Donburi Cafè

Food tastes good, but customer service is terrible. Unwilling to go the extra mile for specified diets. Portions are comical compared to prices. Always makes the argument that ingredients are expensive. Tried him twice. Never again.

I needed a quick bite before yoga and am lucky to find this gem. The service was very welcoming and friendly. I tried kimchi for the first time and loved it. The Miso soup was excellent. I will go back for a full meal. It’s tucked away so I hope others find it for a great meal!

They’re downtown Long Beach’s best kept secret. The portions are very filling. Their service is impeccable. I always look forward to having lunch here, because they go above and beyond to service their customers. They have a loyalty wall, too. I got a free donburi after 9 other visits. Haha.

Yes! Look if you want Katsu don outside of LB go for it, goto Mitsuwa Market or LA but in LB this place nails it. Its clean, kind people that take pride in their food just like in Japan where you cannot get a bad meal if you tried.

I came here on a weekday for lunch. If I recall correctly, I had the pork cutlet? The service was so friendly!!! I dined in and I was the only one in there. Pretty small and tucked away. Clean and cute. I saw a couple of people come and go for to-​go orders. The price was definitely reasonable for the quality and amount of food. I want to go back and try all their other items as well. Next time [:

Great tasting food
Everything was very well flavored
And the service is great
The seating arrangement are kind of cramped inside
And the food is a tad pricey but it is worth it
Will return for more

The food was pretty good but what really made the place great was the ladies that worked there. They were so genuinely friendly. But one can never go wrong with the #7 the katsubowl.

I would eat here all the time if I was in the area. I got the chicken and egg don. It was filled with a rich savory flavor. You wouldn’t be able to tell on the menu, but your meal comes with a side salad and miso soup! You get so much delicious food for your dollar!

I just moved to long beach. Was looking for sushi but stumbled upon this place. They don’t have sushi but their bowls looked amazing. The owner was super nice and recommended the pork katsu with curry and the other bowl was a spicy chicken. Both were amazing and delicious. They came with a side of miso soup and salad. I will definitely be back!

My friend and I checked out this place for lunch. We both got sauce tonkatsu. To my surprise, the food came out very quickly and the service was great as well. Everyone there was smily and kind.
The food was great as well. They said they made their own sauce. You should try the sauce. Unlike other tonkatsu sauce, it is less sweet and less tangy. I enjoyed the new kind of flavor. I really liked the piece of potato and carrot that seemed to have been steamed or boiled. It really added to the delightful meal experience because you can enjoy the crunch texture from the katsu and the very soft and mushy texture from potato or carrot. The katsu itself was great as well. The meal comes with miso soup and salad. They are fresh.
Definitely a great go to spot for a quick and delightful lunch or dinner!

I found this restaurant from Unilocal and I went there without any great expectation.
There were a lot of different foods and I decided to try the sauce tonkatsu don.
It was really good and delicious. Much better than what I expected.

Katsu and curry were both excellent. Same with the miso soup.
Japanese and friendly. Much recommend.

My sister just bought me korokke-​don on the way home. It was still warm and delicious even though it was togo! I definitely will go and try other things on the menu

Stopped by here to fill myself stupid with some katsudon. The staff is friendly, polite, and accommodating.
The meals are served with a salad with ginger dressing and a miso soup. The pork katsu was made fresh to order (they dropped it in the fryer as soon as I said it), so it takes a few minutes to receive, but it’s worth the wait. The entrée is served on a bed of (perfectly) sticky rice, and the overall flavor was really good.
Had a hot green tea, too. Nothing special, but hit the spot because it’s like 50°F outside.
The store front isn’t right on the street – it’s just on the inside of the courtyard next to a couple other stores. The interior is well lit, clean, and appointed with wooden tables and wooden chairs. Overall, pleasant atmosphere. And quiet, too.
I’d eat here again if I was ever back in town.

This place deserves a better location but it is what it is. Find it and try it for yourself.
The beauty of the presentation is wonderful. The rice bowls are crafted with skill and leave your stomach happy. There are plenty of protein options to choose from but I went a different route and tried the Korokke Don which is a fried mashed potato and ground beef ball. Similar to the Cuban style. The Korokke is deliciously crunchy but piping hot on the inside so be careful. The ratio of potato to beef leans more to the potato but I still enjoyed it.
The miso soup is quite honestly, one of the BEST I’ve EVER HAD! And it’s just a little side dish but the aroma itself lets you know how good it’s going to be. I will ask for a bigger serving next time.
The place is small but clean. It feels like a place Anthony Bourdain has visited while in Japan.

I ate Katsudon! It was really good and enough portion. The meat was pretty well cooked and soft. Especailly the server was very kind

This is a great little restaurant. The quality of the food is good and there is the right amount of flavor. It’s hard coming by a a place that sells katsudon locally, especially one this good. The setting of the restaurant is also nice. Overall, it was a great experience and I will definitely go again. If you’re local and looking for some katsudon, I would highly recommend going here.

We had such great hope for the Donburi Café. It is located on Pine Avenue in the little court yard next to Johnny Rockets. It is sort hidden however there a sandwich board sign on the sidewalk to catch one’s attention.
The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated with an outside seating area. Menu selection provides a good selection from Katsu, Oyako, Unagi, Tempura, Gyu, and several other popular Donburi varieties. Prices were approximately 7.95 — 13.50. Tea, water and soft drinks, no beer or wine.
I selected the Katsu curry don, and my friend selected the tempura. Counter service was polite and friendly. What’s really refreshing is that staff checked on us several times and expressed their thanks upon our departure. Even a shout-​out from the cook in the back.
Shiro-​miso soup and fresh fruit accompanied the main course.
The tempura don did not have enough sauce on it, which is the critical component of traditional Donburi. Extra Donburi sauce cost 1.50. The tempura had very little taste, probably due to the lack of sauce. The other reason is the tempura sauce lacked umami. The meal went half uneaten because one would be eating white rice without the critical ingredient the Donburi sauce.
I ate the majority of my Katsu curry don, which I rated as mediocre, I’ve had much better. The Katsu cutlet was okay however the curry was unexciting and lacked depth, I think it’s because the curry lacked umami.
The litmus test question: would we come back?
Friend «no»
Me «possibly» in a pinch.
I may give the place one more try in about a month to give the new business a break. Hopefully they will reconsider the quantity and improve on the quality of the Donburi sauce.

First time here and you can tell this place puts effort in making their Japanese curry. The servers are nice and attentive. There is not another place like this one. Im glad they opened in Long beach will defiantly come back. When i have jury duty again. ;)
Awesome just awesome. Lets help small businesses thrive!

So i just came from the DTLB farmers market and decided to dip into here for a bite to eat. I ordered the Katsudon Donburi. $ 7.58 including tax. It came with a salad and miso soup. I didn’t really care for the dressing but I kept eating it trying to figure out what it was. Tasted like watered down mayo with a little bit of sugar? The miso soup was good, hit the spot on a cloudy chilly day. Wasn’t salty, was the right temperature and had just enough t great ofu and seaweed in it. The Katsudon Donburi was good too, cooked to order, seasoned just right, was .
Yeah I’d return for sure. Employees are really nice too. Small place but I think it has potential to be really great. Will get the word out.

Japanese rice bowls; what a nice addition to Downtown Long Beach!
They occupy the space next to Johnny Rockets in the plaza where AMC was once housed.
There are 18 different bowls to choose from ranging from $ 7 to $ 13. Each bowl comes with miso soup and a small salad. There’s definitely something unique about their salad dressing. My guess would be pineapple juice.
The two bowls I’ve had so far, I have not been disappointed with. The unagi (eel) was cooked perfectly but next time, I’ll tell them to leave out the pickled ginger since I’m not a fan. I’m definitely coming back to try other bowls.

A hot and new local business in Long Beach? I haven’t been supporting my hood enough, so l had to see what Donburi was all about.
I’ve been eating a lot of sushi and ramen lately, so I wanted to try something else Japanese.
I walked into Donburi and ordered the #9 pork cutlet bowl for $ 6.95 — great price for what I got (rice, nicely breaded pork, salad, miso soup). I love kimchi so I added the radish kimchi and a small soda. The total was under ten dollars. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Bailey (who took my order) asked me how I found out about them. I told her Unilocal,of course. I read a few reviews (including Dino D’s) and decided to come on down! So she said, «you have a fellow Unilocaler in the house!» I looked over. Can you guess who was sitting there? None other than Dino D. We said our hellos and he asked me to join him. I of course accepted. This is what Unilocal is all about!
The food:
#9 Katsu Don (pork cutlet) — the breading was excellent. For the price, the amount of pork was generous. The pork was tender, well seasoned, and delicious. The rice was filling; I didn’t even finish it (which is rare for me, lol). There were some veggies inside as well.
I absolutely love kimchi, and the radish kimchi was excellent. They were scrumptious little squares that packed a punch. It was a nice departure from the usual cabbage style kimchi. The miso soup was good quality. The salad was standard and good (I’m not much of a salad eater).
Dino and I broke bread for over an hour. (It was great to meet you sir!) I love meeting fellow Unilocalers who share the same passion for food!
Co-​owner Steve designed all the wood and stone finishing in the restaurant himself. He did a great job; Donburi is cozy, welcoming, and evokes a hearty desire for Japanese cuisine.
Amy and Steve (co-​owners) were super nice. Their combined Korean and Japanese backgrounds result in some pretty tasty bowls. This pair should be proud. They are serving up delicious cuisine at a reasonable price, alongside rad service. Yum!

Here’s to the start-​of-​a New-​Year and the opening of a health-​conscious tasty eatery.
Donburri, abbreviated as «Don» literally means bowl — and this family-​owned, small-​scaled restaurant serves freshly-​made Japanese rice-​bowl-​dishes. There are about 18 to choose from combining fish, meat, vegetables, and sauces — that are simmered — and served over white rice.
A new business — yay! and it is good — on day 2 — service was about the customer & ensuring the customer returns. Yay — a trend I hope for all restaurants in the New Year?
I ventured out, tiring of my old ways — trying new things, foods, and destinations. I choose #10 — Oyako Don, a delicious chicken & egg (think scramble) with sauce on-​the-​side. I wasn’t surprised to have learned, I ordered the most generic bowl throughout all of Japan. So much for trying something new?! The portion was filling — it is accompanied with a green salad — miso soup (with just the right amount of saltiness) & a special offering of, radish kimchi (the Owners are Korean).
Overall, the value is outstanding, my selection was $ 6.95 with the most-​expensive being #11, grilled beef short rib for $ 12.95, listed as Galbi Don. The food is fresh, flavorful, and cooked-​to-​order. The culinary skill of combining Japanese/​Korean is masterful without being overpowered by sauce.
The newly build kitchen and dining areas are beautiful — with wood and stone finishes. Here’s a welcome new addition for dining in the LBC, in the New Year and years to follow.