*Hidden gem* Suggested categories to review: Food: Delicious. I ordered a simple roll, and while their delivery truck hadn't yet brought their fresh salmon, the eel was a perfect replacement. Highly recommend for a light lunch. Service: These are the sweetest people; it is always suspiciously not busy, but if you're patient and agreeable, you will not be disappointed by their charm. Ambiance: Used to be a church, and the space is open and fully decorated. The atmosphere is quiet and relaxed. Price: Six-piece roll with hot & sour soup + tip: out the door for $14 in less than twenty minutes. read more

Jaya's Authentic Foods - Korean Near Me - Evansville, Indiana

Very calm ambiance and beautiful Asian arts. My family loved their dishes, Dol sot bibimbop, was very tasty, also had Mongolian beef dish, it had tender beef with Shiitake mushrooms with tasty vegetables good balance of taste, it's a healthier version dish. not like Chinese style Mongolian beef that is sweet side. Lastly we had kalbi dish, the beef is tender and marinated well. Also they have gluten-free soy. The server reminds me of my sweet grandmother, very polite. read more

Bad, not authentic Korean food. The worst I've ever tried. The dishes tasted like Chinese food. The rice was not warm. They couldn't even take the time to heat it up. The chop chae is supposed to be noodles, but mine turned out to be and stir fry of meat mixed with deep fried noodles placed on top of cold rice. This is not Korean food to me. My head was telling me that this place wasn't going to be good the minute we parked, but I was so desperate for some kind of Korean food that I still tried it. Stupid decision. No one who worked there was even Asian. That should have been my first clue. read more

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My husband and I tried this place just once, because they advertised that they had authentic Korean food. The service was fine, but we were the only ones in the restaurant -- during a late lunchtime. The ambiance was average. We ordered Korean beef, and expected our food to be a bit spicy, as Korean food often is. Our meals were freshly prepared, but had very little seasoning, even though we selected a high spice level. It was just too bland for our tastes. We had no desire to try anything else here. read more

Being Korean, I was curious to see how this restaurant was since I don't live here and often pass through for work. I liked how the menu offered a variety of Korean dishes. On my first visit I ordered the Dol Sot bibimbop (stone bowl mixed rice) entree. Lunch price was $10.95. I had to pay an extra $1.50 for meat. The server asked me if I wanted meat but didn't tell me about the extra charge. Then when the food came out, there was no "Pon chon" aka side dishes... That meant no kimchee. When I asked about the side dishes, he said kimchee was an extra charge and listed on the menu as an appetizer. So I wasn't too happy about that. As for the bibimbop dish, it was ok. They used a variety of ingredients, which I liked, but it didn't taste very fresh either. Because of the location and the type of personnel that frequent this restaurant, I assume the owner/chef does not have to try to hard to impress Koreans since they are probably rare in this area. I gave it a 4 because of the location and demographic it catered to. But if it were in a bigger city, I would have given this place a 2 or 3... read more

Jaya's Authentic Foods - Dol sot bibimbap (stone bowl with mixed rice) - Korean Near Me - Evansville, Indiana

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Good Korean? In Evansville? Well, when you're the only Korean restaurant you've got to represent, but luckily Jaya represents well. The decor is nice and spacious, if not a big confusing (there are bits of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean culture strewn about). There menu isn't as deep as it looks (especially when you eliminate the Chinese food fare), but what is there is good. I recommend the chop chae or their kimchee pork dish. Sadly, their dol sot bi bim bop was quite flavorless and something I wouldn't order again. They do have sushi there too, but it's unremarkable and unmistakeably Japanese, not Korean. Oh well, I'll still return for the chop chae (spicy, of course). read more

Had not been in for several years before today. Food was just as delicious as I remembered. Sushi, egg rolls, and beef with cabbage and mushroom dish were all top notch. There were very few patrons in for a Friday night. Hopefully business picks back up soon! read more

The restaurant was small and basically empty while we were there, but the workers were all very friendly. If you go there I recommend the Cashew Chicken. read more

We stopped in for a quick lunch on a Saturday before heading out for a long day of softball. We were shocked to see that the restaurant was empty. We like patronizing mom and pop owned businesses, so decided to stay and try the food. We really enjoyed everything that we ordered! I have the sweet and sour chicken and really enjoyed it. I made it a combo so it came with an egg roll and fried rice. My daughter ordered a house salad and seaweed salad. She devoured both. My husband ordered the beef spare ribs. For the cost, he felt like it was a good value as the it was very tasty and had great portions! I believe it was Jaya herself that was serving us. She was very friendly! Overall, we definitely enjoyed our lunch and look forward to going back to try a variety of menu items, such as the sushi! The only reason I did not vote this a full 5 stars is that I believe the lighting and cleanliness could be improved, which may encourage more customers to enter! read more

Great food! One of my favorite places to get sushi in Evansville. I also enjoy the galbi. Great place for a quiet dinner downtown.

Have eaten Jaya's food for over 40 years. She started in a little place which was smaller than my current walk-in closet....7 stools and a huge lunch business. She moved a few times, each time into a larger bldg. I'm not Korean, and my palate doesn't like hot, spicy food - therefore, I cannot honestly say if her food is true Korean or not. But I do know that Jaya was born and raised in Korea. My favorites have always been her Chop Chae, Jaya's Chicken, and her Eggrolls. I've also been known to make a meal off of Combo Fried Rice. She is a true gem. The food, flavor, quality and service have never wavered. read more

Great place for Korean, I just got back from Korea myself, and love this place. Been going here for years, and it is actually Jaya back in the kitchen cooking every meal for you. I personally LOVE the Chicken Chop Chae Combination (comes with fried rice & egg roll)....the Bi Bim Bop--delicious! But if you go, you cannot leave without getting a slice of Orange Cake (warmed) for dessert. That's just far too amazing! It's recently just been redone as well, so you go into a newly done place--nice. read more

Side dishes: none Food: cold Meat quality: bad Sashimi: ehh Was not authentic at all, just ate it all because I was hungry as a horse. That is all. read more

been there twice, its ok but i wont recommend. the 1st time, i was not impressed. the 2nd time we wanted to try the shabu-shabu but they couldnt serve it to us even if we are willing to wait. if you really want good korean food, i suggest you check out the one up in indy. read more

Jaya's Authentic foods is an Asian treasure that Evansville is lucky to have featuring the best Korean and Japanese food I have had in a while. If you've never had Korean food before, think extremely spicy Chinese that will fill you up, plus maybe some sushi on the side. Westerners think that kimchi is the mainstay of Korean, but really the staple is gochujang sauce on beef, pork or crab and ginseng tea, all of which are found at Jaya's Authentic Foods. Gochujang sauce is like sriracha sauce with less garlic that is made thicker and tastes more umami due to the addition of miso paste. I wish it was thicker here but you can definitely taste the red pepper flakes and maybe that would make it spicier and I thought the food was at just the right level of spiciness. Everything had a home cooking feel to it. I had kimchi book um, which is cellophane noodles, shiitake mushrooms, hot kimchi, and a choice of meat from which I chose beef though pork seems more traditional according to recipes I see online. I've tried kimchi both cold and hot and I much prefer it hot, though my opinion is formed from having kimchi ramen with pork in Tokyo previously and I heard the restaurant I went to in Tokyo was a scandalous exercise in Koren-Chinese fusion that wasn't true to either Korean or Chinese food but was really tasty to me. Also of note, I ordered miso soup and I think they had to make it fresh but when it came it was the hottest and best bowl of miso soup I have ever had, though usually an afterthought at teppanyaki and sushi restaurants that gets cold quickly. The drink menu includes ginseng tea along with sodas and iced tea, and it was nice to have again since only Korean restaurants seem to serve it. I asked for it with ice which seemed wrong since I had it before hot in a pot, but the weather was really summery and I was ordering spicy food so I wanted it watered down with ice. It was still really flavorful with ginseng and maybe honey and I took the lemon slice off the rim of the glass and dropped it in to balance the intense sweetness with some sour flavor. I don't know if the kimchi is hot or cold as an appetizer but next time I go I may just order kim pup or gyoza, kimchi, and a bowl of miso soup as a light lunch if I don't try the crab salad or bibimbap. I was really excited to see they also had tonkatsu which is not Korean so much as Japanese fried pork steak cutlet. Bibimbap was actually my introduction to Korean food, and is a rice bowl with meat, vegetables (carrots and mushrooms, sometimes bean sprouts), and egg with a generous dollop of gochujang sauce mixed in. It's usually brought out in a stone bowl with the egg still cooking so you can stir it in with the meat and vegetables and it's like soaking up your breakfast egg with your piece of toast plus some spicy sauce to kick it up a notch. (See photos on Yelp-- the point is, the stone bowl cooks the egg and keeps all the ingredients hot while you eat.) There's also Mongolian barbecue, Galbi barbecued ribs, crab stir fry, and a sushi menu. So many great things. I also appreciated all the Korean and Chinese artwork that was decorating the room. The place doesn't look like much from the street but it's so much bigger on the inside and downtown chic with wooden floors, metal ceiling tiles, and a lucky bird of paradise plant on one table plus more plants up by the ceiling. There are wooden booths along the wall and the lighting is not to bright. The bathroom had a coatrack, purse hook on the wall and a small chair to rest another bag on. I definitely want to give this place another visit. It made me miss the restaurant atmosphere I found in Japan and was a rare chance to experience Korean home cooking. read more

Went there the other night with the family. We were the only customers. We ordered 2 appetizers, 4 meals and 2 additional side items. We were all disappointed, some of the food didn't seem fresh, my husband said his steak was chewy, my son said his chicken fried rice was unusually full of onions and the flavors were bland. I can't see myself coming to this restaurant again. read more

Love this place! Legit authentic Korean food! Atmosphere is always zen...I have never seen this place crowded so it is great for a quiet, romantic date. Servers have always been so nice and helpful and Jaya is the sweetest lady! read more

Korean food for people who have never eaten real Korean food. Good, just not authentic. (My mom was Korean) Sushi wasn't bad, though. It has a nice ambience, the staff was friendly and helpful. read more

I went to Korea over the summer and stayed for a month. My at the time girlfriend was Korean, and a lot of my childhood friends are from Korea. So imagine my surprise when i found out evansville had a Korean restaurant. I would think the Koreans here would have told me about it, well they did. They said it was not really Korean and that it was bad. Was going to take my ex there when we were dating but she stopped me. Lets start with what i had, i had the number 3 (http://i.imgur.com/pQS6RTd.jpg). It was warm, and pretty bland but the meat had some flavor. Now let me tell you, Korean food usually comes with side dishes! Im Sure you have seen it from many of the reviews here but kimchees a very popular side dish in Korea and as well as a lot of others like fish cake, pickles, sauces and other veggies, and none of that come with your meal. kimchee in particular is an appetizer that cost three dollars. What!? Who would eat that as an appetizer? Its meant to be a side dish only.... the restaurant also has more Japanese design then Korean. Oh and if you see jayas son don't bother talking to him. He's ether drunk or hangover, ether way he does not want to be disturbed. Jayas food also comes in small portions and is ridiculously over priced. Im still hungry after eating there. $8.75 for that dish... if you want to eat at a real Korean restaurant then go to Bloomington or Louisville. Bloomington has (mamas) and (Do) or you can go to amies or soba. Louisville has a fancy one too and both cities are about 2 hours from Evansville. Ether way you cant go wrong. Forget about jayas, its not worth the money. read more

I don't get the good reviews on this place. I ordered their kimchee bokumbap (kimchee fried rice) and it came out unceremoniously on a plate with absolutely no side dishes. Korean food is KNOWN for their side dishes.. come on! And then, when I ordered hot tea, I was given a mug, hot water, and a lipton tea bag. I kid you not. I'm sorry, but this is nowhere near authentic Korean food. read more

We ordered Korean bulgogi and Korean spicy pork. They tasted like some Chinese dishes. Maybe really bad Mongolian beef and pork. (70% cabbage). Quality of the meat was horrible. Also they don't have Korean sides dishes. really??? And she charged extra for this awful overly fermented kimchi!!! This was just awful. read more

I really wanted to like this place, I really did. It was the only Korean place in Evansville, so I was hoping it would be good and we could go there often. Sadly, I'm not sure I would go there for anything else either based on my experience. We got there a little late for lunch, so there were no other customers in the restaurant. We were seated, given our menus, and I excitedly flipped to the Korean section. So the variety wasn't extensive, but it wasn't too bad. My husband got the spicy pork and rice and I got the dumpling soup (it was rainy and chilly that day, perfect soup weather). The food comes out and...that's it. No side dishes. Huh. I then remembered that the kimchi was an "appetizer" that had to be ordered. I'm Korean, and this is an abomination. Koreans get really mad when you have to pay for side dishes because it's supposed to be a part of every meal. You have to offer at least a bowl of kimchi if you can't offer anything else - that's just good, hospitable, Korean restaurant manners. Needless to say, the food wasn't very good. The broth of my soup wasn't anything stand-out - pretty clear broth that was salted with what seemed like MSG. There weren't a lot of dumplings either. Overall, the bowl was pretty small too, and for the price, it wasn't really worth it. I asked my husband what he thought of his dish and he wasn't impressed either. I hate to leave a bad review because I want to support fellow Koreans when they are running a business, but honestly, I can't say something's good when it's not. I hope they get it together and really churn out good, authentic Korean food. If they can't, I suggest they take it off the menu and concentrate of what they can do well because trying to do too many things can make the business suffer if you can't keep up with the quality. read more

Somewhat unique for the area and a nice change of pace. Obviously has a Korean focus, but also has plenty of options for those more accustomed to "chinese food", plus sushi. We'll come again. read more

I can't speak about the kitchen food, because I never get it, but I can say for sure this is the best sushi in Evansville. I refuse to go anywhere else, and anyone that says Nagasaki has good sushi is on drugs because it's just crap. If you want good sushi come to Jaya's. The Stop, Drop, and Roll and the Hot Tuna Sandwich are two of my favorites. I challenge anyone to find a better sushi place in Evansville. THIS is where it's at. read more

They've added sushi and in my opinion, it is the best in town. The Korean dishes I've tried we're also really good, although I've not had any other Korean food to compare it to. read more

Delicious Korean and authentic. I am in the area every two years and they are consistent with menu, flavor, quality and service. This is a must stop in downtown Evansville. read more

Great food. Best sushi in town. Friendly service. We always have a great time every time that we go.

Good food. Great sushi. Four stars only because sometimes they get slow at lunch. But everything else about this place is delightful.

It wasn't awful, but I have had much more authentic Korean food elsewhere. If you don't know Korean food, maybe you will like this. To me, it tasted like Korean food changed to appeal to an American palate.. read more

It's definitely a lot bigger than when I came it it had about 5 tables! The good is good, pretty standard but I enjoy itvwhen I come in town. I prefer the medium spiciness, it leaves my lips minutely burning, lol! I usually have the chop chae, I like the mix of flavors. As for authentic...in Evansville, Idk about that but take it for what it is: pretty good food. read more

An excellent choice for Evansville dining. Jaya is an institution as is her famous dishes.

Jaya's is fantastic and definitely underrated! If you like Korean food, you'll find all the classics and more. If you're a little less certain about what you want, the staff is friendly and available to answer any questions. Everything is excellent. read more

Kind of a sad experience. Was looking forward to bi bim bop and all of the best parts were missing! The pot was kind of lukewarm so the rice never crisped. When it came out, the egg on top was already completely cooked. The spicy bean paste helped perk up this dish but there was only so much that could be done. It was way expensive considering what I got, and the broken plastic wrapper with the weird chalky peppermint at the end of the meal really topped off the evening. read more

Always good food. Some of the best egg rolls in Evansville. My favorite is Jayas Chicken.

I have honestly never tried Korean food, and this place is the bomb dot com. I actually used to bike past this place every single day on my way to work but never noticed until one of my professors recommended it. I ordered the Dol Sot Bibimbop and it was delicious. Normally I don't really go out of my comfort zone with food, but I decided to try something new and I was rewarded. The service was excellent and Chris, the owner or manager (not sure), was very kind and put up with my mispronunciations of the food and any questions that I had about any entree. 10 our of 10 would recommend and I would be more than willing to eat here every day. read more

Unfortunately, this place exhibits the classic symptoms of a failing restaurant. They start not making enough money, then skimp on the food to make up for it, and what you're left with is a $13 bowl of rice. I've been here 3 times and it gets worse every time. This last time, I was part of a birthday party. Our end of the table all ordered a vegetarian version of the bibimbop which, according to the pictures on their own menu (and common sense), should have a lot of fresh vegetables over rice. What we got was rice plus 2 leaves of something green, 4 carrot shoots, and about 3 tablespoons of tofu. We couldn't believe it. It was a $13 bowl of rice. So we asked the waitress about the vegetables and she went to go talk to the kitchen. The kitchen's response was to send out one small bowl of veggies - the amount that should have been on one dish - for 4 people to split. And the veggies were frozen. The woman in the kitchen couldn't be bothered to even heat them up to the point where they didn't have ice crystals on them. The waitress apologized profusely and I give her tons of credit for being so nice, but services aside, this place is awful and whomever is in the kitchen clearly resents having to actually make food. No worries, lady, you probably won't have to make it much longer. read more

It's sad to see this restaurant decline in quality and in spirit. There is a heaviness in the staff and weariness in the environment. Unfortunately, it also transfers into the food. I had the Agadashi tofu appetizer. It was lukewarm. The crispy batter was soft. The soy based sauce was very watered down. My dining partners had the stir fry vegetable and the other had the sweet and sour chicken. I tried both, it was tasteless and both dishes the sauces were watered down. I'm Asian, I have a good palette for Asian cuisine. The flavors at Jayas were sad. The servers and wait staff were nice. I gave them out feedback. Immediately, our server sighed and looked discouraged. It seemed like he knew we had bad news. It seemed to me, he hears bad news often. The wait staff was polite, but no going over and beyond to make the dining experience better. I've been here about four times. Sadly to say, this was my last. read more

I went to Jaya's with two friends and although the food was good enough, my friend found a roach in her food. We immediately sent it back, and although the dish was re-made we picked at our food still searching for roaches for the rest of the meal. When it came the time of paying the bill, we realized that we had been charged for the roach infested dish. We then explained to the manager that although the food had been made again, we did not think we should be charged for this particular dish. At first she refused, but the waitress came over and explained to her that it was the natural thing to do. With a lot of huffing and puffing she accepted. When we later checked the credit card receipt, we realized she had in fact charged us for the roach infested dish. Dishonest and unhelpful manager. At first we chose not to be more vocal about finding a roach in our food (which would have most likely disgusted other customers), but after the dishonesty, cheating and lying of the manager we felt we had to speak out . We will not be returning. read more