Review #302 - 2018 Either the Korean food selection in Pleasant Hill is very limited and people don't have much to compare to or I just showed up on a very bad evening. We got hungry after we walked around the Sunvalley Mall and we weren't sure where we wanted to go eat at so I decided to choose this place due to the ratings and because it was close by where we were. We showed up around 6:15 PM on September 28th, and there were a few tables that already got their food so we were seated immediately. I ordered the al jjigae, which is one of my favorite jjigae so I was really glad to see it on their menu. To my dismay, it was super salty! I had already finished my bowl of rice and didn't make a dent on the jjigae so the waitress asked if I wanted to take my left over home. I was like, "no, thank you!" My brother and my son both got the kalbi tang and they both said it was pretty bland, which I could work with. You just need to add a little salt and they both were able to enjoy it just fine. Most of the banchans were either too bland or too salty so I'm not sure what to make of this place. Luckily, service was attentive and that's why I gave it 2-stars. read more

Moa Korean BBQ - 09/28/2018: Super salty :( - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

I like this place I used to go that place to eat but one time I found long black hair in the food .. so gross :( I haven't been there since.

Came here during lunch hour, and everything was good and cheap! Side dishes were good, and the quantity of the plates were perfect! Service was nice, I had no problem with my dining. They were nice people, food was good and price was not bad. It's a small place read more

Moa Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Pleasant soups for takeout with banchan included in your order. Yook Gae Jang (spicy flank steak soup w/ vermicelli and egg) - The broth was very soothing and the heat had a nice kick to it. The flavors were balanced and the meat was soft and tender. Duk Mandu Gook (dumpling and rice cake) - The rice cake was soft but the broth was lacking in flavor. The banchan helped to save this dish but I would probably skip on this soup in the future. I liked the generous amount of rice given with our soups, and the fish cake was my favorite amongst the side dishes. Overall this is a very solid restaurant. read more

Excellent food and service to each customer. If you like a good barbecue, then, Mia Korean BBQ. Is the place you're gotta go for outstanding food! Dr. Throne read more

Prices for lunch specials was very good Quality better than average asian restaurant in a strip mall. Ambiance clean but not very decreative. Service was efficient I would say for dinner, better as takeout. I was not thrilled with my lunch order of grilled maceral fish. Ive liked grilled beef sandwiches at other korean restaurants. My friend ordered that and liked it. Next time i will order beef. If could give 3.5 stars that would be more accurate rating. Come here if you especially like korean cuisine with little plates of various garnishes, otherwise you might find better options. read more

Are you guys up for a story? Okay, here goes: Basketball was the sport for me in my younger days. I was a pretty good shooter and a great leaper for an Asian dude. One day (about 20 years ago) at my neighborhood park, a friend of mine told me dinner's on him if I could dunk the ball on a regular 10ft hoop. I smiled at him and said: "You're on". I started behind the 3-pt line, took five dribbles, and flushed the ball down with two hands. My friend tried to weasel out at first, but ended up keeping his word and took me to this place in Concord called Korean Palace. It was a great meal. Till this day I still remember the free potato pancakes the female owner gave us. Crispy on the outside, moist and savory on the inside. Best potato pancake ever. You may ask: "What's this got to do with your review on Moa Korean BBQ?" Me: "Easy turbo! Just keep reading." Two nights ago, my friends and I tried Moa for the first time. Since it was a weeknight, we got a table immediately. While we were trying to figure out what to order, something was brought to our table. CRISPY POTATO PANCAKES!!! EUREKA!!! I looked at the crispy golden potato medallions and asked the lady: "Did you own a place called Korean Palace on Clayton Road about 20 years ago?" Lady: "Yes I did! You've been there before?" Me: "I've been looking for you for 20 years!! You make the best potato pancake!!" Anyway, enough of the storytelling. After a rather lengthy conversation with the owner, the three of us got the following: spicy seafood soondubu ($10.95), bulgogi ($16.95), and spicy pork ($16.95). The seafood soondubu came to the table bubbling hot. Decent amount of seafood (squid, small clams, and oysters) in the pot and the spiciness level was just right. As for the meat dishes, both had good flavors and the portions were huge. The three of us couldn't finish them and we ended up taking quite a bit of leftover home. The meal came with 12 banchans and all above average. The server and the owner came by several times asking us if we'd like them refilled. Overall, it was a great meal, as the food was great and the service was impeccable. But the best part was still the potato pancake. Now that I've found Moa, let's just say I don't have to wait another 20 years before tasting them again! P.S. Don't let my profile picture fool you... read more

As a half Korean woman I know good Korean food when I taste it. This place is spot on and anything you order from here will be authentic tasting. Bring your full wallet though because this place is not cheap. We have ordered in before the pandemic and ordered out during the pandemic and the food is just wonderful. The portion sizes are great, the flavor is there and I've never been upset about anything that I have tried. One of our favorites of course is the bulgogi and galbi and sometimes we go to japchae. One of our other favorites is the kimchee tofu soup which is the bomb. Try it if you haven't. You can order and the pandemic and pick up. If ordering for a family of 4, 2 orders of meat is enough and just order extra rice if you need it. Just a tip. read more

I think better buy lunch special dinner menu a lot. I am student and lunch special OK because many free side come with meal and if ask more they give. Food and veg taste fresh and made same day. I try meat I forget name but meat with bone and very delicious but I wish 2 or 3 piece more. my friend try fish and it big and very hot. other friend try soup, not lunch special and he say terrible, but this my review and I say my lunch very good and mw service good from beautiful Korean woman. I go back again sure but 1 friend say not go back. read more

My mom was friends with the previous owner. We've always loved her food and it became our go-to spot almost on a weekly basis when mom didn't want to cook for the family. They recently changed owners and we were afraid that the food would not be up to par but thankfully, that has not changed. We always order their Kalbi - it's so flavorful without too much fat. I also love their Tofu seafood soup. It's my favorite on a hot or cold night. The spot is small; it can get packed surprisingly. I am a fan of little mom/pop shops and I hope this one sticks around for a very long time. read more

Lunch specials are below $10 except galbi which is $12.xx You start out with some daikon soup (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/moa-korean-bbq-pleasant-hill-2?select=1wBXZgs8qHeF46Kf9XyIKA#FInHVUz0X99xUkXnlSI1Wg) and then five bowls of banchan are delivered with a typical assortment of kimchi, potatoes, japchae, etc (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/moa-korean-bbq-pleasant-hill-2?select=1wBXZgs8qHeF46Kf9XyIKA#R3XIH4bYrHxIYqN_tyINSg). I liked the healthy touch with fresh spinach in the japchae The lunch plates are a generous amount of food with the galbi, four pieces of tempura including a shrimp, rice, and four more banchan of broccoli, cucumber, radish, and sprouts (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/moa-korean-bbq-pleasant-hill-2?select=1wBXZgs8qHeF46Kf9XyIKA#UA9GtKXVIP9e4dlU4Ael1A). I prefer the traditional accordion cut galbi vs. the LA / flanken cut they serve here so you don't have to deal with the bone in every piece (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/moa-korean-bbq-pleasant-hill-2?select=1wBXZgs8qHeF46Kf9XyIKA#WGvoVdAtgbvyLQVjXNPP9g), but the galbi is tender and nicely marinated. I liked that it wasn't dripping with a coating of marinade (which you often see) so you could better taste the short ribs. They didn't have ssamjang (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ssamjang), but will bring some doenjang (soybean paste) if you ask (on the left http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/moa-korean-bbq-pleasant-hill-2?select=1wBXZgs8qHeF46Kf9XyIKA#hPm5hVzNihxy0iZ5pD53Qw) Service was slow; it took awhile to place my order and 1/2 hr to get my food after I ordered. It was packed @ 1:30 on a Monday and the two servers had their hands full; not sure if this is typical or was a President's Day effect? read more

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I got the spicy chicken lunch special and it was very juicy and had plenty of kick. A little pricier than Korea House so I can't say that I'm a super fan. The choices are different so I give them props on the menu. Their lunch special isn't as bountiful as Korea House. So you can see where I'm going in terms of which I'd go to if given a choice. Definitely Korea House for the win and Moa as a change of pace. read more

Moa Korean BBQ - Spicy chicken - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

My friend and I visited for lunch on a Saturday and like other reviewers, appreciated that there were lunch specials on a Saturday. We both ordered the short ribs lunch special which included banchan side dishes. The short ribs were delicious! We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. The staff were super friendly and also checked back with us as to whether we wanted additional banchan. Restaurant was clean. We will definitely be back. read more

The plentiful panchan, the succulent, unctuous ssam gyup sal (pork belly), the wonderful fresh array of ingredients... it's rare that I ask you to just view photos as a testament to the kind of food this little Korean joint serves, but my oh my, lucky Pleasant Hill and Concordites.... A more perfect dol sot bibimbap I have not savored in a long, long time-- A thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable dinner we had! read more

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The 5 stars are for the service for sure. Their food is great and the small sides they provide are great. We got our food in a timely manner. At the end of our meal they helped packed our food to go and had these orange wedges for everyone. The oranges were sweet. I would come here again. read more

Yummy banchan and bibimbap. Bibimbap was well portioned and have good burn on the rice. Service was great. Place is small. Will come again. read more

Moa Korean BBQ - Yummy - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

My husband and I have been missing our regular Korean BBQ place. However due to Covid, we have been relying on Door Dash for our date night takeout. Today we saw this as a new option for our area and decided to try it. Although they mistakenly replaced one of the items, all of the food was extremely delicious and high quality. We really felt the care and thoughtfulness the staff of this establishment put into the food transportation and flavors of each dish. Overall a great experience. read more

Moa Korean BBQ - Samgyupsal, banchan, sautéed shrimp and vegetables. - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Pretty good Korean food. I got the veggie tofu soup, would have liked a bit more 'substance' to it e.g. rice cakes or egg, but it was pretty good anyway. read more

My sister-in-law visited my wife and I this past weekend. She moved to Portland recently and one of the things that she misses about the Bay Area is the variety of cuisines. In particular, she misses bi bim bop so we decided to check out Moa BBQ for dinner. It was Friday night and the restaurant was definitely busy. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long for a table though. Our server brought us out some daikon soup and some potato pancakes to start our meal. The soup was fine but nothing special and the pancakes were greasy and bland, even with the dipping sauce. I know a lot of people like how Korean food has so many side dishes, but I feel like a lot of them are just filler and the ones that I do like, there's never enough of. I would rather just get to choose two or three sides. For our main course I ordered the Yook Gae Jang (flank steak soup with vermicelli noodles) and my wife ordered the Dwe Ji Bul Go Ki (spicy pork). My wife's sister ordered the bi bim bop. The spicy pork looked absolutely amazing served on a large piping hot platter. One of the servers came by with a pair of scissors to cut the pork into pieces for us. While it makes sense to cut the pork smaller, seeing someone cut up the meat with a pair of Fiskars isn't exactly appealing. Perhaps they could do this in the kitchen or just use a knife. On the plus side, the pork tasted really good. The sauce was spicy and flavorful, and the portion size was quite large. The flank steak soup was so satisfying. The broth was not too salty and the beef was nicely seasoned. Even though the portion was large, I still ended up finishing my bowl of soup. Our meal concluded with some refreshing orange slices. Overall, the main dishes were really tasty albeit a bit pricy and the service was great. We would certainly recommend this place if you are looking for Korean food in the Pleasant Hill area. read more

Moa Korean BBQ - Spicy pork - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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We had the broiled wine marinated chicken (non-spicy). It was juicy and tasty. It was a little pricey for 20 dollars. The glass noodles with veggies were very good and the noodles had a very nice bouncy texture. There were many banchans and they were all good. Service was good too. We received soup and tea though I don't know if we were charged for the tea. This place is really small. The bathroom is hidden in the back. We will come back for the food though the ambiance is very bare bones. Price is on the high side. Two entrees were 37.00 and we had their less expensive items. Still, it's worth coming back for quality Korean food. read more

Still as good as I remembered! The portions are large. The panchans are tasty. And the service is excellent. The only sad thing is that they no longer make anchovies. Plus, if you ask nicely, they may extend the lunch special to the weekend. read more

Moa Korean BBQ - Water in a bottle =] - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Takeout order: Galbi lunch set, Chicken bibimbap (cold), Combo soon dubu medium spiciness. Every entree came with rice, which was very generous, but we ended up having a lot of leftover rice at the end. I imagine the bibimbap would probably taste better when eaten at the restaurant in the hot stone pot. There were about four kinds of barchan that came with it (pickles, kimchi, seaweed, and fish cake). My galbi short ribs were okay, but my favorite dish was probably the hot tofu soup. The medium spiciness was just right and hit the spot. read more

This was a great spot for lunch. Food was very delicious and the service is excellent. We had a funny moment where I asked the staff if we could get more glass noodles and she was already holding one to give to us. Very attentive! Will definitely be returning again! read more

I have walked by this restaurant many times and it smells delicious. We went in and were greeted immediately, they brought out a really imaginative repurposed water bottle. Then we were given a bowl of something souplike. I wasn't sure what to do with it. It didn't smell or taste good and there was a potato like object in the bottom. I tried the soup and did not like it. They brought out a really nice Banchan with a lot of selections. We ordered the Beef Shortribs and they were nicely seasoned and tender. We also ordered the pancake which was great until I bit into a tiny octopus tentacle. It was a nice meal but nothing breathtaking read more

This is our favorite Korean BBQ place; the food is consistently delicious, portions are generous, and the service is excellent. I usually order the kalbi or bulgogi lunch and my dad and daughter always order the kalbi. We've ordered takeout here many times during COVID and the food is packed very well. The owners and staff are very nice and very friendly. My dad always orders a Diet Coke, and they would remember and bring it to him as soon as he was seated at the table. One day I called for takeout and they were out of Diet Coke. When I went to pick up the order, they knew it was for my dad and gave me a Diet Pepsi, on the house. It's thoughtful gestures like this, and great food at reasonable prices, that make us loyal customers. read more

Holy Moly, this place has large portions. They are a bit on the pricey side, however you get plenty of food for you buck. I ordered the Bi bim bap and my boyfriend ordered his own entree. We both ended up with leftovers and in hindsight would have split one. They also bring out many of the little side dishes and a complimentary pancake. The service was quick and responsive. They had a comfortable dining room that wasn't over crowded. read more

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This is become our regular, Food always great!!!! Love the food here!!! service is okay nothing to complain.

we're seldom in the area but we were here this past weekend. it was exactly like we remembered it from 5 year ago. good portions, tasty and gotta love the side dishes. we had the bbq chicken and the beef bulgogi. read more

A slice of Korean goodness. In a nondescript strip mall, you can find Moa Korean Food nestled comfortably. However, upon first glance you will know you are there because in large, all CAPS it reads: KOREAN FOOD. Apparently the Moa, isn't so important. So I've def tasted Korean food before, but I've never experienced it first hand in a Korean restaurant. It was almost as if I stepped into a Korean friends house. Everything was clean, plain, simple...nothing to fancy to overwhelm the senses. Our group of 4 were seated quickly. A young lad was very pleasant, but not too social. He kindly took our order with a few head nods and a few okays. First was our soup - broth with Dai Kon (sp?). They were served in little bowls that resembled mini-mixing bowls. The broth was tasty, however it had a strong garlic flavoring, almost with a kick. The dai kon was okay, not much flavor for the root, but good none the less. I also noticed something that was unusual (to a first-timer), their spoons comes wrapped - resembling a dentist tools. Sanitary, yes, although slightly odd. Soup, I'm used to. But not the Pan Chan - free appetizers?!? That's awesome, I've apparently been missing out on this Korean tradition. I tried a couple bites, I wasn't quite adventurous as usual. The fish cakes and potatoes were sweet, but tasty. A few dishes were super red, which I knew meant spicy, so I stayed away. Nice gesture, but my pickiness defeated me with these freebies. We all ordered something different off the menu. I ate the traditional meal of Kalbi (#1) - the nice cut of meat, in a sweet and tangy sauce. Pretty basic, I'm guessing, but delicious. A #1 lunch special comes with the meat, rice, 4 pieces of tempura (one was even a shrimp), cucumbers, noodles, and broccoli (it was cold). Overall, $8.45 well spent. I also sampled the Bi Bam Bap, imagine the soup bowl, but an actual mixing bowl size. It's like the kitchen sink in a bowl or a salad with a side of rice. Simple...no frills, and I'm okay with that - can't wait to get my Korean on again ;) read more

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I was roaming around Pleasant Hill just exploring the city. I stumbled upon this place one day. I didn't go in but I noticed some classmates go in there. It looked interesting because I never had Korean BBQ before. So today I took my best friend to this place. She has already been there before and told me that it was good. I was already persuaded. Once we entered, we were immediately show to our seats. They inquired about what we wanted to drink and immediately brought the water to us. She made sure to check one or twice before we were ready to order. The price was a bit high for me. I kind of wish we had come at around lunch. We order the beef dish and spicy pork dish where they bring rice, soup, and all these toppings like broccoli, sour kraut, etc. The meal came fairly quickly. Quickly enough where we didn't think about "where is it?" But not quickly enough where we thought how could they cook that fast. The food tasted fresh, and the amount of food was a whole lot. The service was excellent. Our server plus two others made sure to check on us. They asked us how we were doing. They took away our dirty plates, etc. Overall, it was a quite pleasant experience and I would definitely return. read more

Moa Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Growing up in a Korean household, I know Korean food. I would have to rank Moa as the best Korean restaurant in Contra Costa County. The food is delicious and the servings are generous which is a combination you don't often find at a Korean restaurant. The ambience is nothing special, but that doesn't bother me one bit. read more

SO FIRE. it's a order-by-entree establishment and the food was very yum, felt home cooked. favorite was definitely the beef Galbi. Portion sizes were big too! read more

Friendly staff, overly sweet Korean food, and not great value for the price. This is a great "intro to Korean food" place for Americans who are used to a sweet palate and tepid about trying new things. The service was friendly and quick. Unfortunately, our food was mediocre. The dumplings honestly tasted like ones from a frozen package; the japchae had very few vegetables and no meat (for $12+?), and the kalbi & banchan was too sweet. Not really any hot sauce or gojuchang to help. If we're going to spend $50+ for two, I'd rather drive to Oakland and get the real deal. This is convenient for the area but not great value. read more

The spicy pork belly and beef galbi are my favorites. The price is expensive though. Service is fast.

This is one of my fave places for Korean BBQ. Not sure if the lady waiting on us was the owner but she was so nice. We ordered the green onion plank cake with shrimp. It was so homemade tasting, not the thin and crunchy you're used too. Thick, fluffy, and long stems of green onion. Dol Sot Bi Bim Boo 10/10. They have such good rice and egg was cooked perfectly! Also got the medium spicy marinated chicken and it was so good! A small place with great flavor and service! Don't have any AC so if you're looking to eat here on a hot day, beware and get ready to sweat. read more

I go here often. It's really close to home and their lunch specials are delicious. A little pricey but their spicy pork marinade is soooo good. Owners are so nice also. read more

Finally! a Korean restaurant that reminds me of all the good Korean food I had in LA. This is as authentic as you will get and it tastes home made. The side dishes were generous amounts and we received appetizer soup and a potato croquette to start off our meal! All delicious, particular the side dish of fish cakes. I ordered the seafood soon tofu and it came out pipping hot. Delicious! I burnt my tongue initially per usual as I am never patience enough for the soup to cool down enough for me to eat. The dish had tofu, shrimp, octopus, shelled clams, mushrooms, and zucchini. The seafood was teeny sized! I kept looking at it and laughing because I've never seen it prepared this way before, so that was a unique experience. My friends ordered the bim bop, kimchi dol sot di bim bop, doe ji bok-um, sogoki bok-um, and duk mandu gook. The bim dop and kimchi dol sot di bim bop were similiar minus that one had kimchi. Both super flavorful! Having cracked the egg yolk in the bim dop and mixing it all up while the bowl was still sizzling had a mouth watering smell that I just love since I could survive on eggs if I had to. The doe ji bok-um and sogoki bok-um were ... delicious also! Sizzling hot and generous portions. The quality of the meat was great, not rubbery. The doe ji bok-um was a bit too spicy for me but my roommate loved it. The duk mandu gook was a generous serving size as well, there were 6 dumplings in it. I took apart one and was able to taste freshness and see that this was hand-made, not store-bought frozen dumplings. Rice cakes = delicious always, no complaint. I feel it takes a lot to mess up rice cakes. Overall, GREAT. Prices moderate, I think the sauteed dishes were on the more expensive side, generous portions, good quality meat, very friendly staff. This is the authentic Korean food that I've been seeking near Concord. My only complaint is that they don't seem to have AC as the restaurant felt pretty hot inside even though it was night time read more

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Welcoming staff and takes reservations. Prompt delivery of food after taking our orders. All Six of us enjoyed our food. Our grandson loved his beef bulgogi! Most of us had the beef bibimbop lunch which was filling and flavorful. The husband had the shrimp lunch special and we shared a seafood pancake with its special sauce. Good selection of dishes, tasty food and fair prices. Can't beat that! read more

I remember as a kid they used to have a restaurant somewhere off Clayton Road waaay back in the day. This place has a special place in my heart because of childhood memories I had eating there, a lot of family meals after church, or little celebrations were held there. Till this day, the food to me and my family still tastes as good as it did back then. The recipes have not changed. The family who owns this business are very friendly and hospitable to everyone who comes in. The staff there are also polite. read more

My favorite and go-to Korean restaurant in the area. Everything on the menu is delicious. They also give you ample of side dishes and you can always ask them for more of something if you'd like. Out of all the Korean restaurants I've been to the kimchi here is the best and the workers are always so friendly and quick! read more

Moa Korean BBQ - Bibimbap dolsot - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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