A good, clean Taiwanese food place with matching service. The service is painfully slow and you will go ignored for ages before being served. As long as you're prepared for that and the painfully bad Taiwanese dance/pop music constantly playing on the TV (if you're lucky, you might have a nice long stretch of Jay Chou or someone equally talented and un-obnoxious as opposed to all the annoying talentless dancing robots Taiwan seems to continue to put out), you're good to go. The food is clean (no MSG, bullion, or any other chemical additives, according to their Chinese menu), the drinks taste delicious (though the milk teas seem to make me a little sick), and the beef stew noodle is solid. They also do drink refills for half price. The terrible music videos on constant play on the TV may be a deal breaker for me, but it probably won't be for you. Give it a try. read more

This is another one of those Taiwanese food joints in the sgv. However why thirsty has many more pluses than the others. I'm a big fan of their basil chicken rice mostly because of the flavoring it has. The other reason is because the chicken is really fresh every time I order it. The taste never changes which is a huge plus for me. This is why I keep coming back here for it. The popcorn chicken is a must, it has a hint of sweetness in the chicken possibly the way it's been marinated? I've never had any popcorn chicken that tastes better. Their drinks, I'm a big tea guy and I can taste the quality in the tea. Their tea leaves do not taste like the cheap ones other shops use. Definitely go try this place, try the basil chicken rice and you must try their popcorn chicken! read more

I like the idea of everything being all natural and teas being brewed on the spot. Came a little past 1 pm and ordered The Railroad and the Jasmine Milk Tea togo. The service was excellent and very fast, was in and out within 5 minutes. However the total came out a little more than i had expected. Thought my drink was fine, but lacked the actual flavor of the tea. The portion of The Railroad is relatively small and the pork chop was a bit too soft for my liking. Overall everything was decent. It's close by my work so it's definitely a viable option for a quite bite to eat. They also accept credit card so that's always a plus. read more

Maybe I ordered the wrong things but the spicy beef noodle soup is so salty and full of msg. My mouth has been tingling for awhile. Also ordered the railroad pork chop since so many have raved about it. Decent portion and amount of sides however just ok. Also ordered the Assam milk tea lightly sweet since I find that a lot of places over sweeten their drinks. Again, just okay. Overall, just ok. Would come back to give it a second shot. read more

Surprisingly, THIS PLACE HAS AN AWESOME BEEF SOUP NOODLE!! They also make tea beverages that actually tastes like TEA, instead of syrup flavored water. This is a cozy, hole in the wall shop located in the trader joe's plaza. They offer your usual black and jasmine teas, but I highly recommend their specialty tea. Tried the "Caribbean Paradise", very aromatic, and it also tasted like tea (emphasis). Fresh and original take on the abundance of tea shops in the area. Will return for sure..... read more

Their happy hour offers popcorn chicken and drinks! And the basic drink are only $1 if you order any flavor of thier popcorn chicken! Their Happy Hour is from 2:30 to 5:30. Drinks and food are amamzing. I love this palce so much! read more

Why Thirsty - Happy Hour popcorn chicken and Oolong Tea - Taiwanese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

I wonder if the rave reviews were written by some high school and college students who eat just whatever is easily available. I usually don't write very negative reviews but I feel the need for people to get a different perspective regarding this hyped place. My best friend and I visited last weekend . We ordered the most talked about railroad rice (pork chop), popcorn chicken (mild spiciness), premium beef lo mein and sweet samurai tea. The pork chop was better than the chicken but after a few bites, it started to burn me out due to its common flavor. The chicken was like a few levels better than McNuggets. The premium beef lo mein was a complete disappointment. It tasted weirdly different, vaguely unfamiliar instead of being cooked the same as, if not better than what Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants commonly serve. My best friend also told the lady not to make the tea very sweet but it came out too sweet and was placed in a plastic cup. Yes, a tea that costs $3.95 (?) was placed in a plastic cup while we were eating in Why Thirsty. There are only three good things about WT: - the service is prompt and friendly - the dinner sets come with meat, rice, corn, pickles, half of a hardboiled egg and bok ckoy, therefore encouraging people to eat a complete meal - there is a decent number of items on the menu, but what do you need that for when the top-rated railroad and popcorn chicken don't even taste as good as other reviewers would like you to believe? I really thought this would be a new go-to cafe for me and my best friend. Turns out that this is just one of those few instances when Yelp fails me. read more

TWO WORDS. ON POINT. I was born and raised in Taiwan so take my word for it when I say this place is amazing. I strongly recommend the Original Lo Mein (dry noodles). The combination of noodles and the sauce is A+. I always go with the Pork Chop, but my family seems to enjoy the Fish Fillet as well. The Popcorn Chicken is mediocre in comparison to the other two. My friends always get the Stewed Beef Noodles, which is good if you're craving beef noodles. As for rice plates, I would go with The Railroad, which includes the pork chop. Portions are generous and prices are beyond reasonable for the quality of the food. I am more than full after finishing an entire order. As for drinks, I haven't gotten the chance to try a lot of them yet, just the Lemon Mt. Black Tea and Chrysanthemum Black, which weren't bad but weren't memorable either. Thought drinks were on the pricier side. Restaurant size is on the smaller side, but the wait is never very long. Parking is pretty convenient. Ambience is nice, perfect for chatting. They play Taiwanese music and music videos on the TV so it's definitely feels like home for me especially when they play Jay Chou. As for service, I have a funny story - pretty much the main reason I'm leaving this review. I came in with a friend at around 1:30pm for lunch and as usual, I ordered my Lo Mein with Pork Chop. However, when my dish arrived, it a bowl of noodles with soup and pork chop on the side. Confused, I informed the waiters that I ordered the Lo Mein so they quickly apologized and took the bowl away. Within the next five minutes, they brought back a bowl with dry noodles and some liquid at the bottom. Upon first glance, I thought they just dumped the soup out and were trying to trick me into thinking that they remade my order. So naturally, I was pretty frustrated and debated on asking to speak with the manager. I made a couple of phone calls to figure out what I should do and in short, caused a tiny scene in the restaurant. Right before I was going to call the waitress over, I looked more closely at the new dish and realized that the bottom of the bowl was actually the Lo Mein sauce. I was extremely embarrassed at my overreaction, because perhaps they did remake my order. Hopefully, my extra tip made up for my rude behavior, but if any of the workers are reading this, I am super sorry for being a hard customer to deal with. I think my story demonstrates just how much Why Thirsty values the well-being of its customers, because despite my little mishap, the waitresses remained calm and gracious and often checked up with me to see how I was doing throughout the meal. I applaud them for their patience. Overall, Why Thirsty is my family and my personal favorite Taiwanese restaurant. The food is incomparable and the service is just as great. You can definitely count on me being back again very soon and this time around, I'll be all smiles! read more

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It's located at the Trader Joe's plaza. Of all the times I've driven by this place I've never noticed this spot. Recommend by a friend we had the drinks and the popcorn chicken. I asked what were the most popular drinks were and she said the Formosa milk tea. Just an FYI- I'd asked for less sugar and it was virtually no sugar. The drinks were okay and the ratings are not due to the sugar. The popcorn chicken was disappointing since it was below par. The quality of the chicken and the oil it was fried in was really bad. They didn't have any dipping sauce with the exception of ketchup. Even the ketchup tasted more sour than the usual. read more

The service here is kind of slow. You have to somewhat aggressively wave to the staff to get their attention for anything (taking orders, water, getting the bill, etc). Other than the slow service, I really enjoyed the railroad pork. The dish was a decent size and the pork was bursting with flavors. I liked that the meal felt like a well balanced meal -- there was a lot of veggies and protein! We also purchased the Tofu Tots (with medium spice). This dish was good, but there was nothing unique about it. It felt like this can be purchased at any cafe. The medium spice is not spicy at all... but it was nice to pick at. We also purchased their Lavender Milk Tea - half sweet. I cannot imagine how sweet the full sweetness drink would taste, since our drink was already pretty sweet. The drink was quite satisfying and it was decently priced. There's a $10 minimum if you use a credit card. Otherwise, you'd have to use cash. I really enjoyed my time here and I expect to come back and try their other dishes! read more

Service is fine, but my God they got rid of the beef noodle stew! It was the best thing on their menu. Rip.

Small. Very small establishment. Parking lot was packed, on a Friday night. Can't imagine what kind of sale Petco was having to make a fairly decent-sized parking lot so busy. Drinks were good, but so much ice, even in the large. Again good taste, but we won't be making any stops here again. If you're a regular, or can frequent this place, it did look like they had some good bulk-buying (gift card) promos, so I would recommend taking advantage of that. read more

This is one of my favorite Taiwanese spots in the SGV, most notably for their rice dishes, popcorn chicken, and tea. Few places serve tea as high quality as this tiny spot, and with all the boba places around to choose from, this one is a gem if you value tea. I typically order the Railroad (super tender braised pork chop) or minced meat rice because I tend to like simpler dishes. Vegetables like corn, pickled radish, and a mixture of cabbage, broccoli, and carrots are served with each rice bowl. These aren't spectacular, but I do appreciate the greens. When they first opened, I tried a noodle dish, and it was not good. They might have changed it since a few years ago, but that experience put me off trying any other noodles they served. Popcorn chicken is great because they fry basil with them, giving it more flavor and a nice smell. The batter isn't too thick and has a nice crunch. Sweet potato fries are solid too, and they add a plum powder on top for more flavor. For teas, I'm partial to Jasmine. However, Assam is a fantastic black tea, and the Formosa Sweet has a lovely, refreshing peach (with an actual dried peach inside!) flavor for hot days. Since Trader Joe's and Petco are no longer in this plaza, parking has become extremely easy. read more

This is really an odd establishment. Similar to another milktea and Taiwanese food place, they serves up a few signature dishes, and your normal spread of tea. They do, however makes great pork chop over rice. The setting, lots of young students on their laptops while eating. Service, lacking. The girl in the sassy school girl outfits is a bit off as she forgot to bring us the chopsticks, and the pen to sign our bill. read more

This review is for the service not for food. I have been a regular customer for this place since it first opened; always love their beef noodle soup and drinks. This holiday season, I wanted to introduce this wonderful place to my co-workers; so I decided to order a party plate for a potluck mixer from them. When I called to place the order, the waitress didn't know what to do with a party tray order hence I left my phone#. The manager called me back in 15min and left me message that they already had a big order at 5pm so he can't take mine. I called back and explained that all I need a 5 orders of pop-corn chicken and I am flexible on pick up time. He insisted that he can't handle my order because of the 5 o'clock big order! I wouldn't imagine anyone would push order away like this!! If you can't handle 5 orders of pop-corn chicken, you really should not have a restaurant. read more

Food here is pretty good and cheap! Very big portions. Nice alternative to SinBaLa. I liked the Honey Sausage Rice and the Popcorn Chicken was good too (but not worth the price imo). Beef Noodle Soup was not that great. So many other places that have better ones. I got the Formosa Milk Tea but it wasn't great. Tasted watery and I prefer the tea from Half & Half or Au79. However, still good for inexpensive Taiwanese food with large portions! Service was really slow though. read more

Their fried and braised pork chops are very tender and flavorful. We prefer ordering them with dry lo mein instead of soup noodle or rice. The noodles are flavored with delicious onion oil sauce (not sure how else to describe it). Sooo good!! Comes with half a marinated egg, bok choy and pickled daikon. Passion fruit oolong tea was just okay. Possibly our favorite pork chop noodle place! read more

Review is for today's horrible service that happened a few hours ago. Dined in at 6:50pm with my 3yr old son. Put our order in. Son kept telling me he's hungry 7:30 came still no food. The couple after us even got their food first asked the server and said they forgot to put our order in SERIOUSLY. Even the to go orders went out quicker than serving the people that were dining in. They really need to prioritize and serve those dining in over the to go orders. Won't be coming back! read more

yo Sinbala im happy for you and imma let you finish, but Why Thirsty's got the best popcorn chicken of all time! BEST POPCORN CHICKEN OF ALL TIME!!!!!!! teas are kinda pricey tho. read more

I'm from San Fernando valley and I was visiting my Taiwanese friends. We decided to come here because the food look good online and reasonable prices. That being said, my overall experience was disappointing. I would need to come here again to try different items. If I could I would rate 3.8 stars! Place wasn't bad, just not memorable. I ordered the basil chicken spicy. It wasn't bad. But I've had better. I can't put my finger on why it was mediocre. Maybe needs more sugar? I was slightly disappointed with the meat portions as well as my friend who ordered the railroad dish seemed to get a lot more. I'll have to come back again to give it another shot! Boba tea was good though! read more

Good food and good drinks, service a bit slow. I usually order the green tea or jasmine milk tea (half sugar) which is pretty good. Their popcorn chicken is excellent, (pork chop) railroad dinner and sausage rice good tho I've had better. Their satay noodle on a hot plate was good but a bit dry and burned (tho it could be because it WAS on a hot plate) I would go back for the popcorn chicken and drinks. They do offer a gift card/reward card for drinks but I've never looked into it, might be good deal. The place is a bit on the pricey-er side of azn tea stations. read more

Fast internet and good food and drinks :D If you like flowery teas this is the place, but if you like drinks like mango/passionfruit and other artificial flavors, they dont have it since it's not good for health and too cheap to sell :P their new menu "chicken cold noodle" is so far the best one i've had around the area!! Im from taiwan, i know what a good cold noodle taste like xD!! read more

tried the popcorn chicken here, according to my taiwanese friend Luke L, he thinks it's very authentic with the veggie that goes along with it. I tried their samurai premium tea, definitely sweetened but definitely worth it for their premium selection! read more

My friend was excited to introduce me to this place but was careful not to overhype it. We tried her two favorite dishes: basil chicken rice (3 cup chicken for the direct translation) and the popcorn chicken rice dish. Both were delicious -- the former being juicy and flavorful, the latter crispy yet with the added irresistible taste and texture of something like "nian gao" (think of glutinous rice). Both also had the fragrance of the basil well-infused, mmm. We completed our meal with their light and refreshing milk tea drinks (she got jasmine and I got their Formosa tea). I felt like I was being transported to some mountainside while drinking it, for real. Only non-spectacular elements were the sides (though I was impressed by their preserved vegetable and tofu one), but I was so focused on how much food was on the plate that I didn't really mind. Overall, great spot. read more

Come here often for some lo mien. That's some good noodles for your soul. All the sides are great pair if your not afraid of savory and sweet. I'm a happy customer. The service is great. The place is being remodeled but still open for business. read more

Dunno what's all the hype for Why Thirsty. The food ain't bad, but there's better Taiwanese food out there. Don't get me wrong, the service is nice, the atmosphere is chill homey. But keep on looking, there's better Taiwanese food out to be found, especially in the 626 area. read more

Whenever I am visiting my friends in the SGV, I drop by here. Especially, because it is super close to where one of my friend's apartment. The railroad has to be the best deal; about $6 for a huge amount of rice, corn w. egg, greens, bean curd and pork. Really filling and tasty! Not sure how the other restaurants that serve the same dish are in comparison but my friends who live in the area, recommend this place as well so I think it is definitely a hidden gem in this trader joes plaza. Recommend getting togo since the restaurant is super small and there is always a long line waiting outside. read more

Craving Taiwanese pork chop rice so after a fateful yelp search here we are. Ordered The "Railroad" (because they traditional sell these lunch boxes on the railroad), Sizzling Pork Rice, and Formosa Milk (Oolong) Tea. Overall the food was good. The drinks, 90% of the time is awesome, but once or twice it came out "bland." I would recommend tasting it first and if you are not happy, talk to the tea-rista. He will be more than happy to re-make one for you. read more

Huge portions! I was definitely not expecting such a big bowl of noodles for just $7. Pretty much all the food items on the menu are $7 or $8, all teas are around $3 or $4. If you dine-in, you can get a refill for your tea for half price! I got the noodles with popcorn chicken. It tasted legitimately Taiwanese (I had just come back from Taiwan so I was still craving Chinese food) and the tea (Jasmine) was perfectly brewed and seriously tasty. Recommended! Next time I come here I'll probably share just one portion with my date, though, haha. Also note: seems like a lot of people were coming in and out getting food to-go. They probably take orders by phone for in-restaurant pick up, which is a smart idea since they make everything to order. read more

Solid flavorful tea. I got a Jasmine rose tea which was luxuriously fragrant. Wife had the Mountain black tea. 3 flavor chicken. Beautiful presentation. Generous quantity. A plate of many different flavors. The only thing missing from their food is that it isn't nearly salty enough. Friendly service read more

Lo mein! This place makes the best lo mein everrrrrr hahaha the dry noodle with some yummy sauce you can pick from different meat the porkchop and popcorn chicken would be my favorites the basil chicken wasn't so bad either. They have 3 sauce I say stick with ORIGINAL I like spicy so I ask them for chili oil! For drinks I usually get water but I have try the Formosa tea before so good! read more

Why Thirsty - Lo mein popcorn chicken - Taiwanese Near Me - San Gabriel, California

This is a small Taiwanese eatery located in the plaza of Trader Joe and Petco that serves up big Taiwanese flavors! I got Osmanthus Jasmine Green tea and it was delicious! Two of us got sweet potato fries, popcorn chicken, porkchop, cold seaweed and cucumber appetizers, rice with meat sauce, and the Taiwanese lo mein. All tasty. The marinates were a bit sweet for me but everything was really good. The portions were large and we had tons of leftover. Good cheap eats that makes me think of home. Definitely adding this place to my list of keepers. read more

Interesting place, they don't have a whole lot of selection on the menu, If you're craving popcorn chicken, fries, or Taiwanese style dishes this would be the place to go. It is cash only unless you pay over $15 then it is credit/debit or they'll charge you 50 cents. I love getting the caramel milk tea because they don't use the simple syrups. read more

This place really takes their tea seriously! You can really tell by just watching how much work goes into each cup of tea. I'm actually surprised they don't make the process more visible so people can appreciate the craftmanship, but most customers will probably be too busy gawking the Asian Music Videos blasting from the TV overhead anyways. We really love the Formosa Sweet and Osmanthus Oolong tea, but weren't crazy about the Jasmine green tea or the Chrysanthemum Oolong as the tannins were too strong for our taste. Also, you can get your fix of Asian Music Videos here while enjoying free wifi! read more

Nice little spot wedge between Trader's Joe and an Indian Grocer/Restaurant. I had the Beef Rice plate which was good but a little too much garnish and preserved veges. *** Don't be fooled by the names! If you can't read Chinese. Just FYI for the ABC's of the 626. *** Waffle fries = Cross cut fries (Yes what Jack in the Box has) Tots = Balls Only thing I can't vouch for is the tofu tots. (They could possibly be squares! It's a mystery!) My two cents. read more

I love their milk tea here! Super flavorful and it seems to be brewed fresh. If you're going to sit and chill the afternoon seems like the best times. At night when I come in I always have to wait for a table and it looks like there's a lot of people here that just likes to sit and game. I wonder if the wifi is that fast here... In anycase: recommended drink from me is the Formosa milk tea. Very flavorful and is Just refreshing! Their popcorn chicken is also very yummy here. Beware their parking lot. Its shared with trader Joe's so they have a fair sized one but for some reason whenever I come. I sill have to drive around a bit before I can find a spot. read more

My husband and I love this place. too bad we moved and live more than 25 miles away now. I use to come here several times a week. Love their tea - I always get formosa sweet with less sugar. My husband always gets rose green tea. Their tea is very refreshing. Their bento is good too...we get the railroad, popcorn chicken, and sausage most of the time. read more

Came here a few times to meet up with a friend. My Friend is a big fan of their popcorn chicken. I enjoy their Jasmine Green tea and Jasmine milk tea. I will have to go back and check out the formosa tea someday soon! The parking lot looks a little shady. But inside, its very well kept and clean. read more

The first few times I visited Why Thirsty was for their food. To be honest, it didn't seem that special or different from many of the other Taiwanese restaurants in the 626 area, so I didn't really pay much attention, nor was there a desire to go back. Their space is small as well, almost to an uncomfortable degree. I'm sure each table is most definitely within earshot of the next table's conversation. So why did I give them 4 stars and keep coming back? Basically because I am (once again) on a milk tea streak where I crave it ALL the time. And trusty 'ol Yelp has lead me into their doors. It's safe to say that I am officially hooked on their milk teas, in particular their Formosa and Assam milk teas! So the 4 stars are really for their (to-go) drinks only. The past few times I've stopped by, there has always been a wait outside, even if it's later at night. It's always a bit awkward going inside to order to-go, because there's really no where to stand while I wait for my drink. They sometimes have chairs by the bathroom, but then I feel like I'm invading the space of the occupied table that's directly next to the chairs. The service is always quick (for drinks anyways), but I have been there when they are out of Formosa or Assam. The formosa milk tea is rather light and made with oolong tea so the taste isn't as creamy as expected. Over the times I've been there, I think my ultimate favorite has become the Assam (over the Formosa) because it is richer and has that creamier milk tea taste. They have a stamp card, which is almost as good of a deal as their 11 drink cards for $35, if you're like me and have a hard time committing to purchasing 11 drinks so far in advance haha. Definitely worth a try if you're in the area! Only bad thing is that they are closed on Sundays (and I always forget, ugh!). read more

Their rail road pork chop is super delicious. The flavor is authentic, and the portion is generous. The popcorn chicken is another star item. It's juicy and crispy with special blend spices. " gourmet popcorn chicken " so to speak. All their dishes are free of MSG. And they can always customized the dish for your needs. Tea are made fresh everyday. Unlike other tea place, I can taste the fragrance of the tea. When the tea is made with food quality tea leave, you don't need auger or syrup to mask the bitterness. The boba is soft and chewy. Come and enjoy the authentic Taiwanese Tea house ! read more