This place is located in the Public Market in Emeryville. I've eaten here a few times - depending on when you go during the day, the wait time for my your food can be anywhere between 1-10 minutes. I've had the beef bowl (YUM!) and the short rib koja. I thought the beef bowl was absolutely delicious - great flavors with just the right amount of spice. The short rib koja was good but I thought it was overpriced for what you get. Nevertheless, the meat was very tasty and was tender and juicy. Will definitely come back! read more

KoJa Kitchen - Beef bowl and short rib koja *drools* - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

I did not expect a place that is seems to be mostly catered towards more of a meat lover audience to have such an amazing vegetarian option. Because of the yelp check in deal I ordered the Zen Bowl and the Kamakaze fries (vegetarian). The fries were absolutely delicious! They were a bit expensive for a smaller order of fries but I still think they were worth it. They even put the mushroom and soy patty on the fries for the vegetarian option! The combination of sauces on the fries were what really did the whole meal for me! And because of the patty the fries were kind of filling as well. The bowl was pretty good too, I definitely had enough leftover to make a smaller meal out of it as well. Overall I would definitely recommend to vegetarians (I'm sure non vegetarians already love this place), and I definitely planning on returning. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Zen Bowl and Kamakaze Fries (vegetarian) - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

Everytime I'm in Emeryville, I have to stop by Koja Kitchen and get their awesomely delicious Umami waffle fries! The service is quick and the flavor is amazing. It's nothing you've tried before. I highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed. read more

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Stopped by public market for a quick lunch earlier and had to get Koja. Service was quick and friendly, and my food came out quickly. I had the original koja and kamikaze fries -Original Koja: tasty and what I expect to get from koja -kamikaze fries: crispy with a good amount of sauce + meat read more

Ordered short rib sandwich on rice patty with pineapple via doordash. Everything was great but I'm not a fan of the rice patty buns. Thought it'd just be rice fried in a circle in place of the bun but the texture & lack of flavor once bitten into was not of rice. Disliked that. Overall, unexpectedly great. The warm pineapple though, fantastic touch!! I'd try again... read more

KoJa Kitchen - Short Rib Koja - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

Their kamikaze fries are phenomenal!!! An added bonus was the nice fire they had outside. Such great vibes read more

KoJa Kitchen - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

Love coming here during lunch. The Alex at the register is super chill and helpful. The food came out so fast and very delicious!

Very good. With the world opening up, a little, was able to pick up food and eat outside on a nearby bench. The Kamikaze Fries super good. Fries covered with sweet, spicy, flavorful toppings. We also had Chicken Kona, truck style, that was really good too. They have a good looking menu so definitely have plans to go back. read more

This is drunk/stoner food at it's best. No you don't have to be inebriated to enjoy, but I suspect the chef was when they came up with their recipes. Their signature dish is sweet marinated beef sandwiched between two "buns" made out of white rice and lightly fried. The meat is super saucy and fatty. The bun has a nice crunch. It is all wrapped up in paper because this sandwich can get messy. It is delicious. My husband tried the pork sandwich, which was equally delicious and even messier. We got the sweet soy wings, which were crispy, juicy, and coated in sweet and savory sauce. I have also tried the kamikaze fries, which are covered in bulgogi and what seems like cheese and mayo. Whatever it is, it's good. read more

Omg omg .... my taste buds have just traveled across the country and out of this world , and that's about as much traveling that I'm gonna get to do these days , and I'm ok with it , cause this food just took me somewhere else . People are sweet and I phoned an order ahead and it was ready right when I got there . Thanks guys the food was AHMAZING BEEF TACO AND SHORT RIB KOJA WAS EPIC read more

OMG, even though you would think that since they're located in a marketplace with other restaurants, they won't be as good as their other locations such as in downtown berkeley and in the city, but wow, they lived greater than my expectations. The koja burgers were still up to par! Price-y, but filling and a good size. The pork koja was overstuffed with juicy marinated pork! The fries were slightly cold, but still crunchy and tasted so good. I think they normally make them that way to keep the flavors well together. And the service is awesome. The person who served me my 3 koja burgers and kamikaze fries to-go helped rubber band them closed and placed them in a bag so that it was easier for me to take them home! read more

KoJa Kitchen - Short rib koja and kamikaze fries! - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

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I don't like the Koja burger. I think the rice buns are more trendy than substantive and it's a bit too pricey. Why four stars? I'm a fan of the Koja fries and Koja bowls. It's classic asian fusion flavors that's reliable and satisfying. Beef Bowl ($8.50) - Packed with umami. Great serving size. 1.5-2 Meals. Chicken Bowl ($7.50) - The lemon is a little odd but I'm a fan of the kimchi and soy-based chicken. Also a great serving size. 1.5-2 Meals. Kamikaze Fries ($5.95) - A great snack. It serves as maybe half a meal or even a full if you're not very hungry. I'm a sucker for waffle fries although occasionally I'll get tiny burnt pieces of meat instead of nice diced chunks. read more

Stopped in here for a quick bite and was fascinated by the variaty of cuisines available all in one place. This is like a food court with individual stalls. They did a really nice job on the interior. You order and pay for your food at the counter and receive an electronic pager. When it goes off, you go pick up your order. Tables/chairs are available for easy seating. Koja is Fusion Korean. They offer bowls, tacos, wraps, etc. My wife wanted a pork taco and Fries with some spicy sauce and braised beef. It was very tasty and fried turned out to be waffle fries that were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. But, the standout about these fries were - they stayed crispy even after they cooled off. Nice! Meanwhile, I went next door to Mayo & Mustard. Check that review, too. Jim read more

KoJa Kitchen - Exterior side of stall - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

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I've been away from the Bay for a few years now, but I heard about all the changes that were happening to the Public Market @ Emeryville. After trying the food, the addition of KoJa Kitchen definitely puts a smile on my face. I came here with my girlfriend and we ended up ordering the Pork bowl, Short Rib bowl and an order of the DMZ wings. Out of the three, I definitely think the pork had the best flavor. It came with an interesting sauce on it, honestly could have used a bit more since it added so much character to the dish. The pork was soft and had that sweet "melt-in-your-mouth" typa end feel to it. The short ribs weren't bad either, but in my opinion had a touch too much sauce and was on the sweet side. Finally, the wings had a decent amount of heat (coming from a guy who thinks hot cheetos are spicy) and you can taste the habenero in them; the flavor on the wings wasn't anything out of this world so keep that in mind if you're deciding between their various appetizers. The whole meal cost about $30 bucks so it's not too bad considering we got an appetizer and were sufficiently stuffed by the end of it. Parking @ the Public Market is super easy, there's a very spacious lot right next to it and its FREEEEEEEEE (honestly where do you see that now-a-days). I'll probably be back for another round of that delicious pork bowl, and maybe try their fries next time. read more

Yippee!! Yippee!!!! Yippee!!! Koja Kichen is in Emeryville! !!!!!! I first tried them at Fort Mason where i was lured by the long lines. It was love the first time I bit their pork ribs. The chunks of pork are so flavorful and they even take the time to sprinkle toasted sesame on. Happy Dance................no long lines..........great food! read more

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Had the beef short rib bowl and flavor was pretty good and with fresh veggies. Rice however was not cooked particularly well (mushy). But overall good, would prefer better pricing but it is Bay Area. And public market had additional outdoor seating in the court yard that allowed good social distancing and shade. read more

I've been to Koja Kitchen a few times. It's located inside the Emeryville Public Market which they remodeled and its starting to look super nice. 1. Food is pretty good rating 7/10 I ordered the umami fries and the taco The fries had pork on it and I felt the pork didn't have much flavor, the best part was the sauces The taco was good, I got the beef taco, it was nice and juicy and the meat was good. Just felt like it need a little extra umph! Lol 2. It's a little bit pricey But overall still a pretty decent food. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Umami fries with Pork - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

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3.5 stars overall for our experience at this specific Koja Kitchen. Find them at the Emeryville Public Market. This location is very small. Not my favorite of the 3 locations I've tried. At least, the food was still delicious. Short Rib Koja was as yummy as the ones I've tried in San Jose and Fresno. It is like a burger, but better. The fact that they place the yummy Kalbi meat in between two fried garlic rice buns is incredible. Such an incredibly yummy treat! (5 stars) Umami Fries were good too. The miso-coconut braised pork is the main ingredient mixed in with the criss cut fries. It is tasty, but their korean bbq beef is better. Found out that I like the Kamikaze fries more though. (4 stars for Umami) As I mentioned earlier, they are 3.5 stars. If service had been better, I would have given them 4 stars. As it is, I won't be going out of my way again to find them. This branch is not a destination based on this visit. read more

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*Update - Updating my review from a 2 star to 4! Connie, the owner at this KoJa location, reached out to me through DM and was very considerate and apologized on behalf of her staff. Decided to give this place another shot and enjoyed my experience! Shout out to Isaac manning the cashier spot for being helpful. Well welll well.....this place was QUITE the experience. I first tried Koja a while back at another location and thought it was quite delicious. The food was tasty and employees were friendly (at the other location) so I guess I was expecting a similar experience. When I first got there on a weekday afternoon there was barely a line so I was expecting quick and quality service... but I was wrong (obviously given my review lol).First off the customer service here was doo doo..... the cashier was rude and not friendly at all. Kept giving me a "hurry tf up and order your food" attitude which I thought was odd given no one was around. Once I got my food, it tasted kind of bland! I had to add spicy mayo to it to give it some flavor (even asking for this was hard as they gave me a weird look like who eats like this??) Overall idk if I would ever come again but reading the other reviews it seems like people concur with my rating. read more

I've tried this place only once and had the Original Koja and Umami Fries. On the Original Koja, I would say that the first few bites were very good, but as you ate more of it, it became kind of ordinary. Not sure if that was because of the Umami Fries, which had more flavor or because the rice patties were just so bland. I was expecting the rice patties to be crunchier. The ribs seemed to be good quality though and had good flavor and not too much fat. On the Umami Fries, I felt they could have added some more sauce, but overall, was pretty good; a little on the heavy side (oily bottom), but I guess that's to be expected. Would maybe try again, but since I don't come to this location all too often, I'm more likely to try another restaurant instead. read more

I love the short rib rice bowl and the tacos are great too. Highly recommend giving it a try if you havent already.

Wow! Must come back!!! The original burger is AMAZING! Service was fast but I was dining mid-afternoon. I want to try the wild fries next! July 2, 2018: ordered the Kamikaze Fries AND the KoJa burger. WHAT was I thinking?!?!? Ate the fries - so good - and then had NO room for the burger. Ate that later in the day - 2nd mealses! Still delish warmed up and the rice bun still had crunch. July 11, 2018: ok, This is getting to be a habit ... trying the Beef KoJa Burger today. Awesome again! How can this happen so many times?!?! read more

Love Koja. My family and I have been eating at Koja before they had a location and were serving their amazing food out of their truck. We were so excited when they got their location in Berkeley, then Walnut Creek now we get to come here to the Emeryville Public Market as well. We have our favorites which include the Koja burgers, kamikaze fries and I Love me their beef bowl and their tacos. They used to have this one mochi dessert that my daughter and I loved, but they stopped serving it. The service has always been great and we have never been disappointed with their food. read more

Good as far as QSRs go. I had the bowl. If you're in the neighborhood, solid option for lunch.

Came here excited to try the food, but it was extremely oily food and its just way too sweet. Absolutely disgusting. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

Wonderful food inside of Emeryville Public Market! I reccomend getting food from here on Tuesdays for trivia night! I got a pork sandwich and loaded fries. It was enough for one person to be full, while also sharing a bit with others. -1 star for price. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

One of the best options at The Public Market.. they always get it right and the portions are good enough for sharing read more

KoJa Kitchen - Ahi Tuna Salad... so good - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

This is located inside the Emeryville public market. Lots of parking although may be packed on weekends. Lots of seating as its one big food court. We ordered the short rib koja and umami fries. It was very tasty. Can't wait to try other food items on their menu. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Short rib koja and umami fries. - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

This food was great. I love Korean food anyway, but, add this creative menu and great taste and it's a winner. Very busy but worth the wait. Tried the kamikaze fries and beef bowl. Both very good. Will have to go back and try more of they're creative choices. read more

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So Im one of those who seldom leaves a review, but I was pretty underwhelmed last night at Koja. I've had their shrimp/avo bowl once or twice before and I liked it. Last night decided to go over and order another for an easy dinner. Walked out 40 minutes later! with takeout, which I had to fix up myself. Upon beginning my little feast at home, starving at that point, couldn't help but notice there were significantly less shrimp (and seemingly smaller than I remembered. Mountain of rice, but I was searching under pieces of kimchee hoping to find more shrimp. No luck. I wasn't willing to fill up on plain rice, so I made a sandwich and called it a meal. Seems to me they've cut the shrimp amount by at least a third. I won't go back there. Oh, and extra galling is the fact that no one is manning the counter so you figure out the menu and ordering yourself. I don't particularly mind this, but once I'm done I'm asked for a tip! Haven't received any service so far, and the only service I do end up getting is the order pushed across the counter. Nary a word from anyone. Plus they have the additional gall to assure you in writing that all tips go to the employees. I'm very much in favor of good pay for employees, but unfortunately I don't own the business. Pay your own employees. What I'm doing is handing over the amount of payment I'm asked for. That's my deal. The tipping thing is extortion. I'm in a position to know, having been a waitress for years. Tipping is appreciation for timely proper friendly service. Not for someone tossing you a muffin or a plate of tiny shrimp. Feeling like you can demand a tip because there's food involved is disingenuous at best. As I said, won't be back. read more

Love the food. The beef was excellent, tasty, highly recommended . Order was super fast

I want to give this place more stars but I can't. I ordered a few fries and the buffalo wings, all of which I didn't love. The good thing is the fries are loaded with toppings -- they don't skimp on that. But to me, the flavors were just not there. Even the buffalo wings were plain in my opinion. read more

If your thinking of getting a Koja, the sandwich with two patties made of rice, then get either the short rib or the pork kojas. I recently had the Beef Koja and it was sort of underwhelming when it comes to the toppings and the beef. That said it was still tasty but they have better items on the menu. The rice patties are crispy. If you're not interested in a Koja, the bowls are a good option. I like Chicken or pork for the bowls. Love the toppings! Minus one star because i think Kojas sides are a bit overpriced. Why is it the same price as the entree? Overall good for a quick bite to eat. read more

KoJa Kitchen - beef koja 8$ - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

I LOVE this place!! I've had almost every bowl and I have not been disappointed. The customer service here is great, everyone is pleasant and patient while I peruse the menu and when I get my food I'm always told to have a good day. That being said, I have interacted with at least 5-6 different employees on different days over the course of about a month so it's not a fluke that they've been great! The strawberry mango mint lemonade is a must-try and a steal at under $3!! I love that almost the entire menu is under $10 and I've had the braised pork, chicken and beef bowls. Portions are healthy (especially on a lunch break at work...food coma) and I love that you get mixed greens and a little kimchi with each bowl. The food here is not just thrown together even if I am ordering it to-go. Highly recommend! read more

KoJa Kitchen - Braised pork bowl - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

Decent, but not as great as I thought it would be. Koja=fusion of Korean and Japanese cuisine. Guess I am not so much a fan of this type of fusion. I decided to have a late lunch at the Public Market in Emeryville last week, having been here only a few occasions since they completely remodeled the place. I decided to check out Koja Kitchen, as I saw some 4-5 star reviews and said I shall give it a try! I ordered the short rib bowl for takeout just in case I couldn't finish it, which eventually happened to be the case, though the order itself is a small portion. The wait time to get my order was surprisingly fast. I only waited approximately 5 minutes. I was hungry and ready to dig in and had high hopes, but alas, I wasn't amazed or totally blown away. The short ribs by far were the best part. Tender, flavorfully seasoned cubes of meat! Really good, but my taste buds weren't soaring to new heights. The white rice, which I could have opted for the brown rice, was way too sticky for me! And I like sticky white rice too! Maybe because they prepared it so fast?? The salad was another story. I liked their salad. It was fresh, the vinaigrette was slightly tangy, slightly spicy (only noticeable by someone with a low threshold for spicy), however, they gave me too much salad dressing. It wasn't that bad on the salad at all and I didn't notice the overabundance of it, until I finished the salad I saw a mop of it on the bottom of the box, slowly flooding towards my sticky rice and tasty ribs. Yeah, that was a huge disappointment. Guess you can say, it un-stickafied my rice? Gave it more flavors? But, nope, it did not do that, just added an unwelcomed taste to my all ready really tasty ribs with rice. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Short rib bowl - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

The fries are delicious !! I got the Kamikaze fries and the consistency is almost like Chik-fil-A fries with sriracha sauce and bits of meat. You can always ask for less sauce! I actually had a guy ask me where I got the fries as I was sitting down and eating them. I was disappointed with the short rib bowl. The meat texture is pasty and way too sweet. The rice was over cooked and mushy. Kimchi was average, but could be better. I felt like the arugula was just included randomly and not really incorporated into the dish itself. There's a yelp check in offer of 15% off if you order a bowl item with a side. It saved me $2-3 and I ended up paying $14-15 for the meal. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Kamikaze Fries - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

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I'm never for negative reviews and always considerate of 2nd chances to deserving service. My review is not for the food or business but for a screaming angry lady at the counter. My question is if she is always that way. I get that we have some bad days and totally understand that but tonight, I never felt so humiliated for this bad-mannered cashier/server at the counter. She yelled to me and coming towards me (there was no one in the counter when I was getting my order, and I could visibly see the order number of the to-go box in front of me and out of nowhere, this lady was angrily yelling to me with a fuming facial expression as if I was stealing my already-paid for food). It was my first time at the Public Market and altogether had a really good experience except for this yelling incident. I also ordered at 5 more of the different kiosks and everyone was so kind and attentive. In the end, I asked her why she is so mad and reminded her to calm down and be kind as everyone else. That was really an odd experience to be singled out. read more

If I could, I would eat this EVERYDAY. Their tender meat is wrapped in crispy rice patties that make this unique burger phenomenal. The crispiness of the rice is key imo. The short ribs just melt into the rice/lettuce - ahh so good. The to-go box does not do the burger justice... I have not tried that many items at KoJa Kitchen since I tend to stay to the same things: Original Koja and kamikaze fries. If you think they put too much mayo, just ask for sauce on the side - just as delicious. They must also have a great marketing team, since the inside decor is on point. I have visited the SF, Emeryville, and Walnut Creek locations and they all give off a clean, fun, family-friendly environment. I wish they had a food truck right outside of my work place. read more

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Pretty good stuff. Got two braised pork tacos and one beef taco. Both were really good especially the sauces on them. The beef taco had a bit of a spicy kick to it. I wish that they gave you at least two tacos with each order. Each tiny taco was about $3.50ish plus tax. I would also love it if you had the option to get flour tortilla, they only serve it on corn which I don't like. The stuff they put on the taco is awesome though! I would love it if they added takoyaki to their menu! Or braised pork buns! Yummm! Keep up the good work guys :) read more

KoJa Kitchen - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

This is the second time I've been to Emeryville Public Market since all their renovations (R.I.P. Afghan bbq! That was my favorite! ), and the second time I've had the spare ribs bowl at KoJa Kitchen. I had it with half rice and half salad. The meat is well seasoned and very tender. The portions are just right! Delicious! read more

KoJa Kitchen - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California