Always such great service by everyone there and the food is always perfect. It is also very clean and nicely decorated

I absolutely love the ninja fries! I've tried other dishes here before but the ninja fries alone is what deserves a 5 star rating. As a home chef, I know how hard it is to prepare pumpkin. I appreciate the way the pumpkin is prepared and perfectly battered. Last time, I ordered the fries to go and they remained crunchy even after an hour. The sauce it comes with is a perfect match. GO TRY THE NINJA FRIES NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY :) read more

Cha Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

I came in today and ordered tofu wrap with fries instead of their house chips and edamame, the tofu wrap would've been better if it had flavor.I had to use their Cha sauce to get any flavor, fries were good, edamame was ehhh. It was dry for some reason like you can see the wrinkles on the shell. If that makes sense. Anyways, their food is okay but their service is really on point. The staff is so nice, they would clarify if you weren't sure about something and they would also take the time to explain, their staff is really sweet and welcoming. The Beef wang box will always be a fave , it's not bad but it's not great, but worth coming from time time for a quick pick me up meal. read more

Cha Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

Tried out the their beef skewers and the elite ribs. Great flavor on both. I will definitely be coming back. Service was amazing as well.

Pumpkin Fries FTW! Those things are sooo addicting! I would come back just for those. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tTpXsgFiqlP2t8bieoDisw?select=anC3s1ZpM0e8r939of1YKQ They also have sweet potato fries, which are also yum, but i would rather eat the pumpkin fries. I also tried the Spam and Egg Tots- YES!!! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tTpXsgFiqlP2t8bieoDisw?select=xA5YUEEBpJ3T-9dov13ozQ If u want to feel a little bit less guilty, get the lettuce wrap taco things. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tTpXsgFiqlP2t8bieoDisw?select=tEhy8PNl0FMPug8S_6Lb6g These were super good. Comes on a perfectly crunchy romaine lettuce leaf and yummy meats and veggies. It's a great place to come with a small group and just share everything. Make sure to get the pumpkin fries!!! * the only gripe i have is they serve their water in styrofoam cups. :( $1 fusion taco tuesdays! 4pm-10pm. Open till midnight! (but i would recommend going earlier in the day...) 10% off with Yelp Check-in! read more

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This is a quaint little spot in the corner next to a donut shop that apparently sells ice cream donuts!! At first, I thought this place would be your typical boba shop that sell popcorn chicken and fried squid- but I was wrong. This place have a couple novelty items like the infamous ramen burger and fries topped with spam!! Ambiance: Very casual, several televisions around the room Food: +Poke a la carte- it came with the sauce on the side and on a bed of lettuce. The poke was decent- I am not a poke connoisseur, but as long as it doesn't taste fishy- I'm happy. * TIP: don't use all it! add it a little bit at a time because I poured the whole thing in, and it was a little too salty for my liking +Pumpkin fries- I personally do not like fries (I know I am weird), but my friend ordered them and I thought they were delicious. The pumpkin fries tastes like sweet potato fries. But because of how thinly they were cut, it was also super crispy. +Spicy Sauce- I love this sauce!! It's like a spicy mayo/ranch blend. I put it on my poke and it lightened out the saltiness. MUST TRY! Overall, I would recommend coming here for a late night bite. (They close at 11:45 pm). read more

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So Qster H. sends me a link today about the newest craze in San Francisco - Ramen Chicken Wings from Hot Sauce and Panko. I swear, he's like the Vietnamese Martin Yan of know how amongst the latest food rage. More on the Ramen Wings in a bit. Since, I had ramen in the brain and was also craving a burger, I put two and two together and soon was on the hunt for a Ramen Burger. I remember some people waiting in line for over 4 hours this past September at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Torrance for just that. I can't imagine myself doing the same, so I did the next best thing. Quoting Snickers, find Cha Cafe and "Feed The Hunger." RAMEN BURGER For $8.95, you can get this very decent Top Ramen Burger, with your choice of Regular or Spicy Ramen bun. I took Diana N.'s advice and added a Sunny Side Up Egg for 90 cents extra. The burger is a tad smaller in size, but since I was so intrigued by the newness of what I was about to consume, I didn't mind. Plus, they give you fries and Thousand Island on the side. Beef, cheese, lettuce, egg, and some kind of sauce - in what seems to be store bought Top Ramen instant noodles. How they figured out the secret to shaping the noodles is anyone's guess. Cook them without losing it's shape, make them soft on the inside, but sturdy enough to hold everything together on the outside. They weren't burnt or crunchy, as the pictures might lead you to believe. I got the Spicy Ramen Bun, which wasn't hot at all, just saltier. Overall, not a terrible burger and definitely worth a rerun. The service was noteworthy. Friendly and inviting, I can see why many come here to relax or study. They have daily specials and quite a few items to choose from. I had the Iced Milk Tea to wash down my tasty Ramen Burger and it was excellent. Rating - 4 stars 3 stars for the Ramen Burger, 1 extra star for the service and creativity. I'm sure the gourmet Ramen Burgers have an extra zing to the noodles or carry some kind of flavoring or secret sauce to give it that extra ramen taste, but Cha Cafe's simple rendition is not bad at all. For those who've never tried a Ramen Burger, it's the perfect opportunity to bridge that gap. RAMEN WINGS Recently perfected and top secret, the ramen coated wings are like normal chicken wings, except with a crunchy noodle exterior. The vinegar sauce has a tangy aftertaste, which adds further mystery on what the texture and taste might be like. Here's the complete article, along with photos, from thrillist.com (http://www.thrillist.com/eat/san-francisco/the-richmond/ramen-wings-at-hot-sauce-and-panko-thrillist-sf). Still not interested? Ninja please... CHRIS EATS HERE in search of the han solo burger read more

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Like others have mentioned, definitely comfort food. I ordered the carnitas nachos and ramen burger. It was my first time trying a ramen burger ever. It was good. I think I prefer bread as the bun though. It came with thick cut potato chips kinda tasted like a more earthy root vegetable. The meat was flavorful and the patty was good sized. The nachos were delicious. Gotta love wonton chips. I saw people ordering drinks and it looked good. I enjoyed the cha sauce. They are allowing patrons to use the public restroom during Covid. There are three tables outside for dining. We are instructed to wait outside for the food. It took about 15 minutes for the food to come out. read more

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cha cafe has been on my bookmark list for the longest time. i finally had the chance to check it out and while it didn't blow me out of the water, it was pretty good for what it offered. i noticed this place a while back because i saw friends posting on facebook about a new place offering ramen burgers. yes you heard right, ramen burgers. i love trying new types of food, so i had to make it my mission to journey down here. when we came, it was pretty late, but luckily they are open late. they are located in the corner of a nondescript strip mall. it didn't take too long to get the food, and once it came we wolf it down asap. we ordered the ramen burger and the beef wang box. we wanted to try the ninja fries, but decided it was too much food for just 2 people. the ramen burger was not bad... the meat was juicy and the ramen buns were kinda dry. i think if they were to infuse the ramen buns with kimchi, it would add 10x the flavors. the beef wang box on the other hand was really delicious. they also give you cha orange sauce for you to drench your food with. i think its a mixture of sriracha and mayo... i recommend this place and will come back to try other items! read more

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So bummed about not having the ramen burger before 4pm since I ordered this for lunch. beef wang bowl - good flavors, good portion, beef and mushrooms cooked nicely. cheesesteak fries - SO GOOD. the sauce was on point and beef was flavored great. anytime meat and fries are together, I'm a happy camper. which brings me to... SPAM AND EGG FRIES: scrambled eggs with spam in it topped with some aioli sauce on top of fries. I LOVE spam. and seriously couldn't stop eating this. a medley of flavors I never thought would go together. poke box - felt like this could have had more flavors even with the ponzu and more of it with less rice. there wasn't a lot of poke to go around. chorizo wontons - omg so good. these were my favorite. chorizo was lean and well-flavored, wonton skin crispy. would definitely want to come back to try to ramen burger read more

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I just had this all I have to say is WOW!! It was so good I have to come back while I'm in still in town, I would like to try the poke nachos. read more

Cha Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

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This is the first time I ate here but wanted to try a ramen burger. The girls behind the counter were very nice and provided great device with a smile. I ordered a ramen burger and requested the noodles be extra crispy. It came with a side of house chips. I also ordered a milk tea with boba. The ramen burger was ok and came with aioli sauce and cheese --I would have preferred teriyaki sauce though I did detect a small amount of it on the burger. The noodle bun was far from crispy but in fact chewy (not at all how I like it) but the flavor was decent. I might return to try some of their other unique dishes--there seemed to be a steady crowd coming in in the early afternoon. Milk tea boba was good. read more

Cha Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

yass, im a fan! this place is located right next to my friends house so we decided to come for lunch one day. i was starving, so per usual, i over ordered. we got two orders of the lettuce wrap (one with beef and one with chicken), a cha burger with sweet potato fries, and i believe the carne asada fries. om nom nom!! it really hit the spot. friendly staff and easy parking. will be back! read more

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Came here with the bae...was feeling pretty healthy so we got: Grilled chicken salad: Nom nom chicken was nice and tender with just the right amount of soy-sesame (or whatever it was) glaze...not too sweet or saucy, just right! Crispy veggies and pickled zucchini or something to really complete the meal! Poke salad: A teensy bit too fishy for my tastes, though I may be spoiled by salmon poke from actual poke places. However, for a non-poke specialty joint, it was good and at a decent price :) I need to come here again to try the lettuce cup things and the unhealthy stuff! Everything looks yummy and employees are very friendly! read more

Pro: Great customer service. The side veggie is fresh The meat is property grill Offer daily special on certain item Con: Not you typical HK cafe (no free refill) Food you order not necessary look like the picture in the menu a bit pricey for this area This is definite not another HK cafe. They food they make is more about quality than quantity. Great service, might easy to miss the place, is located next to the school in a small plaza. read more

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GET THE CHEESESTEAK FRIES. YOU'RE WELCOME. CUSTOMER SERVICE: 5/5. They are so sweet! Welcomed right when I walked in and they even checked up on me to see if my drink and fries were okay. MANGO GREEN TEA: 5/5. I like the drinks really sweet an surprisingly I didn't have to ask for more sugar this time. The tea flavor is really light and the mango didn't taste too syrupy which is a plus! CHEESESTEAK FRIES: 5/5. WOW. The portion was big enough for two people for sure. Couldn't finish the whole thing and it was so damn good. The steak was seasoned nicely and the fries were crispy. They gave me their house sauce as well which tasted like a spicy thousand island. Definitely need to try this! OVERALL: 5/5. Cute interior design. Great service. Prices are average. About $1 more than other boba stores but their drinks are bigger in size. Well worth it for food prices. I'll be back~ read more

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I fell in love with this place today! Perfect place to meet a friend, grab lunch, or work on your laptop.... I'm kind of afraid to review it because I loved the way it had open seats! I never would have noticed it in this tiny strip mall. A friend and I were having a job searching party, came here around 1, and grabbed a hidden, corner booth. The menu consisted of a large variety of lunch "boxes" (some kind of meat with rice), your usual comfort foods, boba drinks, Mexican food, Asian food, and combos of both. The fact that they had horchata frappe boba should give some kind of idea of the cuisine. I ordered the tuna poke box, he ordered the Wang box and pastrami cheese fries to split. Why this place is 5-star worthy to me: - Unlimited, free wifi - TONS of outlets - Outstanding service. We were always checked on, and no one made us feel rushed or that we were hogging a table. The waitress even offered to refrigerate my leftover tuna until we left, since it was seafood. Offering to put our food in the fridge so we can stay longer? Who DOES that? - I loved loved the food. My plate had a good portion of tuna in flavorful marinade, with sides of sprouts, rice, steamed veggies, and teriyaki sauce, all for around $7. - Did I mention that the service was so nice and friendly, even when it was clear that we wouldn't be ordering anything else? - Free refills on teas - Good music that wasn't too loud or distracting I can't wait to come back! read more

I've had the ramen burger twice now and have not been disappointed. Extremely flavorful in a very addicting way. Cut it in half and either share with a friend or save it for later (it heats up ok too). The patty was moist and tasty, and paired with the sauce and ramen buns, it's so delicious. Probably best to save this for a special YOLO meal because the sodium is prob insane. I also tried a fruit smoothie which was pretty refreshing. The last time we came here to get a burger to-go, the service was outstanding. Maybe we were talking to the owner, but regardless, the guy was super friendly and really made us feel welcomed and valued as customers. We left with a really good impression of the place. read more

I haven't tried their real food yet...but I can imagine that it should be alright. I got their pumpkin fries. Yes those were good but it wasn't any different than eating a pumpkin tempura that you get at a japanese restaurant. Personally I think it would have been better if it wasn't so thinly cut. If the chef can make it a tad bit thicker then it'd better...just so people have some texture to chew on. On some of them the batter was heavily coated..therefore you can't really taste the pumpkin. I DO like the sauce that comes with it...it was addicting! We also ordered a tuna poke nacho. That was just ok. I don't think I would order that again. The chips aren't tortilla chips...they were fried wonton skins. Too many wonton skin and too little tuna poke. We had a lot if chips left over. I do plan on going back and try other items. Some of their tacos look pretty good. I also want to try their coffee. This is a good alternative hang out spot. Rather than going to those boba places..go to Cha & Cafe. Tv screens mounted on the wall...plenty of tables and chairs for big groups. And most of their items are in reasonable price. read more

Another hole-in-the-wall place. Never knew about this place until a friend told me about it. Came here with the boyf and we always tend to order more than we can eat... I always want to order everything popular or the ones that look good in pictures... And we are forced to stuff ourselves =P Came here on a Friday night for their Clam Chowder special. They have a special everyday of the week, I believe. We ordered the Poke Nachos, Pumpkin Fries, Chicken Pesto Sandwich, Clam Chowder and Iced Tea. Iced tea was whatevers. Clam chowder was meh. Poke Nachos were yummy! Fried wonton skins ftw. Pumkin fries was good when fresh and crispy. Chicken Pesto Sandwich was just okay. Good service, though! 10% discount when you check in via YELP. Oh and they have free wifi :) This place seems like a good place to study/do hw. Pretty mellow and lots of tables. read more

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The staff is very friendly. I asked about the ChaFruta and the staff member gave me a rundown of the how the drink tastes. It is like I could taste it in my mouth. The spicy aspect was a turn off. I did end up getting the HK Milk Tea. HK Milk Tea has a stronger taste than normal milk tea. They did a good job on it. Parking can be a little tough during rush hours. I have gotten the food before and it isn't too bad. I'll review the food next time I get it. read more

Cha Cafe - HK Milk Tea. It's not bad - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

Considering I'm very picky with good healthy food. This place is pretty good, I came here a couple of times to try different dishes.. I never got pulled into a restaurant so many times to try other dishes before D: I feel like a fatty~ but When I eat their stuff I don't feel oily icky like other places. I actually like the Chicken pesto wrap. and the kalbi is very good here too, its not as oily like other korean places that sell em, very tasty. The milk tea is different here, but I actually like it, and I can never get it anywhere but here. Considering their milk tea taste more herbal. But the honey green tea probably I have to tell them to put less sugar, considering I dont really like the sweetness~ but you can tell them how much sugar that you want to fit your taste. I heard that the THAI ICE TEA is popular. I might try it later when I go back to Cha Cafe~ BUT what I REALLY like that blew my mind was the Beef Ssam Bap!! it actually has bits of jackfruit on top, https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425216_10150705166106007_670001006_11702653_2073405035_n.jpg I thought it was yellow bell pepper but I asked the owner, and he told me it was jackfruit. When tasted it, I felt like I was one of the judges on Iron Chef! and I'm not kidding considering I never tried anything with fruit like that on top. The Beef Ssam Bap was like a gourmet meal for me to try HAHA (sorry for the craziness, but I'm telling the truth xD ) I would say this is a good experience for your tastebuds~ and even my aunt told me she would come back (considering she was an ex-chef from a chinese express restaurant) The Black Pepper steak came back~ from what I've heard from other customers https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420925_10150702857061007_670001006_11695898_176148123_n.jpg it has sunny side up egg~ and very good beef cubes (not chewy but its just right) with caramelized onions... this is sooooo good.... like some vietnamese dish. i love to put lime all over it! :D but sadly~ its only sold on the dinner menu... on SUNDAYS they have Orange chicken and waffles https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/429197_10150598633914807_617159806_9152527_430719279_n.jpg THE WAFFLES ARE SOOOOO GOOOOOOD! Im not a chicken fan but this was ACTUALLY pretty good :x and the orange syrup zest was perfect along with the actual mandarin orange fruit. I think this plate is big but I think it would perfectly fit with two people, unless you have a big stomach then go for it! haha! Besides the healthy food~ I LOOOOVEEE their sweet potato fries!!!!! love it crispy! dunked with their special spicy sauce :] HAHA Usually when I eat food on other places, I always have to get green tea after (considering MSG or too salty), but here at CHA CAFE I'm actually fine with water O_O I'm even surprised at myself... read more

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Tip 1: Check in with Yelp they may have discounts from time to time Tip 2: They also have a lunch menu containing items that you don't see in the regular menu First Timers: I recommend the beef wang box and mixed fruit tea I really, really, really want this place to succeed. In many ways it reflects the kind of restaurant I would want to open: Asian-(LA)-American Fusion. Where else can one get a Ramen Burger, Sweet Potato Fries, and a large Horchata under one roof? I'm a regular here and maybe its just me but I end up leaving feeling OK. It's a combination of the price and for some menu items, taste. I mean $7 for a burger? I'd rather do $3-5 burgers at Smashburger or The Habit. The chicken strips? Tastes like they are on the "been out too long" side of things. The french fries are good and the rice boxes are really the way to go here because they come out stir fried fresh. read more

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RAMEN BURGER!! This review is going to be short because I've only recently discovered this place thanks to Ariana V. (SHOUT OUT!! and thanks for reviewing this!) I'll have a more updated review of this place the next chance I get to stop by and have more things on the menu to make a real verdict. As far as the ramen burger though, the noodle buns were very flavorful and the patty complimented it well in terms of not overpowering it in flavor. I almost felt like there should've been a roll reversal to have the patty as the buns and the ramen in the middle. The spicy mayo did it for me! I originally had this notion that it was going to be something generic like having it be drenched in Teriyaki or something, but thank goodness I was wrong. The menu looks interesting and I'm waiting for the day I get to come back and raid it for more stuff. WORD OF ADVICE: Only 25 of these bad boys are made daily and they don't start making them until after 5pm so get your alarms ready. About $9 for the burger and a side of fries with dipping sauce... Worth a try. read more

Cha Cafe - ramen burger - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

Came here with my family and some friends for dinner this past Saturday. We came at around 7pm and the place wasn't crowded at all. Strange. But I'm not going to complain about not waiting. We got seated right away in the center tables. This was my first time here so my friend and I shared a ramen burger. Ask for it to be cut in half because one is ridiculously big. My sister and her friend also shared a ramen burger. The ramen burgers are pretty big, too big to be finished by one person in my opinion. Go for it if you don't want to try any other foods. My parents shared a Sampler Plate which came with satay chicken and shrimp. Between the 6 of us, we shared a cheesesteak fries. Food was SO GOOD. I never understood the meaning of COMFORT FOOD until I tried this place. I was so happy after. The ramen burgers were great! The server suggested that we got an egg with it, which was $1 extra (pricey but I felt like it made a real difference). The sauce was a tad bit spicy but overall, loved the ramen burgers. STRONGLY RECOMMEND! The ramen burgers came with fries as well so that was nice. I personally liked the rice that came with the Sampler Plate. The sauce went really well with it and it was cooked the perfect amount - a little broken but still intact. I don't exactly know how to explain it, but it was great. Lastly, the cheesesteak fries. YUM. I COULDN'T GET ENOUGH. This place is amazing. Granted that the choice of food is not the healthiest, I think it's definitely worth the cheat day! Cha Cafe also offers special deals everyday, such as Taco Tuesdays, Wings Wednesdays, etc. My friends always come for the wings, but I haven't gotten the chance to try it out yet. Will definitely be back soon to have ramen burgers and cheesesteak fries again as well as try out some other things on the menu! read more

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O M G if you love burgers you have to try the Ramen Burger from this place! Totally delicious with their secret sauce spread and the noodles cooked to a slight crunch. The staff is SUPER friendly too. Very attentive and you can tell they love to take care of their customers here. read more

Cha Cafe - Thai Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

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just recently had the pleasure of eating at this place and I must say YUUUUUUMMY! I came here because we did a small production here, the staff was suuper helpful and friendly during the entirety of our production. After, they even treated us to their delicious food, including off the menu dishes. The chef, the manager, and the waitress were great! Not once did I have to track down someone to ask for anything, they were helpful and very attentive. + the waitresses are cute ;] one of them even gave me a hand massage! food was AHHmazing! everyone from the production was completely satisfied and happy. I particularly loved the artichoke & tomato bruschetta and strawberry-banana smoothie. overall, I would DEF come back. A+ read more

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Wing it Wednesdays! Buy 6 chicken wings for $6 and get 6 more for free. The good thing about this is that they give you 3 different kind of sauces. I would have given them 5 stars if it isn't because their drinks aside from pricey are also tasteless. read more

Cha Cafe - Thai tea + cookie and creams frapp - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

Beef Wang Bowl! Why you so good?! I always crave this and it's always a drive but I don't careeeee. The bowl comes with shredded beef, mushrooms, fried onions, green onions, slices of egg, and if you mix it with the spicy mayo sauce, it's a delicious bowl of rice. It's about $8-9? But that's not all I get. I must also order their infamous Pumpkin fries ($4.95) . Who would have thought pumpkins taste so good, fried! They have a lot of other stuff on their menu and many drinks too. Everything is to worth a try but those are my two favorites and my usual. I've never dine in here before. I don't know why, just never felt like eating there. But the staff are really nice and welcoming. They're located in a small plaza with about a dozen parking spaces, but I've never had trouble finding parking. I come around lunch time on weekends mainly, though. Cha Cafe is also not too big, maybe about a dozen tables seating for 4. For sure not as sizable as other cafes. They have lots of specials, like Taco Tuesday with features their Asian fusion tacos and Wings Wednesday, my favorite deal, that's 12 wings for $4.95! And we all know I love chicken wings! This place is a good alternate Asian food cuisine that differs in varieties and taste compared with other cafes around, which is why it draws a crowd. read more

What impressed me the most here is the friendly and attentive service that I didn't expect from an asian cafe. 5 stars for that! The food are also good. The Ramen burger and the Spam & Eggs Fries that we got were great comfort food options. Last time I tried Ramen burger at a fair I was greatly disappointed, so was a little afraid to order this, but my daughter wanted it, so we did. Their ramen is cooked perfectly for purpose of using it as a bun, and the beef patty was also flavorful and nice and thick. Considering it's not a burger place, I was pleasantly surprised. Although I wish there was more lettuce and may be tomato slices to make it a little more refreshing as it did feel very heavy after several bites. The Spam & Eggs Fries are as good as I imagined it would be. If you check in on yelp and order over $25, you get a free Dole Whip, which was yummy! read more

I've wanted to try this place for a while since they send out ads every once in a while. It's really weird when you walk in to a place for the first time and don't get greeted and you pull out a chair loudly and since it's quiet, some people stare at you... looks like it's a good study place.There was a guy waiter there that mostly attributes to this rating. He wasn't particularly attentive at all and was instead flirting or busy chatting with his coworker (who was pretty and thankfully towards the end of the night made me feel more comfortable during my meal here). I think she was supposed to be the server but was busy restocking in the back when I entered, because the waiter didn't really help anyone else after and made drinks and was a cashier. The short rib tacos were good and a bit different, but I've definitely had better. The pork loin was extremely tough. It's most likely a cheap cut of meat that hasn't been tenderized and fried for too long. There were also egg strips and something really salty (I couldn't figure out if it was the egg strips or maybe an accidental spill of salt with my mayo or bread), but it was like I was making out with a salt lick. Then the bread tasted soft and like it was a day old. The sweet potato fries added onto the make-out session with salt and they were fried really poorly since they were really brown and overcooked. I was thinking for a while what my final thoughts for this place was and I'm going to have to say it's about 2.5 stars. The 0.5 stars comes from the waitress being so nice to me at the end of the night. I heard their Kabocha fries were good from my friend but she as well as some of my other friends agree it's an overall okay place. I may come back and give them a chance, but it's not going to be for a VERY long time. read more

I've been avoiding this place for years after a really horrible experience. Nothing I ordered there was good.. Fast forward to this week. I was pleasently surprised that I enjoyed everything! What I Ordered - Spicy Gummy Bears - HK Style Milk Tea with Boba - Pesto Chicken Wrap with Homemade Chips - Cha Cheesesteak Fries The Spicy Gummy Bears were delicious! Soft with a really good kick. Not worth the price they were charging though for the small box... It was $4 and some change. However, everything there is really overpriced for what it really it. :X I was really surprised at how the boba basically melted in my mouth. The Milk Tea itself was whatevers lol. The Pesto Chicken Wrap with Homemade Chips were delicious!! Minus the huge slices of onion. The same goes for the Cha Cheesesteak Fries. Too many onions and better with the extra sauce drizzled on it! read more

My husband ordered Togo here for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised by the food. "Combo plate" (not sure of exact name since I didn't go and hubby is so quick to throw receipts away) had great variety of shrimp skewer, a cross btw Korean style BBQ & teriyaki beef, pork and chicken with thin shredded eggs. The side of pickled veggies w/ seaweed stole the show. It was just the right amount of acidity with sour and sweetness. Now onto the interesting "cheese steak fries." My taste-buds found a new love. Great texture and crunch from the fries contrasted perfectly with well seasoned/salted steak strips with onions, red & green bell peppers and just the right amount of melted Swiss cheese. Yummy!!! I now prefer it over fries instead of a bun. I think Anthony Bourdain would agree! :) I would give it 3.5 stars but selected 4 to be on the positive side. read more

Cha Cafe - Combo plate was yummy. Great variety! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

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I never would have found this place if it weren't for Yelp, as always, but I decided to make the drive down here because the pictures looked so good!! The parking lot for this tiny little plaza is quite small compared to the parking lot for the plaza next door. We went in and it was kind of empty on an early Saturday afternoon. We ordered the chicken fajita fries, kalbi beef cheesesteak, kalbi beef plate, pina colada smoothie and horchata frappe. Everything came out pretty fast and we barely had to wait for our food. Honestly, I hate to say this but the pictures looked WAY better than how it tasted. The chicken fajita fries were lacking salt and they could have added more cheese or bigger/more pieces of chicken...or something! We took this home as a leftover and just ate this with ranch dressing...much better. The kalbi beef cheesesteak wasn't too bad. We felt like it was definitely missing a component here. The meat was a little dry and there could have been more "cha sauce" because there wasn't much flavor. It came with fries and you can substitute that for potato salad or even sweet potato fries for a dollar more. The kalbi beef plate was probably the best one that we've ordered that day. Came with about four skewers of well marinated kalbi beef on top of rice with a side of cucumbers and dressing along with another side of potato salad. If you were to get anything, get this. Not too bad at all. I really liked my horchata frappe but my bf didn't really like his pina colada smoothie since it was kind of bland. Every single menu item that they had pictures of looked so good but what we ordered ended up being disappointing. I really wanted to like this place but it looks like I won't be coming back. Really nice waitress, though! read more

First timer at Cha Cafe on Taco Tuesday! Ordered 6 kalbi beef tacos ($2/2) A lot of flavor but of course for a dollar they were pretty small. Reminded me a lot of Cha Cha Chili's tacos. Also had the cheese steak fries. This is more like an appetizer for 8.95 which is pretty expensive for just fries and some small pieces of steak. Meh. Service was a little slow even though the place wasn't packed.. I'd come back to give it another shot. 10% off with yelp check in. read more

In my opinion a solid 4 stars here is kind of overrated. I ordered the ninja fries and chicken ssam baps. I actually really loved the ssam baps - the lettuce is crisp and the meat is savory and delicious. One order probably won't be enough for starving people but they're super affordable (~$5) and come in 2s. On the other hand I was pretty disappointed by the ninja fries. I loove kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) and I wasn't impressed by how little pumpkin there actually was. I felt like I was just eating grease and batter. Some of my friends got the rice box/bentos and they looked really small for what they were worth. Another one of my friends ordered the ramen burger which looked pretty good. Ramen burgers are only available after 4 PM and they only make a certain number of them every day. Honestly this place doesn't have excessively terrible food or anything but what I really dislike about it is how THERE ARE NO WINDOWS. I'm not typically claustrophobic but anyone will feel uncomfortable sitting inside a dark dingy box for the time duration of a meal. There just isn't any breathing space and its hard to enjoy food inside this place. EDIT: Fung bros and Jason Chen did a parody/cover here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koYJrwAn70Q read more

I would never have thought of coming to this little café.... But my friend recommended their baskets.... We ordered 3 baskets.... great for sharing... I got the POKE NACHOS.... the tuna was fresh.... the nacho's were wontons.... brilliant! The PASTRAMI basket and EGGS & SPAM basket, DANNNGGGG.... were freaking awesome! I would have given this place 5 stars but their service is kind of lacking... But, they did give us 3 free desserts because we asked since we spent $85. When you check in on yelp and spend $25, you get a free desert.... So that was nice of them. read more

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Stopped by for the first time last week since the pandemic. A lot of old time favorites gone, but a lot of good looking new stuff too. I had a really tasty burger and fries. Unfortunately, they made my order wrong - twice - but I don't come here for white glove service. People all around me also got their orders wrong, but seemed to laugh it off and take it in stride. As long as you're not in a rush, I recommend Cha. read more

This asian fusion restaurant has tons of creative dishes and they don't hold back on flavor. But because the food so creative and flavorful, a lot of things in their menu are hit and miss. While they have a few misses on their menu, their hits are so solid that I know that I'll be frequenting this place. I'd recommend avoiding their chorizo wontons, their philly cheesesteak sandwiches, their fusion tacos, their poke nachos, and their ssam lettuce wraps, but I'd definitely recommend their pumpkin fries, their beef wang rice dish, and their hot horchata! The pumpkin fries are served with a tempura batter and a spicy mayo sauce. The sauce is flavorful without being overwhelmingly spicy. It compliments the pumpkin tempura fries by giving it a tangy sweet spice. The "beef wang" is a rice dish that comes with kalbi, green onion, crispy onion strings, sesame, and their special spicy mayo. It just has so much flavor that it's unbelievable. If you think Yoshinoya has a solid beef bowl...I'd suggest you put try their beef wang. The hot horchata is a brilliant idea because it's just simple and refreshing. I would have never thought to drink horchata warm. But they pull it off great here. It's just so flavorful and the horchata is really smooth. Their rice dishes are really good...my friend had their spam and egg rice bowl...and if you like spam + runny eggs, you can die happy. I can't tell you that I love everything that they have here. If I wrote a review of this place after my first visit, I would have given them two or three stars. But, because, they have a few items that I absolutely love, and because their service is great, I can tell you that I'm a fan! read more

Out of all the times I've come here so far, I've had an enjoyable experience. The servers are really nice and patient, but the food does take a while to come out, depending on how busy it gets. I was disappointed to hear that they didn't serve honeydew green tea mojito anymore since everyone else was raving about it! I ordered the carnitas nachos and grilled shrimp ssam baps. The nachos were HUGE, like they piled on so much meat on the nachos that it could probably fill you up as a meal. As for the shrimp ssam baps, I was a bit hesitant to order them because the serving size looked so small as compared to what you paid for. However, I was not disappointed when they came out, along with the special Cha sauce. The grilled shrimp was amazing and the salsa on top of it complimented it so well (reminded me of the time I had homemade ceviche for the first time). On top of that, I didn't expect there to be rice in the ssam baps so that was a pleasant surprise that oddly went well with the wrap. I would highly recommend coming here for lunch or if you want to go somewhere to study and grab a snack. It's self-seating and you can just go up to the server whenever you're ready to order. Parking can be tough since it's in such a small plaza, but street parking is easy to find since it's near a school. read more

Cha Cafe - Grilled shrimp saam bap - Coffee & Tea Near Me - El Monte, California

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