The QR code on the table didn't work and only pulled up the previous table's order. When I ordered the rice noodle rolls, they told me I'd have to wait a bit--but they never said it would be an hour and a half! After waiting an hour, a newly seated table got their rice noodle rolls in just five minutes. I was told it was because someone had placed a takeout order, waited too long, and then canceled--so they gave it to that new table instead. Meanwhile, I ended up waiting a full hour and a half for mine. On top of that, the area feels very unsafe and the environment is pretty bad. Definitely not recommended. read more

This is a little gem. They have variety of Chinese casual food here. My friend introduced me to this place and it was my first time here. We ordered their freshly made rice noodles. It was pretty tasty and authentic Cantonese style! I actually just came back from Guangzhou China, and this place deserves a passing grade compared to the ones I had in China. I ordered one to go for my family to try and she also loved it! But if you take it to go, it's better to reheat it by steaming it or else it would be too dry. The other food didn't stood out to me as much but I would come back for this rice noodles. read more

Sakura Grill - Egg rice noodles - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

Came here before when it served hibachi but it's now Chinese food. Got the shrimp steam rice noodles, braised beef noodles and braised beef rice. Everything was delish. The meat were all seasoned perfectly and super tender. The rice noodle roll is the very thin wriggly kind not like the ones you see in dim sum but the og style where they make it fresh from a steam tray. The shrimps in there were nice and springy texture. Service was as quick as it could be considering the restaurant is tiny and there's only one person working the cashier as well as waitressing. When we walked in there was only one table occupied but then four parties came in almost at the same time and she seemed to handle it fine. The whole place has maybe 7 tables total. Food came out pretty quick so even if there is a wait, it shouldn't be too bad. Parking is tricky as the lot is equally tiny to match the restaurant. We parked in front of the liquor store off the street and it was fine. Overall great meal, prices are reasonable for the portion of food. Will be back to try the other stuff. read more

See all

Never had the chance to support this business when the previous owner did hibachi. I came by this past Sunday with friends for an early lunch and was pleasantly surprised by their menu. Parking was somewhat limited within the lot and on the street, and seating inside had less than ten tables. Doors were wide open allowing the outside air and sounds of traffic to blend into conversation and noise from the kitchen. With this setup, natural sunlight bounced around the white walls and really brightened up the place. Our server was busy but quite efficient as she bounced from kitchen to dining tables speaking English and several Chinese dialects. We ordered a plate of rice noodle rolls to start, and as others have mentioned these are the ridgy ones you'd find from a street vendor back east, so thumbs up to that. For the main meal, we had mapo tofu, braised pork belly, and a veggie soup. The mapo had good flavor, a little on the mild side though great with rice. There was a large glass container of chili pepper soy sauce up front you can ask for to kick things up. The braised pork belly was a bit too salty, but again it paired well with a rice. The soup was a bit simple yet gets the homestyle feel right. In addition, we tried some of their prepared drink in the fridge. Both the herbal tea and hawthorn tea were refreshing though I preferred the herbal tea. A nice local find. read more

Sakura Grill - Mapo and rice roll - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

This restaurant's name is misleading - it is NOT a japanese restaurant! It's a Chinese restaurant with the best homemade cheung fun (steamed rice noodle rolls). My favorite is the shrimp one, but they have the beef and fish one too. The rice noodle rolls are so thin and perfectly sauced with the soy sauce, one plate is more than enough for one person's full meal! We also ordered the porridge (it was ok) and a few other appetizers (the fried tofu wrapped in rice noodle, and the fried veggie one not sure what it was called). They're worth trying! They also have homemade herbal teas (idk all the English names for them) but definitely ask about them! We got the sugarcane one and although it was on the sweeter side, it was refreshing to drink with our meal. The restaurant itself is quite tiny, with only a few small tables. The one waitress was very considerate with our party. Since we had a small baby, she offered to give us extra bowls in order to feed her more easily. read more

Sakura Grill - Shrimp rice noodle - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

Around 5:30 PM, no customer at the small Grill which ambiance is at the parking lot builds a small room to sell food so the parking is terribly difficult to park on the Elliott side. I told I want to order to go. The waitress gave me menu and asked me to have a seat. I waited there for about half an hour. Cooking of half an hour is typical at the area no one there, and it can go to more than an hour easily. The waitress is confronting customer me for not pay tip on the to go order. Dine in customer must pay tip but to go order is not required to pay tip and it is optional. When the waitress who is also cashier in the small food grill while chef owner cooking. When the waitress doesn't mind to directly confront customer regardless of to go order, the waitress violates customer service and the small area grill confront consumer bill of rights. read more

Totally awesome in its current incarnation as an Enping style (think Taishan adjacent) restaurant. Local dim sum we've never seen before, like mugwort and glutenous sweet potato filled with savory green peas. read more

See all

Braised Beef Flank 招牌牛腩 I like the taste！ I could taste Chu Hou Sauce/Paste. It was delicious. The Beef Flank was soft and tender. The size of Beef Flank was good. The portion was good as well. It was value for money. The female staff was friendly and attentive. read more

Sakura Grill - Braised Beef Flank 招牌牛腩 - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

We always order from there for our office lunch. Never been disappointed. Food taste great.

When I went they were closed but the hours showed open. I have seen other reviews that say the same thing gapped to them. I also saw that they listed Hibachi on the menu but when I called another day they said that they no longer off that. So I will not be eating here. *My review does not reflect the food just the service* read more

Great food for the price, but now closed. Thats a shame. Well I guess I'm onto the next diamond in the rough. read more

See all

This place is pretty small and strangely placed on the corner. It has 3 tables inside for dining in. I ordered the Everything Combo, it comes with chicken, beef, shrimp, and a large side of fried rice plus a soda! For people like myself who have "healthy" appetites, this place is king! The meal was packed with flavor. The meats and veggies were very moist with some kinda sauce, maybe teriyaki. It does have a bit of a wait for the food, around 20 minutes to make it fresh. Overall, it was a really great experience. When I return to this place, I'm gonna try the noodles instead of fried rice. read more

Sakura Grill - Everything plate comes with chicken, beef, shrimp, and veggies underneath. - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

See all

Delicious I love their chicken katsu also their chicken hibachi is amazing. Nice and crispy read more

Sakura Grill - Chicken katsu - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

Ordered the chicken and steak combination. Right now if you order a combo, it comes with free lemonade, additional charge of $2 if you want to try the other flavored lemonades. Tried the watermelon one and it was actually pretty good! The portion size is fairly big, you get a whole box each, but keep in mind the fried rice tastes plain like chinese fast food and that there is quite a load of veggies underneath the chicken and steak. The chicken tasted a bit dry and overcooked despite the sauce over it. I did however enjoy the watermelon lemonade and the salad dressing. I think for the portion size, the price was fair considering the price increase of everything in the economy lately. The service was also quite friendly. Parking can be small and limited, but nearby street parking should be fine. read more

See all

The food is tasty and made pretty much in front of you; the kitchen is very visible from the cashier. The location of the restaurant isn't the best because it's on the corner of a big street and if you're trying to turn left into the lot, there's a bunch of cars blocking your way. The parking lot only has about 6 spots and its pretty crammed. I think it's a residential home where they converted the front into a restaurant. When we got to the restaurant, there was one other person in front of us but the cash register was not working so it took a while to fix that. When we were able to put in our order, we were told it would take about 20 minutes for our two orders. We headed to the car to wait because it was getting cold and covid restrictions prevented us from staying inside. After 20-25 minutes, we went to pick up our food but, only the person in front was able to pick up so we heading back to the car. It kind of took forever to get our meals. It is a small mom and pop so we decided to give it another shot but this time, it took even longer. read more

Sakura Grill - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

COVID-19 Review Edition Heard about this new place through the SGV eats group and saw that they sell hibachi style food in El Monte for an unbeatable price! Naturally I had to come try this out and wanted to see if I can really feed my family of 4 under $30 and yes it was true! I called in my order ahead of time to skip any wait and ordered 2 of the Combo 3 which is probably their most popular item on the menu. It comes with shrimp, chicken, and beef (you can also choose how you want your beef: medium rare, medium, well done) and a generous amount of fried rice (or chow mein for extra $ I believe), 2 small egg rolls, salad, and milk tea! They normally package the rice under the proteins but now they package it completely separate in another styrofoam box. All of that for $30...the value really can't be beat! As for the food in general, the sauce from my beef leaked out of my bag so it was a pretty saucy dish. The flavor of the protein was pretty good but one thing that I didn't really like was there was way too much chicken over the other proteins. I was hoping for more shrimp or beef but there was chicken overload. Nevertheless, I do like chicken so it was still yummy and flavorful. The egg rolls were meh, they were soggy by the time I got home. As for the milk tea, I've read reviews that it's suppose to be boba milk tea but I didn't receive any boba so mine was just a milk tea. I don't know if it's because there was no boba at the time? Well free is free...so I can't complain! Would I come back again? Yes! I think if you're looking for a cheap meal to feed your family for multiple meals, I would suggest coming here. Great value for good food! read more

See all

Benihana and Tokyo Wako who? Do not sleep on this place! The portions are huge!The combos cost around $11.99 and you get salad, fried rice, grilled veggies and choice of egg rolls or kani cheese fried wontons. The steak is very flavorful, soft and not chewy. They also ask how you want it cooked. My bf enjoyed the chicken because it wasn't dry. What I also like is they use big shrimps, so no puny shrimps here. There's a special going on for a couple of months (they don't have an exact end date yet) buy a combo get a milk tea for free. Not sure if there is a limit but I ordered two combos and got 2 milk teas for free. Please come and support this local business! read more

Sakura Grill - Steak and chicken combo - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

See all

El Monte's newest best-kept secret (for now) is a place called Sakura Grill, a no-frills takeout spot that's seriously going to make me fat. Do you like hibachi-style food? Do you want to feed a family of four for under $25? If you said yes to either of those things, then this is the place for you. The first time I came here, I thought I had picked up the wrong order because the bag felt too heavy for a single meal. Turns out, they're just really generous with the portions. For $14, you can get the #3 combo which is basically a styrofoam box stuffed with chicken, steak (cooked to your preferred temperature), shrimp, veggies, and a mound of fried rice. The fried rice is JUST like the kind you'd find at Benihana or Tokyo Wako: buttery, garlicky, and chock full of flavor. The only thing missing is the teppan chef. Oh, and did I mention the combos also come with your choice of fried egg rolls or cream cheese wontons, salad, a plethora of sauces, and a free boba milk tea? The different combos are just different permutations of chicken, steak, shrimp, veggies, and sides at varying prices. I personally go for the #4 combo which is just steak and shrimp without any chicken for $12. I've also gotten the "Super Chicken Katsu" (which sounds like a dish you'd find at Super Nintendo World), but unfortunately I've had bigger and better chicken katsu elsewhere. Just stick with the hibachi combos! In conclusion, Sakura Grill is a great spot for some quality cheap eats. Call ahead to place your order because they can get backed up during the lunch rush on weekdays. read more

See all

Came here to try it out for our first time The cashier lady is super nice ! Prices are super fair !! Good is super good ! Parking is kinda small I'll be back again ! read more

Sakura Grill - Fried rice and noodles - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

See all

Huge portions I got the Fried Noodles and Rice combo (not on the menu, small extra charge) and the steak and vegetables. It came in two boxes - one for the noodles and rice and the other just stuffed full of steak and vegetables (cabbage, zucchini) Only 14 dollars I think - with a can of soda The service is great - just one guy, and he's super friendly. Makes the food, gives it to you. I think he's making a lot of stuff to order so that's good - you can hear him chopping stuff fresh. Ambience is non-existent - but you don't care cause you're there for good food for a good price. All in all, a great, fast, inexpensive meal. Just so you know - it's just one guy taking orders and making it, so be nice and be patient. It didn't take very long read more

Amazing deal for the price. It's about $15 per combo after taxes. It comes with so much food! A Chinese combo plate filled with fried rice and a combo plate of your food. I ordered the chicken and shrimp. The shrimp was excellent. The chicken was okay. It also comes with a choice of cheese wontons or egg rolls. The cheese wontons are good. It even comes with a lemonade. The food overall tasted good. It's missing something to make it great. There is some sauce that taste a bit like 1000 island. I add this to the rice to make it more flavorful. Overall recommend this place. The cashier is super friendly. read more

UPDATE REVIEW: This place has changed owners and the food is not as good as before. The steak was soft but was in way too much sauce (see picture). The steak sauce was too sweet for my liking. The chicken was soft, moist and flavorful; similar to how it was before. The veggies has mostly cabbage and a few slices of zucchini. Wish they continued to include a complementary side of salad like before. Overall, not bad but flavoring could improve for the steak and include more variety in the veggies. read more

Sakura Grill - New owner: this is how the steak and chicken with veggies look like now. Mostly cabbage and very little slices of zucchini. - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

This is no longer japanese but now serve traditional Chinese Enping style cuisine. Very rare to have these dishes in socal. If you are from this region of China and crave some home cook style Enping cuisine then this is the place. Good value too! Parking might be small but you get good value over here. read more

Talk about bang for your buck!!! Tucked away in on a small corner street with tight parking, lies great food for the value. Favors are great and the service is on point and friendly. I was surprised to place 2 orders but given 4 boxes of food. I got the chicken and shrimp combo and the chicken and steak combo. The rice and noodles were given in a separate box. What restaurant does that that??? Score!!! Was also lucky enough to meet what appears to be a couple running this store with their toddler popping out to greet their guests!!! Cutest little greeter!!! Anyone in the area needs to come support this local business!!! I will be coming back to try everything on their menu!!! read more

See all

Man that place was closed under construction. Why does it show that it is open? Drove all the way over for nothing.

Underrated place. Got the beef and chicken combo (with added veggies) and it's sooo good. Enough to feed 2. Recommend. Tiny parking lot though so either take your chance with the parking lot or park on the street. read more

Sakura Grill - Beef and chicken Fried rice combo (with added veggies) and it's sooo good. - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

Good food and service.... Delicious hole in the wall type of place.... Price is great!...Definitely coming back!! read more

Sakura Grill - Shrimp Bowl with Fried Rice & Veggies.... Delicious!! - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

I heard about Sakura Grill through a friend who ordered takeout. They make simple hibachi styled meals here where the food is cooked mostly on a stove as I can't taste any smoky flavor in the meat. The popular dish is the steak, chicken, and shrimp combo plate. I can't say that the food tastes spectacular here, but it is potentially a healthier option( minus the fried katsu that looks tasty) that's very reasonably priced, while giving you generous sized portions. I had the combo plate with chicken and steak. The meal can feed probably feed 2 people. The meat was lightly flavored, nothing earth shattering . They gave a ton of fried rice and also a salad on the side. The fried rice and salad were pretty basic. You also got a couple egg rolls or cream cheese crab wontons to go with the order. Once again, really basic. Some people may really like their special sauce, which tasted like a really mild version of a 1000 island dressing. I didn't care much for it. This was edible enough and great for the price. You'll pay more while getting far much less at other places. They'll even give you a bonus milk tea or I'd go here as a cheap eat. Overall, a great deal in terms of everything that they give you for the price of the food. This is a small tiny mom and pop restaurant that's located in the middle of nowhere off Tyler Ave. You can easily miss it if you're not looking for it specifically. The parking lot is tiny, so it might be more convenient to park in the street. Staff was really friendly. read more

See all

Food was very good and got a lot for a good price .. building was kind of hidden. The people were nice. read more

It's relatively large portions. Had the shrimp and beef--don't expect high end cuts at this price. Fried rice is a throwback to the chinese fried rice from takeout restaurants. Chicken katsu was overcooked (pork was unavailable), and the noodles were so-so. This is overall a low/mid-tier chinese-like takeout that is serving "hibachi" style food without usage of coal or wood. One combo is good enough to share with two. read more

Delicious great hidden gem in El Monte! My cousin recommended this place & she did not disappoint. This place is small and located on the corner of Tyler Ave, there's a few parking space but you can easily park on the streets and walk over. I made the mistake of not calling in first and came during dinner time. It was CRAZY busy! I believe it's a family owned, a husband & wife's establishment. They are definitely understaffed and I wasn't too mad because the wife is very pregnant yet still provided great services for a 2 man show. I think my order took 40 mins but she did give me an estimated of 30 mins wait when I ordered. Luckily I went to do some errands around the area so it wasn't a horrible wait. When I got home I was really shocked at amount of food I got. The portions are huge!!! You definitely get the bang for your bucks. Highly highly recommended! *Don't forget to call in first! read more

Wow! This place is definitely going to be in our rotation for delicious, quick, affordable meals! We dropped by to pick up some yummy Japanese hibachi style grilled meats very similar to Benihana without the show. This is a small mom & pop shop with a smallish menu that includes hibachi meats (chicken, beef & shrimp), katsu (fried chicken), milk teas, smoothies, appetizers and fried rice. We ordered 2 orders of the Combo 3 which includes steak, chicken, shrimp, fried rice, grilled veggies (onions & zucchini), green salad & egg rolls ork kani cheese (rangoons). Combos also come with a free milk tea. OMG, 3 of us could not finish! The portions were so huge! We finished about 1 order of rice & meats/veggies. We had a box of fried rice & a box of meats/grilled veggies left over! The grilled veggies were perfection, so delicious! The steak was perfectly grilled, tender & juicy with a great black pepper flavor. We ordered it medium. The shrimp were huge & fresh. The chicken had good flavor but a few pieces were dry. Fried rice was a bit dry but tasty. Didn't even attempt the salad, but the dressing is on the side so trying that tomorrow. The free milk tea was pretty good but we didn't get boba. No worries though as I was already stuffed with the other food. The service was quick and friendly. I called in ahead of time so that there wouldn't be a long wait. The food was ready when we got there. Parking is available on the street. It looked like there was alot, but didn't see that side clearly. Definitely recommended! read more

HUGE portions!! Got the #3 combo which had all the meats. My meat was over cooked, especially the chicken, but there was enough sauce to help out. Also came with a basic fried rice, ice berg salad with some nice miso dressing, 2 crab wontons and a boba milk tea. Overall great value for the money but the over cooked meat dropped a star. Definitely worth another visit to see if next time is better. read more

Sakura Grill - Combo #3 about $15 - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

WOW. Sakura Grill is officially my new favorite spot - and actually one of the best, most memorable meals I've had in a LONG time! My girlfriend and I were browsing on Yelp for our next meal when she came across Sakura Grill - she showed me and I thought it looked really good, so we gave it a shot for lunch. It's located on a corner lot, but occupies just a small section of it. Parking in the lot is extremely limited, so just aim for street parking. I had called to order about ~15 minutes before my arrival, and when I got there the food was just being finished up and packaged. I ordered a Trio protein combo ($13.99) and my girlfriend got a Duo protein combo ($11.99). The shop is being run by a sweet Husband (chef) and wife (cashier) duo. She greeted me with a smile, asked me how tall I was (I'm 6'5 and it's always a conversation starter) and we chatted for a little bit! She gave many thanks for my coming, then I went home to eat. The food is just... really really good. The shrimp is juicy, chicken is just right, and steak is incredibly tender. I can really taste the quality of all the ingredients in the food, from the Teriyaki sauce to the Fried rice, to the Steak and everything in between. The steak actually tastes like Teppanyaki / Hibachi cooked foods that I've grown up eating in much higher end restaurants - and it's just as good, if not better than those places. The combo also comes with a side salad (with actual Spring Mix and not cheap lettuce), and Boba Milk Tea. While the Milk Tea itself isn't the best, the Boba is amazingly soft and fresh. Plus, it's free so certainly no complaints here. Overall, the food is a solid 10/10. Portion size is ridiculously generous too - a combination order will easily feed 2 people. When the food is really good, I know that I just HAVE to spread the word about this place. I appreciate great food and great service so much - probably to the point where it's abnormal (whatever though). I've already posted the attached pictures in a Facebook group called SGV Eats, and the post has absolutely blown up w/ people wanting to try it. If you're reading this, I say this: DO NOT HESITATE TO COME AND TRY! Not only is the food incredible, but the people here are as well - I'm 100% making this a regular spot of mines now and I truly hope that they make it thru this pandemic. I believe they just opened not too long ago, and if they can keep the same level of quality in their service and food I can confidently say that they'll be a staple in SGV for years to come. An EASY five stars for Sakura Grill! read more

See all

A Hibachi restaurant thats the same price like a place like Chipotle?? Count me in!!! The person working behind the cashier was extremely nice and courteous. My food was definitely worth the price and was cooked well. A lot of flavor in the meat and rice. Look forward to stopping by next time I pass through the El Monte area. read more

Ordered delivery on the Fantuan delivery app and am pleasantly surprised with how they prepared the order. Great amount of sauces, utensils, and complimentary salad. I ordered the chicken katsu and the serving is massive. You get to substitute rice with chow mein and I loved how they put wax paper under the katsu so the katsu doesn't get soggy. The katsu has a nice crisp to it, and the sauce is very flavorful. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a hearty meal. read more

Sakura Grill - Chicken Katsu with complimentary salad - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

Found this place on a "SGV Eats" group post on Facebook, tried it today and was definitely pleased. This a great value for a pretty sizable portion of high quality shrimp / beef combo. It also comes with side salad, and a boba milk tea. I definitely recommend this place, I went on a Saturday because I don't live close by but will definitely be back for this yummy food. I do recommend calling your order ahead as it is about 15 minute wait since they are making you're food fresh. Parking isn't great but I was lucky to get a spot right in front. read more

Sakura Grill - Steak / Shrimp combo with spring roll. - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

Sakura Grill is the definition of "comfort food." Owned by a sweet and hardworking couple, my parents and I always look forward to seeing them when we pick up food. The portions are huge and the price is more than reasonable to feed a family of four under $30. Our favorite item is the chicken and steak (cooked medium) combo. I recommend calling ahead to order, as they've gotten much busier lately! read more

So glad we followed the Yelp reviews and found this place!! Food is very good, portions are huge, and the lemonade is tasty!! The owners are very nice and welcoming. As expected, good food takes time to cook!! read more

Sakura Grill - Shrimp, Chicken, and Beef Combo. Comes with everything shown - Barbeque Near Me - El Monte, California

This place is dead. No menu options and very limited. No hibachi options and barley any drinks. I came because of pictures and to find they only have like 3 items was a let down. read more