Goku Korean BBQ & Hot Pot

In general this is an ok Korean BBQ. Maybe the hotpot is better? We had to wait for two hours when we signed in so we drove home, 30mins later we got a text that we were next on line. Worried we would lose our spot we drove over quickly and we're still able to get in. They had a weird system with the drinks that you had to order with the waiter, everything else through the tablet. This would not have been an issue but all of the workers were always running around and are hard to get their attention. The servers gave off a stressed vibe so I assume understaffed? Our food came at a good rate and was tasty. The sauce area had a lot of options but not all of the small bowls were clean. We got some shitaki mushrooms and they were very hard to eat. During the whole meal they had music blaring so it was not possible for us to talk with each other. We also got a large table for two people so we felt really far from each other. Overall not my favorite Korean BBQ place in the bay but not at a bad price.

First and foremost, I have to say that this Korean BBQ restaurant surpasses GEN in quality. It's an all-you-can-eat establishment that offers both BBQ and hot pot options. You can choose to indulge in just BBQ or opt for the delightful combination of both. The BBQ selection includes chicken, pork, beef, and seafood, while the hot pot features a variety of vegetables, as well as options like lamb, pork, chicken, and seafood. I was particularly impressed with the freshness of the seafood, including large oysters, mussels, fish, and clams. The food overall was exceptional, and there was a wide array of sauces to enhance the flavors. The only thing to keep in mind is that they have a 2-hour time limit for dining. The use of tablets attached to the wall for ordering is a convenient and swift process. It eliminates the need to wait for servers to place or receive orders. This makes it a fantastic destination for those craving a delightful Korean BBQ and Hot Pot experience.

Attended for a friends birthday. They don’t take reservations, so you’ll have to wait around for your table and they ask that all attendees be present when you’re seated. My friends hosting came about 40 minutes earlier than what they told us to put our names in. Our party of 6 was seated at a table with only 1 grill, which was a bit of a disappointment. This place is very large and crowded, definitely a lot of hype built around it. You order from a screen on one side of the table, which seems to make the wait staff want to avoid any conversation. I don’t have very good vision, and was sitting on the other end of the table from the screen, so I asked for a paper menu. It didn’t have any drinks or details. Just the meat list. The service was slow to start, again, lots going on. The sauce & fruit bar were good, and I definitely recommend the popcorn chicken appetizer. We ordered 2 but only received 1. Our first round of oysters didn’t smell right, so we received a second order which were Ok. However both orders weren’t shucked properly. We ordered 2 different kinds of sake. One was sweet, one a little bitter. When we asked for a recommendation between the two, the waiter didn’t have any opinion. He said he asked the manager who recommended a very syrup-like plum wine. My friends used to celebrate this birthday every year at this place, but they said there have been large changes since last year Look - I love KBBQ as much as the next gal. We had a good time, but I think that says more about my friends than the restaurant. This place was impersonal, overpriced, and I don’t think we will be back.

Goku is a popular and affordable AYCE KBBQ and hot pot restaurant. The hot pots are personal while the KBBQ grill is shared with the entire table. My group chose the “only KBBQ” option which was $32 per person (so cheap!) but I would not recommend it for groups of 6-7 people. They did not allow us to sit at a table with two KBBQ grills unless we had a party of 8 or more. One small grill cooking for 6 persons was not enough and most of our time was spent waiting for meat to cook so we could divide the small portion among all of us. In my opinion, there are a lot of aspects that Goku can improve on. Firstly, the cleanliness. The restaurant is just so…dirty. The tables, floors, sauce bars are sticky. The sauce bar bowls are presented, cluttered in a giant dish bin and still a little dirty. The first table we sat at had a huge pool of water on the floor and we had to flag a server down just to get it mopped up. The BATHROOM SINK HAD PUKE in it that was not cleaned up the entire time we had dinner. I’m a bit puzzled as to why Goku is so popular. We ate at 5PM so we didn’t have to wait long but by the time we left there was a crowd of customers outside waiting. Is it the cheap price? Maybe. When we asked to switch our group to a different table the server let us know that our eating time would be capped to 90min because there was a reservation coming in after us. But we asked to switch tables in the first place because of the pool of water and we literally could not fit into one side of the booth. The booths are movable, the tables with the KBBQ grills are not. The party sharing the booth behind us were bigger and had our booth pushed so close to the table. I am a 5’2” 106lb small girl and even I would’ve been uncomfortable sitting there. We HAD to move tables and then were penalized because of it? I don’t get it. Another fault - the grills don’t have ventilation fans directly above them. So the entire restaurant is really smoky. This is the kind of KBBQ place where you WILL smell like meat after you eat here. It’s so bad that the air is like…hazy inside. Okay…maybe time for some positives? I liked that the service was pretty fast. We ordered via touch screen which was great and our requests came to our table quickly. I also really like the kalbi, it was super good. That’s about it. I thought the other meats were pretty mid. The side dishes…mid and limited. I don’t think I would come back again, personally. Goku is not for me.

We were here on a Wednesday night with family. One member had the hot pot and the rest BBQ. The meats were good for the BBQ. The hot pot was for a non-meat eater member. The seafood for the hot pot was good along with the miso soup. The variety of veggies was better than expected. The waiters and waitresses were attentive and quick with the meat orders. Overall, we left full and happy. Would definitely come back again. Sorry but for forgot to take photos of the food.