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Simbongsa

4.7 (54 reviews)
Closed • Closed
Updated 1 month ago

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SIMBONGSA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Dogs allowed
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Simbongsa

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Doesn't it look so pretty??
Diana M.

I've come here multiple times already, bringing friends, family, and anyone willing to try a Korean treat. This place never disappoints, and Jennifer, the owner, is incredibly kind. The croquettes are excellent. They are lightly crispy on the outside, airy yet chewy on the inside, with a rich seasoned meat filling. My favorites are the spicy pork and the beef curry. If you want something sweet, the red bean option is also very good. I'm also a fan of the black sesame donuts, and the hotteok is outstanding. Everything here is consistently delicious. Do not miss this spot.

Korokke
Jeff C.

One day after a bike ride, I noticed Simbongsa's signage from the parking lot and I walked over to check it out. I was intrigued- who doesn't love some fried goodness. It definitely is a "hole in the wall" kind of place, it is literally just a kitchen where you walk up, order off the QR code/menu that is on a table outside, and when the order is ready, they open the door to receive payment and hand you your food. I got 3 of the korokke (croquette)- 2 potato corn and cheese and one pork and vegetable, and 3 of the quabegi (twist donut), one of each flavor- original, black sesame, and injolmi. Everything was made fresh to order so it was still warm and crunchy in the 15 minute drive home. The korokke were good sized and tasty but we liked the pork & vegetable more. The donuts were solid as well, a bit of a chewy texture and good flavors. Overall good, hope they do well and are able to expand in the future!

Veerawan T.

This is a small spot located next to Athens Restaurant. We didn't realize it had opened, but they offer Korean street food like twisted donuts and croquettes, with a variety of fillings. We tried pizza, spicy pork, pork, corn and cheese, beef curry, and crab. They were all nicely fried, very crunchy, and with a unique batter. Ordering is online only for pickup, and there is no seating, but it's a fun spot to grab something flavorful on the go.

Be H.

I had never tried Korokee before, but they're so good! We ordered the pork and vegetables, spicy pork and cheese, and the crab meat. I love how crispy and crunchy the outside is while the inside is gooey and packed with flavor. What really tops it off are the dipping sauces. I'm not sure what the orange-reddish sauce is, but it's delicious with a nice little kick. The tartar sauce that comes with it is also really good. The crab one was my least favorite, mostly because it leaned more sweet than savory. The pork and vegetables one was really good and perfect to share with my son. The spicy pork and cheddar was my favorite. Definitely not for the weak though--if you can't handle heat, I wouldn't recommend it because it's pretty spicy! We also ordered the bulgogi rice plate. I loved that it came with purple rice. The bulgogi itself wasn't super flavorful, but all the sides were great.

Menu 3/2026
Yiuing P.

Great food, especially the beef curry korokke. my family really enjoyed the mochi donuts as well. However, I would not recommend it as a whole meal as all of the items are very oily. If you want a Korean karaoke, I really enjoyed the mozzarella one as well, you can see in my pictures that the cheese really elongates very nicely. The service was really good. The lady was very nice who received my order. Also, the food was not warm most of it, but it was already ready in 10 minutes.

Crab meat korokke
Alisha R.

I was on the hunt for a quick lunch today and saw that Simbongsa was new. The shop is right next to Athens Burger. Outside is a table with a menu and a QR code to order online. As I was looking at the menu, a lady stepped out to hand a customer her order and she reassured me that she's going to come back out and take my order. She was so sweet! I'm assuming she's the owner. I asked her how long her place has been here and she said they opened up back in December. They were originally here in the Pleasanton/Dublin area, then made their way to Santa Clara, and then came back here. Thank goodness because I'm definitely coming back on my lunch breaks! I ordered a spicy pork, corn potato/cheese, red bean, crab meat, and a pepperoni pizza korokke, and a hotteok. (Yes, it was all for me. And yes, I got too excited and wanted to try everything. lol) Everything is made to order, so it was a little bit of a wait. I tried the crab meat first and OHEMGEE. It was crispy on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside. After every bite I was blown away. IT WAS SO GOOD. Because it was getting close to the end of my lunch hour, I needed something sweet. So, I followed it with the hotteok. It was still piping hot when I took it out of the bag. I should've bought more because it was AMAZING. Honestly, I may just go back after work to pick up more to take home. lol In all, I would most definitely come back! The owner was the sweetest, the korokkes were delicious, and the location had ample parking!

Order via Clover for takeout only
Cheryl M.

Simbongsa Dublin is about a week old and still in soft opening. I came across this spot by accident as I was craving a burger next door at Athens Burgers. Saw the signage for Korean donut twists (quabegi) and croquettes (korokke). Okay...I'll be sure to stop by next time! :) Intrigued with no line, met with the owner, Jennifer who was super friendly and took my order. Since I couldn't decide she suggested ordering 3pcs of the savory croquettes ($12) from a variety of filling options and 3pcs of the donut :: Korokke Spicy Pork - ground pork with visible bits of carrots with a bit of sweetness. Exterior is a mixture of wheat/rice flour so a slight chew with a crispy, panko-like exterior. Accompanied with a spicy, sweet mayo-based sauce of Gochujang (Korean red chili paste), garlic and sugar :: Quabegi - twisted donuts - glazed, sesame and soybean powder - chewy, subtly sweet and best eaten right away. Good but prefer the savory items. Place is set up for take out only. Order via Clover to minimize the wait. Starting Saturday, 12/13/2025 Korean/Japanese-fusion rice boxes (grilled chicken, pork belly, spicy pork, karaage), japchae and bowls (beef curry and kimchi) will be available. Will definitely return to try the beef curry korokke and rice box. Note: Best eaten right away to get that crunchy exterior. Place your order via Clover: https://www.clover.com/online-ordering/simbongsa-sj-santa-clara

Grilled Pork Belly & Kimchi
Carson M.

Returned to try their rice plates and get a different korokke. The beef bulgogi was good, and had the same crispy mochi outer shell. The rice plates were also fairly good for a takeout-only spot. I do like how it comes with a small side of veggies and the japchae and purple rice. There was also macaroni salad which was interesting/different. I do wish the spicy pork was a bit leaner - some of the pieces were slightly thin but fatty at the same time. Flavor was still good though. Grilled pork belly goes well with the sesame ssamjang dip.

Grace H.

We came here to the shopping center for burgers, but were pleasantly surprised to find this place! Since the burger joint was closed today, we thought we'd try this new Korean-Japanese fusion Dublin fast food restaurant. Aside from the fact they don't have inside dining, today was a pleasant day to eat at the quaint patio seating area. My favorite: black rice kimbap (so healthy & and yet traditionally made), japchae (perfect, not excessively oily), & bulgogi pancakes Bonus: grateful for the free sample croquettes! My favorites were the delicious Japanese deep fried mochi (tasted like Filipino cascarones) & perfectly light crusted, mochi covered spicy pork Definitely will go back again!

Alicia A.

My first time here and definitely will not be the last time! I had ordered donuts, croquettes, and bento boxes. The grilled chicken and the rib eye bento boxes were yummy. Small amount of banchan in the bento box makes it a very filling meal. The donuts are out of this world especially when it is fresh and hot. They were super light and airy. I am not a huge fan of donuts but I'm a fan now with these donuts. The croquettes were fluffy and full of fillings. I ended up getting the crab meat, the potato and cheese and the pork and vegetables. They were delicious. Fresh and made to order, I need to come back to try the other fillings for the croquettes and get my hands on the fresh twisted donuts. The 2 ladies that were working there super friendly and welcoming.

3 black sesame, 2 original & 1 injolmi
Sandy Q.

My daughter and I dropped by right after we visited Stoneridge Mall. We ordered 6 twisted donuts (3 black sesame, 2 original & 1 injolmi). The donuts were soft and chewy and my favorite was the original. It was slightly sweet with a hint of cinnamon. I'm a huge fan of black sesame in general. Unfortunately, the black sesame topping from here lacked sweetness so it was my least favorite flavor of them all.

Girish B.

Very unique and interesting experience with the ordering process (clover.com)...order was placed while standing outside this brand new Korean fast food eatery (donuts and korokke (aka croquettes))...door was locked and they bring the food out to you while you're waiting curbside. My order was ready in 15 minutes as promised and was still warm when I had it with my daily cup of homemade chai tea...1 red bean and 2 pork and vegetable croquettes which were delicious and 1 bonus twisted donut which was soft and chewy and hit the spot.

Soft opening menu

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11 months ago

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9 months ago

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4 months ago

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Erin S.

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5 months ago

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Erin S.

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6 months ago

Great food to grab on the go! The lady that runs the place is also very nice and informative about the food they sell. Highly recommended

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9 months ago

very delicious twisted donuts and owners are extremely kind!! Definitely a must try spot

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Ask the Community - Simbongsa

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Bento boxes are the way to go here…read more $20 for a decent lunch bento, standard soup and salad and your choice of protein. I got the salmon and beef teriyaki. The california roll has fake crabmeat just an FYI, and the miso soup was too salty for me, but the portion and price were good. My coworker got the fried katsu and it was freshly fried. My other coworker got the bento also with california roll and gyoza. Solid 3 stars good, not great or excellent. Slow service. Plenty of parking. Would come back again if I were in the area.

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Go Goong - Spicy pork belly - pork was tender with wonderful flavor, a bit like "twice cooked pork" (02/2024)

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My wife and I were spending a week in the Dublin/Pleasanton area recently, and during that span we…read morewent to Young Dong Tofu House twice. It's in a strip mall area with a bunch of different businesses and restaurants. Both times we went it was pretty full but we were able to get seated right away. The tofu soups are good sized, flavorful and come out piping hot off the stove. The banchan/side dishes are great. I really enjoyed the BBQ rib (beef short rib) stonepot bibimbop. If you let it sit for a while the rice crisps at the bottom in the way that new school rice cookers don't anymore. Portion sizes are good relative to the price, the food came out quickly and the service was friendly. In an area with a lot of different food options, we enjoyed this place enough to go twice in one week.

I came back with my boys again this past Th as they wanted tofu pot again. I decided to try…read moresomething new, the seafood pancake, but it was a bit disappointing as the seafood pancake was not crunchy, but soggy. I won't get the seafood pancake next time, will stick with my usual tofu pot soup. Service was fine. No side dish fish when you don't order an entree, I didn't get one. Only my boys got the side dish fish this time, the fish was a bit more soggy too this time as I was informed. I am wondering if we got a batch that was left out for awhile like the seafood pancake. We came on a Th night around 6pm. My experience this time was not good as I had a stomachache after eating here and had to go use the restroom after leaving. Let's just say my tummy did not like what I ate. I suspect it was the seafood pancake. Stick with the tofu pot.

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Simbongsa - donuts - Updated October 2026

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