Can't come to SGV without a visit to Salju Desserts. Absolutely the best shaved snow around…read more They're a tiny place, but clean with two seating areas. You can order either at a kiosk or go the the counter to order there. They offer an extensive selection of snow flavors, syrups, and toppings. There's also a variety of other desserts and beverages, but I have never been able to resist the snow. Be aware that the small size is large enough for 2 or 3 people to share, and the medium is bigger still. On the several times I've been here, service has always been both cheerful and speedy. A real pleasure. I live quite a distance away, an hour or more depending on traffic, but plan to return many more times. It's that good.

I usually only write reviews if I think the place deserves 5 stars, but now I will start reviewing…read moreeven when I think the place deserves lower ratings to help out the community of eaters pick the right choice! My friends and I chose Salju Dessert for some nice dessert because the ratings of this location seemed pretty good, but sadly we were disappointed. We chose the milk flavor and pandan. The milk flavor wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special. The pandan on the other hand was very bitter... We thought it may have been the toppings but figured out it was the pandan flavor. My friend described it as a medicine bitter taste, which I could agree on. We made a complaint and the employees happily switched it out for us for another milk flavor (maybe we should've chosen another flavor to try.) Toppings... the toppings were extremely expensive for such a small portion. It was around like $1.49 per topping??? Which is honestly pretty crazy. The toppings are set on the side in those small plastic ketchup containers. 4 Oreo cookies for $1.49, 2-3 buttercups smashed into pieces for $1.49, 1.5 strawberry sliced for $1.49, 1/8 of a banana sliced for $1.49... a container of chocolate syrup $1.49 you can imagine the rest that we added. Those portion sizes and prices are messed up lol The total was $35+ for 2 smalls with additional toppings. Overall, I don't think we will be coming back here for the shaved ice. There's definitely better options out there. The place was pretty busy too, maybe there's other items on the menu worth trying or they got bamboozled by the ratings... but in this economy, the presentation, taste, and price was not worth it and we wish we spent our money elsewhere. I usually take photos to share to friends on snap/ social media, but it was so disappointing I didn't even take any pics to show y'all. Very mid tier. Thank you to the staff who replaced our pandan though!

My new favorite shaved ice place is now Tsuke Artisan Ramen in Old Town Pasadena (get their brown…read moresugar shaved ice!!!) I came to this Meet Fresh MPk location today only out of convenience. It wasn't bad, just very pricey for what you get (tiny amount of each topping, so you see mostly white ice for $16.) Easy street and plaza parking.

I like going to Meet Fresh, it's always refreshing to order their drinks and also their Icy Grass…read moreJelly combo. You can't go wrong. The Monterey Park location is probably the newest, as it's located underneath the Holiday Inn Hotel, facing the street. It's very spacious inside, and they're not always crowded nor packed. However, this location seems to limit their menu items. The few times I've been here, maybe it's because they're almost closing, they run out of ingredients to build their icys'. I hope that's the case because there are so many line items covered in their menu. Other locations tends to have more items available for you to choose from. Anyhow, it's okay, as long as they continue to make their desserts up to par. Parking is usually in abundance. As the hotel doesn't seem as busy. But the wait at this Meet Fresh can be awhile before you get your order.

Looked for a local business that sold ice in large quantities and this place was the spot! They…read moretake cash or card and are quick to serve you. Drive up or park and walk up, they've got you. Helped us enjoy nice cold drinks at our get together

This guy is the equivalent of the soup Nazi from Seinfeld…read more Very rude guy, I understand he has no help and the line is long, but come on. Didn't say thank you, and you better know what you want and not hesitate, he'll chew you out. I was so expecting him to say "No ice for you!!" That guy is a jerk.

Respectable business serving ice cream and snacks. The service can use some work when it comes to…read morecustomer service. The place was clean and items were easy to locate. The prices are reasonable and the product is fresh. We ordered two banana splits and with had no complaints. Well made with fresh bananas and tasty ice cream. I would consider returning if ever in the area.

Oh boy--this place was scrumptious!!!…read more Boyfriend & I were originally looking for those rainbow umbrella vendors that sell street raspados, but we came across Raspados Don Manuel so we decided to give it a shot. Now when I tell you that this place was bomb, believe me! It was a hot day, a few days ago & this sweet treat hit the spot! I didn't know "Raspanieves" were a thing so when I found out they sold that, I was HOOKED! I loveeee me some vanilla raspados, so vanilla nieve WITH vanilla raspado.... Needless to say I'm not the same..... this is now the expectation everywhere haha! Service here was very hospitable & employees were kind! (: 10/10

Island vibe as soon as you get in Small little local spot,…read moremakes it feel more authentic. Grab a menu and grab a table, then order at the register. Food came quick. Food portions were good and food was fresh. Ordered 1 entree lunch plates and 1 entree breakfast plates, all were delicious. Spicy Garlic Shrimp wasn't spicy, I used sriracha to give the extra spice. Mac Salad was good, different version than your usual Hawaiian spot. It's a cross between a Hawaiian Mac salad with potato and egg. Macadamia nut pancakes were good. The pancake itself was fluffy and the cream tasted like a light macadamia vanilla cream custard, no syrup needed

I've had this spot bookmarked for a while now and because I got some local food passport as a gift…read morerecently, it reminded me to make my way here. I got their two item breakfast plate with Portuguese sausage and steamed veggies with over-easy eggs; and a small pancakes as part of the passport offering. The breakfast plate was a bit bland, including their sausage, which is thinly sliced versus what I've seen on their Yelp page (inflation sized sausages). I mean, I get why there are soy sauce and hot sauce condiments readily available. My steamed veggies turned out to be veggies in a teriyaki sauce, which I guess was fine as it added more flavor to my breakfast plate. I don't have any authority to judge what good pancakes are since I never order it, but theirs was fluffy with a slightly sweetened cream sauce that reminds me of the custard in a cream puff pastry. But the pancakes were 1 1/2 times double the size of my head so it's huge! I barely made a dent in most of the food so I guess I have leftovers for days now. Service was good and the place had a nostalgic charm to it. If you're in search of ginormous portions in carbs for a reasonable price, then this is your place.

What I got: Matcha Shaved Ice…read more MAIKO Special with Ube and Matcha Hojicha Latte Float I love this place! The matcha is legit good! It's strong and definitely not too sweet! Their products are imported from Uji Japan! You can definitely taste it, it's not your typical LA Matcha place that's too water down and bland. This is definitely legit matcha! My go to is the matcha shaved ice and Maiko special with UBE and matcha combo is sooo sooo good! I tried the Hojicha Matcha Latte Float OMG!!! to die for! I love Hojicha with matcha ice cream the Best! The hojicha by itself is strong and I love it! Definitely bang for your back the portion is really huge and good for sharing. The location is cute, simple and has seating options. It's inside the plaza so there's free parking. The service is fast and friendly, they do get pretty busy and I love how the quality of the matcha/ teas stays the same. I've been to their Rowland heights location. Glad I found out that they also have 626 location in Monterey park! This is definitely my go to matcha place.

Honestly, I was pretty disappointed with this visit. We paid $21 for two very basic shaved ice…read moredesserts, and I just didn't feel like the taste or portion justified the price. We got one Matcha + Vanilla and one Ube + Vanilla. They were both pretty underwhelming, and the shaved ice itself was very crunchy rather than that soft, fluffy texture I was expecting. The toppings were also pretty minimal basically a little red bean and one small rice ball. Another weird thing is that there aren't really menus available at the tables. You have to walk up front to see the menu, and it's pretty small on the board. We also asked for an extra bowl so we could split the shaved ice and were given a tiny cup instead and they were rude about it. The tables were also pretty sticky and could have used a quick clean. There were several employees behind the counter, so I was surprised the tables weren't being cleaned as people left. Overall, I just didn't think the desserts were worth the price and I wouldn't come back.

What We Ordered: -Pork Katsu Plate $16.95…read more-Original Chicken Katsu Sando $12.95 -Honey Walnut Shrimp Sando $16.95 -Sac Sac Orange $2.50 I've wanted to visit this Japanese-style convenience store. We never had the chance to visit it when we were in Chinatown, but this location is much more convenient for us. I know my wife and son also like Pork Katsu. I wanted to try the Honey Walnut Shrimp Sando. It was good, with a very distinct sweet flavor. My wife and son didn't care for it, but I enjoyed it. My wife saw some people with katsu plates and ordered the Pork Katsu Plate, and my son got the Chicken Katsu Sando. In our opinion, the Pork Katsu was the best. The white bread for the sando complemented the katsu so well. Next time, I'd like to order the Pork Katsu Plate. We would definitely come back here again! It's a bit pricey, but it was worth every penny.

I finally got to try the chicken katsu sando from here today taken to go. The chicken was good, a…read morelittle dry on the edges but there's a sauce you can drizzle on it. Nice slaw to balance things out. Will return to try some other items when in the area.

I had been talking up the amazing, over-the-top, remember-for-the-rest-of-my-life shaved ice I got…read morein Hawaii. So when, a few minutes later, I came upon Nobuko's truck at Smorgasburg, I had to give it a try, to relive some of those memories. One thing I loved about Nobuko from the beginning: It has so many options for shaved ice, based on different parts of the world. American, French, Mexican, Japanese, Irish and the aforementioned Hawaiian -- who knew there were so many shaved ice varieties. I kind of want to try them all now. But I went with what first attracted me to them and got the Piña Colada shaved ice from the Hawaiian menu, which is made with pineapple, coconut, a pineapple/vanilla soft serve swirl and sweet cream. I loved loved loved that this had soft serve under the ice, one of my favorite parts from what I had enjoyed in Hawaii. This was such a sweet treat and hit all the notes I wanted, making me feel nostalgic. I'm so intrigued to try other shaved ice varieties now. If I come across them again in L.A., I'll definitely order again.

Best place to get raspados !!! Don't skip this place if your in town . I have been coming here for…read moreyears and the flavor hasn't changed .

They have the best raspados. Great serving size and can't beat the price. Employees are always…read morefriends. My favorite place to treat myself during the summer! Been going here for more than 10 years now.

This is more of a thank you note than a review, as the business is permanently closing (last day is…read moreJuly 6). I've been following Tanota Takoyaki for a long time. They introduced me to takoyaki and got me so obsessed that eventually I had to make a trip to Osaka. I first experienced them sometime in 2014 during Little Tokyo's Nisei Week / Tanabata Festival. Before they opened their permanent location in Little Tokyo back in 2018, I would follow them all over the place. From night markets to new neighborhood pop-ups, etc. Because of them, I learned about new events (i.e. 626 Night Market, MP Lunar Festival, etc.) and neighborhoods (i.e. Sawtelle) that I wouldn't have otherwise gone to if it weren't for their involvement. I remember suggesting & wishing they open a permanent location in Little Tokyo, and when I heard the announcement that they would, it was a dream come true; I was overjoyed! I no longer had to follow them around LA. I would always be guaranteed their takoyaki on every Little Tokyo visit. Heck, I visited Little Tokyo many times JUST for their takoyaki! There's really no other competition. Their product is truly unique and catered to LA taste buds. I've also made multiple visits during the pandemic just to buy their home kit to get my Tanota fix at home. It was heartbreaking to hear that they're permanently closing. Hopefully, at some point, they'll decide to serve LA again, even if it's just catering at temporary events. Until then, I've no choice but to make takoyaki at home! I managed to taste the chef's takoyaki one last time last Sunday. It was as good as I remembered it 12 years ago. Thanks for the takoyaki, Tanota, and I wish you the best!

So glad to have visited Tanota Takoyaki again before they officially closed. This was one of our…read morego-to spots in the area to grab some snacks. I've tried various takoyaki here, and my favorite one is their mentaiko - nicely salted, flavorful cod roe or something. Yum!! Definitely have burned the roof of my mouth many times, but it's just that great fresh. Only issue I've had is that it's rather mushier than normal most of the time, but I keep coming back because I love takoyaki and the mentaiko flavor. Service has been easy - kiosk ordering. Very small spot within the Chichikurin spot, and it's pretty neat seeing them make the takoyaki. Wait time hasn't been really long each time we went as well. Will really miss this place!