Monja Taiker

Drinks were ok, but this place was a red flag the minute I saw the waiter picking his nose In front of everyone while waiting for the food.

Always looking to try good Taiwanese food, so shoutout to Unilocal for the heads up on this spot.
I’ve only tried the red grain pork dry noodle so far, but I enjoyed it enough to highly recommend this place. The dry noodle has a really good texture and it also comes with minced meat sauce over it. It’s kind of like a zha jiang mian with lu rou sauce instead. Feel free to ask for extra sauce too.
The noodles also come with pieces of red grain pork on the side, which is kind of a variation of the classic Chinese bbq pork except crispier. The meat on the inside is still nice and soft tho. Personally, I prefer the classic bbq pork better, but this one wasn’t too far off. They give you a separate plate with a lot of them, so you can mix it into your noodles however you like.
The pork and the noodle went really well together, but they also have a rice version of it (which seems to be one of the most popular items). I’ve always been a fan of bbq pork, so it’s nice seeing a restaurant that specializes in a variation of it.

If you’re a Taiwanese food fan, this spot offers an amazing lunch deal. The portions are huge and most of the time I have enough to last 2 meals, so it’s an excellent value.
— Red grain pork, minced pork dry noodle/​rice. These are my go to dishes. I love the sides as well, popcorn chicken, pork chop, stewed bean curd and pig ear, chicken roll. All excellent. And lunch comes with green or black tea.
— Taiwanese sausage — these are made in house, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and come with sliced garlic for a little bite.
The restaurant can get a little crowded and the service is spotty (sometimes great sometimes you get forgotten), but the servers seem to be spread pretty thin.

My favorite Chinese restaurant in this whole plaza! I like it more than the location in Rosemead. Portions seem bigger and prices are on the cheaper side ($ 5 – 10).
Everything on the menu looks so yummy so I can’t wait to be back for my next trip. It also helps loads that the waiter can speak a tad bit of English.
I don’t think the desserts are that great – I got the brown sugar shaved ice and for $ 6.50, I’d rather order another savory dish. It wasn’t anything special, just plain sweetened shaved ice. It comes with up to 4 toppings, including taro chunks, red bean, green bean, and mochi.
Drinks looked appetizing and inexpensive – would want to come here over half and half!

Food: I have tried the red grain pork, chicken roll and the ground beef with dry noodles. The red grain pork is pretty good, since it is bbq pork that is fried. Chicken roll was a tad salty but good nonetheless. The ground beef dry noodles was decent. Portions are pretty generous.
Food rating: ⁴⁄₅
Service: It’s more like a fast food joint and throw in everyone is hustling and bustling. Good thing the place is small so it is easy to grab the worker’s attention.
Service rating: ³⁄₅
Price: Expect to pay under $ 10
Overall: Decent Taiwanese fast food that will fill you up. Parking/​getting a table at this plaza can be difficult at prime time.

Came here on a Wednesday for lunch (is this peak time?) and I was extremely disappointed. Waited about 15 minutes to get seated. Our party ordered Combo A with dry noodle, Combo D with rice, and Combo D with dry noodle. Simple right?
Within 10 minutes, Combos A and D (with rice) were served. Where’s my Combo D with dry noodle? The server says that there was a mistake in the kitchen and that it will be out shortly. Okay, no problem, mistakes happen. 10 minutes later, the red grain pork portion of my Combo D is served. I ask where’s my dry noodle and the server said it will be out shortly. 15 minutes later, a Combo D with rice is given to me. Say what? I tell the server that I ordered Combo D with dry noodle. He said that he’ll bring out the dry noodle and apologizes. Another 15 minutes later, nothing. Since I drove separately, I leave to get back to work. I wonder if my dry noodle ever came…
Having been to the San Gabriel location, I would say that location beats this location in terms of service and food. This place is unorganized and service simply does not even meet basic expectations. Also, the place does not appear very clean. Our table was not wiped down and the hot sauce had some furry thing sticking out of it. Avoid, if possible, unless you can overlook the untimely and clueless service and the furry thing.

I came in this restaurant with skeptic but one of my friends insist to dine here.
This restaurant is very small, quiet, with only a few tables and few waitresses but for that the menu seems pretty big.
I think the food was good. Both of my Taiwanese friends confirmed the authentic Taiwanese flavor in each dish. And most importantly the dishes are big. The Noodle Soup I ordered was surprisingly very filling and compared to some other Taiwanese restaurants I really think this place is worth the money.

I have been here a couple of times. It’s hit or miss but I like the red grain pork. When I say hit or miss I’m talking about service. The food for the most part is good all around. They give you a good portion of food and especially the red grain pork. It’s that added crunch and flavor that I enjoy about it. I always order the A2 minus the combo which is only a $ 1.50 more but I don’t like their teas nor the extra veggies.
The décor is plain but clean and again service is hit or miss.

Great portions! Lunch specials have huge portions.
Service is prompt, polite.
Popcorn chicken — huge plate, freshly cooked.
Fried pork steak — well cooked, not too salty.
Green tea comes with the lunch combo.
Cabbage salad — side dish, comes with lunch combo
Tip: come early before 12pm to get a good table.
Can be crowded and cramped inside this tiny restaurant. Seating available outside at the tables in front of the door.
Recommended.

I came here after having a super delicious experience at the other location in San Gabriel before.
I read reviews on Unilocal from others saying that this location did not make the food as good. And they were definitely correct!
The signature red grain bbq pork came out cold, dry, not crispy and the portion was tiny. It seemed like the meat was sitting there for a while before bringing it out (un-​freshly made)
At the location in San Gabriel, it came out fresh, hot, crispy, juicy, and there was so much to share with others.
The ground pork they put atop the rice/​noodle was bland and once again, was only a spoonful while at the other location was smothered with yummy meatyness.
The popcorn chicken here was freshly made, crispy, and not bad. Portion was hefty, just like at the other location.
The other location, I’d give a 4 star.
Anyhow, the combo on the last page gives u a great deal. Weekdays from 11am-​4pm, u can get a meal w/​rice/​noodles w/​ground pork w/​a side of meat, small side of pickled veggies, and a green/​black tea for only 8.99. Portions are big, well at least at the other location.

4.5 Stars
Great for the price, but the food was just okay.
Fast casual Taiwanese food with an extensive drink menu and shaved ice.
Small place with some tables inside and a bunch outside. Not feeling the outside seating because it feels like you’re literally sitting in the parking lot.
No wait on a Sunday night at 7pm.
Red grain pork plate– We were very skeptical because we grew up in SGV and ate char sui almost every other day, but it was actually pretty good. The crispiness was a refreshing change to what we were accustomed to. The flavor was good too, not overwhelmingly sweet.
Tomato beef noodle soup– Was there really tomato in here? I couldn’t taste it, nor was it spicy. Overall, it was okay. I loved that there was a lot of bok choy.
Bean curd and vegetable cold dish– Good. Nice douse of vinegar.
Deep fried tofu– I love deep fried soft/​silken tofu. Sauce was a lil salty, but happy with this choice.
The bill came out to $ 24 and some change. I thought we got the wrong bill cus it was so cheap. My hubs and I usually spend $ 35 to $ 40 anytime we go eat. .. partially cus we are fatties and order everything, but definitely a good reason we would become a repeat patron.

For a casual Taiwanese café, it sure is a winner!
* APP — Squid balls = Spicy, yums
* APP — Sweet potato fries = Well-​fried
* APP — Jiao-​Huo (order under «Assorted Combo») = Appetizer of pigs’ ears (did I just lose some of you here?) and thick seaweed in tasty oil sauce
* GET — Spicy Wonton Dry Noodles = Mmmm spicy!
** GET — Monja Red Grain Pork = No wonder it’s popular, it tastes really good! Stole some off their plate…
** GET — Pork Mushroom Dry Noodles = I loved it! Stole more off their plate… your choice of thick or thin noodles
** GET — Ground Pork with Mushroom Rice = That fatty-​pork taste (reminiscent of «mei-​tsai koh-​roh») is sooo good! Loved my dish
* GET — Combo Platter = Popcorn chicken, Monja red grain pork, ground pork and Taiwanese sausage with rice… soooo much! Had to help them finish this dish too~
* AOK — Congee = Too healthy, didn’t try it! Lol
* YES — Price point… cheap!
* YES — Portion size… large!
* YES — Tastes are on-​point (Taiwanese)
* YES — Service was ok-​decent
* YES — One large table and few 2-​seaters in this small casual joint
* YES — Also offers drinks and desserts (but we were headed to dessert elsewhere so skipped)
* WOA (words of advice):
— Free parking in this plaza (more in lower levels as well)
— They take reservations for larger groups
— Takes credit cards