Love the beef sizzling with whatever else I can add on top, even tho it gets a bit pricy if I keep adding. But to make the perfect sizzling plate for myself, it'll take a lot more ingredients! Can't wait to go back to try everything else! read more

Pepper Lunch - Bomb - Japanese Near Me - Alhambra, California

The food is cooked on a wok of some sort. The meat is cooked right in your wok K. Overall a good and tasty meal, that satisfied my taste buds. The only reason i give it 4 stars is that the portion is not as large as I would expect from a restaurant like this. Use the sauces provided in the restaurant for a taste found rarely in any restaurant. I would come again, but it's nothing something to crave for. It's a good meal, but nothing too special. Would recommend to friends and family though. read more

Went here during COVID-19 and they had outdoor seating available, but had to wait a bit because of limited seats. Pepper lunch had great service, nonetheless, the cashiers and servers were both friendly and happy to help. The food came out quickly and the overall environment was great. Would definitely recommend for a quick and easy lunch/dinner. read more

Pepper Lunch - Classic Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Alhambra, California

I decided to try this restaurant because it seemed like everyone loved this place with all the hype. I came here for Sunday lunch and the line was pretty long. Luckily, it seemed to move fast and you're able to order it through an ipad. Classic Beef Pepper Rice: In my opinion, it was not worth it. There were only a few pieces of beef paired with alot of rice. So, if prefer to have more meat, you can order the jumbo option. The beef quality didn't seem fresh and it tasted bland. It needed to have more pepper to enhance the flavor. As for the rice, it was hard and seemed like it was leftover rice from the day before. In the future, I'll probably give this place another chance and try their curry. read more

I first had Pepper Lunch in Japan and immediately fell in love. Such a simple concept and delicious flavorful food. It's like Japanese soul food! Every bite is fresh and hot all the way through the meal. I love being able to season it the way I want and the sauces are so yum! I always recommend starting with the Beef Pepper classic! Try it with the added cheese, bacon bits, onions, and garlic chips!!! Mmmmmm...the food comes in a sizzling hot skillet and always hits the spot. So happy that it's here in Cali! read more

So simple, but SOOOO GOOD. It's literally beef, corn, rice and sauce on a sizzling plate but it's wildly addicting. They have a bunch of different menu items but we don't stray too far away from their beef plates. i love the kimchi/cheese one! read more

Went here 1 times for lunch break Place looks new and clean.They have ordering machine which is pretty cool. Pretty good food, but its pretty pricy for what u get. Spend almost $100 for 3 people. read more

Good Food. But if you ever come here do not deal with their front cashier - Genesis. The rudest person we've ever met. Drove 2 hours to eat here and we were welcome with her rudeness. Thank you next! read more

Sizzling Hot Plate Japanese Food. I had the Shrimp Rice and Bacon bits (bacon makes everything delicious of course) so my review may be biased here. My other friends that went here had Curry which was also astounding. It's hard to come up with a critique for this place since it literally checks all my boxes! read more

Hey Guys, I have another food spot for you in Alhambra, CA. This time it's a Japanese Restaurant and the food is Amazing!! Go check this place out! read more

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Awesome food. Nothing beats sizzling hot steak and rice. Where have I been the last three years? Don't forget to add a fried egg. It' makes it that much better. read more

I never write reviews, but I had to do it for Pepper Lunch because this place absolutely sucks. Overpriced food for tiny portions, bland and flavorless dishes, service from staff is non-existent, We were waiting at the front counter ready to order but they just stood around doing nothing for a few minutes before greeting us or taking our order. If they were busy I would expect them to let us know that they'll get to us in a bit but they were just not doing anything. read more

Kimchi cheese option was amazing! I guess this is a very common combination these days but it was my first time trying it and I was so happy with this place. Definitely going back just to eat that dish. My boyfriend got the dish with lots of meat (I forgot the name) and he enjoyed it a lot! We ordered to-go and didn't miss out on the quality of dining in.. so I imagine dining it would elevate the experience even more. Good place for a quick meal that isn't too heavy read more

The employee named Genesis had such an amazing and 'above and beyond' customer service. Her attitude and energy really makes you want to come back to eat and be served by her! Even with COVID and their seatings are outside, the meals are worth eating despite the season's hot weather! Her customer service is definitely rare to experience during this climate and it's people like her that make this pandemic seem so much more easier to go through! She should be the manager or supervisor of their spot! read more

My lunch was horrible, I asked for water, which I had to pay for. No water was given, no receipt was given either. The waiter asked to see my email to check for receipts (for the water). I told him I wouldn't have the receipt on email because I never gave out my email address during the ordering process. He said to check it anyways, what a fucken idiot man, needs better staff. Do not come here. This is the pinnacle of shit service. read more

Pepper Lunch is good quality food but it's also something that you can make at home with canned corn, beef slices, some soy sauce and lotsa pepper. The best part is the sizzling pan that makes it hot and steamy. Oh, that extra pepper butter is good too. You can adjust your taste with the added garlic soy sauce or honey soy sauce that is provided on the table. It can be a little confusing the first time when you order because there are two stations where you order by yourself through the digital screen and pay only via credit card. Be expected to pay around $10 to $15 per person depending on your add-ons. Lots of upselling via the app and it's tempting. The normal size pepper lunch is pretty much filling for a petite size me. If this is your first time, I do suggest to try the regular pepper lunch. It's a good base to see whether you like the spicy pepper in your food. There are however, other options with no pepper like salads, pasta, etc. PARKING// is very ample in Alhambra. There is a parking structure behind the building. read more

Got their most popular dish classic beef pepper rice! I have to say it's good but it's a little too oily for me read more

Pepper Lunch - Classic Beef Pepper Rice - Japanese Near Me - Alhambra, California

My family loves this place! We've been here a few times and the the staff is always friendly and super helpful. One time, we came as a party of 9 for outdoor dining and the service was great! Half the guest were first timers and one of the staff members (Andrew) stepped up; explained the menu, gave great recommendations, and answered everyone's questions, all with a smile and some major patience. He did not rush us at all. Once you place your order, the food is brought to your table pretty quickly and sizzling hot. I highly recommend this place. Even my kids, gets really excited when we tell them we're heading here. They love the creamy pasta here. read more

My fam and I went on a Saturday night ~45mins before closing. They seated us and said they'll be back to take our orders. This never happened. After we finally flagged someone down, they told us to go up and order. Food arrived and we were super excited to try it out, but it was just average. We would've sauced our sizzling platters but they already packed it all up. We tried the classic beef, kimchi beef, curry beef plate and rib-eye. Service - what service? No one seems to want to help out or explain how Pepper Lunch rolls. Besides, you go up to order and grab utensils/drinks/sauces yourself. Overall, food was something you could make yourself and not very tasty. Everything is super hot, so be careful and grab some tissue to wipe off your sweat. Not a place I would return to and definitely not worth waiting for. read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Alhambra, California

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This place was ok...hit the spot for a quick lunch! We opted to use the self-service kiosk, which was fun but a bit confusing. If you'd rather order with a human, I heard that is also an option. Prices range from $10-$20 and you can customize. There is plenty on the menu to choose from which can be overwhelming if you're not sure what to try. Beef and chicken options, along with some veggies seem to be the standard here. There are also salad choices. After successfully placing our order, we sat down and our order came out in a matter of minutes. The iron skillet-thingy was indeed sizzling and kept our food warm for about 15 minutes. Portions were just enough, not too much, not too little. Everything was seasoned and meat (beef) was tender. Although it may seem like you're cooking your own food, you're actually not...just maybe finishing up the actual cooking by mixing beef with rice etc. (It's not like Korean BBQ). If you're looking for a fast and filling meal at a good price point, then check this place out. Be sure to visit at a good time to avoid the crowd. This concept can be enjoyable for some, but not others. Service was speedy and friendly so that was definitely a plus. Maybe will need to make a return visit to try some of there other interesting offerings. As a special note, this location and Irvine are the only locations in California! read more

Pepper Lunch - Sizzling! - Japanese Near Me - Alhambra, California

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i always order the classic. extra pepper beef with rice on sizzle plate. worth every calories

This used to be one of my favorite spots. But until dine in is open you should skip. The main appeal is that you get to cook your own meat and control your own seasoning. With takeout the food is pre mixed and not that well at that. The seasoning was very poor, too much salt not enough sauce. Practically inedible until I went home and thinned it out with leftover rice. But at that point why pay $15 for it. I'm sure once done in comes back it'll go back to their normal standard. I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed as really the whole point for coming here is the hot stones and without it there's no point in eating here in my opinion. read more

Pepper Lunch - Eel Rice - Japanese Near Me - Alhambra, California

Pretty cool concept, you order your food with the kiosk and then they will bring you the food. Food is salty, the place get pretty busy during lunch time. It's pretty expensive for lunch m. We order three plate and one drink and it came out to be $65. read more

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Good ambience, kind workers, and tasty food. Where is the manager or health dept when you need them, though. There is more than one person, with long hair, working around the food without a hairnet on. The workers should be ServSafe certified, so ? Also, it appears that this location has the case of the magic gloves as well; they wear them, but don't change them, as they're supposed to. read more

Good food, good price. Quick and tasty! I really enjoyed the karaage with curry. All the curry was gone. We also got the steak/chicken combo plate. My husband wants to go back already but we live out of town! (About 2 hours away). Will be coming back next time we visit read more

Pasta was bland. Only got a ring of beef around it and the whole thing is soaked in oil. My friend got pepper beef rice and the fried rice that came with it is pathetic. Basically just white rice mixed with some bits of corn and peas. I could make better fried rice myself at home. The subpar food is worth no more than $10. Dont waste your money on their hot plate gimmick. read more

So we tried this place for the first time and let me tell you, I'm very disappointed. First when couldn't figure out how to place the order, and we asked for help and no one came to help us. 2nd the meal was super pricey and the servings are small and no one came to check if everything was ok. I called to speak to the manager and some girl named Shanon took my mssg, but when I asked what was her name she though about it, so not sure if I have the right name. I told her I wanted to speak to the manager and not the lead and she said she would text them. Haven't received a call. So upset. They don't even deserve on e star. I would like my money back read more

Used to go to Pepper Lunch in another countries when I was younger, and it used to amazing but now... It's just okay... The one here in the states are not as good as those chains in Asia. Not sure why. But I still love it. The service was excellent! 5/5 The food : 3/5 The location: 3/5 Parking: 3/5 read more

Be prepared for a line but luckily it moves fast. You order from the machine and one of the servers will find you a table. There was a little bit of a confusion with our table but not a big deal. I tried one with curry that was pretty good. The star is the classic beef pepper lunch. I would get that one because it has the garlic butter and is very flavorful and tasty. Might as well get the large and take any leftovers with you as a snack. On the downside, I had the side salad (was craving some greens) and that was not good. Just some greens, seaweed, and tomato with a packaged salad dressing. Don't get that. Overall a great option. It does get a little smokey so dress accordingly! read more

The best best best can never get enough of pepper lunch! So fresh & yummy! I love the meat lovers curry but the kimchee cheese chicken fried rice is surprisingly good! Sweet potato wedges are to die for! read more

Had the chicken teriyaki and was pleasantly surprised about how good this place is. I want to try more of the dishes! Food is fresh and what a fun way to serve it! read more

Not bad. But it's America Japanese food. It doesn't taste like Japanese food. I will bring my American friends back, but not my Asian friends. BTW their service are really friendly. read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Alhambra, California

My friend and I came here on Friday with our children. My friend has a 7 month baby and I have a 7 week baby. We went near the outside patio since it was difficult to go inside with two strollers. One waiter informed us that we can stay there while our husbands orders our food. Another waiter told me to move my stroller closer to the sidewalk for safety reasons. She said it was a safety hazard for us to be there. We informed her that my newborn child was inside and she kept insisting that we move my stroller close to the sideway or behind my friend. As a parent, I would like to be near my child at all time and I do not appreciate anyone telling me to move my newborn on the other side of the table behind my friend. Are you seriously nuts? Shouldn't my child's safety be your concern? The waiter repeatedly told us this was a safety hazard and she went inside to yell at my husband and stop our order. In the end, we ended up eating there but I really wished this place was child friendly. I am utterly disappointed in this place. How can you treat infants like that? What is wrong with you? Do you have a heart?? I really hope you guys employ better people who genuinely care about children. Overall, I think the food was good but I would not go back here. I really hope no one ever experiences this. read more

I've had Pepper Lunch in Asia and was pretty excited about having a location closer to me. Food was pretty lackluster for the price. I think the curry is the best choice you can order. For the price though, I'd rather go to Curry House down the street and order the stone pot curry. Better bang for your buck and better tasting. read more

Came here a couple days ago with some co workers for a quick lunch. Pre June 15th (full capacity). They did not have any tables available when we arrived but we wrote our name down and got seated very quick. My co worker recommended me to get there jumbo beef classic pepper rice dish. I added onion and an egg. It was supper delicious ! They have a sweet sauce and a garlic sauce to add to your dish. Definitely will come back again and try something different. read more

Pepper Lunch - Jumbo classic beef peppered rice with onion and egg add on - Japanese Near Me - Alhambra, California

Delicious food, it was fun to pour curry in and watch it sizzle. Would come again to try their other options

Honestly this place is just overhyped. I had to wait 30 mins to be seated so that I could use a self service machine. The only good thing about this place is that the food came out very quick. However it was quick for a reason, it was not seasoned. beef curry with extra beef : beef was very unseasoned/chewy, the garlic chip was a disappointment. jumbo beef pepper bowl : there wasn't a difference between reg and jumbo beef portions. garlic chips overpowered the dish. but most of all the rice was mushy. read more

Ordered the classic beef sizzling cast iron skillet and wasn't that impressed. In fact, I was a little appalled that lunch came out to $17 and change. The beef on my bowl was really tender but it didn't really pack the punch of beefy flavor I was hoping for. I appreciated the butter and coin toppings which I think made the bowl appealing. As for sauces, I really liked the garlic soy sauce but I think they could dilute it a bit. The bus boys were really quick and attentive. I don't think I would make a return visit. read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Alhambra, California

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Ordered a sizzling curry plate to-go through Postmates and it did not come with any curry at all. Without any of the curry sauce led to the meat being both bland and tasteless, plus they gave me a terrible fried egg as my side. This restaurant also claims that they are not affiliated with Postmates even thought I have placed the order through Postmates literally 30 minutes prior, they refused to assist me or provide me a refund and said I needed to contact Postmates of whomever their third party who handled the transaction was. I definitely would not recommend this place to anyone placing an online order. read more

Pepper Lunch - Japanese Near Me - Alhambra, California

Food quality and taste is good but the value just wasn't there, considering what you get and pay for does not measure up. The restaurant atmosphere and service is just okay. A bit underwhelming. Try it for yourself but for me the experience was not exactly on par with any sense of value. You get raw seasoned meat on a hot iron skillet that finishes cooking at your table once served. Maybe a novelty item or just a gimmick. read more