I'm glad there's a Korean bar in this area now instead of having to drive to ktown. While I still prefer the spots out in ktown, this is a decent alternative. Great happy hour deals! I believe they end at 9pm. There is a DJ sometimes and it gets really loud so we prefer to sit in the back so we can hear each other Food - not good unfortunately. Our favorite dish was the normal fries. They're heavily seasoned which I like. Their army stew, Popcorn chicken, and kimchi fried rice have been a pass. More of a soju and beer spot which is fine with us! In n out is across the street. read more

Lab 88 - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

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Came by on a weekday night and they had plenty of spacious seating indoors. Music is on the louder side for the atmosphere, and there's different card games or board games available. Also has a bathroom in the back, but it's not the cleanest. Loaded bulgogi fries were pretty good, especially the meat chunks! Army stew was average but still tasty. We didn't get to try the drinks, but they have an extensive bar in the middle. Would recommend coming by for a late night hangout with friends! read more

Lab 88 - Army Stew - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

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Drinks are okay, food is okay, but it is so warm, humid, and musty inside. If there was better ventilation would be so much nicer to hang out in. Good vibes and crowd but bad temperature control. read more

Visited this place without looking at the menu beforehand and I was expecting a larger variety for a Korean place. Apparently they have no rice cakes available for a long time and a lot of the foods I wanted to try were "sold out" too. Not much variety here so we went with the soy garlic chicken wings and kimchi fried rice. I thought how could you go wrong with kimchi fried rice but it definitely disappointed. It was very soggy and greasy and the flavor was ok. The chicken wings were good and very crispy. This was a good amount of food for 3 people. The soju amf did the job tho. They card you right when you walk in and have a birthday special of 10% off. There's also lots of games to play with! The place was nice and very dark in the restroom But I don't know if I will come back for the food read more

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Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. Fun good. read more

Lab 88 - Fun! - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

Came with friends on a Saturday Night. We got seated quickly and everything we ordered came out pretty fast! We got the Passion Fruit Soju Pitcher, Elote Fries, Corn Cheese & Tteokbokki. read more

Lab 88 - Passion Fruit Soju Pitcher, Elote Fries, Corn Cheese & Tteokbokki - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

A buddy of mine, Power B, recommended this place to me and couldn't stop raving about the place. Com'n, I already know Power B has poor taste and she couldn't be more wrong about the place. The drinks were mid, value high, decor mid, and service mid. Go bowling instead. read more

I'm going to be as honest as possible as a Korean-American who grew up in Ktown. The only thing Korean about this place are the posters, Kpop music videos playing on the TV and the drinks. The interior decor is perfect to set the mood for a night out with your friends, but the food is MID at best and the drinks were served in an ice bucket and not even cold. They took FOREVER to bring it out the food and they dropped off each dish, one by one. The next dish came out after we finished the plate. Terrible. Kimchi Fried Rice: 6/10 The first dish to come out. For a table full of hungry folks, it wasn't bad but it wasn't anything to rave about. Because it was still decent, we were hopeful for the other plates were ordered. Boy were we wrong. Chicken Sandwich: 5/10 It's a McChicken at best. You can literally buy the chicken patty from Costco, or Restaurant Depot for them. It was flavorless. No sauce, no pickles, no mayo. Nothing. Just Costco chicken patty and some greens and call it a day. The best part about this? The butter buns and the fries. Period. Bulgogi Nachos: 3/10 It's the LOWEST quality meat I've ever had at a full-service restaurant. This isn't bulgogi at all, the flavors are off and they probably used chuck roast. If you bite into it, it's no different than the "steak" they use at taco bell. They also used a strange tangy red sauce that tasted like Mexican candy flavors. I love Mexican candy, but not on Korean food. They also use the cheapest nacho chips available to purchase. Also, why is there Kimchi on nachos?? If you're the chef or an employee, there's NO way you guys are eating this. I'll pay to watch you guys finish the entire thing and say that it's 10/10. How can you serve this? Chicken Wings: 6/10 The best dish I had here, but lemon pepper is just okay and the buffalo isn't bad. Unfortunately, they don't know how Koreans actually do it, which we double fry the wings to give it the extra crunch. Some parts of the wings were soggy. That's crazy. I highly doubt the owner is Korean, but if you are... lol. Not that you need to be in order to put out quality Korean food, but damn. Please try the dishes at a Ktown pub like Star Night or Honey Night and compare it to your food. You'll literally be able to tell right away. I will GUARANTEE that the owner rarely stops by the place or hasn't tried the items on the menu. There's SO much potential here, but this isn't it. The people out here really have no idea what good quality Korean food is if this place is rated 4.5 stars. read more

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Wow! This will be my new drinking place from now on! Excellent happy hour deals everyday from 6-9!!! Their soju drinks are delicious and their food is scrumptious! We got the elote fries and the kimchi fried rice. They were the perfect combination to the soju! Service is pretty prompt as they have the buttons on table. Ambiance is excellent to hang out with friends for a while. They have an excellent collection of games that you can play with! I will be back very soon! read more

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So my friend and I came last night pretty much around when they just opened, around 6ish and they check your ID upon arrival. It was pretty empty at first because they just opened but as time went on ppl did roll in. My friend and I ordered the army soup and I'm pretty sure it can serve up to three people and we also got the spicy elote tots, they were both yummy!. both food items were good, and spicy but not too spicy just a tad and the soup was a bit cheesy and spicy and just yum. there are many seats to choose from and you order by using a QR code and the service is pretty quick. A button is provided at each table so you can press on it and service would be right over! My friend and I also ordered a melon soju, I'm not much of a drinker but flavor was pretty good! music was pretty good but at times it did stop LOL but it wasn't bad just something i noticed and the ambiance is just night vibes with bar seatings as well! Total came out to be $50 but my friend and I sure took some food home! Would come back for just to relax and chill with friends on the weekends and would recommend. read more

Lab 88 - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

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The vibe is immaculate. Great services and a very friendly staff employees. Portions of the food is very generous for 2 people. Love the garlic pork belly ( not too chewy or fatty) also love the smokey bbq chicken wing. Right amount of seasoning and overall food. ++ FREE BUZZBALL. not expected but pretty hype about it. definitely would recommend this for late night din din. read more

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This is a pretty chill spot if you want Korean food and vibes, without driving all the way to Ktown, if you live in the SGV. My cousin suggested this place, as she was craving late night snacks. We came around 11pm? Parking was spacious, as this is located in a small shopping center, next to a bowling alley and a pub. They check for ID at the door. We were sat down immediately, and the large tv blasting Korean music, KTV was playing. Atmosphere is cool. We ordered a few apps and a bottle of soju. Both me and my cousin don't really drink much, so we figured one bottle would be enough for us. The food was ok. We ordered wings, elote fries, and nachos. Definitely large portions if you bring a group of friends, but the food was overly salty. Atmosphere again, is great, but food...eh. Could be better. Overall, this a cool hangout for friends, for booze and great night out. Next time, probably order just one or two apps. read more

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A cool bar with cheap beer. Went here on a Friday night and was able to get a table. Very chill vibes and a lot of other people brought cards. A pitcher of beer was only $16 and the cocktails come in beakers which was cool. Service was great, they give you a button and they come over right away. read more

The atmosphere was inviting and perfect for a happy hour after an early dinner at Wow Cow next door. Staff was incredibly friendly, Valerie was attentive to making sure we had everything we needed. The highlight was that there were many board games available, with plenty of options to keep you entertained. Snack options were equally impressive, from fruits to finger food to complement your soju ! Overall a fantastic spot! read more

Jenga made me do this ! The drinks are good too, first date worthy. Would go on second date.

Little drunk right now. But the Jenga told me to write a Yelp review. Having fun with friends for my bday and new folks we met :-)

Amazing bar! Great drinks and fast service! Really great place to come and have a drink. Servers were super nice and provided amazing service. read more

Lab 88 - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

This used to be a good spot but an employee ruined the experience. Came here with a few friends to hang out with and kind of wish we didn't come. In the beginning, employees were attentive and would have a nice attitude when we press the bell to have our orders taken. We got a few drinks and a little bit after, my friend was hungry so we pressed the bell to order garlic house fries. The server came over with an attitude and "I'm over it" type of facial and quickly took our order. Keep in mind that it was not super busy at the time we order. The rush came in afterward. Garlic house fries had no flavor in them whatsoever. Tasted like plain fries with some herbs thrown on top. Would not recommend getting this. Experience was def ruined after this and not sure if I'll come back. read more

Lab 88 is located in a plaza with ample parking, and at nights, parking is never an issue. It's located next to bowling alley and attracts many young adults. IDs are checked prior entrance, and the music often envelopes any conversation. I've visited Lab 88 twice and on both occasions found it especially hard to talk to someone as close as directly across from me. The space is also rather tight on the tables behind the bar, and it felt as if we were packed like sardines. Their Yelp page mentions that it is moderate noise and smoking outside only, but I would argue that it is rather noisy inside, and I have seen people vape inside before. On the first visit I ordered the army stew to share with a friend since we were both driving. While it appeared super tasty and packed, I felt that it was fairly bland and lacking in flavors other than spice. The container it was in was also shallower than expected, and I think it could feed two but may be a tight for 3-4 people for dinner. I felt that it was too expensive for its price point. During this visit is when I saw a party or two vape indoors. On my second visit with a group of friends, we ordered a pitcher of yogurt soju, and it tasted as expected. I often sip my soju, and something that I noticed is that I kept getting small stomach aches while drinking it. One of my other friends also mentioned that something felt off but thought it was just her. I also noticed that the yogurt soju was not served cold / chilled, which was a surprise, since I've usually had it cold at other restaurants. On both visits, the servers were attentive at the beginning to take our orders. After that, they never returned unless we called them with the bell system. I found both experiences overall to be disappointing, and I would only enjoy coming if it would be to talk with friends over cheap drinks. I will likely be returning at least once in the future, since it is one of the few local places for young adults that's open late at night, and I hope that I can update Lab 88 to a higher review on my 3rd visit, since it seems to be on average 4+ star restaurant. read more

Food was excellent. I always get the Army soup *with my girlies. The workers are friendly. The place is very clean and I love a Clean bathroom haha. I also enjoyed the Nachos with steak. Its perfect for late night munchies read more

Randomly ended up here on Sunday since it was one of the only things that were open. They were kinda full for late night. Really enjoyed it here, the food was great! Got the bulgogi fries which were my favorite (we got 2)& the dumplings, 2 medium orders of wings & the soup was so good, it had plenty of stuff & it was enough for four of us to share. We got plenty of drinks here but my only favorites were the mojitos (it's soju base btw) Overall had a good time we ended up paying $140 which I think is decent for the things we ordered (4 people) Only reason I didn't give it a 5 star was because the service was ehhh, not bad but not great read more

Lab 88 - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

Came here a couple times and this is honestly a really nice soju bar. Very dark and has good music playing, sometimes there's even a dj playing which is nice. Soju bottles are around $8 per bottle, a lot better priced than some other soju bars. Got their Loaded Bulgogi Steak Fries to snack on and it was so tasty! Bulgogi was super well marinated, fries were crispy and super cheesy! Honestly a great snack to get when drinking. My friends and I kill this so fast whenever we order it. read more

Lab 88 - LOADED BULGOGI STEAK FRIES - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

Late night, good music and cheap drinks. Very chill spot. Seems to be a popular place for young adults (for the cheap drinks). Sorry for my terrible picture, but it was dark and I didn't want to have my camera flash. Our server was this young nice girl. Really great waitress. She forgot that I had asked for bowls but was extremely apologetic. Which was fine because I understand things get busy sometimes and you might forget. Parking: plenty of space in the parking lot Food: army stew- not the most amazing, but it was still good to me. A little bit more than medium spicy. Kimchi fried rice - loved. Cheesy and overall good. A little mushy. Maybe because I liked the flavor of this dish that it overpowered the army stew. But overall WAY too much food for two people. army stew itself is good for two. But eating it as leftovers made it even more spicy. Yum! read more

They say when you finish something it's good right? Well this Pink lemonade fish bowl was so GOOD it made me wanna slap my momma. Sorry momma! Just saying. Stumbled upon this gem recently with some friends and we have been hitting this LAB up damn near faithfully. They have table games that are accessible. GREAT, and Fun staff, with the addition of groovy lights to enhance the vibes. Did I mention they have food? The food they have and MILk Teas never cease to give my mouth an organism and curl my toes. Yeah, I went there with the toe curling. I've tried all the soju pitchers by now and hot damn they are knee slappers every time. What I'm trying to say is if you want your toes curled and that tingly hood sensation in your jaw pull up to LAB Today! I mean RIGHT NOW pull up on em' it's that Splah' They also have DJ and Karaoke nights so follow them on Instagram for details. read more

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Absolutely one of my favorite places to be. Weekend, weeknight, happy hour, anytime really. There were times in the past I was looking for a quick bite and drink and a good friend of mine brought me over and I've never looked back. The constant upgrades to their menu, service team and drinks has been fun to see over the years. I'm a regular patron who enjoys everything from the food to the drinks. I'm particularly to doing my own thing and mixing my soju with 7Up, but the AMF soju buckets and cocktails have my heart here. Unfortunately the only downside would be just how busy they can get on the weekends (great for their business though), but it's ALWAYS worth the wait if you find yourself in the area and want the perfect hangout and drink spot. read more

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This place needs a redo of their menu and interior. We got the passionfruit soju pitcher and omg that was the worst soju I've ever had. When we first got it, we saw a thick residue at the bottom of the pitcher, and turns out that was the syrup they add to the soju to flavor it. They did try to give us a mixing spoon to mix it a bit more in, but it still tasted bad. I think if we were just given normal soju it would have tasted better. Popcorn chicken was more like chicken nuggets? The kind you would buy from the frozen section at Ralph's. Not bad, but not real popcorn chicken either. The restroom situation was shocking. It is way too damn dark in there. The bar itself is already too dark even for a bar, but you can barely see in there at all. That's probably why there's a lot of pee on the floor. People can't see where their pee is going. Really gross. The games they had for you to grab are pretty decent, makes it more fun. I think if they just added some more lighting and redid the recipes there is potential for this place. Hope to see it do better in the future. read more

Favorite place to come drink Soju and play games with the group! Great service and a fun atmosphere. Also 10/10 will come again thanks to Jenga read more

Lab 88 - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

Happy hour 6-9pm, excellent value. This place has a great atmosphere despite not being in Ktown. The drink prices are really reasonable and the food prices are not gouged up like Ktown pubs; this is a huge plus! I like the theme here keeping everything 88 like the prices ($x.88), it's an interesting take in a Chinese-dominant area considering it's a soju bar. I think the location is perfect because it's not swamped with restaurants and boba shops, which can make the parking lot pretty packed (there's also a back parking lot). If you get drunchies, eat kbbq next door. If you want to have some fun, go to Action Lanes for some bowling. If you crave greasy food after drinking, grab a burger or two at In-n-Out right across the street. Live music on the weekends at times is a nice plus. I hope this place picks up in business because there's not much like this in SGV; I wouldn't want to see it close down due to its location (since it's not on Valley Blvd or Main St). Shout-out to Huong and all the staff members for being attentive and friendly! Not something you get in Ktown at times. The staff here deserves a raise. This place delivers the atmosphere and service; go with your squad, you won't be disappointed :) read more

Came around on a Friday evening and it wasn't as busy as expected. Food: Their food isn't that good tbh. Fries were a little sad, wings were also very sad. The only redeeming factor about the consumable items were the SUPER cheap alcohol they have during happy hour. $8 soju AMF's? Give me like 3 of them. Throw a soju cocktail pitcher in there too (but don't order the blackberry soju cocktail - stick with yogurt). Service: Service was pretty good. Saved this review from being lower. Vibes were pretty lit too. Felt like a club with chairs and food. Overall, I'm not a HUGE fan of this place. But my friends like drinking so I think I'll only go if they suggest it and it's happy hour. read more

L8b I?2$ iv tha s*** ^ We on those levels right now. We just came from Lab 88 tonight to cheer a Homegirl up and Lab 88 further solidified a special place in our hearts. The last time I wrote a review, my ass was planted on the seat, slow body rolling to the occasional kpop song that would come on. Tonight was an all out rager where even my 31-year-old w my weak ass knees stood up to dance to Pretty Ricky. Such good vibes. We were even kumbaya w/ the random straight dudes in line for the restroom. Let me just say: we are so lit right now that this Lifetime movie we watching is taking us through an emotional rollercoaster. And we INVESTED in it. That's how the soju got us feeling. Do yourself a favor and support this local bar. Because DAMN. P.S. Shoutout to RALPH and GINA for taking care of us. Like I know we was just asking for water half the time, but they didn't roll their eyes once at us. And that's the positive energy we didn't deserve but GOT. read more

Lab 88 - Passion fruit Soju - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

I was super excited to try and support a happy hour joint in El Monte! I came here for happy hour right as they opened at 6:00 PM on a weeknight. It is located in a plaza with other businesses. The plaza is almost always empty, so parking will not be an issue at all. Similarly, the restaurant was not crowded at all with plentiful open tables, but I think the restaurant starts filling up later in the night, assuming they're open till 2:00 AM! I wasn't sure how busy it was going to get, so I made a reservation for 3 guests online a few days prior to our visit. Oddly enough, I never received my confirmation email. Ambience: 3.5 out of 5 It's dark in there, which contributes to a hip arcade-like vibe. They have KPOP playing on TV with other music playing on the sound system. There are there are lounge-type rooms with couches, but I'm not sure they're currently open due to the pandemic. The restroom is also pretty dark. I appreciate the ambience. However, from an accessibility standpoint, if someone has low vision or other disabilities and/or conditions that prevents them from having clear vision, this may not be the most accessible place for them. Additionally, there are random chairs stacked in the corners and old advertisement posters on the wall that may come off tacky. Flavored soju (passionfruit): 5 out of 5 The happy hour menu is just fantastic! A pitcher of flavored soju is only about $10 during happy hour. We were given the option of passionfruit, yogurt, and blackberry. We went with passionfruit! It was sweet and smooth and just right! Elote fries: 4 out of 5 Flavor wise, it was pretty basic, but for elote fans, this might be a dish you may want to try. A bed of fries is covered with elote (e.g., corn, mayo, and parmesan cheese). The portion size is pretty large, and if you're sharing, this can modesty serve up to 4 people. Army soup: 5 out of 5 The army soup is HUGE! It can easily serve up to 4 people. Since we got other happy hour dishes, this dish was plenty between the three of us and we have relatively big appetites! It comes with 2 packets of instant ramen, 2 slices of cheese, 2 skewers with meats, rice cakes, kimchi, 2 eggs, and so many other things I may have been missing. It's only $15ish during happy hour and it is about $24 otherwise. Go in a group with family and friends during happy hour. Tummies will be happy and so will your wallet! Fantastic deal! Popcorn chicken: 3 out of 5 I was a little disappointed at the popcorn chicken, because 1) it just tasted like heated frozen mini chicken nuggets, and 2) they used fries as fillers. I'm not sure why they did this, but the order was popcorn chicken and not fries. Fried dumplings/potstickers: 4 out of 5 The fried dumplings came in 12 pieces. They are crunchy in exterior texture and juicy on the inside. It comes with a mild dipping sauce. I'm a big dumplings/potstickers fan, but, regardless, this was a decent dish on the happy hour menu. It may not be the highest quality, but it gets the job done. Service: 3.5 out of 5 Service was friendly and welcoming. I will have to note that they must step up their cleaning schedule. The menu at the table was so sticky when I touched it. It was kinda gross. Also, one of the soju shot glasses that were served to us was chipped. That's a hazard and I hope they are more cautious with these things moving forward. read more

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Came here tonight to enjoy some late night food. The army stew was HUGE, but not only that, it was delicious! We told the server mild but was expecting it to be spicy still but the stew was at a perfect spice level!!! I never once had to chug down cups of water like I usually do at Hanshin Pocha. It came with gyoza, tteokbokki, fish cake, bok choy, spam, and ramen noodles. Delish! I also had their AMF cocktail and oh my gosh, it was tasty! And I don't even drink cocktails like that! Great service and all around great vibes! read more

Staff was super accommodating and let us order food a few minutes after the kitchen closed because our party had to wait a bit longer to be seated due to size. The ambiance is chill and the food is delicious. Definitely a place to come and have a few drinks with friends and eat some yummy bite sized food. read more

This place is super fun if you're looking to party it up with a giant soju cocktail fishbowl! And when I say huge, it's actually humongous... My group of 7 couldn't finish it LOL. Not going to lie, ours did taste pretty watered down but a few cups was enough to get all of us pretty tipsy and with more to spare. The ambiance is dark but trendy: your typical korean gastropub type of vibe. Good for bigger or smaller groups! Special shout-out to all the waitresses though. They're all super sweet and hardworking. They come by quickly as soon as you ring the buzzer to help you get anything you need, and most of them are down to knock back a couple drinks with you as well haha! Prices are reasonable and the food looks pretty good.. would definitely come back again :) read more

Lab 88 - Pink lemonade fishbowl... freakin hugeeeee - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

Lab 88 is a fun yet super chill late night spot, awesome to wind down at with friends... I really enjoyed their selection of food and drinks. The music is OK; it would be awesome if management could hire artists to perform or even DJ's like in the past. read more

My husband and I frequent lab88 a few times a month. If I'm sad , we go. If I'm happy , we go. LOL. We love anything soju they make there. FOOD EXCELLENT. LOVE their Budaejjihae!!! Wings , fries, karaage, kimchee fried rice... are all yummmm. We enjoyed the service. Fast and attentive. read more

Great place to chill and have fun! The pink pocky blend drink was real good and tasted like strawberry pocky soju. The corn cheese and fries were great drinking snacks! read more

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Cool spot! As close as you can get to the environment of an authentic Itaewon pub in the 626. The yogurt soju and side dishes are replete with flavor, though on the pricey side for what it is. Attentive & friendly staff. If they took song requests I would be here more often for sure read more

Popcorn chicken was alright, nothing special. The elote fries were good & vibes/service was very nice! read more

Lab 88 - Lounges Near Me - El Monte, California

Lab88 is a fun spot , its a frequent place i visit with friends. they offer drinks and even a huge soju fishbowl. there's a button on the table to request assistance and they are very responsive ! read more