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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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

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

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

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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Probably my favorite Taiwanese breakfast place in all of LA! I always get their salty rice ball (is it called ball?) with egg pancake and iced sweet soy milk. But you should also totally try their hot salty soy milk (it is pretty darn good!). This place is as authentic as it can get in the US. FOR REAL! read more

BF and I would talk about getting Chinese breakfast on the weekends, but never get up early enough to beat the crowds. I found Yi Mei on Yelp and it seemed like they serve breakfast until pretty late, so we finally tried Chinese breakfast at 2 pm on Sunday. Even though breakfast is still offered, no more hot soy milk (both sweet and salty) was available anymore when we got there. Despite that setback, we were hungry and didn't want to come back another time so we placed our food order minus the soy milk. We got a Chinese donut (you tiao - $1.90), fried onion pancake (chong you bing - $3.50), 2 salty rice rolls (xian fan tuan - $3.70 each), an egg omelette (dan bing - $3.70), and a beef roll (niu rou juan bing - $7.25). Everything but the last two were staples of my childhood meals of Chinese breakfast. BF wanted the beef roll and the egg omelette looked great from photos. You place your order first at the register and then, if you're dining in, grab your order number and pick a seat. The donut came first, followed by the rice rolls, egg omelette, pancake, and beef roll. Donut was a little greasier than I'd like, but tastes just as I remembered it. Same goes for the rice rolls and pancake. The pancake, though, is light on the salt and the green onion taste isn't as strong, but overall it had a nice crisp to it and was not really greasy at all. The egg omelette was so fluffy and light! BF said it was the best thing we ordered. The beef roll that came last was cut into 4 pieces and were the plumpest I've ever seen of a beef roll. The beef was extremely flavorful, probably too flavorful as BF thought it was too salty. The rice rolls can be extremely filling, so we managed to finish all but two beef roll pieces and one full rice roll. We took the rest home to enjoy later. Since we didn't get to order hot soy milk, we instead took advantage of the water station they had off to the left side of the register. In case you wanted more to take home, they also have some pre-made drinks and frozen dumplings among other things in a refrigerated case on your right as you walk in. As we entered the place, BF remembered that his mom used to regularly buy their frozen dumplings here. Parking in this place can be hell, especially if you try to fight for spots closer to Yi Mei. Browse the whole plaza lot if you need to, but be careful with the spots on the side of the supermarket - they're extra tight and more likely to give you a ding on your car. 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

Good restaurant for breakfast Would recommend it Tip: call in before you pick up the order . It will save much more time read more

They have a $25 minimum for use of a credit card. I walked out. It's 2022, NOBODY CARRIES CASH!

I really like this spot. I've been here two times, and have been pleased with the food. I really like their salty soy milk - the first time I ever had it, it tasted bland, but my latest visit was much better. I also really like their egg omelette and the Taiwanese tamale. So simple, but delightful. I think their buns lack a bit of flavor, and don't really like their rice balls compared to JJ's, but everything else is good and I'd come back for. Of course, I'd be more comfortable if this store was bigger and had more seating. They're not equipped to handle large crowds, which is what they get! read more

Yi Mei - Steam rice bowl, oyster pancake, rice roll, egg omelette, pan fried dumplings, and donut. With soy milk and iced coffees! - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

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

Food is absolutely delicious I do recommend it service is good. The place is cozy elegant

Taiwanese breakfast at its best in the area! I loved going to the Rowland Heights location and am excited to see them growing and expanding their locations. I love to order the sweet soy milk ($2.50) and purple rice ball (~$6), but they have a ton of good options. Right now they have take out or you can order at the kiosk near their entrance. Highly recommend coming in for a filling and delicious breakfast or brunch option! read more

My son told me to give this place another try. So glad I did. Stopped in on a weekday morning after running errands. No line and plenty of tables. Ordered an egg pancake and rice roll and coffee. Egg pancake delicious and filled me up. Very hot with nice flavor. Rice roll saved for lunch. Coffee strong and excellent. Service prompt and prices reasonable. The menu has changed since I last visited and more choices made me happy. Also some hot pastries and some cold things in the case. Next time will get the scallion pancake and daikon. Clean and lots of parking. Order at counter, pick up utensils and take your number to your table. read more

Yi Mei - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

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The salty rice roll and zong zi were solid, but everything else we tried just fell a little short. Dumplings had thick and gummy skins -- they can't compete with Luscious Dumplings across the plaza. Taiwanese donut was crispy, but very oily -- you kind of feel the oil ooze out as you bite into it. Soy milk was fine, but I could get the same from the supermarket -- microwaving optional. I think coming here is a good idea if you're specifically craving Taiwanese breakfast. read more

Inexpensive and satisfying Taiwanese buns and breakfast food. The Yu Tiao (chinese donut) was cold-ish and seemed like it had been sitting around a while. But everything else was pretty good: Beef sandwich, egg omelette, and daikon cake. The daikon cake was fried on every side...not sure if they deep fry it, but it sure was tasty. The hot soy milk is unsweetened but the cold soy milk is sweetened. read more

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Authentic AF Taiwanese breakfast place!!! I would highly recommend their daikon (radish) cake with egg, soy milk, and egg omelette with corn. There's almost always a line whenever I come here and I totally understand why. They're delicious and very clean. read more

Whatever you do, Do NOT get their Xiao Long Bao! See photo attached. It's the most soggy, ugly and tiny xiao long Bao I have ever had in my life. I mean I've had my fair share of bad xiao long bao, but nothing compare to this. You can't even pick it up without something falling off. The bottom of the XLB is all torn because it's super super soggy and there is zero juice inside. The meat tasted old and not fresh. I seriously suspect they just bought those frozen ones from the asian market next door and just steamed them. I can't believe they charge $7.50 for some nasty ass XLB. Actually I wouldn't even call what they served as XLB because it disgraces XLB. So unhappy and disappointed. read more

Yi Mei - So nasty and soggy..... is this even a XLB?!!!! - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

We original came here to buy turnip cakes to pass out for CNY, which by the way are EXCELLENT. However, since we were already there, we ordered a typical TWese breakfast of potstickers, egg pancake, and salty soy bean milk. Compared to our "4 ocean" in SG, it's not quite as good and a bit far from home. Nevertheless, still worth the drive for the turnip cakes! read more

Yi Mei - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

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This is the closest place to me for taiwanese breakfast. They serve things like cold or hot soy milk, fried Chinese donuts, porridge and rice burrito with dried pork and turnip and oyster pancakes and turnip cakes. It isn't bad. although i do not recommend the oyster pancake to anyone. Mornings are usually busy especially on the weekends. However i much prefer to get my taiwanese/chinese breakfast at huge tree pastry in Monterey Park! read more

Yi Mei is a quick way to grab some good Taiwanese food, but my first visit was for breakfast. I came on a Saturday morning around 8:20 AM, and the line was about 10 minutes. Also, I ordered for Take-Out. One of the workers was being trained, which I thought was an odd time to train an employee. For example, the line was long, and it's the weekend, right during a rush. Some of the menu items are given to you after you order, and some are heated up, and you are given a number so that the server can bring you the rest of your order. When I left, I realized that I didn't have my curry pastry, so I went inside and they provided me one. It might be easier for both parties for the order to be given to the guests at one time. I understand that the pastries are being kept warm near the cashier, but customer satisfaction in providing the correct orders should be priority. This will decrease the probability of not providing the correct order. Food: I had the salty rice roll (fan tuan), curry pastry, and red bean mochi. I am a fan of their salty rice roll, which has rousong, a deep fried dough, all wrapped up in a ball of sticky rice. The rice was a bit on the hard side this time, but it didn't bother me. The curry pastry is really good too, with excellent flavor with a flaky texture. The red bean mochi is really soft, and the red bean inside isn't too sweet. It's a great dessert. Ambiance: I didn't sit down, but there are plenty of tables for seating. The line to order runs through the middle of the restaurant, which might be distracting for those who are trying to enjoy their meal. After having their breakfast, I wouldn't mind trying Yi Mei out for lunch or dinner, based on how the breakfast was. I would recommend Yi Mei for anyone who enjoys Taiwanese breakfast. read more

Yi Mei - Red bean mochi - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

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Came here on Sunday around 11am and most of the tables were already full. You order up front then take a seat. We ordered the rice roll ($5), pork and vegetable bun ($2), soy milk ($3), pork roll ($7), and the green onion pancake ($5). Prices are rounded up. Everything was good, but oily. I got sick of most of the food after a couple of bites. It was super filling though and I loved the soy milk! read more

Yi Mei - pork and vegetable bun, green onion pancake, and pork roll - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

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This restaurant is such a great breakfast place! My husband and I woke up so early in the morning, and couldn't go back to sleep because of the jet lag. Since we got so hungry, we looked for a place to have a good breakfast. We love Taiwanese food since we visited there a year ago. Since we truly enjoyed the beauty of their breakfast food, we wanted to have some similar experience here in LA, and decided to try this spot. We had hot soy milk, dumplings, meat ball, egg omelette and beef roll. Soy milk was smooth and refreshing. Meat ball was so delicious. I never tried this type of meat ball in Taiwan, but I liked the sticky part outside the meat. Egg omelette and dumplings were just ok though. My husband loved their beef roll so much. I would like to go back there again to try some more options. read more

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This is a regular for me for the last four years because they're the one place I can get purple rice wrap for my son. They are pricy, service is rude but the food was good. However, the food quality started to decline after pandemic, they often run out of item and the most basic item like the baked Chinese flat bread is tough and chewy. Well, I still come in every so often to remind myself the poor service and bad food taste because this is still the only place sells purple rice wrap that my son likes. Big Tree in monterey park also carry's purple rice wrap but it's too far a drive. read more

Pretty solid Taiwanese breakfast foods here! I ordered the daikon/turnip cake, the rice roll, some potstickers and a bowl of wonton noodle soup! Everything delivered on taste, but the potstickers were kind of small in size and the turnip cake was super dark in color (still tasted amazing though!). I had never tried those savory rice rolls before though, and it was delicious. Essentially, it's a Chinese donut wrapped in pork floss and then surrounded by a layer of sticky rice. Definitely a must-try here!! read more

Yi Mei - Wonton Noodle Soup - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

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This is a very close by Taiwanese breakfast place. I was craving for fan tuan the other day so I stopped by. I ordered the purple rice fan tuan with egg and it came to be $8 plus which kind of surprised me. I think the price is a little high. The Bay Area purple rice fan tuan is only $6-$7. read more

Taiwanese breakfast food is the BEST here! I always get the DAIKON CAKE, rice roll - FAN TUAN, GUA BAO (pork belly wrapped with a steamed bun taco), and SALTY SOY MILK with you tiao (fried Long donut). It's so delicious here!! Highly recommended. I love their daikon cake so much, I'll buy the block that they sell for $8 so I can make it at home I also came here for lunch once for their SHRIMP WONTON NOODLE SOUP. That was alright, broth was good but I've had better shrimp wontons. Price wise gives it 4 stars. There are slightly cheaper prices in comparison, but it's nice not having to drive that far for this wonderful delicious food ! read more

This is a great place that we visit a lot for take out. Everything here is quick and easy and pretty good quality. read more

This is a belated review of my Jan 2018 visit. The parking spaces in the parking lot are way too narrow. The dining area is small. I ordered a rice roll (aka fan than in other restaurant) with pickles. I don't like it because the pickle is a bit spicy. If you eat spicy food, I think you will like it. read more

Yi Mei - Rice roll with pickles from Yi Mei. - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Little bit pricier Taiwanese breakfast but it's still one of the best around. their rice balls are still just as good along with their soy milk, chinese donuts and more. Although they raised their prices, it's understandable given the economy and they've made sure that their food quality doesn't slack read more

My go-to place when I'm in the mood for some Taiwanese style breakfast! Yi Mei is incredibly packed on weekend mornings, so come prepared just in case. The waitresses and cashiers are quick on their feet so you won't need to wait very long. The food has always been fresh and it really hits the spot when you are craving this type of food! Warm Soy Milk - The warm taste of the soy milk is perfect for breakfast, although not extraordinary by any means, it complements any other breakfast choices very well. Chinese Donut & Baked Bread - The Chinese donut was crispy and meant to be eaten together with the baked bread. It was a nice combination, although on this particular visit, the Chinese donut was not as crispy as it should be. Daikon Cake - What makes Yi Mei's Daikon (turnip) Cake stand out from other Taiwanese breakfast places is that they fry them just a bit longer, giving it a gentle brown color and crunchy texture. Drizzled with some of their lightly spiced garlic and hot sauce makes this an especially enticing treat! Overall, a great place to have some Taiwanese style breakfast. They have a nice variety of choices, however, be expecting the possibility of a wait. They have several combos that are big on taste and easy on the wallet. I didn't get rice balls on this visit, but they are great as well! Taste-wise it's a close second to actually being in Taiwan, HotButHungryAsianGuy recommends Yi Mei for breakfast in the mornings! Until next time, Deliciousness awaits! -HotButHungryAsianGuy read more

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We decided to give Taiwanese style breakfast a try. You basically order with the cashier, get a number, find a table, and the food comes out to you. The whole process was very quick. We trusted their top 10 most ordered dishes - Rice Roll, Soy Milk, and Radish Cake. The rice roll was basically a Chinese don't wrapped in sticky rice. Surprisingly, as simple as it was, it was tasty. The soy milk was a little underwhelming. There was nothing unique about it. I do recommend getting the small though; small is more than enough for one person. The radish cake was crispy enough. Do not get their oyster omelette. The texture is so odd! I think the weird texture of the oyster pancake comes from a starchy ingredient they add to it. Overall, the place was mediocre. Maybe I just don't appreciate Taiwanese breakfast, but it really was just okay. I don't think I will be back. read more

Yi Mei - Small soy milk order, half a rice roll, and half an order of the daikon cake - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Finally a fantastic I mean fantastic Taiwanese breakfast place in the Arcadia/ Monrovia area. They've got all your typical Taiwanese breakfasts foods including 油條、豆漿、餡餅、小籠包etc. For people not acquainted with Taiwanese breakfasts fear not, the menu is is in English and Chinese and most of the staff speak both. If you use the iPad in the back or order online "to-go" and spend over $10 you can get a free soy milk. They've got combinations for all the generic breakfast food that come with soy milk. Anyway here's what I get: Vegetarian Rice Rolls 素飯糰：5/5 I'm not a fan of porksung but I do love the rice rolls. So grab the vegetarian one. It's sticky rice filled with a Chinese donut, with vegetarian pork-sung and you must must must add pickled vegetables and an egg if you are so inclined. Grab some garlic sauce from the sauce counter that'll be the icing to the top. Add a bit of the the chili for a sweet/spicy kick. Salty Soy-Milk 鹹豆漿：5/5 Sounds funky but I assure you it's fantastic. It's like porridge, but with soy and it has pork-sung, green onions, and pieces of chinese donut. Add a scoop of the garlic sauce from the counter and add a bit flavor and a tbsp of the red chili oil and you're food to go. XiaoLongBao 小籠包： 4/5 Steamed pork dumplings. It's not going to be as fancy as Ding Tai Fung but it's pretty good. It's freshly steamed and comes with ginger and white vinegar. They have food for lunch as well. I hear the beef rolls are amazing and beef noodle soup. I'll have to give them a try next time. I just love the breakfast so much! read more

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The radish cake is fire! Better than any of the ones at dim sum places. Easy take out breakfast.

This place sure brings back memories as I had Taiwanese breakfasts pretty often as a child. I've been here on a few weekday mornings. It's not too busy since i'm sure most people would probably come here on the weekends. We had two combos - the rice roll and Chinese pancake. I chose the salty rice roll and it was pretty good. Not too salty compared to other mom and pop places in Monterey Park. We also had an extra order of daikon radish cakes. The radish cakes weren't too greasy and they were really fresh so they had a nice crisp taste to them. The warm soy milk was just what I needed on a slightly cool morning. I have a sweet tooth so I loaded mine with sugar. I think their sugar containers are cute but the one I picked up was spilling all over the table. I like how they sell pre-made buns to take home and steam. I'm temped to pick up a few next time and try them out. read more

Yi Mei - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Finally open in Arcadia/Monrovia! Don't have to go all the way to Rowland Heights anymore! Everything here is just as good especially the turnip cake (must add egg!) and salty soy. JJ bakery is a complete failure in comparison. When I go I always get the following Salty soy turnip cake with egg Beef sao-bing sandwich If i'm sharing I also order the pork belly sandwich and fan tuan rice roll This place is an institution.. stemming from the original store located in monterey park. Lauren O below says food was cold and tasteless. I'd like to know what she ordered. Everything was sold out at night? I wonder why? limited selection on the menu? its a freaking taiwanese breakfast joint.. did you expect a 50page cheesecake factory menu? LOL read more

Yi Mei - Salty rice roll - Taiwanese Near Me - Monrovia, California