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Categories: Japanese, Desserts, Coffee & Tea [Edit]
1380 Fullerton RdMon-Thu. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Oh! Genki Living. This is quite a cute place. (Forgive me if I say the word "cute" a lot because that's what this place is.)
A good amount of people say that the staff members are not friendly. The times I've been here, everyone has been nice to me. Honestly, I don't know how is it that they're nice to me. Yes, the workers are cute too.
The food is cute also. Obviously, you go here for crepes and yes, they're cute. If you're used to the French style, don't go here. There are also the boba drinks, which are okay or so. Oh yeah. They carry food such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki as well.
A reason why I need to subtract points is because the place is pricey. (Then again, this is Los Angeles/Rowland Heights.) The place is way too small. You figure there would be a good amount of chairs outside, but that's not the case. Seeing that the place is small, it's a horrible place to be at when it's busy. It would help if there's a restroom, but there isn't. Unfortunately, I've been spoiled by San Francisco's crepes, and usually, I would rather be at Tapioca Express if I wanted a boba drink. The place could use a point card system though.
Yeah, the place is cute. It's solid. It's that there isn't a food that makes me say "Genki makes the best...insert a food here". On a side note, make sure you bring cash. They don't accept cards.
+: It's a cute place and their lineup of food is solid.
-: The place is way too small and it will be a bit pricey.
Their takoyaki is good, good size too, but a bit too pricey for just 4 or 5 pieces. ( It used to be 5 pieces.. but I think they are now serving 4, maybe). They are good with a big piece of squid inside. I do wish the pieces should be cut into smaller pieces so you'd get one squid in every bite. Be careful though, they are hot when you receive them, so try not to eat it too fast.
Costs about 5 or 6 bucks for the takoyaki.
Although they are made fresh.
They are also very famous for their crepes, Asian style, which are much crispier and bigger than normal crepes.
I do like the crepes, but again, overpriced.
Almost any combo you put on there will be good.
Adding any type of fruits, a scoop of ice cream, some whipped cream..!! Yum, They fill you up too.
The decor though, is pretty good.
Service, not so good, but I'm not butt hurt.
I love genki crepes! It's a small and cute shop with a few intimate tables and a couch with plenty of magazines. They have a wide variety of both savory and sweet dessert crepes to choose from, as well as different drinks. I've never had any of their savory crepes but I do love their dessert crepes!
Imagine a thin, crispy crepe with nutella spread, filled with vanilla ice cream, strawberries, and whipped cream. It's everything I like in a neatly wrapped crunchy crepe that I can eat on the go.. well, sorta. It gets a bit messy with ice cream. I thought it was delicious! Overpriced though. A simple nutella crepe is a little over $3.00 alone.
I'm not sure why the reviews are so low for Genki Living, I have nothing to complain about! It still seems pretty popular despite what I read through the reviews.
I like their takoyaki and all their sweet crepes
I would give 4 star but there's this one waitress always has a sour face and her attitude is bad so minus one star loh
My favorite crepe is taramisu w/ ice cream and fruits. The mocha slush with boba is above decent.
However, they don't accept cash and I always forget. Sigh.
Been craving this place lately, so I love the tako-yaki's they have here. I believe that's the octopus balls. The first time I ate here it was the best experience. the few times after that when they later on became popular, I have to admit that their food quality isn't up to par. But like any restaurant when busy they will rush.
So the minor details that bothered me are that I prefer the takoyaki's to be more brown or crispy / crunchy. To get it perfect, it takes time, takes more rolling, and definitely more slow heat to cook thouroughly. When they are busy and rushing you'll end up with a mushy takoyaki. That in itself is disappointing, so I am still searching for a place that still takes their time and won't compromise the quality of the food.
Other orders on their menu are pretty good, their price is decent and it's definitely a popular hang out place for all age range. I've seen families, highschool students, college students, and the fully employed come hang out here.
I recommend the red bean cake if you get a chance to come here with the milk custard one too. You pretty much gotta try them all!
And just remember "Genki Living" is "Happy Living!"
Definitely one of the best crepes places ive been too. the inside environment made me feel as if i was eating outside in japan
i ordered a 2 fruit with nutella and ice cream for roughly 6 bucks but it was worth it. the 2 fruits that i ordered was strawberries and banana with vanilla ice cream and it hit the spot.
the one thing i didnt like about this place was that it was cash only!!!
I've been here a couple of times and I've always left the place happy! It has the best dessert crepes around! =D You gotta try it out!
My boyfriend and I were looking for a boba spot in Diamond Plaza when we stumbled upon the best thing that ever happened to me! 5 STARS for their BOMB ASS CREPES!!! I LOVE this place to say the least. Their Nutella and Strawberry and Cream Crepes are made crisp and fresh for ~$5. Whenever I'm in Socal this is this place to go for crepes. I hope to find a bomb crepe spot in the Bay Area soon, msg me if you know of any!
mmmm.. i've never been disappointed. the crepe is both soft and firm, much more durable then your traditional light crepe but still with a wonderful flavor. the ingredients! my favorite combo is nutella, banana, vanilla ice cream & whip cream. but there's numerous toppings to fit anyones mood. parking can be awful at this plaza, but the service is good and the ambiance laid back.
Walked by that place many times and finally tried it out. Ordered a banana, nutella and custard crepe. Excuse me but where the heck did the custard and nutella go? It was not a busy place either. The girl taking/making the order was kind of mean too. I'm iffy on the price that they charge there though it looked like others were enjoying their crepes so I guess I might give this place another shot in the future. Hope not to be sorely disappointed again. I would have given this place a one star but the decor was kind of cute.
I was craving for a crepe and decided to come here, but left disappointed. I had the strawberry with nutella and vanilla ice cream. The problem with the crepe was the texture: it was overcooked and thus, very crispy and flaky. After every bite I took I ended up with several pieces on my shirt. I like my crepe crispy on the outside but nice and chewy on the inside, and Genki's crepe was not like that at all. Price is comparable to other places-- around $6, but I think other places make much better crepes.
This is indeed the only crepe cafe that is actually in the vicinity of my area. I use to eat the banana, nutella, and whip creme crepe here at least once a week until I gained a few pounds and gotten sick of it. Just to verify, the crepe is crunchy, not soft so it's a little different than what most people are use to.
One complaint: I kid you not they put a layer of nutella that's probably thinner than a sheet of paper, I'm not exaggerating. What's a crepe if it doesn't have enough nutella to give you a heart attack?
I also ordered the house club crepe. Basically it's a sandwich in a crepe). It has ham, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, and some yummy sauce that tastes like salad dressing.
I really want to like Genki Living because it's so darn cute, but I just can't say that I'm a fan. Cuteness will only get you so far.
The drinks that I've tried were mediocre; you can get the same or better at Tapioca Express or any other boba place. The crepes are pretty good, but are way too complicated. I like the kind of crepes you find at crepe stands in France - a simple shmear of creme de marron or nutella, 3 folds, and you're good to go. I don't like my crepes filled with a dozen fruits and a scoop of ice cream (you can even get it with a slice of cheesecake!), nor do I like it with tuna and corn. Of course, you can order a plain Nutella crepe, but you might want to bring your own tub of Nutella because they're pretty sheisty. I've wanted to try those red bean or custard-filled fish pastries, but every single time I go, they just so happen to be out of them. Hmph.
I was about to say, "All in all, this is a nice place to chill at..." but then I remembered that it's tiny and seating is limited/awkward. Nevermind.
Ive only tried the crepes here but every visit left me driving home with a happy belly. Sometimes they might short you on the dosage of nutella but all the while, its a great dessert. Their sandwich crepes arent too bad either. But dont try them if you prefer having a large amount of meat in it because they wont give it to you.
I've been here a few times but I just finished eating dinner at the newly opened Chipotle with the bf and remembered how much my old roommate from Berkeley loved Genki Living's crepes. When she first found out that I lived in Rowland, her first questions were, "Don't you just love Banana Bay? Isn't Genki Living the best?" She would literally drive from Irvine every weekend to get her hands on one of those "awesome" crepes.
Sure, the place is cute... with it's Japanese theater theme decorations but that's about the only perk. I mean, if you like car magazines, I guess that's a plus too but the crepes are just mediocre. My uncle is French so he knows crepes and I've tried his homemade ones and Genki Living doesn't compare.
First of all, I like my crepes laid out flat on a plate to be eaten with a knife and fork. These crepes are cooked to a crisp to resemble more a waffle cone than a good old fashioned crepe. We ordered the banana, nutella, custard, and vanilla ice cream crepe with whipped cream on the side. It was WAY too many topping stuffed in a crepe. My biggest gripe about these crepes are that 1) they BARELY give you any nutella -- I couldn't even taste it, 2) custard is apparently tasteless? we couldn't find it at all in the crepe and the staff said it was in there but that we just couldn't see it or taste it due to the ice cream, 3) TOOOOOO much ice cream and 4) overpriced at $7.50/crepe.
These crepes are nothing special and I don't know if I'll be back. Sure it's cute but other than that, don't bother going out of your way to eat these "awesome" crepes.
I usually love Genki Living, but I was just here 15 minutes ago, and the one girl that usually cheaps me out on crepes really outdid it this time. Generally, the owners are there, and they really fill up your crepe. I usually get strawberries and custard without whipped cream, and luckily for me, I'm usually there when the owners are there, so my crepe is filled with custard and strawberries -- and this is a mega dollop of custard. However, I went in just now, and there was practically NO CUSTARD in my crepe. I couldn't even taste it. So I went back to ask for some because that is what I ordered, and the stupid cheapo girl was like, "IF YOU PEEL THE CREPE, THERE'S SOME BETWEEN THE LAYERS." And I thought to myself, WTF IS THAT?
Seriously? Did I just pay $5 for a thin-ass pancake and strawberries? If I wanted to do that, I'd buy a huge flat of strawberries for $5 and make my own damned pancakes!
If you want good crepes and better service [from white people, too], head down to Uptown Whittier, to Crepes and Grapes. You'll definitely be pleased with a classy well-put-together crepe for the same price and of higher quality with service that actually deserves tip.
I don't think I'll ever come here again unless I peer in and see the owners running the shop that day. That would be the only time you're getting your money's worth.
However, it's got really cute decor, and if you're a midget, you could sit in comfortably. ... I take that back. I'm legally a midget just under 5 feet, and I can't even sit comfortably there. But it's also great for wasting $1.25 for some Gacha-Pan...
The service was patient and very helpful with my absence of knowledge on the topic of fruity crepe. Space and seating is kinda weird but the decor is adorable.
Crepes were tasty but the idea of a tuna sandwich crepe mildly perturbs me.
I've come here numerous times and the service is just not too stellar.
Crepes, even the simplest ones (I always order just whipped cream and Nutella) can take FOREVER.
The attitudes of some of the girls who work the register don't really add to the service aspect. They must not live very genki, I can tell you that...
Anyways, the crepes themselves ARE good, but I mean...I could taste the exact same thing elsewhere. Only thing that keeps Genki Living alive is the fact that it's located inside Diamond Plaza, a sprawling hotspot of Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, and Diamond Bar, and also the fact that it's probably the only crepe place in the area? (Correct me if I'm wrong). I know Puente Hills Mall has a crepe place, but that "mall" is a dump - who'd wanna be seen there?
I know Genki Living is likely understaffed (I usually see one girl doing all the crepe making and one or two girls working the register and food that's made on the other side), but...yeah. Gotta find a way to step it up.
I can't say I wouldn't recommend this place since it's in a hotspot and you likely won't find crepes anywhere else, but be prepared to wait quite a while for your order(s). And maybe deal with a bitchface or two
NO.
Well, for the crepes anyway. They're stingy with the fillings. I wanted a simple crepe with nutella and nothing else, but someone convinced me to get whip cream also. So the crepe comes out and there is almost no nutella... or whip cream. Wth, haha. Genki sucks hard for crepes.
If you're craving taiyaki tho, it's not bad here! My favorite is the custard one. I haven't been here in about a year tho, so I don't know if the taiyaki is still as good as it used to be. :)
One of the few businesses that stuck around since Diamond Plaza was opened, Genki Living has always been 'the spot' if you wanted crêpes. Despite knowing this I came here because I never knew they sold Taiyaki here so I stopped by one night.
-Interior
The interior is decorated like what you would find on a street I suppose. The front counter and crêpe counter are seperate and they look like booths, a few tables and a bench indoors, seating holds no more than 15 people I think, They also had a table set up out front that seats four to five. Either way it's very small so you'll wind up just getting your order and walking about the rest of the plaza.
-Service
Not sure if every Genki Living is like this but this one takes a while, everything is made to order so it does take a while longer. I think the space is also an issue because they can't fit more equipment or hire more people because it wouldn't be efficient. So whatever you order it'll take a while, I think three Taiyaki's took about 15 minutes?
-Food
Only speaking for the Taiyaki and it's scrumptious though sweet. I got a red bean, custard, and red bean + mochi. The red bean ones were the sweetest, I would recommend the custard one though. Price? $3 or $4.
Rating the Taiyaki I'd give it a 4, maybe a 4.5, but the service is slow so I'm docking a star off for that. If you don't mind a wait for your desserts then look for the neon sign that reads Genki Living. If you still can't find it then look for the giant Cue (originally had one floor, now they have four!!) then look at the level below it.
Taiyaki, takoyaki and crepes are all good! Pricing ain't my fave, though.
Crepes are somewhat empty when you get them but delicious, nonetheless. Sadly, there's a ridiculously long wait period because at most, there's 3 workers available.
The takoyakis are very aromatic and pretty. I could stare at those shavings of whatever move for forever but they stop swaying after they cool down.
It's cute inside but apparently, no photography is allowed.
I have come here countless times and each time, the crepe has taken forever to make.
The only things I find worth coming here is the fish shaped bread which you can add your own choice of red bean, ham and cheese/corn, peanut butter, chocolate chips and etc. The other is the squid balls. I tried it for the first time and it isn't that bad. Those are the only two things I find worth my money. Everything is BAH or overpriced.
However,t he decor of the place isn't that bad. The only part that sucks is when it's packed and a full house, meaning you'd have to wait for some place to sit, stand up eating or walk around the meaningless plaza and eat. But you can't walk into some of the stores and eat. You have to eat outside.
Overall, It's a okay place. I've had much better crepe and didn't take as long. The crepe circled out is huge and sometimes when you finish everything, there's just the egg-made crepe left and I usually just throw it away. Who wants to eat just the crepe without the fillings?
Plus, crepes aren't that hard to make. I make at home sometimes.
Came here a lot of times before, but never understand why people love it so much. Prob just because it is one of the few place with crepes. Pricy....that pretty much explains everything
Here's the deal. I have no hatred for this joint. I don't. But I do have a bit of "pissedoffedness" (copyright Brad W.).
Lets put things in perspective. And please--this does not apply for the majority of the dingbats who love this place--they SHOULD love it--typically young kids, people who don't expect much, or teenie boppers who speak languages other than English and want to meet with their friends and just blow some of mom and dad's money and have a good time doing so. All of the above--keep loving it--I think Genki is made for YOU.
BUT......if you really want to see $4.50 go toward a really great finish to your evening--looking to having a tasty treat you might remember and crave--buy a little canister of Cool Whip and lick the lid in a crowded parking lot filled with people who do thirty (30) point turns to get into a parking spot with a compact car.
Ordered the nutella/almond chip/cream crepe to share with my fiancee. Wow. Well...five almond chips. A tiny light spread of Nutella--and a thick glob of cheap cream on an average fold of edible, warm thin cardboard. YUM. If you are a termite.
a nice place to satisfy a sweet tooth. stingy on fruits and nutella, too much ice cream.
everytime i go there to try one of their other items, they always to have 'ranned out'
I'm only giving it two stars because of the decor. It's so cute! However, the crepes don't meet my expectation. They take forever to make the crepe and make it so crunchy that the crepe is no longer a crepe, but a waffle cone. I only come here for the nutella, strawberry with ice cream crepe. Until I can find a better place, this place will do.
When I need a dessert crepe fix I like to come here.
Some Pros: My fav crepe is whip cream, nutella and strawberries. But most of their dessert crepes are good. It's reasonably priced but only accepts cash.
Some Cons: I never come here when it's packed the service is awful they don't manage a crowd well. I've been there when it was practically empty and we still had to wait the 2 people there were busy but no greeting or letting us know it may take a while we just stood there waiting. =/
I remember visiting this place once before the Irvine location opened up. After the Irvine location closed, my bff took me here to cheer me up after a long day of blah.
I really appreciate his efforts in driving 35mins. to Rowland Heights just to feed me some crepes, but the quality of the crepes tasted as if the crepes were premade and reheated in the oven.
2 dessert crepes for $11. Everything that was supposed to come in the crepe was at the minimal-- a couple pieces of strawberry, thin spread of nutella, small glob of icecream and a teaspoon of whipped cream. The crepe skin was soggy soft, yet it was super dry-- I don't know how that is, you'd have to taste it yourself.
The girl who rang our order us had her lips permanently glues along with her cheeks. No smiles or a thank you-- she barely muttered our total and when I asked for her to repeat herself, she forcefully did so... still slurring her words but just louder.
EVERY SINGLE TIME THAT I THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE, I GET REALLY MADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD. ugh!!!!!!
I must mention my experience here. I came here one time, a while back, to get a strawberry and banana crepe. The wait was sooooo long!!! This is not the end, oh no it isn't. Get this: when I got my crepe, I found that there was only nutella in there with bananas and a whole bunch of whipped cream on top. When I asked where my strawberries were, the girl in the booth told me: "Oh we ran out." I was like, WTF?! You weren't planning to tell me this?! I don't want a banana crepe!! It turned out that they did it to several people!! The problem was that it was for strawberry, the most popular fruit that people get on crepes!! WTH?! I distinctly remember the girl say: "So, what? Do you want your money back?!" HOW RUDE!!! omg............................anyway, I got my money back and left. A whole bunch of other people did the same too.
GENKI LIVING = SHADY LIVING (argh)
Crepes are one of my favorite desserts to get !
I used to always have to stop by here whenever in the area:]
They have salty (ham/cheese) and sweet crepes, but I mostly get the sweet ones!
I love the red bean and ice cream crepes & anything with nutella & fruit is a must! They also have the cheesecake option in a crepe which is a delight!
When it gets crowded though, there are few seating inside, but you can always hang out outside within the plaza~ good to walk around and see the other shops.
You can also watch them as they make the crepes; this process is not very fast but the shop is cute so you can sit and watch or chat while you wait. Servers are usually pretty okay, not super friendly but never rude either~
The crepes are wrapped cone style so you can carry it around and eat- but be careful of cream leaking from below !!!
I only come in here to get my gnutella and strawberry crepe with ice cream. Compliment that with watermelon juice after having an oily meal at restaurants nearby, and you have a nice dessert! There are 10 seats inside, so I typically sit outside Life Plaza and enjoy my crepe. There's magazines at the front for a reason, so I hope you like asian articles or cars! I like both so no problem :)
Yummy dessert crepes and fish shaped pancakes.
Cute but cramped sitting area.
Extremely slow service.
Genki Living is good for those who: (1) carry cash - they do not have any credit card machines, (2) are craving crepes - Nutella, various fruits, and ice cream are a few of their filling choices, (3) can manage to wait - okonomiyaki will take a good 20 minutes to make and even the simplest of crepes will take awhile if it's a particularly busy night, and (4) don't care too much about the quality of service - you order, you pay, and you eventually get your food.
Overall, their food is good but it falls short of being outstanding. I would've also given it a better rating if their service was better.
1. Brought cash
2. Went when it wasn't busy
3. Kept it simple - banana + nutella + whip cream + ice cream
4. Got it fast & left
I was satisfied. I'd give them 4stars if the crepe was softer.
Tried their crepes, takoyaki, taiyaki, and smoothies. Crepes are pretty skimpy ingredients wise, takoyaki is delicious, taiyaki is alright, and smoothies are just your typical asian/boba-joint smoothie. This establishment gets two stars for the takoyaki. The service here is incredibly slow, and extremely disorganized sometimes. I think it's a cute and interesting place to try out if you've never been to the area, but once or twice in a blue moon is good enough for me.
This place is so cute...i love how it's decorated and the crepes are filling and delicious not to mention a good size. You can also watch them make everything fresh for you =]
Seating is limited so it's not an ideal place for groups to sit
Very nice crepes.
But, I always make a mess when I eat because the crepe holders disintegrate.
Genki Living is unique in its area - various Japanese snacks and desserts inside a cozy (that means small) and cute interior. They have crepes, which you can get almost anywhere nowadays, but what they do have that not many places have is takoyaki and different-flavored taiyaki. They're not made as good as from other places that I've had them, but they're good enough.
JONASAPPROVED!
I remember when they (the owners of Genki Living) were just a food stand outside of Life Plaza restaurant in the same commercial plaza complex. This was waaaaay back in 2002! They used to cook the crepes and takoyaki while playing the music CD of the taiwanese singer named Landy. Old times.... I'm glad to see them thriving. They still make excellent crepes and offer the same warm service all around.
-Cedric
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