The seafood tofu soup has always been my top choice. I love the seasoning of the spicy broth and how the tofu just melts in your mouth. All meals are served with complimentary side dishes(napa cabbage kimchi, broccoli, radish kimchi, cucumber pickles, mung bean sprout, glazed potatoes). Ever since I’ve been coming here they usually serve white rice with my meal. But when I came this time the rice was purple. It wasn’t sweet or anything it was plain. They could have at least informed me that the rice was different. I didn’t bother eating the rice. I was satisfied enough with my soup along with my side dishes. Also, the service here is not bad at all. The servers are always nice. That’s also one of the reasons why I’ve comeback several times to this restaurant.
Jack R.
Place rating: 4 San Jose, CA
Actually I’m quite shocked by the recent poor reviews. My wife and I recently discovered this place and we are very happy we did. The food is very good. We found the servers gracious and attentive. I am not Asian. Must have been a few off days for those reviewers that complained about the service. Or just unforgiving folks. When we ran out of the kimchi or pickles or water they were quickly replenished. The salmon was excellent and my wife’s korean soup dish she claimed was very tasty. She has insisted we take our daughter there when she is back in town. The owner’s English language skills are not great, but they have hired a young woman that speaks perfect Englsh so communication was not a problem. We have been back 2 additional times and we have always been satisfied. Prices are very reasonable too!
William L.
Place rating: 2 Fremont, CA
The service was bad, at the beginning there were eight side dishes, we finished SIX, and asked for refill. The waitress took FIVE empty dishes and left one empty dish on our table. WTH?! Then she came back up THREE refilled dishes~? WTH, she took away FIVE! Bad service. The food was alright, thats why i gave them two stars.
Genard G.
Place rating: 1 San Jose, CA
This place was great but gotten worst and menu became more expensive with the new management. I would not come here again. Waiters are not friendly.
Tiffany D.
Place rating: 4 San Jose, CA
Honestly the best korean food i had in awhile! I went around 11:30 ish so it wasn’t very packed. Two old korean ladies who were servers, very friendly however you can tell they don’t speak english that well but its expected when you go to an asian restaurant. The side dishes were delish! Especially the radishes and sweet potato! For everyone who’s complaining that you can’t refill the sides, yes you can. But after your first refill, they charge 1 something for refills. We orded ddukboki, bulgogi and the clear noodles! They were all so yummy! I’ll for sure come back next time i’m around! I would give it 5 stars but the servers were okay, they did ask if everything was fine but when you need them they’re always oblivious lol
Bernie N.
Place rating: 2 Oceanside, CA
Food was great, it was actually very good food. What made it an horrible was the service! It seemed that the server did not want to serve us from the get go because we weren’t Korean. The table next to us got constant refill of their side dishes, we didnt. We made eye contact with the server and she still did not come to our table until I literally flagged her down. Will not EVEREVEREVEREVER… COMEBACK
Eric L.
Place rating: 1 San Jose, CA
The food in this place is not that bad in my opinion, but they need to educate their servers very seriously. 1) There are only two servers during lunch hours, which is far form enough. 2) We asked for side dishes refill and every time the servers pretended they didn’t see us waving our hands. We were very patient and eating what we had on the table. In the end, we finally caught her eyes and asked for the refill. This time she said since we had finished our main dishes, she won’t refill the side dishes!!! WTF !!! We were not allowed to have a second time refill??? Are you serious? 3) After that the bill came and it stated 18% tips(we had 6 ppl) had been added in the total. We asked to have a new bill since we didn’t want to pay 18% tips for this awful service. And there she went again and said she was not able to change the bill and that’s it. We won’t come back again. NEVER.
Justine R.
Place rating: 4 San Jose, CA
I’ve actually never gone to a Korean restaurant. I’ve only had Korean bbq from family parties and picnics so this was interesting. I’ve also never been to any of the restaurants in the plaza except for going to seafood city or grabbing something to go from goldilocks. The restaurant was empty when we went but it was before 12. About 12:30 is when the crowd starts coming in. Lunch specials are decent and the come with all the small sides. It was a good amount of food, at least to me and sharing with 3 other people. I can’t really compare my experience to anything else since this is the first Korean restaurant I’ve been to. Perhaps I’ll visit another place but for now this was an overall good experience for my first time.
D F.
Place rating: 3 San Jose, CA
The good is good the service is eh. The atmosphere is eh. We had chicken bul gogi, bibimbap, and short ribs all good. Purple rice is yummy.
Mariel ashley S.
Place rating: 3 Milpitas, CA
I always get sad when the jap chae isn’t apart of the sides that they offer at Korean places because that’s my favorite. They actually don’t have that many sides and I didn’t think they were all that great. I’m actually not even sure if the sides are free refills since they have them with a price on the menu. Didn’t get around to asking since we didn’t really end up liking any of them that much. Their rice was purple but tasted good and they lunch menu prices are reasonable. About $ 12 a plate which is usual at a Korean place. I didn’t think any of the food was that special, we got the pork belly and the beef bulgogi. Nothing wowed me and service was just alright. Didn’t really check up on us, food didn’t take that long enough. Over all, it’s just another Korean restaurant. Nothing special. I’d rather pay $ 10 more and go to an AYCE Korean BBQ place.
Deric Z.
Place rating: 1 Citrus Heights, CA
Food was pretty good but they charged me 3 $ for ONECANOFCOKE?!! No refills Wtf kind of highway robbery is this 12oz can for 3 $ Change your price and I’ll change my review
Christine H.
Place rating: 2 San Jose, CA
Service sucks, food is okay(got the stank eye because not everyone ordered food). The fact that a waitress can’t be professional and views each customer as a dollar sign and not a human is not only disappointing, but should not happen. Go to El Camino for Korean food unless the management decides to improve their customer service.
Brian L.
Place rating: 3 Irvine, CA
I tried so hard to like it. I really did. I don’t know what happened. This was my favorite place 2 years ago. I came back a few weeks ago. and it was mediocre. The jap-chae tasted kind of bland, yet the bulgogi was good. The banchan was pretty good as well, but they charge you for refills! Also, the service is slow, so don’t expect a quick bite to eat. They’re nice, though. 3.5 stars for food, 4 stars for friendly employers, 2 stars for price, 2 stars for wait.
Andy H.
Place rating: 4 San Jose, CA
I’m not a huge fan of Korean food, I was never satisfied the few times that I’ve tried it in the past. However, a friend really recommended this place and I thought I’d give Korean good another try. I must admit the food was really good and satisfying. I ordered a chicken stir fry and my friend order some pork dish with onions. Both dishes were really delicious. I also really liked the lil side dishes that come with the meals. My favorite was the spicy tofu and the potatoes. The only thing my friend, who is a huge Korean food fan, and I didn’t like was the kimchi. I feel the dishes are a tad bit overpriced for what they are. The place is small but really clean and nice inside. My favorite part was the customer service. They were quick and very attentive to all out needs. A waiter stood by the register to overlook the entire dining room incase anyone needed anything, which was awesome.
Pochacco L.
Place rating: 1 San Jose, CA
We dined here often the past 2 years because it’s close to our home. Korea Garden’s food is mediocre and is getting expensive but sometimes when you don’t want to travel, you’d settle for anything that’s edible. Unfortunately, after tonight’s dinner, I vowed never to come back! How could this restaurant compete with other better Korean restaurants within 3 miles apart when they charge $ 23.95 for a bad short rib AND limit side dishes refill to 3! Three side dishes refill??? Really??? I’ve been to so many Korean restaurant in the Bay Area and none of them have a limit on side dishes refill!!! My husband normally order a tofu soup($ 11.95), a short rib($ 23.95) and a japchae($ 12.95). That’s more than 2 persons order and for them to limit our side dishes order is RIDICULOUS! I thought after the recent change in management at this restaurant they’d get better, but I guess I can see their future now. If they want to survive the Bay Area where there’s abundantly number of Korean restaurants, they need to change their food quality, their pricing and their side dish refill policy. Please avoid this restaurant and Unilocal for another Korean restaurant near by.
Vee L.
Place rating: 3 San Jose, CA
I was super sick and craving some spicy tofu soup. This place was closest to home, and I had no energy to go anywhere further. We were the only table in the restaurant but we did come at an awkward super early dinner time. We were greeted and sat right away. Our food took a while to come out, but they seemed to be a little short staffed. By the time we go our food their dinner rush had started. The waitress got super busy, and wasn’t able to keep up with her tables, I felt so bad for her! My soup was really hot, not too spicy, and had a lot of seafood and beef in it. It was a little too salty for me, but it made me happy enough. Would probably come back if I was craving tofu soup though.
Allister D.
Place rating: 4 Sunnyvale, CA
YES This place is great. It’s simple, not flashy, affordable food for what it is, speedy service, etc. The menu contains lots of different dishes to choose from and they are perfect portions for the price. We had the bibimbap which was great; enough rice and toppings. Although there could be more beef added into it but otherwise it was good. I LOVEDTHEBEEFBULGOGI!!! it was sizzling and flavorful. I tasted the sweet marinade and the pure salt from the beef. This goes great with rice and the pickled sides. I also loved their spicy squid. The meat was tender and easy to chew. The flavors were potent for this squid dish. I would def choose this place over most Korean joints because the price and matching portion. The taste is great too so that’s not an issue. I want to come back and eat it all again!
Stephanie L.
Place rating: 3 San Jose, CA
Meat jun & the sauce it comes with is good! I would get this again. I had some leftover for the next day, still good when reheated! We also got the Galbi tang, but I don’t think we will be ordering this again. It was lacking in some flavor. The service was slow, I was starving waiting for the food. The ban chan came with our entrees so we couldn’t even snack on it while we wait for our food. Didn’t get ice cream with dinner like some of the reviews previously have mentioned, perhaps it’s been changed.
Allen C.
Place rating: 3 San Jose, CA
This is a place to come when you aren’t in the mood for waiting. I have never waited more than five minutes for a table here. They have two TV’s just in case you are here during Monday night football: D The service is decent and the staff are always courteous to me. Nevertheless, I’d really like to see improvements on the food. So far it has been inconsistent. I have ordered chicken teriyaki many times. The sauce is generally good. Sometimes, I would get clean pieces of meat but on other days, I would be given the fatty dark meat that is sinewy and still clings together. Basically, only half the dish is inedible. The marinade for the bulgogi and galbi is nice but some of the meat is very tough. On my last visit a few days ago, I was told that they no longer give free refills on banchan. That’s disappointing to hear and honestly will also play a factor on when I will next return.
Amy P.
Place rating: 4 Los Angeles, CA
Korea Garden accomodated our party of 22 well even with almost a packed house on Saturday evening. We had called in to make reservations at 7:00pm. Seated right away and ordered our drinks. We were given 2 pitchers of water and 2 containers of tea for our long table. Cousins and I all got our own dish and did family style so we could all try different items. Seafood Pancake($ 12.95): Pricey for the size of the pancake. I get one down in socal for almost double the size and around the same price! However, it had a nice crispy texture and the sauce was on point. They did not jip on the seafood. It even came still on a sizzling platter so it wouldn’t get soggy! Cool. Beef Tofu Soup($ 10.95?): The beef soup didn’t have much flavor as usual tofu soup! The tofu was also in really big chunks and didn’t have enough time to really absorb all the flavoring from the soup. It was just okay. Beef Bulgogi: Not sure how much this dish was. Decent bulgogi. Tastes just like any other ones I have tried. Was not great, was not bad. Tender slices of meat marinated in the korean sauce and grilled onions! Bibimbap: There are a variety of different bibimbaps available. We got the 2nd option I believe. It was my second time trying bibimbap and i actually REALLY enjoyed the one at Korean Garden! It wasn’t a hit my first time around so it never appealed to me. Glad one of my cousins decided to order it. Super flavorful. The banchan side dishes were yummy! My favorite here was the spicy tofu and sweet caramelized potatoes. My first time having both side dishes since I haven’t tried any tofu places who gave us those specific side dishes. One of our waiters was also attentive and really funny. The first time around he was dropping off the side dishes and my cousins pushed it way off to the oppsite side of me and I asked«how am i supposed to get it all the way over there?!» so while putting the other side dishes down he left 2 right by me and asks if thats better. Hahahaha. The second time I asked for more potatoes and he gave me a larger plate with about 2 – 3 servings of what they usually give. UHYUM.