Kaya Tofu & Bbq

I think this place has the best stone pot mixed rice. (aka dolsot bibimbop) I haven’t tried other dishes but I will since the services were very good.

Service was okay but terrible food! Plus they served me the wrong food, but did not want to be rude cuz the kitchen was already close.
Good luck.

This is my go to restaurant if I’m craving Korean food. Good food, good service, and close to my home. There’s also a new chicken partnership with the restaurant, so if you’re craving crispy, spicy chicken wings, then you have to try these tasty pieces. Good menu selection and a little pricey for lunch, but all and all it’s worth it if you are in the mood for Korean food and don’t want to drive to SF or Santa Clara.

Went here tonight with my two friends and we had a good time. We had the grilled beef, pork and chicken combo, kimchi fried rice and dukbokee. The servers were nice and started to grill the meat for us and let us know when it was ready and were attentive. Our food was delicious. The meat was marinated good and we left it on the grill long enough to get it charred well. The kimchi fried rice was great with everything from the side dishes to the meat. And the dukbokee was good and chewy with spicy sauce. We really like this place and will come back to try other things.

I love this place albeit it is a bit pricey but it is the only Korean BBQ in the peninsula so they do have a monopoly.
As for service, don’t expect this to be a quick in and out dinner, your spending money so take time to enjoy your food and don’t wear clothes that you glow cause you will stink like BBQ.
The servers are there to help if you are a newbie to Korean BBQ otherwise enjoy all the little dishes and BBQ!

This place is absolutely delicious and tart-​filled with KimChi!
TLDR; Come here for some spicy Korean food that is home-​cooked and fresh. Not your Americanized KBBQ– instead, it is some good ‘ol grandma’s kitchen-​fresh cooked Korean food.
The service is a bit «Asian-​ized» and I sort of bite my tongue in the review to include this fact as I am Asian so I understand the typical service which means you must be extremely proactive in ordering, in getting their attention, wanting water refills, etc. but we did come towards the tail-​end of the night and the one server was looking a bit run down and tired.
We had ordered:
1. Kimchi Tofu Soup
2. Bibimbap (C’mon, can’t go to a Korean place without this!)
3. Fried Tofu
4. Kimchi Fried Rice
I dare say they were all quite tasty, the Bulgogi beef in the Bibimbap was on-​spot with all other KBBQ places, well seasoned, flavored and meat was done perfectly. The other veggies inside were tasty and fresh (crunchy, not old!).
Kimchi Tofu Soup was great, nothing special but nothing disappointing either. Comforting, arrived hot in the little hot plate dish and paired with the white rice and egg cracked on top, it was enough to put me in a little place called home.
The Kimchi fried rice was definitely the star of the show, very flavorful (think Bibimbap sauce but less salty and tart) — it was a bit oily but not overly so, still bearable and tasty. We ate every last spoonful.
The Fried Tofu is extremely good, the black sauce it was drenched in was addicting along with the seaweed sprinkled on it all over. It is soft tofu essentially with a fried exterior shell layer, don’t expect the fluffy crispy kind– this is a Korean take on it and quite delicious in its own regard.
We will be coming back despite the tired server which is notable in my colleague’s review as well which does turn some off towards the service being a bit more proactive– but they were kind enough to redo a dish for us so that was greatly appreciated.
Price is comparable for the area– much more than what I was paying in Sacramento but understandable for their rent and etc. that they have to charge a bit more. The interior is nice and bathroom is clean too. Located in a little shopping plaza area, plenty of parking.
Come check them out!

I really don’t like giving 2 star reviews.
I tried this restaurant for the first time as I was walking past and thought it looked interesting. I was pleased when I saw they offer Korean BBQ and have pre-​set combos so you can just show up and start grilling! With the mixed meat platter, you get a variety of small dishes and veggies so you will probably be fine with a group of 3 – 4, although if you have a big appetite, I would go with the menu recommendation to order a platter to share among 1 – 2. As far as the food goes, I really have no complaints. The food was tasty and the side dishes were a great compliment. I particularly enjoyed the lettuce and the pickled radish on the side to eat with the pork — which as a warning, is pretty darn spicy. I thought the meal was a little bit on the pricey side when I got the check, but nothing so out of the ordinary that it would prevent me from returning.
HOWEVER, the service was really a struggle this night. One of our waiters just really seemed like he didn’t want to be there. Very low energy, not the most attentive in terms of checking up on the table, and extremely difficult to get water refilled (again, the pork is spicy!).Getting the check and take-​out boxes was also very difficult despite the fact that we had already turned the grill off and were basically sitting and waiting for some time. I enjoy Korean BBQ because it’s a unique experience where you can cook and enjoy your food with a big group, family-​style. The service here is just not what I’m used to for this kind of a dining experience. Especially given the other options in the nearby cities, I think you can get a better overall experience elsewhere.

So, my review likely echos the others already here. I’ve been here twice. First time solo for lunch. Second time with my boyfriend for dinner. My overall impression: MEH…
The food was OK. The Bulgogi was tasty. The portions were hefty (so was the price).
However, the worst part was the service. We also had the heavy set guy as our waiter (both times for me) and it felt like he didn’t want to be there to work. That is definitely the impression he gives off. He walks slow. It takes 10 minutes to even get a glass of water when you sit down. Another 10 min for him to take the order. The food came out in a good time but just sat there until this guy decided to check and bring it over (we saw it). And there were 4 other people in the restaurant at the time… not busy!
You have to wait and wait if you want a refill on drinks and wait and wait for to-​go containers and the bill. Even though it was near closing and I am sure he wanted to go home already… he still took an excrutiatingly long time to do every little thing he did.
I don’t know if he is the owner or not, but if not, the owners need to get someone who actually hustles, has a personality, and wants to be there to wait on the tables. It is killing their business and killing their reviews.
For the price, I expect better service. Even though the food was OK, I won’t go out of my way to go back. I’d rather drive to SJ, SF, or anywhere else.

When we walked in, the restaurant was pretty empty (max 4 tables) but yet no one greeted us for 5 whole minutes so we stood there at the entrance.
Prices are significantly higher than other korean restaurants. I was considering walking out especially already semi annoyed for so long to get seated, but I thought I’d give it a shot. Great ratings on Unilocal and I was really craving korean.
Food is just average or even slightly below. Bulgogi beef was dry, very disappointed. Dokbokki was okay, nothing great.
Side dishes were very basic. Some items even seem old.
I feel like they only do well because they are the only korean place around the area, but I will take my Korean cravings elsewhere.

My first time here at this spot and it made me miss Korean food soo much. I really love their ban chan. It is delicious. If only I had more time I would definitely try their bbq dish. Will definitely come here again.

Love their new chicken wings addition. They’re super crispy and the blend of Korean spices make the wings so delicious! Never tried anything like this before and highly recommend!

Been here a couple times now with the co workers, and the BBQ is pretty good
Best for lunch because of the great lunch deals! Bim bop for 10 $
And many of the BBQ plates for under 15
Sometimes has a little scattered service but overall a great experience ! We will keep coming back

Wow
This is an outstanding Korean Cuisine!!! I haven’t had this good for 30 plus years. I tried many things and everything was a flavor explosion. I look forward to my next trip to San Carlos.

We went this place last Sunday but there service is really bad waiter is very rude and food is really nasty.
When we walked in to the store they didn’t even say anything just pointing finger at us and point finger at the table. I never see that kind of service before.
And we order a cold noodle and they didn’t even come out so I asked him «is cold noodle coming out?» And he said «are you gonna eat cold noodle?» I was like «is asked you twice…»
I’M NOT GOING TO GO BACK TO THIS PLACE I RATHER GO TO SAN FRANCISCO OR SAN JOSE EVEN IT TOOK TIME TO GET THERE

Kaya Tofu & BBQ is located in a very quiet shopping plaza.
There is nothing extraordinary about the food at this restaurant. Everything tastes decent and authentic but I like this restaurant because of the experience. There is ample parking. The restaurant is clean and spacious, never crowded. The staff is super friendly and the service is fast! While this is a traditional Korean BBQ restaurant allowing you to BBQ your own food at your own table, I am lazy and prefer them to bring out my dishes cooked and ready to eat.
My favorite dishes here has been:
Pork belly lettuce wraps — it doesn’t get more authentic than this! The pork is cooked to perfection and seasoned well. You basically build your own lettuce wraps by piling on the meat, garlic, jalapenos, sesame oil, and bean paste — then YUM is on it’s way into your TUMS!
Jab Chae — this noodle dish is simple and light. Nothing out of the ordinary but always feels like comfort food to me.
All the BBQ meats are yummy — chicken, pork, spicy pork, short ribs, the whole nine yards. Can’t go wrong if you are meat eater.
Tofu soup — I’ve had the seafood version several times and it’s very delicious. I also like that you can indicate the level of spiciness you’d like. Some days I want to brave the spice levels, some days I don’t :-)

Disclosure: I don’t know all the proper names for these things so excuse the mistakes
The kimchi in the appetizer/​side dishes was so tough it was inedible. The service was also lacking — the waiter seemed totally uninterested. When I made a comment about the kimchi: he said «oh, sorry… I haven’t tried it yet», which is not the point. I don’t much care if you’ve tried it lol, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s inedible.
The bi bim bop was not bad. Not a stone bowl so not as tasty as other places I’ve been. This place is 5 minutes from my work so it would have been nice if I could have made it a regular spot…

This review is only for their takeout. I can’t comment on the service much.
I got the daeji bulgogi (spicy pork) and the bulgogi. The dishes were $ 23 each for the dinner portion which is quite expensive but not unheard of for Korean restaurants.
The daeji bulgogi was pretty decent. It was of a mild spice but enough to give you a kick. It was quite oily but I like it like that.
The bulgogi was a tiny bit dry but the portion size was quite plentiful. I probably wouldn’t get this dish again but I’d consider the pork.
The rice was plain white rice but it was included so that’s good.
The side dishes included weren’t so good (kimchi was too sour, broccoli wasn’t flavored much).

This is our this was our second trip to this Restaurant and probably our last. The first time we ate hear it was pretty decent, but our standard order for a Korean restaurant has changed a little bit and for those items this place just doesn’t cut it.
Our new typical order at a Korean place is seafood pancake, galbi tang and tofu stew.
The tofu stew was decent but pretty standard for a Korean place. The Bön Chon was probably a little bit under average for what you typically get. The seafood pancake had way too much onion. Every bite had onion in it which is pretty crazy considering this is a seafood pancake not a onion pancake. And that wasn’t even the worst meal of the night. The Galbi tang meat was the toughest thing I’ve eaten in a really long time. Usually the meat for this should fall off the bone. This version was the exact opposite. I’m not sure if they use really tough meat or they just don’t cook it properly.
If you’re here for the tofu stew then you’re probably be okay. I would highly skip the seafood pancake and the soup. Since that’s our new go to order at Korean restaurants we probably won’t be back for a while.

For being one of the FEW Korean places in the Peninsula, it’s pretty good.
I love the noodles & their seafood tofu soup was okay. My Fav is the Pork Bulgogi (sp?)
I prefer their mushroom Tofu soup over the seafood one.

The lack of Korean restaurants in this part of the Bay Area is disturbing. Kaya is an oasis in an unlikely strip mall. You can’t complain too much about parking.
The service was okay and the space gives plenty of room for kids and strollers to get through. The food was okay.