Second time I've been there, it was good. All you can eat, they keep the food coming, flavored soju makes for a fun night. Quality is good and consistent. Your clothes will smell like smoke, but it's worth it. The brisket was my favorite. read more

Honestly I was skeptical to come back, but my friends love KBBQ. The meat wasn't as greasy this time! Ask for their meat sauce with jalepenos! Thank you Sofia for making this an unforgettable experience with good company. Great service. Sometimes I felt bad asking too much, but she didn't mind. Appreciate all the hard workers! read more

5/5 AYCE IS SO WORTH! Normal price is $25 per person, and lunch is $20 per person. You might as well get AYCE for $20 because a lunch special is around $18 anyway. They set up the table with banchan & water before you sit down so you don't have to wait for anything. Then they take your order and you can get up to 4 plates of meat at a time + sides/veggies/carbs. Must try: bulgogi (!!!) and beef short ribs - we got 2 orders of each. The marinade + tenderness was so good. Definitely worth a try: beef brisket, kimchi pancake, beef potstickers, steamed egg, rice wraps, lychee soju You can probably pass: beef tongue, fish cake, octopus/squid The service is really great too - they're really accommodating and quick to bring your orders and switch out your grill plates when they're dirty. Also you probably want to come with around 4 people. It's hard to try all the things you want with less than 4 and with more the grill is too small, unless you have a group big enough for 2 grills. read more

Gogi Time - Bulgogi (back) and ribs x4 (front) - Korean Near Me - Oakland, California

Pros: food is great, price is reasonable for all you can eat, location is nice, the setting is comfortable enough, service is okay Cons: parking isn't the best lots of break ins so be mindful read more

Great KBBQ option if all you can eat (AYCE) is your priority. Parking is limited - there is a parking lot, but park at your own risk in any of the adjacent streets. Smashed windows were a common sight every time we walked to & from our car and it happened to our friend once when we were eating here. Can be very busy if you come on a weekend, but I've never had to wait too long for a table & the staff is nice. Good quality meats for an AYCE price & enough different varieties for you to choose from. I also like that they have a lot of appetizers as part of the AYCE, which usually isn't the case with other similar restaurants. They also do cocktails in addition to the usual beer & soju offerings. read more

Great place for all you can eat kbbq at a pretty reasonable price. First things first: make sure you join the waitlist on Yelp before getting there! We were dumb and didn't realize there was one, so we waited an hour and 45 minutes on a Saturday night, when it's super busy. The waitlist also closed at least 2 hrs before the restaurant closed because it filled up. In terms of food, everything was good but nothing stood out too much. I do recommend the cheese dip and the ssam platter for accompaniments. We didn't order rice and a few servers asked us on separate occasions if we'd like some -- DON'T FALL FOR IT! Anything starchy will fill up your stomach too quickly and you want to save space for all of the meats. We ordered the kimchi pancake and corn cheese for appetizers and they were good, although we didn't eat too much in order to not fill our stomachs too much. They have a good selection of drinks, including beer, soju, and soju cocktails of varying sizes, enough for small and large parties. I thought the yogurt soju cocktail was tasty and would recommend it, if you haven't tried it before. They give you a Yakult at the end of the meal, which I thought was a cute idea. All you can eat was $28/person for dinner, and we had a few rounds of drinks so our total was closer to $60/person including tax and tip. We definitely got our fill of food and drinks, and I'd consider it worth it. There were a good number of parties going on so occasionally it got noisy, but not too bad. Overall, it was a fun place for dinner and so far the best all you can eat kbbq I've found in the area! read more

My girlfriend first introduced me to this place and after so many great AYCE experiences I ended up having my 25th birthday celebration here with my friends! Since I had a party of about 18, I called a week in advance to make reservations. Trust me, it goes waaaay smoother/faster for large parties since we were seated in the backroom with the long tables. Once seated, we all knew what to do and went to town! We ordered whatever you can think of, brisket, bulgogi, pork belly, pork cheek, short ribs, spicy pork, kimchi pancake, corn cheese, tofu soup, you name it! Everything here is delicious and my server at the time (black guy....sorrrry I forgot to ask you your name) was the ABSOLUTE BEST! Not only was he very attentive, he was so chill and always got whatever we asked no problem with the best attitude. He really made the experience smooth despite the large group. One thing that is NOT AYCE is the Galbi. Wow I did not realize that since Galbi and short ribs at Gens is one and the same. I didn't realize they charge you per order....wowza it got really expensive haha! Woops! Just rememebr to order short ribs not galbi unless you really want to pay extra. Overall the food was fantastic, the service was spectacular, and it's just an overall fun experience! It's $27/person for dinner and after tax and tip it should be about $35 each. Gens may look nice, but I hate the 3 hour wait time there. Sure Gen's has more options, but I typically stick to the same items anyways which are served at both and there are big slices of meat here. read more

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Please note, this restaurant is mostly a grill it yourself spot for dinners. That option is not available for their lunchtime menu. Great restaurant for a large group, just make sure to call in advance and make a reservation. Almost every time I've been here it's been for a B-Day or group celebration. There's a $25 per person all you can eat dinner option, which is the best way to go for gilling or Hot Pot. In a large group, try to designate one person to grill and then someone to transition to. That way the first griller can eat and enjoy their food/time too! Believe it or not, I'd recommend this as a good place to take a date. You can impress (if you have the grilling skills) and listen to your date while they talk and chomp away. Just be prepared, that you may not get to stuff your face, cause you're the cook. Only negative, the restaurant can get quite smokey with every table having its own grill. If you're planning to go out after dinner, be prepared to smell like you've been sitting at a camp fire all day. read more

Went back with a group of 6 last night to Introduce a friend to Oakland Korean BBQ. What can I say, what a disappointment. And, I'm a huge fan of this place. Last night was the worse experience. We visited a few times last year, when they opened up. This time around, so much has changed. Less choices on the menu, service was really Bad, and the marinated meat was salty with just soy sauce flavor. The worse Bulgogi I have ever tasted. It was so salty, and just tasted like soy sauce! Same with the Kalbi. They were nice thick cut, but the flavor is not there. We realized the staff has changed a lot. The friendly staff we were use to were no longer there. We had to remind them 3 times of our orders. We had to reorder again-again to remember. They sure wasn't understaffed either. It was disappointing, we spoke so highly of this place to our friends from out of town. Please don't use Covid as an excuse either when it comes to service. Waiting for you guys and believe you will get it together again. Covid last year was a better experience! read more

I was here again recently with my fiancés daughter. We had so much fun. I always forget the desert. Dang it. Anyway, great like the first review. I do want to add that our server Mavis was awesome. She was busy, fast, and on the spot. read more

Gogi Time - Korean Near Me - Oakland, California

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This review is for the Hispanic male server from 2018. It was my birthday 21st birthday, and I ordered my first legal alcoholic beverage and he asked his manager if he could give my drink on the house. It was a very sweet gesture despite them being very busy. I forgot his name but I hope he's doing well. Gogi Time is a very busy restaurant and I appreciate all the servers who remain consistent in their work despite working hectic shifts. Thank you! read more

Gogi Time - Passionfruit alcoholic beverage - Korean Near Me - Oakland, California

Amazing and quick service. Absolutely love this place. I recommend this to any Korean food lover!

Gogi time ...get your K grill on! Came for an early Sunday night visit thinking that 4:45 t beat the dinner. At $26.95 and all you can eat (choose 4 types of meat) it is a good value for your money and taste good too. Make sure you are quick with your tongs. when pulling the meat off the grill. Ordered two types of meat -spicy pork and the barbecue chicken but should have been smarter and ordered 4 types which you are allowed. Gogi time offers the following meats: Beef Bulgogi, LA style short ribs, Beef short steak , Small intestine, Garlic and Spicy pork belly, Teriyaki Pork spare ribs, Spicy Pork spare ribs plus Beef spare ribs. You also are served 2 appetizers. We chose the pancake and the soft tofu stew (not that good). We cooked quite a bit and with the 10 different types of banchan dishes we were stuffed. For $19.95 you can add the hot pot, but think about how much you can eat. Eat until you pass out. Bring your appetite, come a little early and get your K grill game on. read more

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Been coming to this place for years, used to have a different name. Nice menu, quick and pleasant service. Great lunch option. Love the Bi Bim Bob. read more

Disclaimer: I'm biased here cuz I've been to really good KBBQ places that charge much less. Maybe I have a certain expectation. Generally when you get KBBQ, you hope for two things: 1. Good quality 2. Good quantity. Most kbbq places can't produce both so they at least try to do well with one. Gogi time accomplishes neither. I've been there a total of three times (twice before COVID era) and it never felt worth the price. I go in a group (6+) and it's around $40-$50 per person. That's already insane but on top of that you're serving neither quality nor quantity. No quantity: We first requested four orders of brisket. Two small plates came out. We then ordered four more orders of brisket and only one small plate came out. This was the case for basically every time we ordered. It's not like the waitress didn't hear us. We repeated the order several times. The waiter/waitress also came so infrequently that most of the time we spent at the restaurant was on waiting. We were just sitting with empty plates and grills. If they give us so little food they can at least come by frequently so we can order more. Do we have to get off our seats and come find you? Lastly, every time we ordered, they took incredibly long to follow through with it. It shouldn't take 10min to bring out 1 slice of marinated pork belly. We asked for 2 orders, you brought 1 slice, and it took you 10min to do that. Perfect. No quality: I won't go into detail but it's typical mediocre kbbq quality. Literally nothing stands out. Not surprising considering it's a kbbq place in East Bay. But maybe I was expecting a little more considering the high price. I don't give it a 1-star rating cuz it's not completely horrid. Most of the things were edible food. But I can't give it 3 stars cuz it's way overpriced and not worth ever going again or even recommending to a friend. I don't like giving negative ratings but man, my most recent experience just felt so awful that I felt compelled to finally write a review. This place really needs to straighten up and do better. Save your money and time. If you still go and want quantity, I suggest communicating that to the server and making sure they hear you. No guarantee that'll work but maybe? read more

Tick... tock... tick... tock... it's appropriate that this place is called Gogi Time because eating at Gogi Time will take a long ass time - as in fuc*ing forever. You see, unlike most Korean BBQ restaurants from Diego to the Bay in Californ-I-A, this place is 100% charcoal. On paper it sounds great. However, the issue with this is that the fire cooks unevenly and when the charcoal dies, you will be stuck watching the meat get cold! Repeat: Your meat gets cold! You see, other Korean BBQ restaurants that use charcoal use a combination of charcoal AND a gas grill to provide constant steady heat. However, the fact that there is no consistent source of heat caused the meat to be cooked unevenly or just would not cook the meat! Repeat: Your meat gets cold! Moreover, because the charcoal was piled so high, whenever fatty meats such as the brisket or pork belly would drip fat onto the charcoal, an insane amount of smoke would rise up. Forget the cancer risk caused by this process that forms polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the smoke alone was unbearable. Oddly, I noticed that none of the vent hoods seemed to be working. They tried to remedy this by opening up the front door. However, the problem caused by this was that not only were flies rampant inside the restaurant, but the breeze would cool down the charcoal even faster creating the main issue of not being able to cook the damn meat! Repeat: Your meat gets cold! On top of that, the grill is this weird giant-sized cast iron thing that works like an oversized yakiniku grill. However, this iron thing is placed on top of the table and makes it really hard to maneuver around the table unlike traditional BBQ places where the grill is built into the table. The only reason I could think of why they opted for this senseless method is that they could not get the permits from the idiots at the City of Oakland Building Department to install real grills. How could they think that this would be more efficient? At least the Fire Department is around the corner on 27th Street in case people collapse from smoke inhalation or the place goes up in smoke. The sad thing is that the ajummas (older Korean ladies) at Gogi Time make really tasty banchan (side dishes) and sides such as the kimchi pancake. How do I know this? While I was waiting for extra charcoal to finish grilling the half-cooked meat, I had no choice but to fill up on side dishes. Furthermore, Gogi Time has a really excellent beer selection with rotating taps that included Ballast Point Sculpin IPA by the pitcher to Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Weizen-Mix. Alas... the only way I would return is if they installed gas grills and fixed their vent hoods or just stopped the whole Korean BBQ thing and cooked the meat in the kitchen. In other words, I don't think I will be back... as in the time has run out on Gogi Time for me. * I noticed how Gogi Time brought out shittier cuts of meat on each subsequent carnivorous refill. In fact, the brisket on the 3rd refill was so fucking fatty I used it as fuel to rekindle the dying charcoal. * Was genuinely surprised at all the non-Korean servers. Equal opportunity at its finest because our servers were all really friendly. However, I think this was the first time I had to actually look at the menu and see what the English term for all the cuts of meat were. I was like wait, how do I say "jju-kku-mi" in English again? Oh yea, baby octopus. STRESS!!! read more

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Finally got to try Gogi Time. I tried to make a reservation last month for a party of 6 and was told they only for parties of 7 or more. So we went to Seoul Jung in Concord instead. We had just got done watching the Giants get their butts kicked by the Diamondbacks and decided to give it a try. The tables are large and there is a separate seating area in the front. At 4 in the afternoon there were plenty of servers. They have 2 kinds of AYCE KBBQ and Hot Pot. We had the KBBQ. Pros Charcoal Grill Large tables Service was excellent Portions of meat were small (good if you want to sample the items) Appetizers pancake, potstickers Basic Stews Price $24.95 Cons Ventilation Limited meats, Spicy Pork, BBQ Chicken, Bulgogi, Brisket, Sirloin, Pork Belly ( meats tasted excellent just limited choices) Limited seafood squid, octopus, mussels Basic Ban Chans Next time I will try the Hot Pot. Still Gogi Time is not even close to the Los Angeles AYCE KBBQ scene. The person answering the phones and taking reservations was way full of them self. read more

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I am on a Stay Cation this week so after chilling out all day . I felt like Korean BBQ so I rolled to Gogi Time in my Whip the White Beast. I was able to park right in front in their parking lot. It was a Full house . I was promptly greeted and seated my Server was a wealth of knowledge . I ordered the AYCE BBQ . Its pretty Cool they bring you your own Charcoal Hibachi BBQ to your table so that you can BBQ your own meats . During my meal I was checked on by several servers including a very attractive Latina Server she was a Sweetheart. The Beef Pot Stickers are so good I ordered seconds lol. As for the Meats I had Marinated Pork , Bulogi , Squid and Pork Belly . Its a Fun place to eat. Service was Excellent . Gogi would make a great Date Joint or a Gathering of friends. There's something social to sitting around a BBQ full of Tasty Meat. It was so filling with the Rice and Lettuce leaves plus all the Banchan . I would say they are probably the Best Korean Place in Oakland right now. This is my 1st review of 2014 - The Year Of Opportunity and New Beginnings !!! read more

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It's GOGI TIME! It's so worth the price ($25 only) to either opt for all you can eat hot pot or KBBQ! Their BBQ ribs are nicely marinated and delicious! Their banchan (small dishes) that are served up, provided a generous variety of delectables! Their tofu soup was enjoyable for a cold day. As for their Seafood Pancake, it was aye okay! Too much dough, per say and not enough seafood. Just focus on their KBBQ or hot pot, which they are known for! I loved it here and I will be back for more! read more

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I haven't been here in a few months, and I should have left it that way because now I'm just disappointed. The service was the same as I remembered. I'm not sure if they have a designated host/hostess, or if their host/hostess has multiple jobs because they are usually running around doing other things as well. They do get pretty busy, so you have to wait by the counter for someone to come just to put your name on the list or to check in when you get their text that your table is ready. We waited about 30 mins before we got seated, and ordered right away. The waiters are so busy running around, so you have to wave them down if you need anything. That is better than not being able to find a waiter or get what you need. APPS *Fries- I use to love their fries because they would come out hot and CRISPY. Now they are just warm and soggy. *Corn cheese- not cheesy enough or had too much water *Gyoza- still really great, they've perfected this one *Onion rings- not bad *Tofu soup- lacked flavor MEATS *Galbi- usually my favorite here, but it was so tough that we couldn't chew most the pieces and had to spit them out *Brisket- also chewy, but much more tolerable than the galbi *Steak- not bad being that it was the only tender beef we ordered *Beef tongue- also chewy, but again more tolerable than the galbi *Pork belly- not bad, but cheek is better *Pork cheek- good, the only meat we kept ordering Not only were the meats not great, our grill also took forever to cook. We started with the galbi, and that usually cooks really fast. We probably waited almost 20 mins for it to fully cook, and thats not even with the char marks. We went in thinking we were going to have a great meal, but left very unsatisfied and sad. We probably won't be going back. Our goal is to find a new great AYCE korean bbq place. read more

At Gogi there just wasn't enough.... Tell'em Godfather! (Watch Clip) : http://youtu.be/LGJPmVwdY8c Actually it wasn't the time that ran out but the space in my belly for all the pork belly, spicy pork, bulgogi, bbq chicken, baby octopus, tofu soup, beef potstickers, and the list goes on and on. The team/staff are super friendly and flagging down any of them during the meal was easy. Whatever we needed, more rice, more meat, no matter what the request was, it would come out fast and with a smile behind it. I couldn't ask for better service. It's automatic that the waiters will bring out the Banchan right away, but if you're like me I skip those distractions. It's not Banchan Time. It's Gogi Time! So in short my favorite of the meats were the bbq chicken and spicy pork. The rest were ok. A great place for large parties and a fun activity for couples to grill their food together. At Gogi Time it was also a very Fun Time, great service made it a Pleasant Time, and all the good food made it a very Gluttonous Time, and if only I had a super speedy metabolism, I'd be here all-of-the-time. read more

Gogi Time - The grill. - Korean Near Me - Oakland, California

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Tried this place twice already. The first time i tried KBBQ here, it sucked.. but that was almost a year ago.. so i decided this past weekend to give it another try... still did not meet my expectations :( We came on a Sunday afternoon around 4pm, it was not busy so we got seated right away. We ordered our usual meats which were Beef brisket, Beef belly and bulgogi. Also ordered cheese corn, vegetable pancake and lots of rice paper since its our fave! We got our meats a few minutes after ordering which was good.. we started cooking them.. got the corn cheese and everything else that we ordered... EXCEPT THE RICE PAPER! Then they tell us they were out of rice paper already... My bf and i literally looked at each other and contemplated if we should just walk out now... (lol, so serious) but it was too late, we already started cooking the meat! UGHHHHH. Eating KBBQ IS NOT THE SAME WITHOUT RICE PAPER! They should have told us before we started ordering! Anyways, we let it go and asked for radish paper.. The radish paper came and it was THICK as hell... like we couldnt even wrap our meat with it. SMH... ended up wrapping our meat with lettuce. HAHA. Overall, their meat was good, the cheese corn was okay and their vegetable pancake was probably the only thing i really liked. So i ordered a second one... and had to follow up twice for it and did not come until after we had already paid our bill and i looked at my server like.... uhmmm i thought y'all forgot about it sooo i dont even want it anymore, lol she put in a box for me so i ended up just taking it home. We always had to hunt down our servers to follow up on our orders even though it was not even that busy. Anyways, I dont think i will be back here. I tried to give it another chance but they still failed to impress me. YOU CANNOT RUN OUT OF RICE PAPER! that's a big NO NO and if y'all wanna replace it with radish paper..... at least cut it thinner so i can fold it to wrap my meat. SHEEEESH! read more

Really enjoyed my late dinner here after movie time at the Parkway. Such lovely flavors, done right. Wait can be long and the smoky clothes as u exit? That's a guarantee!! read more

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I can't say I'm the connoisseur of Korean cuisine, but I do have to say that Gogi Time's name ("Meat Time") should be taken seriously! I came here with one other on a Sunday evening around 5:45 PM. We were told to wait at least 35-45 minutes, but in less than 15 minutes we were seated! OH. And I bet you didn't know this....you can choose between an electric grill OR a charcoal grill! Charcoal grill is 10 times more popular, and tastes amazing! So try this experience if you can! We ordered: Appetizer: -1 kimchi pancake// AMAZING. Hands down, the best one I've ever had. It's thick like pizza, but stuffed with so such vegetables! And super crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside! ADDICTING. -Cheese corn// It was good! Definitely tasted more like grilled corn on the cob on a sizzling plate with cheese on top. Luckily it is not mixed with mayo or else it becomes too heavy! Stews: -1 SM soft Tofu stew// not as spicy as other places, and definitely a bit sweeter too. A good palette cleanser if you like soups! Condiments: -1 bowl of multigrain rice: It looks purple! But don't be intimidated! -1 wraps (ssam) platter: Literally what I've imagines (like the Korean dramas!) and it is definitely a good compliment with all the meats!!! Meats/Seafood: -1 beef brisket: meh. It's good! But beware of overcooking! -1 beef sirloin: Came with two pieces. Not too impressed. -1 fish fillet: Didn't give us a lot, but did the job! Yummy and easy to cook! -1 BBQ chicken: one platter came with literally 7 chicken breasts. But amazing marinade! -Spicy pork: hands down, my favorite out of all the meats. Super flavorful, soft, juicy and tender. PERFECT. -1 hot links: basically two sausages cut into thin slices. A bit on the salty side but eat it with rice or eat it in your lettuce wrap. Pros: -AMAZING service! Super chill people, and the lady with the pig tails (I'm assuming she is the manager?) was superb with checking up on everyone! -Yummy "side" dishes! I'm not only talking about the "banchan" here-I'm talking about everything except the meats! It's so a -Great atmosphere! Definitely a great place to eat with a date (casual) and a group of friends! -Huge portion but great quality! I love that everything is in such huge portions, but they also pay attention to the small details with condiments, sauces etcetera! Cons: -Besides charcoal scent staining my clothes...I loved it here! Tips/Observations: -No one to impress here. Come here in loose clothing and be prepared to wash your clothes after you go home! -If you have a large party, definitely call early on in the day to make a reservation! -There is a small parking lot right in front of Gogi Time, but during rush hour, try to do street parking! (Sundays are free all day!) Bring coins for the meter if needed! -You need at least 2 people in a party if you want to eat KBBQ. And it's quite understandable why they say that! Overall, YUM. Would highly recommend it if you are in the area! read more

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Hot pot and KBBQ? It's an amazing gimmick, and Gogi Time really brings a unique value proposition to the AYCE KBBQ formula. While the idea is amazing in theory, it falls through in execution. There is a wide variety of food options, even for a KBBQ place. Frankly, I'm impressed. However, I would be much more impressed if the service also followed through. It took nearly, if not more than, 3 hours for a group of 6 to finish a meal, and it is not because we had huge stomachs (though that could be true as well). Rather, it is the lack of attentiveness of the servers that prevented us from enjoying the meal thoroughly. One hour in, and we still didn't have the grill. Seriously? Even when we first arrived, they took forever to seat us despite it not being too crowded. Since we were also behind a partition, that could have very well been the reason why we did not get the proper care (or at least, minimum care) that one would expect. Luckily, they made it up by giving us complimentary dessert (sounds almost counter-intuitive for an AYCE place), which was some sort of ice cream, but it was really good. Would recommend if you are ever itching to go to Gogi Time and not get AYCE. All in all, for $32, not worth. Would I come again? Probably, given circumstances. TIP: Ribeye in general is pretty good. read more

Gogi Time - Fire! - Korean Near Me - Oakland, California

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After reading John Z's amazing write-up there isn't much I can add except another 4 stars. So in short, GT is AYCE, either KBBQ or Chinese Hot Pot. If you're a table of 6 or more you can order both. The mister and I had the KBBQ and were pretty satisfied with the quality and selection. We ordered everything on the AYCE menu except the clams and squid. Our favorites were the pork belly and spicy pork which we wrapped with rice noodle sheets, yes they have those! The banchan was pretty standard but dang, I fucking loved their kimchee. Warning: the smokey charred BBQ smell will permeate your hair and clothes with a vengeance. So if you're planning on going out after dinner, either run home and take a shower, or bring an extra change of clothes. Personally BBQ smells are like cologne to me. It also gets really hot once they deliver the charcoal, I was sweating my ass off while we were cooking our meats. Good thing for cold beers and tit sweat to cool one off. Service was quick but when it gets busy in there (like on our visit, Sunday around 6p) you might be hard pressed to get your servers attention. We ran out of beer and my chopsticks were mia which did take about 10 minutes to get resolved. One other thing, they only have single user bathrooms so plan accordingly, there might be a wait. Next time, hot pot! read more

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I had my birthday lunch here with my guy pal, the service was okay but I wished they were more attentive or alittle verbal... something with spunk since to match the good food. It was still the pandemic so we were outdoors with it, felt good and refreshing for a spring day. A great place for friends and family, or a first date. read more

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I've been there multiple times with small or large groups. I enjoy their AYCE options, you can do bbq + hotpot but I usually just do bbq because that's enough. Their meat seems pretty good and their side dishes are tasty.. I'm a sucker for side dishes, I like them even though they fill you up. I wanted to complement them that their waiting list system is pretty high-tech, they'll actually text you approximate wait times and will tell you when your table is ready. It sure beats those big buzzer things. It's reasonably priced for AYCE Korean BBQ, it's usually not cheap to begin with. There's also several TV's which usually show sports. Last but not least which has nothing to do with the food, Gogi Time will now always have a special place in my heart because it's where I watched our Golden State Warriors clinch the 2015 NBA Title. Wohoo Indeed! read more

This is a new all you can eat Korean barbecue and hotpot place in Oakland. I came here on a Friday evening around 7pm, and it was pretty busy. Both my friend and I opted for the all you can eat Korean barbecue, which was pretty reasonably priced. The interior is pretty new and thus very clean. There are tables arranged neatly in rows, and instead of built-in grills or stoves, the servers will bring you a portable grill or stove depending on if you order barbecue or hotpot. I rather like this setup since it's very versatile, and no setup has to designate where you sit. When you order all you can eat Korean barbecue, they give you a menu that has the included appetizers, cooked dishes, and kinds of raw meat that are included. We tried a bit of each, and while I liked most of it, some fell a little short of expectation for me. Side dishes: (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gogi-time-oakland?select=rYcwJYhbygnjsjrPiXr2nA#OeAfDL_ATgz-21DN1acUHA) This is one of my favorite parts of Korean food, and while these were not the best I've ever had, I really enjoyed the pickled white daikon because it really cut through the heaviness of the meats and was very refreshing. None of the others really stood out to me. Side salad: (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gogi-time-oakland?select=rYcwJYhbygnjsjrPiXr2nA#0JG3TnZm8cy1FXOmGjaEJg) Apparently all you can eat Korean barbecue also comes with this side salad, which was a pretty good portion. It was also mixed up with a kind of vinaigrette that was light but had a pretty good kick with the vinegar. The vegetables were fresh and crispy, and this served as a pretty good balance to the heavier elements of the meal as well. For the carnivorous part, I was super happy that we were delivered this old-fashioned grill (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gogi-time-oakland?select=rYcwJYhbygnjsjrPiXr2nA#9f5mInELHtfjjsVAsQJfcA) complete with red-hot coals. My favorite was probably the squid (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gogi-time-oakland?select=rYcwJYhbygnjsjrPiXr2nA#toUnT3fHIZRpM4nkckvgPw) because it was super fresh and took a surprisingly short time to cook, followed closely by the baby octopi (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gogi-time-oakland?select=rYcwJYhbygnjsjrPiXr2nA#gIPJjRNX7IwqTsESbhuteQ). I felt like all the other meat we tried were super fresh, and the only gripe I had was that some of the pieces of beef were sliced so thinly and were in such small pieces that they stuck to the grill and were very hard to pry off. Kimchi pancake: (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gogi-time-oakland?select=rYcwJYhbygnjsjrPiXr2nA#E9tPYdRGNxkN2Vhrj4Kbhw) I felt like this dish was okay, but I got tired of eating it after the first piece. There was a lot of dough, and not much flavor elsewise. I haven't really had kimchi pancake at other places though, so maybe I'm just not a fan of the dish in general? Steamed egg: (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gogi-time-oakland?select=rYcwJYhbygnjsjrPiXr2nA#PF_0RNIQBQ3nOSmw_B44mA) This was surprisingly good, although it's such a simple dish. It was lightly seasoned, and the texture was really good. The green onions added on top really brought out the freshness of the egg flavor, and we ended up getting two of these. The only thing was that the second was a different color from the first for some reason.. Tofu stew: (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gogi-time-oakland?select=rYcwJYhbygnjsjrPiXr2nA#-XdP6amm73QSWBOWMUNTcg) I tried both the tofu stew as well as the soy bean paste stew, and both had a pretty generous portion of seafood in them, which is nice considering they were smaller portions. None of the flavors stood out to me though, and if the usual stews not on the all you can eat menu mirrored similar tastes, I would probably not order them alone. Since it's a relatively new establishment, I think there were a few issues that they have yet to iron out, the biggest of which is just how the service goes. It took a lot of tries to flag down a server to take our order, then to order more, and our tea cups were almost always empty. When one of the servers noticed, they could not have been more nice and accommodating, but it was just the initial noticing that took a long time. I also noticed that the portions of food for the all you can eat option were really variable; our first plate of squid had maybe five pieces, the second had fewer, and then the third had an entire plateful. We also got the wrong order two times, and there was a waitress who was literally running from the tables to the kitchen, which seemed a little precarious. But on the other hand, this place has a lot going for them, the best of which is super fresh meat and seafood, as well as pretty awesome grills that really lend that smokey, barbecued flavor to the meat. So good! Plus the servers were all really sweet and nice, and despite being incredibly busy, they took time to stop by and chat for a couple minutes. I'll definitely be back again to try the hotpot! read more

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Amazing. Amazing in every way. The service, the side dishes, grapefruit beer with sake, appetizers, the korean BBQ (and its on charcoal). AMAZING! I love that they have a waitlist that will text you when your party is ready. Best of all it's all you can eat!! read more

Gogi Time - Korean Near Me - Oakland, California

As someone who has been spoiled by the amazing kbbq in SoCal, this place is actually pretty good, especially for NorCal standards. The meat was delicious (BEEF BRISKETS!!!), and they have charcoal grills! I also actually enjoyed their appetizers like the potstickers and kimchi pancake. I like eating my meat with rice paper, and I was really glad that Gogi Time had it. Just ask and you shall receive! The service is not bad, considering how busy they are. The staff sometimes lagged on our orders, but for the most part, they were pretty responsive and changed our grills. But the wait here is horrendous. Make reservations if you can. We had a party of 7, and they told us our wait would be 1.5 hrs. However, we ended up waiting for 2.5-3 hrs. (Insert angry emoji face) Food was good though! Kbbq craving satisfied ^^ read more

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Definitely a must if you love KBBQ as much as I do! $25 per person on weekdays and $27 per person on weekends, price is pretty average. But if you have a party of 5 or more, you can get AYCE Hot Pot for only $20 more per table. Love the fact that this place is AYCE KBBQ And Hot Pot. For the KBBQ, you get a good amount of food to choose from. You have a lot of variety, but not a big selection. What I mean is ... You get banchan, appetizer, meat, seafood, vegetables, and even a wrap option. Really, that's A LOT of food. But you get only around 4-8 dishes to choose from under each category. The bulgogi and spicy pork is to die for! More good news is that there's a good amount of parking, front and back. While the wait can be long sometimes, they have an app that texts you when your table is ready! I really want to give this place 5 stars, but I can't. The service was quite terrible. Our server forgot our food over 5x in one meal. We were getting tired of reminded them what we wanted to order. read more

Gogi Time - They have mussels! - Korean Near Me - Oakland, California

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Gogi Time is an awesome restaurant to order take-out from if you're craving Korean food. Their portions are huge and will last you at least two meals and everything we've gotten here so far has been delicious. I would highly recommend the seafood pancake, LA galbi, Kalbi tang, and spam kimchi fried rice. They also give you plate of banchan to go along with your meal and it almost feels like you're at the restaurant. Almost. Definitely a fan and will continue ordering take-out! read more

Gogi. What happened? The first few times I came, the meat was good, experience was good. The wait is still atrocious without a reservation (must be 5 or more people), but I always walked away feeling good despite the stomach expansion pains. I even loved the idea of doing hot pot with the AYCE BBQ ($20 per table, not person), though I've only opted for that once in a large group because outside of that just seems like unnecessary gluttony... But then this past time, I was just disappointed. The meat was just average. Just didn't stand out like before. I hope the meat quality or source hasn't changed. I am hoping that was just a mis-step day of some sort. Until next time.. read more

I haven't been here since my last review and since then this place has been ranked top 10 kbbq spots in an sf article! Great job Gogi! - You can definitely identify the changes they made to this establishment since the last time I was here. - Staff are in uniform, there are bar stools, they have drink menus and wall decor advertising their soju flavors. - a hostess podium by the front door - they set up your table before you're seated - Their grill isn't overly hot either so there's no more mini camp fires happening at your table. Meat still cooks fast. - They changed their portions drastically but in a good way. They must've taken count for the amount of salad and soup left untouched afterwards. Their portions for this is smaller. They also gave us a big plate of the noodles we love! Rice paper is in better condition as well, very moist. To say this place improved would be an understatement. This place cannot be better than it is now. It amazing to see how far they've come. Keep that spot at top 10 Gogi! Applause to you! read more

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There are option for 'BBQ All U Can Eat" ($27.95 per person) and A La Carte. We decided go with A La Carte since less expensive and we do not eat a lot. The Spicy Beef Soup is really good, a lot of beef and the spicy level is perfect. The Spicy Pork in bimbimbap is tasty, I wish it come with more variety of vegetables. The BBQ Chicken was well marinated and the portion worth the price. read more

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AYCE KOREAN BBQ!!!!!!!! Honestly some of the best kbbq I've had in the area. TIP: come here during lunch time on the weekdays. It is much cheaper. I've come around 1 on during the weekdays and it was pretty empty. I was able to get a seat for 4 relatively easily. There's a two hour time limit, but honestly that's more than enough time. You will leave with a food coma regardless. The service is kinda lacking, and it's hard to chase down a waiter/waitress to order more food or water. They do come by extremely quickly to change the fire and they're out of there so fast. The food is DELICIOUS!!!!! The meat is really flavorful. The steamed egg is delicious. The banchan is great. The japchae is flavorful. I always get some rice too to go along with the meat. And there's always a little salad there. I honestly don't order much variety, because I can eat the same thing over and over again. It's that good! Here's what I recommend: Bulgogi Short ribs Japchae Steamed egg White rice Also try something new each time! For the price, I would say you can easily get your moneys worth. Sadly you can't take home food and there always seems to be some left over :( read more

All you can eat KBBQ, count me in! There's quite a bit of options not only in meats but with appetizers and drinks. Great place for those looking for a KBBQ fix while in Oakland with good vibes on the side ;) read more

All you can eat Korean BBQ. $25. Charcoal heat. That says it all. You're simply not going to get this kind of deal in SF proper so I definitely appreciated finding this gem in Oakland when getting together with an old carnivorous friend of mine. They offer three options consisting of ala carte menu items, all you can eat chinese hot pot, or all you can eat korean bbq. While I'm sure the other two options are good and viable, there was no doubt which of the three we were going to go with. We ordered pretty much one of every meat and by sheer willpower made it through all of it. The sides which you can order from are quite good too, including some decent potstickers, cheese corn and all types of vegetables. You also get the standard korean starter items. I really loved the charcoal cooking system they carried out to the table. It was so much better than your usual gas fired heat at similar bbq places and it added so much beautifully smoky flavor. Overall, Gogi Time was fantastic for so many reasons. It reminds me a lot of the great yakiniku places in Hawaii and will definitely be my basis for comparison in any future all you can eat yakiniku places in the bay area because this is "as good as it gets." read more

Gogi Time - Korean Near Me - Oakland, California

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Yummy and good lord, so much smoky, flavourful meat. Came here twice and gearing for a third. They have two options for all you can eat (AYCE): one is Chinese hot pot and the other is Korean barbecue. I've ordered the Korean barbecue twice and it's so plentiful with the marinated meats and the smoky flavour from the charcoal grill. The grill itself is a pan filled with charcoal pieces and a metal mesh grill on top. It's actually much better than other grills since the smoke from the charcoal helps marinate the meat and give it a smoky flavour. We've ordered the marinated bulgogi, the spicy pork, the non marinated pork belly, and the non marinated brisket. All are delicious, but the best is the pork belly which you can dip into the brown sauce for a little salty flavour and the bulgogi is marinated lightly but well because the meat is a little sweet, a little salty, quite soft, and a whole mouth of deliciousness. We also ordered seafood of squid, octopus, and mussels. The mussels I could pass on since they weren't anything special-- not marinated and none of the sauces I don't think would work well ( the two sauces were a salty sesame oil one and a soy sauce like one). The squid and the octopus on the other hand came out extremely smoky but not too chewy and when you dip it into the sesame sauce it was perfectly salty and smoky. Just like any izakaya's. Alcohol wise, they have an assortment of beer and cocktails. On my first trip, my friend and I shared a half litre bottle of a blended cocktail of strawberry and mango-- it was sweet and you could taste the alcohol; however, it only tasted of strawberry and no mango. The second time, another friend and myself ordered a whole litre of lychee cocktail and this was much more refreshing and sweet with pulps of lychee at the bottom of the cocktail. It was perfect for a hot day. Service-- it seems to vary depending on the hour and on the day. Consistently, the servers are nice, but sometimes they forget to get your order. They can be a slower at dinner due to the high volume of people, but that's understandable. When I came in the second time at lunch, they were just slow even though there were at least two servers and only 4-6 tables. They sort of fumbled there, but the food was good and the alcohol delicious so I could forgive them for that. Anyway, if you want melt in your mouth goodness and you want to eat until you can't walk, come to Gogi Time. PS. The banchan or appetisers are refillable but it's a trap! Save the room in your stomach for meaty goodness. However, the bean sprouts were awesome. And don't get the purple rice-- a little too mushy. read more

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