WaBa Grill

I was really excited to try this place at first. But I went there today and I was given poor service AND they overcharged me for my meal by $ 3. I have 3+ years of experience as a server and I understand a restaurant sometimes gets busy and people make mistakes however the workers chatting away in the back need to be reminded of what good customer service is and that the service sometimes overshadows the food. And when ringing somebody up on the register, pay attention to what they are saying instead of laughing at what your friend is hollering at you from the back of the kitchen. Definitely not coming back here.

Similar to flame broiler. Except they have salmon. It’s simple and good. You just have to add your own seasoning such as the teriyaki sauce and green onions. And hot sauce if you like your food spicy. You also get the option of brown or white rice. This is the kind of food my 8 yr old son loves simple rice and grilled meat. So this is my go to place for a simple dish when I don’t feel like cooking.

Why does this place not have at least 4 stars?! My husband and I couldn’t decide on what to eat for dinner, and neither of us felt like cooking so we decided to give Waba Grill a try. We both ordered chicken + veggie bowls. You have an option of white or brown rice and you have the option of adding half an avocado to any bowl. I opted for brown rice and added avocado. The chicken was very tasty and the rice was fluffy. I didn’t care so much for the vegetables other than the avocado, so I immediately regretted not ordering just the chicken and rice bowl. The vegetables they offered were cabbage, broccoli and carrots. I only liked the broccoli because the carrots tasted half-​way cooked and the cabbage… well, it’s cabbage! Who eats that stuff raw? My suggestion to Waba Grill is to ensure the veggies are fully steamed before serving. This makes the vegetables more pleasant tasting. Other than that, I enjoyed the food. The restaurant was very clean too and service was fair. If you don’t know what you want for dinner but want something healthy, give Waba Grill a try.

I enjoying coming to WaBa Grill for a healthy meal. I get the chicken and veggies bowl with brown rice. It leaves me full and satisfied.
Only complaint is sometimes it takes a little long for the food to be ready, however I started paying attention and that is because they are grilling up the meat fresh. So I guess that is really not a complaint (smile).
If you are in the area and need something healthy to eat, great place to go.

Waba grill is good to satisfy my hunger pains from down the street, but I’m not sure if that’s my laziness talking or what. I have been here multiple times with co-​workers and it is always packed (good sign). My concern is definitely the quality of the meat and rice, and their sauces. I usually taste a lotttt of salt in their dishes and then think that my chicken and rice bowl (I always add veggies and avocado) is not very healthy. Maybe it’s the super thick sauce, I’m not sure, but something is really salty in their food, and has been on multiple occasions. I’m not writing them off completely, it’s good for fast food that’s not awful, just not my favorite…

Why does this place not have 5 stars?! Their meals are fresh, delicious, in a decent price range & most importantly healthy! I ordered:
$ 8.25 Salmon Veggie Bowl (White or Brown Rice) = Brown rice, veggies, & teriyaki salmon — The rice is soft, veggies are steamed & crispy, & the salmon melts comes hot & melts in your mouth! There is extra teriyaki sauce, as well as other sauces, in the front if you fancy more.
This will be my new go to place after LA Fitness!

If you’ve been to Flame Broiler, you’ve been to Waba Grill. And like FB, pay attention to what you want to order. If you’re expecting a bowl with veggies, that is a separate menu item.
Ordered the half and half bowl. No veggies, though on accident. It took a while to come out. The chicken is pretty good. The beef is just ok. Definitely drizzle on some of the teriyaki sauce for added flavor.
Not a bad spot for lunch if you’ve exhausted your other options.

It’s not a bad spot to get some rice with some BBQ. It is fast food though. If you want a more of real asian fusion location I would keep searching. If you’re looking for something fast to fill you up, its an ok spot.

Food is not bad, but probably am not coming back after seeing this. Somebody’s bootyho on the FRONT counter where my food is being served? No thanks!!!

Waba grill is riding on the premise that we need more healthy options in fast food. For the most part they have succeeded. Steamed/​boiled veggies, white or brown rice and basic meat options where a thin layer of teriyaki sauce has been judiciously applied.
Perhaps it gets a little sparse though, even though there is nothing really too unhealthy here it feels other places of similar menus have done it better in therms of taste. Plus, at this point it just seems pretty unimaginative and I could do the same exact meal at home for the same amount of time and for cheaper. Still, if you’re looking for a basic meal this would be perfectly suitable.

Location:
Next to Urbane Café and the Starbucks in the Fresh and Easy Complex.
Décor:
Has a sleek look to it with the tile, square tables, and chairs. Felt very clean.
Food & Drinks:
I ordered the Chicken and steak plate. It was very tasty and came with a side salad and half an orange. It did feel very clean and not that heavy like they advertise! The only problem for me was that there was just too much rice. I wish they cut down on the rice and gave more vegetables/​meat for the price. If they change that I would totally change my review and give them 5.
More veggies/​meat please!!!
Happy healthy eating my friends!

Overall this isn’t a bad spot if you want quick and healthy food. The options range from chicken, steak, salmon, fish, and vegetables. You can get a bowl or plate depending on how hungry you are. Prices for the bowls range from $ 6 — $ 9 depending on what kind of meat you select. Just as an FYI if you get white meat chicken it is an extra 90 cents. The good news is you can sub brown rice for white rice at no extra charge.
I’ve only stopped into this location a handful of times but everyone is pretty friendly. I usually wait about 5 to 10 minutes for my food. I personally think the portion sizes are a little small but maybe I just have a big appetite. For the price point this place is a great deal though.

This place is a better version of Flame Broiler. My boyfriend and I go here at least once a week and I live about 3 minutes away. We like to get the half and half bowl with brown rice (#12 on the menu) Sometimes, I’ll get salmon which is a good alternative when I want something different. Adding avocado is a must for me, especially if you’re about that «Yes, I’ll pay extra for guacamole» life. Don’t forget the green onions and extra sauce, hot sauce. Btw, the hot sauce is pretty damn hot so be careful with it. I’ve noticed that they don’t ask you if you want green onions anymore. We usually order and go next door to Starbucks. By the time we come back our order is ready.
I would say this place is definitely a healthier alternative than other fast food places around in this area. (KFC & Burger King) We even saw our professional bodybuilder friend eating here! Lol. Perfect place for that post-​workout meal for you LA Fitness Members! All about the gains! Be sure to get the rewards card to use for free drinks, chicken bowls or plates if you go as much as I do. I mean who wouldn’t want free food? Also, don’t forget to do the little survey on the bottom of the receipt because I did and actually won a $ 25 gift card.

Came here for lunch on a Friday. I ordered the beef vegetable bowl with brown rice. the combo was good, I liked it a lot. Beef was flavorful and I liked the side of veggies. Veggies were still crunchy! I’m used to always having overcooked veggies and I hate it, so it was great to actually have them crunchy.
Brown rice option was great, i personally prefer brown rice so I liked the variety.
Overall good place. I will be back.

I love this place for the food but not the service! I work around the corner so i go here all the time. But i stop going here for weeks now! Their food is really good! I love their brown rice and steam veggie! But after they open for about a month their service have gone down! They messed up my order so many time! I don’t even bother to come back!
Too bad i really love their rice and veggie!

I always loved waba grill. I would always go to the one in Highland. This place rocks, I would rate it 4 stars right off the bat, but lowered it due to the cashier giving a discount to a person behind us and not us as we ordered more than he did.
It was our first time here at this location, but we ordered a lot and was disappointed that she didn’t give us one. Besides that small little mishap, I would for sure go again as it was very tasty.

Waba over Flame Broiler, any day
Why? The proteins are cooked to order, they’re all seasoned well, brown rice for no extra charge, legit plastic bowls & lids – perfect for taking home and reheating for another meal.
It might be a little pricier than Flame Broiler, but I think it’s definitely worth it. I get the perfect rice: protein ratio and because the meat is seasoned so well, I usually ask for no waba sauce & grab a small container of it on the side for occasional dipping. CAUTION: that hot sauce is hottttttttt (a definite good thing)!
I prefer the steak slightly over the chicken, but I’m just glad to see that it’s all cooked and sliced fresh from the grill. If you’re in the hunt for a healthier lunch/​dinner alternative that’s relatively quick and easy, I think Waba’s an excellent choice.

The newest addition to the Fresh & Easy shopping mall, WaBa Grill has set up shop in the old Cash 4 Gold building across from KFC. Since I had received a few coupons in the mail, I decided to put one of them to use by coming here this past Saturday.
As many of my fellow Unilocalers have noted, WaBa Grill is similar to Flame Broiler in terms of execution (grilled proteins, fresh veggies, choice of rice). However, what I like so far about the place is that their brown rice isn’t mushy and is similar in consistency to white rice. My Short Rib Plate ($ 7.95, after using my $ 2 off coupon) came with a side salad with a citrus dressing and a rather good-​sized orange. The short ribs were good, and the portions are much bigger than Flame Broiler’s; in fact, I brought a quarter of them home with me! I love their sauce (especially over rice and the ribs), and I was surprised to see that there are hot carrots and jalapeño slices to munch on (the carrots also have a nice crunch to them; not mushy like in a Mexican restaurant).
A couple of minor quibbles — while the dining area surprisingly is roomy, a few of the tables looked like they needed to be wiped down. And while I primarily stuck to the China Mist iced tea, their Sobe Pomegranate Water and Lipton Peach Green Tea lines on the soda fountain were carbonated when they shouldn’t be.
Despite these and prices comparative to Flame Broiler, due to the number of healthy protein options (grilled shrimp, anyone?), I wouldn’t mind coming back here for future visits.

Location: For the life of me, I can’t remember what used to be here, but it’s right next to starbucks in the bevmo mall area on camino santa fe and mira mesa blvd.
Parking: You won’t have a problem finding a parking space here, there are plenty in the big lot.
First impression: Walking in, it was bigger than I had in mind and had a good amount of table and seats. You immediately see the big, colorful, lit up, menu board, where the options are easy for the customer to figure out, not confusing at all.
Menu: You have a choice between plates, specialty plates, rice bowls, and rice bowls with veggies. The choices you can get vary from chicken, steaks, ribs, chicken salad, salmon, shrimp, and various combinations of these. I like that there are a lot of choices and you’re not just limited to chicken or steak. They also have a menu for the little ones. Another thing I liked is that they have pictures of all the meals right next to the names, I’m one of those people who like to see what I’m ordering before I order it.
Service: Staff greeted me right as I walked in, all friendly and attentive. She asked if it was my first time there and briefly went over the menu with me, and answered some of the questions I had. While leaving, they also said goodbye and thank you, which was nice, not a lot of places do that anymore.
Food: I ordered the chicken steak plate ($ 8.50), and opted for the brown rice. You can do all white meat for an up charge of 90 cents as well. I thought it was a good sized portion, will surely fill you up during lunch. Both the chicken and steak were tender, not dry, and tasted pretty good. The sauce was on the sweeter side, but I’m not complaining. You can really tell that the chicken and steak weren’t cooked in oil, which is a huge plus.
Overall: I was really pleased with how the food tasted, and wouldn’t mind coming back to try out their other items.

I love these kind of healthy alternative places, and working nearby I’ll probably eat here frequently. My favorite thing in the world happens to be brown rice bowls lol. They have chicken, steak, veggie, and salmon options. The reason why I’m not giving them 5 stars is because it isn’t AMAZING. Didn’t have amazing service. Food wasn’t amazing. My veggies weren’t even steamed in my bowl, they basically put raw broccoli and lettuce in my chicken bowl… I don’t know if that was a mistake or maybe some people like that, but I don’t. Overall I’ll definitely be back, but just for a quick lunch cause my office around the corner.
I had to create the business on Unilocal to check in, I was thinking the manager should hook me up with a free plate lol