I've tried this 2 times so far. This particular location is in the Emeryville Public Market. I had the Original Koja and Braised Pork Bowl. The Koja tastes like what a bowl of ingredients would, but with rice buns. It's been a while since I've had this, but I don't remember the meat being particularly outstanding. Being made from rice, the buns naturally fell apart over time. It is definitely an interesting way to eat this kind of dish. I had the Braised pork bowl on my second outting. I feel like the coconut flavoring was a bit overpowering. It looked like a lot at first, but most of the dish was rice. The salad wasn't evenly coated with vinaigrette. It was overall okay. The prices are pretty standard for food truck type food, but it feels like it can be a little cheaper for what you get. I'm interested in the menu, but there are some components that I don't necessarily like that might not be omit-table. I'll probably try it again if I'm in the area. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

A solid 4 star meal! The crispy rice bun was fried perfectly - if you love some crunch or texture in your meal, the burger is perfect for that. The meat in the original Koja lacked something for me, it was still tasty. The other additions like the lettuce was random and kind of sparse; I mostly had meat in a rice bun. Great meal for the price and definitely looking forward to trying the other koja burgers. read more

I ordered the short rib bowl and it was very disappointing. The short rib was cold and flavorless. I felt bad for the cashier because it seemed like she was working the cashier and making the food at the same time. The kimchi was good! Perfect amount of crunch and sourness. The salad was a normal salad with a good sesame dressing. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

I wish I could tell you about the food but all I ordered was a drink. There is no one working at the counter and no one who spoke English in the kitchen. That's ok because I speak Spanish but the kiosk doesn't get the orders right and then we ended up waiting around for over 30minutes before we found out the machine did not report our order to the kitchen. Instead of simply giving my son a juice that he ordered for our inconvenience, they said there was nothing they could do. It's like they don't like money or customers. To be clear, I'm not upset at the workers who are simply working hard, or even the manager who was kind enough to speak with me over the phone, but the owners must be cheap by not providing adequate staffing and technical assistance for customers by solely relying on this 1 kiosk, which is costing them even more money. The line to use this machine was long as a result and it doesn't have to be. If you respect your time and sanity, eat somewhere else!!! read more

I usually come for the bbq place. The line was long so decided to get something else this time . So decided to have short rib bun . Now I've had this several times when they were a food truck . In fact one of my favorites. The difference is huge and was disappointed. Over cooked rice patties. Short ribs were dry. The chicken taco looked sad. Kamikaze fries were okay but not like they use to be .... sad !!! read more

Stumbled upon this place while exploring the Emeryville Public Market and needless to say I was pleasantly surprised!! I've never had a rice burger but it tasted great! The meat in both the burger and tacos were well marinated and were also delicious. The only downside is that they were a bit stingy on the meat and were out of a couple sauces + all of their pork dishes so we couldn't order those. Overall a good place to eat! read more

KoJa Kitchen - Beef Koja, Beef Taco, Teriyaki Zen Taco - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

Quite possibly the worst vegetarian dish i've ever had. "Soy Meat" tasted like dog food drenched in Terayaki. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Dog food - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

Opens At 11:30 not 11:15 Service We came here on a Friday morning 4/16/21 morning at 11 am and I guy behind the counter told me they don't open until 11:30. I mentioned that their website and Yelp pages show they open at 11:15. He said well it's wrong. So I waited. I was first in line and once I placed my order I was told it wouldn't be ready for 15-20 mins. Food THE ORIGINAL" KOJA Korean BBQ short rib, sesame vinaigrette lettuce, katsu aioli, sesame seeds This was both savory and sweet. Definitely a must try. UMAMI FRIES Crisscut waffle fries, miso-coconut braised pork, red sauce, garlic aioli, green onions, masago, fried onions Okay if you like mushy fries. read more

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Business has responded gaslighting about their website at this point, but a few things to note 1. Kitchen staff will treat you like you are invisible. There is no one willing ready or able to interact. 2. Phone has never ever been answered. Have called five separate days at different hours. 3. Website was fully sold out when I logged in Sunday, does appear different now. Tbh food is yummy, just wish they operated like an actual business rather than a dystopian ghost kitchen where staff and customers are treated as NPCs. read more

KoJa Kitchen is so good! I would recommend 10/10 trying it if you haven't yet. I ordered the kamikaze fries and the ahi tuna bowl. The tuna bowl was so fresh and had the perfect amount of protein, rice, veggies and sauce with the ginger vinaigrette on the side (I added just a little to my bowl). The kamikaze fries are a must order every time I come with my fiancé. The bowl was big enough for a meal and snack later in the day for me and we shared the fries. The sauces, beef, fries are all heavenly together. If it's your first time there I'd recommend getting one of the KoJa sandwiches with the rice buns - I'd say that is what they are known for and each one is delicious! read more

KoJa Kitchen - Ahi Tuna Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

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I've always been a fan of Koja, ever since I was first introduced to its greasy goodness by a coworker 2yrs ago. While looking for some dinner options , we wanted something quick and nearby, so Koja fit the bill as this location is conveniently situated right inside Public Market. Placed an order through Grubhub, and it was ready and waiting for us when we arrived 15mins later. We decided to try the Kamikaze fries, since I'm a huge fan of waffle fries in general and I had never had Koja's fries before. My first impression upon opening the container was: "WOW! They sure do pack in the food!" There was definitely a sizeable portion provided in the take-out container! Along with the delicious waffle fries, there was minced pieces of Korean BBQ beef, kimchi, and topped with red sauce, Japanese mayo, & green onions. The whole combination was quite delicious, and we scarfed it all down quite ravenously. Pickup area is to the left of the cashier, in case you did what we did and stood around waiting for 5mins before noticing. read more

Stopped by for a quick snack so I ordered the soy garlic wings. They were delicious! The wings were crunchy, perfectly seasoned, not over sauced and piping hot! If you are ever in the mood for tasty wings and near a koja kitchen definitely recommend trying these! read more

KoJa Kitchen - Soy garlic wings - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

Unique experience of culinary delight. KoJa offers several different options from the KoJa, owls, salads and sides. I opted for the Teriyaki Zen KoJa which was a mushroom patty with the texture of meat topped with grilled pineapple, lettuce and teriyaki sauce between two rice patties. The KoJa's meat like texture was so convincing I took it up to the counter and asked if it was vegan. They did give me the crazy look but answered yes. The sauce was sweet tangy and savory. The pineapple added sweetness and a smooth texture. The crunch of the outer rice patties was such a pleasant finish to this sandwich. Service was super fast and the price was reasonable at under $7. I would eat here again. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Teriyaki Zen KoJa - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

Zero stars. Visited for lunch with my daughters and ordered my favorite kamikaze fries, but they arrived cold and stale. When I brought it up to one of the male staff, he and his coworker simply laughed it off, insisting it was fresh. Despite my polite request for a refund, they continued to assert that the fries were made fresh. After a prolonged exchange, they reluctantly called the manager (Maria), who appeared annoyed from the start. Despite my explanation, she repeated the same rehearsed response about their fry preparation process where they set the time for 2 minutes, which clearly involves re-frying. ***Cooking fries fresh takes way more than 2 minutes*** I've been a supporter of Koja Kitchen since their food truck days, but this experience left me deeply disappointed. It's evident that they've lost touch with the quality and customer service standards they once upheld. Running a small business is challenging, but neglecting quality and customer satisfaction will inevitably lead to failure. Lastly, please don't eat and drink in front of your customers behind the preparation line where you're preparing customers food. Please have your staff get recertify in ServSafe. Walnut Creek location was closed in the last couple of years... Let's see how long this one will last. read more

Back here again!! Like I said, I love this place. I always get their kamikaze fries. It was extremely busy today since its a weekend but nonetheless, they got our food to us fairly quickly. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

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We love Koja Kitchen! We used to always go to their food truck in Larkspur, but now we will always go to their Emeryville location, since we work near there. We had a nice party with lots of food from their catering menu and everything was delicious!! The party trays of short ribs, chicken, shrimp, and also soy garlic chicken wings, seaweed salad, Kamikaze waffle fries, pork koja rice buns, were our favorites!! Everyone was impressed...Thanks for making the party a success! (We've always known that you guys have the best food, and now our office crew are big fans, too!) Jackie and Lorrie read more

I'm giving it 2 stars because it is very good. But when did the customer start getting screwed? I ordered a short rib Koja AND kamikaze fries. Why did I only get the Koja and half an order of fries but pay the same amount as if ordered a Koja AND fries?!? It wasn't a combo meal... this is really disappointing. I'm seriously on the fence about not coming back to this location. I hate feeling like I got screwed over, and this is what that feels like. You really think I wanted to pay over $20 for that and not get what I really wanted? read more

Why can I get double the fries at the Koja Kitchen in alameda for the same price as Emeryville Koja Kitchen?! I asked a staff remember and they said because it's their policy to serve it in smaller containers. They also skimp out on all the toppings on the fries so if you want to get three loaded fries, be their guest! Only come here if you wanna waste your money and time. CHANGE THE POLICY EMERYVILLE KOJA. read more

The pork BBQ was pretty good. It was like thicker strips of bacon. I would have it again.

Food is always solid, but service is what seals the deal. Fabian is always really helpful and friendly. Highly recommended!

Waited 25 minutes with two orders before us. Food came to us lukewarm, egg rubbery, fries somewhat soggy. Rice bun was chewy and sticking to our teeth. read more

This place is consistently amazing. The manager is so sweet and very accommodating of my young kids. The workers take care of us like family. Food is delicious and you can tell that they try their best instead of sloppily throwing together something. Everything we ordered was very flavorful. If you're in the area and craving both Korean and Japanese, this is your joint...crunchy onigiri goodness stuffed with juicy Korean bbq meat. Yum! read more

The food was so good especially the chicken koja and the wings oh and the lemonade don't get me started it was so quench refreshing and just perfect and the workers where excellent and the respect they give is so excellent and they where so clean when I came and the cook was so nice her name was Maria she was the best employee there by far and the respect she gives is great I will be surprised if she's not the boss read more

Ok first things first... I LOVE Asian fusion restaurants so when I am on a business trip I almost always find this type of food anywhere in America. My wife is not a fan so this is my time to enjoy... the kamikaze fries are without a doubt the best thing here! Amazing! The pork bowl is very good with great flavor HOWEVER I have to disclose I got a hunk of bone in my pork and was more than a little put off chomping in to this bone in my pork and rice.. I asked for a bag to put my takeaway containers in and they said they would have to charge me for the bag... for some reason they give away free chopsticks but not bags? I now have 4 dozen chopsticks in my hotel room... read more

KoJa Kitchen - Bone found in my pork bowl - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

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I tried two main types of KoJa dishes: the Koja burger and the bowl. In my opinion, I prefer the bowl. The main reason is because I don't eat that much rice, so the two sandwiched rices with a little bit of filling is too much. On the other hand, the bowl has equal quantities of rice and meat, so it's easier to eat for me. The meat is very tender and it can be easily eaten with chopsticks or biting between teeth. The marinated short rib was perfect and the sauce was just enough to also add flavor to the rice. I went to the public market with my family to try one of the three dishes, and in appearance, it is the least amount of portions. If I ordered this on an empty stomach it would be a light snack. For today, I was eating something else and trying this at the same time, so I left the market with a full stomach, exceeding 100%. read more

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

Recently stopped by Public Market to grab a bite on the way in from the airport. I was in town for the weekend and we were staying in Emeryville so I took my husband to public market food hall for lunch. I grew up in Oakland and have so many memories eating at Public Market. I've been living in Texas since 2003 and was hoping for a little nostalgia but to my surprise none of the original restaurants were still there. We walked around and scoped out the new places and came across Koja Kitchen. The menu looked simple and sounded good. We opted for the original koja and Kamikaze fries. I subbed chicken on my fries because I don't eat beef or pork. The fries were delicious! And my husband really liked his burger. We inhaled the food in about 5 minutes. I Definitely recommend trying them out. Next time I'm in town I plan on checking out other menu items. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Original Koja & Kamikaze Fries w/chicken - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

Decent Korean fusion food stall in the Public Market. Been here a couple of times b/c it's within walking distance. Tried both the braised pork bowl and the kamikaze fries. The braised pork bowl was a bit heavy but the fries were actually pretty amazing. I'd totally get it again. Although I'm not a big fan of Asian fusion, KoJa Kitchen was on par so I don't mind returning at some point. read more

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

If you wanna eat a good meal , go to the one in Alameda , the one in Emeryville , just don't get it right , The app says they open at 11:15am , but they really don't open until 11:30am , so I go the other day and now they say they open at noon !!!! WHATTTT!!! And the cashier really doesn't greet the customers like he should , he parties to much I think !! And with that being said the portions are small !! That was my last time buying from Emeryville Period read more

Love the food but shouldn't take 45 minutes for a takeout order placed in your own website that said 20 minutes!

I got the pork sandwich, it was so tasteless. Asked for salt and they didn't give any. They make you put your number.

I was so excited to know that this renowned food truck had a stand/restaurant at the Public Market. I hadn't been back the Public Market in over five years, so when I finally came back on a week day on a trip to IKEA, I was pretty impressed by how much it had changed, but also disappointed that some of the old eateries were gone. I believe this has changed to cater to the crowd of Emeryville, so all of the places to eat has risen their prices, which also comes with inflation and economic uprise. Not a surprise. Any way, back to KoJa's options. I got The Original KoJa and the hubs got the Beef KoJa, and being the oinkers that we are, we also got the Kamikaze fries. Yaass! I think I liked the fries more than the burger. The combination of the hard rice bun with meat pieces just didn't pair that well for me. It tastes good, but I think I would prefer a regular burger and would probably eat a rice bowl next time. I think the sauce on the fries can get a little overwhelming after too many bites, so I would definitely recommend sharing with someone else. Again, the fusion burger concept is unique and tastes fine, but I personally prefer my rice as a dish/plate and not a bun...unless it's wrapped around fish, like a sushi roll. You get the picture. read more

KoJa Kitchen - The fully loaded Kamikaze fries - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

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The guy didn't start my order for 20 minutes. I saw several people get their food before me when they ordered after me. One guy was staffing the whole kitchen. Not coming back read more

Amazing burgers which have a bun made out of rice. They have 4 different types of meat and they are all great. We particularly like the original Loma which has Loren bbq short rib with sesame vinaigrette lettuce and an aioli topped with sesame seeds. So great. We will be back! read more

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The original kola was pretty yummy. The outside wasn't too tasty - the crispy rice portion. I wish it had more seasoning. They filled it with a lot of Korean bbq, which was nice and had lettuce slaw also. We also got the Korean bbq bowl. This was just okay because there wasn't too much beef. We got a ton of rice but less beef - just didn't feel like it was portioned properly. The beef had a lot of fat and tendon too so it was even less protein than it seems. You can find a decent meal here. I would come back again. read more

Great location inside of The Public Market in Emeryville! Plenty of parking in the lot that surrounds the market. The set up inside TPM is that of a food court. Lots of choices! Plenty of clean restrooms and a lot of seating spread out inside TPM. We arrived just before closing, Friday 8:20 PM so there was no wait at any of the restaurants. Koja is just one of the many restaurants (food counters) inside TPM. Options ranging from chicken bowls to rice bun burgers filled with vegan meat. We ordered a Zen Bowl and a Zen Koja, both meatless options. Service was good. Prices were extremely reasonable but food portions were quite small. Food was delicious! If you are coming here on an empty stomach, you may want to order big. Delicious food + small portions= another trip in line. read more

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The First bite of my short rib koja was gristley and gross. I had to spit it out. Bring back the beef koja with pineapple.

Sharing a not so great lunch experience at KoJa. First, we've been here numerous times plus we ate at the Walnut Creek location (it's closed now). Love the food. Today, Emeryville was clearly having issues. Food: Tough meat. The rice for the bun was not as good as it usually is. The Kamazazie Fries were different and not in a good way. Location: Behind the counter was so messy and very unorganized. The plexi needed a nice cleaning. Convid Rules: Only a few of the colleagues had mask on. Was Koja sold recently? It just isn't the same place. I hope they figure it out because, the in the past, the food was great. Thanks. read more

Delicious. Beef koja is a beef Korean burger ina party of hard crispy rice perfectly seasoned. Also they h ave delicious and waffle fries with Korean spicy mustard. read more

Hubby decided to go out for a drive and ended up here one weekend to try something new. I got the short rib bowl with brown rice and salad. Hubby got the beef bowl with a braised pork taco and we shared the umami fries. I enjoyed my bowl but hubby didn't so much. He said it was ok which is not a good thing for him. I thought everything we got was just all right. But I do want to come back and try the Koja burger everyone talks about. The service was ok and for the portion It was priced fairly. I would give this place another try but it was good for having something different. read more

KoJa Kitchen - Waiting for our food - Japanese Near Me - Emeryville, California

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I ordered the fries and asked for ketchup. They gave me two tiny packages, when I asked for2 more, they stated that they would have to charge me for getting two more tiny ketchup packets, I got a refund on my food and I will never eat here again. read more