Visited my niece and her husband a few weeks ago. Saturday morning breakfast, we headed to Yi Mei for an authentic Taiwanese breakfast as my nephew-in-law is Taiwanese. At least I tried it. This place is busy and rightly so as Monrovia is an "Asian" community. We were lucky to get a table as soon as we walked in. As for cleanliness, because it is busy, I would expect a dirty table here and there, but also expect that it will be quickly cleaned up while people quickly snatch up tables. In order to order, you have to go up to the counter and they will bring your items to your table. My nephew did all the ordering because my husband and I wouldn't have known what to get. So we get daikon cake, green onion pancake, sweet rice roll and rice and beef burrito. First, I don't like daikon. However, what I thought was fried tofu turned out to be the fried daikon and I love it. It was my favorite out of everything. You can never go wrong with green onion pancake, the rice beef burrito was filling. And I was never a fan of sweet rice, but at least I tried it. I never knew there was meat in the middle. But even with the meat, I couldn't get pass the sweet rice. Everything is reasonably priced. For the four of us, we paid less than $20. That's really good. Actually, that's fantastic! I do believe that each time I visit my niece that I will be coming here, which is fine by me. However, this wasn't a wow factor for me other than price. But if you happen to be in the area and you wanna try something new, then I highly recommend this place. read more

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Taiwanese Breakfast! Order at the counter, get your own utensils and seat yourself. I love their Cold Soybean Milk and Turnip Cake w/ Fried Egg. There's a self-serve sauce bar (chili oil, garlic sauce, soysauce, vinegar). The turnip cake tastes great when dipped in garlic sauce mixed with chili oil...Yummy! Your breath will stink but it's all worth it =) The other items are okay. **please install a mirror in the bathroom...thx! read more

Yi Mei - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

You get good food for a small price, but of course comes with the usual SGV struggles: 1. Parking - parking here isn't too terrible. A rather small lot that also has a supermarket and lots of other restaurants. Can be hard to find during lunch time. Parking spots are small too. 2. Service - obviously service is out of the question as per usual when you visit an Asian establishment. This place can be challenging if you only speak English. I also had trouble understanding the cashier as I was trying to place my order because he was speaking soooo softly. Other than those two things, Yi Mei has pretty good food and a good variety for such a small shop. A short wait time for your food but it does seem like food is mostly reheated rather than freshly prepped. Their rice rolls are pretty good, I opted for the purple rice upgrade (for 50 cents) and it was quite yummy! read more

Was looking for local fan tuan, and this place popped up on my list. I am very pleased with the size and quality of the red and white rice fantuan. I also got the turnip cakes. I brought those home and crisp them up more (just my preference). Those were delicious too! The cold soy milk was refreshing as well. Definitely going back there! The place is very small and empty the time that I went. And the staff was helpful and nice. Much better than other places I have gone to to get my fix for fantuan. read more

Came here for lunch after a hike and was so hungry! Ordered for 2: an egg omelette, vegetarian bun, salty soy milk (vegetarian), and a vegetarian rice roll. It was just the right amount of food for 2 of us to feel full and satisfied. You go up to the counter and order. After payment, they give you a number and will bring out the food later. The food came out quickly and it was pretty good. They have sugar, chili sauce, and chili oil on the side. Egg omelette: layers were thin and tasty, salted Salty soy milk: maybe because I got the vegetarian version, but it was a bit bland to me compared to Four Seas Vege bun: not bad! Has vermicelli, seasoned/baked tofu, vegetable, and mushroom minced Vegetarian rice roll: pretty good with the fried donut, vege pork song inside and cut in 2 The plus side is the place is clean compared to some other Taiwanese breakfast joints. The employees however are still apathetic and in a hurry for you to order. read more

Yi Mei - Egg omelette, rice roll, and salty soy milk - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Was in LA for just a day and went out of the way to stop here for Taiwanese breakfast. Worth the trip! The stand out for me was the savory soy milk. It was full of flavor without diminishing the soy milk taste. The "regular" size was a good amount to share between two people, but I would definitely go large next time. The rice roll with the "sour pickle" was also tasty. We also had an order of the Chinese donut and baked bread, but the bread was pretty bland so I would probably forgo this. Prices are a bit steep for Taiwanese breakfast, but you can still have a lot of food for less than American breakfast. This place would be a repeater for me when I'm in the area again. read more

Yi Mei - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

I was pleasantly surprised by the food here! I usually come out disappointed with other Chinese breakfast places in the area but Yi Mei knows how to get the egg pancake to taste authentic! I especially love the garlic dipping soy sauce. I also ordered a cold soy milk, tasted just like how I remember it growing up. The place is also self served and table arrangement is a little uncomfortable in my opinion, so doing take out might be a good option! Definitely will return! read more

Yi Mei - Egg pancake with soy milk - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Wanted a snack. Beef Roll, Bean curd, cold Soy milk. All pretty tasty. All little grungy for a restaurant. Many friends says the food is pretty authentic Taiwanese here. They don't speak much English but fortunately the table next to us had the same order. Must be pretty popular. So this made it easier this time. Been here a few times, consistent tasting food. read more

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I have been craving Taiwanese breakfast for a while and finally satisfied my cravings at Yimei since it is the closest one near me. Online ordering was fast and easy. I would recommend this method instead of ordering there, especially since I think the prices are exactly the same online and in person. Most of the time, the food will be waiting for you when you get there. I got the purple rice salty fantuan w pickles. It was so good and the purple rice made me feel like it was kind of "healthy". I also got a cold sweet soy milk to pair w the fantuan. This combination of sweet and salty was exactly what I needed and satisfied my hunger until dinner. I would definitely recommend these two items together if you want a sweet and salty balance. The only thing I would complain about is the price... I'm not sure when it got so expensive! I have a feeling that I got this before (maybe a long time ago) and remember paying about $6-7 but today I paid about $9. This is still pretty cheap for lunch and I would still get this again because it definitely made my stomach and tastebuds very happy for the rest of the day. read more

I have been to several other Yi Mei. This one is my least favorite as poor service and long eating time made me stop coming to this store. Hope they can improve their attitude towards customers read more

I love Taiwanese breakfast and this place does not disappoint. It is the real deal and arriving on a Sunday morning it was super packed. Since we were running late for church we ordered everything to go and boy did we order a lot of food considering it was just 2 of us. We ordered: - 3 salty rice rolls with pickles $5.25 each: these were giant! One order can fully feed a person. The rice was perfectly cooked, the filling was on point and I loved the extra flavor and crunch the pickle gives. - 1 salty rice roll (without pickle) $4.50: still good, but I think next time I'd go for the one with pickle. - Daikon cake $4.45: standard taste, probably will skip next time. - pork belly sandwich $3.55: thick slice of pork belly in a bao-like sandwich. Very flavorful - Chinese donut $2.50: it's huge!! Perfectly fried, not doughy, but rather crisp and semi-hallow. Very good. - Wonton noodle $8.95: now we probably didn't need to order this either, but I love a good bowl of wonton noodle soup to start my day. It's also super cheap. - Large hot soy milk $3.25: perfect drink to start the day. I love how it's freshly ground and super hot. Must get - iced milk tea $2.35: too sweet for me, but hey it's super cheap and you gotta get something to drink to wash all the food down right? Overall, there were so many things we wanted to eat and try. We also over ordered, but have no regrets because most of the things were really good and I needed my Taiwanese breakfast fix. I will be back next time. read more

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December 30, 2014 So yesterday, my fella took me to a Filipino breakfast spot for garlic fried rice, eggs, and longanisas with cantaloup juice. To, to return the favor, I brought hi here to try out my food. We ordered way too much. I wanted him to try everything I love. So, we ordered something he has been craving (sweetened tofu) and my peanut milk. The juicy pork dumplings, pork belly sandwich, Chinese donut-crullers, and green onion pancakes. We were such fatties! Total came out to be about almost $20.00 I love all, but this place cannot beat yong ho. 3.5/5.0?stars read more

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Expected a rush but to my pleasant surprise I came at the perfect time (11am) on a Friday morning. Ordered 豆漿，牛肉卷，蔥油餅，蛋餅 (Soy bean milk, beef roll, onion roll, egg omelet) Everything tasted really good! This marks my second time here :) so good! Highly recommend! read more

Yi Mei - Beef Roll you're so delish! - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Little hidden gem in the midst of Monrovia. It's a fast casual place to eat located in a "Chinese" plaza with supermarket and other restaurants. Love going here for Taiwanese breakfast/brunch/lunch. They have a variety of noodle and rice dishes and sides and specialties to choose from. Once you place your order, find a table and the workers will start bringing out your food. I tried the Chinese pancake (green onion pancake) with egg, fried chicken noodles, dumplings, chinese donut, and salted rice roll. The Chinese pancake is my favorite. It has a great texture and tastes great when you dip it into sauces or soups. The fried chicken noodles is essentially noodle soup with a side of popcorn chicken. The dumplings were okay but the skin/wrap is a good texture. The chines donut we got was kind of hollow and was a little over cooked so have to try it next time with warm soy milk. And the salted rice roll will make you full! Definitely a great place to go for good affordable food. The workers are nice and there's a lot to choose from. Don't forget to grab a soy milk or milk tea from the fridge! read more

Yi Mei - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Quick Taiwanese breakfast food. Once in a while when I don't crave my usual American breakfast items, I'll go for some Asian breakfast other than dimsum. I'd give Yi Mei a visit. Good place to pick up some rice roll and soy milk (hot/cold). Note: If you order hot soy milk, it'll come in a bowl and unsweetened. The shao long bao is decent, smaller and less juicier comparing it to DTF. I really enjoyed the daikon cake with a egg. Not such a big fan of the chinese donut and bun they have. It's very greasy fried and hollow. Good prices. Quick service. read more

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3.5 Stars I've been here twice and have enjoyed all the dishes I've tried so far. They take CASH ONLY so don't be like me and have to rely on your friend/coworker to pay for you (LOL). Their soy milk is pretty good here. I like mine cold and my friend likes hers hot. I used to drink soy milk and eat the Chinese donuts (dipped in sugar haha) as a kid so it's kind of nostalgic. The Daikon cakes are also good, but I think they put dried shrimp in it to add flavor/saltiness. My friend is allergic to shellfish and realized it was inside after she ate a piece. The green onion pancakes are also a favorite of mine (more like a flat-bread) as well as their dumplings. The last time I came here, my friend and I shared the pork chops and a rice dish and it was plenty of food. So 2 soy milk, green onion pancake, Daikon cake, pork chop, and rice combo only came out to $16.00. We had to ask for a to-go box too. 99/100 Reviews for 2015 read more

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For an inexpensive and delicious Taiwanese casual breakfast, this should be your go-to spot!! My sister and I came here on a Saturday around 10am and no line and plenty of tables to eat at. You order at the register and then they bring the food to you. Everything we ordered was excellent!! One thing to note was they were running low on the chicken porridge and we were unable to order #2. They compensated with a discount green onion pancake though. Sounds like if you come late breakfast time there's a potential of running out of porridge. Items we ordered: Large Chicken porridge with 2 sides of Chinese donut Green onion pancake Almond tea An egg omelet Chinese style All of this for $20! Plenty of food for 2 people and at a great price point. I would highly recommend to everyone! read more

Yi Mei - Chinese donut, egg mole net, chicken porridge, almond tea. - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Craving taiwanese breakfast? This is the place! Ordered togo over the phone and came to pick up within 10-15 minutes without any problems. Love their fan tuan and soy milk (hot). For the fan Tuan I like how they have purple rice - nice texture to it. Delicious taiwanese breakfast that is definitely worth the try read more

This is a review for their frozen items not the main restaurant. If you are looking for xlb to take home this is the better choice than the ones you can buy in the supermarket. If you are thinking of the name chain dumplings house then I have to say this is not it. The dumplings and sesame seeds are good enough if one has instant cravings and have no place to go to get them. Like in our case, we are in Ventura County so not so there is not much we can find around here. The reason I gave it 4 stars is it does not come with any instructions as to how to prepare the items at all. So better ask them how cook the frozen items before leaving the store. read more

Yi Mei - Frozen xlb or soup dumplings - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

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Solid Taiwanese breakfast spot. We regularly get the soy milk, Chinese donut (which I feel is slightly on the greasier side, but not as greasy as JJ Bakery's), egg omelet, daikon cake (they do a great job on this), and the TW tamale. Make sure to ask for the garlic sauce, it's really good. If you are having trouble with online ordering, you are probably using this address: "www.yimei.revelup.com/weborder". This is what's posted on their paper menu and flyer inside their store (as you can see in one of the pictures). Unfortunately, it does NOT work. Just remove the "www." to get the correct link: yimei.revelup.com/weborder. read more

This place is in the HK Supermarket plaza, on the side with the Karate classroom. Upon entering, the place is very modern. However, the floors were very dirty - sticky. Their menus were organized and we were drawn to the "combos"... which are $4.50 each. You get your choice of an item plus SOY milk only. The nice lady at the register explained we could get rice milk (I think something like that... )... but that is an extra 50 cent charge. I don't think that extra charge was labeled so it took us by surprise. I got the cold soy milk... which is already pre-sweetened. It was slightly sweeter than I would have liked. I got the rice roll too. It was fat but they used wayyy too much dried pork. HOly cow that's all I tasted. Sigh, it's mediocre. It'll have to do since it's closer than driving to MP. But I won't be coming back unless it's with my parents. read more

Yi Mei - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

The staff was so nice to me i didnt have time to stop by at bank due to my toddler and they were kind enough not to charge me extra. Love their food. My 94 y/o grandma was craving daikon cake and soy milk i havent had the time to make it at home for her because of kiddo and she lives 1.5 hrs away fr me so its always a trek. Thanks yi mei for helping me out read more

So happy I found this place. Well it was just around the area where my hotel was. My little gem. Good, Clean, Cheap and Fast. What else can you ask for? Recommended **Rice Roll - Sticky rice wrapped around a Chinese Donut. Available as Salty, Sweet, or Vegetarian. **Daikon Radish Cake - Fried (4 pieces) **Soy Milk - Made fresh daily with non-GMO soybeans. In hot or cold **Taiwanese Meatball - Like a giant dumpling. Also so much to go items to eat later or to eat the next week. It's not the super best Taiwanese food but its good and I wish they had one just like this in San Francisco! read more

Yi Mei - Best breakfast ever! Soy milk hot, fan tuen and turnip cake. - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Tried the daikon and black sesame pastries and the savory rice roll. The pastries were all very fresh and well loaded with filling that were flavorful and not too salty or sweet. The rice roll was also well balanced with tender rice. Will try the soy milk next time. And they open everyday including on Xmas! read more

Love this Taiwanese breakfast cafe, my son loves their Daikon cake and green onion pancake. My wife likes egg pancake and salted rice roll. It is one of the best TW breakfast around Monrovia area, even their price is a little high, it is worth it. The Cafe is clean, organize and has plenty of staffs. You can even order it online, it is pretty convenient. Except for the parking, if you go between 11 am to 2 pm, it gets pretty crazy during wkN, the plaza has only 1 entrance and 1 exit, sometimes it will take a while for find a parking spot. read more

Yi Mei - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

A simple yet delicious Taiwanese restaurant. Honestly, if i know it's a Taiwanese place or the owners are Taiwanese it'll get highly rated by me. I gotta rep the Taiwan pride. Lol It's been ages since I last had a peanut milk drink and i'm glad this place carries it. They also have soy milk which comes in hot or cold. Pro tip, if you end up getting the chinese/Taiwanese donut get the warm soy milk and use it as a dip! We also got Chinese tamales, Taiwanese meat ball, Beef roll and fan tuans. Everything I used to eat as a kid now coming back to me. Super nostalgic. :) The people working there are extremely helpful and friendly. The food items are decently priced... Didn't felt like I was getting ripped off. You order up at the front and they will bring it to your table. They have a self-serving station for soy sauce and chili oil. If you end up getting the chinese/Taiwanese tamales, make sure you add soy sauce and chili oil to it. I'd recommend this place to friends if they are looking for Taiwanese food! Only reason they didn't get five stars, is that it's a cash only place. :( read more

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Of all the Yi Mei's out there, I feel like this one is the best. We have the usual rice rolls with pickled veggies. And a cold and hot soy milk. The soy milk is not too sweet. Perfectly sweetened. They also offer purple rice with rice rolls. I haven't tried that yet. And will return for it next time. They offer tofu pudding on the weekends only. read more

Legit Taiwanese eats. So far we have had the sweet cold soy milk, cold sesame noodles, breakfast rice roll (must order with pickles), and the turnip cake with egg. All totally solid but the fried donut inside our rice roll wasn't crispy anymore (we went in the early afternoon), but it might have been if we went in the morning. Would go back again to try more stuff off the menu. read more

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I wanted the beef roll, the hot soy milk, the juicy pork dumplings, and green onion pancake. So I ordered all of that and it came out to $19 something. I realized if you order a combo, then it comes with the egg omelette and soy milk. So take a good look at the menu before ordering it in line. The food was all good, but the soup in the juicy pork dumplings broke easily at the bottom when I barely lifted it up. I wish they could bind it better. I think one big bowl of soy milk is enough to feed two people. I don't know why I got my own soy milk and needed help in the end to finish it. No one told me there were condiments until I looked around. It's located on the left side of the cashier and line. read more

Yi Mei - Hot soy milk in a big bowl was more than a glass of milk to me - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

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I really like the food here! Tasty and portions were big for the price. My boyfriend got pork belly and they were very generous with the meat. I got Taiwanese sausage and it was flavorful. I like how they give a lot of side toppings to the dish. It's not very common from where I'm from, so it was nice that they include so many! Presentation was nice too. I want to try their other menu items if I am around the area again! read more

Yi Mei - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

I was really craving Taiwanese breakfast the other day, and since I just moved back into the area and woke up suuuper early, found this place and decided to give it a shot. The menu items all sounded really yummy, and my hungry self didn't know what to really settle on. I ended up settling on a salty rice roll, large order of the salty soy milk, and the beef sandwich. Being that it was Saturday morning, the store was PACKED! Since there weren't any open tables by the time I placed my order, I decided to take it to go. What bothered me is that I only ordered 3 items, that weren't really that hard to make - pretty standard Taiwanese breakfast items. Larger parties behind me who ordered more food got their to go orders before me. Other parties who ordered after me who decided to dine in had received their orders before me. I waited probably close to 30 minutes for my food and as I was starting to grow more and more impatient (I'll admit, I was getting pretty hangry) did my food arrive. Flavor: The flavor of the food is pretty much what I expected. Not too much flavor, not too bland. Just right. I wasn't expecting a 30 minute wait for 3 food items, so maybe when I come back next time I'll be a bit more prepared. I've been to their Rowland Heights location before and have had better experiences. I may give them another shot since I live closer to this location. I'm hoping to be able to update my review after my next visit! read more

Service was a little slow for there being very few customers. They were probably in between shifts. And the beef roll was not flavorful, kinda mushy compared to better ones I've had, and a little small. The noodle soup was not great. The popcorn chicken was good. Maybe I caught them at a bad time. My friend who recommended the Yi Mei chain actually said for me to eat the Taiwanese breakfast which I didn't try this time. I'm pretty reluctant to go back here and might stick to other Taiwanese places. Honestly I wanna give them a 2 Star, but I'm giving them one star for benefit of the doubt. read more

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Oh my, MSG-laced! I brought my coworkers here and the food was good, service was great but the after-effects were not so great. Right afterwards, my friend and I felt very thirsty for a couple hours and my coworker felt dizzy. We all had fun eating the ba wan, or glutinous meatball, what with its bamboo shoots, pork and mushroom. The sauce was good too. We also liked the beef sandwich, XLB, leek dumplings and fan tuan, though it definitely wasn't the best. Pan-fried radish cake with egg was the best thing there, but something or everything from the mix was MSG-laden. The after-effects were pretty terrible so I don't think it is worth coming here again. read more

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Been frequenting this place for years and have always been happy with its fast and fresh food. No frills service and consistently good dishes, from their salty soy milk and salty rice roll to their egg omelet and daikon cake. All are hot and tasty! Aside from some items not served in the afternoon or randomly unavailable, I'm usually able to get what I'm craving. Great spot for whenever I miss Taiwanese food. read more

This places always puts a smile on my face. My go-to is the savory soymilk dipped with crullers. Don't forget to get the sweet soymilk too.

Not much ambiance -- hey a takeout stand with some tables in a Monrovia strip center -- but what an awesome breakfast: porridge, daikon cake, xiao long bao. Everything yummy. read more

Huge Tree Pastry was closed and we were desperate for some soy milk and Chinese donut. I Yelped the nearest place that was still open at 6pm and it brought me here. Baaaad idea. You order your food at the cashier and they bring you your food. This restaurant has more of a shop feel than restaurant feel. They sell various food products along the wall. The prices are similar to Huge Tree Pastry but the food not nearly as tasty. The hot soy milk tasted like soy milk I've had out of a can before. The Chinese donut was OK. We also got the smoked chicken which I had just a bite of because it was SO smoky... like having a chimney in your mouth. Ack. So gross. The only thing decent I ate was the beef shao bing. The meat was tender, moist and delicious. read more

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I've always loved the original Yi Mei location in Rowland Heights, but this one is a huge step up in terms of service, atmosphere, decors, space, plating, and overall sanitation. [ Service ] You order at the counter, then they'll bring the food to you by your number. I feel like this location speaks English better than the other location, which is a plus since most of my friends couldn't order in Chinese. [ Food ] Most of their breakfast dishes are under $5. Here are some things I would recommend: - Soy milk - Egg Omelette - Daikon cake - Salty Rice Roll The other location has garlic and spicy sauces available on each table, which makes it really unsanitary since some people will touch their food with the sauce spoons inside. Fortunately, this location upgraded to a more efficient and cleaner method by having a full sauce station to the left of the cashier. read more

Typical Taiwan style breakfast. It is located in a small plaza. We went around 730 AM so there was plenty of parking. However, this plaza does fill quick during the afternoon and parking gets tough. There isn't any service. The server just brings the food to the table based on your assigned number. The sauces, chopsticks, and napkins are all on a table near the cashier. There is nothing on the table so you have to get everything yourself. We ordered: 1. Purple rice roll - the fried donut inside was crispy, definitely made fresh when ordered. Too bad I didn't see the option of being able to add egg to the roll 2. Daikon cake - came with 4 pieces. The surprising part was they fry their cake and not pan fry them. They looked like hash browns to me. I thought the cake was slightly too salty for me. I would prefer it less seasoned so I can dip it in the garlic sauce and chili sauce. 3. Egg omelette - basically a wrap filled with pan fried eggs. Pretty good, light and simple. 4. Soy milk - not sure why but it came out really bubbly on top. It was good though. Already slightly sweetened and you can add more sugar yourself. Overall solid breakfast. All carbs so get ready to get filled easily. The totally came out to be $16.15, which is pretty affordable. read more

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Food is not very good. I ordered a minced pork rice plate and the rice itself was not well cooked. Instead of an egg they supplemented with a piece of tofu without asking me if that'll be okay. Food was overpriced and it look awhile to make even being the only person there. Everything was just mediocre for the price paid. read more