WaBa Grill

Nice & clean friendly staff and efficient chicken bowl the best healthy food Best place in town I really recommend

Order Togo and it look totally different than online picture! The salmon is so small! For $ 9 I should go somewhere else! And I asked for chicken on the side… they told me on the phone was 2.75…didn’t mention white meat will be extra charge!

I haven’t been to a WaBa Grill in awhile. Decided to give them another try. Ordered the Half and Half bowl. It took a very long time to get my order. I was okay with the wait as long it means that my order was being freshly made. I was wrong there. The bowl must have been sitting there for awhile. It wasn’t hot, just kind of warm. The employees must have been really been enjoying their conversation notice that my order was ready. The bowl didn’t taste right. The beef tasted a little like salmon. They must have cooked some salmon on the grill just before and not cleaned the grill very well.

First time at this chain let alone this location. Smelled so good from outside while picking up macarons next door…
Ordered 2 chicken bowls… Better than yoshinoya but not as food as bman… Rice was soft. Meat was decent but not charred enough. The sauce killed it for me… Had a weird plasticky taste. Pricier side too. Would i return? Prob not.

Unilocal 100 Challenge 2016, #8 of 100
Want an alternative to fast food? Look for the nearest Waba Grill. This is only my second visit to a WG, so I have not ordered too many different items. Pick a bowl and go with a meat or you can order a plate of food. Keep it simple is probably what they were going for. If you are looking to save on the calories just totally skip out on the rice. That’s where most of the calories but I am sure you know that already. You can also ask for no sauce with your meat to save a few more calories. I like to add my own sauce and their version of Sricacha sauce. The mixture of the 2 sauces gives you a nice flavor.
Place was nice and clean inside. The order came up very quick. I went for a bowl with double grilled chicken and veggies/​no onions. The chicken was cooked well and had a nice charred flavor to it. I should have taken a picture of the bowl but I forgot. The chicken was chopped too heavily. There were shreds of chicken instead of chunks of meat. The veggies were okay. I decided to take away one star because of the veggies and chicken. I would prefer to have a bit more broccoli and carrots. There were 3 round slices of carrots and 3 small pieces of broccoli. It looked skimpy on the veggies. Most of the veggies were the pieces of cabbage that lined the bottom ¹⁄₃ of the bowl. I ate most of the bowl but left most of the cabbage and shards of chicken.
Customer service was nice. I would return if I am in the area. Plus there are WGs everywhere. Happy eating!

The Mexican lady that everyone complains about on here wasn’t too mean to me so I didn’t give it less than 4 stars. The one star that was taken away was that she didn’t greet me nor acknowledge me as a customer.
The food was great :)

The food here is great and I never have any issues but the main lady who is always at the front is always so rude and not friendly whatsoever that I dread having to call in my order or come in and pick up my order. A simple smile or thank you goes a long way and I’ve never gotten either out of her. And I always try to be as nice as possible to try and get the politeness reciprocated to me. Nothing. She appears to be a manager and it’s terrible.
But the food is great

Raphael and his night team continue to give great service! Food is delicious! I appreciate how they helped solve a situation I had with them, with no questions asked. That’s customer service at its finest. Thank you to Brian as well, we will definitely be coming back and referring Waba Grill to all our friends.

I stop at this place at least once a week during my normal weekly routine. As often as I come here I hardly change my order. I usually always get the Grilled Salmon Veggie Bowl with brown rice. And I never order in person, I always call in my order in advance. (Which is something I’d recommend if you order the salmon due in part to the fact that it takes longer than most things on the menu to cook.)
As far as the food goes: The salmon is always cooked perfectly and never left raw, at least all the times I’ve had it. And is overall a pretty healthy option so if you’re looking to cut back a bit I’d recommend it, also you can get all white meat chicken for an added cost of you don’t like fish and want to be healthy.
Now, their sauce… sooooo good! just don’t drown your chicken or salmon with it, considering they already put some on it as it is, but to each is his own.
The only reason I don’t give them a 5 star review is for the ignorant, rude, and oddly mean Mexican lady who runs the cash register. She is the one who usually answers the phone and runs the cash register, she is the one thing holding this place back from a 5 star review, they need to find someone friendlier to be upfront.

Sort of like any other teriyaki bowl fast food joint. You look at the menu, figure out what you want, go to the cashier, order it, your number is on your receipt, get your hot sauce, sit down, wait, get your food, and munch. Food isn’t too bad, and they do blanche/​boil the veggies when you’re right there. Taste-​wise, it’s on par with Flame Broiler, but probably a bit more tastier (I wonder if this means more calories/​fat?).
Price-​wise, it’s a little pricey. Bowl isn’t too huge (and it’s around $ 6.49 for a bowl), but I’m not super-​hungry afterwards once I have it. Combo plate seems to be a good size.
They don’t seem to get gift cards often, so our transaction was a little longer than normal. The cashier was pretty skilled, though, and kept calm while trying to run the gift card through. Balance was eventually figured out, taken out of the card, and applied to the check. Paid by credit card with no issues.
May come back. Very clean environment, and the service was always with a smile.

First of all, I love Waba Grill for their healthy choices.
I usually get the salmon veggie bowl, brown rice, no onions, no sauce. Their bowls definitely beat Flame Broiler any day. More flavor and never dry. Not busy but expect to wait at least 10 – 15 minutes for your bowl. So unless you have the time I suggest placing your order over the phone.
So why the 2 stars? You would think that every chain store is all in the same. But I’m a stickler for great customer service. Last night I called to see what time they closed and the lady said 9PM. I arrive at 8:50PM happy that I made it in time. Customers are mingling outside and some still dining inside. I walk up to the register and the cashier doesn’t even look up to acknowledge my presence as she is counting her pennies. I patiently wait then she finally looks up at me and says, «Credit card only okay?». I let her know I only have cash and I don’t exactly live super close. She walks over to look at the clock and rudely tells me, «No we’re ALMOST closed! Credit card only because I already counted my change okay?!»
Lazy ass! You have 10 minutes left and the store was clearly still open. I was so annoyed and made my way down to the West Covina location where they were super nice and open til 9:30 btw!
Definitely won’t be back.

Now that I don’t have a need to come to this location anymore I can give a review with the opening of a newly decorated location in Rowland Heights.
The service is absolutely horrible, it literally feels like a Mexican family who have no desire to provide any customer service and don’t enjoy the establishment. However, when the manager is there or who I believe is the manager the service seems to be a lot better.
First of all, it’s true that MOST people use forks with their meals, but if someone (myself) chooses to ask for a spoon just give the spoon and not give a dirty look or bad attitude.
This location is so lucky there is very little healthy places in general to eat that is reasonable in price and overall calories without wasting food. Otherwise, I would have never had to come to this god awful location and pathetic excuse for an establishment.
Lastly, I think it’s really rude and awkward because there is a family member of one of the workers and she literally just comes and takes up space for her & her kid (supposedly to get AC I believe), but she always gives insistently dirty looks to the customers. Yes I know you are overly obese and ugly, but don’t hate on people who try to keep in good shape. If anything you should learn a lesson from it and do something for yourself.
TLDR;
HORRIBLE SERVICE & STINGY SERVICE

Waba Grill. Hmm… Its pretty good most of the time that I come here. Used a coupon that you can print online. Buy one plate and a medium drink and get a chicken bowl for Free.99. Sounds good to me. The total came to about $ 10.27. Ordered my food asked for no sauce on the plate. Went over to the sauce counter for my hot sauce on and it was kinda a mess. So i helped out a little bit for no charge (Tomorrows Easter) and threw away some of the mess for my sanity. Loaded up on the sauce.
Then my order came out. I asked the lady politely again «no sauce on the plate ?» and she replied kinda annoyed like.” No sauce on the plate «…hmm.thats funny spell check doesn’t give me an attitude when i ask to spell check my work even though there aren’t any squiggly lines. Rather be safe than sorry. So I agree customer service can step it up… just a lil bit. You don’t have to be annoyed. THEN MY CHICKEN BOWL WAS SKIMPY ON THE MEAT! I thought the «Where’s the beef?» old lady from Wendy’s was going to pop out from over my shoulder. Either the cutting back or just weren’t in a «giving» mood. Usually when i get the bowl you can’t even really see the rice… like Flamebroiler.hmm. I was already home so too late. Other than that it was pretty good. I highly recommend the Waba Grill Hot sauce. Its the Bombay!

I don’t like writing bad reviews but with the disappointing food and service this restaurant puts out, I am going to share my experiences.
Service: staff can barely speak english and when they do you cannot understand them. The lady at the counter spends more time on the phone, talking to people in the back or just standing there totally uninviting and unhelpful when you arrive at the restaurant…
Food prep: chicken, beef and everything else is pre cooked. When you order they heat it up on the grill and add tons of that sweet sauce to the meats. Totally kills it. If they took out too much meat then its returned back to the container holding all tje pre cooked meats only to be used again… reason # 1 for the dryness of the meat. Then that same lady at the counter who has been handling your money, cleaning the tables amd talking on the phone puts garnishes on the food before serving it to you. Did I mention She does not wash her hands or wear gloves? Totally gross.
Price: for the less than appetizing or safe food. prices are high.
I suggest going somewhere else but here.

Yes… I do agree with the other reviews that their customer service is pretty poor. However, I find myself coming back again and again. Every time I come back, the service is getting better and better. I think it also depends on the day and the time of day. For example, I mainly go there for lunch and it’s REALLY really busy. There are never smiles during lunch time. The goal for them was just to take the order, make the food, and get us out the door. It’s understandable but it needs to be improved.
The food is great! You can never go wrong with the half and half bowl. I go with brown rice (for an extra cost of course) the bowl looks small but there are a lot in there. I eat half for lunch and the other half later that day. Basically you will get your money’s worth.
Good HEALTHY food.
Okay service.
BUT worth coming back for.

I visit this place when I go to the Auto Parts store next door, I like the 2 birds one stone way of things (I get my car parts and a good lunch in 1 trip). The food here is great, similar to other Waba’s so you can count on consistency. Store is clean and staff is pleasant whenever I visit. I have called my order in before and they have had it ready in time too. I’ve noticed some stores skimp on the green onions, not here though. you get a good amount! Sauces are plentiful and always available.

Food is good, but let’s be real this is just an expensive version of Flame Broiler. Okay, maybe the beef is a little better/​tastier, but seriously, I paid $ 7 for a salmon bowl which was basically a bunch of rice and a tiny filet smaller than an iPhone (documented with a picture, which I will hopefully upload soon).
As said, everything tastes good. The beef has a lot of flavor and is tender. The salmon wasn’t notable, but at the same time wasn’t too dry (an often misstep with salmon). But again, for the price, a drive down the street to the aforementioned competitor would be much more worth it.

I used to come here SO often for their chicken teriyaki, rice & veggie bowl. Eventually, after eating their bowls so often and for so long, I grew tired of this place. I haven’t craved it and it no longer sounds as appetizing to me since I ate it so frequently! I needed a break and am still on that break. However, if I do happen to want a quality chicken veggie bowl, I would come here for it! I usually opted for brown rice and all white meat chicken, which would cost me 50 cents extra for each option. Service was always fast and friendly. Their secret hot sauce and teriyaki sauce are bomb, so take advantage of it at the condiment counter.

Been putting this place off for awhile because I thought it was another Panda Express type food.
My first visit, I got the salmon salad (too much salad for a small piece of salmon).
Today’s visit, I ordered the salmon bowl with all vegetables, no rice and onions. The order took about 5 mins to be ready and vegetables were perfectly cooked (wasn’t soggy) and it’s hard to go wrong with grilled salmon (waba teriyaki sauce). Overall, good lunch spot if you want something on the healthier/​lighter side.

This place is similar to flame broiler except a little better. This is a great place to order something on the healthier side. I do enjoy a chicken bowl here and there. The chicken bowl is great here because the chicken taste fresh and not burnt (compared to flame boiler). I dislike the taste of burnt meat. Also, I like how they have japalenos on the side and unlimited green onions. YUM. I tried the salmon salad. The piece of salmon was a decent size and had teriyaki sauce on it and It was cooked to perfection! Next time, I probably get the salmon bowl because the the lettuce was just EHHehhh… I expected better and more leafy greens.
Extra $ 0.80 for brown rice. $ 1.50 for avocado (boo).
tips: If you are on the time crunch beware because it does take a while for them to make the food.