I love this place! Service is amazing and the food are delicious! My fiancé and I just moved out to San Jose from Southern California a few months ago, and this is the place we frequent once every one to two weeks - we usually love cooking at home. Cho is always so helpful and stopping us if our eyes starts to get bigger than our stomach. The first time we came here, we had some barbecued meat, and now we get a plate of that and their cold noodles; even on a cold day. This review has been long overdue, and it's time to come back for the cold noodles to combat this heat wave for this week. Do try, drink the entire broth of the cold noodle, and say hi if you see us here. read more

The good: I got the combo #4 which was $169 for four people. It came with Soju or beer, salad, Korean pancake, some meats, side dishes, Korean egg dish and tofu soup. I really enjoyed their pickled radish because it wasn't too sour nor too sweet. The salad was unique and nicely dressed. My friend thought it was refreshing. One of my favorite things was the dipping soup sauce for the meat and the the crunchy garlic in oil dip for the meat. The server/waitress/owner (?) here was super friendly and fun! She was patient when my party arrived super late. She gave us a complimentary yogurt soju for my friend's birthday and even accepted a drink with us. She also took many photos for us and wanted the optimum photo background so she cleared out dirty plates and positioned us. She also joined in on clapping and singing for the birthday song. I thoroughly enjoyed her enthusiasm, participation, and service. We also ordered jowl, tteok-bokki with ramen noodle, beer, and a couple of other appetizers. They cook the meat for you nearby if your table is too full. The bad: The space gets pretty smoky from the grills so it can be a little overwhelming at times. Definitely come prepared to smell like bbq from your hair to your underwear. The interesting: I think there's a separate side room for private parties. read more

Gaboja - Front door - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I love eating at this place. The staff is super friendly and the food is great tasting. Very authentic Korean cuisine.

Absolutely delicious food. Specifically, the Korean Fried Chicken is crunchy and juicy. Service was extremely friendly and personable. Ambiance is very casual and comfy. Highly recommend! read more

The best service and ambience to enjoy amazing food, drinks, and company. Soondobu and soju will make your heart warm. read more

Gaboja - Phoneception - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

As I get older, I appreciate the set menu selections over AYCE and Gaboja has reasonable sets to choose for your party of two or more. They helped us cooked our meats and provided the kindest service. I like the intimate setting and less pretentious than other kbbq places nearby. Not a whole of banchans but had the essentials and pretty good quality meats. read more

Gaboja - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Support your local small businesses! I've driven past Gaboja so many times without noticing, and only paid attention recently since I was in the same small plaza picking up an order from a taqueria. Gaboja has a wide variety of items available on their menu, and they seem the most popular for their Korean BBQ that you cook in the restaurant. Since I was placing a to go order, and was craving fried chicken, I decided to go with their Korean Fried Chicken (Served w/Picked Radish, $25.99, https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=DYKR0-NvmY_265OlnmUe0A&userid=76vIFZcC7owykCBjMfGVXg). This was a great version of KFC, and the exterior was super crispy and crunchy without being overly battered. The inside of the fried chicken was also cooked perfectly, and moist. I tried to ask for a side of their yang nyum sauce on the side, but only received a small container of salt/pepper due to the language barrier. The salt/pepper was still great sprinkled on top of the chicken, and their pickled radish was also really good- recommended! I would come back for more KFC, and to try their corn cheese, sundubu, and jjigaes. They only had an indoor dining option, and no outdoor dining. All staff were wearing masks properly, and they had hand sanitizer available. Parking can be difficult to find in this small plaza, but Gaboja has 2-3 reserved spots. They have a camera set up to monitor who parks in the spots, and they will be expecting your arrival once you enter the restaurant. read more

Gaboja - Korean Fried Chicken (Served w/Picked Radish, $25.99)- 4/5 stars - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I ordered the dumpling soup (mandu gguk) and there was too much green onions! They cut into big chunks. Even the broth tasted like green onions. I thought it was weird that there was no option to add rice cakes. The service was very good and involved. Everything is a bit pricey for what you get. The best thing I got here is probably the kimchi pancake, but that's pricey too. read more

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My new favorite place to go !!! Service ( hella nice to customer) Foods (love all the foods) Price ( affordable) Water ( not tap water ) Music ( not loud like other korea restaurants) 100% recommendations read more

Wonderful service from the staff here at Gaboja. Our server was a lovely lady by the name of Ms. Cho, who assisted us by grilling our food and taking great care of us throughout the meal. A+ customer service :) We ordered the wagyu brisket, finger meat and the premium short rib unmarinated. By far the best brisket I have ever had, it was tender and very delicious. The short rib and finger meat was wonderful as well. Their banchan was flavorful, me and my sister really enjoyed the fish cake side dish. It was prepared perfectly and you can taste the love in the side dishes. Thankful for a wonderful after gym meal, and a very special thank you to Ms. Cho! We will definitely be back. read more

Gaboja - Kindly grilling for us - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

My partner and I love going here for the quality meat and highly superb customer service. Fortunately, the times we have visited here, we've been seated immediately. Not a lot of crowds, which is a plus sometimes. Our waitress is always so awesome. She is super sweet and always sparks a nice conversation with us. Thank you for the really great food (there's so much) and for having us. Go here if you want high quality food, great serving size, and great rapport with the awesome people working there. read more

The food here was amazing. We came here late at night craving classic Korean food, specifically gamjatang. We saw they have gamjajeongol and immediately ordered it. IT WAS SOOOO GOOD. Hefty meat portions, so soft & tender, broke off the bone easily, and veryyy well seasoned. By the end of the meal, we were stuffed and still had leftovers for a whole nother meal to take home! The service is great, felt like I was back home with my parents. 10/10 recommend if you're looking for good Korean food and great service for a reasonable price! read more

Gaboja - Gamjajeongol - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

3.5!! I came from next door when Gooyigooyi didn't take us in after standing in the doorway for about 15 mins They sat us down right away and we were able to order food right away too. My fiance and I ordered soondubus, and it comes with rice and banchan. The soup was pretty good but banchan is just ok they only offer 4 and give you kind of little amount too. We were so hungry so we just finished our soup and rice. The service was just ok they didn't come check on us after we got our meal. Overall, probably wouldn't come back as there are so many great Korean restaurants in the area. read more

I've never been a big fan of Korean bbq that is not all you can eat because of the prices! Tonight I didn't have much say in where we were eating; but I'm glad we came here!! I hands down recommend this place! Not only was the food really great quality and tasted bomb.com; but the staff is very friendly and she had a great sense of humor trying to speak her English! Mad props to her. We ended up ordering the option 3 because it came with soju and pork belly! Sorry all; I forgot to take pictures of all of the food prior to it being cooked AND here is a photo of the aftermath! Stop in especially because this place is open late!! Cheers! read more

Gaboja - Aftermath mess - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Great service! Authentic Korean food, specially I recommend #14 Neil Gan Sal and #36 Gul Jeon(Oyster Pancake). Two weeks in a row! read more

Gaboja - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I don't know why people have dislike for this place, I came here first time to eat dinner with my wife and had an amazing, delicious experience. We were greeted with a smile and seated promptly. The seating area is a little bit tight, but I liked it since it allowed for closer interaction with my wife and more privacy. We ordered the Galbijimm, BBQ beef tongue, seafood hand cut noodles, cold noodles, and the egg omelette. I've been to Korean restaurants throughout the Bay Area and SoCal, and this place takes the cake in authenticity in my opinion. There was so much umami and flavor in every bite. I was expecting a little bit of MSG here and there, which actually makes me break out into rashes, but there was definitely none in the food we ate tonight. It felt like a Korean halmeoni was cooking up a storm in the back, because my taste buds were salivating. The two lady servers we had were so polite and the owner came and greeted us after our meal. I was so happy with the All-star service and quality of the food, I definitely plan on coming back soon!! read more

The waitress were friendly but they forgot our seafood pancake. We were a party of 6. We recieved same 1 set of banchan as a party of 2 would. We ate all the banchan and when we asked for a refill of the 5 different banchan they only gave us 3. I was a bit taken back as they should've have given us the full set that we asked for especially after forgetting our seafood pancake until all our meat dishes were complete. Food: flavor under par more towards bland side. Portions of meat were on smaller side also...i regret not going next door for the kbbq. The calamari stir fry had more onions than anything in it. Seafood pancake was very think but filled with mainly batter. Cold noodles was standard. Overall nothing stood out that would push me to return. read more

Gaboja - Menu - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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The food and service were excellent. A varied and delicious menu, all beautifully presented in a very pleasant dining room. Will definitely come back! Recommend anyone to give this superb restaurant a try. read more

Gaboja - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

We've been here for the third time and they just have great service every time we dine here! Food may not be the most spectacular but the homey feeling you get from the people who run this place overshadows everything. Parking can be a little bit difficult on busy weekends since there's also another kbbq restaurant in the same complex. read more

Food was so tasty, side dishes were 10/10, soup was warm and savory, meat was cooked great. Service was friendly, they cooked meat for us and made recommendations for our friend who was unfamiliar with kbbq. Picture of an empty grill because we vacuumed it up so fast. Ambiance was chill and relaxing. It is a small cute place! read more

Great dining experience, the hosts were very inviting. Went with my family of 4, and a BBQ combo (number 4) and an additional Egg and Fried Fish dish was more than enough for us (we eat a lot). The hosts made pleasant conversation and this felt more like KBBQ at someone's home rather than a sensationalized place. Went late (Around 9) and was able to be one of the few there. Food was delicious, recommend the BBQ combo #4 (Hosts will tell you best way to eat it) and the kimchi fried rice. (Parking is a little difficult, so fair warning, come in as little cars as possible!) read more

They didn't have that much variety there and the spaces for the seating was small definitely not a child friendly place I had my 2 year old son with me and they didn't have a child high chair or anything they had a booster but it didn't even have a seat belt on the booster knowing my son he won't sit still so I had to have him sit in his stroller to make sure he wasn't going to try and reach something on the table very inconvenient. read more

Everything is great here!!! came on a late night, any places else if you come in late you would expect really bad service but not this place Service: 20/10 (aunties are very friendly) Food: 10/10 (you know the food is good when aunties speak Korean) Ambiance: music not too loud, cozy and feel like youre in Korea read more

Best Korean bbq spot in town. We drove from Fresno to spend the weekend here with our kids. and the first meal we had was here. Waitresses were so attentive and helpful. Interacted with us and it was nice. We got the combo #2 with beef, pork belly, tofu jjigae, steamed egg and endless sides. Omg! So so so good. Finished a good 90 percent of it. Definitely found our go to spot. Coming back again soon! read more

Went to this place at around 10 pm on a Friday night. Had a fantastic experience with the restaurant staffs. They were very kind, and gave us extra food as we were their first out-door dining customers since the pandemic. The food is A plus and taste like home cooked. It was exactly what we needed on a chill summer night. Would definitely recommend! Also their out door seating is very spread out and private. read more

Gaboja - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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My partner and I have gone here a few times and love it. We originally went here to try the duck BBQ, but they haven't had it in a long time. The meats are quality and the beef tongue (my favorite) is always so delicious and juicy. We usually get a few of the KBBQ meats from the outside skirt, tongue, pork jowl, pork belly, or gopchang (small intestine). Their potato jeon and oyster jeon are also SO good. (Try rolling gopchang in the potato jeon with ssamjang -- so good!) The service is fantastic. They're always so kind and quick; my partner usually speaks to them in Korean while they cook our food and they're always laughing and joking with us. Wish it was closer to us (we live in SF); we'd definitely become regulars here if it was closer but we still try to come here whenever we're nearby. read more

Absolutely stunning place. We came in with a party of 10 without a reservation and they sat us down no problem in a private room. We had a great time. The entire staff was absolutely amazing and loads of fun. read more

Gaboja - a group of people sitting around a table - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

With so many Korean spots around, its hard to find a restaurant that serves authentic Korean dishes and not just "KBBQ". One of my favorite dishes is Daeji Bulgogi and this spot has one of the best I've ever tasted. Friendly staff, quick service. 5/5. I'll definitely be back. read more

Gaboja - Dweji Bulgogi Soju - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

The worst food and service on earth! The kalbi was defrosted in the microwave and was partially cooked in the process. We ordered the course menu- all of the meats tasted like cardboard, sauces had absolutely no flavor, rice was the cheapest grade on the market, and the kimchi was very old. As for the staff, were comparable to the quality of food they serve. If you want to be disappointed and throw down a lot of bucks, this is a perfect venue for you. read more

Good food, accommodating, hospitable dining experience... They were able to accommodate party of 8 in a private room. read more

This place is pricy for being in a strip mall in Santa Clara. Parking was difficult and place felt small. For the prices we were charged I would expect something extra. Even the banchan were light. The kimchi felt a bit old. Service was prompt though. read more

A common reason I read why folks go to Gaboja . . . "the wait at Gooyi Gooyi was too long" Yep, that's why I wandered across the shared parking lot too. What I had was a surprising and surprisingly good K-BBQ meal. Surprise #1 when I asked for one order of Jumulleuk (short steak marinaded in sesame oil, salt, pepper) and the waitress leaves and then comes back out and lights the BBQ table grill (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gaboja-santa-clara?select=smqej9n2Z3HuJQVVYLDyag#si2osDj4bohOMRyi7u1lOw) Usually places say min 2 orders for table top grilling . . . maybe 'cause it was Monday and slow? Then 6 plates of banchan appear (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gaboja-santa-clara?select=smqej9n2Z3HuJQVVYLDyag#hfcCslqZyy4KXOAELP71UA). Pretty standard with kimchi, sprouts, fish cake. I think the dark one on the left was doraji, or bellflower root, which is not too common. The well marbled meat is marinated with white and green onions (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gaboja-santa-clara?select=smqej9n2Z3HuJQVVYLDyag#c1k0_7dILPeqAWLkNsxSeQ) and it looks like for smaller orders they use a flat, rectangular grill plate vs. the large round ones you see in most pictures (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gaboja-santa-clara?select=smqej9n2Z3HuJQVVYLDyag#E9t-2ylBf9NqP6IcjeQG1g) Surprise #2 when a small Doenjang Jjigae (soybean paste stew http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gaboja-santa-clara?select=smqej9n2Z3HuJQVVYLDyag#iBZCf9P2_2T4ZPg8eT2tnQ) is delivered. I took this to go. The servers take care of the cooking, but I grabbed the meat sooner to make sure it was rare to med-rare (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gaboja-santa-clara?select=smqej9n2Z3HuJQVVYLDyag#GrVY6AiOriiApojIYkw3Yg). For non-marinated and these light marinated meats they bring ssam-jang (gochujang / doenjang based dipping sauce) and sesame oil with salt (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gaboja-santa-clara?select=smqej9n2Z3HuJQVVYLDyag#-7Y0EVvwhFi9MY6yK2Ub7Q). Very tasty and tender meat. I liked the chunkier pieces where I got it more on the rare side. And after I've been eating a bit, Surprise #3 appears. Gyeran Jjim (steamed egg casserole http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gaboja-santa-clara?select=smqej9n2Z3HuJQVVYLDyag#LlxNaQ7KzdYcP3SDDQSmZg) along with a couple more banchan (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gaboja-santa-clara?select=smqej9n2Z3HuJQVVYLDyag#M_RVSwFcYV2aTz3I1enWvA). This was a little overcooked and burned on the bottom, but still decent. Overall, a very good meal. 4.5 stars. Rounding up, because I'm easily bribed by "service" items. read more

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Ate here for dinner with a couple of friends. Food was standard when it comes to Korean food. Not any more exceptional than other Korean restaurants we have been to. Also more on the pricey side. What lead to the 1 star was the service. Our server was very humorous and joking with us a lot throughout dinner. However, at the end, she was trying to go around the table and guess who was a couple. I pointed out that I was there with my male partner. She then had a shocked expression on her face and said "oh no...really?". We were so confused, and asked what was wrong. And she said "It's scary." We didn't understand what she was trying to convey, as if she was trying to say she was afraid of queer people. We tried to ask "Why is it scary?". But she kept saying "I don't know" and she then left the room to get the bill. This really ruined our night, and we will not be coming back to a homophobic establishment. read more

Great place for a bbq. Really nice customer service. I came with a friend so ordered a combo #1. Portion was right for 2 persons. Also, added kim-chi fried rice for $5 more. Definitely come back another time. read more

Gaboja - Combo #1. Beef brisket and pork belly. - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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This place is pretty skeeeeetchhhhyyy looking from the outside. SINCE..Its next to a liquor store and a porn shop haha! Its hard to find but just look for a green shop next to a porno store.. I decided to try this place out after finding it to have 4 stars on yelp :) Inside its small and the service is FANTASTIC! I ordered the Korean bbq ribs and we received a lot of yummy sides! read more

Gaboja - Sides - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Amazing food and amazing service! Everything was so delicious and healthy. Perfect amount of spice and the sides were excellent. Will come back soon! read more

Gaboja - Mandu soup ( I got non-spicy), Soybean tofu soup, steamed egg, pan fried Mandu - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Great food to-go and I found out that they are using door dash grub hub etc for delivery options so that was really good to know. Skeptical about delivery but to my pleasant surprise food was well-packaged meaning no spills and no soggy meals. Highly recommend the galbi jjim that comes with a big piece of quality abalone, hard boiled egg, potato and pieces of rice cake. We also got the mackerel and the standard seafood pancake. Very good. Oh and the dubu kimchi is a must trust me! read more

Gaboja - Galbi 7. Galbi-Jjim - Korean Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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It was very pricey for very subpar meat. I have never seen brisket so lean and cut so thick in my life, including cheaper AYCE places. Kimchi and banchan are ok. We wont be back. Parking was difficult too. read more

The first time I visited here was by mistake, I had routed to a different restaurant nearby and ended up here instead! Given my experiences here if I had the chance to go back to that first time I would confidently make the same mistake again. Both times I've visited the service was exceptional, the atmosphere was calm but welcoming, and the food was fresh and satisfying. This is not an AYCE restaurant and the prices definitely reflect this. However, if you're looking for a spot to catch up with a friend from out of town, treat your loved one(s) to a nice night out, or just have a big payday splurge meal, then this is where to go. The banchan are fresh and rotational so each visit will bring something new to the table, and most of the meat (at least that I've gotten so far!) is fresh without signs of being previously frozen. They offer meat combos for parties between 2-4 people and from experience I can attest that they are indeed meant for as many folks as they advertise. Small stomachs have no place here! The interior is small and can feel a bit cramped at times, but honestly I feel it adds to the intimacy and comfort of a night out with someone(s) you're close to. Most tables appear to only seat 4, so larger parties beware you may need to call ahead to make arrangements. The parking situation is probably the biggest downside, it shares a lot with a number of other restaurants so on weekends it's difficult to find a spot, but not impossible. Overall 5/5 easy, not ideal for a midweek dinner but definitely great for weekends or nice splurge nights! read more

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This review is on Budae Jjigae they have. While the server told me that it was not as authentic as we would get in Korea, this still was very disappointing. It was missing ingredient such as canned bean! Next time I go, I will just order their bbq which is pretty good and their BanChan are good and fresh!! Serivce is friendly-we were joking that it was strange to receive friendly interaction with waitress!! read more