This was a nice little restaurant to eat at before watching a movie! My bf and I were deciding what to eat before we went to the movies, and we knew this little plaza had some eateries to go to. This one caught our eye and we decided to try this place out! The employees were very friendly, and one of the ladies giving us our banchan was super sweet and funny! We enjoyed her energy so much! We ordered the seafood pancake, fried chicken, and bossam platter, and we both can admit that our eyes were a bit bigger than our stomachs, but we walked out with leftovers :) The seafood pancake was good! It was crispy and the portion was pretty big, so you definitely get your money's worth. The fried chicken was good. I think it would be even better if there was a sauce that paired with it because it was just plain. But! It was juicy and had a nice crispy exterior, so that was nice! And the bossam was so good, we did finish that haha. We weren't used to pork belly as the pork cut for the bossam, but it was good! Also, it was our first time eating it with cabbage because we usually eat it with lettuce and/or perilla leaves, so it was an interesting experience, but in a good way. They gave a MOUNTAIN of the vegetables, which shocked us haha! Overall, very good place and would recommend checking them out if you're in that part of the Saratoga area! read more

It's been a while since we've been here. It looks like they have new owners and workers. Service is so much faster and better. In the past it was just one lady and sometimes a girl to help but now they have more staff and opened up more tables close to the wall/door. And they painted the walls and everything looks fresh and clean! First - they have the BEST Seafood Pancakes EVER!! STILL... thank goodness. The only negative is the sauce is different than before - it's too salty for me so just a little dip is enough... BUT they have the right crunch and ALOT of seafood (octopus) and green onions and not much batter which is PERFECT!! I do wish they would offer a smaller size as between the two of us it's hard to finish but thank goodness for the air fryer! I am on a ginseng chicken kick and they did NOT disappoint. SO filling and they stuff it with the ginseng and rice. And the soup - so comforting. I felt so much better after eating it... Hubby had their dumpling tofu soup (med spicy). He devoured it. We love that they serve it with purple rice. They didn't even ask like before they automatically offered the purple rice. Their bon chon was decent. Loved their jap chae and the rest was okay. Overall it's a steady great korean food. I want to try their dakjiim (Korean braised chicken) the next time - they don't have it on their menu but you can ask for it! :) Definitely our go to for Korean food comfort food!! read more

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If you decide to visit Yummy Tofu & BBQ... let it be for the seafood pancake! This was literally the best seafood pancake I've had lol. We visited on a Saturday and came in right as they opened. A few minutes later, the entire restaurant became packed with patrons. I heard about Yummy Tofu & BBQ from a friend who spoke highly about the seafood pancake so I had high expectations coming in! The food: + Seafood Pancake (5/5): SO good. Every piece was criiiisp and they were surprisingly generous with the amount of seafood too. At most spots where I order this, I feel like most of it ends up being batter or green onions. Tip: ask for it extra crispy! + Seafood Tofu Soup (4/5): Also delicious!! Generous once again with the proteins that were in it. I'm a huge clam lover and this fortunately came with tons of clam so I enjoyed it a lot. :) It did taste a bit watered down though, which was a small con. + Bossam (3/5): HUGE serving. Be prepared! We had a group of 4 and we were barely able to make a dent in it lol. The bossam was good (add oysters!!) but after a while, the saltiness kind of took over. + Mandu (4/5): Also perfect crispness!! I enjoyed the filling and appreciated how it wasn't too greasy. Our food came out really quickly and we never ran into any issues with service either. Overall, delicious food and a nice lil hole-in-the-wall restaurant :) read more

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Perfect spot for comforting, authentic Korean food! The seafood pancake is massive, super crispy, and loaded with ingredients. Generous portions, delicious side dishes (banchan), and friendly service. Definitely a solid go-to in the area! read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

Dropped by tonight and somehow ended up with a table full of dishes that weren't even on the menu yet -- the chef was testing a few things. Felt like a little Halloween surprise menu for those who showed up at the right time. The Galbi-jjim (갈비찜) -- braised beef short ribs -- was next level. It's a true, classic Korean preparation done with care and respect: slow-braised short ribs with chestnuts, carrots, and radish, cooked until the meat literally falls off the bone. The balance of soy, sweetness, and aroma was spot on -- rich, comforting, and deeply satisfying. This dish represents what real Korean home-style cooking is all about. The Dubu-kimchi (두부김치) -- stir-fried kimchi and pork with warm tofu -- was pure Seoul soul food. Spicy, savory, and perfectly balanced with that soft tofu. The kind of dish that keeps the table talking and the bottles flowing -- our soju didn't last long. The Sogogi Jjin Mandu (소고기찐만두) -- steamed beef dumplings -- were clean and subtle, nothing flashy. The filling was delicate, and the flavor crept up on you in the best way. Real Korean cooking doesn't need to be fancy -- it just needs heart, patience, and respect for the basics. This place has all three. -- Dr. C Only writing for what truly earns the stars. read more

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Haven't been here in years, so I'm happy to see that it's still here. It seems they changed owners, but the food is decent. Seafood pancake - 4/5, super crispy Bibimbap - 4/5, good amount of toppings and good flavor Combo tofu soup - 3.5/5, seemed to be lacking but still decent Service was a little iffy. A party after us was almost seated at our table, but that's not entirely their fault. It took a long while for the waitress to take our order. It felt like she was avoiding us, as we asked to order once or twice but she still didn't come over read more

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Noticed a lot of Korean customers at this restaurant, so I thought it would be a good sign. Unfortunately, it turned out to be disappointing. I ordered the seafood tofu soup and galbi. The seafood tofu soup was just average--the shrimp and clams were larger than what you usually get at Tofu House, but the broth itself lacked flavor. The galbi was also pretty standard, nothing memorable. Overall, I don't think I'd revisit this spot. On the positive side, the staff were friendly, which I appreciated. read more

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I have been binge watching the Korean Netflix show "Bon Appetite your majesty" over the past few days and the kids watched some parts as well especially how they celebrate Korean food and were intrigued by it. So when I asked them what they wanted to try this weekend, the answer was "Korean food". ***USP: homely and rustic traditional korean food, think banchan(Korean side dishes), sundubu(Korean tofu soup), bibimbap, bulgogi etc. ***AMBIANCE and LOCATION: isn't much, it's in the same complex as some other popular restaurants like Zeni. ***FOOD: We tried bibimbap, dak bulgogi and chicken tofu soup. *Chicken tofu soup: we got the raw egg with this which we cracked onto the hot soup and let it cook for a bit. And it came with plenty of side dishes. Most of the side dishes were pretty good, I enjoyed the japchae, and tofu dunked in some soy sauce. The soup itself was average though. *Bibimbap: the clay pot it came in crisped up the rice plenty well. The veggies and meat were good as well but cohesively the dish fell short on flavor. It was screaming for some kind of a sauce to tie it up further as the one it came with was not sufficient. *Dak Bulgogi: I thought this was the best dish of the evening. The chicken was incredibly soft and flavorful. My husband who tried the pork version at other places was not as impressed though. read more

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Such a nice hole in the wall place to get delicious Korean food at a great price! Food here can be easily split family style or you could also order your own portion. Portions are generous and I've had to take food home every time I've come here. It can get a bit busier at lunch and it's a smaller restaurant so there may be a short wait. They can easily accommodate larger groups here by piecing tables together. My go-to orders here are the kimchi fried rice, bibimbap, and seafood pancake. The rice at the bottom of the bibimbap is probably the crispiest I've ever had anywhere! It comes with a healthy mix of veggies. The seafood pancake is also very crispy and the dipping sauce complements it perfectly. Any seafood chunks in the pancake were cut to smaller sizes so none were too large or overwhelming. The kimchi fried rice is pretty flavorful and great to share with a group. read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Banchan - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

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Stopped by Yummy Tofu yesterday after a long time and tried their new menu item -- Dakjjim (Korean braised chicken). Wow... the presentation looked amazing, and the price was surprisingly good compared to other places. I was honestly impressed! It's actually hard to find really good Dakjjim in San Jose, but this one was legit. Highly recommend if you're in the area! read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Side dishes Yummy - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

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So I decided to try another Korean BBQ place. I went to Yummy Tofu and BBQ at 1310 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129 Upon arrival I was warmly greeted by the staff and was seated. The restaurant was small with tables that could support around 30 customers. The menu was very basic and did not really explain much about the food. What I didn't know that each main dish comes with side dishes of kimchi, glass noodles, flat noodles, broccoli, pickles, and potatoes. These side dishes were a meal in themselves. My main dish was the seafood pancake (their signature dish) and pork pot stickers. Now the pancake tasted very crispy and fresh with a large amount seafood in it. The pot stickers were made to order and was unbelievably delicious. Everything was really outstanding! This is a family business and the table service was perfect. The server was so friendly and really cared about my experience. The restaurant is a bit older but kept clean and maintained. Even though it is a smaller venue, the tables are nicely spaced. This is a family friendly environment. They have so many items available but no desserts. I found the price point to be fair, considering how much food you get per order. They do have a small charge for take out boxes, so try to eat everything, if you can. This is a great place so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it! read more

A nice mom and pop Korean restaurant that has all the Korean foods at a very reasonable price. It's fairly small, but on a Tuesday evening, customers kept piling in until it was all full. Banchans were really good, very flavorful, and though the kimchi was on the sweeter side, I couldn't stop eating it and that was the one refill we asked for. We ordered the seafood pancake as my friend had raved about it, and I could see why! It's perfectly crispy and has more vegetables, less green onions like other Korean restaurants. I think every single table in the restaurant also ordered it. Plenty of squid and would order this again in a heartbeat. My friend loves the spicy pork neck stew and so we had to give their soup version a try. It was plentiful, truly does feed 2-3 people (but why only one bowl of rice to go with it?) but it lacked flavor with spice and depth. Also the stew version has perilla leaves and perilla seeds, and this did not have it which is my favorite part of this dish. Service was great though. For a small restaurant they have plenty of servers and they were all very friendly and nice despite being really busy. Most ordered the bibimbap and tofu stew, so will have to come back and try that. read more

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Have gone to Yummy Tofu several times by now and always happy with the consistent food and service. I enjoyed the squid with pork and vegetables, but would pass on the army stew next time because the soup was more tangy and almost tomatoey. Feels like home to eat at Yummy! read more

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Huge hole in the wall Korean restaurant with huge portions! Once we walked in and saw Korean families eating here, we knew it was going to be good I felt like I was transported back to Korea! Squid Tteokbokki: 10/10 - Perfect balance of sweet and spicy! One of my favorite tteokbokkis I've had and I absolutely loved how much sauce it had. The day after I mixed the sauce with rice and it was amazing. Big portion too! Mandu Guk: 8/10 - Also big portions and lots of contents to make you full. There were even thin rice cakes and slices of beef in it! Compared to other mandu soups I've had, this one lacked a bit of flavoring as it was a bit bland for me but a hint of soy sauce or salt would have done the trick! read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - tteokbokki & mandu guk - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

I haven't been here for over a decade I think! I stopped coming before because I felt the food quality and service were declining. Anyway, came back for another try because I didn't wanna drive any further. FOOD WAS AMAZING! I think it was way better than before. Service was good and attentive. The place hasn't changed much from before. Setup is the same. Small size family business style read more

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Definitely one of my favorite soondubus around. It tastes like they use a stronger stock (maybe chicken?) than most other restaurants, giving the soup a lot more flavor and depth. I would definitely come back just for this! Most of their stuff was solid but standard (if a tad on the sweet side), with the only other notable item being the seafood pancake, which to me was simultaneously better and worse than the average seafood pancake: it was super crispy and not soggy like most restaurants that tend to make them a little thicker and more doughy; but on the other hand it was probably so crispy because it was incredibly over-oiled and some parts literally just tasted like oil rather than pancake. read more

I can't gatekeep this place anymore because it's just SO delicious. There's already a huge line even on weekdays, so make sure you show up earlier if your party is more than 2. Even all of the banchan are delicious, but when you see everyone around you ordering the same 4 things, you know it's going to be good. Their seafood pancake is my favorite of any kbbq restaurant since it's perfectly crispy and full of seafood. The beef dolsot bibimbap was also tasty and was still pretty good the next day (we had to take it home because we ordered too much)! And the seafood soondubu was so flavorful. Overall, one of my favorite restaurants ever! read more

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My favorite spot for Korean seafood pancake! The soups here are delicious as well. Very solid spot for Korean food in the area! The service is also good. The shop is a bit smaller so sometimes there can be a wait. read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Seafood pancake - highly recommend - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

This is favorite place to get tofu soup in South Bay. Their broth is flavorful and they don't gyp you toppings. Some of the other popular places in South Bay taste more watered down but this place remains tasty. Their seafood pancake is also loaded with seafood, has a good crisp, and is paired with a tasty sauce. Their free panchan is also good. The only thing about this place is that there may be a bit of a wait if you don't go early. And there isn't a waiting area to wait in. read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Beef tofu soup, seafood pancake, knife cut noodle soup - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

We have been this restaurant since 2018 and always loved it. Unfortunately the original owner sold this place maybe one year ago and now we don't like it anymore. First of all, food quality has coming down. The previous owner made their own kimchi but now kimchi is no longer having the home-made flavor. Also the bibimbap has significantly reduced the amount of vegetables in it (quality is down as well). Second, the service is no longer good. Store closes at 14:00. It was 13:35 while the owner already keeps reminding everyone it's time for the last order. The waitress clearly just want everyone to finish asap. She keeps going back to her phone and therefore we need to remind her it's time to bring the chopstick, refill our water, etc.... read more

Randomly found this restaurant and decided to check out their lunch specials. I ordered the Kimchi Stew with Pork (18.99) and my partner got the Spicy Cabbage Soup with Beef Ribs (18.99). Both of our soups came with a side of rice. The banchan is DELICIOUS. I loved the fish cakes, but the tofu dish stood out. The sauce was so flavorful and yummy-- a bit addicting. I would dip other banchan in the sauce because it was too good. We both enjoyed our soups and felt satisfied. I was impressed by the kimchi stew because it was sweet and sour. It had a tangy acidic taste that paired well with the soup's sweetness. At other restaurants, I would only taste gochujang and not kimchi flavors. This place knows how to make delicious kimchi stew. Yummy Tofu and BBQ is truly a hidden gem. When I came for lunch, the restaurant was full of older folks. It gave me a sign of how authentic the place is. I also noticed some Yelpers experienced bad service, but I found the workers to be attentive and refilled our waters without asking. read more

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First time trying Korean food. This is a nice cozy restaurant with friendly service. Ordered their Bibimbap with tofu. It was visually pleasing and was very flavourful!! read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Bibimbap with Tofu - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

Absolutely delicious sundubu, haemul pajeon, japchae and other classics. The bonchon is generous and fresh. It's often a little busy on a Friday evening, but it's always worth any wait. read more

the best korean food around. this is the second time i've ordered this dish but don't know the english pronunciation. However! on the menu it is #26. it's the right amount of protein/rice cake/ kimchi and the tofu balances out the spicy sauce. more than enough food that lasted me 3 meals! my friend ordered some bulgogi as his main dish and he said "best meat i've ever had" hm. but love this place v much.my go - to for korean read more

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Cozy little store located off the side of a strip mall. Food 5/5 Everyone gets the seafood pancake here and for good reason - light crispy batter paired with a delicious dipping sauce. Huge portion too, could easily feed 4 They have lunch specials that are reasonably priced, we got the bulgogi and it was a decent portion with good flavor as well. Will probably come back for the seafood pancake, the banchan was great as well read more

The best seafood pancake! While their other dishes are good as well, this is what keeps me coming back! They always execute their seafood pancake so well! Perfectly crispy, a good amount of seafood and veggies, and a really tasty sauce! Definitely get this! I also like getting their Soon Tofus. Always hits the spot. Their dumpling soon tofu is my favorite! Their bulgogi dish is quite tasty as well. We recently tried their Bibimbap and were surprised with how much we liked it! It comes in a large stone pot with a good amount of meat, vegetables, and egg. And of course, you must add the gochujang sauce for that extra flavor and spice! They also have the best banchan--japchae, fish cake, cucumbers, kimchi, tofu, and bean sprouts. So good! Service can be a bit slow, but be patient--the business is run by some older individuals, and they are working hard! The restaurant is also quite busy during peak dinner hours! read more

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Seafood tofu soup is so good, especially with ramen. And the pancake is very crispy. The place is on the small side so sometimes there is a wait.. read more

Very good food for the price. The service was much better and generous with their banchan refills read more

I dropped by Yummy Tofu on a Wednesday night after work and the place was starting to get busy. I don't know if it was because I was dining alone, but the staff basically ignored me the entire time I waited by the entrance. When I was finally acknowledged, they said we'll be right with you but I waited another ten minutes or so. When I realized they weren't going to serve me properly for dine-in, I decided to order my food to-go. After ordering, I waited outside. During this time, another couple came and was seated immediately. Terrible service. After taking my food back to the hotel, I saw they never included utensils or napkins. Ugh. As far as the food is concerned, I got the spicy pork and seafood pajun. The portion was good, the mains tasted okay, but the rice was inedible. It was almost completely solid.. no grain separation at all. Disgusting. So while the pork and seafood pajun was fine, the solid piece of rice brick ruined the experience for me. I won't be going back. read more

I've been on a hunt for a good kimchi Jjigae and I think I found it !! And all the sides were my favorite! read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

When we walked in I didn't see the sign in on the wall. Fortunately the gentleman who greeted us remembered we were there first and sat us even though another couple who came after and were quicker to put their name on the list. Seemed like a family owned and operated business. Husband was friendly while the wife was a little curt and task oriented. What we loved was that our food came out rather quickly and it was piping hot and tasty: read more

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Came in a little close to closing time but they were still able to seat us which was greatly appreciated. They took our order pretty quickly and got water and tea for us while we waited. We ordered a seafood pancake, beef dolsat bibimbap, and seafood dolsat bibimbap. Everything came out very quickly and I was pleasantly surprised because we came in very hungry. To start with all the accompaniments were very good, which is to be expected at a place such as this. The seafood pancake was exceptional, one of the best I have ever had. I had the beef dolsat bibimbap and was very happy with how it came out. It was piping hot and the flavor with the gochujang was outstanding. Overall I enjoyed my experience, I wish they provided more water because of how hot everything was, and the service was... to the point to say the least but not rude. I would definitely come back just for the seafood pancake, but this is definitely a great spot to get quality Korean food. read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Dolsat Beef Bibimbap - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

Excellent food...had the Beef Short ribs that goes with all the side delicioso dishes..jap chae yum, purple rice, pickles, bean sprouts, potato, Kim chee n barley tea. Service was amazing..thank you S B H n behind the counter read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - See the Tofu in da middle + review. - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

One of the best Korean restaurants in the area! I really like the bibimbap, vegetable pancake, and fried chicken here and the variety of banchan they provide. Serving sizes for the bibimbap and the bbq meat dishes are pretty large. It is a small restaurant and is very popular so does have a wait sometimes but they move pretty quickly! read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Vegetable pancake - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

This is definitely one of our favorite restaurants, we've been dining here for 10+ years. Ownership changed for about a year. Everything is almost the same, but unfortunately during a to-go experience, we found a string wrap in japchae and the short rib is pretty raw. This is the very first time that we felt very disappointed. read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - what is it? - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

Our new favorite Korean restaurant. Managed to eat here on our second attempt due to wait line. There's always a line here on weekends, and now we understand why. Small hole-in-the-wall, family run business. Service is a bit spotty, as only two persons run the whole dining room. However, they are very efficient at turning over tables. The kitchen also delivered the food very quickly. What we ordered: - seafood pancake: my litmus test of Koran restaurants, unfortunately so often sub-par. Well, this one is the best in the area. Crunchy and tasty, with the right mixture of dough, squid, and green onion. Almost as good as the very much missed Choi. Only the right sauce is missing (they served us just soybean sauce, which is not ideal) - beef. Very tasty sauce. A+ - spicy pork. Unfortunately, ways too spicy, I could not eat it. - side dishes. Very good. Includes glass noodles. Will refill. - liked their hot tea Prices are a little above what you can get in "Koreatown" area (ex. Shu), but it's much closer to us. We will be back. read more

Decided to go on a solo dine-in and was craving soondooboo. I usually never talk about the service in my reviews and only give a review on the food, but I just have to talk about the service here. Right when I walked in, it looked like they did not want me there. I just brushed it off because I thought they were busy, but the serves gave me the side eye and looked upset that I was there. They did not even welcome me and didn't even tell me that they'll seat me. I don't know if it's because I'm a party of one or they can tell I'm not Korean. When they did seat me, they did not ask me anything and slammed the menu. When they took my order, they just asked me if I wanted my soondooboo spicy with a passive aggressive tone. The service was terrible, but I gotta admit they had the best banchan I've ever had. Most notably the japchae and fish cake Beef soondooboo (5/5): Very comforting and everything you want in a Korean tofu soup. However, I felt that it was lacking some flavor and the tofu chunks were huge read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

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Came by for lunch the other day and it was a decent experience. Yummy Tofu & BBQ is a mom & pop Korean restaurant located inside a strip mall. Parking is plentiful although neighboring stores have signage suggesting to clean out one's cars to prevent break-ins... Upon arrival, a male staff member curtly pointed a table to us in the rather warm restaurant. I sure hope that the restaurant has air conditioning in the warmer months... Started off with the ban chan and it was decent. There was chap jae, kim chi etc. Moved on to the seafood pancake which was huge. Unlike other seafood pancakes, this one was light, not oily, and crispy. It also came with a side of spicy dipping sauce. The short rib lunch special was decent. The short ribs were on the leaner side and kept on cooking on the sizzling plate making them well done right in front of our eyes...eek... As the dish cooled down, the sauce became much more bold... The lunch special did come with a bowl of purple rice. ~$25/head after tax and gratuity for lunch. 40-60 cents per takeaway container for leftovers... They do take credit cards. read more

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Craving comfort food? This Korean spot in San Jose hits the spot! Their tofu soup is rich and satisfying--especially with rice on top. I ordered the seafood pancake (a must!)--so crispy and flavorful. The bibimbap was perfect with that crispy rice I love, and paired with the soup, it's pure comfort. Highly recommend for anyone craving traditional, home-style Korean food. The flavor speaks for itself! read more

Yummy Tofu and BBQ - Seafood Pancake. Side dishes and hot stone rice. - Barbeque Near Me - San Jose, California

The service itself was fine, but the way they handled the payment was truly despicable. I have never encountered a restaurant with such rude and insolent staff. I was dining with friends, and our bill came to 300 usd I decided to leave a cash tip of 35 USD on the table. While we were still seated and eating, a staff member came over to collect the tip; upon seeing the 35 USD, they brazenly demanded more--insisting that they receive exactly 40 USD. Consequently, I felt compelled to add another 10 dollars to bring the total up to 45. My guests were extremely uncomfortable with this behavior, and so was I. After all, I was hosting guests--was I really supposed to get into an argument right there? It is utterly unprofessional and ill-mannered for a restaurant to operate this way--snatching up the tip right in front of the customers before they have even stood up to leave. This establishment needs to seriously re-evaluate its practices--starting with the owner. I will never return to this utterly uncouth place. read more