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Local. Family Ran. Passion. Great Quality. This barbecue healthy chicken, steak, beef and shrimp bowl spot is off Garden Grove Blvd in a mini marketplace. This place offers excellent service. Utilize very clean practices; meaning the cooks are super professional, wear gloves and are directed by a head chef. They take their time with their fresh to order type of policy, so the wait times can be long (15-20 minutes when I went both times when busy and not busy). The portion sizes are great when it comes to protein macros and carb macros. The vegetables can be spruced up because it’s mainly cabbage and two slices of carrots. Maybe mix some greens in and that would top it off as making the perfect bowl. This place is NOT a teriyaki place which they note at the register when walking in which is pretty hilarious. The flavor of their proteins with their seasoning is delicious! I honestly love this spot and will continue to come here. I think as a born and raised Garden Grove resident this place needs to survive because GG needs more healthy spots like this! I just hope they do survive, but GG is known for family businesses being drowned out by corporate copy and paste restaurants. This place definitely cares about its customers, has great quality protein bowls, and provides other treats such as high quality beef jerky packs as well as desserts like cheesecake cups. Sometimes this place has a weekly or daily special in case you want to try something new from their professional kitchen! So keep your eye out! This hot and new spot is more than likely going to become my go to spot! Just hope they can step up their game when it comes to veggies, but at the end of the day this spot is a solid healthy staple for smokey bbq style cooking! Side note: parking is tight so may have to park in the nearby neighborhood.

Donuts – The Donut Makers – Menu with Prices – 13651 Magnolia St, Garden Grove

This mom and pop donut shop is one of those gems in all of Garden Grove. Upon entering The Donut Makers, you get hit with a decadent aroma of donuts, freshly brewed coffee, and freshly baked croissants. I found this establishment on Facebook page, when a student posted about it. She stated that donuts were baked every morning and everything is made to order. She also stated that everything was affordable and made with quality ingredients. My personal favorite is the Pandan donut. I have had to Pandan before but never as a donut. Upon taking my first bite, you can taste the classic donut but also with that nice, lovely, flavor of Pandan seeping through within the icing. Their sandwiches are amazing as well. I inform them that I’m vegetarian and they were willing to modify it without an extra charge!!! If you are within the Garden Grove/ Westminister area, please visit The Donut Makers! Their affordable donut do not only feed up to the hype, but also fill you up with guilt free pleasure!!!

Valley Meal Prep – Menu with Prices – 0560, 222 McHenry Ave, Modesto

It’s been quite awhile since I have been eating healthy and have been paying the price with weight gain and feeling crappy. The owner of VMP, Matt Martin, posted some new menu items on Facebook recently and that inspired me to get back in the groove again. So off to VMP I went. I went in on a Monday afternoon and it was hoppin’. It was so busy, that the choices weren’t as plentiful as they usually are, but that’s ok, everything made here is healthy and tastes great. I had no problem finding a nice variety. Despite creating a new menu, VMP still had my favs, such as the Asada bowl and the Blueberry Protein pancakes. I made my choices for my lunches for the work week, and found out that VMP still has the deal where if you order 4 meals, you get the 5th for free. 5 meals came to $38 even. That’s $7.60 a meal. That includes Nutrition facts for each meal ( calories, fat, carbs and protein info), no shopping for groceries, no cooking, no dishes, no kitchen clean up and a very nice variety of healthy meals. The containers are even reusable if you wash them by hand. I use them when I do my own meal prepping or when I want to send friends home with leftovers. Honestly, for healthy, economical meals like this, it doesn’t make sense to cook yourself. If you’re on the fence about getting healthy because it’s too much of an effort to cook or keep track of nutritional info, VMP is your answer.

Quiero Arepas – Menu with Prices – 1859 S Pearl St, Denver

I loved the food from their food truck, I was obsessed with the queso version. I was really excited they were opening up a location in my area. However, the food quality seems to have slipped at the brick and mortar location. It’s just ok, the arepas themselves are larger but that doesn’t really improve them. The fillings seem a little slap-dash and the great sauce seems barely present. Sometimes the filling (non-meat items) and/ or arepa itself seems under-cooked. Just bummed as they seem to have fallen victim to one of the classic issues when a food spot becomes popular- they get busy but then don’t seem to put forth as much effort into the actual product. Making them larger (and accordingly pricier) just makes the less-careful preparation stand out even more. I truly hope they take note and revitalize the quality because I was very impressed initially and think they have a great concept and opportunity. Some reviewers seem to have a better experience so I’m not sure if my timing on weekend evenings usually is the reason he quality of mine has suffered? I hope that’s all it is because that can be corrected if they care to do so.

On+On – Fresh Asian Kitchen – Menu with Prices – 1441 W Knox St #C100, Torrance

On + On is basically Korean Chipotle. You get to customize your bowl, starting with a base, protein, veggies, toppings, and sauce. I’ve been here a few times for lunch because it’s tasty, inexpensive, and fast. For my base, I usually get half buckwheat noodles and half salad with grilled chicken or bbq beef. I prefer the beef because it is marinated and the chicken can be dry sometimes. For the veggies, I get half brussels sprouts (so good!!) and half zucchini. They also have a variety of fresh toppings for you to choose from. For the sauce, the Honey Teriyaki and Hot taste well together. I recommend asking for the sauce on the side so you can control the amount of sauce to your liking. During my first visit, I didn’t get it on the side and it was difficult to finish because my bowl was drenched. One thing is that I wish they had a vegetarian option for the protein. My friend is trying to cut out all meat but had to resort to getting salmon because they didn’t have vegetarian options, such as tofu.

Tacos El Bandido – Menu with Prices – 13231 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove

This taco truck is a great addition to the Garden Grove/Santa Ana taco truck scene. This taco truck also stands out a bit from the rest. Not sure if it is their rendition of the recently acclaimed “Tijuana tacos” but expect your taco to be touched with a small paste of Avocado. Not necessarily your thickest and potent slab of avocado, but it will suffice to give your taco that complimentary texture and taste and goes well it taco meats. My girlfriend and I tried the cabeza, tripas and asada. Cabeza and al pastor was fairly good. I wouldn’t say it was the best. The same for asada. However, we both agree that this was the best asada in the area. They give you slightly bigger cuts here, some places makes you feel like your eating ground beef when really you are supposed to be eating steak… The standout is their corn tortilla. Around here is this a game changer. It tasted homemade and such a nice textural complement to the meat, sauce, cilantro, onions and avocado. The tortilla for the quesadilla was a bit thick for our liking. A bit worrisome if you are watching the carb intake. Downside is the amount of onions and cilantro they give you in the tacos, which was barely any. When you ask for extra they give you this tiny little bag. I prefer a condiment bar where you can choose to your liking. Overall, solid addition to Garden Grove/Santa Ana taco scene.

Viet’s Restaurant Noodles & Grill – Menu with Prices – 7640 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs

We stopped in for dinner on a busy Saturday night, hungry and prepared for something good. We weren’t disappointed. I got the La Lop Beef, my wife had the lemongrass beef with rice paper and my daughter had the grilled beef Vermicelli noodle dish. My goal was not to have any carbs, so the La Lop Beef was the perfect dish, with its healthy but flavorful grape leaves enveloping well-seasoned beef. My wife loved her meal and was very happy with the traditional rice paper and long, flavorful strips of meat. My daughter was pleased with her noodle bowl too. The beef blended perfectly with the cool white Vermicelli noodles, sprinkled with green onions with a bottom layer of vegetables. Overall, the restaurant was spacious, clean, and packed with Vietnamese people, which of course is always a good thing. The staff were hospitable, quick and efficient. As a result, customer service was good, even when it got busy. The bathroom was clean too, which was good because it’s the first thing I judge a restaurant by. We’ll definitely be coming back for another quality meal.

Botanic Bowls – Menu with Prices – 4172 Pacific Coast Hwy, Torrance

This is Torrance’s sad attempt to copy Blue Bowls (originally in the city of Orange) but it needs some major training of its employees if they want to survive. This spot is shared in the same, small store as Dahlicious Creamery – which in my opinion, was a dumb idea. Rolled ice cream takes a while to make & the concept of this customizable açaí bowl also takes a while. Add those two together on top of incompetent workers and you might as well bring a book to read while you’re in line. SERVICE: – I came with a friend & a girl took our orders. Instead of doing our order one at a time, she kept on getting our orders confused. “That’s her bowl. No, that’s not my mine. Excuse me? Yeah, that’s not her bowl.” This continued for the ENTIRE process. I eventually suggested to her that she do one bowl at a time, which she sweetly ignored. Why even ask what I want on my bowl if you aren’t going to listen and try to put it on my friends bowl? I get that people make mistakes – but 5 times in a row between 2 açaí bowls just seems dumb. TASTE: – While the vases aren’t as off as Blue Bowl’s, they’re decent and probably the only reason why I didn’t give this a one-star. My favorites are the matcha & coconut. I stopped by here within a couple weeks of it opening and now it’s been open for a couple of months. I thought there would be an improvement but I was wrong. Better luck next time! For now, I’ll drive the extra 40 minutes to Blue Bowl in Orange for the better quality, service, & taste.

Cilantro Noodle – Menu with Prices – 2001 Commonwealth Ave, Charlotte

I’ve been waiting to try Cilantro Noodle for a while now, and I finally found time to make a visit to this Plaza Midwood spot! How it works: This place is very much like a Chipotle (Build your Own Bowl) for Vietnamese food. You can either go up to a kiosk and order or make your order with someone in the line. I personally prefer ordering in line because you can see the ingredients and point to the ones that you want. There are options to make your own Bahn Mi, Rice Bowl, Spring Rolls, or Noodle Bowl. They also have Pho and some other set menu items that you can order without the build your own concept. The food: Overall, the food was good. You get a hearty portion of food, and there is a fairly wide variety of options to build your bowl with. However, I was a little disappointed with the quality of the meats. I tried half chicken and half tofu and found it to be lackluster. The toppings also didn’t feel quite as fresh as I would have liked. To me, the meal felt pretty healthy, but I wasn’t blown away by the quality or taste. Note, parking is very limited here. There are a number of spots that are listed as reserved for Cilantro Noodle only, but the overall parking spot is very small and narrow. Don’t be surprised if you have to find street parking elsewhere. Nonetheless, the staff was very friendly, the restaurant was spacious and well decorated, and the food held it’s own.

Poke Loa – Old Metairie – Menu with Prices – 701 Metairie Rd Suite 2a 105, Metairie

Poke Loa has solved many dillemas for me. I’m hungry. They have food. I need a place to eat that’s close to school. They’re a few minutes drive away. I love sushi but hate trying to shove huge pieces of roll in my mouth. They put all the lovely sushi ingredients I enjoy in a bowl. No more trying to bite into a roll and hoping the contents don’t fall all over my face. Thanks to Poke Lao and the amazing culinary stew that is Hawaiian cuisine, I can have my lunch and eat it too! =) Joking aside, this is the perfect spot to get a quick lunch. There is a large bowl with three scoops of protein of your choice and a small bowl with two scoops. You can put on as many toppings as you like, and only the avocado and crab are extra. The base is white or brown rice, lettuce, or a mix of the two. The first few times I came in I just got the rice, which is an excellent option if you are very hungry. I won’t lie. I put a ridiculous amount of toppings on mine, and the person serving me very politely tries not to look shocked (I’m kind of a small person. ), but I can see them holding back! Everyone who works here is very helpful and professional, and the space itself is bright and clean. Parking can get a little competitive around lunch time, but I always manage to find a spot.

Berry Divine Acai Bowls – Menu with Prices – 245 E Congress St Suite 159, Tucson

I’m writing this in hope the owner/manager will take steps to fix the issues because my daughter and I both love the acai soft serve bowls! I’ve introduced numerous colleagues to this lovely new business (I work downtown) and have personally bought enough bowls to earn several free bowls. This is the third time my daughter has had to wait for the shop to open or they closed early. It’s 8:14 and no one is there. Last time she said 3 other people were also waiting. Please stick to your posted hours and make sure the times listed on your website match. Please consider offering a smaller bowl or allowing adults to purchase the kids’ bowl. With all the emphasis on healthy eating and portion control, it’s disheartening to only have the option of a ginormous bowl. A coworker won’t buy the bowl because she doesn’t like to eat that much or waste the food. Lastly, I understand that sometimes a particular type of fresh fruit might not be available for one reason or another. Please have the employee mention it when taking the order or put up a little note. As mentioned above, I love the acai bowls and absolutely support this business, and would have happily chosen a different fruit in my bowl had I known that mushy frozen blueberries were what was in stock. It only happened once and every other time they’ve been fresh and fantastic. I didn’t say anything because I thought it would be okay and was in a rush, but would have been totally fine with picking a different topping if I’d known ahead of time. I’m still giving 5 stars to support the business and hope they resolve these minor issues!

Poke Factory Menu with Prices 5950 North Point Pkwy, Alpharetta

We stopped by for lunch. Although I had had poke before at two other newly-opened chains, my friend had not. Like most poke restaurants, bowls come in three different sizes and you can order a bowl based on type or customize your own bowl. We asked how big the medium bowl was. The young lady behind the counter showed us the medium bowl and explained that the medium bowl was more expensive, not just because of the size of the bowl, but because you got two scoops of protein. If you opted for the large bowl, then you would get three scoops of protein. This was good information to know.While the poke bowls were good and we knew that we had eaten a good amount of food, it didnâ??t give us the same fulfilled (satiated?) feeling that a greasy hamburger and fries would. But thatâ??s not the restaurantâ??s fault. This is fresh, quality food.In addition to the poke bowls, this restaurant also has sushi and ramen. We did not try either; we thought that we should stick with the concept of the restaurant.

Nevera Juice Bar – Menu with Prices – 2311 Kern St, Fresno

This was my second visit to Nevera. I decided to go back, based on my experience during my first visit. Their tag line is, “inspiring you too live healthy,” and it shows in the quality of their product. You can taste it. I do get a feeling like they may be struggling too survive in the tough downtown market. If so, it’s definitely not because of lack of quality. My 4-start rating is based on an incomplete order, but they fixed it right away, and offered some compensation. Otherwise this is a 5-star eatery all the way!