Justin, our server, really went above and beyond to help celebrate a birthday dinner. Would…read moredefinitely recommend.

COVID-19: Social distancing is not enforced at this establishment. Some of the staff wears a mask…read more All customers are not expected to wear a mask. It's optional now. The staff also wears gloves when handling food. There are some hand sanitizers available for customers to use. This place is available for take outs and has some indoor & outdoor seating available with limited capacity. They are not sanitizing in between customers. I mention these things in my reviews for the sake of protecting immunocompromised people like the elderly and people sick with cancer and other illnesses. COVID-19 Vaccination Proof: This establishment currently does not require proof of vaccination. While I was eating my food in this establishment several months ago, I asked if they had any special offers and they were offering some at the moment. They currently do have happy hour. They also do not allow pets in their establishment UNLESS it's a service animal. Parking: The parking lot for this establishment is located behind the restaurant at a local medical building parking lot. It's $1 each 9 minutes with a max of $13. Or you can try to find street parking and walk on over. Food: I ordered a Lychee Martini, Saigon Summer, Mamasan's Shrimp Cake Skewers, Truffle Wok Seared Noodles with Scallop, Slow-Drip Vietnamese Coffee Flan, and Banyan Tree Ice Cream. Before I started ordering, I was immediately given some house made complimentary shrimp chips. I loved how light and airy it was. It also had an amazing crunch. It tasted just like shrimps hahaha. My lychee martini was a crisp, refreshing cocktail that perfectly balances floral sweetness with tart acidity. Order this! The Saigon summer is a spicy, tropical blend of tequila, lime leaf liqueur, agave, butterfly pea infused triplum, and a Thai chili infusion. Not really up my alley, but I'm glad I was able to try it out. I think I dislike anything spicy and super bitter in my drinks. It just tasted odd. Mamasan's shrimp cake skewers features crispy, deep-fried shrimp cakes flavored with kaffir lime and lemongrass. It is served with skewers, charred pineapple, and a sweet garlic chili dip. Definitely get this. It was so crunchy, massive, and mouthwatering. The charred pineapple provided a sour yet sweet taste that helped off set the savory seafood / fishy taste in your mouth. The truffle wok seared noodles with scallop is a dish that combines savory, smoky flavor with luxurious truffle and tender scallops, which bridges the gap between classic Asian stir-fry and Italian comfort food. As a massive sucker for Italian food and all things truffle, this dish was my favorite. The al dente handmade egg noodles were wok-tossed in a rich black truffle sauce with delicious mushrooms, fresh Brussels sprout leaves, and perfectly seared scallops. I loved that I could taste the black truffles. The truffles added a nice rich, earthy, and highly savory flavor with prominent notes roasted nuts. GET THIS DISH!!!!! The slow-drip Vietnamese coffee flan is a silky, rich egg custard infused with bold phin-drip coffee and sweetened condensed milk. It offers a perfect balance of bitter roasted coffee and sweet creamy custard. This dish was super smooth, creamy, and delicious. I loved that Star Leaf added their own twist to this dish by putting a caramel golden cage on top of this already phenomenal tasting dessert. The caramel golden cage gave this flan a nice crunch. This dish wasn't too sweet for me. As a hater of super sweet things, this flan was just right. The banyan tree ice cream was a great way to end the meal. Super refreshing! I got two scoops of Thai tea ice cream and one scoop of the coconut ice cream. Both flavors were fantastic and tasted very creamy. Not too sweet, which is how I like it. Staff: The staff here are very attentive, friendly, welcoming, and polite. Elysha waited on me when I went. She was very attentive, informative, and personable. They accept both cash and credit cards. There is no credit card minimum.

The service was bombastic. Food was pristine. Seating choice was key. The ambiance was ambiancingread more

The food was great! loved the xiao long bao and the pan fried pork buns. the place was completely…read morefilled when we arrived but were sat within 5 minutes

Tugged away in South Pasadena, a friend told me about Shiro a legacy contemporary French Japanese…read morerestaurant that's been serving delicious fine dining for over 40 years! The decor is very classy and elegant, soft lighting with background piano music but you can still have conversations. They have daily fixe menu specials for Thursdays as well as their regular menu. First timer so we had to try a variety of dishes to get a good feel of their cuisine. Wine and cocktail options: had the Shirotini which is a twist similar to a lemon drop. My friend had the pink crane which is bourbon based. Both cocktails were well balanced and tasty. Appetizers: Their famous ravioli: had very creamy sauce over 4 wobton skin ravioli with plump shrimp inside topped with shiitake mushrooms on top. It's a mini meal in itself! Also tried their grilled octopus, cooked perfectly with a nice crunch on the outside and soft on the inside. The main star was the fried catfish sitting in what tasted like a ponzu sauce and please is big enough to feed 4 people! Also had the scallops which were delicious but truly the catfish stole the show. *The main dishes come with a medley side dish of broccoli, carrots and scalloped potatoes. Dessert was the crepes with strawberries and glazed pecans for the filling. The wait staff was attentive but also the owners were there to check in with all the guests to ensure everything was top notch. Learned that the co-owners are best friends. The original owner/chef was Shiro and his niece is one of the co-owners while one of is staff became the other co-owner. What a unique story. Definitely happy to support a legacy business and hoping others will too from this review.

I didn't realize Shiro was still around. Boy did this bring me back down memory lane when I passed…read moreby during my week long stay in So Pas. I had to make a reso before we left So Cal and it was available for the next night. So happy we came bc WOW. I remember why I loved this quaint restaurant over 2 decades ago when we used to come for every special occasion. If memory serves me correctly, it's the same host. She was so hospitable and made us feel right at home. Our server was amazing. Gosh, I forgot his name. Tall skinny guy. Nightly specials. Truffle ravioli with spinach ricotta. Delicious. Had to share as it was a bit rich for a starter. Shaved truffles and blanched spinach. 5/5 Chilean Sea Bass 5/5 light and flaky Crème Brûlée with berries and bananas I didn't know I needed until I had the very first bite. Wow. So good and full of vanilla bean specs. Chocolate soufflé was more of flourless chocolate chocolate. Not too rich. Scoop of bold coffee ice cream. I just needed a tad more ice cream to finish the cake with. I didn't get it to try the crepe special since nephew ate most of it. Crispy wonton with poached pear. Raspberry sauce and orange custard was so unique and tasty 5/5 Both Hubs and Bro ordered the Mary's chicken and absolutely loved it. Well seasoned and garnished well. Filet was perfect cooked and seasoned even for an 8 yr old to finish on his own. DD ordered the salmon. It was so tender and fork soft. Her broccoli was so full of flavor and not overly creamy. I remember even saying out loud that this was a more decadent experience than TFL and Per Se without feeling so overstuffed and heavy feeling upon leaving. So glad I found Shiro again. Will definitely return again.

I decided to come here for a birthday celebration and ooo la la the ambiance really set the mood…read more Service was spectacularrr. I appreciated our server for constantly checking in. Now, let's get to the important part- the FOOD! -Garlic Prawns: 5/5 WOW chef's kiss. I got this because of all the positive reviews I saw on Yelp. I love love love how they left the shrimp's skin in the dish, where you could eat them like chips! They were not hard at all...and perfectly crisped! -Thai Steak Salad: 5/5 the steak MELTS in your mouth and was not chewy at all. I'm not sure how they were able to make the steak so soft and delicious. -Crying Tiger Lambchops: 5/5 I'm not a fan of lamb, but these lamb chop were deliciouso!! The sauced up lettuce side that it came with, complimented the lamb really well. -Nasi Goreng w/ Wagyu Ribeye Cap: 4/5 This Indonesian fried rice was good, but the Wagyu meat kind of tasted a bit odd, but maybe that's just me because my bf loved it. -Singaporean Chili Lobster: 3.5/5 I wasn't really a fan of this since the based flavor had such a strong tomato/ketchup taste... When I made the reservation, I politely requested if there was a way for them to make the bday celebration special, and I'm glad I wrote that because at the end of our meal, our server brought out a Pandan Crème Brulee: 5/5 !!! It was very delicious that we devoured it all! Overall I will def be back to try the oxtail dumplings that I saw people constantly ordering. Note, there is a 20% tip charge that automatically gets added to your check!

The food is pretty good and definitely unique compared to what is typically found in the SGV area…read more It's a mix of different southeast Asian cuisines together, with a Western twist. Portion sizes are great, and definitely filling. Service is a bit slow, and the food does take a while to come out.

I thought this restaurant was going to be similar to a lot of the other Chinese "bistros" or…read more"cafes" around this 626 area, but this one is really a step above, with more personable staff, with a longtime manager/owner who cares about the food and the customers. We had the seafood pasta which was very tasty. The sauce has plenty of flavor and kick, and there is a lot of fresh seafood provided, including mussels and shrimp. Also had the lamb chops, which is one of their most popular dishes, and I can see why. The lamb was cooked perfectly, soft juicy, super easy to eat. I loved that there was chimichurri sauce provided on the side and it went well with everything, including the mashed potatoes and vegetables. This is definitely worth a revisit for any future special occasions!

The food was above average. I could tell by the yelp photos that the chef might not be fully…read moreAmerican. Seeing the server and an Asian staff coming out from kitchen confirmed that the cooking wasn't fully American taste bud. But that is the reason why it hit me very well. Honestly, whether you have American or fusion or Asian taste bud, the taste quality is better than some average American restaurants. I tried the butter squash soup, lamp chop, and bow tie pasta with chicken. I was enjoying my soup and lamp chop a lot. The pasta was pleasant to me, but it wasn't exceptionally great compared to the lamp chop. My fiancé loved the pasta though, saying that the sauce wasn't overwhelming. It is not a cheap place to come for, but it is because the food and drinks (good white wine) have quality. The wait for the entrees was a little long, even though it wasn't that busy. I believe it was the chef spending time to make sure each dish was done well, unlike the busy restaurant where chefs only follow the restaurant's recipes to make it quick and easy. Lastly, the ambience was okay, but it was more an older fine dining/family owned style. It had some nostalgic vibe if you'd take it that way. Keep it up. I really hope it will be there forever long.

On July 23, My family decided to eat here for dinner. As we…read moreentered we noticed how super clean it was & so were their restrooms. The restaurant is very organized & attention to details. As we were seated we saw the chef actually cooking in front of us, this place is known for their handmade noodles. Leung was our waiter he asked we had any questions, we did & he answered them beautifully! They have appetizers which included: Oinghai clear cold noodle, Four-bared clear cold noodles, chinese chives and garlic Spring mix salad: Seasonal vegetables spring mix greens and peanuts, Cucumber salads, Cucumber garlic and cilantro, potato string shrimps, Potato shrimp served with sweet and sour sauce (5pcs), crispy tofu: Crispy tofu with sweet and sour sauce, fried chicken wings, Battered chicken wings with garlic chili sauce (4pcs) seasoned fries. Noodles : signature beef noodles with rice noodle soup, Bone in rib rice noodle soup, Spring cold noodle, Egg with tomato noodles Savory braised chicken noodles Chicken noodle with rice noodle soup Noodle minced beef soup Seasonal veggie noodles with rice noodle soup Spicy beef and beef tendon noodle with rice noodles soup, stir fry noodle: beef, chicken shrimp or tofu, and white rice. House Choose your noodles : standard round, Flat, triangle, and knife cut. Rice dishes: Korean bbq with rice, egg with tomato over rice, beef fried rice, kimchee fried rice with shrimp, White rice. House special: Lamb skewers, scallion pancakes, beef roiled pancakes, chicken spicy wontons, garlic string beans. So we ordered their signature beef noodles with rice noodles soup (standard round noodles), savory braised chicken noodle , scallion pancakes and chicken spicy wontons. All delicious!! mouthwatering! Leung always made sure that drinks were full without asking! He was on it!! Leung was so sweet, kind, caring , super down to earth, very genuine. He has this upbeat energy about himself that really radiates! I would love to thank Leung for a fantastic & memorable visit! I would like to Thank Noodle St for a wonderful visit! I'll definitely tell all my Family & Friends to visit here!!

Was here for lunch over 2 weeks ago to meet my friend that works in the area. We walked from her…read moreoffice near Paseo to old town and we ended up here. There's a menu outside of the place so you can browse so you can check it out before going in. Since this was a slow day (most offices were closed day before a holiday) we were seated right away. My friend ordered beef with rice and I of course wanted a noodle dish. The server suggested some noodle dishes but I felt too hot to go for soup so I ordered the eggs and tomatoes over knife cut noodles. So eggs were overwhelming TBH and I wished I ordered what the server suggested but I do love the noodles. You can tell they're freshly made. Will definitely return to try the popular dishes. The tables are close to each other so you can see what the next table ordered. The beef bone soup looks really good. Dining area is clean, casual and good space for friends and families. I see a lot of young kids with parents. I If you're into fresh noodles definitely try this place out.

Not sure what is going on with Kue's. I noticed for a while that they've been closed. Stopped by…read moreand saw a note posted saying they'll be making some renovations, so only time will tell. We usually enjoy stopping by for the laid back vibe in the bar area and enjoy their happy hour drinks, small bites and friendly customer service from the bar staff. It was once again becoming a regular hang out spot like the old diner so I hope that don't stay closed for too long.

4 stars Kue's has…read morebeen open a little over 1 year ago and, today, my family and I got a chance to try this restaurant. I remember when it was the Diner on Main and, since then, the interior has been remodeled. The interior is comfortable, clean, and the lighting makes the place quite intimate. As for the food, I thought it was very well-seasoned without being too salty. These were the dishes we got: Chicken Salad ($28): A cold chicken salad with fried taro strips, pickled peppers, shredded carrots, cilantro, and sweet pickled onions. I thought this would be very bland, but it turned out to be my favorite dish because of how refreshing it is. The chicken is boiled like hainan chicken and seasoned with a light, tangy sauce. Everything went well together. 4.5/5 stars Orange Chicken ($18): This is a pretty typical orange chicken. I don't think it wow'd me, but I liked that it wasn't overly breaded. 4/5 stars Black Pepper Filet Mignon with Mushrooms ($25): I'm not a huge mushroom person, but I really liked the mushrooms here. It was a combo of oyster mushrooms and button mushrooms with cubed filet mignon. The beef was also really tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth. 4/5 stars Shrimp in XO sauce ($25): This dish was slightly spicier than I expected, but it was also pretty good. The size of the shrimp was huge and the vegetables were on point. It had snap peas, bell peppers, and mountain potato (aka Japanese mountain yam). 4/5 stars The service was very attentive and the owner of the restaurant was very kind. The owner helped us mix the chicken salad at the beginning of our meal and helped my mom cut her birthday cake at the end of the meal. 5/5 stars for service. I'll definitely be back to try other dishes.

Formerly Modan, Kontesu is probably one of the most ethically priced restaurants in the SGV. At a…read moretime when all restaurants seem to use inflation as justification for their inflated prices w out the quality to match, Kontesu proves that good food doesn't have to come with an outrageous bill. From their sub $20 generously portion unagi plate to their $9 appetizer, all with freshness and quality that rival the high end Japanese restaurants in the area, This place is a shining example that even in affluent neighborhood like South Pas, restaurant can still serve quality food at honest, reasonable prices. Honorable mention is their perfectly cooked soy marinated egg.. which most ramen shops charge $2.50-$3 per..Here it's $1.25! Part of me is worried Kontentsu might realize they're still stuck in affordable pre-covid pricing... Here's hoping they' don't!!

Came here twice and both times were very positive. Every ingredient is very fresh, and the flavors…read moreare neither under nor overwhelming. The stand out for me is the poke ramen. This was one of the most unique things I've tried at a Japanese restaurant. For $17, the portions are super generous - lots of fresh salmon and tuna, and not overfilled with lettuce fillers. I normally won't eat kale, but I'll eat this! The kale noodles were very similar to soba noodles, and the kale bits were crispy almost like nori. I enjoyed the sauce they used - a little sweet and nutty. I'd repurchase this without a doubt! I got the salmon lotus roll on my first visit because I love lotus chips, and so this one really intrigued me. The salmon on top was delicious and very tender. It might be one of the best salmon rolls I've had. The unagi in the don was also very tender that there was no need to chew. I haven't had much unagi in the past, but this is one of the better ones I've had. I've mainly had firmer ones, but I liked that this was very soft. Lastly, I tried the black tonkatsu ramen, and what I loved the most about this was generous amounts of the crunchy thin mushroom. This is one of my favorite ingredients in ramen other than the chashu and noodles. The broth isn't very thick or rich, and I think the amount of garlic in it was just right to be enjoyable. The noodles were cooked perfectly al dente. Overall, I've found this place to be a very enjoyable experience, and I'm excited to try more of their menu!