El Taco Nazo

El Taco Nazo
1267 N Grand Ave
Walnut
909-595-0555

A few years ago, I reviewed a restaurant, Senor Baja/El Taco Nazo, that had undergone a name change. To show how quickly things can change, the building that held the El Taco Nazo/Senor Baja I reviewed, has been demolished and is currently a parking lot for a Fresh & Easy Market.

I found out that the owners, who are cousins, of El Taco Nazo/Senor Baja had a dispute. Over what, I don't know. Anyways, to settle this dispute, one side kept the El Taco Nazo name and the other side opened up Senor Baja.

So I decided to try both and see who had the best fish tacos!!

I went to El Taco Nazo across the street from Mt. Sac and then drove to the Senor Baja in Chino.

I thought El Taco Nazo had fish tacos for 99 cents on Wednesday, but they do not. So I paid $1.89 for two fish tacos. The fish they use is pollock and from the pictures, these tacos look huge. But pictures are deceiving. The fish has so much batter covering it, it wasn't even funny. The batter was crunchy and crispy, which is nice. But, there wasn't enough fish between the batter. The small amount of fish was tender and flaky.

The cabbage was fresh and the white sauce was mild and light.

These were cooked to order and came out hot. Not worth the $1.89 price because there isn't a lot of fish.

What wasn't hot was the service. I walked up to the cashier and wasn't greeted. Why is it so hard for people in customer service, to provide customer service. Customer service includes greeting people!!! A simple hi, can go a long way. Anyways, she wasn't the most friendly person, answering questions in a matter of fact way.

I wouldn't go back to El Taco Nazo again. The fish taco, while nicely fried, doesn't have enough fish, and the service isn't good at all.

Sugar Rush Cafe

Sugar Rush Cafe
3900 Valley Blvd
Ste A
Walnut
909-869-7969

A friend has been holding out on me; she went to Sugar Rush Cafe but never told me about it, until today. So we met for lunch and she brought a friend, who was once very nice, but now she is a snotty, pretentious westsider!!! Boooooooooooo. Why do people on the westside think they are better than everybody else?

Anyways, Sugar Rush Cafe, is hidden in an industrial section of Walnut. They serve breakfast all day, and lunch. From what I understand the current owner, bought Sugar Rush from the original owners and there hasn't been any difference in food quality or service.



I really wanted to get a breakfast item but it was lunch time and I decided on the club sandwich, $9.50, turkey, ham, applewood smoked bacon, butter lettuce and tomatoes, mayo on toasted white bread, with fries.

This sandwich was huge, filled with tons of turkey and ham. Both, the turkey and ham are standard lunch meat items. It isn't the top quality brand of meat, but it was good.

The thick sliced bacon was very well smoked and crispy!!!

The bread, while well toasted, was just standard white bread.

The fries were really good. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. There was very little salt on the fries and I love that. Too much salt on fries can ruin the taste.

Service was great. I was greeted when I walked in and they allowed me to sit at a table, even though my two friends had not arrived yet. The young lady was took our order couldn't have been nicer. She was had a nice outgoing personality. We didn't lack for anything as drinks were refilled.

I would go back to Sugar Rush Cafe anything. I really want to try their breakfast! A true hidden gem!! Too bad, my friend held out on me for so long!!

China Bowl- Walnut-Closed

China Bowl 1223 Grand Ave. Walnut 909-595-1472 I know I have reviewed a ton of Chinese, fast food restaurants. They do serve a purpose and some can be good. But most are terrible. China Bowl in Walnut falls into the terrible category. I got the teriyaki chicken and beef with onions $5.48, with all chow mein. The chow mein was a greasy mess, mostly noodles with very little vegetables. The beef with onions was pretty good, nice flavor, moist, tender. But the teriyaki chicken, was bland, flavorless and unappealing. But the one thing I did notice was the small portions. The lady behind the steam table, put two pieces of broccoli underneath the teriyaki chicken, giving it the appearance of a larger portion. But the entire container was smaller than even Panda Express. Service was OK. I would not go back to China Bowl again.

Bella Napoli Trattoria & Pizza-Closed

Bella Napoli Trattoria & Pizza
505 N Grand Ave
Walnut
909-594-1950

The city of Walnut is not a good pizza town. Other than the chains, that I stay away from, Walnut has the terrible, Paradise Pizza. I have seen Bella Napoli Trattoria & Pizza, since it is in the same shopping center as Akasaka and L & L Hawaiian BBQ.

But I have never tried their pizza but I decided to give them a try.



They have a two slices and a soda for $5.32, so I got a cheese and pepperoni slice. The pizza was reheated and then served fairly warm. The first thing I noticed about the cheese slice was the soggy and weak crust. I'm hoping for a chewier crust. Sauce was mild with a amount of oregano, then topped with a good amount of cheese.

The pepperoni slice had six pieces of pepperoni, which was pretty good.

Service was good. Nice friendly young lady, helped me. I did ask for a take out menu but they said they did not have any take out menus.

Bella Napoli was ok, I wouldn't rush back or go there if I'm in the area. But I wouldn't be against going back.

Aoyama Cafe-Closed

Aoyama Cafe 

1569 Fairway Dr 

Walnut 

909-598-3200 

 Aoyama Cafe used to be called UCC Cafe, a very popular Japanese cafe chain. For some reason they changed their name to Aoyama. Anyways, I've wanted to try Aoyama for a long time and finally made it for a Saturday night dinner. I got the pork katsu rice, $9.95 with rice and Japanese side salad. Katsu is just a breaded pork patty, deep fried. This was nice and crispy. The pork was a bit tough. This was ok but nothing outstanding. The rice was sushi rice, very sticky, with a nice texture. The Japanese salad was just regular iceberg lettuce topped with a Japanese style dressing, which is a mild tasting, almost bland dressing. It's kind of like a less tangy Italian dressing. Service was pretty good. But he didn't bother to ask, how our dinners were and when our food arrive, the wrong people got the wrong dinners. That's not that big of a deal, but come on be a little more organized. There is a button to push, if you need the server. But we had to push the button 2-3 times to get the server to come over, when we were ready for the check. Other than that the server was good-refilling drinks, taking our orders, and was friendly. I wouldn't go back to Aoyama Cafe because there was nothing outstanding about the food.

Paradise Pizza-Closed

Paradise Pizza 376 S Lemon Ave Walnut 909-595-1556 Although a few of my recent reviews may say otherwise, I do hate the big, coporate chain restaurants, especially the pizza places. So I try and support the mom and pop pizza places. But the only trouble is you have to try out all the mom and pop pizza places before you know which one is good. Well Paradise Pizza is no paradise. They were closed for four days, Christmas-Dec 28th. I was finally able to get somebody to answer the phone and when I asked, what time do they close, the guy said I don't know. Nice. I knew I wasn't dealing with a professionally run pizza place. So I walk into Paradise and there are no menus on the wall or any kind of menus. Now I know ordering a pizza isn't rocket science but I like to see what options I have and the cost of the pizza. Oh well. I asked for a small pepperoni. The guy told me the smallest they had was a medium. I asked how big the medium was, he said about 12 inches. Ok, a little more than I wanted but who cares. I order a medium pepperoni and was shocked at the price, $5.40. They must really be hurting for business. The pizza comes out quickly and is hot. The pizza has a large amount of cheese, which I like. The amount of cheese is equal to some other place's extra cheese. The pepperoni was a bit spicy and was OK. But there was almost no sauce, a very thin layer and some spots had no sauce at all. Not good. Also not good, was the amount of grease. A very greasy, pizza. The crust was soft and chewy a bit of thicker crust. Service was OK. There is only one person there and he doesn't keep regular hours. He closes whenever he feels like. He wasn't the most friendly but he wasn't rude either. Interesting story, a person walking by, while I was waiting for the pizza, told me they served the pizza at the middle school down the street. He knew because he graduated from that middle school and he believes they still serve Paradise pizza at the school. After trying the pizza, I can't believe a school would give such a greasy pizza to kids. I wouldn't go back to Paradise Pizza again. The pizza is very greasy and while the price is good, it's just not worth it.

Akasaka- Closed

Akasaka 505 Grand Ave Walnut 91789 909-598-8816 Akasaka is a good sushi restaurant in Walnut. The first time I went there, it took forever for the sushi to arrive. But sitting at the sushi bar solves that problem. Pictured is the tuna ($4.95) and halibut, ($4.95) two of my standard sushi. The fish wasn't as fresh as most sushi places I've been to. The second picture is the shrimp tempura roll with avocado. ($5.75) I was very surprised at how good this roll was. It was great. The shrimp tempura was cripy. Everything was fresh and tasty. The next picture is the shrimp sushi. ($3.95) Unlike the tuna and yellowtail, it was fresh and tasty. The last picture is the scallop sushi ($4.95). Again nice and fresh. Service is good. I couldn't let me glass of water go below half full, without somebody filling it up. Now I think Akasaka is a little overpriced and with the sushi not being fresh, it's not worth taking the chance. I wouldn't go back to Akasaka.

Walnut Tree

Walnut Tree
382-A Lemon Ave.
Walnut
909-595-6026

I already reviewed Walnut Tree's chicken salad but I wanted to try their other food. So I went for their shrimp lo mein and shrimp with lobster sauce. Now the one thing I noticed about the shrimp and lobster sauce ($8.95) was the smell, as if the shrimp wasn't the freshest. The sauce is suppose to be a lobster based sauce but I know it's just egg flower soup with peas, mushrooms, and water chestsnuts. The shrimp were pretty big but they were a little overcooked.

The shrimp lo mein ($6.95) was decent. It was a little deceiving at first because all I saw was the noodles. The wasn't many shrimp to be seen but as you mixed everything up, they had a lot of shrimp. The noodles were soft and tender and had plenty of soy sauce. The shrimp was tender and it all blended well.

Service was good again. No complaints.

But overall I wasn't impressed with Walnut Tree's cooked food. The shrimp wasn't the freshest around and while the prices are great, it just isn't worth it. I guess it's really true, you get what you pay for.

Walnut Tree

Walnut Tree
382-A Lemon Ave.
Walnut
909-595-6026

Walnut Tree is a small Chinese restaurant that is owned by a Vietnamese family. I've actually never eaten anything other than the chicken salad. The chicken salad has chicken breast, lettuce, crispy noddles and their special dressing, which is really Miracle Whip.

Now I know that putting Miracle Whip on a salad doesn't sound good to some people but it actually works really well for the Walnut Tree's chicken salad. The tangyness of the dressing adds great flavor to the salad. The chicken breast is made with seasame seeds and has a light taste. They don't cover it up with heavy oils or sauces. The iceberg lettuce is fresh. They give you crispy noodles and wontons that add a crunch to the salad.

Service is very good. You are greeted and they don't rush you to order. They do fill your order quickly and they are nice people.

There was a couple eating dinner and the food they ordered look great. They prices on the menu are very good. Only one item over $10 and most items between $8-$9. I would like to go back and try some of their Chinese food soon.

Domo Sushi & Roll

Domo Sushi & Roll
1375 Grand Ave.
Walnut
909-598-8291

Maybe I'm in the mood for Japanese food or I'm just in the area of a Japanese restaurant I've been to before and want to try again. But for the second straight day I went to a Japanese restaurant in Walnut. Today, Domo Sushi & Roll was the restaurant. I have been to Domo about four years ago. I thought it was good food at good prices with good service. I was hoping things haven't changed in the four years. I'm happy to report that things haven't changed.

Domo is across the street from Mt. Sac JC. , so going there can be very busy when school is in session. It's in the same strip center as a 7-11 and the parking lot is very small, so you've been warned. I was very surprised when I got there about 1pm there were about four people there. Within the 30 minutes I was there, at least 12 people walked in, mostly Mt. Sac students and staff.

I ordered the beef teriyaki and tempura combo and the yellowtail sushi for about $15 tax and tip included. The beef teriyaki included one shrimp tempura, three pieces of tempura, zucchini, sweet potato and potato, rice, salad, and some kind of Japanese potatoe salad. The salad was basically just lettuce but had a weird, 1000 island type dressing, next time I'll ask for no dressing. The tempura was crunchy and crispy. The beef teriyaki was tender and the teriyaki sauce wasn't salty and added to the flavor of the beef. The shrimp tempura was huge and crunchy. There should have a fish and chips tempura.

I'm by no means a sushi expert. I'll eat sushi but I don't really seek it out. If the sushi is fresh, I'm pretty happy. So the yellowtail sushi was very fresh and tasty. I would order it again, no problem.

Service was good, even though there is only one server working. Even when it started to get crowded, I was never without anything and I don't think anybody at the restaurant was lacking for anything either.

I would go back to Domo anytime. It's a very good value and good quality food. Needless to say it's much better than Moshi Moshi.

Moshi Moshi-Closed

Moshi Moshi
19761 Valley Blvd
Walnut
909-594-1337

Moshi Moshi is a casual Japanese restaurant that cateres to mainly a lunch crowd. They close at 5pm during the week. It's a small unpretenious place that has good prices and decent food in big portions.

I ordered the combination kabobs, with beef, shrimp, and chicken for $8.32. The items are cooked to order. I could see the cook, firing up the grill and heating up the kabobs. The kabobs are served with rice, tempura, and salad. As you can see from the pictures it's a huge amount of food. I believe the beef is top round and basically tender but there are some tough pieces of beef. The beef is cooked to about medium. The chicken is marinated in paprika and is tender but a bit on the dry side. The shrimp was just a little overcooked. The teriyaki sauce was on the salty side and overpowered the flavor of the beef, chicken, and shrimp. The salad was basically iceberg lettuce with some carrots. Nothing special but fresh. The tempura was mostly potatoes and I barely touched it. Interesting in that Moshi Moshi does not have sushi on their menu, though they do have a lot of sandwiches, turkey, roast beef etc, on the menu.

Service is ok. When Moshi Moshi first opened I was eating there and some punk teenaged girl, was pissed she had to clean up the tables, so she had the gall to tell me "Make sure you clean your table after you finish." Now even though she was nice, who the hell is she to tell a customer what to do??? She just was too damn lazy and pissed she had to clean the tables. What really pissed me off was she only asked me!!!! So I told her make sure you tell the other two people who are eating!!! Today when I went, the owner or somebody came outside when I was taking pictures and asked "Can I help you?" I said "No" When I went inside the restaurant to order, they took forever to take my order since they were eating and on a lunch break. But I'm not standing there holding up the damn counter. But my order was taken and the food came within about 15 minutes.

I won't go back to Moshi Moshi. The food is decent, though nothing special and it's certainly a good value. But just a combination of things, the gall of that punk kid, food overcooked, the salty teriyaki sauce, make going to Moshi Moshi a bad options.

L & L Hawaiian BBQ

L & L Hawaiian BBQ
515 Grand Ave
Walnut
909-444-0030

L & L Hawaiian BBQ is a chain that started in Hawaii and has spread like crazy in California. I have been to L & L before and I was impressed with their prices, quality of food, and amount of food. But this time I was only impressed with the amount of food.

I order the seafood combo for $8.43 which includes fried mahi mahi, fried shrimp, and teriyaki steak. Included in all plates and combos is two scoops of rice and one scoop of macroni salad.

L & L cooks everything to order. There are no heat lamps and junk like that, so expect to wait for your food. They gave me at least half a pound of the teriyaki steak, the shrimp was huge and the mahi mahi was a good size. The macroni salad is very good, better than most mac salad I've tried. The rice is a sticky, sushi type rice. The fried shrimp was nice and hot but too hard and crunchy. The fried mahi mahi was very salty and just didn't seem to be fresh at all. I wasn't impressed. I did like the teriyaki steak, nice flavor and tenderness but it had too much fat for me tastes.

While I didn't go home hungry, I wasn't that impressed with L & L this time. I wouldn't rush back. A good value to be sure but the quality has gone done while the prices have gone up. Not a good combination.

In N Out Burger

I think everybody who lives in Southern California has been to and has enjoyed SOMETHING at In N Out Burger. I always get a double-double, protein style, with no onions. This is heaven on earth!!! Everything at In N Out is fresh. Fresh, never frozen beef, very fresh lettuce, tomatoe, and special dressing. Raw or grilled onions on request. So with everything fresh, there is no way to get a bad burger at In N Out.

The protein style burger takes a little to get used to. Instead of the bun, nice fresh pieces of lettuce cover the meat patties and cheese. It can get a little messy so bring tons of napkins. But it's so fresh and tasty you don't even feel guilty!!!

A couple interesting things about In N Out. The protein style is on their "secret" menu. It's not really a secret but you can have burgers many ways not listed on the regular menu.

Other secret menu items include:

3 x 3, which is three pieces of meat and three pieces of cheese. They will do a 4 x 4, 5 x5 etc.

Animal Style where the bun is grilled with mustard, sauteed onions instead of raw, pickles, extra "special sauce" Wish Burger, no meat.

Flying Dutchman-two meat patties and two slices of cheese, nothing else.

Well done fries, Animal style fries which is fries topped with sauteed onions, pickles, and extra "special sauce".

Neopolitan Shake-Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry shake combined.

The Bible verses on the bottom of wrappers and cups are also an interesting thing.

Next time you go to In N Out check out the Bible verses.

I love In N Out burger and I will go there many times a year.

Philly's Best- Walnut-Closed

Philly's Best
368 N Lemon Ave
Unit B
Walnut, CA
909-598-3650

Philly's Best is rapidly expanding and one of their newest locations is in Walnut. The place is kinda of hard to find but it's in the Von's shopping center on the corner of Lemon and La Puente Rd.

As with all Philly's Best location the restaurant is very clean. I ordered the cheesesteak with prolone and easy onions for $5.83. There is no quality difference between the Walnut location and any other Philly's Best locations I've been to. But the amount of meat and cheese seem to have gotten smaller. The San Dimas location you couldn't see any part of the bread since it was covered with meat and cheese. I don't carry around a scale but I would be this cheesesteak weighed less than the San Dimas location. Dispite the small size, the cheesesteak was very good. Nice blending of cheese and meat. All their products are shipped from Philly.

I went back and ordered an American Hoagie, which is ham, salami, bologna and cheese. Top picture. All the ingredients were very fresh. The hoagies come with oil and oregano but I think they overpower the sandwich, so I have them put mayo instead. I like the hoagie but again is on the high side. A good once in awhile place to go.

I asked the cashier, if this owner also owned the San Dimas location. He said no. Then while eating I noticed his t shirt that listed the Walnut and the Buena Park locations. So I assume the same person owns both places. The cashier might want to mention that or the owner might want to inform his employees about that. But the service was good and fast.

As I mentioned in the San Dimas review, the food is good but on the expensive side. I wouldn't make this an everyday place to pick up lunch but they have good quality food and service. Can't ask for much more.