Gaboja

My friend and I come here every so often and the ladies who work at night are always really kind, almost like aunties. We usually order the cold noodles (mul naeng myeun) and tteokbokki, but we've also tried the seafood pancakes, soft tofu soup with beef, and bulgogi. Everything we've had so far has been delicious. Our routine is to get our usuals plus one extra dish, which always leaves US with some leftovers to take home. The food is tasty, and whilel can't speak to how authentic it is, it's definitely a great spot to enjoy a relaxed dinner hangout.

The aunties here are so sweet and are so very attentive/kind! Food-wise, they make a lot of their banchan from scratch and you can tell the food here has so much heart put into it. Maybe it's a good thing after all that we had an issue with our reservation tonight at that... other restaurant that starts with B and rhymes with pong... Found our new fave mom-and-pop kbbq spot! We will most certainly be back.

Yum. The BBQ chickwn is hot, the soju is ice cold, and the side dishes are gorgeous and tasty. Yum. Yumyumyum.

Gaboja I think is trying to serve Korean BBQ "home style" without the premium or luxury tax. It supposed to bring out taste over anything else - ambience, silverware, and perhaps even cleanliness? You enter Gaboja and start to feel like whether this is a 70s sort of sweatshop with cubicles or a cocktail bar, dark and sticky air. But again, all of this is forgivable if you can taste home style Korean comfort food and meat right? There are many dishes that live up to this promise. The Kimchee Pancake was phenomenal - one of the best in the Bay Area. The banchans were also quite good, as well as other side dishes like corn-cheese. So then why the 3-stars? Well... it is a BBQ shop after all right? The meat simply wasn't high quality enough. I understand the desire the cut cost but a Korean BBQ's lifeline is the quality and the fattiness of the meat. Our ribeye was just so stuffy. Also, given most meat come out unmarinated, the salt and sauce on the side must help the balance but unfortunately, they use this really coarse salt and it is very difficult to spread the saltiness evenly. On the bright side, the service was friendly and the lady gave us some extras. If someone suggests Gaboja for a Korean BBQ dinner out, I'd probably hesitate. If it was for a quick hearty meal with a friend that I didn't need to impress, perhaps I'd okay it once in a while.

Very nice service. BBQ pork belly and beef was fantastic delicious!! Steamed egg is ok. Pancake taste soft and wet not my type. Overall the food was good and service also great. Definitely recommend!

I’ve been here lots if time and tried bibimbap, spicy pork, ramen, fried chicken. Generally the food was decent and the lady was always nice. The must thing is spicy pork. It’s not too sweet like other restaurants and has a perfect balance of flavors. Fried chicken was large portion too.

It's a rustic, family-run, restaurant with everything you want. The decor is minimal but the food's outstanding and the service is friendly and homey. Can't go wrong with Gaboja.