get our meal...I agree on the katsu but the chicken nuggets were so fatty! So I guess I'll be coming alone for a tuna lunch bowl. read more

Great place to have lunch with kids. I love their chick udon. We come here almost once a week.