Lab 88 has been bookmarked for a while and my husband and I finally decided to give it a shot. My husband being a microbio major, the theme definitely stood out to him and was super excited he can drink out of beakers and Erlenmeyer flasks! We came here on a random Wednesday night and there was a good amount of people there. The food is great (I highly recommend the elote fries), drinks are awesome, and service was amazing. Jin was the one originally took our order and he was awesome. We started talking to MJ who is one of the bartenders and is amazing and really went the extra mile. We had great conversations and we can't wait to go back and bring others to show this unique and affordable place. This place is 21+ only and plays Kpop videos while playing different types of music. If you're looking for a chill hangout spot Lab 88 is the place! read more

I live right around the corner and it's perfect because I don't have to drive super far for a chill lounge/bar experience. You're not going to get this vibe anywhere else in the SGV area. Signature drinks with delicious bar foods and a super laid back space. Make sure you try the meatballs, really nice spin on a familiar go to snack. Definitely will be coming here more often and right now it's not super crowded but it probably will be in a few months. Enjoy the low key vibe while you still can... Pro tip ask for their off menu secret drinks. read more

Lab 88 - Secret drinks - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

Went here to celebrate two birthdays with some friends and we had an AMAZING time. The food and drinks were great, but the best part of our experience was the service. The entire staff working yesterday night went above and beyond to provide us with the best customer service possible. I will definitely come back again! p.s.: please tell me what version of the game of life you guys have. i can't find it ANYWHERE read more

First review and first visit to Lab 88! So glad this bar is able to operate during COVID- employees followed several health and safety protocols to ensure guests had a great time and were safe. Temperatures were checked at the door and employees had face masks and gloves worn at all times. Service was great! read more

Lab 88 - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

Super happy that this bar is open even during COVID. Our server, Ralph, was super friendly and helpful! Because of his hospitality and all around great service, I HIGHLY recommend checking this place out! read more

good food. good drinks. good vibes. these three areas are the essence of lab 88 and my peers cant agree anymore. but excellent service is what makes this outstanding from all the korean bars in southern california. however, our server, gwynn,has changed the game for the hospitality industry. i celebrated my birthday here for my 24th after working over 40 hours from my hospital job. it was hellish. i needed a place to relieve my stress and replenish my energy. thats when gwynn comes in. ive never felt so appreciated in all my 24 years of living. if anyone ever feels that their first quarter life crisis needs healing, please come to this restaurant. but ask for gwynn. thank you, gwynn, for demonstrating the excellent customer service ive never received before in my life. read more

Came here to end an already event filled date night with my wife. This place was recommended by a friend and considering that we live about a mile away we thought we should try it. NO REGRETS! We came in at about 930pm and the atmosphere was mellow with the sound of 90s R&B (our favorite music genre so I know that gave her a great first impression. We sat at the bar at first where Nathan was able to explain the drinks as we came at a perfect time where it wasn't too busy but didn't look like a ghost town. I got the Lab Chamango and my wife got the Mint to Be. Now, I do not drink mixed drinks but this was made perfect for me that I would grab another one if I didn't have plans early the next morning. Another thing I was told to try were the Elote Tots created by their Chef Jonathan Yoon. This was the perfect bar food to share around and if her and I had not already ate dinner this could just be a meal for myself and I would be satisfied. This place is brand new So there are a few cons. First, while we originally sat at the bar, the seats were low so it was uncomfortable for myself at 5 foot something. Nathan noticed this and sat us at a table still helping us along with their waitress (I am sorry I forgot your name). Second, when we first walked in the music was extremely loud. I have poor hearing and the staff saw that I was concentrated on listening so they turned it down knowing that it was too much. They noticed this through body language and not once did I complain about those two things thus, why I give a perfect 5/5. Some of the best customer service I have ever experienced with one of the best drinks I have had! read more

Lab 88 - Mint To Be and Lab Chamango - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

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Came here to throw a belated birthday party last weekend and it turned out great! It was a 90's theme that day. The staff were really friendly and made sure we were attended to by coming back every now and then. Great turn out of all my friends who showed up and really great to hear they enjoyed it too! Will definitely be coming back for those awesome on draft IPA pitchers. That was my highlight haha. On a side note, some of my friends ordered a mango slush drink w/ soju and let me tell you... it's a must! Definitely give this a go when you come here! read more

Lab 88 - Awesome way to play jenga "take a selfie with an employee" "give 3 shots" are among the many that were awesome to do! - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

This a very cool spot to hang, drink and eat. The music is great, they have board games to borrow while you're there. Our server was nice. I tried the zucchini chips 10/10, beautiful thin and crispy breading, perfect pairing with ranch. Kimchi fried rice was a 6/10 for me, personally not a fan of kimchi alone but I've had kimchi fried rice to-die-for at Luvduk and no where else has beat it. The tteokbokki (or however you spell it) was a 8/10, the rice cakes were slightly crispy on the outside but their usually yummy and chewy texture on the inside, the sauce was a great balance of spicy and sweet. Bulgogi fries were exceptionally 10/10, the meat was so tender and the white sauce was so flavorful. The popcorn chicken 10/10, I did not order it so I thought to myself why spend money on something so basic as popcorn chicken but then I tried it and it was an explosion of flavor in my mouth. Lastly, I had some sort of a berry mojito and it was a good drink, not too sweet that I could taste the alcohol, just how I like it. I'll be coming back here to try more. read more

My friends and I came here for happy hour on a Friday night and were sat super fast despite it being the start of the weekend! Upon entering, the tables were socially distanced and all the servers were wearing masks. The interior was super clean and the vibes were on point for a fun night. Literally everything we ordered was super good, food and drinks included. Our server Lea was the best at taking care of us, recommending amazing drinks and she was also super sweet! This is definitely our new hang out spot and we'll probably be coming back within the next week or so. read more

Good customer service, server was fast and friendly. Also good drinks! And fun drinking games :)

Just wanna say this is my first ever review because I never feel the need to write one, but we were really disappointed with the service here. I came with a group of friends for the first time and all we ordered was a fish bowl and fries. We asked for a couple extra straws for the guys who were sharing the fish bowl and the waitress brought two regular straws. She then said, "Oh you wanted the long straws? Would've been nice if you specified." And that pretty much killed the vibe and also, it was a friend's birthday. Then every time she came by when we rang the bell for service she seemed and annoyed and would scoff, "What do you need?" Like.. I know service can be really difficult and frustrating but we didn't feel like we had done anything to evoke this attitude. We weren't belligerent or rowdy at all and barely ordered anything. Needless to say there are plenty of other places to have a fun time with friends, so go somewhere where they're a bit more happy to serve you. I'm sorry to the waitress if she was having a bad day and if we said or did anything to make it worse. But just to warn you in the future, another group may have not responded as kindly as we did. Probably not gonna come around again. :/ read more

Came her for my girlfriend's birthday dinner for a party of 30 and it was phenomenal. The service was so kind and accommodating and they even gave us the entire backspace & even a private room! From the cocktails to the soju slushes, all the drinks were delicious. They even gave us complimentary drinks! But truthfully, the big ticker were the fishbowls. We ordered about 3 of them and let me tell you, an ARMY is needed for one of those bowls. I'm pretty sure I can give my dog, mochi, a bath in one of those bowls. I want to thank the staff and the manager for letting us host my girlfriend's party at the establishment, we had a great time and will be back for more. Cheers! read more

This place has a very Korean town vibe. Good hospitality, great drinks, tasty food. Shoutout to Lex for showing my Indonesian cousins a good time. Definitely will come back. read more

Great vibes!!! A place I can come back to over and over again! The employees are nice and are very friendly!!

I really wanted to like this place. The food is good and the interior looked promising. It looked like some chill place that my friends and I could relax and chill after a long week. We came on Friday night and man, was I surprised to see a giant DJ booth playing VERY loud and clubby music inside a very relaxed lounge setting. I don't understand what the vibe of this place wanted to be. The decor is too nice for the type of music that is blasting my eardrums as I type this. Service is great, though. I might give this place another try once I find out the DJ has been taken out read more

The drinks are delicious and the waiter put a few extra shots of Soju in our Soju AMF & Pink Poppy! The drinks are inspired by a laboratory and the visuals do not disappoint! I can't wait to come back here with a larger group and get a fish bowl (they looked HUGE)!! The only downfall when we went was there was a big party and it took 30 minutes to get the drinks. They made up for it in the level of alcohol in the drinks! read more

My first time here was in about April of 2018. I thought the place was unique and was a good transition from previous owner of VOUNGE. (May it Rest In Peace). However coming back to this place in September, they changed their menu and no longer have sushi served. It's now solely bar finger foods like fries and quesadilla. Bring back the sushi!! Be more. Be unique. read more

I was excited to try this place.. however, once I touched the menu, it was so greasy and disgusting that I felt quite uncomfortable. However, the reviews were stellar and so far yelp hasn't let me down, so I decided to order a few dishes to try anyways. First of all, there seems to be a lot of food options on the menu, but if you look closely, the rolls are pretty much all the same-- crab meat base, spicy mayo sauce on almost everything. We took our chances and ordered a few items, but sadly, they all tasted the same. The spicy mayo sauce overpowers everything, we couldn't taste any of the seafood, and each bite was more greasy than the last because of the overwhelming amount of fried "stuff". The supposedly fried crawfish turned out to be fried flour, flour to crawfish ratio 8:2. All of the rice used in the rolls are purple rice. Growing up eating purple rice, a healthier alternative to white rice, I knew it was harder to make purple rice as sticky as normal sushi rice is. To be honest, this was one of the reasons I wanted to try this place in the first place. I wanted to see how they would make purple rice work in sushi. Sadly, for any kind of sushi, you're not supposed to put rice in the fridge, because it hardens it and you lose the desired texture. We ordered the rodeo roll and the California roll, and the rice was a big issue for both of them. I hate to leave bad reviews, and I hate to waste food, but we could not finish even half of our meal. To be fair, the price was decent for the quality of ingredients, but execution and presentation were why the food only deserves 1 star. Maybe we'll try the drinks next time. read more

Happy hour snacks and beer for $5 from 5-8pm Spicy salmon roll recommended Cocktails came in beakers! Had the Mint to be and Orange you bad ~taste fresh, but alcohol not strong enough Will be coming back for more of their specialty rolls read more

There is nothing bad to say about Lab88. They have great food, drinks, and the service is the best. Everyone is so attentive and very friendly. I will definitely be frequenting this bar more often! read more

Lab 88 is a super chill place to get great food and creative drinks. My friends and I love coming for the soju shareable buckets and the Korean fried wings. They have a variety of food and drink options to choose from, super great prices and the serving sizes are huge. Another plus is that they stay open until 2 am for anybody that likes a late night bite or drink. The music they play is up to date and keeps the vibes nice with colorful lights and multiple TVs. Definitely recommend coming! read more

This place has really surprised me!! Use to come here for the sushi rolls and pitchers of beer and loved it!! They recently changed menus and I went a couple of times to only realize that I love it still!!! Went for a Thursday night football game and felt like I was in my own living room chilling on the couch drinking beer and eating great food!! Happy hour is from 5-8 with $5.50 pitchers of beer!!! Even though there's no happy hour food it's okay because the prices are already low enough!!! Our server was great and the management and cooks a delight when they came out to check on us!!! Looking for affordable, good food and great atmosphere.... go here!!! read more

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Amazing ambiance and great staff. Our waitress Vivian was amazingly nice and very sociable. She made our visit here very welcoming. The food was mediocre, but I feel like people usually come for the ambiance and the drinks. Definitely visit when they have their happy hour. Will definitely come back to try out their karaoke room! read more

Lab 88 - Elote Tater Tots - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

Great ambience , went here with my friends nd the service was great!! The drinks were not overpriced and the music was on point!! Definitely returning soon. read more

The look of the restaurant is amazing the only thing I would say is the customer service felt like they didn't want to helps us. It felt like a hassle to them ( 2 of the girls) but over all chill. Would I go back not really. And the Bulgogi fries were really salty and the meat tasted if it was like one of those frozen meals you get from the grocery store. read more

I went to Lab 88 last week and it was the best!! Loved the environment - the servers were so accommodating, the music was A1, and the vibe of the inside was so nice. We ordered the lab chamango, pink pocky blend, passionfruit mojito, and the blackberry mojito pitcher & it was chef's kiss. Some of the best drinks I've ever had and helped us have a night of fun after a long pandemic. If you're think about coming here, don't hesitate. This place won't disappoint. read more

The ambiance was fun and the food was decent. However, the service was so late on everything. They were friendly, I'll give them that. But we literally waited an hour + 15 min when they told us it'd only be 20-25 minute wait. They barely checked up on us too read more

I kind of found this place by accident on Yelp and was immediately drawn to their unique drinks. My boyfriend and I came on a Saturday night and had a few drinks and apps. I started with the Lab Chamango and it was seriously THE BEST drink I've had in a very long time. I ordered two more after the first and also had the Orange You Bad but it didn't compare to the Lab Chamango. They didn't have a good beer selection but it was no big deal. We had the Elote Tots and loved them! The staff was very friendly and attentive. It wasn't packed and the music was really good. Our waitress even gave us free shots, which was pretty cool. Overall, loved the place and I am obsessed with their yummy drinks! We will definitely be back and invite all of our friends to come with us. read more

Amazing service! Shoutout to Jin, Andy, and Jeff for taking care of us all night! I would highly recommend this spot to my friends(: A major plus is that they have card games and jenga available!! read more

I am a huge KPOP fan so when I heard of a KPOP themed bar, I had to check it out. When I entered, the ambience was chill and the staff was so welcoming and super cute! I'm not a big drinker but this place had a great vibe which made me comfortable and the mixed drinks did not taste like alcohol at all! I forgot to take pictures of the food, but you must try their honey sesame chicken wings! Amazing! What made Lab 88 more welcoming was the staff always checking in to ask what we needed and took any song requests we had! Even if you don't like KPOP, you can request other genres. Overall, 10/10 will come again. read more

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friendly staff, delicious food, and good vibes! my go to spot for soju and beer when I'm around the area. never disappoints.

Located across the street from In-N-Out, this place replaced the Vounge. There's definitely some synergistic vibes between Lab 88 & In-n-Out, post drinking burgers anyone? I came here on a Friday night around 8:30pm and it was not crowded at all. There were a couple of couples and some small groups of friends drinking and eating. Food: We only ordered two things: the elote tater-tots ($8.88) and the Parmesan fries ($4.88, I think). The Elote tater-tots were amazing. The tots were perfectly fried for a crunchy, crispy exterior and a soft potatoe-y interior. The entire ensemble was drizzled in a mayo sauce, with tangy, crumbled cotija cheese, sweet corn, chili powder, and fresh cilantro. I do think they could have added more of the toppings but it was enough for the amount they did have. As a drinking snack, it was perfect for three people. The Parmesan fries were a disappointment as they were thick-cut fries (similar to Burger King's) that tasted like frozen fries. It had a grainy texture and wasn't crispy at all. The Parmesan topping was straight Parmesan sparsely scattered on top with some herbs. It was kind of sad as we were expecting something else since the menu description was labeled as such. Later we found out it was a misprint. They should definitely update their menus (and also consider switching to skinnier fries for maximum fryable surface area!). Drinks: They have several beers on tap. We ordered a pitcher of the Ballast Point Sculpin which goes for about $22/pitcher, their priciest beer. Unfortunately, they were running low on it so the waiter gave us half a pitcher of the Sculpin on the house. We ended up getting a pitcher of Sapporo after. Although they gave the half pitcher of Sculpin to us on the house, they ended up charging us for a full pitcher of the Sculpin instead of the Sapporo which we didn't mind paying. Service: What makes this place great is their customer service. Despite the blip with the fries and the beer, they ended up giving us the Parmesan fries and a half pitcher of beer on the house. The head chef even came out to talk to us about the menu misprint. Environment: A little too brightly lit if you asked me. I think the place could use a little more ambiance with less abrasive lighting especially since its a bar/lounge. They have a couple of electronic dart machines but I'm not sure if you have to pay to play. They also have tables with normal chairs around the edges of the bar and some leather sofas in the middle area in front of the bar. I would definitely come back here just for the service and the humility of the staff (and their tots). I'd also like to try some of their other menu items like their quesadillas and chicken wings. They do have happy hour from 6-8pm on certain days so I'd probably come then. read more

Lab 88 - Parmesan fries - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

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Cool little hole in the wall. Good appetizers & reasonable Happy Hour prices. We will be back. read more

Lab 88 - Appetizers were very tasty - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

I'm not the biggest fan of the food here but that is also due to my abstemious diet. However, the service and the drinks are pretty good. A perfect place to hang out with your buddies if you live in the area and want to avoid driving 40 minutes during the weekend to DTLA. So grateful for this place being 5 minutes away from me. I'd also like to add that the staff is SUPER SWEET. All of them. read more

Came here with friends & had great service from Bomi, Roman, and MJ! Super friendly staff, food & drinks came out fast. Excellent service, great happy hour deals, and chill vibes. read more

Lab 88 - Drink is called Kill This Love. It's sweet and creamy! Tastes like strawberry pocky. - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

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MJ, Bomi, and Lex really understand the meaning of customer service. We were there for a cousins birthday on a Sunday but there still were a good amount of people eating/drinking/watching kpop videos that play constantly. In terms of food we ordered the bulgogi fries and kimchi fried rice, drinks wise we had the it's icy and I think the kill this love! Will definitely be back. read more

I have been meaning to try this place ever since coming across pictures of those crazy looking drinks! The place has minimal lighting and kpop playing in the background. Korean corn dogs were simple and tasted alright. I really did enjoy the yes and yes garlic fries. I'm a big fan of garlic their fries had a generous amount of it! I'm kicking myself for forgetting the names of the a spicy noodle dish we had but it was delicious and if I didn't drink so much I would've finished it all, haha! We got mojitos that were part of their "lab experiments." It was a nice fruity drink but I felt it needed more alcohol. The one drink I do recommend is the "Kill This Love" pink pocky drink. Super delicious and creamy drink. It really does take like pink pocky followed by a faint taste of alcohol. The vibe in this place is great for friends. Servers were attentive and friendly. Prices on some items (mojitos and corn dogs) were a bit on the heavier side for what it's worth. I'd still come back again to try other items. read more

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Pretty dope spot! Very nice ppl, drinks are amazing and vibes are A1! Highly recommended spot

Great new restaurant opened late in San Gabriel!! Finally!! Great Japanese cuisine and bar! Get the Mac and cheese with bacon! Moist and delicious! We also got tater tots w/ delicious toppings! Also the Iron man roll was delicious! We also got the Death Valley Roll on ! Great for IG Drew was a great server- We will be back! read more

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