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    BigSpoon Korean Restaurant

    4.5 (174 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

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    BIGSPOON KOREAN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - BigSpoon Korean Restaurant

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    Banchans!
    Jenny T.

    This is a cute little restaurant on the East side of San Jose and I was surprised by how busy this place gets on the weekends! They have a special lunch combo on the weekday where you can choose your choice of a sizzling plate of protein and tofu soup (protein of choice) for only $19.99 however certain proteins do have an up charge fee. For that same combo on the weekends - it is $32.99, which isn't bad at all! Fair warning though, this place is less salty than most establishments which I personally didn't not mind at all, the service was quick and the food came out piping hot. The food was pretty good but I'd skip the chicken wings because it isn't Korean style fried chicken, it's just a dry fry with a soy garlic glaze on top.

    Lunch special $19.99 : tofu stew and bbq meat with purple rice
    Crystal H.

    Lunch special $19.99 : tofu stew and bbq meat with purple rice. What a steal! For some proteins, you need to pay extra. They also got a good variety of side dishes. The lady asked if we wanted refills on any of them when she brought out our food. Everything was so good! We liked the creamy seaweed and imitation crab side dishes. The beef short rib was so tender and juicy. Seafood tofu soup had a lot of pieces of clam, squid, mussels, and a big prawn. The lady was really nice and friendly. We came here around 11:30am and it wasn't busy. It started getting a little bit busier after 12pm.

    Beef Ribs

    Not so hidden gem of a Korean Restaurant with great food and ample parking. There could be long wait times so come before the lunch or dinner rush. I love the beef ribs, the kids love the pork belly, and we all love the japchae. The stews are great too but I'm not too fond of spicy food. If you like spicy food, I'm sure it will be great!

    Tofu soup (mushroom)
    Gabriel G.

    - Really good banchan selection. Kimchi was nice and salty with the good fishy taste. - Great deal, 32.99 combo gets you a tofu soup with protein and purple rice

    4 pepper spicy tofu soup - so good but probably would get the spiciest level next time
    Deanna Y.

    Review for take out! Went to grab takeout from here to bring to a Friendsgiving. Decided to just come and order versus over the phone. Quoted about 20 mins so went to take a walk and return. Spicy beef tofu soup (1 mild 1 level 4 had good spice but I'd probably try the highest next time) 10/10 Sweet potato and cheese tonkatsu 10/10 Pork belly 10/10 Galbi 6/10 (good but didn't have that bbq char) Chicken wings 5/10. Flavor was good but wings were quite small. Probably would not get again Banchan 100/10 (so many different options and all were so good and addictive!) Overall, majority of the items we got were delicious! I'll be back to dine in and try some other things I was eyeing on the menu.

    BBQ meats and soft tofu soups and kimchi pancake and dumplings
    Christine P.

    I was craving kimchi pancake and banchan so I made my way to check out this Korean spot I have not heard of before. They have a really good lunch special deal where you can get BBQ meat and soft tofu soup. Food: 5/5 The portions of food here are very Big like the name suggests. Along with the kimchi pancake, soft tofu soup, and BBQ meats, I got purple rice and banchan too. Not all Korean places give you purple rice so I was happy to get it. The texture of the rice was perfect! My favorite banchan was the kimchi, fish tofu, and the cucumbers. I got the soft tofu soup in medium spice and it was a good amount of spice. I've tried a lot of soft tofu soups at places but this one tastes different with a bit of sourness making it more flavorful than other places. The BBQ short rib was seasoned well and BBQ pork belly had some char to it making them both amazing. I like that they cut the kimchi pancake up for you. Everything tasted well together. Service: 5/5 The server was very nice and checked in on us a few times. She even gave us dumplings on the house too! I feel like places don't give you things on the house anymore. Ambiance: 5/5 There is ample amount of seating with tables and booths. It has a nice spread out layout. There is a parking lot behind the restaurant. I know Korean food can be expensive so I'm glad I found a place that had large portions and is inexpensive.

    Combo Plate
    Brian T.

    Came to this restaurants on a quiet Monday evening to grab some dinner. Haven't had food the whole day, so I was ready to feast here. We ordered the Army Stew and the Wings combo with the soy glaze. First impression was that the bonchons were delicious. They had dishes like kimchi, pickled cucumber, broccoli, seaweed salad, seaweed with mayo, spinach, candied potatoes, and fish cake. My top three were the seaweed salad with mayo as it came with the crab salad, spinach, and seaweed salad. Army Stew - It had a lot of variety of toppings in the soup ranging from mandu to pork belly, spam, cheese, ramen, sausage, rice cakes, and fish cakes. The broth was definitely my favorite broth for army stew I ever had in the area. The ramen cooked just enough mushy that fits my preference and the cheese melted perfectly into the broth. It could feed 3-4 comfortably. Wing Combo Plate - Initially, they came out undressed as we ordered soy garlic, but it was fixed quickly. The sauce was on the lighter side which is perfect for people that don't like sauce heavy wings. On the other hand, the meat was juicy towards the bone, but the a bit dry towards the top and bottom of the drumstick. The rice was cooked perfectly to my preference and the salad had a good amount of dressing to it. It was nice to return here after having it for the first time a while back. The korean auntie was very nice and even refilled all our bonchon dishes. A very cozy restaurant that I would return to again in the future!

    Happy bvo
    Andrew W.

    Yeah honestly a great hole-in-the-wall Korean spot with a convenient location at east side San Jose. Honestly glad I have a decent Korean spot close to me. The prices are actually quite good here. Korean food I feel is known for being overpriced, so I find that the prices here are quite reasonable. They are very generous with the free banchan here. Whether you're dining in or taking togo, they're definitely gonna hook you up with the Kimchi, beansprouts, broccoli, etc. Some items that I got here that I would recommend: Army Stew, Soft Tofu Soup, and Bibimbap. Items to avoid: The wings - even though they're a great deal for KFC, they kinda suck The service is pretty good, with a sweet old Korean lady running the joint. Definitely feel the mom-and-pop vibes. Looking back, I'd recommend BigSpoon to anyone in ESSJ looking for some Korean food. It's not the best Korean food by any means, but it's affordable and convenient. Enough talk.

    Pork belly Tofu Soup
    Amity H.

    Solid Korean spot in east side San Jose. I did a togo pick up and they were so quick! My order was ready in 10-15 minutes from ordering on the phone. Sweet lady helped me out with the order and was super friendly. When I got home, the soup was still hot so it was very enjoyable. They do not skimp on the ingredients, my bowl was filled with pork belly and tofu. Side dishes were tasty and came packed on the side. Great portions and price. After tax, about $20 for a pork belly tofu soup.

    Cheese Tonkatsu ($17.99), Ox Bone Soup ($17.99), Stir Fried Squid ($21.99) & plentiful ban chan!
    Evonne C.

    [Food] Takeout - Cheese Tonkatsu ($17.99): Pretty good, although I wish the tonkatsu patty was a tad bit thicker, but honestly, can't complain because I was shocked there were two tonkatsu portions when most places usually only give you one portion! - Ox Bone Soup ($17.99): I saw that they added a new poster advertising this. Served with noodles. Flavor and portion wise was good! I'm excited to try their other soups! - Stir Fried Squid ($21.99): Flavorful and again plentiful! We ended up making our own kimchi fried rice with this as the protein. - Ban chan (complimentary): Wow I was pleasantly surprised with so much ban chan included! Loved all of them! [Service] - Helpful, fast, friendly [Ambiance] - Small, casual, homey restaurant - Parking is located in a small plaza [Overall] - Love that this area now has a Korean restaurant! I'm definitely going to be a return customer - I would rate this place closer to a 4.5 but I rounded up because honestly, the flavors, portion, and affordability is amazing for the location. - Edit: Please note that there's been some price increase since my review

    Plating no 2
    David L.

    This place is awesome! It's not a very big place. But they can handle a large party! My jageun-eomoni comes here all the time with her family. So this place can do both big groups and cozier gatherings. The food was awesome! The galbi tang was very yummy. And the banchan is so good that my other Korean friends started boxing all the leftovers! Service was great! They made short work of my group of about 30 hungry Asian women. And then some. Orders were all taken with only one mistake? (No one is perfect... also 29/30 ain't bad). The food came out quick! I only waited 3 or 4 minutes to receive my galbi tang! Service was very attentive as well! They brought us water and hot tea. They gave us another bowl of tang when they were too quick in bussing the tables! And they even gave 4 kids free Korean ice cream from their frozen dessert fridge! Surely they will take care of you! I will go back for other stuff. And it's only in CV/Dub so I don't have to drive all the way to SJ! Check 'em out! Solid A+

    Sharon C.

    a great hole in the wall for authentic korean food in east side san jose! although it was a small restaurant in a pretty empty plaza, the place was packed! we had to wait outside since there wasn't a seating area but the sweet korea lady called us once a table was ready! food came out fast and delicious! i loved all the different banchans that they give, definitely a plus! giving daeho a run for its money especially at a significantly affordable price (:

    Army Stew
    Aerielle S.

    This place is certainly a hidden gem! Came at 8:20pm and we were the last customers to be served (place close at 9pm). The grandma was polite and had good service. The place is small but efficient. I came with 2 friends and ordered the army stew and kimchi fried rice. Both were so delicious! Not overwhelming in flavor at all and full of goodies. We weren't even able to finish all the food so we happily packed it to go. For the price, the army stew is big and easily shareable. I would come here again and recommend to anyone that needs a new Korean spot to try!

    Bon chons

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    2 months ago

    Food is delicious. The owner very nice . Very fresh food. Not fancy but clean! Prices were very reasonable.

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    Ask the Community - BigSpoon Korean Restaurant

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    Shin’s Tofu

    Shin’s Tofu

    4.5
    (360 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Family-owned & operated

    This place is always popular at night and decided to give it a try after passing by numerous times…read morelooking into the window and browsing the menu. I'm glad I did and was definitely delighted by the experience. Hot Stone Bibimbap 5/5: There was a review on Yelp saying that there was no crunchy rice at the bottom and that it was bland. As a fellow Korean, let me give you some advice. Wait a few minutes and let the rice cook more because the stone bowl is still hot. lift up the bottom until you see crunchy bits and then you could start mixing. Excellent mix of seasoned vegetables and rice. They give you the gochujang bottle sauce on the side. you can adjust it to your level. Soon Tofu Soup 5/5. I've had a lot of tofu soup of what I like about this one is that it had a good balance of tofu, kimchi was not super sour like some restaurants and they give you an egg on the side. Very clean finish. Banchan 5/5: The highlight for me was the banchan. I went with a very picky eater friend and she really loved the kimchi ,the cucumber kimchi ,the fish cakes, japchae. They put a lot of effort into making the banchan - which I recognize right away. They also fill up if you run out and the dishes are larger than normal restaurants. Amazing. You read my mind. Interior 4/5: It is a smaller, more intimate seating.( about 25-30 people) . It still has the vibes of of a Korean eatery with K-pop music playing on the TV screen, wooden benches and chairs. You'll have to wait a bit if you go during peak hours and parking is a bit difficult. I suggest going within the first hour they open up when there's less crowds.

    It's been a while since I've gone to this place and didn't wanna go all the way to Santa Clara for…read moresome galbi and army stew. Small restaurant with a wait list up front but turn over was fast depending on your party, waited about ~25mins for 2 people. *This was for coming in for dinner on a Friday.* Ordered the Galbi and Budae Jjigae, side dishes came out before the mains, was soo hungry didn't take the pre pictures of the others, hehe anyways, both had great flavor and the budae jjigae had kick to it. In the end it kicked my cravings and made me full. Ohh and one more thing be aware of your check and make sure you're paying your table....the person working changed my card paid for another table, but he corrected it.

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    Shin’s Tofu
    Follow us on instagram @shins_tofu for a free Soda!!
    Follow us on instagram @shins_tofu for a free Soda!!
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    SGD Tofu House

    SGD Tofu House

    4.0
    (456 reviews)
    8.5 mi
    $$

    I came here on a weekend evening with a few people. Since it was a hot day, we ordered some cold…read morenoodles, and we wanted to try their tofu soup. For the cold noodles, it was pretty refreshing and a bit light in flavor. It came in a icy vinegary broth with noodles, half a boiled egg, pickled daikon and some pieces of galbi (short rib). Also had option of adding more vinegar and/or mustard if you wanted. The noodles were chewy but that's how it is, recommend asking for some scissors to cut the noodles if it's hard to chew. For the spicy buckwheat cold noodles, it had much more flavor, had a gochujang base, and thicker. It came with half a boiled egg, pickled daikon and pieces of galbi. For the tofu soup, we got the chicken and mushroom which was fine. In addition, the sides were good as well. Service was good.

    Love that this is open until 11:30pm, not a lot of places are open this late so was hoping to find…read morea good late night spot. It feels very homey inside, and we were seated quickly. We ordered the beef soup and the appetizer short ribs, which is about 6 pieces. The sides were good, special shout out to the warm jjapchae! The short ribs came out sizzling, and had a great char with a sweet soy sauce flavor. Meat was tender and had the perfect chew to it, such a comfort meal with the rice. The beef soup came boiling, and there was a generous amount of beef, mushrooms, and tofu. The only complaint I have is the soup ratio was less than what I'm used to so about halfway through the pot there wasn't much soup left to pour onto the rice the way I normally do. But that's not a bad thing, means you're getting more protein! Service was great, but it's a bit expensive from what I'm used to so I docked a star. I'll check out other places and see if this is just the normal pricing for the area.

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    Kunjip

    Kunjip

    4.1
    (2.4k reviews)
    8.1 mi
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    Experience (5/5 stars): *Food: the cold noodles here are…read moreamazing! refreshing and cool especially during the hot summer. you need to eat it spicy! i'd skip the galbi jjim, not as flavorful as the one at daeho. *Price: ~$24 Overall, it's a yes!

    I love kunjip because the food is good, and the service is fast. Even though it gets crowded, they…read moreclean tables fast. This way everyone gets seated asap. The wait is always not too bad (usually max 30 mins) which goes to show how fast the service is. The menu is pretty simple but always really good. Banchan - 10/10. Refillable banchan is always amazing but it's even better when it's all my favorites. I love the radish, kimchi and cucumber banchans the most and this is exactly what they have. It is so refreshing and adds a lot of flavor. Bibim naengmyeon - 10/10. The noodles are chewy and refreshing. They do not skimp out on the toppings. AND the spice is totally doable. My personal favorite part is always the combination of the banchan and the noodles. SO GOOD. Seolleongtang - 10/10. I love how hearty this meal is and how it never fails to warm me up from the inside out. This is the perfect comfort meal. The meat is also so tender and the noodles really soak up that broth. The broth is the best part, you can season it to your own taste but the base itself is already pretty great! Very savory. And the plus is that they give free yakult at the end when you pay so it's a cute lil free sweet treat to enjoy!

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    Interior
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    #13 Cheese maeun galbi jjim ($82)
    #13 Cheese maeun galbi jjim ($82)
    Mul naengmyeun/cold buckwheat noodles

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    Mul naengmyeun/cold buckwheat noodles
    Jeonju Hostetter

    Jeonju Hostetter

    4.0
    (415 reviews)
    2.8 mi
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    Went to Jeonju yesterday with a couple of friends to grab dinner. We must've went on an off day,…read moresince about 30% of the menu was sold out! This wasn't too much of an issue, and we ended up ordering cheese corn, pork tofu soup, and the galbijjim. Though the wait staff was a one-man show, he was efficient, kind, and attentive. Kept us stocked with water and got us whatever we needed right away (ladle, bowl, etc). Banchan came out almost immediately after ordering. The food was really yummy. One of my friends and I are sensitive to spicy foods, so we were a bit intimidated when the food came out RED. However, the spice level was truly mild and just a little kick of heat. The galbi was extremely tender and everything was well seasoned. My only other issue is the prices are a bit high. You can get similar food for a couple bucks less at spots in Santa Clara. Overall, a great experience and I wouldn't hesitate to come back again!

    We came here for lunch with the family on Saturday around 1 pm. Most of the popular items were sold…read moreout, such as a seafood pancakes, kalbi short ribs, and bossam pork. I ordered the bibimbap pork rice. When it was brought to me, the waitress told me they were out of the sauce so it was very bland. Also to know they were sold out of seafood, squid, and bulgogi bibimbap. Half of the menu items were not available. There were also only 2 Bachan dishes. Kimchi and broccoli. Very disappointed.

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    Jeonju Hostetter
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    BigSpoon Korean Restaurant - korean - Updated June 2026

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