Ilbunjee #1

I’ll never understand the price of Korea BBQ in California, but the food here was solid.

Super nice place. The service is great! Food is good. Meat portion is decent! Really like their homemade rice roll (if that’s how you call that).

Wanted to go to another Korean restaurant next door but accidentally parked I front of #1 and decided to give it a try after seeing the 4 star rating on Unilocal.The restaurant is not big but quite clean. Tables are small so friends can sit close which feels really relaxing! We had 3 people so ordered beef and pork combo for 3. The portion was so big that we ended up bringing some uncooked pork home. The rice that comes with the combo was so awesome! The meat is also very high quality and the marbling of it was quite good! We really liked it and would definitely come back!

This is a must visit if you are about the Korean BBQ scene. Nothing over the top, but amazing food quality and helpful service. A word from the wise get the baby octopus and pork jowl, u won’t be disappointed.

Best kbbq in south bay, one of the few reasons I’ll come down here. No fooling around, gives you the essential banchan, the combination BBQ platters provide a wide array of meats for a fair price. You’ll pay about the same as an ayce place, but you’ll get far better quality meats. Highly recommend!

Yes, this place is #1. It’s simple, small, not crowded, and delicious. Went with a friend, got a combo and a beer, spent ~$ 60. Well worth it. I’m not usually a pork fan (beef all day every day), but those cuts of pork stole the show.

Combo for two people is enough meat for a couple! Meat tastes good. Appetizers like kimchi, mashed potatoes and pickle cucumber are wonderful!

If you want Korean BBQ, then this is the place to eat. Although it isn’t AYCE, you can order various combination meals such as seafood, beef and pork, beef and seafood, and pork and seafood. There are also sauteed dishes, stir fry rice, stews, and meat a la carte.
I didn’t eat the meat, but had the shrimp, squid, and the baby octopus. The octopus were very large sizes.
Banchan were not memorable and didn’t have a lot of variety.
Service was not great considering that the restaurant is small. We had a group of 9. After ordering and receiving food to cook, it was difficult to flag down a waitress to refill banchan or water.
If you do decide to come here, make a reservation for a large party or arrive early.

Good authentic Korean BBQ without the need to queue!
Ambience & Service
A small, modest Korean restaurant. The furniture are rather dated and simple. Once you see the full Korean posters, the Korean music and Korean speaking in the restaurant — you know you are in for the real deal. Service is ok, courteous and prompt.
Food
We ordered a Beef and Pork combi ($ 59). It came with a salad (²⁄₅), a fish cake soup (⁴⁄₅), side dishes (³⁄₅), rice (³⁄₅) and the MEAT! (⁴⁄₅)
The beef was so yummy!!! So were the pork. There are Korean BBQ where they have the meat marinated, for this place, their meat are not marinated — or at least not as much. In a way, you can taste the meat so much better. Love both version of Korean BBQ and pretty glad this one was the «non-​marinated» version.
Parking
There’s parking but we were super doubtful and concern about parking within the small premises. Take note of the markings on the ground as it some are labels specifically for the Spanish restaurant. We parked at the nearby residential area, take note of the signages. Generally, free after 6pm.
Overall, a good Korean BBQ joint to visit.
Btw, you will definitely walk out smelly like BBQ. So do not wear your latest, precious fresh smelling sweater!

Came here for our date night. It seemed empty so we we decided to give it a try. The food was delish. We had the combo for two $ 56. Came with soup and a bunch of meat, ribeye, squid and shrimp. It was our first time and the server helped us cook! Beyond the call of duty is always a 5 star.
Can’t wait to go back.

This place is one of those restaurants that sticks to the basic, and sometimes that’s all it needed to get returning customers. What’s the most important ingredient in KBBQ? Of course it’s the meat! That’s the main entrée. I am not saying their side dishes aren’t good, they are really good too. I especially like the fish cake soup, what a nice way to start the meal.
I was brought here from a korean foodie friend. Frankly the restaurant looks run-​down, semi-​beat up, and don’t expect to sit in comfy chair. However, often times you are able to find great food in these places.
So back to the meat, it’s probably the best quality of meat I’ve ever had in a KBBQ restaurant, and I’ve been to numerous KBBQ in the bay area and Ktown in LA. My favorite meat is the Kal-​bi Gold. Their meat special changes from time to time so look at the stuff they post on the wall. The lady who run the place speaks decent english and she’s extremly friendly. I don’t recommend the combo, The meat and the cut is just average. Ask the lady for recommendation.
This restaurant doesn’t use any fancy grill. It’s basically the hot pot stove you use at home, plus a grill that slopes the fat/​oil into a pan. I actually have one at home myself, it’s around $ 25 bucks and you can get it at many supermarket. But I still come here for the meat, it’s so difficult to find them outside.
I also recommend the raw squid, they give you a dipping sauce which is pretty good.
The side dishes and not overwhelming, it supports the great meat they have.
In the end they also give you a rice ball, the only korean restaurant i’ve been to that serves that

We ate Ilbunjee again and we are blown away by the quality of the meat. The meat is so soft and tender, it’s the best quality Korean BBQ I have ever had. The meat is sourced from a farm that grass feeds their animals and you can definitely taste the difference in quality. The owner is very nice and the customer service brings out experience to another level!

Found this restaurant on Unilocal so the seven of us ladies + a baby came here to celebrate a birthday. The «#1» on the storefront to identify the restaurant or otherwise I would have missed it.
We asked the lady owner here and she recommended that we order 4 servings of the mixed meats for grilling and also the special squid «udon-​like» noodle.
The meats brought out were quite sumptuous. We had slices of beef, cuts of rib eye and pork. The squid noodle came in a hollowed out edible pumpkin which was really pretty. We were given yummy triangular shaped rice balls as well as raw sliced garlic, jalapeño and various dipping sauces for the meats. We also got banchan — small dishes of food served along with rice in Korean restaurants. Some were really good like the marinated sakura shrimp and pickled turnip.
The restaurant provided tongs for grilling and scissors for cutting up larger chunks of meat.
The grill heated up quickly and we were scrambling to take the meats out before they get charred. Not so fun for the person grilling and it was also a bit difficult to place the cooked meats as we were lacking empty plates to put them on.
Over all the food was quite tasty and reasonably-​priced. We had a good time and I would definitely return for more.

This used to be my favorite place for Korean bbq. Sadly on a Saturday night the service was not there. The younger waitress did not refill my tea after multiple requests. The restaurant was not busy. I ended up flagging the older waitress for iced water. The younger waitress placed the meat on the grill but never came back to check on the meats nor on how my party was doing. I won’t be going back.

its a small place, but its got this really good vibes,
excellent service
friendly staff/​owner
really high quality pork, beef, shrimp and octopus.
The fish cake soup, we crave for this in any season, its TOO ADDICTING. so does the others like kimchi, little shrimps with walnut, other appetizers and side dish like the potato and cucumber.
me, my girlfriend always go here once or twice a week. if you dont mind carbs now and then, the combination of white rice+ pork/​beef/​seafood+ brown sauce is so good.

My favorite place for Korean BBQ in the Silicon Valley area! I came here twice in the same week: P Really high quality meat, and extremely friendly service. My friends and I always come here when we are celebrating something or in a generally very good mood, because this place never disappoints! And it SO GOOD!
Wagyu flap meat
Wagyu short rib
Prime rib
Kurobuta pork

This place always hits the spot. The food is delicious and the owners are really sweet. Our group prefers this over other places (Gen, Gooyi Gooyi, Tobang). One plus is that they take reservations.
Our group of three goes a couple of times a month, and we always order:
— #3 for 2 people. This includes brisket, rib eye (we always substitute this for extra brisket), pork belly, and pork jowl
— waygu gold. This is a must order – it melts in your mouth
The meal comes with side dishes and soup.
I like that the meat is cooked on a hot plate versus a gas grill; I feel this gives the meat a nice crisp cook. I highly recommend this place.

I love this place. The owners are a mom and pop and you can see and taste the effort they put into their food. I had a couple questions about their menu items and the mom was going into detail about the kinds of cuts they have for each meat. When it comes down to actually eating the food, the quality is all there. It’s so much better than the meat you’ll find at Tobang or Gooyi Gooyi and possibly as good as Chungdam (it just won’t cost you an arm and a leg).
Highly recommend to my friends. PS, their potato salad is out of this world.

This place lives up to its name! We went in for a late dinner (around 8:30pm) on a Saturday night because a couple of other places down the street were absolutely packed. This place was actually empty at that time, which made us think it wasn’t going to be good. But we were totally wrong!
First, the place looked almost like we were eating at someone’s house. The tables and chairs, and even the dishes, felt like they came straight out of someone’s home kitchen. It definitely gave the restaurant a more home-​y, warm feel. The ajummeonis were so helpful in going over the menu with us as first-​timers. They explained that, for a table of four, they would recommend one of the combos and perhaps another stew or meat item. We went with the combo #3 (beef and pork), along with the soybean paste stew with blue crab. We also opted for the beondaegi, or pupas!
The combo came with salad, fish cake soup, and side dishes, all of which came out very quickly. The salad was nicely dressed, not too little or too much, and it gave a nice, refreshing start to the meal. The banchan was SO good — I was pretty addicted to the cucumber kimchi and pretty much finished that off all on my own. Fish cake soup was great as well.
Then came the pupas. I have to admit, I wasn’t brave enough to try them, but apparently the texture is soft? All of my friends at the table said the flavor was really good and that it paired well with the rest of the meal.
Next up was the meat. I’m not sure what they do to their pork belly, but it is absolutely delicious! They’re one of those places that actually cook and cut it for you, so if you’re like me and you don’t feel like putting work into your meal, you’ll like this place. The marbling on the beef was beautiful as well, but I have to say I was really digging the pork belly the most. The combo also came with these rice ball things that were addicting! We opted for rice balls instead of white rice bowls.
Finally, we had soybean paste stew with blue crab. I am normally more of a fan of sundubu (soft tofu) as opposed to the firmer tofu, but no complaints there. They were very generous with the crab in the stew, and the flavors were on point just like they were for the rest of the meal.
I absolutely loved this place. It was really the perfect place to go, and I think surprisingly empty for a Saturday night, but maybe we went too late. I’m not Korean, no one at my table was Korean, but the ajummeonis came over to our table and made nice conversation with us at points throughout the meal. I enjoyed the food and the overall experience, and can’t wait to come back! Maybe next time, I’ll try the pupas. Maybe.

Went with my boyfriend to this restaurant on a Wednesday night. Restaurant was pretty empty other than another 6 party group.
I felt the menu was limited and a little pricy but I really loved was the waygu beef they had on the menu ($ 37.99). Such good quality meat.
Our waiter was a an older man (maybe the owner) he was super nice. He basically cooked and cut up all our food for us. We only got the waygu beef and octopus.
Would definitely back again for the waygu beef but I think prefer Tobang as they have more options/​combinations. But customer service was good and at the end they gave us extra rice cake things with some fish inside of it. Forgot what it was called but it was good.
The cheapest combination for two people was $ 49.99. Our bill came out to about $ 66 with tip.

The place is a bit hard to find; it’s in the plaza in the corner near las flamas. Parking is very limited! I usually park at the auto shop down the street.
You can order the types of meat that you want or you can get meals for 2 or 3 or 4. My friend has gone here since he was a little kid, so they were generous with the food when I went with him and our friends. The quality of the meat is really high. I think I might say that the quality is even better than Gooyi Gooyi. Banchan is standard, but you get fish cake soup. Not just regular fish cake — you get so many pieces of it, IN SOUP! We also got the rice cake, and what I believe was tuna in it. We had so many types of meat: brisket, steak, pork belly, etc. — with seconds as well! The meat is really really good and the quality is definitely one you can taste. I would say that it is a bit pricey, but I think the quality is worth it. It’s not too expensive like Chungdam, but it’s still as good. Also, they cook for you too. She kept asking if we wanted more food. After a while, we couldn’t eat any more! Definitely a kbbq place you should try.

Recently, since my moving to Cupertino, I have been re-​introduced to the world of Korean BBQ, this place having been the most recent, and one of the best as well. My flatmate actually brought this place to my attention as a place I need to try, and, we did!
First off, the place isn’t very big, but it’s not tiny, it’s an adequate size for a hole-​in-​the-​wall. The free soup that comes with the main entrees is actually really good! I loved every bite, and it never got old. The side dishes as well were good! Interestingly, they have a side dish of potatoes, I have NEVER seen that in a korean place, it was really good! They also have walnut shrimp as a side, which was also really good! We got a ton of beef, and loads of pork, and it was all so amazingly good! The side sauces to go with the meat, complimented it all very well!
Lastly, onto the service. It was actually amazingly well! The lady that helped was was very welcoming and helpful all throughout our meal. She always filled our glasses with water, and made sure the meat was taken care of with haste. We never had to wait for meat or anything to be ready, it just was! The price is a bit steep, however, for the quality of service and food, I think it’s a nice place to go every now and then!
Overall; I was very satisfied with the food and service, I will definately come back again in the immediate future!

The name Ilbunjee is in Korean out front so just head for the place with ‘#1′ above the door.
Has a few kinds of K-​BBQ combos like Gooyi Gooyi in the next strip-​mall, but never as crowded.
I saw some American Wagyu specials on the wall (
) and asked for the Short Ribs, but the waitress steered me to the Tri-​tip, which she said had more meat for the same price ($ 34.99). .. done.
They start you off with some fish-​cake soup (Odeng Guk

) which is lightly spicy and a salad that was a bit heavy on the scallions (
).
The five banchan were pretty basic including potato salad (!) and two kimchis (
). The upper right one with mini-​shrimp was the most unique (
)
The meat comes out on a sizzling plate on a bed of onions (
).
This cut was unmarinated and comes with the stuff you see in the salad picture (ssam jang, salt /​pepper mix, raw garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil (not pictured)) and some romaine lettuce for wrapping (
). .. I pine for the days when green/​red-​leaf lettuce was the norm as it’s more easily wrap-​able, but I’ve been told Romaine is more «up-​scale». .. whatever, it’s not as functional!
Anyway, the meat was reasonably tender, but done medium+ so over-​cooked for how Wagyu should be treated (med-​rare at most) which probably was one reason for the tenderness I got.
Attentive, friendly service, which is not that common in K-​BBQ joints.
3.5 stars for the food. Rounding up for the service.

Bulgogi, wagyu, and pork. Oh my! Meat, meat and more meat. This is the place to satify your Korean BBQ craving. The menu is basically just filled with meat combo choices. I even enjoy all there different small dishes. Probably a couple more choices than some of the other Korean restaurants. What’s unique is the fish cake soup. Good and different.
I would say this is the Korean version of Brazilian BBQ. Which means, meat and nothing else really. Excellent and flavorful fresh meat. They even cook it for you. Be sure to try their special wagyu meat. They are a bit more pricey than the other beef, but super tender and well worth the extra cost. Just be prepared that there aren’t that many choices other than the BBQ meat.
They have other dishes like fried rice, but I would just stick to the meat unless you’re wanting some variety in your meal. You’re definitely going to come out stuffed.
They’re great to accommodate large group and you can even make reservations ahead of time. This would be my go to place for Korean BBQ dinner.

********************* 1300 **********************
Just another Korean joint here, a simple place, OK food, quick service, and cheap eat compare to the neighbor restaurants around here. My mom enjoys the soup that they comp you at the beginning of the meal, I thought that was the best dish they have!

First time here.
Got a little excited when there are so many Korean bbq in Santa Clara, all along el Camino real: P
Here is the forth one I’ve tried and I enjoy here the best.
The restaurant itself (remodeling, staff’s, decoration, location) is not the best, but I love their meat and side dishes!
I had to say I love the meat because its not marinated with sauce, and the pork is so crispy and tasty.
I would recommend people to come at the right time, so parking and waiting time is less :)
Will be back next time when I crave for Korean bbq (here will be my first choice)

Pros: great food, no wait
Cons: slow service, pricey
Ilbunjee is next doors to Gooyi Gooyi. I was surprised that the restuarant was mostly empty when I got there on a Friday evening. Both Gooyi Gooyi and Tobang had a long wait by then — still a mystery to me why this place isn’t as popular (yet).
I ordered two beef dishes and one pork belly, which were all very good. Banchan was tasty too. Service, on the other hand, was slow, but our waiter served us a bowl of Kongnamulbab on the house :)
Yummy. Will be returning on days I don’t want to wait!

Jesus Christ I’m so freaking tired of finding these amazing korean restaurants. Why? Because it leaves me wanting MORE. MOAR I SAY.
I don’t exactly LOVE the small dishes that are served with the entrees here, and I’ll leave it at that, but the main meals are more than able to make up for it. The beef, sirloin, and angus are just perfect. I really love the fact that it’s a huge fatty cut, and the dipping sauces are provided as well. Lettuce is endless (thank f*cking God), and so are the garlic and jalapenos.
I highly recommend you come here with 2 – 3 other people, and go to freaking TOWN on the food.
The staff is extremely friendly and kind, and are really accommodating to your requests. Come hungry, leave wanting more next time.

Come here for the quality of the meat. I think it’s better than Gooyi Gooyi (Although they may have better fried rice.). Had the American Wagyu flatiron steak, and galbi, and just regular brisket. They were all pretty good. Nothing amazing, but pretty good.
Had the doenjang jjigae with blue crab but it was salty.
They were out of kimchi fried rice, so they gave us the octopus spicy fried rice. It wasy WAY too sweet. If you like sweet then, you should be fine. I barely touched it.
The service was good in the beginning and then later it dwindled down to no service. The older gentleman knows how to cook the meat.

My friends and I tried to have dinner at Gooyi Gooyi, but with an hour long wait and 3 hungry appetites, we decided to pull out our Unilocal app and look for another KBBQ place. I mean, we were on El Camino so it shouldn’t be hard to find something else. Luckily, Unilocal pointed us here.
When we first walked in, I was worried bc there was no one there to greet us and just one table of people eating (Tuesday night around 7pm). After grabbing someone’s attention from the kitchen, we were seated and given menus. We decided to order the beef and pork combination for 3 people ~$ 75.
The menu is pretty limited and no frills… it’s no Jang Su Jang. There wasn’t any spicy rice cakes (dukkbokki) or seafood pancakes, etc. The banchan was also very simple: carmelized dried shrimp, potato salad, kim chi, cucumbers, pickled carrots and daikon, and bean sprouts. We were also given a simple fish cake and daikon soup and some lettuce to wrap the grilled meats.
The star here is hands down the meats! Extremely juicy and tender beef rib eye. The black pork belly was AMAZING! The lady (owner) could tell we didn’t know what we were doing, so she came over and helped us grill. The pork belly was so crispy and flavorful… and it tasted more meaty than greasy and fatty (if that’s possible). There’s also two different dipping sauces (oil/​salt/​pepper and a soy sauce based one) that were delicious.
If you don’t need an extensive menu and fancy atmosphere, this spot is for you. I personally prefer my meat un-​marinated so I am in love with this place, especially bc there’s no wait like at Gooyi Gooyi ! Not to mention, the owners here are very friendly and welcoming. Will definitely be back!