Just 2 star first because for me, the man ( dunno if he is the owner or worker) is a little rude.. but dunno too because its the first time i go there and i asked about some food but they dont have it.. they have a different style. But from the way they ( the man) answer for me as an asian is little rude.. but maybe the real person is nice only the way he talk is like that.. but from the place is clean.. for the food still dunno coz not yet try read more

Java Spice was a very bland experience, in every sense. There was no real customer service and looking back, I'm not sure why I paid tip. We sat down, were given water and our food, and that was pretty much it. Our Nasi Bungkus was not distinct in flavor or taste. It was very soggy and sour though. I have to say that the desserts they offer up at the register were good. If you go, go in for that. Located in a little dreary strip mall, the ambiance is further lacking. We will not be revisiting unfortunately. read more

We had a great meal here. We are familiar with this plaza with Phoenix Food Boutique. We had meant to try this restaurant out previously but for some reason we were not able to. One weekend afternoon recently, we wanted to try out a different cuisine, so we proceeded to Java Spice. There is decent seating inside for a mom and pop place. Owner was chit chatting with all patrons one table at a time. I like such personal touch at small service oriented restaurants. Order was taken promptly, service was on point, food was brought out of the kitchen piping hot and all our requests were attended to immediately (+1) We ordered the following: Nasi bungkus $10.95 Beef Rendang $10.95 Fried rice $8.95 Es Teler $4.95. Total with tax came to ~$40 Beef Rendang had so much flavor. The meat was so tender and the dish paired really well with the rice from the Nasi Bungkus as well as the Vegetable Fried Rice we got for Ian. (+1) Nasi Bungkus was deeeeelicious! The chopped chillies on the side brought up the flavor to another level. I like my food spicy, and this did not disappoint (+1) Portions on the items were enormous for the price point (+1) Es Teler was an interesting drink. It felt more like eating a dessert than drinking a tropical fruit drink, and it was an effort to finish the drink. *Laughs* I recommend this family owned restaurant for good service, very flavorful Rendang and Nasi Bungkus. read more

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First timer! Ordered #1 and #49 for takeout around Sunday 4pm. Yummy and fairly good portions! My family and I enjoyed both of these orders alongside the chili sauces and would 10/10 get again. Our food also came out in 10 mins. If you're a first timer, I recommend #1! read more

Indonesian food is not a common cuisine people suggest when going out to dine. But having lived in Asia for many years and having visited Indonesia twice while living there, I wanted to try it here in LA and see how it compares. We actually had dinner one night at Banana Bay Restaurant when after leaving we saw Java Spice and decided to give it a try for some take home food. The restaurant is a small storefront restaurant with about 5 or 6 tables and a couple working the counter. The menu was posted on the glass storefront for us to peruse through. The prices per dish seemed reasonable, just like any other Thai, Vietnamese, or Chinese restaurant. I decided to order BEEF RENDANG which is a spicy Indonesian favorite of mine. I have 2 comments on this. ONE- the dish was really very good and was as authentic as the rendang I had in Indonesia as I remember. TWO- Unfortunately, it is way too overpriced!!! It costs $12.95 for that small container (see photo) which is only good for one person. I imagine the other dishes are sized and priced similarly. As such I can't recommend anyone to dine here no matter how good the food is. This is more of upscale dining prices for a typical storefront restaurant. I give one star for this place and an additional start only because the food was authentic. Nevertheless.... Highly NOT RECOMMENDED read more

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Best fucking satay ive ever had. 10/10 on everything. layered egg cake was also bomb!

Not too busy of a restaurant and we wanted to change so we decided to check out Java Spice for some Indonesian food. It was small and they were very kind. We ordered their pork satay, seasonal cah kangkung (#67), sop buntut (#32), ikan panggang kecap (#39), and 2 rice bowls. For 4 dishes, it ended up being around $75 which is pretty pricey and their portions were a bit smaller than what we were picturing. The sop buntut and pork satay were fresh whereas the other dishes were okay. The seasonal cah kangkung came later in the meal and I was already full but otherwise, the taste was fine. The panggang kecap tilapia fish was burnt so I hardly touched it. We had a good experience with their staff as they were nice but for the size portion and prices, I would like to try somewhere else next time! read more

Unfortunately, the overall experience was bad. I am an indo myself, and they did not realize, and made a racist remark when dropping off my chicken dish saying "here's your el pollo loco." Not only are they treating customers poorly, but the food is not good. Missing salt and lacking overall flavors. read more

One Of My Fav's Indonesian Restaurant In Greater Los Angeles Area Since Younger Days. Order Nasi Campur , Gado-Gado , Ayam Goreng Kalasan Half , Sambal Goreng Udang , Babat Kecap. Full-Stomach. read more

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Nice little Indonesian Food Restaurant runs by family. Nasi Bungkus is good. I will recommend it. read more

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I'm Indo and I approve of all of these dishes. We usually get the Nasi, Bami, saté, and Gado! Gotta start with a Chendol.

Surprisingly good food. Satay was great. fried noodles were really good too. If you buy any of the sweet snacks on the counter, refrigerate it. They go bad really fast. The fried chicken was also exceptional. Drinks were way too sweet and thick. overall worth repeating. read more

Great food and tasty! Great service and friendly staff the food was excellent and true to taste. We ate everything.

Found this place by accident (doing errands in the neighborhood) and was hungry and it looked interesting.... It was way better than just "interesting ". It was awesome! We ordered the fried smashed chicken in some kind of sauce I had never had before.... Spicy, tangy....mmmmmm. And this amazing fried tilapia with a tomato red pepper and sweet chili sauce that was outstanding. read more

Java Spice - Tilapia with tomato red peppers and sweet chili sauce - Indonesian Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

Best Indonesia food in LA area. Food so authentic is like you're in Jakarta. Best customer service as always and many items to choice from menu. read more

Food is very good, reminded me of my visit in Surabaya. Best tasting Indonesian food in the area. read more

Whenever I'm home sick for Indonesian food, I went here and it's the closest spot from my house. In here I had their Nasi Bungkus which I ate really fast and I'm sorry for not taking the pic, since it's so good man! Hahahaa I only got a chance to take a pic on my husband Chicken Satay and had a taste of it and it tasted really good! I like it! They have a spacious seating area too and by time we came, there was so many people came in as well! And they greet the customer really friendly so I guess that's must be their regular ones! I really wanted to try their beef rendang and pempek! I'm definitely gonna try them once I'm back again! The thing which took time in here is to find parking dude! Oh man, it's so crowded and it took my husband 20 mins to get a parking! So you really had to know this part. Sides of that, the taste of the cuisine, surely I think and I hoped makes you feel ok, though the parking is dull. read more

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There are not very many Indonesian restaurants, and we are so fortunate to have Java Spice in Rowland Heights. Java Spice is located in the Yes Plaza shopping center (close to Tastea). The restaurant is simple with no frills and no fancy decorations - so don't expect a romantic atmosphere. However, if you're looking for a wholesome family dinner, check this place out! My favorite dishes are two rice dishes, Nasi Campur and Nasi Ayam Komplit. If you're new to Indonesian food, I'd recommend the Nasi Campur. It is a rice dish that comes with marinated fried chicken, spicy beef, and a spicy boiled egg! There is a red sauce that you can use to flavor the white rice- be warned, it's quite spicy! You also get to choose a soup to enjoy with this entree, and by far, the coconut soup is the best! If you like the marinated chicken, then the Nasi Ayam Complit is your best bet. It's essentially the same as the Nasi Campur, but just the chicken and rice and 2 large slices of cucumber. Again, you get to pick a soup with this entree! If you're visiting the restaurant on a weekend, try the Nasi Bungkus. This dish is ONLY available on Saturday and Sunday. It's a mixture of rice, curried chicken, spicy coconut beef, and egg wrapped in a banana leaf. The portion size is huge. If you're not accustomed to spicy dishes, this is not for you! I've dined at this regularly roughly once a month for the past 3 years, and service is always efficient and easy. Recently, I started ordering takeout from here. They are speedy and accurate - they never mess up my order or forget to include anything. I have to admit their phone etiquette could use some improvement, but this family establishment makes wonderful food and gets it served in a speedy manner! Highly recommended! read more

Java Spice - Nasi Ayam Complit - Indonesian Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

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The food here tastes just like my mothers! Very authentic. The service was awesome and the server was patient with my family. All 3 of my kids loved the satay and fried noodles. Fried rice was fire! We're from Vegas and will stop by every time we visit California. We've tried other Indonesian restaurants in LA and this is by far the best we've had. Thank you! Side note: I've been looking for an Indonesian muscle pain reliever for my mom and they sold one here!! I'm so impressed. read more

Java Spice - Indonesian pain reliever - Indonesian Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

Very good good and super affordable! They also have traditional Indo food and deserts

Every time we are back in So Cal, this is my favourite Indonesian restaurant. Everything we ordered is always good. The owner is very friendly. I highly recommend you go there, if you are unfamiliar with the food, the owner will gladly assist. There is rice dish & noodle dish, their local desserts. Everything is so yummylicious. Selamat Makan aka Happy eating! read more

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Please beware of this store! I bought a bag of snack and paid cash for it, but he intentionally gave me $1.00 less for the change knowing that I wouldn't check the change he gave me. It was very intentional since he folded the $17.00 change handed to me. Not an honest person and such a shame he needed to short his customers to make more money unethically! read more

New to LA area, food came out fast. Some not so hot, fried rice and noodles not too tasty, fish cake with noodles a bit too sweet, Gado Gado very bland. But if you want Indo food, it is very decent place to go and try, soups quite tasty. Restaurant location is a plus; among many Asia establishments with plenty of varieties of food all around. Great area to check them out. read more

My husband and I went for a hike and decided to drive 45 minutes away from L.A. After "the Hike" we were hungry and came across this little shopping strip. We saw Banana Bay and Java Spice...opted for the Indonesian cuisine since we rarely have them where we live. And no regrets!!! The food was amazingly authentic and the owner was so attentive. I highly recommend this place and would drive once in a while if I have cravings for Javanese fare. read more

Java Spice - Bbq Chicken, beef and jack fruit and rice wrapped in banana leaf, spicy and great - Indonesian Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

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Came to eat for lunch. Nasi rendang was good but had very little meat and lots of rice. The soup it came it was mid. The #31 soup wasnt terrible but it was like ,completely lacking in flavor or something. ONG everything was mid read more

I went here and it was Just simply the best and authentic cuisine... definitely recommend their fried rice!!!

I typically only get one thing from them which is the nasi goreng special without ebi (the dried up shrimp). Sometimes I will also get the chicken skewers. Really it's a hit of miss on them getting my order right BUT it is so good that I forgive them. Like some of the others mentioned, the guy who answers the phone is not the most hospitable and the females are the store tend to be a little bit nicer. Please note if you want to use a credit card it is a $20 minimum. You can use debit or cash for orders under $20. read more

Unprofessional!!! Ordering food at 12 and they keep saying 20 more minutes!! Its been an hour waiting for it. If you cant handle it then don't open a restaurant!! Don't just keep taking order if your too busy!! Stop using 20 more minutes as an excuse!!! read more

Java Spice - Mushy rice!!! Wait for an hour so not worth it!!! - Indonesian Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

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I was so disappointed. They only have the banana leaf-wrapped meals on the weekends! I guess I should not have expected too much since overall they're only rated three stars. I came for late dinner on a weekday and there was no one else in the restaurant. An older lady seated my party and I at a booth. For the rest of the night, I saw her just sitting around. A younger lady took our orders and served the food. She was nice and told us their popular dishes since it was our first time. She gave me a juice box for checking in on Yelp. Service was just eh since it was just us that night. They seem like nice people though. I tried the combination fried rice (#5, $8). It had some shrimp, small chunks of chicken, and a fried egg on top. I thought it was slightly lacking flavor and on the dry side. I would have liked the egg cooked over easy instead of medium so that the rice wouldn't be so dry. I asked for more fried onion to make the rice taste better. I also tried some of the noodle with beef ball soup (#47, $7). The soup was so salty; I had to wash it down with water. The only part that was good about the noodles were the fried onions and beef. The noodles were dry and also lacking flavor. I thought that dish was unbalanced. I probably won't be back unless it was the weekend to try their nasi bunkus and exotic smoothies. read more

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Do not order food to go. They will give it to someone else then tell you that they are sold out when you get there to pick it up. Very disappointed in this restaurant. read more

Great Indonesian food at reasonable prices. Chicken dishes seem to be their best, in particular the sate ayam and ayam kalasan. Now my go-to for Indonesian food. read more

We've been coming to this place for years, so yes...this is one of my fav place when craving for Indo food....great selections of authentic street food and reasonable prices (the price went up a couple of years back but now it's come down to a more competitive rate) right here in SoCal....so what else do you want? (just DON'T EXPECT GREAT SERVICE...hence you won't be disappointed...as a matter of fact, you might be quite pleased instead) I could understand why some people had bad experience with the service here, but the food is really one of the best around LA, even when some folks visiting from Indonesia we took them here and they were quite impressed...which says a lot about the quality of the food...'nuff said FOOD **** 4 to 5 STARS ***** 1. Ayam Kalasan **** 5 STAR ***** $7.95 for half chicken You've got to try this perfectly marinated and fried chicken that tastes so yummy and tender...comes with special gingery chilli sauce that's quite addicting and really complement the sweetness of the chicken. Must eat this with steam rice (not fried rice otherwise you will kill the the flavor) and do NOT forget the special chilli sauce.......by the way this chicken is soo good that it's still tasty even when cold 2. Nasi Goreng (Fried rice) $6.95 - $7.95 **** 4 STAR **** they have quite a variety where you can choose from lamb (meat is marinated and very tasty), beef, chicken, salted fish, corned beef (yes, that's right --- corned beef fried rice, quite unique but tasty nonetheless), pete (stinky sator bean - my fav), all comes with the trademark fried egg on top, ask for spicy or medium spicy at least 3. Gule kambing (lamb soup) $8.95 ***** 5 STAR ***** Tender chunks of meat in a savory coconut based soup, the lamb is not gamy at all and really good to eat this with steam rice, which really brings out the flavor when you dip a spoonful of steam rice into the broth, trust me! 4. Bihun goreng (fried vermicelli) from $6.95 **** 4 STAR **** choice of meat (beef, pork, chicken, shrimp) 5. Pempek (fried fishcake) ***** 5 STAR ***** This is such a great delicacy, nice and crisp on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside, complete with a whole egg hidden inside! And the brown spicy sauce...is really to die for.... 6. Nasi Bungkus (rice wrapped in banana leaf) available on weekends only, comes with beef rendang, ayam kalasan, fried egg, some veggie and sambal (green chilli), perfect for a picnic or get together with friends 7. Sambal Goreng Udang & Petai you can also have this tasty dish of shrimp and chilli without the petai (stinky bean) in case this is a first date and you don't want to embarass yourself later on (trust me, petai is really tasty but also smelly....in more ways than one..you'll know what I'm talking about and you WILL thank me!) And many many more dishes...but if you are not familiar with Indonesian food please do give the above dishes a try and you won't be disappointed if you are the kind who are into spicy food......if you don't like spicy food then I have to warn you that Indonesian food may not be your cup of tea...since you probably won't be able to withstand the heat, or it will be somewhat bland without the chilli and the spices read more

Java Spice is an Indonesian restaurant located in an Asian strip mall in Rowland Heights. I was visiting my sister and her fiance who live in the OC. I am going to Penang soon so they brought me here to familiarize myself with the food of the region. Indonesian food is very similar to Malaysian and many dishes overlap between these two countries. The restaurant is very casual. It is not a huge place, but comfortable enough. The menu is reasonably priced, so you will get good bang for your buck here. They even have a Yelp check-in deal here for a free soda or Tehbotol. The latter is a popular Indonesian drink of Jasmine tea. I let my hosts order as they are regulars here. Tried four things including mee goreng, satay with peanut sauce, nasi bungkus and cendol for dessert. Mee goreng is basically a fried noodles dish that is like chow mein and yakisoba. Predictably I enjoyed this dish as I like noodles a lot. Same can be said for the satay. Meat on a stick. I am sold. Then there is the nasi bungkus which is only available on weekends. It is a meal wrapped up in banana leaves. Inside the wrap is chicken, egg, fried tofu and jackfruit. The big surprise is the spicy green chili sauce which can be overwhelming to the uninitiated. I had some Mexican food earlier in the day and found the nasi bungkus to be too massive to eat in one sitting. So much food. Not a problem though as this makes for a good leftover meal for later. Lastly is the cendol which is a bit unusual looking. It is a dessert with green colored noodles made with a rice flour that is mixed together with shaved ice. I liked it, but did not love it. Nevertheless, I would definitely try it again when I visit Penang to see how it compares to the one at Java Spice. Now I know what to expect. I enjoyed the food at Java Spice. It served as a great introduction to the food of the Java region. If you are tired of Thai and Vietnamese food, look to the south. There is more to Southeast Asian food than those two cuisines. Give Indonesian cuisine a chance. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. read more

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With the recent closure of two Indonesian restaurants, Java Spice seems to be one of the few remaining restaurants specializing in Indonesian cuisine. Once owned by professional poker player John Juanda and his family, Java Spice has come under new ownership in recent times. The restaurant is small, but tidy. The walls and interior space are sparsely decorated with Indonesian adornments. With the relatively small Indonesian community in Southern California, everything Indonesian seems like the TV show bar Cheers, where you can't help but run into someone you know. The Es Durian is sort of like a shake. Take some over ripe durian, if there is such a thing, mix it with some crushed ice and condensed milk, and you have this concoction which will send most Southeast Asians into ecstasy. Durian, known as the king of fruits, is definitely an acquired taste and smell. For the uninitiated, durian sort of smells like athletes foot with an underlying sweet funkiness. The Ikan Goreng Tilapia Tuaco is a very large tilapia which is deep fried. Large cuts are imbedded into the flesh to let the sweet, pungent and spicy sauce to get into every nook and cranny of the fish. The flesh is firm, yet moist and the sauce gives the rather tasteless fish a life of its own. The Beef Rendang is slow braised beef in a curry sauce. Unlike most rendeng's that I have had, this version was rather sweet instead of the normal spice that is usually associated with this dish. The sweetness and richness of coconut milk bursts with each bite of the very tender cubes of beef. The Ayam Kalasan is twice cooked chicken. The chicken is first cooked in coconut milk, then deep fried. The coconut milk imparts a subtle sweetness to the chicken. The finished chicken is then deep fried to give make the bird golden brown and also to make the skin crispy. Although the coconut milk should keep the chicken moist, there were part of the chicken that were overly dry. Even without the star power that John Juanda would bring to the restaurant, Java Spice is a good option for Indonesian food at a very reasonable price. Pics posted. read more

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This establishment and their employees are strange or I should say very rude, it's almost like you have to guess if there going to decide to open or close, ‍ even though sometimes the lights are on, the TV is on and people are in there eating they will tell you they are closed ‍ today I decided I wanted a Cendul (Indonesian slushy drink) and I see the lights are on , TV is on and the door is opened so I walk in and there's an older Asian man slouched down with his legs up on the other bench, in a booth, texting away and I'm clearly waiting for him to get up and take my order and instead he says to me "We're closed! We only open on Friday" we'll hello don't you think that you should change that on your business hours that's posted on your front do and update this with Yelp? ‍ also try locking your door and don't make it look like you're open for business. read more

Java Spice - Business hours for java spice. - Indonesian Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

Asked for no eggs specifically (3 times) and there's still eggs in it. I'm vegetarian that's why. But overall quality has gone down the drain dramatically since I first ate here in 2018. Used to be my go to place for Malaysian/Indonesian food. But not anymore. read more

Java Spice - Indonesian Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

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Stopped by here with a friend last Saturday to try their food since they were highly recommended to us for Indonesian cuisine. Since we weren't too hungry, we wanted to limit our order of food, but there were so many options that piqued our attention. In the end, we ordered Lamb Satay, Ox Tail Soup, and their weekend special, Nasi Bungkus (rice piled with beef rendang, ayem goreng, a hard boiled egg, jack fruit, all wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed until ready to serve. Nasi Bungkus was a nice dish, but seemingly mild in the different flavors from the combination of the ingredients, unless you mix the spicy green chile sauce into the rice. A popular dish with Indonesians, but for someone like me, who's trying it for the 2nd time, it seems to require an acquired taste for it. The Lamb Satay was tasty, brushed with a sweet soy-based sauce, and served with peanut sauce on the side. It's good, but my palate seem to prefer Thai and Malaysian style satays instead. The Ox Tail Soup was interesting. There are 2 versions of Ox Tail Soup, apparently the one we ordered had the ox tail boiled before the frozen mixed vegetables (fresh vegetables would have really elevated this soup) and stock is added to it and simmered until ready to serve. The other version sounded like the ox tail is seared/pan fried before the soup stock was added to it. We'll have to get that one next time. Lastly, we couldn't help but notice the array of packaged desserts at the display station by the cash register. My friend recognized some of them and said this was the first time he's seen a couple of them since they are very labor intensive. We each chose an item to share. Some people may be put off with the gummy/gelatinous texture of the these desserts, but they were a nice way to end the meal (not too heavy, not overly sweet). The one filled with mung bean paste was good. Wish they would have the version made with red bean paste instead. The sweet potato one did not have the flavor of sweet potato, but it did have an interesting sweet and savoriness to it. Definitely, will have to come back and try more dishes, and desserts as well. Friendly family owned business. 3.5 stars, bumping them up to 4 stars since this was a pleasant dining experience. read more

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Customer Services are non existent in this place, we arrived at this place around 7:40 pm and without anyone greeted us .. we walked in and found to a man behind the counter who working on few receipts.. while we standing right in front of him, still no one greeted us or spoke to us. After about 3 minutes waiting patiently the man lifted his head and said "we are closed at 7:45 PM" and not even apologizes for wasting our time. Please buy a closed signage for your store and update your operating hours.. This is our first time giving this place a chance and there will be no next time. read more

This place has the best nasi bungkus in So Cal. Personally I don't get the craze about nasi bungkus. It an ethnic thing, you have to grow up with it, but this is the place for it since I have tried many other places on this popular Indonesian dish. The oxtail soup and satay were ok, not exceptional. The kueh ku was 100% authentic, a tradition handed down from ancestors from fuzhian. The skin was a little tough due to it sitting aound for a day. Nothing you can't fix with steaming or a brief microwaving. They also have kueh bomb which is palm sugar wrapped in glutinous rice and coated with fresh grated coconut. Quite a lot of authentic Indonesian and chinese foods to try out here. read more

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May 17, 2014 Honestly, I have walked past this place dozens of times going to drink with friends, family, boyfriend, etc... and never had I walked in to check this place out until this past Saturday. My boyfriend and I came in and we ordered our food. I got the weekend special, the Banana Leaf. My boyfriend ordered COMBO 1. NOTE: If you check in, you get a FREE Jasmine Tea pouch! AND....CASH ONLY~ So we didn't have to wait long, perhaps five minutes or so, for the food to come out. Mine came out first, and his came out two minutes later. Te food smelled really good! Sadly, I'm not a fan of too much spice and so my boyfriend and I traded dishes. He liked it. I enjoyed it, but it's not for me. I do love their meats...the meat falls off the bone! No, i'm sorry, correction, the bone and meat easily crumbles when you bite into them. Yes, I said the bone! Service was nice and I have nothing to complain. However, I just didn't enjoy it so much. Rating: 3.5 Stararrooos! read more

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