Koja Kitchen

2.5 STARS
I first tried the truck about 3 or so years ago at Off the Grid. I wasn’t super impressed as I was just in Japan and had a pork belly sandwich with a rice bun. Koja’s version didn’t compare. When I found out they had opened a Koja Kitchen in my neighborhood, I decided to give them another shot. I dropped by Monday, January 25^th around 6:15pm to grab takeout for dinner.
The have a giant menu in their front entryway, but you don’t have to decide outside. (Can you tell I stood outside staring at their menu before finally walking in to place my order?) They have menus inside by the register as well. I decided on a little variety and ordered a koja, taco and some wings.
*KOJA: your choice of protein served between fried garlic rice buns — BRAISED PORK KOJA ($ 7.75) — miso-​coconut braised pork, arugula, wonton chip, garlic aioli, masago, lemon wedge
I believe I tried a beef koja last time, so I decided to give the pork a shot. The filling was a little mushy and could have used a little more spice. Nothing some sriracha couldn’t fix. I didn’t care for the rice buns though. The outsides were super hard, so it was hard to chew without getting the rice stuck in my teeth. I also wish the koja came out piping hot instead of warm. I think that may have helped with the rice a bit.
*BEEF TACO ($ 3.45): korean bbq beef, sautéed onions, sesame vinaigrette lettuce, red sauce, japanese mayo, fried shallots, nori
The beef taco was okay. The flavors were a little too sweet for me. The sriracha helped hide the sweetness and add a little kick.
*KOREAN BUFFALO WINGS ($ 7.95): korean fusion buffalo sauce, red pepper, parsely, japanese mayo
I debated between ordering this and the kamikaze fries. I had the fries last time, so I decided on the wings. They were big, meaty and tender. Some nice subtle flavors, but I normally like my korean wings to pack more of a flavor punch.
Overall, an okay meal. Unfortunately, it didn’t change my mind about their kojas. Their rice buns are still a miss for me.

This was on the radar simply because it was very close to lie final destination this evening.
I expected a little bit more when it came to the setup, but was pleased with the simplicity of the menu, the seating arrangements and ease of ordering.
The food was pretty good.
Short rib koja has very interesting flavors, but the short rib wasn’t as tender as I hoped it would be. The rice cake buns are a very nice twist, but it’s not cohesive and it’s tough to keep together as a sandwich.
Umami fries were good but again, inconsistencies. The top of the fries were delicious but far too many fries were butt naked!
Strawberry lemonade was an excellent and refreshing addition to the meal and I’d definitely grab another.
I’m gonna come back for more, which is the true test of any restaurant experience.

First timer — got something off the secret menu.
Fries were crisped perfectly and balanced very well with the sauces. My rice bun was crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. The marinated beef was good but it was very sweet.
Everything was delicious. Great prices starting around $ 9.
Plenty of seating during our Friday lunch visit. It wasn’t crowded at all to my surprise.
Will definitely be visiting again and taking my visitors here!

3.5 stars for a bit better than Unilocal’s 3-​star «A-​OK» rating
I don’t really get to experience Bay Area food trucks as much as LA food trucks but I’ve heard so much about Koja Kitchen from friends and family. Since they opened up a restaurant closest to me here in SF, I was super excited to finally try it and see what all the hype was about.
As soon as we went inside, we didn’t realize the menu wasn’t on the counter but rather on the large wall space outside or hanging on the door. The only thing I don’t get when places ask their customers to inquire about secret menu items is why they don’t just add those secret menu items on the menu anyway; it’s not really a secret if you’re going to tell customers to ask about the secret??? LOL So when you do ask, they have another menu ready for you to look at… LOL just add it on the menu already!
So, we got:
1. Chicken Bowl + Fried Egg — This contained Korean BBQ chicken, gochujang sauce, kimchi, green onions, fried shallots, sesame seeds and a slice of lemon. The fried egg was an extra charge for $ 1.25. This bowl comes with a side of salad as to all of the other bowls on their regular menu. The chicken was well-​marinated but the fried egg was really fried and they cook the yolk all the way. I think maybe I was hoping for the egg to be a tad bit runny but it’s okay.
2. Beef Bowl (Secret Menu Item) — I pretty much got the same ingredients as the chicken bowl, except, of course, beef instead of chicken and instead of the salad, I got an extra scoop of rice. The beef was also well-​marinated but there was also all sorts of flavors all at once. not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. Also, I personally thought that the kimchi would be so much better if it wasn’t so finely chopped as I didn’t really prefer the texture.
3. Kamikrazee Fries (Secret Menu Item) — Pretty much just like their regular menu kamikaze fries but it serves 2 – 3 people and has beef AND chicken. They’re crisscut waffle fries with japanese mayo, red sauce, kimchi, green onions along with… you guessed it, beef and chicken. The fries weren’t seasoned but I think the rest of the ingredients should have added more flavor to the fries but it was just okay. If the fries were seasoned on its own, then it would have been much better.
Overall, worth a try and I’d probably come back to try their tacos as their meat is very marinated, I’ll give them that. Not bad, though, but glad I tried it!

Came here for lunch on a Friday. We ordered a good amount of food but I felt like some of our food was just OK. I was a regular at their truck when it was at the UN Plaza but I felt like the food here wasn’t the same.
Shortrib Koja (²⁄₅) — I felt like the flavoring of the meat… actually the whole thing was just a sweet soy sauce. It fell flat after a few bites.
Kamikaze fries (³⁄₅) — Our fries were not freshly made. They were lukewarm. They were still crispy… but I really wished they were hot.
Braised Pork Tacos (³⁄₅) — I enjoyed these but felt the coconut flavoring was too strong and overwhelmed the other flavors.

I ordered the beef koja burger + kamikaze fries from the Koja Kitchen food truck and I was blown away. There was so much delicious beef between the rice buns, I had to eat some of it with a fork before tackling the entire thing like a burger. Unfortunately, the rice buns started to fall apart and I ended up eating the rest of the koja burger with a fork. The kamikaze fries are a mouthwatering combo of waffle fries, bbq beef, and sauce. I recommend sharing an order of kamikaze fries unless you’re absolutely starving.

I tell T, in 1997, I was dating this Canadian diplomat’s son, he brought me to Clement street, there used to be a Bus Van for Bargains, there was this super cheap restaurant called China First, which still exists to this date. I remembered it as the burbs, like Daly City, it’s not Pac Heights or Russian Hill, or the Marina, and therefore, this boy who lived in Laurel Heights, albeit, a son of a diplomat, was short lived because I was snooty, but some of the restaurants he introduced me to and I had since developed a long standing relationship.
T said «today it’s safe, we can go to Koja, I think you said it’s a good day to visit your non fly zone.» I think he was right. A quick stop at our bakery, Schubert’s for dessert, then afternoon snack. I suspect since the 90s, this area that used to be bunch of Cantonese older ladies place has changed. For one it is a bit of stroller derby in the making. Priced out middle age parents with dual income, moved their families here and improved its school district. Young people congregated in bars. Next thing you know, it’s filled with midwesterners and Russian immigrants, cohabiting with the old school Chinese immigrants.
It’s changed. Koja moved in, just as it’s changing. This is a young hipster casual fast food Korean restaurant meets Mexican street taco meets bier hall kind of place. This particular brand of combo was first made famous of course by the non other than Kogi KOrean BBQ Taco Truck Roy Choi from LA, now it’s northern neighbor is getting its own Korean fusion fast food, which young twenty something seemed to like.
And, apparently, also my companion, this middle age midwesterner transplanter of German Irish descendent, who lives in Inner Richmond, who likes bier on tap and served along with food that is exotic, cue Asian and Mexican.
In truth, their pork taco is delicious with fish roe on top: orange tobiko is a welcoming surprise. Wings are tangy and sweet. Needs a TV, I think, it’ll attract even more men in baseball caps.
Is it my kind of place? Probably not. I like fanciful white table linen place serving modern European food, not a divey fast food serving joint that will push my calorie intake over the edge. But this place is not for me. It is for those above mentioned crowd. And from what I can tell, this is a winning formula.

I was pretty disappointed by my trip here, after I’d been wanting to try their food for quite a while ever since I heard about the truck.
What we got:
Shortrib koja: the rice patties had good texture, but the menu described them as garlic flavored — there was no flavor whatsoever. More worryingly, however, was the shortrib meat. It was chewy and tough — I didn’t have a single tender bite.
Kamikaze fries: everything about this was ice cold. Is it supposed to be served cold? I think these would have been much better hot. The fries were also unevenly cooked — some were overdone and some weren’t cooked long enough.
Beef bowl with fried egg: this was overall good, but the egg was overcooked.
I know I’m being harsh on this place, but I had heard so many good things about it and my expectations were really high! I ordered some of their most popular items and was utterly disappointed. I don’t think I would come here again, given how many restaurants there are in the area. The concept really appealed to me, but the execution just wasn’t up to par.

Having tried Koja Kitchen’s food at Off the Grids, I heard that they have opened stand-​alone restaurants. Well, I finally was able to check out the Clement Street location in the Inner Richmond district. The front of the restaurant is a patio area with several long tables and smaller tables. As you enter into the ordering area, there are tables on the left as well for those wanting the «inside» seating.
After checking out the large menu boards in the patio area, behind the counter or the menu cards, place your order and you’ll be given a buzzard to let you know when it’s time to pick up your food. Pick up your utensils and park yourself at a table.
We chose the patio, where there are two large screen TV’s, where there were broadcasting the Warriors game and the NFC playoff game. Can it get any better than that, eating Koja and watching the Dubs and a NFL playoff game?
The food:
Beef Bowl — Korean bbq beef, sautéed shallots, kimchi, masago, red sauce, green onions, fried shallots, sesame seeds. Added a fried egg for $ 1.25. You get your choice of rice (white or brown) and it comes with side of sesame vinaigrette spring mix. Delicious bowl that with so many interesting flavors. I think that egg makes it much richer tasting.
Braised Pork Taco — miso-​coconut braised pork, arugula, garlic aioli, masago, fried shallots. The pork was full of flavor and tasty.
Kamikaze Fries — crosscut waffle fries, minced BBQ Korean beef, kimchi, Japanese mayo, green onions, red sauce (which I «held»). It’s nice and crispy, but the bottom is soft from the sauce soaking in.
They have beer on draft and bottles, wine, cocktails, sake/​soju. One thing they don’t serve at the restaurant is Mochimisu. Loved getting this dessert with the mochi/​tapioca pearls at the Koja truck.
Nice that Koja has a restaurant that offers a larger menu selection that their trucks. Great option if I have a Koja craving and I can’t get to OTG. Please add the Mochimisu to the menu and I’ll be really happy!

Koja! Koja! Koja!
Clement Street just continues to get better and better. The location that Koja Kitchen currently occupies has been a revolving door recently, and it really has been a shame. The tenant before Koja did really upgrade the covered patio, though, putting in the two TVs and the heat lamps, which makes for a great dining area, even on a cold, rainy evening.
Okay so apparently this place was /​is a food truck, and this is their first brick and mortar location. I don’t know the history, but I do know that they serve delicious food.
A lot of people are talking about the kamikaze fries. Honestly, they are good, but they aren’t to die for. The umami fries are probably better. The best food they serve are the kojas and the bowls. I prefer a koja. I’ve tried all the meat flavors, and I think their best is the short rib. It’s freaking delicious. Get a fried egg on it because everything in life is better with a fried egg.
The bowls are good too, but I think the «koja bun» is really unique, and you should try it if you’re there for the first time. The tacos are essentially kojas in taco form, but you get less stuff in them, and they’re not as good. I’d say skip the tacos. If you want the koja rice bun, get a koja. If you don’t, get a bowl. There is no need to ever order a taco.
Some say their wings are amazing. I like them. Amazing? Not so sure.
Bottom line: This is a fantastic addition to Clement Street. All of their meats are good, but I strongly prefer the short ribs. Get a short rib koja. Have your friend get a different koja. Split some umami fries.

Yaaaas, finally a restaurant in SF!
Koja Kitchen makes a great addition to the Richmond district. Unless you are coming during prime time like dinner, there should be no long lines, compared to the truck. but then again, people go to OTG for the truck experience, haha.
The restaurant has an ‘outdoor patio,’ as well as indoor seating. Friendly staff and clean restaurant. When you first walk through (the outdoor area), the wall has the menu — but don’t worry, they have menus by the cashier as well! When you order your food, you get a buzzer.
I love to order Short Rib Koja ($ 8.75) and their amazing Kamikaze fries (~$ 6). On occasions, I like to order their Strawberry-​Mango Mint Lemonade ($ 2.75); other times, I prefer the fountain drinks ($ 2.50).
The Koja burgers are amazing — two rice buns with your choice of meat inside (in my case, short rib)! My only problem with it is, sometimes it is a little thick and I have trouble biting the whole burger at one time, but it’s okay, I don’t mind :)
Their signature Kamikaze fries are waffle fries drizzled in their special sauce with a bit of meat. Currently, I’m preferring these fries over the truck because it’s crispier. but the portions are smaller. After a long while, I think the fries get soggy, so eat it first when you can!
Strawberry-​Mango Mint Lemonade is refreshing — very sweet cause of the lemonade with a hint of mint! Love it, but the cup size is 16 oz. I think if you want to spend your money wisely, opt for the fountain drinks (refills?!). If you’re into super sweet (a bit sour) drinks, then this is good for you.
Love coming here when I can! As for parking, ya’ll know Clement — Asians everywhere. Metered on Clement St, unless you’re parking other streets and you could be in residential. but still hard.

I heard about koja kitchen when they were a food truck but never got the chance to try it. I’m glad they opened a store which makes it easier to eat at.
I tried their short rib koja and their kamikazie fries. The short rib koja was really good! The meat was well marinated and slightly sweet and the rice buns had a nice crunch to them. My only complaint is that its kind of small for the price. The fries were waffle cut, topped with kimchi and Japanese mayo. I really liked the fries and the sauce was perfect with it! You can really taste the kimchi and it was totally addicting. I also like how they serve their beers in mason jars!
A great spot for lunch or dinner!

My work is close by to this place so my coworkers and I decided to give this place a try. First time I ordered I wanted to have our meal ready by 12:15pm. I was ordering for 4 people so I called at 11:30am. The young lady told me that if I wanted to have it by 12:15, I have to call later. I told her it was hard for my to call back because we have patients coming in and out and when I called that was my only downtime. She didn’t want to help me out with my request, so I had to call and later which was inconvenient. So when we got there, they combined orders and put it in the same box with another coworkers meal. I told them to separate it. The young lady had her nose dripping and was wiping her snot on the side of her hand while handling food. Working at a hospital, I know this was such a huge health risk.
Well I ordered the chicken and pork tacos and the Umami fries. The tacos were really good. The fries was a little too much. It had so much ingredients and it was too sloppy to eat.
We ended up going back a couple weeks later. This time another young lady accommodated my request. I was happy to see a different girl who was not suffering from an illness handling our food.

Some books are meant to be closed, and some books are meant to be opened. Same with relationships, and just as true for restaurants. KoJa was meant to open in the Richmond area where its so much more accessible to me (was their #1 fan since 2011 when they were just a food truck).
.:Atmosphere/​Service:.
The décor was more decked out than when the location in Berkeley was first open. Paintings were super chic and simple. There were about maybe 8 – 11 tables. Cashiers was pretty friendly, there was a guy and a girl.
.: Food :.
Beef Koja 7.50 + fried egg (add 1.25): korean bbq beef, sauteed onions, sesame vinaigrette lettuce, pineapple, red sauce, sesame seeds. Still tastes the same as 3 years ago. Bomb. But gets HELLA messy towards the mid burger. Gave up and used a fork and ate like rice and beef in a tray.
Braised Pork Bowl 8.75: miso-​coconut braised pork, kimchi, masago, garlic aioli, green onions, fried shallots, lemon wedge. SUPER creamy, like super. If you dont like that, you might want to opt out. But it was a new twist and oddly tasty to me.
KamiKRAZY Fries: (on their special menu only) crisscut waffle fries, minced korean bbq beef and chicken, kimchi, japanese mayo, red sauce, green onions. Only difference between this and the OG kamikaze fries is the added chicken. Pretty darn good still.
YES, portions may be a bit small for people. BUT… quality over quantity? You came to the right place. Where else can you find such unique Korean Japanese fusion flavors?

I’m so glad I finally got to eat at the restaurant location of Koja Kitchen! I’ve had the food truck many times at Off The Grid but was excited for them to have an established restaurant in San Francisco. :-)
I got the braised pork bowl with brown rice ($ 8.75), and split the kamikrazy fries (ask about the secret menu!!!) with 3 of my friends. The size of the bowl is very deceiving! At first I thought it was on the smaller side but the combination of protein, spring mix, and furikake rice (white or brown) were actually very filling. Add that to a portion of the kamikrazy fries (or any other side… those umami fries sound good!) and you’ve got a full blown meal!
I’ve never tried the miso-​coconut braised pork at the Koja truck so I was excited to taste it. It looks like pulled pork with an asian flair. Loved the miso-​coconut! The kamikrazy fries were also a good deal for us, they were about $ 12 and we were barely able to finish the huge portion! It’s basically the kamikaze fries on steroids… Haha
Service was friendly and the food came out very fast. It’s sort of like a food truck still because you order your food first, wait for your buzzer to light up, and then pick up your food. Self service all the way!

Previously a food truck, Koja has paused its wheels and settled in the Inner Richmond. Known for its ramen burgers and fusion food, it has a casual, fun vibe and it’s a good place to grab a bite with friends.
Pass the seating area with the televisions to place your order. We each got a ramen sandwich of sorts and some tacos. Find a seat and wait to be called. Seating can be kind of hard to find depending on how crowded it is, so heads up if you live nearby and want to get your food to go.
I think I prefer the tacos and fries over the ramen burger and ramen chicken sandwich. The tacos were flavorful whereas the sandwich felt like I was just eating it to stop my stomach from grumbling in hunger. The fries were also tasty, but the portion felt a bit on the smaller side. Or maybe I just was really loving the fries.
Overall, if I come again I would order some new food items alongside some of my declared favorites.

I’ve caught Koja Kitchen at Off the Grid: Picnic a while back. Everyone was walking around with their epic looking waffle fries and i had to have one too!
Once their brick and mortar opened up in the inner richmond i knew i had to check it out. Cool space. Order inside and get a buzzer. Inside seating is available but the best spot is in their covered patio with community tables and a couple decent sized tvs to catch the game. Good place for beer and munchies with asian flavors. BOLD flavors. Everything was a little sweeter and spicier than «traditional».
Short Rib Koja: garlic rice patties and korean bbq beef. Order this!
Beef Taco & Chicken Taco: i really liked the beef. Chicken was in a wasabi lime mayo sauce but a little too much wasabi for me. Not spicy, just not a fan of anything similar to horseradish
Umami Fries: Good, I prefer the kamikaze fries though. It’s what brought me into the restaurant in the first place.
Korean Buffalo Wings: Bit of a kick. A little tangy, good heat and nice crunch

Have been wanting to come here ever since I was doing research on places to eat before/​after going to the Cal Academy of Sciences Nightlife event back in October. However, we didn’t make it in time after that event, but was lucky enough to catch Koja a little before closing after we got burnt out by all the learning at the Exploratorium After Dark event last night.
Koja Kitchen caught my eye about a year or so ago when I saw IG pics of their burger «buns», which are actually grilled rice patties. Verrrryy interesting, I thought, but never really had the chance to check out their food truck. Finally they have a brick and mortar and with the convenience of me being in SF for the night, it was finally my time to try this place out.
The SO and I ordered:
Chicken Koja
Beef Koja
Kamikaze Fries
Umami Fries
I really really really wanted to try their short rib koja and wings, but since we arrived so close to closing they were out. Booo…
Our total came to a little over $ 30, and for essentially a burger and fries, this is kinda pricey but I get it. As for the taste, it seemed both fries were the «winners» over the burgers for both of us. SO didn’t much enjoy the grilled rice buns as they were «too much work» lol, though I thought they were only okay. Portions were also a little small for what we paid for. Wah wah. Service was alright, when I tried to order the wings, the girl behind the counter sounded really curt by explaining «NO WINGS» to the cashier (really nice guy btw) who was helping us. Damn, gurl I just wanted some wing-​wings! But the guy who took our order put her words into nicer terms lol so that was good.
In the end, it was a nice one-​time try sort of place. If you really enjoyed it, great! Come back! But if you thought it was okay like I did, it was nice to experience. Maybe if I’m close by again I’d go to try their short rib bowl and wings. Damn, I love me some wings…

So we popped in here on the way back to the North Bay from another eating adventure at Hawker Eats. It was Sunday at 4pm and the place had a nice crowd. I loved the inside/​outside feel and atmosphere super inviting and friendly vibe I got from this place and cool to know they had some great local beers on tap even though I was taking the afternoon off from drinking.
The menu at Koja was super intriguing. My friend and I split the Beef Koja and the Kamkaize fries. Both were delicious, I thought the short rib meet was better than the beef meat though, a little more tender. I really enjoyed the rice cake bun. I cant want to take a GF friend here and see what they say!
Next time I’ll try the Umami fries and those sound amazing too. Great food, good prices and great service, super fast and efficient
Looking forward to my next visit to Koja!

Definitely as good as it gets! The restaurant itself is large with indoor and outdoor patio seating. The service was really nice and quick. The food was affordable and so delicious.
We tried the short rib koja ($ 9) and the most popular side order Kamikaze fries ($ 6). The koja is super unique. The buns are fried garlic rice. It’s crunchy, flavorful and something you must try! The short rib inside was tender and savory. The Kamikaze fries are now one of my favorite dishes of all time. The japanese mayo and red sauce they add to it is extremely addicting.