Pepper Lunch Alhambra — Restaurant in Alhambra

Efficient and tasty pepper beef and rice spot in Alhambra!

We recently (Oct 2021) discovered this spot while looking for a quick but tasty dinner place nearby the Alhambra theater complex and were very happy to find this area. Street parking or lot parking (near the Citibank, can enter either from 1st St or Garfield Ave) is available.

Oct 2021: Once you enter you are faced with menus at the automatic kiosk which is NOT on during COVID - place your orders at the counter!

SERVICE: We've been here a couple times - first time the person taking our order let us take our time getting acquainted with the menu and the second time the other person seemed impatient with us as we were deciding - but in any case once your order is taken you get a number you can bring to your table to wait, and service thereafter is fast and efficient!

FOOD: I am here for the BEEF PEPPER RICE, served in a sizzling stone bowl with a protective paper ring around it reminding you that the bowl is hot (!!) and be careful not to touch! The rice is cupped around a seasoned pat of butter so be sure to mash your rice and butter down to get it all melted and incorporated. Sweet corn is included and the beef slices are arranged around the outside, and it's nice to be able to stop the cooking as you wish if you like the slices more rare by putting the slices on top of your rice. The BEEF CURRY RICE was my partner's favorite (even more so than the Beef Pepper for him), with Japanese style sweet curry, which pairs really well with the sizzling pot searing flavor. This feels like something that you can really only appreciate in person.

The SEASONED FRIES are my favorite style of fry - served in a personal side basket and with a thin crispy exterior with a light and fluffy interior, generously seasoned which is how I like it.

The sauces on the side help you with upping the garlic flavor or sweet sauce flavor as you please!

Wonderful spot, quick and sizzling and filling,...

I have always enjoyed going to Pepper Lunch before the pandemic. However, I haven't been back since. I decided to visit again with my friend before Christmas because apparently, many restaurants were closed on Tuesdays.

I was pleased to see that you no longer have to order from the machine. Instead, you can order at the cashier and pay there. They have also added some udon dishes to the menu. Although tempting, I stuck with the two meats with curry sauce. I had never tried that before, as I almost ordered the classic beef pepper rice. My friend ordered the tofu and veggie rice.

With the Yelp check-in, one could get a free size. I opted for the seaweed salad as I wanted something healthy. My friend chose the sweet potato rice, and we planned to share the sides.

My mixed two-meat curry rice was excellent. I enjoyed the sizzling presentation in front of me, and the smell of the curry was heavenly. The seaweed salad added some greens to my meal, although it's nothing special. The sweet potato fries were not particularly crispy, as they were kind of thick.

Towards the end of the meal, we discovered they had some new drinks for people to try, displayed on a separate table along the wall. We were welcome to try them and provide feedback. Excited, we sampled four flavors, including some mixed fruit ones. They were all pretty good, and we left them our honest reviews on the notes provided.

Overall, Pepper Lunch remains one of my favorite restaurants in Alhambra. Next time, I definitely want to try the...

We came by on a Sunday for a quick brunch/lunch meal based on some reviews from friends. This was at around 10:45-50am, and it was very chilly outside for my family. I tell you this because when we came in simply to grab a menu and see if we could wait inside while they got ready to open (supposedly at 11am), we were sharply shooed out to wait outside.

Not a big deal we thought at first, so we went across the street to shop at Burlington to pass the time. Then when it was about 10:55, we went back to check if we could stay inside the restaurant but were promptly and rudely asked to leave and wait outside again because they had to supposedly get some equipment ready for service.

Isn't that what the whole morning is for -- to get ready for service by opening hours? Just a thought (not a service worker, just a MasterChef viewer and avid home cook). They didn't give an approximate time that they would be ready by, so we went away cold, frustrated, and hungry.

The server gave off an extremely unfriendly and unpleasant attitude towards us as if we weren't at all welcome to simply wait inside by the entrance even. Not judging this place based on the food, because we weren't given the opportunity -- just rating on service alone.

By the way Pepper Lunch, we went across the street to Blaze Pizza, who were much more welcoming and prepared to serve a quick and...