From half off sushi nights (Tuesday's) to impromptu seafood bibimbop cravings - Kaya does not disappoint. The staff is quick to seat you and your glass is never empty. The staff is attentive but not overly so. We've had their Korean BBQ as well - it's a great experience with the in-table grills! The sushi is always fresh and prepared well. I've never had a piece fall out because the rice was not cooked right. The bibimpop is always hot and delicious! I can't wait to return and try the kimchi dumplings!
(5)
Cecilia C.
Wow what has happened to this once nice establishment. This place has went downhill. Dirty dishes spread throughout the sushi bar area which looked like last nights mess that never got cleaned up. Then the sushi chef was wiping his face and blowing his nose right in front of us. He did not wash his hands and came back and continued to touch his face. It grossed me and my friend out enough that we had to leave before even ordering.
(1)
Sandi A.
We visited Kaya last night to enjoy the Korean BBQ. We were put in a private room with a grilling table probably because we had a baby. (He slept the whole time). Unfortunately, our server was horrible. She hurriedly took our order, tried to upsell us and didn't answer our questions. She came back with our sushi order and then returned with our main course. The main course was already cooked when it was dellivered to our table. The whole experience was a big disappointment. Our server failed to tell us until we walked to the front desk to retrieve our check that we needed to order 2 entrees to get the BBQ experience at our table & she never checked on us. The best service was provided by someone filling our water glasses. The food was OK but would NOT recommend this restaurant.
(1)
Michael U.
I was trying to think of the best way to sum up an experience at Kaya and the best I could think of was "hit-and-miss." Let me explain. If Kaya were indeed a Korean Grill that focused specifically on being a Korean Grill, it could be a really good place. As it stands, the Korean Grill options are quite delicious and well priced and the meats appear fresh while the sides are unique to the average American palate. Alas, Kaya makes the mistake of trying to be everything to everyone. During my two visits to Kaya, I opted for sashimi plus shared some of the grilled options and hot pot with some friends. The hot pot and grill were good, though not great.....the additions actually made the meal. As a self admitted sushi addict, however, I must say I was disappointed. The red clam was actually quite good, and as my favorite piece of sashimi that is a good thing indeed. The tuna was good as well, yet they were out of yellowfin and toro (if you're going to advertise it, have it.) The sweet shrimp was mediocre and did not taste fresh while the mackerel was fishy and the texture was poor. The eel, too, tasted old. I realize we're not talking about Nobu here, but old fish is unacceptable under any circumstance, even in Columbus. I like Kaya. The location is convenient, the prices are reasonable, the servers are abundant and helpful, and the grill tables are interesting. Overall, the whole experience seems like authentic Korean cooking.....until you try the sushi and realize Wilson Philips, Bryan Adams, and Michael Bolton are playing in the background. All said, good Korean, mediocre sushi, great service, bad music, good prices, poor selection. I'd still recommend their sushi over the overhyped Haiku and awful Zen, but if I were Kaya (or a diner at Kaya) I'd stick to the Korean Grill and Hot Pots.
(3)
Carolyn E.
Mmmm, that's a flavor I've been missing! When I lived in Japan, my friends and I used to go to "Yaki-niku" and Korean BBQ places all the time. Many had "tabehoudai" - all you can eat - which aside from offering delicious food, was also a lot of fun and a great experience. Sadly, it is difficult to find places that serve the "real deal" in the states. By this, I mean a place where you actually get to cook the meat yourself, instead of having the guys in the back prepare it (typically overcooking it for my tastes). So, I was very excited to try Kaya...and they happily did not disappoint! The restaurant itself looks fairly small from the outside, though it actually has a number of eating areas and a sushi bar somehow inside it. Interestingly, it is right next to a Korean-Chinese restaurant. I don't know it means anything but I found that fascinating. Anyways, the environs were simple and clean, with pleasant lighting and quiet decorating scheme. Elegant but not overpowering. The clientele are varied. The night we went, there were a couple of families with children, a gang of Korean businessmen, some young professionals, and some college students, among others. We arrived around 5:00 and found the place nearly empty, but within 30 minutes it had become quite crowded. I would say that if you want the BBQ in particular, come early to ensure you get the appropriate table. As to the table and cooking method, if you are unfamiliar with Korean BBQ.... BBQ dishes consist of a plate of super thin sliced meat (a variety of types are available) which has been marinated in some sort of sauce. It comes with a few vegetables - mushrooms here - which also go on the grill. My friend and I tried the pork (supposed to be spicy but pleasantly pungent would be more accurate), and the classic bulgolgi (beef). Upon entering, you will be asked where you want to sit. If you are looking to try the BBQ, you will be taken to a table with a metal disc in the middle which, when removed, will reveal a brazier that the server will light when the food is ready. A little different from what I was used to, the method here is to take a tongful of meat and place it all in the center of the brazier (instead of one piece at a time). Once it is cooked to your liking, you remove it and eat (or mix with rice, lettuce, what have you). Of course, the marinades cause the brazier cover to blacken pretty quickly, so I give major credit to the servers who seemed to appear out of nowhere to replace the crusty covers with fresh, clean ones when the last piece of meat was removed. The only complaint I had with the process here was that the brazier covers had very large gaps in them, sometimes enlarged by damage that left pieces missing. Be careful when placing and moving the meat and vegetables that you don't drop it through one of these gaps. I think it is common to all the meals served at Kaya, but the plate of meat came with a range of traditional side dishes to be shared by everyone at the table. They were all pretty good, and definitely worth trying, especially if you have never seen them before. Speaking of other dishes, I do hope to go to Kaya again some day to try one of the many other plates on the menu - everything from Korean soups and noodles to Japanese bento and sushi. I saw other people in the restaurant eating some of these and they looked amazing. They also are a reasonable price...which sadly is not so true for the BBQ itself. If you go for the BBQ experience, you will spend a minimum of $20 (not including tip). No dish of meat is under $18.95. To me, that is ridiculously steep since I was accustomed to a tabehoudai (all you can eat) of $10 a person in Japan. To be fair, though, the dish here was solid, high quality meat - no tongue or tripe filler. Still, that is a lot of money, and not something I could have justified spending without my Entertainment book coupon... or for a very special occasion. Luckily, I did have a coupon, which was accepted without any hassle or problem. Indeed, service overall was fine. Polite, efficient, and helpful. If you have never had Korean BBQ, despite the price, it is worth trying at least once. It is a delicious and entertaining experience, best shared with a friend (or better yet, a group of friends). Kaya serves up a pretty good BBQ too, and is definitely worth giving a visit.
(4)
Courtney E.
This is one of my favorite sushi restaurants. I always sit at the sushi bar to watch Chun make his masterful food. The sushi is fresh and delicious. Their specialty rolls are fun too. The Kaya roll is huge and is fantastic. Other favorites include the crab salad, spicy tuna in anything and Tuesdays. I would definitely pay full price for this sushi but on Tuesday's its half off sushi and Saki!!! The Tuesday special has sushi off most of regular menu and not mediocre sushi/sashimi selection This place is great to meet friends or a significant other. Love, love, love it!
(5)
Lindsay O.
3-4 stars on this place. While I do not think This place is in the top 3 for sushi/Korean in columbus, I think it's pretty ok, much prefer restraint Silla right around the corner of you're craving Korean. Kinda pricy for what you get without the ambiance or sustinance to justify... Definately not as kid-friendly or pricey as Silla!
(3)
Tonio K.
My buddy and I always come here for lunch when we both have a day off. We don't even have to name it--we just say "Let's go to that place" and we both know it means Kaya...and bento boxes. We always start out with a couple rolls and a few nigiri. It's good sushi--not the best in the world, but it's good. They don't put roe on the california roll, which is a disappointment, and the size of the nigiri has shrunk over the past couple years, but it's still good. Not amazing, good. We always get bento boxes--they started calling them "combination boxes" at some point. I get tempura and he gets bulgogi. The price is very reasonable for what you get--a small salad, miso soup, several side dishes which they will refill for you, and the box itself, which is a variety of accompaniments to your entree (rice, gyoza, a mussel, and so on). They're Korean, not Japanese, so purists would say to get sushi and tempura only from Japanese places, but we really like these bento boxes and the Korean side cars. It's the only place we've found where we can find this. We like it and we keep coming back. (And they've never added their own tip to our bill, regardless of the amount. Although, I'm sure they would with a large group, like all restaurants.)
(4)
Emme C.
My family and I eat at Asian restaurants often but this was our first time in a Korean restaurant. This restaurant also has sushi. Even though we had a couple of sushi rolls, we were more excited about the Korean food experience which get all the 4 stars. Sushi was okay and reasonably priced. We were seated in a booth, our table had a grill on top where we cooked the chicken barbeque $18 which came with rice, lettuce wraps, and several little dishes of pickled cucumbers, lettuce (kimchi?), seaweed salads, etc, which turned out all different taste but surprisingly delicous. We also ordered a big bowl of some kind of spicy tofu soup $10. Service was attentive. Overall, I recommend this place.
(4)
Sarah F.
I've only been for weekday lunches, but I think its REALLY great! The service is always very fast and friendly. Usually I am pretty boring, miso soup and California rolls, but hey it's tasty!
(5)
Randall W.
Used our Groupon and ate here for the first time. The kids and I enjoyed our food. We ordered a sushi roll of eel & avacado which was delicious. Next, the three of us split two BBQ dishes; marinated beef and pork belly. It was fun to cook our food at the table and try it with the ample amount of side dishes. The owner and waitstaff were very friendly and attentive. Groupon got us there for our first visit and I would go back again.
(4)
Andrea D.
I enjoyed my experience at Kaya, the staff/owner was friendly and attentive. I liked the lunch menu options, I tried the tempura udon & sushi special, which was a LOT of food, the side dishes were good, the sushi just okay (wouldn't recommend going here if you're just in the mood for sushi). My mom had the bulgogi box and the beef was really tasty. I would like to go back for dinner and try out the barbeque!
(4)
Shawnie K.
Kaya is a Korean Grill with a sushi bar. It's not the most attractive looking building from the outside, but the interior is warm and friendly. I usually come for the sushi, which is reasonably-priced and good quality. Kaya has a substantial menu with a variety of Korean BBQ dishes, noodles soups and box lunches, I've eaten in the dining room a few times- usually when I'm with a larger group- but, mostly find myself at the small sushi bar, which can seat about 6 people. The menu board lists the daily lunch specials along with the chef's choice of special sushi rolls; driven by whichever interesting fish he can get his hands on. When it comes to cooked food, Kaya's stonepot bibimbap is one of my favorites in Columbus. The winelist is pedestrian, but the sake, beer and full bar more than make up for that. Even when it's at its busiest, there is plenty of parking in the big private lot and as a side note, some folks just beeline right through the smokey gray door in the back of the restaurant to the adjacent karaoke bar (I've peeked in, though I've never partaken in the fun). Kaya's service is solid and their food is consistently good. Let me stress, good not great. I don't usually make it a point to drive to this restaurant, but when I'm in this part of town and not feeling fancy, I find the sushi totally acceptable. The servers have always made it a point to remember us and even come over to say 'hi' we are at the sushi bar. Kaya remains in my high rotation of sushi restaurants.
(3)
Queenie C.
Went with several coworkers. Friendly staff, huge menu, yummy food. Coworkers who got the vegetarian sushi enjoyed it. Recommend seafood and beef Korean BBQ at the table!
(4)
F Z.
Kaya is going to be one of the few restaurants I will miss when I leave Columbus this summer. I can't go through a month without stopping in here at least 3-4 times. Yes, I go that often... and I tell myself that Korean food translates to healthful food. But who am I kidding? Too much of a good thing is, well, simply not good. Kaya definitely gives the feeling of homeliness. A fireplace sits in the front of the dining area. Little 'rooms' are available for larger parties as well as for Korean barbeque. The sushi bar is immaculate although it seems a bit isolated from the rest of the dining area. Personally, I only go to Kaya during lunch hours, seeing how dishes are much pricier during dinner time and you get--give or take--the same portions. Despite being one of the best places in town for sushi, I usually go for either the salmon or bulgogi lunchbox or stone pot bibimbap. (I'm a bit hesitant to venture into unknown culinary territory, although a couple of my Korean friends have raved about the authenticity of the dishes.) One lunch box is seriously enough to feed two people. As for the stone pot bibimbap (or any Korean dishes for that matter), you can expect to get several side dishes such as kimchi, preserved vegetables, fish cakes, etc. accompanying your meal. I recalled trying the Korean bbq option a couple of years ago and remembering the food tasting a bit bland. Then again, it could just be the inexperienced cook in me. Service may be a bit slow depending on the time of day, so start getting used to listening to Sunny 95 while waiting for the check to come. If not for the music, then for traffic or weather updates. Sunny 95 is seriously the only thing I hear coming out of the speakers the last 50 or so times I've been inside Kaya.
(5)
Manolo E.
Went with a couple, she is korean and recommended this place as the best in town. My korean has been limited to a tasty dish of dog in Beijing and Bibimbap in some restos around town and Cincy. It was great to have the more familiar Korean service with all of its little protocols. Our server was nice, decent selection of beer although I wish they could dig some korean brews up from somewhere rather than just the Korean sake he was upselling. I had the korean BBQ thin strips of beef and we had a vegetarian pancake appetizer thing. both were good, but i would not say extraordinary. The server kept saying that since we had ordered two BBQ dishes, we could have sat at the grill tables and it is fresher and better that way. he told is that from the start but for some reason we did not jump on it. I also note some good comments on sushi but i just feel that is sacrilegious to have a japanese dish in a korean restaurant. Not because they don't do a good job but because in my mind it is just a reinforcement of the stereotypical American view that all Asians are the same and eat the same thing. Also, though I am a big sushi fan, I take serious exception to the way in which the Japanese continue to behave in relation to their war atrocities in China and the Korean Peninsula. I hate to make a political statement over food and bygones should be bygones at some point, but to me its equivalent to a Kosher restaurant selling bratwurst - it just ain't kosher except that the Germans continue to profusely apologize while the Japanese could generally care less.
(3)
Nan L.
I'm baffled by the whole trend of every Asian restaurant serving sushi. Then again I know better to believe anything with cream cheese originated from the far east. At least someone tried with the name Crab Rangoon, they didn't even bother with the Philly Roll, yeah sushi from the city of brotherly love. But seriously, please don't review a Korean restauraunt base on it's sushi. It's about as useful as judging Chinese buffet based on it's pizza. Without veering further off topic, let's get back on track to the review of Kaya. If you come to Kaya, it looks like a building converted from a McDonald drive through (+1 in my books for any reason that results in one less fast food place). Kaya serves their meals with a wide variety of small dishes which includes kimchi, marinated radish, tofu, etc. On the menu you have your standard fare of Korean bibimbop (rice dish served in hot earthware pot), *guk/*tang (soup dishes). However the real reason you want to stop by this place rather than any other Korean joints in Columbus is for the bulgogi or Korean barbecue. Optional, but highly recommended is to ask for the table with the stove and you get the fun to cook the marinated meat in the center and enjoy the fun of rolling the tender barbecue straight from the hotplate into a crispy bite with lettuce, rice, and garnish. The only downside is your cloth will get infused with smokey Korean barbecue flavor once you are done, but then again it's a small price to pay for delicious food and a fun time cooking your meal. In my opinion, this is way more entertaining then watching some guy spin an egg at one of those Japanese hibachi grill. mmm, writing the review makes me crave for spicy and sweet Korean barbecue.
(4)
Alice L.
They do korean bbq right in front of you, with stoves at the table which is always great because you're drooling and getting hungrier the whole time. The actual meat is not the best I've had, but for Columbus it's not bad I guess. The sake is great, but the service was very slow if I recall.
(3)
Cathy C.
The sushi chef here is always fun & has lots if extras for us when we hang @ the Sushi bar! The food is fresh & tasty, the service is friendly!
(4)
Sam K.
Korean cuisine is known for their soups. I didn't get a chance to try the bbq, but instead my guest and I had the Yuk Gae Jang, Maeuntang, and sashimi sampler. I've tried these soups at Silla and Min Ga and Kaya by far has the best broths. Their kimchi was subpar, but all the other side dishes were good. Our server was attentive and the place is clean.
(4)
Alex R.
I ate at Kaya for the first time on 07/25/09 based on the reviews here on Yelp. I have to say that overall the sushi was good and the service was great. I had several rolls as I am a big sushi fan and would rate the overall experience a 4 out of 5. First off, the gentleman behind the bar, I believe his name was Chun, was very friendly. As I was the only one sitting there for a meal he engaged me in conversation while working and made sure that everything was to my satisfaction. The service provided by the other employees was also good from the refill of my water glass to the host greeting me at the door. The sushi rolls overall were very good and well constructed. There was a good ratio of fish to rice and I feel the portion sizes were on the good side. The 4 rolls I ordered were the Sunday Morning roll, Yellowtail roll, Spicy Crunch roll, and the Kaya Roll. I have had the Sunday Morning roll, comprised of a salmon and cream cheese roll coated in tempura batter and deep fried, at other establishments. The batter here was crispy and sweet and the fish inside did not get overcooked which has happened at other places. The Yellowtail roll was OK. I feel it was missing the green onion which you generally find at other places, but the fish was fresh and clean tasting. The Spicy Crunch, I think this is what it was called, was a Spicy Tuna roll with tempura crumbles and a topping of spicy mayo. This roll was also good. Only knock would be the spicy tuna mix was a little too smooth and could have used a little extra chopped tuna for texture, although the cucumber did help. Finally, the Kaya Roll...ummm. Having had the roll once, it is enough reason to go back to Kaya again and again. I am not a big fan of eel, but I do have the fresh water version occasionally. This roll changed my perception of this fish. To start, the combination of sweet, savory, crunchy, and salty were perfectly executed. The shrimp tempura was wonderfully cooked and stayed crispy throughout the roll. The smoothness of the cream cheese complimented very well as did the salt and herb mix sprinkled over the finished roll. Finally, the fresh water eel added the bit of fresh fish flavor that pushed the roll over the top. After this experience I will definitely bring friends and family to Kaya in the future and expand my adventure to the Korean side of the menu. Overall the service and food have made this a new destination on my list of Columbus good eats.
(4)
renee b.
I used the groupon I got here the other night and it was wonderful. I come here a lot with my family and get the barbeque which is amazing. I highly suggest trying Kaya out!
(5)
Johaun C.
one of my more recently developed pet peeves, i often ask my korean friends: why is it Korean food is so expensive? the cuisine, while relatively distinct, in terms of ingredients used is pretty similar to Chinese cuisine (seafood, dumplings, noodles, various cuts of meat, soups and sauces). so how is then that there are like a billion cheap Chinese joints, but literally every Korean place i've ever been to across the country (except for maybe LA where competition is almost violent) has terribly marked up prices? Kaya is certainly no exception to this rule. if you like steep prices for totally unworthy food, this is your place. if not, just go one exit north to Henderson and consider Silla.
(3)
Tina L.
Considering this place is located in the mid-west where ingredients are not as accessible as they are in NYC and L.A., I thought it was pretty good. The bahn-chan is average, but a lot of Korean restaurants these days (including NYC) have become lazy and cheap with the bahn-chan, so I wasn't surprised. We went to Kaya because my future parents-in-law have never eaten Korean food at a Korean restaurant. I've made bulgogi for them, but not the full spread that comes in a Korean meal. In order to give them the experience, I thought Kaya would be a good choice based on the reviews I read. Kaya accomplished the goal. Everyone was very happy with the meal and the service. I am used to older, little Korean ladies being servers, so it was a nice change to have younger servers who are friendlier. We ordered bulgogi to grill, shrimp to grill, Jap Chae, dol sot bibimbap, and goon mandoo. Bulgogi was good. Jap Chae was good. Goon mandoo was homemade, which is what I wanted, and dol sot bibimbap was good, but was missing the raw egg on top. I suppose they didn't serve it due to the typical clientele they serve in the mid-west? What was nice with the dol sot bibimbap was they gave me the entire bottle of kochujang! All korean restaurants only give you a little, so it was really nice to have my own bottle! The staff was meticulous about switching the grill plate regularly to prevent burnt bits flavoring the next batch of fresh meat. This was a nice surprise. One thing I wish I ordered was the dubu chigae, since that is how I judge if a Korean restaurant is good, but I will have to do that next time I am in OH. The last nice surprise was the fact they have the persimmon/cinnamon drink! Most Korean restaurants these days only give you oranges at the time of the check, but Kaya actually had one of my favorite after meal treats! Overall, I recommend this place.
(3)
HaAn T.
We came here for the half-priced sushi. We got a boat-load and it was really good. I asked for iced tea but never got it, but it's whatever since I didn't get charged for it. Service was meh.
(4)
Minna C.
Great place to enjoy Korean food in cbus. Ive been going here for years and even craved the hwedupbap here although i was working in Korea for awhile! The sushi is awesome and i love their combo boxes!!!
(4)
Cherie R.
As far as Korean places go, this place is exactly what the three stars mean - A-OK. It gets the job done - but if this restaurant was in any bigger city, I'm not sure it would survive. It just lacks the something "extra" that would let it survive. The barbecue is solid - we once ordered the chicken when we were out with some inexperienced Korean bbq eaters at the recommendation of the waitress. Bad idea. I think she was trying to cater to all those people who eat chicken because they like that tasteless bland flavor... :-( But otherwise, the meats are pretty good.
(3)
Andrew L.
Let me preface by saying that this is one of the few times I will get a really freaking expensive restaurant a good rating. Although, now that I think about it, you could probably come here and not murder-ize your wallet, but we came for the first time for a special occasion and had the Korean BBQ. I'm a bit abashed to say what I had because of how much it cost, but I will do so for posterity's sake: My family shared a bowl of hot pork belly and squid bimbimbop; a bowl of tempura udon; and korean bbq with kalbi beef (for the longest time, I thought this was synonymous with kobe beef, but it's not), seafood platter, spicy pork, and beef tongue. It was all fantastic. I like to undercook everything to leave it a bit rare (the server said you could do this, even with the seafood and the tongue), except with the pork. They give you lots of sauces - some sort of peanut or maybe wasabi-tasting sauce, some sesame oil sauce, and a sweet sesame oil sauce that comes with the seafood platter. Each BBQ dish comes with complimentary things of lettuce which you can grill and wrap the meat in, or just eat on its own with sauce. The BBQ works like Chinese Hotpot in the sense that you have raw dishes and you put them in a central cooking area, then dip them in sauce. But instead of a big boiling pot of water or broth, you stick it on a grill. Just don't put a ton of stuff on at once so you don't make things too smoky. What can I say? It was all really delicious. The meat was so tender, the lobster and other seafood things were tender and juicy - better than the lobster I've had on occasion throughout the period of my life. The bimbimbop was great too, as was the udon. Here's the catch: I remember the bimbimbop/udon being reasonable prices, but if you get the korean BBQ, EACH dish can run you about $20-25. Like I said, murder-ize your wallet. We came here for a special occasion. That said, the service was absolutely fantastic, always changing our grill, showing us how to eat the food, giving us suggestions, patient when we were deciding what to eat, and putting up with my Asian parents' insistence that he be in our family photographs with us. Again, if I recall correctly, you could probably come here and order a meal that wasn't frightfully expensive and still be satisfied. But the BBQ, as great and fun as it is, is really expensive.
(5)
Vicky N.
Came with a group of 4, all ready to devour Korean BBQ. Being in the Midwest, I knew it would end up being an expensive dinner, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a specials menu. We shared 3x of bulgogi, Soju, banchan, ddukbokki (rice cake), kimchi jiggae, and dumplings for a total of $25/person. To me, this was less than expected AND we were completely full. We had no issues with the service, as it appears others have had. The food came out fast, even with a busy restaurant. Our servers were friendly and accommodating with our requests. The banchan was a conservative portion size, but overall I found the food delicious and filling. Definitely a solid place for Korean food.
(4)
Donna O.
Kaya is a great place for Korean food and sushi, and a spot to try out Korean BBQ with friends. If you have familiarized yourself with Korean food, you'll find all of your favorites here, along with box dinners and many varieties of jigae and other stews. This place can get busy a little later in the evening, but they can accommodate large groups and the service is conscientious. Be aware, however: if you are an adventurous eater, you may have to be firm about your order. If your server feels you are ordering a dish that "most Americans don't like," they will try and talk you out of it. I've had to stand my ground a couple of times to get what I wanted to order. Obviously, they've had experience with Western diners who think they know what they're getting (fish eggs, tripe, cow's blood) but have no idea how it will taste in a stew. Be kind, but firm. And, don't complain if your dish is served the way it's supposed to be but you didn't realize that boiled fish eggs taste like boiled liver. Tables are about half BBQ-ready (with a covered gas grill in the center) and half regular. I ordered sushi and soon tofu stew on this trip, while the spouse picked out a fried chicken dish that was essentially General Tso's meets katsu. My stew was filled with both tofu and seafood, and tasted as great as it looked; their sushi offerings are fresh and well-made. Their take on General Tso's was a well-balanced blend of texture and flavor that is part of all their dishes - exactly as they should be. Kaya does not skimp on their portions or their ingredients. Their bon chon is huge, too - for two people, we got nine dishes the first time, and six more when we re-ordered. I like their kimchi best of any local Korean restaurant. We left full and happy from Kaya, as usual.
(4)
Serena H.
Came here for a friend' birthday dinner. I was the first to arrive in our party of like 14 and no one helped me while I awkwardly stood there for a minute or so. The lady was standing there attending to her recipes and it wasn't until one of the waiters came over that I was given a "hi, but I'll just let you wait another couple minutes before I ask you why you are here." So I sited until he finished processing his orders before they asked me, "how many." Eh. Could have been better. The service during the actual meal was fine and the waiters and staff were very friendly and attentive. The food took long to arrive but it was okay because the company was good. The meal, however, was not good at all. I ordered the kalbi tang, which is basically a soup made with the bones and meet. Usually they make the broth and give you the bones with hefty chunks of meat on it. Well, all I got was literally what looked like scraps from the rat of their dishes. It wasn't disgusting but it wasn't great. So I probably will not come here again, because the food is pricey and not so great, bout I do them them a shout out for having great service during out meal.
(2)
Kim B.
Once again we had a wonderful dinner here tonight. The service is wonderful and the staff is always helpful in answering questions. We love all the little sides that come with your meal. My vegetarian sister is always happy to dine here. Tonight her sushi was amazing. I had a pork cutlet bento box and was delighted with everything in it. I enjoyed that the sushi I got in the box was not a boring old California roll.
(5)
Joyce X.
Every time I go to Kaya, I keep hoping it will get better, but I'm just continuously disappointed. Usually I either go if a friend is in town and is in the mood for Korean BBQ, or it's half-off sushi on Tuesday. Their food is ok, definitely not the best Korean food you can get in the area, and is a bit pricey. The worst part of Kaya, however, is their service. We wanted water, and received tea. It took the waiter 20 minutes to get to us to take our order (there were probably only 4 other tables and they already had their food). Another 30 minutes passed before our food came out (ordered K-BBQ, which we were informed that the meats were already pre-marinated, so why in the world did it take 30 minutes to bring out?). When we were clearly done eating, they cleared our plates but neither asked us if we wanted our checks or if we wanted to order dessert. We looked around and couldn't find our waiter to flag down, so asked another waitress to bring our checks. 15 minutes passed and neither she nor our original waiter came to pick it up, so I just ended up just walking it up myself to the host counter in the front of the restaurant. They do have a "Call Server" button on every table, but the one at the table we sat at must be broken because we pressed it many, many times throughout the evening and no one responded.
(2)
Kaoru M.
My family loves Korean food, so we've been going to Kaya on and off for probably the past 13-14 years. Their food has consistently been good over the years. We usually get an order or two of kalbi to share, then order individual dishes... Generally the stone pot bibimbap, mool nengmyun, kimchi jigae, and soon tofu. Their sushi is decent as well, but we usually come here for their Korean dishes. The service here is indeed slow. I think they might be chronically understaffed. One way to speed things up however is to hit the "call server" button that's at each table whenever you want something. They are very quick at responding to the call button! Sometimes groupons for this restaurant pops up, so we usually jump on that. It won't pay for the whole meal, but definitely worth it!
(4)
Sara C.
I had a late lunch meetup here on a Tuesday after checking with the restaurant to ensure that the half-price sushi rolls were available at lunch as well as at dinner. It wasn't terribly crowded when we met at 1 PM, which was nice. A sign in the entry warns that on Tuesdays the sushi may be a little slow in coming out, which is good to know (though we didn't have too long of a wait). Lea P. has already described our confusion over the hot tea -- it came served in plain water glasses, looking vaguely like brown-ish water, and we were a bit puzzled at the way it was presented. Only the rolls are half-price, and the selection is not terribly large (not like Sushi Ting's pages upon pages), but there's enough to choose from to make a good lunch. I stuck to the basic Rainbow Roll and avocado/eel roll, which was plenty for me. The sushi was good -- they didn't skimp on the fish and it was decently fresh. Service was the typical brisk Asian style, though they were good about keeping the water/tea glasses topped off. I'm waffling between three and four stars, just because it wasn't terribly outstanding, but half-price Tuesdays makes this a great deal. If you're looking for inexpensive sushi, I'd definitely check this out. I'd like to come back sometime and check out the soon tofu lunch special, and see what the banchan is like.
(3)
Anna L.
BBQ very Delicious . Seafood pancake so good ! I also like Tuna sushi . Service is good.
(4)
Amelia S.
I always have good dining experiences here so I thought hey, why not do a dinner party at my house with Kaya food? I communicated with someone named Kevin and he was probably the most accommodating and friendly food business employee I have ever dealt with in my life. I first wanted a sushi dinner and later added udon as a supplement. The udon at Kaya was definitely higher in quality than other restaurants. The quality of the food was exceptional and the shrimp tempura was not 3/4 tempura and 1/4 shrimp like the other restaurants. The broth was more than just a mixture of the concentrated liquid and water. It actually had a lot more condiments and more! As for sushi, it was so so yummy with the variety of fish and sauces. When I went to go pick up the food, the sushi chef explained all of the items that came with my order. He was so nice despite the fact that the restaurant was PACKED. I carefully took my sushi, udon, and other dishes home and plated everything. Everything was so delicious and my guests were very impressed with the food! I really appreciated how communicative Kevin was in trying to make me happy. I am a very picky customer when it comes to food and Kaya exceeded my expectations! I will definitely be back without a doubt whether it is to dine in with my family or to cater for a house party. Thank you Kaya and Kevin for all your wonderful food and assistance!!!
(5)
Jamie F.
I made reservations here for myself and 5 friends. I specifically told them we wanted to do BBQ. We arrive and were seated in the back room at a BBQ table. The service was the usual, i.e. you get what you are given, not what you want/ask for. We ordered a few bibimba bowls and some BBQ. The food arrived after about 20-25minutes. All the bowls were placed on the table and then the waiter puts down a plate of what looks like extremely well done Taco Bell meat. Everyone at the table kind of gives the WTF face. We asked about our BBQ items. He says something about the fire code and not being able to cook at the table it had to be cooked in the kitchen? Not entirely sure, but that would have been nice to know BEFORE we ordered or when I spoke to someone on the phone and specifically mentioned we wanted to do BBQ. Had we have known that we couldn't cook it, we never would have ordered it. Cut to about 15 minutes later...There's a table directly to our left at a table outside this room who is cooking their food at the table. We ask again about why we couldn't and are given the same answer as before. Bottom line, I think the food is way overpriced, specifically the BBQ for what you end up getting. Apparently you can only cook your food at some tables, and the service is is definitely not good. The bibimba was good, but nothing to rave about. I won't be coming back here.
(1)
Abby L.
I went at an odd time so they weren't busy and the waiter that served us was extremely helpful and kind. The sushi is pricy. It's good, but I wouldn't come unless it was only during the half-price times which I believe are on Tuesdays.
(5)
Karyn M.
This was probably my worst experience with korean food in Columbus. I came here for a large student organization function for dinner. We were split up into 3 tables and had korean BBQ. I first noticed that the service was not only painstakingly slow, but really uneven. One table would get several meat dishes and another table would not have anything for quite some time. Usually i'm not critical of service but it was noticeable enough to annoy me this time. My bf and I had to leave earlier than everyone else so we went to the cash register and paid for our parts and left. We later found out that they told our party that we had not paid. So the restaurant ended up getting paid twice. Whether this was a sloppy mistake or a sketchy intention, it's had made me look at this business differently. I will never go back and the only reason this place is getting a 2 star is because the food was not as dismal - it wasn't noteworthy but not as bad as their service.
(2)
Sarah W.
I came here for my birthday and had the worst birthday dinner of my life. First off, we waited by the door for 20 minutes to be seated but no one acknowledged us. We saw many waiters going by tables but no one would ask us if we wanted to sit down and we were the only ones waiting. Then when we were finally sat down, they didn't offer is the special bbq tables which was the only reason I had come. We had to request to be moved to one which took another 20 minutes since after seating us, I think they simply forgot we existed. We didn't waters till much later. After moving tables, they asked us for drinks and that took forever to get (15 minutes) and they even forgot to get my friends coffee which they would eventually give with the check which makes no sense. Then we ordered food and that took 40+ minutes to come out at which point I was half way out of the door but they came out with it and in hindsight I wish I had just walked out. the food was all cold. The sauce was even congealed as if it had sat out for half an hour which it probably had. The bbq meats were alright but they were the only palatable part of this meal. After eating it took forever again to get our check which we had to request from a different waiter. And then our coffee finally arrived. What's the point of getting coffee with the check? We wanted it with the meal. On top of it all, our waiter never refilled our waters or asked us about the food. And trust me, this place was pretty dead so he wasn't too busy to come to us, he just didn't care. It was overall a horrible birthday dinner and really put a damper on an otherwise great day. Never coming here again. TLDR; waiting for service probably totaled to 1.5 hours and I regret wasting my time here.
(1)
Tiffany W.
Pretty decent Korean food. I got the hot stone bibimbap and shared a side order of the seafood pancake. The seafood pancake was a lot different than I imagined -- the photos on this site are pretty accurate. I thought it was a bit on the greasy side, but it was alright. It was a bit expensive though, around $10. The bibimbap was pretty standard. I feel like I was given a disproportionate amount of rice, and not as much of the meat/vegetables, since I noticed that once I stirred up the pot, I noticed it was more rice-heavy. The flavors were decent though. I enjoyed the small side dishes; just FYI they keep giving them to you if you ask for them.
(3)
Jessica L.
so let me first start out by saying that i love kaya and have been coming here for years. i haven't reviewed them in the past, but i have been on a real kick lately, so figured it was about time. today, my roommate ordered a chicken bento box for dinner and he says it was well worth the price [$14.95]. it came with a salad [which came with a small spider in the dressing -_-; but he removed it and ate the rest], miso soup, and banchan [small korean side dishes which include potato, kimchi, fish cake, cucumber, radish, eggplant, etc.]. i ordered the jap chae [$12.95] which was delicious, but about a quarter of the way in, i noticed that it came with a strip of saran wrap about 2 inches long. this was a little disconcerting, but i know this happens, so i didn't make a big deal about it. i showed it to the waitress; she was apologetic and brought me a fresh plate of jap chae, which was much appreciated. and of course we ordered a few rolls off of the half priced sushi menu, since it was tuesday. one of the spicy rolls was missing the spicy sauce, but the waitress brought us a little dish of the sauce....no big deal. the waiter and waitresses were awesome today...they really took great care of us! the host/busboy/H2Oreplenisher, however, was not so great. after cleaning up dirty dishes and wiping tables, he would refill our glasses of water by grabbing the rim of the water glass [where my mouth goes!]. this may not bother others so much, but it makes this germaphobe cringe! i know we'll be back, so i hope our experience is better next time...but as always, very delicious food stuffs today. even the saran wrap was tasty...can't speak for the spider though [just kidding!!! ^_^].
(3)
Holly C.
The kimchi jjigae is my favorite here, but the service is pretty slow and doesn't seem so friendly at times. The half off sushi Tuesdays is a good deal, which is decent sushi but not the best. Their lunch options have reasonable prices and are good portions, and the bbq here is good as well, just the prices are a bit high, but that's Korean BBQ for you. The only other place in town for KBBQ is San Su off Bethel, which has about the same prices. I really think the shotty service has really hurt them overall though. They also seem to have a dislike for college students back when I was in college or something, because they don't think you'll tip well, which is not the case for me. My parents taught me to always tip well for good service. Heck, they even tip well for bad service haha. I've seen a few groupon deals for them, so I believe they might be struggling? The service is the reason why I haven't gone back in a while because the food isn't bad. PS They've recently changed their half off sushi Tuesday menu to a lot smaller menu? Hmm...I guess it's still a good deal though.
(3)
Amy C.
This place was interesting. I got a lot of food for the amount I paid. I came in here with a groupon and the staff was extremely nice. The interior could use a little fixing up, like new carpet. The sushi was delicious. I loved the three rolls I got. I ordered a chicken box for my two young girls to share and it came with SO much food. I was expecting chicken, rice, and soup, but I got those three and a California roll, some tempura, a whole bunch of little sides that I can't describe. I mean, the woman wheeled out a cart full of little plates. I would love to come back here sometime, I was very pleased.
(4)
Lea P.
Really good sushi at an excellent price. I met with Sara C. and Heather C. for lunch here on a Tuesday, when sushi rolls are half price all day. There are some specialty rolls on the list of half-price options, and so I decided to try the Buckeye roll (shrimp tempura on the inside and spicy tuna on top), along with a more basic shrimp California roll. I rounded off with an order of edamame, mostly because I was concerned about the sign at the front of the restaurant that warns that wait times for sushi can be 30-45 minutes on Tuesdays. I wanted something to nibble on until the sushi showed up. I needn't have worried; the sushi actually came ahead of schedule, in around 20 minutes. It arrived beautifully laid out in a large round platter holding all the orders for the table. The server helped us identify which roll was which and left us to it. Among us, we also ordered a rainbow roll, another Buckeye roll, an eel-avocado roll, and a regular California roll. It was all fantastic. The edamame seemed not to have come salted, and there was no salt on the table. This was really my only dismay. Sara and I ordered tea, which was served in water glasses. We thought this was a little odd, and when it first arrived, I for one thought it was water and was a bit worried about the color. But it definitely smelled like tea, tasted like tea, by jove it must be tea... I count the water glass as the expansion of my realm of experience for the day.
(4)
Naiying C.
KBBQ was good but for the price it's a little high I think. Maybe because I've had delicious kbbq from Korea for A FRACTION of that price so my opinion may be a little bias. Regardless it was good and of course came with many side dishes. I recommend their seafood pancake!
(3)
Yukun C.
It's terrible !!! I won't get here for another time!!! I don't care the food but the attitude towards customers! My roommate and I wait for 5min to have a table, then no one come. We wait for 10 min but no waiters come, we do not have even a menu or a glass of ice tea!
(1)
Adrienne C.
Not bad, Kaya...not bad at all! The food is totally decent and the servers are attentive. We ordered sam kyup sal (a.k.a. pork belly $19), kimchi chigae ($11) and bibimbap in a stone pot ($13). The bibimbap was especially delicious, and I enjoyed how the kimchi chigae was served ontop of a miniature bunsen burner type thing to keep it hot the whole time. sam kyup sal was meh...though perhaps it's unfair to judge in comparison to L.A. pork belly options.... Also thumbs up for the wide assortment of banchan (side dishes) I like Kaya and Poong Mei the most (conveniently next door to each other) out of all the korean restaurants in Columbus. You can BBQ meat at your table at both Kaya and Sansu (another korean restaurant), but I like Kaya's interior better because it's brighter and cleaner looking. Sansu's yellowy, dim, unflattering lighting bothers my mood.
(3)
Ziyi Z.
if poong mei is open, I will never come here!!! Bad service, no spoon, no small plate, seafood pancake is the worst I've ever had, and includes a 18% tip in my check!?!?!? Are you kidding me???? The soup they recommend is horrible too! Will never come here again!
(1)
Dennis L.
If I had to pick my top five cuisines, probably at least three of them would be Asian. That said, for whatever reason, I haven't had a lot of Korean food, with my previous experiences being a tiny restaurant in Tokyo and the awesome Ajumama food truck. Kaya certainly made an excellent bid to be included in that top-five list. My party all ordered Korean BBQ, and the servers did a decent job of demonstrating how the grill worked, describing the copious side dishes and showing us how to combine them in the best ways. I ordered the spicy pork, and it was indeed spicy and very tasty. My favorites of the many tiny side dishes were the kimchi, the radish salad and the zucchini pickles, and there was some sort of salad made of bean sprouts that also was delicious. But really, there wasn't a single one I didn't enjoy. My wife and I got out of there for $40 plus tip, which doesn't seem all that high to me, considering the amount and variety of food you get and the extra table-side attention the grill requires. I'm looking forward to returning to try the bibimbop and other non-BBQ dishes.
(4)
Alex W.
Poor food quality and very overpriced. Menu is slightly confusing, and the waitress wasn't very patient with our party. Also, I've heard from multiple groups of my friend (and there are reviews on here to back me up) that they include an 18% tip on the check. This seems to only happen to foreigners dining at the restaurant as it didn't happen when I was there. THIS IS AN ILLEGAL PRACTICE!!!!! We will be contacting the Better Business Bureau, this place should be ashamed.
(1)
Shuo F.
They have half-off sushi on Tuesdays, but if that's what you're here for then you'll probably wait a long time for your food. Their sushi is only subpar though. I really like their Kalbi combo, it's the perfect portion for me.
(3)
Gilbert F.
Absolutely delicious!! I'm usually skeptical about the sushi that you get at Asian fusion restaurants, but the sushi here is very good! Of course the Korean food is amazing here as well! Great food, great service... Please do yourself a favor and give this place a try!!!
(5)
Nk C.
Service- I came here with my family on a Saturday night. We made a reservation so there was no wait. The waiter was helpful and told us when we ordered too much food (we ordered too much food anyways...can't go wrong with too much) Food- We had the bulgogi, kalbi bbq, seafood pancake, hot stone bibim bab, and a couple of their soups. I would rate the authenticity a 10/10. My Korean friend really likes the Korean restaurant next to this one but I think they are equally as good.
Best one so far in Columbus, Ohio! I love the service and the food. Korean BBQ is great, their Kimchee Jigae is amazing and appetizers are delicious. My parents request to come here when they visit my fiance and I. I highly recommend it!
(5)
Walt S.
Ka Ya Restaurant somehow caught my eye during a swing-thru for Tim Horton's on Kenny and Reed. I don't need to explain except I decided to swing back to Ka Ya for sushi. This YELP is for SUSHI ONLY. My first and so far only visit placed me at the 6-seat sushi bar. Quaint enough as I was the only customer at around 3PM on a week day. The sushi chef provided standard menu order sheet and pointed out the special which was crab. I passed - not a big crab fan when it comes to sushi or sashimi. My order was sashimi and was 2 pcs. fatty tuna, 2 pcs. salmon and 2 pcs. whitefish; I added a spicy California roll and a spicy Tuna roll. Along with my order I needed a refreshment and put in for hot green tea. Now, this part was nice. The chef passed to me a small bowl of crab + spicy cucumber salad as a 'free sampler'. How 'bout dat! And it was very good. My tea came in a plastic water glass which seemed rather odd. The brew was strong and I ordered and received a refill. Drinking was made difficult because of how hot the tea was - yeah, in a plastic glass. Weird. My sashimi and my rolls came. They were all very tasty and (as you would want) FRESH. The spicy sauces, yes there were two drizzled atop the rolls, acted in perfect unison taste wise. Really good food. In the end the chef did me one more solid. I was served a half orange (perhaps a blood orange??), the taste was a knock out. The final bill came to $30 which I found to be reasonable for sushi bar. No Korean food for me this time around. I would recommend Ka Ya Restaurant's sushi bar to any friend. Keep in mind it's a tiny little haven. Waiting might be an issue.
(4)
Sharon W.
Their Korean BBQ is pretty descent except it is a little pricey. However, The quality of the meat and seafood for grill are both pretty good, and I think it is the best you can get in Columbus. If you get the grill tables against the wall, there's a service button you can press when you need any attention from the server. They do frequently help you change out the grill plate so your meat won't be burned after several grilling, especially if you come with a big group. Overall, I think their quality of food and services deserve a four star in Columbus.
(4)
Moses S.
Protip: It is COLD here, so unless you like 65 degrees, bring a sweater or jacket. seriously. Came here with my wife Thursday evening and there were about 3-4 other tables there and a couple large (8+ tables). We sat down and ordered the Soon Tofu Chigae (tofu soup) and the Hwae Dup Bap (Sashimi over rice and veggies). The Soon Tofu Chigae was pretty bad, no egg, little seafood and the broth tasted like water and seasoning, there was no depth of flavor, you could tell the didn't use seafood stock or any stock for that matter. The Hwae Dup Bap was ok, definitely filling and had enough sashimi where you were happy with your meal, but not too happy about the lack of veggies and overabundance of greens. Not bad, but not great, and definitely have had better Korean food.
(2)
Jerry R.
Kaya Grill & Sushi is such a wonderful place...
(5)
Troy S.
I really like Kaya. I have been here twice and have thoroughly enjoyed my meal. I am not a connoisseur of Korean Cuisine so I can't test the authenticity. The place is a little pricey which is one reason I can't give it 5 stars. Both times i have come here with a coupon to help keep the cost down. I ordered the Bibimbap with seafood which was very tasty, I could order this many times again and leave satisfied. The dish is super hot with a little spice. My only complaint was that I can a very small side of Kimchi. The stew type food that my lunchmate ordered was also very tasty. I should have taken better notes on what we ordered but I didn't (I failed my Yelp duty). I had been here a few years before and really enjoyed it but the price is too steep for me without a coupon. My dish cost around $16 as did my friend's. Most of their Korean entrees are over $15. The sushi looked decent but I didn't have an opportunity to try it. Service was pretty good as they checked in with us numerous times and answered any questions we had. I would recommend coming her for the Korean food and not the sushi since Korean food is more difficult to find in CBus than Sushi.
(4)
Paul F.
Tonight was another sushi night. Half-off at Kaya. And they were packed! But I had two rolls, the "kaya" and another called the volcano roll. The sushi chef made me his little amuse bouchet as usual. This is the only restaurant that I go to that does that. A very good meal!
(5)
Amelia C.
Vegetarians, beware. I ordered something from the so-called vegetarian section but it was made with fish broth and had a slice of fish in it. Fish isn't vegetarian. Once I discovered this, our super slow and hard-to-find server was nowhere to be found. Luckily, the extremely attentive bus boy noticed I wasn't eating, asked me what was wrong, and got the manager. The manager apologized and took it off the bill, and then had to come back and apologize again because we never got our appetizer. My friends enjoyed their food and the place was bright, clean, and inviting. However, that didn't make up for the inaccurate menu and inattentive service. Our server was terrible, but props to the manager, who did his best to rectify that, and the bus boy, who really should be promoted to a server since he was the only one paying any attention to the tables and he handled our problems himself.
(2)
Ervin K.
Awesome food in this little restaurant with a huge parking lot. You get large portions and wide variety of side. The sushi to me was just OK. The service is slow and there really seemed to be a communication barrier between us and our servers. Don't expect anything fast or any smiles but do expect good food..
(4)
Stephen M.
Coming from California, this review may not be fair.... Service was very attentive though, so I gave it two stars. 1. The decor of this place is like an old house. The carpet is dirty and old. I don't understand the concept of this restaurant. 2. The sushi nigiri's are so small, almost like a peanut. Are you kidding me? How much is rice?! 3. The beef dish seemed so dry. 4. Again, the service was good. I'm not sure if this is typical Japanese/Korean food, but there is a lot to be improved on.
(2)
Beth P.
In my top 5 least-enjoyable dining experiences. Thank God the group I was with was fun. I'd been here in the past and it was alright - half price sushi night is cheap and decent. However, last night was not.good. A group of 9 of us arrived at 7:30pm, and I know 9 is a large group, but they barely tried. We were seated at two tables shoved together, menus were dropped off and waters, and then we didn't have a server for 20-25 minutes. We then place our order, and 15 minutes later the server comes by and says "Sushi won't be ready for 40 minutes. That ok?" and we all kind of said, uh, fine I guess, what about appetizers (cause at this point, we were hungry, and had already waited 40 minutes) so we end up with dumplings and edamame for the table. (Good flavor...grateful to have ordered these) Sushi arrives, in stages. Some of our table was waiting an additional 10 minutes to get their food, after the first people at our table had gotten theirs. I was 7th of the 9 to get mine, and my order was wrong. I'm allergic to avocado, so had ordered a roll with "no avocado, sub cream cheese, I'm allergic to avocado!" written on the paper order form. My rolls arrived, and one was avocado and cream cheese. Umm, no. So I sent it back. A new roll came out, that was crab, cream cheese and cucumber, which was also not what I ordered. Whatever, I'll eat it cause it won't kill me. Overall, the sushi was ok for how cheap it was on half price night. If I had paid full price, I would be very disappointed. I should note that the place was not that crowded. There was another table of 5 near us that literally cheered with delight when they finally got their bill and got out of there. The server made no attempt to compensate for trying to kill me with avocado. I paid in cash and I didn't get my change back (granted, it wasn't much change but um, gimme my money back) so I was annoyed with that. My friends all paid with credit cards, so I am sure they tipped, but this was the first time I did not tip a server at all due to his neglect of us throughout the night. However, I did hand 3 bucks to the guy who filled my water glass for 3 hours (we didn't leave until almost 10:30 due to the late late arrival of food) To sum it up, I'm not going back. You can find me at Asian Gourmet eating (more expensive) delicious sushi with kick-ass waiters and service.
(1)
Brad S.
I finally had the chance to use my groupon here last night. We arrived for a later weeknight dinner, around 7:30, and the place was basically empty. The host allowed us to choose our own table, and we sat at one of Kaya's private bbq booths. The best part of the dining experience was the service. The host (maybe the owner?) was very helpful in explaining the menu to us, describing the korean bbq options, and making recommendations. His enthusiasm about the food and experience seemed genuine, but not overwhelming or annoying. The food was good. I enjoyed the kimchi appetizers very much - each one was flavorful and tasted fresh. The bbq meats were good, although I would have preferred a bit more pre-cooking seasoning. The sauces provided for the meats did a commendable job of making up for this, though. All of the meats were fresh and delicious, though. The pork belly was my least favorite, but only because the shrimp and tenderloin were so good. The korean bbq experience is similar to the melting pot fondue experience. Raw meats are provided for the guests to cook on a hot grill in the middle of the table. This is a fun way to eat - each person can take turns manning the grill and cooking the meats for the group. The host was kind enough to give us cooking tips for the various meats. Overall, Kaya is a fun experience. I wouldn't go there regularly, but for a different dining experience, I think it's a good option.
(4)
George Y.
I've been a fan of Kaya's for a while now. Hard to figure out where I should start as this really doesn't cover a single meal, it covers many experiences and meals I've had. Generally every time I've gone, I've received excellence service. When Kevin helps us, he really treats us well, gives us recommendations, is attentive, everything. There have been moments where we've had someone else and we've got the "pushy,-rush-us-out-of-there-to-free-up-a-table" service, but that's rare. I've had meals in their main room and also in their larger, back party room with karoake. If you want a good deal of space with karaoke, and free to use, then consider this room. I've had everything from sushi, bimbimbap, kalbi, korean bbq, duk mandoo, etc. My favorites are a seafood pancake for an app and kimchee mandoo jeon gol as my main entree and sometimes a cup of green tea ice cream to finish the meal off. The kimchee mandoo jeon gol is so damn good. It's supposed to feed 2, but it can really feed 4. A big, steamy bowl of hot spicy broth, with kimchee, mandoo, sausage marinating in it. It goes great with a cup of white rice. On a random, related side note, we had these vegan korean frozen dumplings that we bought at a grocery store in my fridge. They are disgustingly mushy and gross. Makes me gag just typing it out. Well, we couldn't finish an order of kimchee mandoo jeon gol. We brought the leftovers home (broth and all), heated it up and put the vegan korean dumplings in it. This broth is so tasty, it hid the nastiness of these dumplings. Just a random tip if you need to finish gross leftovers. Back to my review. If you try Kaya out, see if Kevin is in. He'll treat you well.
(5)
Ashley H.
We really enjoyed Kaya for lunch. The space was bright and clean inside- a welcome change from some other restaurants in the area. The dining area is a comfortable size but parties over 6 might take over the restaurant when it comes to noise. Ka Ya, is a mixture of Korean and Japanese food but David and I opted for the Korean side of things to ensure we got banchan, the small complimentary plates that come with your meal. Our banchan consisted of 6 small dishes including a napa cabbage kimchi, savory warm potatoes, and bean sprouts. To note, we did notice that a larger table of 6 received more banchan, quantity and variety-wise. David ordered the R5 Pork Valley & Squid Hot Stone Bibim Bab (Hot Stone pot bibim Bab with stir fried spicy pork valley & squid), $11.95 from the lunch menu. The sauce was sweet with a tinge of spice. The protein in this dish was very flavorful and the hot pot created crunchy sizzling rice in the areas where the rice came in direct contact with the bowl. The one drawback was the chewiness of the squid. There was a great deal of it in this dish so it was a lot of chewing but David enjoyed the texture and would order this dish again. I ordered the S10 Duk Mandoo Gook (or Mandoo Gook, Korean dumpling, rice-cake, sliced beef, and egg simmered in beef soup), $8.95. My soup was in a larger bowl than what a typical Kimchi Jigae would be in. The broth was very delicate but the rice cakes and dumplings made it a hearty, filling soup. I'd absolutely order this again, especially at $9. We had an amazing lunch at Ka Ya and I can't wait to return. I thought the food was delicious and decently priced (the lunch specials are great). I loved the clean atmosphere and friendly service. Ka Ya features BBQ at your table (like San Su BBQ) where the guests can actually cook raw meat in the center of the table. It's quite a nifty idea but that's where Korean food can get a little pricey. I'd recommend Ka Ya to any Korean food lover!
(4)
Jennifer H.
We went here today for my Bday dinner as a family. It was a nice meal, but did end up costing us close to $100 with a tip, sake, and the meal was done. The food was good....... We decided to have Special #2 for the Korean BBQ. There was lots of food, and we enjoyed being able to grill the food. So why only 3 stars. I'll give a few reasons. 1. We went around 2pm and while there were quite a few people in the place, they seemed to be under-staffed. They forgot to get us a high chair for our daughter, which I had to ask for a few times. We had to ask for them to get us water more than once and we never got refills. 2. I asked if we could possibly get a smaller order of a fried noodle dish (without meat) for our daughter since we were getting a BBQ dish that was well over $50 plus drinks. They wouldn't make that for us, which I did not understand. So, we had to order a full order to Pad Thai for our 2 year old. Not the biggest deal in the world, but a tad annoying. 3. My husband and I have never been to a place where you actually cook your BBQ at the table like this before. There was a bowl of lettuce that was given, and nobody actually showed us how to utilize this. At the end, somebody finally did. It would have helped us alot knowing how to use this item prior to the beginning of grilling, as this would have helped alot with the smoke etc. With all these things being said.....I would probably go back during the week for the lunch specials. For the 3 of us, it is just too expensive to eat here again.... especially since our daughter likes to have a noodle dish and they will not make a smaller one for her. Oh well..... We would have been regulars had it been the other way around. However, I would certainly recommend trying this place. They also have vegetarian as well.
(3)
Alexa A.
Came here because of a Groupon. It was a good time! Korean barbeque is good for a night out with friends (in this case a birthday), where you splurge and eat a lot of things. Kaya is a really affordable place to splurge. It is NOT fancy, in fact I really would advise them to spruce up the decor. But, the food is interesting and very Korean. It's a fun experience. :)
(4)
Jen B.
3.5 stars (hello, yelp, make a half star option!) I'm from LA, the land of authentic Korean cuisine, so I was realllllllly skeptical coming here on my trip to Columbus. But, WOW! I was really impressed with the authenticity of this restaurant. My review is for the Korean dishes only as I figured I could go to a Japanese restaurant for sushi another time! The seafood bimbimbap was good, bulgogi was great, and all the banchan were excellent.........best part of the meal. We kept eating and eating and eating and the sweet server kept refilling them for us until we stopped him. I'm loving Ohio. The people here are so nice and relaxed. What a breath of fresh air!
(4)
Stephanie K.
For an area that has 4 Korean restaurants within a mile radius, this place is ok. I think there are better Korean places in the area. I only come here for the lunch bento specials such as the bulgogi box that comes with a salad, miso soup, tempura, a couple of sushi rolls, seaweed salad, rice, and bulgogi. They also bring out all the tiny side dishes that you often get with any Korean meal. This place also as Japanese offerings so that's a plus. Not my top choice as far as Korean goes, but it's not bad.
(3)
Shey J.
This is one of the worst places I've been to in columbus. I ordered a sashimi plate which was listed on their menu as 8 pieces. They brought a plate out with only 6. When I asked about it, they took the plate back and cut my same 6 pieces in half and brought it back to my table. Ballsy.
(1)
Doug B.
I love this place, been here at least a dozen times. My favorite is the bulgogi. If you don't know how it works and you're doing bbq. They bring your entree (raw) and you cook it at the table. If you're timid or unsure, they'll do it for you. The entree comes with bunches of sides: kimchi, diakon, seaweed salad, etc. (at least a dozen different things). Cook the entree, munch on the sides, put the cooked meat/fish/poultry on a lettuce leaf and cram it in your pie hole. This is serious strap-on-the-feedbag stuff and you will not leave hungry. Pure gluttony... love it. You don't have to do the bbq. They've got everything Korean and everything I've had is good. I will say this though, if you're going out for just sushi, go somewhere that specializes in sushi. Their sushi is good, but not great and portions can be small. I've never had a long wait for a table and the wait staff has always been pleasant and attentive. The decor is somewhat tired and dated, but I'll trade ambiance for great food any day of the week.
(5)
Eric C.
was recommended by my coworker.. * Korean food; good but nothing to write home about. BBQ grill plate was not cleaned and still have char on it. grill plate is not even hot and the server emptied the plate of meat on the it... * service; absolutely unacceptable.. ignorant, no smile, no thank you, no customer service .. I did notice service to American customers are quite the opposite .. ( yes.. I'm Asian .. ) one star because bad service. bad experience ! will not recommend to my Asian friends.
(1)
Matt W.
If you go to Kaya, you can get sushi, you can get noodles, you can get a surprisingly good kimchi jigae or Bibimbap, but there's one reason to go to Kaya over any of the other Korean places in town: Korean BBQ. Order your choice of meats (Sorry, vegetarians - while Kaya does have some veg options, the BBQ is not one of them) and you'll be given the usual panchan, plus additional servings of sliced chile peppers and garlic to grill with your meat. If you are seated at a BBQ table, the server will remove the center of the table to reveal the (gas) grilling surface, get the grill started, and put out the first set of meat to grill for you to show you what to do. If you're not at a BBQ table, they'll bring out a small propane stovetop and grilling plate for it. Grill the meat to your taste, use your chopsticks to take the meat from the grill, then wrap it in a provided leaf of lettuce and enjoy! Service when I've been in is generally very good, and each table has a "pager" button to use if you want to order additional food or drinks while you eat. The staff is generally fluent in English and Korean, but I have noticed that when I went in with Korean speaking friends, they generally will default to Korean first, English second. The Korean BBQ is a really fun way to have a meal if you haven't tried it - I'd recommend Kaya to anyone who is interested.
(4)
Frances F.
Went to Kaya with a group of 8 or so friends. The waitress was definitely not pleased that we all wanted separate checks, but she did try her best to accommodate our wishes. They eventually gave up on refilling our waters and just left a pitcher of water at the table, which was fine for us, but was not what you'd expect at a nicer restaurant. The food was decent. I had the soon tofu soup with seafood. I would have like to have more seafood and fish in the soup for the price ($10.95), but it was mostly just a large bowl of tofu. It was still a lot of food though and definitely more than enough to fill me up. Another disappointment was that all the small plates one expects at Korean restaurants did not arrive until our food was served, so there was nothing to munch on while we were waiting for our food, which made the wait seem overly long. We didn't end up clearing all the small plates they gave us, but that was only because we all had our food at that point and were happily full. The bibimbap was about what you'd expect at any Korean restaurant. The bbq combo platter was pretty average. All in all everything was pretty much average, nothing really stood out, and it's not necessarily somewhere I would be dying to visit again, especially since many other Korean places around that area have special deals for lunch or weekends, etc.
(3)
Huntting B.
If this place didn't do sushi id give it a four, if it didn't do korean a two, so average has to be a three. The rolls on the menu, and in person, look interesting but i got a flavorful roll that was just overtly bland. All I could taste and feel was the seaweed of the roll. I've never experienced this before. It was like i had to chew through the seaweed, not pleasant at all. I really liked my tofu soup here. If I were coming back into town I would order it in a second. The people here were really kind, good people.
(3)
Peter L.
A decent option for Korean food in Columbus given the limited selection. Pretty standard Korean menu and everything tastes right, but nothing I've tried has been amazing. I generally love pajeon (seafood pancake) but I'm not a huge fan of the bell peppers they sneak in there. And it's mushy sometimes. I've tried a few of their stews and once we got their Korean BBQ. A-OK kind of sums it up. Service has always been excellent when I've been there.
(3)
Michael G.
Pretty tasty meet and the sushi is always fresh.
(4)
Jane F.
I know that many people have enjoyed this place but my food last night was not good at all. The bulgogi beef was grey, bland, unseasoned and dissappointing. Dumplings tasted old. I just can't recommend it nor am I inclined to go back and give it a second try.
(1)
Tim Y.
Kaya is a Korean and sushi restaurant located in Upper Arlington. It's a fairly new build stand alone restaurant with an inviting exterior. Upon entering the inside of the restaurant most of the main dining room is a relatively plain rectangular space with a small sushi bar and Korean BBQ booths fill in the left side of the restaurant. We arrived at 8PM with reservations for two and waited over 10 minutes to be seated. I noticed that the dining room was about 35% Asian. We were seated in a space with a Korean BBQ grill in the center of a booth that seated 6. As I sat there trying to decide to myself if I should order a medium or large hot Saki, the waitress said, "medium," and walked away. OK. We decided to order the Korean BBQ and order both the meat combination and seafood combination. Both entrees cost $24.95 each. While waiting for the entrees there is alot of different food that came to the table. Each entree comes with steamed rice and salad. Red leaf lettuce came to the table in whole leaves, I think to wrap up your meat. Also arriving was all the little side dishes that come at a Korean restaurant. In small dishes with small portions included seasoned turnips, radish, fish cake, seaweed, a wilted spinach-like dish, kim chee, bean sprouts, salty bean paste, three slices of raw garlic, three slices of fresh jalapenos, and a type of sweet thin soy sauce. The entrees arrived raw, the grill on the table was lit, and I was given one pair of tongs. I began to cook the meat combination first. Chicken breast, Bulgogi, short ribs, pork, and a bone arrived at the table. Yep, a bone- Woof woof!. I soon realized how challenging this can become. Holding a conversation, drinking Saki, cooking meats with different cooking times, properly seasoning the food, wrapping the seafood and meat in the lettuce, and eating your food before it gets cold. Great for people who love multi-tasking! After we finished cooking the meats, the waiter replaced the top grill with a new one to start the seafood cooking process. Mmmmm. salmon-medium, calamari-just a few seconds, shrimp, scallops, and lobster tail-until opague. Ahhhh! Everything cooked pretty fast except the lobster tail, which came off the shell fairly easy, but because of the odd shape, took some time to cook. Only having chopsticks in lieu of silverware did not help. All the meat and seafood were fresh. The challenge is that with a low heat fire, the food comes out pretty bland after cooked. You have four opportunities to season your food. The standard salt and pepper shakers, soy sauce, and the light sweet soy sauce that comes with the side dishes. I recommend the black pepper and sweet soy sauce. My conclusion is that Kaya deserves about 3.5 stars but I rounded down to 3 stars. I did have a $30 Groupon, but I thought the food ordered was a little on the expensive side. The dining room was relatively plain and the service was slow. I didn't try any sushi so I can't comment on that. Upon leaving two hours later I noticed that the dining room was now 100% Asian. Personally I thought it was a little too challenging to cook your own food and enjoy the "dining-out" experience.
(3)
Michael D.
Amazing. Great service. Great food. Best price.
(5)
Laurie B.
We've been going to Kaya for a long time. Love this place. There are times that the server will tell my husband "that dish not for you" but I think it is mostly because it is unusual for someone not Korean to try something outlandish. Our last visit was to redeem our Groupon. Bought that up as soon as we saw it. We had sushi - never can go wrong there. Fresh, tasty and quick! I ordered the hot stone bibimbop. Amazing as always. What I like about theirs is they actually do just crack a raw egg on the top. By the time you stir it through, its cooked and just amazing. My hubby ordered Boo De Jjigae and it was perfect for what he wanted. It came out over a sterno and was boiling until he turned it off. The taste was amazing and he'd get it again! The small plates were amazing as always and I'll admit - we had more food then we really needed! We never leave there hungry - that's for sure. We've never tried their Korean BBQ but we have watched it go out to customers and it looks great. We definitely need to try that sometime when we go there. This is one of the best Korean BBQs in Columbus. You should go there!
(4)
Diana U.
I went on a Wednesday night and it almost completely empty. My friend and I both got bibimbaps and shared a spicy salmon roll. Side dishes were fine (I thought there could've been more variety), and I thought the bibimbap was bland. Service was kind of awkward, they kept trying to clear our food before we were finished. There wasn't anyone around so I didn't understand why they were trying to kick us out. For Korean food, I feel like Silla is still the best.
(2)
Daria F.
Really good korean bbq in Columbus (probably the best one). The first thing is that the atmosphere and the interior are really nice. Most of the guests are asians, which I think is a good sign. The menu is pretty big, so if you are not really into BBQ there are plenty of items to choose from. But were looking for the BBQ. So we've ordered rib eye bbq (since we have already tried pork belly, beef ribs and something else). It came with all this huge amount of appetizers as always (which I think is a great advantage of the korean restaurants). So you don't really need to order any appetizers and we also shared one bbq between 2 of us. We actually ordered 2 rolls as an appetizer cause we were very hungry and thought that it would take more time for the food to come. Sushi were amazing. Food came soon enough, so the service is good. and The prices are nice. We have really enjoyed the dinner we had and will definitely come back again.
(5)
Michael T.
Wonderful variety of good quality foods. Friendly staff. I don't know what people are complaining about. I think some people like to complain in an attempt to impress others. I'm not impressed.
(4)
Rebecca C.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND GOING ELSEWHERE. I had a horrible experience here last night. My friends and I drove about a hundred miles to come eat here, because we have been missing Korean BBQ in the city we currently live in. The food itself was very decent Korean food in the Midwest; if you are from a populous and diverse city and used to eating Asian food, then you would need to readjust your bar to be happy. The prices are high for what you get. The bathroom is interesting. Well, you just have to go in the bathroom to see what I mean. There are two stalls, and they are situated on either side of the bathroom. You'll know what I mean when you go in. I can only speak for the Women's restroom. Okay, let me just get straight to the point of why I only rated this a one star establishment. I don't like rating businesses with one star, but this place truly deserved it. I'll try to be concise and summarize my points. #1) I asked for a refill on something, but the server (also apparently the owner) was annoyed and told me that I better finish the very last bit before he'll refill anything. He was very rude, but this didn't bother met yet. I just did as he said and handed him the empty container. #2) When it came time to pay, he asked us for our money WITHOUT handing us the bill first. Not one person from my table saw the bill, nor did the server put the bill down on our table. This was strange to me. My oblivious friend hands the guy a credit card. I have my card in hand but request to see the bill. The gentleman acted very awkward and offended that I wanted to see the bill. Okay- have you ever been to a restaurant where you fork over your credit card without knowing what the charge was going to be? #3) The server/owner told us as he walked away with our cards that he was going to add tip himself. I didn't get a chance to open my mouth and respond, but he had turned on his heels and was out of sight. This is strange. First, there were no signs anywhere stating that tip would automatically be added. Second, I understand this may be typical for a large group, but we were a small group-- if you can even call us a group at all. When he came back with all charges said and done with, I asked him if this was typical practice for him to add tip automatically (and at what %?). He responded with a long rant about how everyone in America works off of tips, blah, blah.... I responded that wasn't my point. My question was whether or not they do this to everyone. Long story short (mind you, this was a long 20 minute conversation)-- he said that no, they don't do this to other people. He said that we were foreigners (I speak perfect English, while his own English was "not so good."), and if he hadn't added the tip, we would have tipped poorly or not done so at all. I retorted that tips are based on service and given at the discretion of the customer, whether small or large. Whether or not I'm a big tipper (and I usually am), that does NOT matter. The point was that he was treating us really poorly. We also ordered a lot of expensive food (obviously spending a lot of $$), but I guess that didn't matter to him. Was this not discrimination? Because my skin is a different color than white, he automatically treated us poorly the whole time...then added his own 20% tip without my permission, because he thought that I wouldn't tip. Wow. Blatant discrimination against me, someone he thought was a "foreigner." Never in my life has a restaurant asked for my credit card without telling me the total nor outright called me a foreigner and told me to my face that he didn't think I was going to give a tip. On my way out, I told him that although we had driven 100 miles for the food, we won't be coming back and will also tell our friends to go elsewhere.
(1)
Mindy W.
In my opinion, this is one of the best places to get sushi in Columbus. I used to come here all the time when my boyfriend worked out of town several nights a week (he hates sushi). I would always sit at the sushi bar, and the sushi chef was always awesome. He would give me free tempura sticks, free spicy crab salad, free pieces of sushi/ sashimi. I think he felt sorry for me getting food to go for what was clearly just one person. I was definitely not correcting this assumption as it always led to delicious free treats. The cool part is that the carnivores who don't like sushi can find something they want here. I've never done the table bbq, but my boyfriend always orders some sort of sizzling meat dish. It's really cool to get all those pickled sides--usually I get to eat most of them since the boy would rather just eat the meat (har har). Their miso soup is not the best I have ever had, but their sushi is always fresh, innovative and delicious. Maybe not the least expensive sushi, but it's definitely a cool place. If you can get something that comes with, or at least get a side of the spicy crab salad, you will not be disappointed. SO GOOD! Service is always really good, too. If you have questions about ANYTHING that you don't understand, your server will literally be glad to explain. They get really happy when you're interested in learning more about the food and culture, which I really appreciate.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Marie G.
From half off sushi nights (Tuesday's) to impromptu seafood bibimbop cravings - Kaya does not disappoint. The staff is quick to seat you and your glass is never empty. The staff is attentive but not overly so. We've had their Korean BBQ as well - it's a great experience with the in-table grills! The sushi is always fresh and prepared well. I've never had a piece fall out because the rice was not cooked right. The bibimpop is always hot and delicious! I can't wait to return and try the kimchi dumplings!
(5)Cecilia C.
Wow what has happened to this once nice establishment. This place has went downhill. Dirty dishes spread throughout the sushi bar area which looked like last nights mess that never got cleaned up. Then the sushi chef was wiping his face and blowing his nose right in front of us. He did not wash his hands and came back and continued to touch his face. It grossed me and my friend out enough that we had to leave before even ordering.
(1)Sandi A.
We visited Kaya last night to enjoy the Korean BBQ. We were put in a private room with a grilling table probably because we had a baby. (He slept the whole time). Unfortunately, our server was horrible. She hurriedly took our order, tried to upsell us and didn't answer our questions. She came back with our sushi order and then returned with our main course. The main course was already cooked when it was dellivered to our table. The whole experience was a big disappointment. Our server failed to tell us until we walked to the front desk to retrieve our check that we needed to order 2 entrees to get the BBQ experience at our table & she never checked on us. The best service was provided by someone filling our water glasses. The food was OK but would NOT recommend this restaurant.
(1)Michael U.
I was trying to think of the best way to sum up an experience at Kaya and the best I could think of was "hit-and-miss." Let me explain. If Kaya were indeed a Korean Grill that focused specifically on being a Korean Grill, it could be a really good place. As it stands, the Korean Grill options are quite delicious and well priced and the meats appear fresh while the sides are unique to the average American palate. Alas, Kaya makes the mistake of trying to be everything to everyone. During my two visits to Kaya, I opted for sashimi plus shared some of the grilled options and hot pot with some friends. The hot pot and grill were good, though not great.....the additions actually made the meal. As a self admitted sushi addict, however, I must say I was disappointed. The red clam was actually quite good, and as my favorite piece of sashimi that is a good thing indeed. The tuna was good as well, yet they were out of yellowfin and toro (if you're going to advertise it, have it.) The sweet shrimp was mediocre and did not taste fresh while the mackerel was fishy and the texture was poor. The eel, too, tasted old. I realize we're not talking about Nobu here, but old fish is unacceptable under any circumstance, even in Columbus. I like Kaya. The location is convenient, the prices are reasonable, the servers are abundant and helpful, and the grill tables are interesting. Overall, the whole experience seems like authentic Korean cooking.....until you try the sushi and realize Wilson Philips, Bryan Adams, and Michael Bolton are playing in the background. All said, good Korean, mediocre sushi, great service, bad music, good prices, poor selection. I'd still recommend their sushi over the overhyped Haiku and awful Zen, but if I were Kaya (or a diner at Kaya) I'd stick to the Korean Grill and Hot Pots.
(3)Carolyn E.
Mmmm, that's a flavor I've been missing! When I lived in Japan, my friends and I used to go to "Yaki-niku" and Korean BBQ places all the time. Many had "tabehoudai" - all you can eat - which aside from offering delicious food, was also a lot of fun and a great experience. Sadly, it is difficult to find places that serve the "real deal" in the states. By this, I mean a place where you actually get to cook the meat yourself, instead of having the guys in the back prepare it (typically overcooking it for my tastes). So, I was very excited to try Kaya...and they happily did not disappoint! The restaurant itself looks fairly small from the outside, though it actually has a number of eating areas and a sushi bar somehow inside it. Interestingly, it is right next to a Korean-Chinese restaurant. I don't know it means anything but I found that fascinating. Anyways, the environs were simple and clean, with pleasant lighting and quiet decorating scheme. Elegant but not overpowering. The clientele are varied. The night we went, there were a couple of families with children, a gang of Korean businessmen, some young professionals, and some college students, among others. We arrived around 5:00 and found the place nearly empty, but within 30 minutes it had become quite crowded. I would say that if you want the BBQ in particular, come early to ensure you get the appropriate table. As to the table and cooking method, if you are unfamiliar with Korean BBQ.... BBQ dishes consist of a plate of super thin sliced meat (a variety of types are available) which has been marinated in some sort of sauce. It comes with a few vegetables - mushrooms here - which also go on the grill. My friend and I tried the pork (supposed to be spicy but pleasantly pungent would be more accurate), and the classic bulgolgi (beef). Upon entering, you will be asked where you want to sit. If you are looking to try the BBQ, you will be taken to a table with a metal disc in the middle which, when removed, will reveal a brazier that the server will light when the food is ready. A little different from what I was used to, the method here is to take a tongful of meat and place it all in the center of the brazier (instead of one piece at a time). Once it is cooked to your liking, you remove it and eat (or mix with rice, lettuce, what have you). Of course, the marinades cause the brazier cover to blacken pretty quickly, so I give major credit to the servers who seemed to appear out of nowhere to replace the crusty covers with fresh, clean ones when the last piece of meat was removed. The only complaint I had with the process here was that the brazier covers had very large gaps in them, sometimes enlarged by damage that left pieces missing. Be careful when placing and moving the meat and vegetables that you don't drop it through one of these gaps. I think it is common to all the meals served at Kaya, but the plate of meat came with a range of traditional side dishes to be shared by everyone at the table. They were all pretty good, and definitely worth trying, especially if you have never seen them before. Speaking of other dishes, I do hope to go to Kaya again some day to try one of the many other plates on the menu - everything from Korean soups and noodles to Japanese bento and sushi. I saw other people in the restaurant eating some of these and they looked amazing. They also are a reasonable price...which sadly is not so true for the BBQ itself. If you go for the BBQ experience, you will spend a minimum of $20 (not including tip). No dish of meat is under $18.95. To me, that is ridiculously steep since I was accustomed to a tabehoudai (all you can eat) of $10 a person in Japan. To be fair, though, the dish here was solid, high quality meat - no tongue or tripe filler. Still, that is a lot of money, and not something I could have justified spending without my Entertainment book coupon... or for a very special occasion. Luckily, I did have a coupon, which was accepted without any hassle or problem. Indeed, service overall was fine. Polite, efficient, and helpful. If you have never had Korean BBQ, despite the price, it is worth trying at least once. It is a delicious and entertaining experience, best shared with a friend (or better yet, a group of friends). Kaya serves up a pretty good BBQ too, and is definitely worth giving a visit.
(4)Courtney E.
This is one of my favorite sushi restaurants. I always sit at the sushi bar to watch Chun make his masterful food. The sushi is fresh and delicious. Their specialty rolls are fun too. The Kaya roll is huge and is fantastic. Other favorites include the crab salad, spicy tuna in anything and Tuesdays. I would definitely pay full price for this sushi but on Tuesday's its half off sushi and Saki!!! The Tuesday special has sushi off most of regular menu and not mediocre sushi/sashimi selection This place is great to meet friends or a significant other. Love, love, love it!
(5)Lindsay O.
3-4 stars on this place. While I do not think This place is in the top 3 for sushi/Korean in columbus, I think it's pretty ok, much prefer restraint Silla right around the corner of you're craving Korean. Kinda pricy for what you get without the ambiance or sustinance to justify... Definately not as kid-friendly or pricey as Silla!
(3)Tonio K.
My buddy and I always come here for lunch when we both have a day off. We don't even have to name it--we just say "Let's go to that place" and we both know it means Kaya...and bento boxes. We always start out with a couple rolls and a few nigiri. It's good sushi--not the best in the world, but it's good. They don't put roe on the california roll, which is a disappointment, and the size of the nigiri has shrunk over the past couple years, but it's still good. Not amazing, good. We always get bento boxes--they started calling them "combination boxes" at some point. I get tempura and he gets bulgogi. The price is very reasonable for what you get--a small salad, miso soup, several side dishes which they will refill for you, and the box itself, which is a variety of accompaniments to your entree (rice, gyoza, a mussel, and so on). They're Korean, not Japanese, so purists would say to get sushi and tempura only from Japanese places, but we really like these bento boxes and the Korean side cars. It's the only place we've found where we can find this. We like it and we keep coming back. (And they've never added their own tip to our bill, regardless of the amount. Although, I'm sure they would with a large group, like all restaurants.)
(4)Emme C.
My family and I eat at Asian restaurants often but this was our first time in a Korean restaurant. This restaurant also has sushi. Even though we had a couple of sushi rolls, we were more excited about the Korean food experience which get all the 4 stars. Sushi was okay and reasonably priced. We were seated in a booth, our table had a grill on top where we cooked the chicken barbeque $18 which came with rice, lettuce wraps, and several little dishes of pickled cucumbers, lettuce (kimchi?), seaweed salads, etc, which turned out all different taste but surprisingly delicous. We also ordered a big bowl of some kind of spicy tofu soup $10. Service was attentive. Overall, I recommend this place.
(4)Sarah F.
I've only been for weekday lunches, but I think its REALLY great! The service is always very fast and friendly. Usually I am pretty boring, miso soup and California rolls, but hey it's tasty!
(5)Randall W.
Used our Groupon and ate here for the first time. The kids and I enjoyed our food. We ordered a sushi roll of eel & avacado which was delicious. Next, the three of us split two BBQ dishes; marinated beef and pork belly. It was fun to cook our food at the table and try it with the ample amount of side dishes. The owner and waitstaff were very friendly and attentive. Groupon got us there for our first visit and I would go back again.
(4)Andrea D.
I enjoyed my experience at Kaya, the staff/owner was friendly and attentive. I liked the lunch menu options, I tried the tempura udon & sushi special, which was a LOT of food, the side dishes were good, the sushi just okay (wouldn't recommend going here if you're just in the mood for sushi). My mom had the bulgogi box and the beef was really tasty. I would like to go back for dinner and try out the barbeque!
(4)Shawnie K.
Kaya is a Korean Grill with a sushi bar. It's not the most attractive looking building from the outside, but the interior is warm and friendly. I usually come for the sushi, which is reasonably-priced and good quality. Kaya has a substantial menu with a variety of Korean BBQ dishes, noodles soups and box lunches, I've eaten in the dining room a few times- usually when I'm with a larger group- but, mostly find myself at the small sushi bar, which can seat about 6 people. The menu board lists the daily lunch specials along with the chef's choice of special sushi rolls; driven by whichever interesting fish he can get his hands on. When it comes to cooked food, Kaya's stonepot bibimbap is one of my favorites in Columbus. The winelist is pedestrian, but the sake, beer and full bar more than make up for that. Even when it's at its busiest, there is plenty of parking in the big private lot and as a side note, some folks just beeline right through the smokey gray door in the back of the restaurant to the adjacent karaoke bar (I've peeked in, though I've never partaken in the fun). Kaya's service is solid and their food is consistently good. Let me stress, good not great. I don't usually make it a point to drive to this restaurant, but when I'm in this part of town and not feeling fancy, I find the sushi totally acceptable. The servers have always made it a point to remember us and even come over to say 'hi' we are at the sushi bar. Kaya remains in my high rotation of sushi restaurants.
(3)Queenie C.
Went with several coworkers. Friendly staff, huge menu, yummy food. Coworkers who got the vegetarian sushi enjoyed it. Recommend seafood and beef Korean BBQ at the table!
(4)F Z.
Kaya is going to be one of the few restaurants I will miss when I leave Columbus this summer. I can't go through a month without stopping in here at least 3-4 times. Yes, I go that often... and I tell myself that Korean food translates to healthful food. But who am I kidding? Too much of a good thing is, well, simply not good. Kaya definitely gives the feeling of homeliness. A fireplace sits in the front of the dining area. Little 'rooms' are available for larger parties as well as for Korean barbeque. The sushi bar is immaculate although it seems a bit isolated from the rest of the dining area. Personally, I only go to Kaya during lunch hours, seeing how dishes are much pricier during dinner time and you get--give or take--the same portions. Despite being one of the best places in town for sushi, I usually go for either the salmon or bulgogi lunchbox or stone pot bibimbap. (I'm a bit hesitant to venture into unknown culinary territory, although a couple of my Korean friends have raved about the authenticity of the dishes.) One lunch box is seriously enough to feed two people. As for the stone pot bibimbap (or any Korean dishes for that matter), you can expect to get several side dishes such as kimchi, preserved vegetables, fish cakes, etc. accompanying your meal. I recalled trying the Korean bbq option a couple of years ago and remembering the food tasting a bit bland. Then again, it could just be the inexperienced cook in me. Service may be a bit slow depending on the time of day, so start getting used to listening to Sunny 95 while waiting for the check to come. If not for the music, then for traffic or weather updates. Sunny 95 is seriously the only thing I hear coming out of the speakers the last 50 or so times I've been inside Kaya.
(5)Manolo E.
Went with a couple, she is korean and recommended this place as the best in town. My korean has been limited to a tasty dish of dog in Beijing and Bibimbap in some restos around town and Cincy. It was great to have the more familiar Korean service with all of its little protocols. Our server was nice, decent selection of beer although I wish they could dig some korean brews up from somewhere rather than just the Korean sake he was upselling. I had the korean BBQ thin strips of beef and we had a vegetarian pancake appetizer thing. both were good, but i would not say extraordinary. The server kept saying that since we had ordered two BBQ dishes, we could have sat at the grill tables and it is fresher and better that way. he told is that from the start but for some reason we did not jump on it. I also note some good comments on sushi but i just feel that is sacrilegious to have a japanese dish in a korean restaurant. Not because they don't do a good job but because in my mind it is just a reinforcement of the stereotypical American view that all Asians are the same and eat the same thing. Also, though I am a big sushi fan, I take serious exception to the way in which the Japanese continue to behave in relation to their war atrocities in China and the Korean Peninsula. I hate to make a political statement over food and bygones should be bygones at some point, but to me its equivalent to a Kosher restaurant selling bratwurst - it just ain't kosher except that the Germans continue to profusely apologize while the Japanese could generally care less.
(3)Nan L.
I'm baffled by the whole trend of every Asian restaurant serving sushi. Then again I know better to believe anything with cream cheese originated from the far east. At least someone tried with the name Crab Rangoon, they didn't even bother with the Philly Roll, yeah sushi from the city of brotherly love. But seriously, please don't review a Korean restauraunt base on it's sushi. It's about as useful as judging Chinese buffet based on it's pizza. Without veering further off topic, let's get back on track to the review of Kaya. If you come to Kaya, it looks like a building converted from a McDonald drive through (+1 in my books for any reason that results in one less fast food place). Kaya serves their meals with a wide variety of small dishes which includes kimchi, marinated radish, tofu, etc. On the menu you have your standard fare of Korean bibimbop (rice dish served in hot earthware pot), *guk/*tang (soup dishes). However the real reason you want to stop by this place rather than any other Korean joints in Columbus is for the bulgogi or Korean barbecue. Optional, but highly recommended is to ask for the table with the stove and you get the fun to cook the marinated meat in the center and enjoy the fun of rolling the tender barbecue straight from the hotplate into a crispy bite with lettuce, rice, and garnish. The only downside is your cloth will get infused with smokey Korean barbecue flavor once you are done, but then again it's a small price to pay for delicious food and a fun time cooking your meal. In my opinion, this is way more entertaining then watching some guy spin an egg at one of those Japanese hibachi grill. mmm, writing the review makes me crave for spicy and sweet Korean barbecue.
(4)Alice L.
They do korean bbq right in front of you, with stoves at the table which is always great because you're drooling and getting hungrier the whole time. The actual meat is not the best I've had, but for Columbus it's not bad I guess. The sake is great, but the service was very slow if I recall.
(3)Cathy C.
The sushi chef here is always fun & has lots if extras for us when we hang @ the Sushi bar! The food is fresh & tasty, the service is friendly!
(4)Sam K.
Korean cuisine is known for their soups. I didn't get a chance to try the bbq, but instead my guest and I had the Yuk Gae Jang, Maeuntang, and sashimi sampler. I've tried these soups at Silla and Min Ga and Kaya by far has the best broths. Their kimchi was subpar, but all the other side dishes were good. Our server was attentive and the place is clean.
(4)Alex R.
I ate at Kaya for the first time on 07/25/09 based on the reviews here on Yelp. I have to say that overall the sushi was good and the service was great. I had several rolls as I am a big sushi fan and would rate the overall experience a 4 out of 5. First off, the gentleman behind the bar, I believe his name was Chun, was very friendly. As I was the only one sitting there for a meal he engaged me in conversation while working and made sure that everything was to my satisfaction. The service provided by the other employees was also good from the refill of my water glass to the host greeting me at the door. The sushi rolls overall were very good and well constructed. There was a good ratio of fish to rice and I feel the portion sizes were on the good side. The 4 rolls I ordered were the Sunday Morning roll, Yellowtail roll, Spicy Crunch roll, and the Kaya Roll. I have had the Sunday Morning roll, comprised of a salmon and cream cheese roll coated in tempura batter and deep fried, at other establishments. The batter here was crispy and sweet and the fish inside did not get overcooked which has happened at other places. The Yellowtail roll was OK. I feel it was missing the green onion which you generally find at other places, but the fish was fresh and clean tasting. The Spicy Crunch, I think this is what it was called, was a Spicy Tuna roll with tempura crumbles and a topping of spicy mayo. This roll was also good. Only knock would be the spicy tuna mix was a little too smooth and could have used a little extra chopped tuna for texture, although the cucumber did help. Finally, the Kaya Roll...ummm. Having had the roll once, it is enough reason to go back to Kaya again and again. I am not a big fan of eel, but I do have the fresh water version occasionally. This roll changed my perception of this fish. To start, the combination of sweet, savory, crunchy, and salty were perfectly executed. The shrimp tempura was wonderfully cooked and stayed crispy throughout the roll. The smoothness of the cream cheese complimented very well as did the salt and herb mix sprinkled over the finished roll. Finally, the fresh water eel added the bit of fresh fish flavor that pushed the roll over the top. After this experience I will definitely bring friends and family to Kaya in the future and expand my adventure to the Korean side of the menu. Overall the service and food have made this a new destination on my list of Columbus good eats.
(4)renee b.
I used the groupon I got here the other night and it was wonderful. I come here a lot with my family and get the barbeque which is amazing. I highly suggest trying Kaya out!
(5)Johaun C.
one of my more recently developed pet peeves, i often ask my korean friends: why is it Korean food is so expensive? the cuisine, while relatively distinct, in terms of ingredients used is pretty similar to Chinese cuisine (seafood, dumplings, noodles, various cuts of meat, soups and sauces). so how is then that there are like a billion cheap Chinese joints, but literally every Korean place i've ever been to across the country (except for maybe LA where competition is almost violent) has terribly marked up prices? Kaya is certainly no exception to this rule. if you like steep prices for totally unworthy food, this is your place. if not, just go one exit north to Henderson and consider Silla.
(3)Tina L.
Considering this place is located in the mid-west where ingredients are not as accessible as they are in NYC and L.A., I thought it was pretty good. The bahn-chan is average, but a lot of Korean restaurants these days (including NYC) have become lazy and cheap with the bahn-chan, so I wasn't surprised. We went to Kaya because my future parents-in-law have never eaten Korean food at a Korean restaurant. I've made bulgogi for them, but not the full spread that comes in a Korean meal. In order to give them the experience, I thought Kaya would be a good choice based on the reviews I read. Kaya accomplished the goal. Everyone was very happy with the meal and the service. I am used to older, little Korean ladies being servers, so it was a nice change to have younger servers who are friendlier. We ordered bulgogi to grill, shrimp to grill, Jap Chae, dol sot bibimbap, and goon mandoo. Bulgogi was good. Jap Chae was good. Goon mandoo was homemade, which is what I wanted, and dol sot bibimbap was good, but was missing the raw egg on top. I suppose they didn't serve it due to the typical clientele they serve in the mid-west? What was nice with the dol sot bibimbap was they gave me the entire bottle of kochujang! All korean restaurants only give you a little, so it was really nice to have my own bottle! The staff was meticulous about switching the grill plate regularly to prevent burnt bits flavoring the next batch of fresh meat. This was a nice surprise. One thing I wish I ordered was the dubu chigae, since that is how I judge if a Korean restaurant is good, but I will have to do that next time I am in OH. The last nice surprise was the fact they have the persimmon/cinnamon drink! Most Korean restaurants these days only give you oranges at the time of the check, but Kaya actually had one of my favorite after meal treats! Overall, I recommend this place.
(3)HaAn T.
We came here for the half-priced sushi. We got a boat-load and it was really good. I asked for iced tea but never got it, but it's whatever since I didn't get charged for it. Service was meh.
(4)Minna C.
Great place to enjoy Korean food in cbus. Ive been going here for years and even craved the hwedupbap here although i was working in Korea for awhile! The sushi is awesome and i love their combo boxes!!!
(4)Cherie R.
As far as Korean places go, this place is exactly what the three stars mean - A-OK. It gets the job done - but if this restaurant was in any bigger city, I'm not sure it would survive. It just lacks the something "extra" that would let it survive. The barbecue is solid - we once ordered the chicken when we were out with some inexperienced Korean bbq eaters at the recommendation of the waitress. Bad idea. I think she was trying to cater to all those people who eat chicken because they like that tasteless bland flavor... :-( But otherwise, the meats are pretty good.
(3)Andrew L.
Let me preface by saying that this is one of the few times I will get a really freaking expensive restaurant a good rating. Although, now that I think about it, you could probably come here and not murder-ize your wallet, but we came for the first time for a special occasion and had the Korean BBQ. I'm a bit abashed to say what I had because of how much it cost, but I will do so for posterity's sake: My family shared a bowl of hot pork belly and squid bimbimbop; a bowl of tempura udon; and korean bbq with kalbi beef (for the longest time, I thought this was synonymous with kobe beef, but it's not), seafood platter, spicy pork, and beef tongue. It was all fantastic. I like to undercook everything to leave it a bit rare (the server said you could do this, even with the seafood and the tongue), except with the pork. They give you lots of sauces - some sort of peanut or maybe wasabi-tasting sauce, some sesame oil sauce, and a sweet sesame oil sauce that comes with the seafood platter. Each BBQ dish comes with complimentary things of lettuce which you can grill and wrap the meat in, or just eat on its own with sauce. The BBQ works like Chinese Hotpot in the sense that you have raw dishes and you put them in a central cooking area, then dip them in sauce. But instead of a big boiling pot of water or broth, you stick it on a grill. Just don't put a ton of stuff on at once so you don't make things too smoky. What can I say? It was all really delicious. The meat was so tender, the lobster and other seafood things were tender and juicy - better than the lobster I've had on occasion throughout the period of my life. The bimbimbop was great too, as was the udon. Here's the catch: I remember the bimbimbop/udon being reasonable prices, but if you get the korean BBQ, EACH dish can run you about $20-25. Like I said, murder-ize your wallet. We came here for a special occasion. That said, the service was absolutely fantastic, always changing our grill, showing us how to eat the food, giving us suggestions, patient when we were deciding what to eat, and putting up with my Asian parents' insistence that he be in our family photographs with us. Again, if I recall correctly, you could probably come here and order a meal that wasn't frightfully expensive and still be satisfied. But the BBQ, as great and fun as it is, is really expensive.
(5)Vicky N.
Came with a group of 4, all ready to devour Korean BBQ. Being in the Midwest, I knew it would end up being an expensive dinner, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a specials menu. We shared 3x of bulgogi, Soju, banchan, ddukbokki (rice cake), kimchi jiggae, and dumplings for a total of $25/person. To me, this was less than expected AND we were completely full. We had no issues with the service, as it appears others have had. The food came out fast, even with a busy restaurant. Our servers were friendly and accommodating with our requests. The banchan was a conservative portion size, but overall I found the food delicious and filling. Definitely a solid place for Korean food.
(4)Donna O.
Kaya is a great place for Korean food and sushi, and a spot to try out Korean BBQ with friends. If you have familiarized yourself with Korean food, you'll find all of your favorites here, along with box dinners and many varieties of jigae and other stews. This place can get busy a little later in the evening, but they can accommodate large groups and the service is conscientious. Be aware, however: if you are an adventurous eater, you may have to be firm about your order. If your server feels you are ordering a dish that "most Americans don't like," they will try and talk you out of it. I've had to stand my ground a couple of times to get what I wanted to order. Obviously, they've had experience with Western diners who think they know what they're getting (fish eggs, tripe, cow's blood) but have no idea how it will taste in a stew. Be kind, but firm. And, don't complain if your dish is served the way it's supposed to be but you didn't realize that boiled fish eggs taste like boiled liver. Tables are about half BBQ-ready (with a covered gas grill in the center) and half regular. I ordered sushi and soon tofu stew on this trip, while the spouse picked out a fried chicken dish that was essentially General Tso's meets katsu. My stew was filled with both tofu and seafood, and tasted as great as it looked; their sushi offerings are fresh and well-made. Their take on General Tso's was a well-balanced blend of texture and flavor that is part of all their dishes - exactly as they should be. Kaya does not skimp on their portions or their ingredients. Their bon chon is huge, too - for two people, we got nine dishes the first time, and six more when we re-ordered. I like their kimchi best of any local Korean restaurant. We left full and happy from Kaya, as usual.
(4)Serena H.
Came here for a friend' birthday dinner. I was the first to arrive in our party of like 14 and no one helped me while I awkwardly stood there for a minute or so. The lady was standing there attending to her recipes and it wasn't until one of the waiters came over that I was given a "hi, but I'll just let you wait another couple minutes before I ask you why you are here." So I sited until he finished processing his orders before they asked me, "how many." Eh. Could have been better. The service during the actual meal was fine and the waiters and staff were very friendly and attentive. The food took long to arrive but it was okay because the company was good. The meal, however, was not good at all. I ordered the kalbi tang, which is basically a soup made with the bones and meet. Usually they make the broth and give you the bones with hefty chunks of meat on it. Well, all I got was literally what looked like scraps from the rat of their dishes. It wasn't disgusting but it wasn't great. So I probably will not come here again, because the food is pricey and not so great, bout I do them them a shout out for having great service during out meal.
(2)Kim B.
Once again we had a wonderful dinner here tonight. The service is wonderful and the staff is always helpful in answering questions. We love all the little sides that come with your meal. My vegetarian sister is always happy to dine here. Tonight her sushi was amazing. I had a pork cutlet bento box and was delighted with everything in it. I enjoyed that the sushi I got in the box was not a boring old California roll.
(5)Joyce X.
Every time I go to Kaya, I keep hoping it will get better, but I'm just continuously disappointed. Usually I either go if a friend is in town and is in the mood for Korean BBQ, or it's half-off sushi on Tuesday. Their food is ok, definitely not the best Korean food you can get in the area, and is a bit pricey. The worst part of Kaya, however, is their service. We wanted water, and received tea. It took the waiter 20 minutes to get to us to take our order (there were probably only 4 other tables and they already had their food). Another 30 minutes passed before our food came out (ordered K-BBQ, which we were informed that the meats were already pre-marinated, so why in the world did it take 30 minutes to bring out?). When we were clearly done eating, they cleared our plates but neither asked us if we wanted our checks or if we wanted to order dessert. We looked around and couldn't find our waiter to flag down, so asked another waitress to bring our checks. 15 minutes passed and neither she nor our original waiter came to pick it up, so I just ended up just walking it up myself to the host counter in the front of the restaurant. They do have a "Call Server" button on every table, but the one at the table we sat at must be broken because we pressed it many, many times throughout the evening and no one responded.
(2)Kaoru M.
My family loves Korean food, so we've been going to Kaya on and off for probably the past 13-14 years. Their food has consistently been good over the years. We usually get an order or two of kalbi to share, then order individual dishes... Generally the stone pot bibimbap, mool nengmyun, kimchi jigae, and soon tofu. Their sushi is decent as well, but we usually come here for their Korean dishes. The service here is indeed slow. I think they might be chronically understaffed. One way to speed things up however is to hit the "call server" button that's at each table whenever you want something. They are very quick at responding to the call button! Sometimes groupons for this restaurant pops up, so we usually jump on that. It won't pay for the whole meal, but definitely worth it!
(4)Sara C.
I had a late lunch meetup here on a Tuesday after checking with the restaurant to ensure that the half-price sushi rolls were available at lunch as well as at dinner. It wasn't terribly crowded when we met at 1 PM, which was nice. A sign in the entry warns that on Tuesdays the sushi may be a little slow in coming out, which is good to know (though we didn't have too long of a wait). Lea P. has already described our confusion over the hot tea -- it came served in plain water glasses, looking vaguely like brown-ish water, and we were a bit puzzled at the way it was presented. Only the rolls are half-price, and the selection is not terribly large (not like Sushi Ting's pages upon pages), but there's enough to choose from to make a good lunch. I stuck to the basic Rainbow Roll and avocado/eel roll, which was plenty for me. The sushi was good -- they didn't skimp on the fish and it was decently fresh. Service was the typical brisk Asian style, though they were good about keeping the water/tea glasses topped off. I'm waffling between three and four stars, just because it wasn't terribly outstanding, but half-price Tuesdays makes this a great deal. If you're looking for inexpensive sushi, I'd definitely check this out. I'd like to come back sometime and check out the soon tofu lunch special, and see what the banchan is like.
(3)Anna L.
BBQ very Delicious . Seafood pancake so good ! I also like Tuna sushi . Service is good.
(4)Amelia S.
I always have good dining experiences here so I thought hey, why not do a dinner party at my house with Kaya food? I communicated with someone named Kevin and he was probably the most accommodating and friendly food business employee I have ever dealt with in my life. I first wanted a sushi dinner and later added udon as a supplement. The udon at Kaya was definitely higher in quality than other restaurants. The quality of the food was exceptional and the shrimp tempura was not 3/4 tempura and 1/4 shrimp like the other restaurants. The broth was more than just a mixture of the concentrated liquid and water. It actually had a lot more condiments and more! As for sushi, it was so so yummy with the variety of fish and sauces. When I went to go pick up the food, the sushi chef explained all of the items that came with my order. He was so nice despite the fact that the restaurant was PACKED. I carefully took my sushi, udon, and other dishes home and plated everything. Everything was so delicious and my guests were very impressed with the food! I really appreciated how communicative Kevin was in trying to make me happy. I am a very picky customer when it comes to food and Kaya exceeded my expectations! I will definitely be back without a doubt whether it is to dine in with my family or to cater for a house party. Thank you Kaya and Kevin for all your wonderful food and assistance!!!
(5)Jamie F.
I made reservations here for myself and 5 friends. I specifically told them we wanted to do BBQ. We arrive and were seated in the back room at a BBQ table. The service was the usual, i.e. you get what you are given, not what you want/ask for. We ordered a few bibimba bowls and some BBQ. The food arrived after about 20-25minutes. All the bowls were placed on the table and then the waiter puts down a plate of what looks like extremely well done Taco Bell meat. Everyone at the table kind of gives the WTF face. We asked about our BBQ items. He says something about the fire code and not being able to cook at the table it had to be cooked in the kitchen? Not entirely sure, but that would have been nice to know BEFORE we ordered or when I spoke to someone on the phone and specifically mentioned we wanted to do BBQ. Had we have known that we couldn't cook it, we never would have ordered it. Cut to about 15 minutes later...There's a table directly to our left at a table outside this room who is cooking their food at the table. We ask again about why we couldn't and are given the same answer as before. Bottom line, I think the food is way overpriced, specifically the BBQ for what you end up getting. Apparently you can only cook your food at some tables, and the service is is definitely not good. The bibimba was good, but nothing to rave about. I won't be coming back here.
(1)Abby L.
I went at an odd time so they weren't busy and the waiter that served us was extremely helpful and kind. The sushi is pricy. It's good, but I wouldn't come unless it was only during the half-price times which I believe are on Tuesdays.
(5)Karyn M.
This was probably my worst experience with korean food in Columbus. I came here for a large student organization function for dinner. We were split up into 3 tables and had korean BBQ. I first noticed that the service was not only painstakingly slow, but really uneven. One table would get several meat dishes and another table would not have anything for quite some time. Usually i'm not critical of service but it was noticeable enough to annoy me this time. My bf and I had to leave earlier than everyone else so we went to the cash register and paid for our parts and left. We later found out that they told our party that we had not paid. So the restaurant ended up getting paid twice. Whether this was a sloppy mistake or a sketchy intention, it's had made me look at this business differently. I will never go back and the only reason this place is getting a 2 star is because the food was not as dismal - it wasn't noteworthy but not as bad as their service.
(2)Sarah W.
I came here for my birthday and had the worst birthday dinner of my life. First off, we waited by the door for 20 minutes to be seated but no one acknowledged us. We saw many waiters going by tables but no one would ask us if we wanted to sit down and we were the only ones waiting. Then when we were finally sat down, they didn't offer is the special bbq tables which was the only reason I had come. We had to request to be moved to one which took another 20 minutes since after seating us, I think they simply forgot we existed. We didn't waters till much later. After moving tables, they asked us for drinks and that took forever to get (15 minutes) and they even forgot to get my friends coffee which they would eventually give with the check which makes no sense. Then we ordered food and that took 40+ minutes to come out at which point I was half way out of the door but they came out with it and in hindsight I wish I had just walked out. the food was all cold. The sauce was even congealed as if it had sat out for half an hour which it probably had. The bbq meats were alright but they were the only palatable part of this meal. After eating it took forever again to get our check which we had to request from a different waiter. And then our coffee finally arrived. What's the point of getting coffee with the check? We wanted it with the meal. On top of it all, our waiter never refilled our waters or asked us about the food. And trust me, this place was pretty dead so he wasn't too busy to come to us, he just didn't care. It was overall a horrible birthday dinner and really put a damper on an otherwise great day. Never coming here again. TLDR; waiting for service probably totaled to 1.5 hours and I regret wasting my time here.
(1)Tiffany W.
Pretty decent Korean food. I got the hot stone bibimbap and shared a side order of the seafood pancake. The seafood pancake was a lot different than I imagined -- the photos on this site are pretty accurate. I thought it was a bit on the greasy side, but it was alright. It was a bit expensive though, around $10. The bibimbap was pretty standard. I feel like I was given a disproportionate amount of rice, and not as much of the meat/vegetables, since I noticed that once I stirred up the pot, I noticed it was more rice-heavy. The flavors were decent though. I enjoyed the small side dishes; just FYI they keep giving them to you if you ask for them.
(3)Jessica L.
so let me first start out by saying that i love kaya and have been coming here for years. i haven't reviewed them in the past, but i have been on a real kick lately, so figured it was about time. today, my roommate ordered a chicken bento box for dinner and he says it was well worth the price [$14.95]. it came with a salad [which came with a small spider in the dressing -_-; but he removed it and ate the rest], miso soup, and banchan [small korean side dishes which include potato, kimchi, fish cake, cucumber, radish, eggplant, etc.]. i ordered the jap chae [$12.95] which was delicious, but about a quarter of the way in, i noticed that it came with a strip of saran wrap about 2 inches long. this was a little disconcerting, but i know this happens, so i didn't make a big deal about it. i showed it to the waitress; she was apologetic and brought me a fresh plate of jap chae, which was much appreciated. and of course we ordered a few rolls off of the half priced sushi menu, since it was tuesday. one of the spicy rolls was missing the spicy sauce, but the waitress brought us a little dish of the sauce....no big deal. the waiter and waitresses were awesome today...they really took great care of us! the host/busboy/H2Oreplenisher, however, was not so great. after cleaning up dirty dishes and wiping tables, he would refill our glasses of water by grabbing the rim of the water glass [where my mouth goes!]. this may not bother others so much, but it makes this germaphobe cringe! i know we'll be back, so i hope our experience is better next time...but as always, very delicious food stuffs today. even the saran wrap was tasty...can't speak for the spider though [just kidding!!! ^_^].
(3)Holly C.
The kimchi jjigae is my favorite here, but the service is pretty slow and doesn't seem so friendly at times. The half off sushi Tuesdays is a good deal, which is decent sushi but not the best. Their lunch options have reasonable prices and are good portions, and the bbq here is good as well, just the prices are a bit high, but that's Korean BBQ for you. The only other place in town for KBBQ is San Su off Bethel, which has about the same prices. I really think the shotty service has really hurt them overall though. They also seem to have a dislike for college students back when I was in college or something, because they don't think you'll tip well, which is not the case for me. My parents taught me to always tip well for good service. Heck, they even tip well for bad service haha. I've seen a few groupon deals for them, so I believe they might be struggling? The service is the reason why I haven't gone back in a while because the food isn't bad. PS They've recently changed their half off sushi Tuesday menu to a lot smaller menu? Hmm...I guess it's still a good deal though.
(3)Amy C.
This place was interesting. I got a lot of food for the amount I paid. I came in here with a groupon and the staff was extremely nice. The interior could use a little fixing up, like new carpet. The sushi was delicious. I loved the three rolls I got. I ordered a chicken box for my two young girls to share and it came with SO much food. I was expecting chicken, rice, and soup, but I got those three and a California roll, some tempura, a whole bunch of little sides that I can't describe. I mean, the woman wheeled out a cart full of little plates. I would love to come back here sometime, I was very pleased.
(4)Lea P.
Really good sushi at an excellent price. I met with Sara C. and Heather C. for lunch here on a Tuesday, when sushi rolls are half price all day. There are some specialty rolls on the list of half-price options, and so I decided to try the Buckeye roll (shrimp tempura on the inside and spicy tuna on top), along with a more basic shrimp California roll. I rounded off with an order of edamame, mostly because I was concerned about the sign at the front of the restaurant that warns that wait times for sushi can be 30-45 minutes on Tuesdays. I wanted something to nibble on until the sushi showed up. I needn't have worried; the sushi actually came ahead of schedule, in around 20 minutes. It arrived beautifully laid out in a large round platter holding all the orders for the table. The server helped us identify which roll was which and left us to it. Among us, we also ordered a rainbow roll, another Buckeye roll, an eel-avocado roll, and a regular California roll. It was all fantastic. The edamame seemed not to have come salted, and there was no salt on the table. This was really my only dismay. Sara and I ordered tea, which was served in water glasses. We thought this was a little odd, and when it first arrived, I for one thought it was water and was a bit worried about the color. But it definitely smelled like tea, tasted like tea, by jove it must be tea... I count the water glass as the expansion of my realm of experience for the day.
(4)Naiying C.
KBBQ was good but for the price it's a little high I think. Maybe because I've had delicious kbbq from Korea for A FRACTION of that price so my opinion may be a little bias. Regardless it was good and of course came with many side dishes. I recommend their seafood pancake!
(3)Yukun C.
It's terrible !!! I won't get here for another time!!! I don't care the food but the attitude towards customers! My roommate and I wait for 5min to have a table, then no one come. We wait for 10 min but no waiters come, we do not have even a menu or a glass of ice tea!
(1)Adrienne C.
Not bad, Kaya...not bad at all! The food is totally decent and the servers are attentive. We ordered sam kyup sal (a.k.a. pork belly $19), kimchi chigae ($11) and bibimbap in a stone pot ($13). The bibimbap was especially delicious, and I enjoyed how the kimchi chigae was served ontop of a miniature bunsen burner type thing to keep it hot the whole time. sam kyup sal was meh...though perhaps it's unfair to judge in comparison to L.A. pork belly options.... Also thumbs up for the wide assortment of banchan (side dishes) I like Kaya and Poong Mei the most (conveniently next door to each other) out of all the korean restaurants in Columbus. You can BBQ meat at your table at both Kaya and Sansu (another korean restaurant), but I like Kaya's interior better because it's brighter and cleaner looking. Sansu's yellowy, dim, unflattering lighting bothers my mood.
(3)Ziyi Z.
if poong mei is open, I will never come here!!! Bad service, no spoon, no small plate, seafood pancake is the worst I've ever had, and includes a 18% tip in my check!?!?!? Are you kidding me???? The soup they recommend is horrible too! Will never come here again!
(1)Dennis L.
If I had to pick my top five cuisines, probably at least three of them would be Asian. That said, for whatever reason, I haven't had a lot of Korean food, with my previous experiences being a tiny restaurant in Tokyo and the awesome Ajumama food truck. Kaya certainly made an excellent bid to be included in that top-five list. My party all ordered Korean BBQ, and the servers did a decent job of demonstrating how the grill worked, describing the copious side dishes and showing us how to combine them in the best ways. I ordered the spicy pork, and it was indeed spicy and very tasty. My favorites of the many tiny side dishes were the kimchi, the radish salad and the zucchini pickles, and there was some sort of salad made of bean sprouts that also was delicious. But really, there wasn't a single one I didn't enjoy. My wife and I got out of there for $40 plus tip, which doesn't seem all that high to me, considering the amount and variety of food you get and the extra table-side attention the grill requires. I'm looking forward to returning to try the bibimbop and other non-BBQ dishes.
(4)Alex W.
Poor food quality and very overpriced. Menu is slightly confusing, and the waitress wasn't very patient with our party. Also, I've heard from multiple groups of my friend (and there are reviews on here to back me up) that they include an 18% tip on the check. This seems to only happen to foreigners dining at the restaurant as it didn't happen when I was there. THIS IS AN ILLEGAL PRACTICE!!!!! We will be contacting the Better Business Bureau, this place should be ashamed.
(1)Shuo F.
They have half-off sushi on Tuesdays, but if that's what you're here for then you'll probably wait a long time for your food. Their sushi is only subpar though. I really like their Kalbi combo, it's the perfect portion for me.
(3)Gilbert F.
Absolutely delicious!! I'm usually skeptical about the sushi that you get at Asian fusion restaurants, but the sushi here is very good! Of course the Korean food is amazing here as well! Great food, great service... Please do yourself a favor and give this place a try!!!
(5)Nk C.
Service- I came here with my family on a Saturday night. We made a reservation so there was no wait. The waiter was helpful and told us when we ordered too much food (we ordered too much food anyways...can't go wrong with too much) Food- We had the bulgogi, kalbi bbq, seafood pancake, hot stone bibim bab, and a couple of their soups. I would rate the authenticity a 10/10. My Korean friend really likes the Korean restaurant next to this one but I think they are equally as good.
(4)Grace S.
Went to Kaya last night with my fiancée and the food was good however we both came down with food poisoning about 2 hours after we left and it hasn't stopped. Not sure if they left their sushi out too long but you better believe that we won't be back!!
(1)Vanessa H.
Best one so far in Columbus, Ohio! I love the service and the food. Korean BBQ is great, their Kimchee Jigae is amazing and appetizers are delicious. My parents request to come here when they visit my fiance and I. I highly recommend it!
(5)Walt S.
Ka Ya Restaurant somehow caught my eye during a swing-thru for Tim Horton's on Kenny and Reed. I don't need to explain except I decided to swing back to Ka Ya for sushi. This YELP is for SUSHI ONLY. My first and so far only visit placed me at the 6-seat sushi bar. Quaint enough as I was the only customer at around 3PM on a week day. The sushi chef provided standard menu order sheet and pointed out the special which was crab. I passed - not a big crab fan when it comes to sushi or sashimi. My order was sashimi and was 2 pcs. fatty tuna, 2 pcs. salmon and 2 pcs. whitefish; I added a spicy California roll and a spicy Tuna roll. Along with my order I needed a refreshment and put in for hot green tea. Now, this part was nice. The chef passed to me a small bowl of crab + spicy cucumber salad as a 'free sampler'. How 'bout dat! And it was very good. My tea came in a plastic water glass which seemed rather odd. The brew was strong and I ordered and received a refill. Drinking was made difficult because of how hot the tea was - yeah, in a plastic glass. Weird. My sashimi and my rolls came. They were all very tasty and (as you would want) FRESH. The spicy sauces, yes there were two drizzled atop the rolls, acted in perfect unison taste wise. Really good food. In the end the chef did me one more solid. I was served a half orange (perhaps a blood orange??), the taste was a knock out. The final bill came to $30 which I found to be reasonable for sushi bar. No Korean food for me this time around. I would recommend Ka Ya Restaurant's sushi bar to any friend. Keep in mind it's a tiny little haven. Waiting might be an issue.
(4)Sharon W.
Their Korean BBQ is pretty descent except it is a little pricey. However, The quality of the meat and seafood for grill are both pretty good, and I think it is the best you can get in Columbus. If you get the grill tables against the wall, there's a service button you can press when you need any attention from the server. They do frequently help you change out the grill plate so your meat won't be burned after several grilling, especially if you come with a big group. Overall, I think their quality of food and services deserve a four star in Columbus.
(4)Moses S.
Protip: It is COLD here, so unless you like 65 degrees, bring a sweater or jacket. seriously. Came here with my wife Thursday evening and there were about 3-4 other tables there and a couple large (8+ tables). We sat down and ordered the Soon Tofu Chigae (tofu soup) and the Hwae Dup Bap (Sashimi over rice and veggies). The Soon Tofu Chigae was pretty bad, no egg, little seafood and the broth tasted like water and seasoning, there was no depth of flavor, you could tell the didn't use seafood stock or any stock for that matter. The Hwae Dup Bap was ok, definitely filling and had enough sashimi where you were happy with your meal, but not too happy about the lack of veggies and overabundance of greens. Not bad, but not great, and definitely have had better Korean food.
(2)Jerry R.
Kaya Grill & Sushi is such a wonderful place...
(5)Troy S.
I really like Kaya. I have been here twice and have thoroughly enjoyed my meal. I am not a connoisseur of Korean Cuisine so I can't test the authenticity. The place is a little pricey which is one reason I can't give it 5 stars. Both times i have come here with a coupon to help keep the cost down. I ordered the Bibimbap with seafood which was very tasty, I could order this many times again and leave satisfied. The dish is super hot with a little spice. My only complaint was that I can a very small side of Kimchi. The stew type food that my lunchmate ordered was also very tasty. I should have taken better notes on what we ordered but I didn't (I failed my Yelp duty). I had been here a few years before and really enjoyed it but the price is too steep for me without a coupon. My dish cost around $16 as did my friend's. Most of their Korean entrees are over $15. The sushi looked decent but I didn't have an opportunity to try it. Service was pretty good as they checked in with us numerous times and answered any questions we had. I would recommend coming her for the Korean food and not the sushi since Korean food is more difficult to find in CBus than Sushi.
(4)Paul F.
Tonight was another sushi night. Half-off at Kaya. And they were packed! But I had two rolls, the "kaya" and another called the volcano roll. The sushi chef made me his little amuse bouchet as usual. This is the only restaurant that I go to that does that. A very good meal!
(5)Amelia C.
Vegetarians, beware. I ordered something from the so-called vegetarian section but it was made with fish broth and had a slice of fish in it. Fish isn't vegetarian. Once I discovered this, our super slow and hard-to-find server was nowhere to be found. Luckily, the extremely attentive bus boy noticed I wasn't eating, asked me what was wrong, and got the manager. The manager apologized and took it off the bill, and then had to come back and apologize again because we never got our appetizer. My friends enjoyed their food and the place was bright, clean, and inviting. However, that didn't make up for the inaccurate menu and inattentive service. Our server was terrible, but props to the manager, who did his best to rectify that, and the bus boy, who really should be promoted to a server since he was the only one paying any attention to the tables and he handled our problems himself.
(2)Ervin K.
Awesome food in this little restaurant with a huge parking lot. You get large portions and wide variety of side. The sushi to me was just OK. The service is slow and there really seemed to be a communication barrier between us and our servers. Don't expect anything fast or any smiles but do expect good food..
(4)Stephen M.
Coming from California, this review may not be fair.... Service was very attentive though, so I gave it two stars. 1. The decor of this place is like an old house. The carpet is dirty and old. I don't understand the concept of this restaurant. 2. The sushi nigiri's are so small, almost like a peanut. Are you kidding me? How much is rice?! 3. The beef dish seemed so dry. 4. Again, the service was good. I'm not sure if this is typical Japanese/Korean food, but there is a lot to be improved on.
(2)Beth P.
In my top 5 least-enjoyable dining experiences. Thank God the group I was with was fun. I'd been here in the past and it was alright - half price sushi night is cheap and decent. However, last night was not.good. A group of 9 of us arrived at 7:30pm, and I know 9 is a large group, but they barely tried. We were seated at two tables shoved together, menus were dropped off and waters, and then we didn't have a server for 20-25 minutes. We then place our order, and 15 minutes later the server comes by and says "Sushi won't be ready for 40 minutes. That ok?" and we all kind of said, uh, fine I guess, what about appetizers (cause at this point, we were hungry, and had already waited 40 minutes) so we end up with dumplings and edamame for the table. (Good flavor...grateful to have ordered these) Sushi arrives, in stages. Some of our table was waiting an additional 10 minutes to get their food, after the first people at our table had gotten theirs. I was 7th of the 9 to get mine, and my order was wrong. I'm allergic to avocado, so had ordered a roll with "no avocado, sub cream cheese, I'm allergic to avocado!" written on the paper order form. My rolls arrived, and one was avocado and cream cheese. Umm, no. So I sent it back. A new roll came out, that was crab, cream cheese and cucumber, which was also not what I ordered. Whatever, I'll eat it cause it won't kill me. Overall, the sushi was ok for how cheap it was on half price night. If I had paid full price, I would be very disappointed. I should note that the place was not that crowded. There was another table of 5 near us that literally cheered with delight when they finally got their bill and got out of there. The server made no attempt to compensate for trying to kill me with avocado. I paid in cash and I didn't get my change back (granted, it wasn't much change but um, gimme my money back) so I was annoyed with that. My friends all paid with credit cards, so I am sure they tipped, but this was the first time I did not tip a server at all due to his neglect of us throughout the night. However, I did hand 3 bucks to the guy who filled my water glass for 3 hours (we didn't leave until almost 10:30 due to the late late arrival of food) To sum it up, I'm not going back. You can find me at Asian Gourmet eating (more expensive) delicious sushi with kick-ass waiters and service.
(1)Brad S.
I finally had the chance to use my groupon here last night. We arrived for a later weeknight dinner, around 7:30, and the place was basically empty. The host allowed us to choose our own table, and we sat at one of Kaya's private bbq booths. The best part of the dining experience was the service. The host (maybe the owner?) was very helpful in explaining the menu to us, describing the korean bbq options, and making recommendations. His enthusiasm about the food and experience seemed genuine, but not overwhelming or annoying. The food was good. I enjoyed the kimchi appetizers very much - each one was flavorful and tasted fresh. The bbq meats were good, although I would have preferred a bit more pre-cooking seasoning. The sauces provided for the meats did a commendable job of making up for this, though. All of the meats were fresh and delicious, though. The pork belly was my least favorite, but only because the shrimp and tenderloin were so good. The korean bbq experience is similar to the melting pot fondue experience. Raw meats are provided for the guests to cook on a hot grill in the middle of the table. This is a fun way to eat - each person can take turns manning the grill and cooking the meats for the group. The host was kind enough to give us cooking tips for the various meats. Overall, Kaya is a fun experience. I wouldn't go there regularly, but for a different dining experience, I think it's a good option.
(4)George Y.
I've been a fan of Kaya's for a while now. Hard to figure out where I should start as this really doesn't cover a single meal, it covers many experiences and meals I've had. Generally every time I've gone, I've received excellence service. When Kevin helps us, he really treats us well, gives us recommendations, is attentive, everything. There have been moments where we've had someone else and we've got the "pushy,-rush-us-out-of-there-to-free-up-a-table" service, but that's rare. I've had meals in their main room and also in their larger, back party room with karoake. If you want a good deal of space with karaoke, and free to use, then consider this room. I've had everything from sushi, bimbimbap, kalbi, korean bbq, duk mandoo, etc. My favorites are a seafood pancake for an app and kimchee mandoo jeon gol as my main entree and sometimes a cup of green tea ice cream to finish the meal off. The kimchee mandoo jeon gol is so damn good. It's supposed to feed 2, but it can really feed 4. A big, steamy bowl of hot spicy broth, with kimchee, mandoo, sausage marinating in it. It goes great with a cup of white rice. On a random, related side note, we had these vegan korean frozen dumplings that we bought at a grocery store in my fridge. They are disgustingly mushy and gross. Makes me gag just typing it out. Well, we couldn't finish an order of kimchee mandoo jeon gol. We brought the leftovers home (broth and all), heated it up and put the vegan korean dumplings in it. This broth is so tasty, it hid the nastiness of these dumplings. Just a random tip if you need to finish gross leftovers. Back to my review. If you try Kaya out, see if Kevin is in. He'll treat you well.
(5)Ashley H.
We really enjoyed Kaya for lunch. The space was bright and clean inside- a welcome change from some other restaurants in the area. The dining area is a comfortable size but parties over 6 might take over the restaurant when it comes to noise. Ka Ya, is a mixture of Korean and Japanese food but David and I opted for the Korean side of things to ensure we got banchan, the small complimentary plates that come with your meal. Our banchan consisted of 6 small dishes including a napa cabbage kimchi, savory warm potatoes, and bean sprouts. To note, we did notice that a larger table of 6 received more banchan, quantity and variety-wise. David ordered the R5 Pork Valley & Squid Hot Stone Bibim Bab (Hot Stone pot bibim Bab with stir fried spicy pork valley & squid), $11.95 from the lunch menu. The sauce was sweet with a tinge of spice. The protein in this dish was very flavorful and the hot pot created crunchy sizzling rice in the areas where the rice came in direct contact with the bowl. The one drawback was the chewiness of the squid. There was a great deal of it in this dish so it was a lot of chewing but David enjoyed the texture and would order this dish again. I ordered the S10 Duk Mandoo Gook (or Mandoo Gook, Korean dumpling, rice-cake, sliced beef, and egg simmered in beef soup), $8.95. My soup was in a larger bowl than what a typical Kimchi Jigae would be in. The broth was very delicate but the rice cakes and dumplings made it a hearty, filling soup. I'd absolutely order this again, especially at $9. We had an amazing lunch at Ka Ya and I can't wait to return. I thought the food was delicious and decently priced (the lunch specials are great). I loved the clean atmosphere and friendly service. Ka Ya features BBQ at your table (like San Su BBQ) where the guests can actually cook raw meat in the center of the table. It's quite a nifty idea but that's where Korean food can get a little pricey. I'd recommend Ka Ya to any Korean food lover!
(4)Jennifer H.
We went here today for my Bday dinner as a family. It was a nice meal, but did end up costing us close to $100 with a tip, sake, and the meal was done. The food was good....... We decided to have Special #2 for the Korean BBQ. There was lots of food, and we enjoyed being able to grill the food. So why only 3 stars. I'll give a few reasons. 1. We went around 2pm and while there were quite a few people in the place, they seemed to be under-staffed. They forgot to get us a high chair for our daughter, which I had to ask for a few times. We had to ask for them to get us water more than once and we never got refills. 2. I asked if we could possibly get a smaller order of a fried noodle dish (without meat) for our daughter since we were getting a BBQ dish that was well over $50 plus drinks. They wouldn't make that for us, which I did not understand. So, we had to order a full order to Pad Thai for our 2 year old. Not the biggest deal in the world, but a tad annoying. 3. My husband and I have never been to a place where you actually cook your BBQ at the table like this before. There was a bowl of lettuce that was given, and nobody actually showed us how to utilize this. At the end, somebody finally did. It would have helped us alot knowing how to use this item prior to the beginning of grilling, as this would have helped alot with the smoke etc. With all these things being said.....I would probably go back during the week for the lunch specials. For the 3 of us, it is just too expensive to eat here again.... especially since our daughter likes to have a noodle dish and they will not make a smaller one for her. Oh well..... We would have been regulars had it been the other way around. However, I would certainly recommend trying this place. They also have vegetarian as well.
(3)Alexa A.
Came here because of a Groupon. It was a good time! Korean barbeque is good for a night out with friends (in this case a birthday), where you splurge and eat a lot of things. Kaya is a really affordable place to splurge. It is NOT fancy, in fact I really would advise them to spruce up the decor. But, the food is interesting and very Korean. It's a fun experience. :)
(4)Jen B.
3.5 stars (hello, yelp, make a half star option!) I'm from LA, the land of authentic Korean cuisine, so I was realllllllly skeptical coming here on my trip to Columbus. But, WOW! I was really impressed with the authenticity of this restaurant. My review is for the Korean dishes only as I figured I could go to a Japanese restaurant for sushi another time! The seafood bimbimbap was good, bulgogi was great, and all the banchan were excellent.........best part of the meal. We kept eating and eating and eating and the sweet server kept refilling them for us until we stopped him. I'm loving Ohio. The people here are so nice and relaxed. What a breath of fresh air!
(4)Stephanie K.
For an area that has 4 Korean restaurants within a mile radius, this place is ok. I think there are better Korean places in the area. I only come here for the lunch bento specials such as the bulgogi box that comes with a salad, miso soup, tempura, a couple of sushi rolls, seaweed salad, rice, and bulgogi. They also bring out all the tiny side dishes that you often get with any Korean meal. This place also as Japanese offerings so that's a plus. Not my top choice as far as Korean goes, but it's not bad.
(3)Shey J.
This is one of the worst places I've been to in columbus. I ordered a sashimi plate which was listed on their menu as 8 pieces. They brought a plate out with only 6. When I asked about it, they took the plate back and cut my same 6 pieces in half and brought it back to my table. Ballsy.
(1)Doug B.
I love this place, been here at least a dozen times. My favorite is the bulgogi. If you don't know how it works and you're doing bbq. They bring your entree (raw) and you cook it at the table. If you're timid or unsure, they'll do it for you. The entree comes with bunches of sides: kimchi, diakon, seaweed salad, etc. (at least a dozen different things). Cook the entree, munch on the sides, put the cooked meat/fish/poultry on a lettuce leaf and cram it in your pie hole. This is serious strap-on-the-feedbag stuff and you will not leave hungry. Pure gluttony... love it. You don't have to do the bbq. They've got everything Korean and everything I've had is good. I will say this though, if you're going out for just sushi, go somewhere that specializes in sushi. Their sushi is good, but not great and portions can be small. I've never had a long wait for a table and the wait staff has always been pleasant and attentive. The decor is somewhat tired and dated, but I'll trade ambiance for great food any day of the week.
(5)Eric C.
was recommended by my coworker.. * Korean food; good but nothing to write home about. BBQ grill plate was not cleaned and still have char on it. grill plate is not even hot and the server emptied the plate of meat on the it... * service; absolutely unacceptable.. ignorant, no smile, no thank you, no customer service .. I did notice service to American customers are quite the opposite .. ( yes.. I'm Asian .. ) one star because bad service. bad experience ! will not recommend to my Asian friends.
(1)Matt W.
If you go to Kaya, you can get sushi, you can get noodles, you can get a surprisingly good kimchi jigae or Bibimbap, but there's one reason to go to Kaya over any of the other Korean places in town: Korean BBQ. Order your choice of meats (Sorry, vegetarians - while Kaya does have some veg options, the BBQ is not one of them) and you'll be given the usual panchan, plus additional servings of sliced chile peppers and garlic to grill with your meat. If you are seated at a BBQ table, the server will remove the center of the table to reveal the (gas) grilling surface, get the grill started, and put out the first set of meat to grill for you to show you what to do. If you're not at a BBQ table, they'll bring out a small propane stovetop and grilling plate for it. Grill the meat to your taste, use your chopsticks to take the meat from the grill, then wrap it in a provided leaf of lettuce and enjoy! Service when I've been in is generally very good, and each table has a "pager" button to use if you want to order additional food or drinks while you eat. The staff is generally fluent in English and Korean, but I have noticed that when I went in with Korean speaking friends, they generally will default to Korean first, English second. The Korean BBQ is a really fun way to have a meal if you haven't tried it - I'd recommend Kaya to anyone who is interested.
(4)Frances F.
Went to Kaya with a group of 8 or so friends. The waitress was definitely not pleased that we all wanted separate checks, but she did try her best to accommodate our wishes. They eventually gave up on refilling our waters and just left a pitcher of water at the table, which was fine for us, but was not what you'd expect at a nicer restaurant. The food was decent. I had the soon tofu soup with seafood. I would have like to have more seafood and fish in the soup for the price ($10.95), but it was mostly just a large bowl of tofu. It was still a lot of food though and definitely more than enough to fill me up. Another disappointment was that all the small plates one expects at Korean restaurants did not arrive until our food was served, so there was nothing to munch on while we were waiting for our food, which made the wait seem overly long. We didn't end up clearing all the small plates they gave us, but that was only because we all had our food at that point and were happily full. The bibimbap was about what you'd expect at any Korean restaurant. The bbq combo platter was pretty average. All in all everything was pretty much average, nothing really stood out, and it's not necessarily somewhere I would be dying to visit again, especially since many other Korean places around that area have special deals for lunch or weekends, etc.
(3)Huntting B.
If this place didn't do sushi id give it a four, if it didn't do korean a two, so average has to be a three. The rolls on the menu, and in person, look interesting but i got a flavorful roll that was just overtly bland. All I could taste and feel was the seaweed of the roll. I've never experienced this before. It was like i had to chew through the seaweed, not pleasant at all. I really liked my tofu soup here. If I were coming back into town I would order it in a second. The people here were really kind, good people.
(3)Peter L.
A decent option for Korean food in Columbus given the limited selection. Pretty standard Korean menu and everything tastes right, but nothing I've tried has been amazing. I generally love pajeon (seafood pancake) but I'm not a huge fan of the bell peppers they sneak in there. And it's mushy sometimes. I've tried a few of their stews and once we got their Korean BBQ. A-OK kind of sums it up. Service has always been excellent when I've been there.
(3)Michael G.
Pretty tasty meet and the sushi is always fresh.
(4)Jane F.
I know that many people have enjoyed this place but my food last night was not good at all. The bulgogi beef was grey, bland, unseasoned and dissappointing. Dumplings tasted old. I just can't recommend it nor am I inclined to go back and give it a second try.
(1)Tim Y.
Kaya is a Korean and sushi restaurant located in Upper Arlington. It's a fairly new build stand alone restaurant with an inviting exterior. Upon entering the inside of the restaurant most of the main dining room is a relatively plain rectangular space with a small sushi bar and Korean BBQ booths fill in the left side of the restaurant. We arrived at 8PM with reservations for two and waited over 10 minutes to be seated. I noticed that the dining room was about 35% Asian. We were seated in a space with a Korean BBQ grill in the center of a booth that seated 6. As I sat there trying to decide to myself if I should order a medium or large hot Saki, the waitress said, "medium," and walked away. OK. We decided to order the Korean BBQ and order both the meat combination and seafood combination. Both entrees cost $24.95 each. While waiting for the entrees there is alot of different food that came to the table. Each entree comes with steamed rice and salad. Red leaf lettuce came to the table in whole leaves, I think to wrap up your meat. Also arriving was all the little side dishes that come at a Korean restaurant. In small dishes with small portions included seasoned turnips, radish, fish cake, seaweed, a wilted spinach-like dish, kim chee, bean sprouts, salty bean paste, three slices of raw garlic, three slices of fresh jalapenos, and a type of sweet thin soy sauce. The entrees arrived raw, the grill on the table was lit, and I was given one pair of tongs. I began to cook the meat combination first. Chicken breast, Bulgogi, short ribs, pork, and a bone arrived at the table. Yep, a bone- Woof woof!. I soon realized how challenging this can become. Holding a conversation, drinking Saki, cooking meats with different cooking times, properly seasoning the food, wrapping the seafood and meat in the lettuce, and eating your food before it gets cold. Great for people who love multi-tasking! After we finished cooking the meats, the waiter replaced the top grill with a new one to start the seafood cooking process. Mmmmm. salmon-medium, calamari-just a few seconds, shrimp, scallops, and lobster tail-until opague. Ahhhh! Everything cooked pretty fast except the lobster tail, which came off the shell fairly easy, but because of the odd shape, took some time to cook. Only having chopsticks in lieu of silverware did not help. All the meat and seafood were fresh. The challenge is that with a low heat fire, the food comes out pretty bland after cooked. You have four opportunities to season your food. The standard salt and pepper shakers, soy sauce, and the light sweet soy sauce that comes with the side dishes. I recommend the black pepper and sweet soy sauce. My conclusion is that Kaya deserves about 3.5 stars but I rounded down to 3 stars. I did have a $30 Groupon, but I thought the food ordered was a little on the expensive side. The dining room was relatively plain and the service was slow. I didn't try any sushi so I can't comment on that. Upon leaving two hours later I noticed that the dining room was now 100% Asian. Personally I thought it was a little too challenging to cook your own food and enjoy the "dining-out" experience.
(3)Michael D.
Amazing. Great service. Great food. Best price.
(5)Laurie B.
We've been going to Kaya for a long time. Love this place. There are times that the server will tell my husband "that dish not for you" but I think it is mostly because it is unusual for someone not Korean to try something outlandish. Our last visit was to redeem our Groupon. Bought that up as soon as we saw it. We had sushi - never can go wrong there. Fresh, tasty and quick! I ordered the hot stone bibimbop. Amazing as always. What I like about theirs is they actually do just crack a raw egg on the top. By the time you stir it through, its cooked and just amazing. My hubby ordered Boo De Jjigae and it was perfect for what he wanted. It came out over a sterno and was boiling until he turned it off. The taste was amazing and he'd get it again! The small plates were amazing as always and I'll admit - we had more food then we really needed! We never leave there hungry - that's for sure. We've never tried their Korean BBQ but we have watched it go out to customers and it looks great. We definitely need to try that sometime when we go there. This is one of the best Korean BBQs in Columbus. You should go there!
(4)Diana U.
I went on a Wednesday night and it almost completely empty. My friend and I both got bibimbaps and shared a spicy salmon roll. Side dishes were fine (I thought there could've been more variety), and I thought the bibimbap was bland. Service was kind of awkward, they kept trying to clear our food before we were finished. There wasn't anyone around so I didn't understand why they were trying to kick us out. For Korean food, I feel like Silla is still the best.
(2)Daria F.
Really good korean bbq in Columbus (probably the best one). The first thing is that the atmosphere and the interior are really nice. Most of the guests are asians, which I think is a good sign. The menu is pretty big, so if you are not really into BBQ there are plenty of items to choose from. But were looking for the BBQ. So we've ordered rib eye bbq (since we have already tried pork belly, beef ribs and something else). It came with all this huge amount of appetizers as always (which I think is a great advantage of the korean restaurants). So you don't really need to order any appetizers and we also shared one bbq between 2 of us. We actually ordered 2 rolls as an appetizer cause we were very hungry and thought that it would take more time for the food to come. Sushi were amazing. Food came soon enough, so the service is good. and The prices are nice. We have really enjoyed the dinner we had and will definitely come back again.
(5)Michael T.
Wonderful variety of good quality foods. Friendly staff. I don't know what people are complaining about. I think some people like to complain in an attempt to impress others. I'm not impressed.
(4)Rebecca C.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND GOING ELSEWHERE. I had a horrible experience here last night. My friends and I drove about a hundred miles to come eat here, because we have been missing Korean BBQ in the city we currently live in. The food itself was very decent Korean food in the Midwest; if you are from a populous and diverse city and used to eating Asian food, then you would need to readjust your bar to be happy. The prices are high for what you get. The bathroom is interesting. Well, you just have to go in the bathroom to see what I mean. There are two stalls, and they are situated on either side of the bathroom. You'll know what I mean when you go in. I can only speak for the Women's restroom. Okay, let me just get straight to the point of why I only rated this a one star establishment. I don't like rating businesses with one star, but this place truly deserved it. I'll try to be concise and summarize my points. #1) I asked for a refill on something, but the server (also apparently the owner) was annoyed and told me that I better finish the very last bit before he'll refill anything. He was very rude, but this didn't bother met yet. I just did as he said and handed him the empty container. #2) When it came time to pay, he asked us for our money WITHOUT handing us the bill first. Not one person from my table saw the bill, nor did the server put the bill down on our table. This was strange to me. My oblivious friend hands the guy a credit card. I have my card in hand but request to see the bill. The gentleman acted very awkward and offended that I wanted to see the bill. Okay- have you ever been to a restaurant where you fork over your credit card without knowing what the charge was going to be? #3) The server/owner told us as he walked away with our cards that he was going to add tip himself. I didn't get a chance to open my mouth and respond, but he had turned on his heels and was out of sight. This is strange. First, there were no signs anywhere stating that tip would automatically be added. Second, I understand this may be typical for a large group, but we were a small group-- if you can even call us a group at all. When he came back with all charges said and done with, I asked him if this was typical practice for him to add tip automatically (and at what %?). He responded with a long rant about how everyone in America works off of tips, blah, blah.... I responded that wasn't my point. My question was whether or not they do this to everyone. Long story short (mind you, this was a long 20 minute conversation)-- he said that no, they don't do this to other people. He said that we were foreigners (I speak perfect English, while his own English was "not so good."), and if he hadn't added the tip, we would have tipped poorly or not done so at all. I retorted that tips are based on service and given at the discretion of the customer, whether small or large. Whether or not I'm a big tipper (and I usually am), that does NOT matter. The point was that he was treating us really poorly. We also ordered a lot of expensive food (obviously spending a lot of $$), but I guess that didn't matter to him. Was this not discrimination? Because my skin is a different color than white, he automatically treated us poorly the whole time...then added his own 20% tip without my permission, because he thought that I wouldn't tip. Wow. Blatant discrimination against me, someone he thought was a "foreigner." Never in my life has a restaurant asked for my credit card without telling me the total nor outright called me a foreigner and told me to my face that he didn't think I was going to give a tip. On my way out, I told him that although we had driven 100 miles for the food, we won't be coming back and will also tell our friends to go elsewhere.
(1)Mindy W.
In my opinion, this is one of the best places to get sushi in Columbus. I used to come here all the time when my boyfriend worked out of town several nights a week (he hates sushi). I would always sit at the sushi bar, and the sushi chef was always awesome. He would give me free tempura sticks, free spicy crab salad, free pieces of sushi/ sashimi. I think he felt sorry for me getting food to go for what was clearly just one person. I was definitely not correcting this assumption as it always led to delicious free treats. The cool part is that the carnivores who don't like sushi can find something they want here. I've never done the table bbq, but my boyfriend always orders some sort of sizzling meat dish. It's really cool to get all those pickled sides--usually I get to eat most of them since the boy would rather just eat the meat (har har). Their miso soup is not the best I have ever had, but their sushi is always fresh, innovative and delicious. Maybe not the least expensive sushi, but it's definitely a cool place. If you can get something that comes with, or at least get a side of the spicy crab salad, you will not be disappointed. SO GOOD! Service is always really good, too. If you have questions about ANYTHING that you don't understand, your server will literally be glad to explain. They get really happy when you're interested in learning more about the food and culture, which I really appreciate.
(5)