2.6 stars I came to try their curry since they were participating in DineLA. For $15, you can choose the type of curry you want, type of protein, and type of bottled drink. I chose to go with the grilled vegetable, original curry option plus an Ito-En matcha milk tea. The curry was super salty for me! Tasty, but too salty. The vegetables were nicely grilled. The bottled tea was...average. Service was friendly and the interior is small, simple, and clean. It definitely doesn't have the space for a huge crowd. It is also credit card only, which may be a problem for people who like to pay cash. Paid street parking or garage parking only. read more

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Alright. It pains me to give a review in the middle but when I do, it's with intent to make the place better and give feedback. Parking is a bit annoying since you have to enter it on a one way straight and also pay for it. Upon entering, we were very enthusiastically greeted by two super friendly individuals. Had I gotten my order taken by them, the experience would've felt so much more personal and better. Instead, we were guided to use one of those self ordering kiosk. In any food business, people will return for good food yes, but if your food isn't out of this world, the only thing you have left to offer is top tier hospitality which this place has potential for. For these three entree's I payed close to 50$. VERY expensive for fast food and small portions in paper plates. It lacked presentation, all shoved into this bowl. The pork was juicy and the curry sauce was super tasty but the portions were just way too small for the price. The curry fries were decent too. Needed some salt but other than that, it was as good as it could be. The accompanying tomato mixture seemed very random and like it didn't fit the theme. It was very "pico de gallo" which doesn't go on a classic Japanese curry dish. This would've been great with the pickled radish that usually goes with curry. read more

Champion’s Curry - Pork Katsu Curry and curry French Fries - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California

Extremely impressed. This is a casual dining spot with insanely good fried chicken-it is so moist and crispy on the outside. Some of the best fried chicken I have ever had. I ordered the spicy chicken katsu. Very nice! The curry could be spicier but it was lovely read more

Yummy katsu spot with flavorful Japanese curry. A nice casual spot for someone looking for yummy modernized Japanese fast-food-esque goods. The only reason for the 4/5 star rating is that they don't have a good number of items on their menu. They're not offering their side small salad option anymore and a bunch of other items on their menu are crossed out, but you wouldn't know unless you were in person at the restaurant. The pork katsu curry rice is yummy. I was hesitant to try their curry because I was worried that it would exacerbate acid reflux. I don't know what it is about their curry, but it went down more easily than I expected. They have a nice selection of beverages in the small fridge to the side - don't forget to take a look before finishing your order! read more

Got the karaage curry bowl this time, wow so good. The chicken was crispy and I thought was superior to the chicken katsu( also super good). read more

Champion’s Curry - Kara-Age Curry Bowl - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California

We came to Champion's Curry on a Saturday afternoon for a late lunch. I had seen a post about them on IG boasting their authentic flavor and wanted to try it out for myself. Champion's has a small footprint with limited counter-like seating. There is one self-serve ordering kiosk where you browse, order, and pay. As this was our first visit and there were people behind us, we felt pressured to make our order quickly. We would have let the people behind us order before us had there been a posted menu for us to review... but there wasn't so we had to use the ordering kiosk to review options and rush through our decision making. We ended up ordering the minced beef curry (spicy) and the steak curry (regular). When ordering, there was a comment about being able to adjust spiciness but we couldn't find where and feeling rushed, i guess we ordered the default... which ended up being way more spicy than we would have liked. Beyond that, the flavor was average but a bit runny if I'm honest. Not bad curry by any means, just not great. I wanted to love Champion's but it was just ok. Service-wise, staff was semi-friendly but very hands off since you could self order. We did notice that neither worker was wearing gloves when handling the food, equipment, or trays. Not sure whether the CA or Los Angeles policies apply (nor do I know food code policies) but that wasn't what I wanted to see when I looked through the glass at the kitchen area. Price wise, I guess everything is more $$$ these days but for $16+ each, I was expecting a little more. Plus there's the "parking tax" as street and/or metered parking is extremely limiting so we had to park w the flat rate of $10 (as of this review). Not entirely Champion's fault parking is $$$ but if you're going to go, it's better to know or maybe order to go and have someone who can hop out and grab the food while you circle the block (streets are too narrow and busy to wait and block traffic--don't be entitled!) TIP: plain/tap water isn't an option on the menu but we saw someone ask for plain water (on our way out) and they were given a cup. We didn't know so we suffered through the fiery spice and went for drinks afterwards. Side-note for context: It's days like this I REALLY miss Curry House (which wasn't even that good either but it was a consistent staple and not as $$$ as a lot of the Curry places i see around nowadays). I'll have to go to Sawtelle for Curry instead. read more

Champion’s Curry - Minced beef curry on the left, $1 side Ceasar in the middle, steak curry on the right. - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California

Ordered the chicken katsu curry. The chicken wa fantastic, probably top 5 for katsu I've had in the states, but I wish the curry had a no spicy option. Even the regular curry had a kick to it. The service was great. There's not a lot of seating, only bar seats, and it's more for a takeout crowd. read more

Champion’s Curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Great easy walk in location, for quick curry. I've seen the original Champion curry on Japanese YouTube and glad to have randomly found one closer in Pasadena. Loved the cabbage side salad with Japanese dressing. Cutlet pork good and just wished the curry which came in separate container was hotter, but intricate spiced good curry. We had ours on the spot sitting at a counter. Next time I would ask to have them heat the curry more and have it poured over. Would like to try again. Service is good and easy without much wait. Ambiance is clean and easy and recommend pick up. read more

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My wife and I got takeout from this place. She got the hamburger steak curry and I got the karaage chicken curry. Both were really good and actually better than expected. The hamburger steak was really flavorful and the karaage chicken was juicy and crispy. The curry has a tiny bit of a kick to it but it's not too spicy. Service is quick and friendly and there's parking lots in the area. read more

Champion's Curry is one of the reasons I miss living near LA. Where in the 805 can you find such delicious yet affordable Japanese curry dishes? Luckily, my family was visiting Pasadena one weekend, and we stumbled upon this gem. We're huge curry fans, so we had to give it a try. The prices are great, and the curry is amazing. They even have a veggie curry bowl for my wife. The service was excellent--everyone was super helpful when we had questions about the menu. As for the ambiance, there aren't many seating options since the place is mainly set up for take-out. If you live in Pasadena, you're lucky to have this tasty spot nearby! read more

Champion’s Curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I understand everything costs more now after pandemic. But I feel for the price I pay here, I should not be eating out of a paper bowl.  I love sweet Japanese curry since I cannot eat spicy, the chicken cutlet here is tender and juicy.  The menu description says it comes with salsa so we were intrigue, but it is strange to see the pico de gallo chopped tomato with Japanese curry. I feel like something is missing and I crave more food because the portion is on the smaller side. There's only bar stool sitting by the wall and window. If you order drinks, it is self serve at the refrigerator.   The worker who took our order was very soft spoken, instead of calling out the number on our receipt she call out the entree names which makes it even harder to hear.  Street parking if you can find any, we parked at garage parking near Everson Royce on Raymond.  Oh how I miss Curry House! read more

Champion’s Curry - Chicken Katsu Curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California

Best curry in LA.... And only exposing bc I need them to reopen near Long Beach again. Service is always great. Though I've been asking for a T-shirt since they closed the LA location. read more

A lovely place for curry in Pasadena. They have deicious Japanese curry. The seating is quite limited so most people take it to go. We had curry with burger, chicken and fish. The meat was all juicy! The karaage side was good too. Lovely vibe and service. Parking is very limited and there was no free parking. read more

Why such a bad review~ first it's a small place so you basically don't have much space to sit besides the front where they have stools. Which I like so I can eat and watch people or the other way around. Lol Staff members are really nice and helpful. But you can order through the ordering system but if you have questions regards of your order they'll help you. The price seems to be decent and the portions are pretty good. Curry here and the cutlet here is really juicy and flavorful. It reminds me of curry house but much more deeper flavor. If you're in Pasadena I recommend this spot to try. Delicious curry and cutlet! read more

A small little spot but a bit bite of flavor. Love their curry and katsu - one of the best places in all of LA to enjoy Japanese curry.

Came here since they had a DineLA offer for a curry + meat and a drink for $15. After we ordered we had to wait about 15 minutes before our food was ready so service was quite slow when we arrived at 4:30. In terms of the curry, spicy is actually quite spicy. Flavor wise it was good, I didn't find it being anything that special. My chicken on top of the curry was fried well and was super juicy. The hamburger steak patty was also very moist and delicious. It's a pretty solid meal however it didn't wow me. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here especially since parking in the area isn't free. Nearby parking structure are a few dollars per hour. read more

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Oh the food here is sooo good!! I love Japanese curry and after I got takeout here, I couldn't stop eating it! I would highly recommend the chicken karaage curry bowl and the chicken katsu curry bowl. The curry is rich and flavorful, the little bits of meat in it are just heavenly! The chicken are both very soft and fried to perfection. I wasn't too fond of the salads though. I got the pork katsu salad and the pork katsu was a little dry for me and the salad was just a small mix of lettuce and some tomatoes + egg macaroni salad. I thought this was average and would choose the curry rice bowls over this one. The curry cheese fries are a must add side if you want curry on curry :). They do takeout only (I believe) and online ordering was really easy through toasttab. There isn't really parking, but there is a paid garage nearby if you want to pick up your food! read more

Their chicken Katsu is perfect. I ordered the curry spicy and it was not spicy enough for me, but it was delicious. I would come here again. 100% Prices very reasonable. Portions generous. Love them! read more

Have been searching for a replacement for Curry House for a while now. Unfortunately, this place was not the one even tho I had high hopes. Katsu seemed over cooked and the curry sauce was too salty. I would say my #1 right now is Maji Curry and I'm pretty happy with it (albeit a little sweet). Coco Ichibanya is a little too watery and not as complex. Will keep looking. read more

(Takeout Order) The food tastes fine. Nothing spectacular. The serving sizes and prices are atrocious (please see attachments) Fig. A - $6.50 side of salad that looks like a few pieces of lettuce and a tiny container of dressing. Fig. B - $5.00 mac salad that is half a bed of lettuce to make it seem full Fig. C -$15.50 very frugal serving of chicken katsu rice. Chicken looks like scraps put together. I feel a bit scammed. The only thing I feel like was alright for the price was the spicy cheddar karage. Spent $90 for 3 people, including a $10 tip I feel foolish for even giving. read more

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The pork katsu curry was wonderful. The curry was rich and a little decadent and the katsu was golden and crispy!

The food was pretty tasty but I was sad when I realized the menchi katsu they were preparing was for 4 orders and not just mine. They split a patty into 4 pieces. I think for the price, I should've at least gotten 2 pieces but maybe I'm just a fatty. The menchi was pretty tasty and I'd have appreciated 1 more piece. The spicy curry was okay but I'm a sucker for cocoichibanya read more

Wow -- this place has the best curry in town! I stumbled upon it by chance, and it turned into one of the best food discoveries I've made. The gentleman at the front desk is so kind, patient, and genuinely friendly. The menu has a huge variety of curries, and every dish is packed with true flavor, not just salt (unlike many other curry spots). I'm definitely coming back! read more

There's parking in a few structures nearby but you have to pay unless you're lucky with street parking. We went on a Sunday afternoon and there was no line. It took around 10 min for us to get out food. We got the pork katsu and kaarage curry. The cury was good, it was flavorful and had a meaty taste. The pork katsu and kaarage weren't that crispy and the meat felt a little tough to eat. There also wasn't that much meat for the price compared to some other katsu curry places we've been to. read more

Champion’s Curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California

They really do make some delicious curry! The wagyu with the spicy curry is a must! I really like that they have a variety of protein or veggie options for their curry bowls. We also tried their Fish Katsu Sandwich with Cilantro Aioli. The Fish was slightly salted but with the Aioli it was not bad. Will come back for their curry bowls again read more

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Tried the Pasadena location during dineLA week. It's a good deal. The curry was good. They messed up on our order but was apologetic. Overall, I would try it again if it was part of the dineLA deal. read more

Champion’s Curry - The curry was good - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California

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At first, I was really excited that a Japanese curry place opened up here. Looks like a franchise. But it's not really a good place to even eat in here. No chairs with backs. It's all bad stools along a wall. So if you come with three people you're all sitting along the wall. The curry comes with a small side of tomatoes for some weird reason. The curry isn't even that good. It's tasteless and boring. The Katsu isn't light. The breading isn't that good. All in all, if you're in the mood for Japanese curry, I'd go to Katsu Sando in Alhambra or Ducks. read more

A great place to get Japanese curry rice! It seemed a little pricey when we first visited, but for the amount and quality of the food you get, it's quite reasonable. We got the hamburg (thick beef patty) curry and the ny steak curry. The meats are cooked fresh on the spot as the order goes in, and as someone who grew up in a Japanese household I can say it's very authentic Japanese style curry. The small salad on the side is a nice touch too. My only complaint is that you can only choose 2 spiciness levels (very mild and very hot, at least for my taste) so I wish there's an intermediate spiciness level I can ask for. Still, great place to get curry, will definitely keep getting food here. read more

Champion’s Curry - Poster - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Great service, very nice people and food was spectacular. I got the chicken katsu curry and i highly recommend!

I expected the Katsu to be a bit more crispy and breaded but it tasted more meat-y. The quality of the food was definitely clean. The curry was good and flavorful. Staff were welcoming and attentive. Because it's on Union, there is a limited amount of space in the restaurant itself to sit down - there is outdoor seating in the alleys nearby. Parking is tough because a lot of the lots charge my 15 minutes. Highly recommend park on Green or Delacey (first 90 min $1) if you are willing to walk. read more

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I'm so happy Champion's Curry opened up in Old Town! This is a small restaurant with a handful of spots to sit and dine in. I'd recommend taking your order to go and also ordering ahead of time. The food does take like 15 minutes to prepare, so if you order on site be prepared to wait a little. I always order the minced beef katsu with spicy curry. It's literally my favorite go to meal throughout the week. I probably order from here once a week! The spicy curry is no joke, and so delicious! read more

I saw this place on the way back from shopping and had to try the Kanazawa style curry. The workers were friendly, and I was able to watch them prepare my order (beef minced katsu bowl and grilled vegetables bowl). I took my order to go, but there's room to eat in person if you have time. The original curry wasn't too spicy and was enjoyable with rice. My katsu looked a bit dark but was still tasty with the curry. The vegetables went well with the curry too. If you're in the mood for Japanese curry, this is the place to go. read more

Champion’s Curry - The food prep / kitchen is visible...it's nice to see how your food is prepared. - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California

Excellent flavor and the meat was cooked right (although the chicken karage was small pieces, dry and overcooked), but since their storefront is so small, I wish they took more care in how they package their take-out orders since that makes sense it would be the larger part of their business. Specifically I wish they could find better packaging that better segregates all the different parts of a curry plate. Last order I made, the juice from the red pickle had stained the rice pink and the katsu was soggy from sitting on rice. read more

I decided to try one of the more affordable eats on the DineLA restaurant week list. For $15 getting a bowl of curry and a drink is what cheap eats are these days. The curry is just alright and I took the leftovers back for another meal. I'm used to eating the DIY homemade curry brands House Curry and S&B so this wouldn't be my 1st pick but when you are hungry it does the job. I've never eaten too many curry joints that did exist in the past so I can't really compare. There are just a few bar-type seating since this is a smaller place. I came after 1 p.m. on a Sunday, but it wasn't crowded and there wasn't a line like some of the other eateries nearby had. You order from a tablet and the drink fridge is near the counter. The drink fridge has an assortment of American and Japanese drinks. It's clean & modern. Something you would expect from a new restaurant. I'm glad I tried it to see what the hype was about, but I highly doubt I'd be back. read more

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I stopped in here amid holiday shopping. It was empty and I'm always a bit curious as to why. I looked and could see that you coildnt see the menu from the outside which is probably why people don't immediately walk in. I'm gonna say - PEOPLE ARE MISSING OUT!!!! I ordered the simple chicken katsu curry and fries - and omg it was good!!!!! My chicken pieces were super big and tender. Especially if you want something different from the tacos and burger joints - this is perfect! I have to joke that if I wanted something healthy - I'd go to to their neighbor the TikTok popular spring roll spot. But for the boyfriends who wants something substantial - this is your spot. For the speed and service I'll give it 5 stars! read more

Tried this place for the first time today! Ordered the chicken katsu spicy and pork katsu. Ordered the pork katsu without chives...received the meal with chives. But to top it off both meals were COLD, as if they had been sitting. We politely asked them to rewarm the food...when we received it back, it was still cold. Very disappointing. Will not be returning. However, workers were polite and establishment was clean. read more

Overall I thought this place was decent. I got the chicken katsu curry, which was solid. The chicken was fried perfectly and was tender on the inside. The curry was good. I thought the portions were good as well. At first I thought my order was small, but I was barely able to finish it. read more

Been seeing this place on social media a lot lately so I was really curious about trying it. I was able to come here for lunch one day. There is a paid parking lot in the same building, or paid street parking if you can find it. The inside is pretty small, theres only 5-6 seats. I came here with a friend, and there was not enough seats for the both of us. After we ordered, it took maybe 5-10 minutes for our food to be ready. In that time some seats opened up so we were able to dine in. I ordered the pork katsu. While ordering I asked the cashier if the spicy was really spicy and they said yes so I got the original. The original is not spicy at all. She said I can just add the chili thats on the counter to make it spicier. Overall the portions were reasonable, the pork was cooked well, nice and crispy. The curry had good flavor but I wish I got the spicy, I will try that next time. Overall it was good, but nothing life changing. The location is fine if you're already in Old Town Pasadena for whatever reason, but its a little bit inconvenient to go just for this. Also the size of the restaurant makes it inconvenient for larger groups. read more

Great tasting Japanese Curry. Will definitely come back. The portion is big, rice is done well. Perfect balance of spice and taste

I'm a huge fan on champion curry at other locations, but I think the Pasadena location can be better. When I received my food it was cold and even looked a little burnt. The taste was still good, but just slightly disappointed. I hope they can improve so I'm not going to give 5 stars. Also, when online ordering they don't have options for the spice level. The ambiance of this location is definitely just a Togo spot which is fine. There isn't much service here either because you just order from a kiosk. I think they're really missing a warmer touch overall (food, service, and ambiance). I'll still be ordering from here just hope they could make improvements. read more

Champion’s Curry - Pork Katsu Curry - Japanese Curry Near Me - Pasadena, California