I don't understand the hype. The fried tofu here - which has the texture of agedashi tofu, is fine, but it's certainly not worth the price. My wife and I stopped by for dinner this evening and I got the Spicy Acorn Noodle Bowl ($16) while she got the Fried Dooboo Set ($20). The noodle dish was essentially glass noodles with kimchi juice and/or gochujang, topped with some basic salad greens and served with a boiled egg, a meal a poor college student would make on a school night. The fried dooboo set is just a large mound of rice, some sides of veggies and a block of fried tofu. A lot of reviewers praise Joodooboo for how much their dishes remind them of home cooked meals, but this type of feedback makes it obvious that these reviewer do not regularly cook: the side dishes are nothing more than stir fried veggies seasoned with salt; there is nothing particularly special about the dishes. The repeated criticism from reviewers about the long wait times are valid: there isn't really a good reason why scooping prepped veggies into a takeout container should take 15-20 minutes. I will not be coming back as the value proposition is just not there and the food is too mundane.
Hanh T.
My best friend took me here for a dinner date and Omg . I felt so healthy I can't explain it lol . I was telling her I usually need my meats but this dish was so flavorful and delish and the tofu was some of the best I've ever had . I would go back again to try other dishes or even the same one ! It was that good. One of my new fav restaurants in town now !
Andrea Z.
Visited on a Wednesday around 1:30pm with a friend. It was quite busy, the majority of seats and tables were taken. I initially placed my order to go but as folks wrapped up I was able to grab one of the outdoor tables and enjoy my meal in house. Food: Fried tofu set - small salad was okay, a mix of greens with a light dressing and a sprinkle of sesame seeds not very flavorful. White kimchi was really tasty, nice tartness with a slight spicy alium kick. Dooboo moochiim finely minced green with crumbled tofu not much flavor highlights the green veggies. Fried tofu was so good, agadashi style fry with a slightly spicy scallions soy sauce. Soup was okay, dashi type base with pieces of mushroom, tofu and scallions. Banchan assortment - a nice more affordable options you get to pick and choose what you want, Service was fine, fast casual order at the counter and delivered to the area you are sitting when it's ready. Overall enjoyed my lunch at joodooboo, food quality is pretty good, wish some of the dishes had a bit more seasoning. Felt a little over priced given the portion sizes. Worth a try, but on the pricey end for the meal.
Stephanie K.
As a Korean-American, I LOVED this restaurant! The restaurant concept reminds me if Korean food and a farmers market had a baby. Everything was made from scratch, so much fresh greens and seasonal items. The restaurant is small, so I definitely don't recommend it for large parties. The service was AMAZING and the food came out quickly. I ordered the fried dooboo set, farmers bowl, tuna sashimi and cookies. I grew up eating fried tofu and the whole set reminded me of something my mom would make growing up - the tofu, banchan, soup and rice, it was perfectly balanced. The tofu itself was perfectly fried and the white kimchi was one of the best I've had. The farmers bowl tasted amazing. It was a version of bimbimpap but way better. It had homemade soybean sauce, egg, pickled veggies and fresh greens. I also really enjoyed the sashimi with salt & sesame oil - so much umami. For desserts I had gotten the sesame and grapefruit shortbread cookies, I really enjoyed the flavors and the water color menu was so pretty. I wish I found this place sooner, this is my comfort food. I have to say this is one of my favorite restaurants in Oakland now!
Bob Lou
Really charming space. Everything tasted very homey and best thing was the fried tofu that had a delicate thin crispy batter. I found that a lot of dishes kind of taste samey and it was kind of pricey.
Derek J.
I felt so clean and healthy after eating this set meal. Everything was so flavorful and clean. Also not pictured is the acorn noodle which was like bibim nangmyum but better! The price is definitely high compared to the portions. The mackerel pictured was around 10-12$. The tofu was some of the best I ever had. I didnt know tofu could taste that good and was tempted to buy the sauce. Theres decent seating inside and outside. Would definitely go back!
Talaya François
The food was like a snack more than a meal. It wasn’t tasty. We only ate because we were hungry. Wouldn’t recommend eating here. Excellent staff though.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Giorgio Bianchi
Overpriced pickles and tofu, for the most part. Anchovy broth was all right. Mackerel "sashimi" was sub par. Unsatisfying overall. The bus your own table reminders were laughable.
leslie w.
This simple counter service restaurant serves amazing banchan which I guess could be translated as Korean deli foods. It is vegetarian/pescatarian and the tofu is made on site with organic ingredients. The side dishes available are various tasty or pickled vegetables or noodles. Everything is made to order and is delicious. There are five or six options to order for lunch, and all are very interesting flavor combinations. There are only a few tables with chairs as well as two bar like areas with seating. The noise level can get pretty high when the place is full although in nice weather, there's outdoor seating. I took a star off due to the ambience limitations, but the food is top-notch for sure, and extremely healthy. They also have many of their items to go and happen to serve wine as well as interesting, nonalcoholic, beverages. This establishment is by no means fancy, but thanks to the great food quality, I highly recommend it.
Corey R.
Acorn noodles are my absolute favorite, and I always get some tofu and banchan for later! Food is top tier and everyone that works there is so nice.
We just got delivery and everything is really delicious and beautiful. My spouse who despises kabocha thinks the banchan kabocha, lightly yuzu-citrus flavored, is the best he’s ever had. Bummer we live in Los Angeles or we would be back frequently.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric Buck
I came with my wife and an old friend. I ordered the fried dooboo set, my wife got the same but vegan, and my friend ordered the pan fried fish.Everything was flavorful, fresh, and balanced. The meal came out looking exactly as good as it does in the pictures, and tasting even better.This is a great casual date night spot - good food, reasonable price, and a nice atmosphere.Vegetarian options: Good vegetarian and vegan options on a small menu.
The tofu was good, but the rest of the meal was disappointing and the wait time for our food was long despite the restaurant being relatively empty. The interior was clean and has indoor seating for around 10-15 people. We arrived at around 12:15pm on a weekday and there were only 4 people ahead of us. It took us around 25 minutes to get our food which was surprising because there were 4 chefs prepping food and our food mainly consisted of leafy greens and pre-made items. We ordered the fried dooboo set and the farmer's bowl. Fried dooboo set ($20): This set consisted of rice, a small piece of fried tofu, 2 types of banchan, some leafy greens, and a cold tofu soup. The tofu was delicious and I love the texture of the tofu - it's soft but also chunky in a way and had a freshness that you can't get in store-bought tofu. The problem was that I finished it in 3 bites, and the rest of the set was disappointing. The banchan tasted ordinary and the portions were also small. The salad greens also tasted like any other salad tossed in vinaigrette. For the price that I paid for the set, I would have liked to have a larger piece/multiple pieces of fried tofu, especially since it's the centerpiece of the dish and the restaurant. The set did not feel worth the price at all. Farmer's bowl ($18): It was my fault for ordering this. I thought it would contain tofu, but it didn't. It's a bowl of rice with assorted vegetables/salad greens and it tastes like bibimbap that you get from anywhere else, but fresher. The rice was mushy and clumpy. Not worth $18.
I don't understand the hype. The fried tofu here - which has the texture of agedashi tofu, is fine, but it's certainly not worth the price. My wife and I stopped by for dinner this evening and I got the Spicy Acorn Noodle Bowl ($16) while she got the Fried Dooboo Set ($20). The noodle dish was essentially glass noodles with kimchi juice and/or gochujang, topped with some basic salad greens and served with a boiled egg, a meal a poor college student would make on a school night. The fried dooboo set is just a large mound of rice, some sides of veggies and a block of fried tofu. A lot of reviewers praise Joodooboo for how much their dishes remind them of home cooked meals, but this type of feedback makes it obvious that these reviewer do not regularly cook: the side dishes are nothing more than stir fried veggies seasoned with salt; there is nothing particularly special about the dishes. The repeated criticism from reviewers about the long wait times are valid: there isn't really a good reason why scooping prepped veggies into a takeout container should take 15-20 minutes. I will not be coming back as the value proposition is just not there and the food is too mundane.
My best friend took me here for a dinner date and Omg . I felt so healthy I can't explain it lol . I was telling her I usually need my meats but this dish was so flavorful and delish and the tofu was some of the best I've ever had . I would go back again to try other dishes or even the same one ! It was that good. One of my new fav restaurants in town now !
Visited on a Wednesday around 1:30pm with a friend. It was quite busy, the majority of seats and tables were taken. I initially placed my order to go but as folks wrapped up I was able to grab one of the outdoor tables and enjoy my meal in house. Food: Fried tofu set - small salad was okay, a mix of greens with a light dressing and a sprinkle of sesame seeds not very flavorful. White kimchi was really tasty, nice tartness with a slight spicy alium kick. Dooboo moochiim finely minced green with crumbled tofu not much flavor highlights the green veggies. Fried tofu was so good, agadashi style fry with a slightly spicy scallions soy sauce. Soup was okay, dashi type base with pieces of mushroom, tofu and scallions. Banchan assortment - a nice more affordable options you get to pick and choose what you want, Service was fine, fast casual order at the counter and delivered to the area you are sitting when it's ready. Overall enjoyed my lunch at joodooboo, food quality is pretty good, wish some of the dishes had a bit more seasoning. Felt a little over priced given the portion sizes. Worth a try, but on the pricey end for the meal.
As a Korean-American, I LOVED this restaurant! The restaurant concept reminds me if Korean food and a farmers market had a baby. Everything was made from scratch, so much fresh greens and seasonal items. The restaurant is small, so I definitely don't recommend it for large parties. The service was AMAZING and the food came out quickly. I ordered the fried dooboo set, farmers bowl, tuna sashimi and cookies. I grew up eating fried tofu and the whole set reminded me of something my mom would make growing up - the tofu, banchan, soup and rice, it was perfectly balanced. The tofu itself was perfectly fried and the white kimchi was one of the best I've had. The farmers bowl tasted amazing. It was a version of bimbimpap but way better. It had homemade soybean sauce, egg, pickled veggies and fresh greens. I also really enjoyed the sashimi with salt & sesame oil - so much umami. For desserts I had gotten the sesame and grapefruit shortbread cookies, I really enjoyed the flavors and the water color menu was so pretty. I wish I found this place sooner, this is my comfort food. I have to say this is one of my favorite restaurants in Oakland now!
Really charming space. Everything tasted very homey and best thing was the fried tofu that had a delicate thin crispy batter. I found that a lot of dishes kind of taste samey and it was kind of pricey.
I felt so clean and healthy after eating this set meal. Everything was so flavorful and clean. Also not pictured is the acorn noodle which was like bibim nangmyum but better! The price is definitely high compared to the portions. The mackerel pictured was around 10-12$. The tofu was some of the best I ever had. I didnt know tofu could taste that good and was tempted to buy the sauce. Theres decent seating inside and outside. Would definitely go back!
The food was like a snack more than a meal. It wasn’t tasty. We only ate because we were hungry. Wouldn’t recommend eating here. Excellent staff though.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Overpriced pickles and tofu, for the most part. Anchovy broth was all right. Mackerel "sashimi" was sub par. Unsatisfying overall. The bus your own table reminders were laughable.
This simple counter service restaurant serves amazing banchan which I guess could be translated as Korean deli foods. It is vegetarian/pescatarian and the tofu is made on site with organic ingredients. The side dishes available are various tasty or pickled vegetables or noodles. Everything is made to order and is delicious. There are five or six options to order for lunch, and all are very interesting flavor combinations. There are only a few tables with chairs as well as two bar like areas with seating. The noise level can get pretty high when the place is full although in nice weather, there's outdoor seating. I took a star off due to the ambience limitations, but the food is top-notch for sure, and extremely healthy. They also have many of their items to go and happen to serve wine as well as interesting, nonalcoholic, beverages. This establishment is by no means fancy, but thanks to the great food quality, I highly recommend it.
Acorn noodles are my absolute favorite, and I always get some tofu and banchan for later! Food is top tier and everyone that works there is so nice.
Restaurantji Recommends
We just got delivery and everything is really delicious and beautiful. My spouse who despises kabocha thinks the banchan kabocha, lightly yuzu-citrus flavored, is the best he’s ever had. Bummer we live in Los Angeles or we would be back frequently.
Food: 5
Service: 5
I came with my wife and an old friend. I ordered the fried dooboo set, my wife got the same but vegan, and my friend ordered the pan fried fish.Everything was flavorful, fresh, and balanced. The meal came out looking exactly as good as it does in the pictures, and tasting even better.This is a great casual date night spot - good food, reasonable price, and a nice atmosphere.Vegetarian options: Good vegetarian and vegan options on a small menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mackerel Special, Fried Dooboo Set, Fried Joodooboo Set Vegan
The tofu was good, but the rest of the meal was disappointing and the wait time for our food was long despite the restaurant being relatively empty. The interior was clean and has indoor seating for around 10-15 people. We arrived at around 12:15pm on a weekday and there were only 4 people ahead of us. It took us around 25 minutes to get our food which was surprising because there were 4 chefs prepping food and our food mainly consisted of leafy greens and pre-made items. We ordered the fried dooboo set and the farmer's bowl. Fried dooboo set ($20): This set consisted of rice, a small piece of fried tofu, 2 types of banchan, some leafy greens, and a cold tofu soup. The tofu was delicious and I love the texture of the tofu - it's soft but also chunky in a way and had a freshness that you can't get in store-bought tofu. The problem was that I finished it in 3 bites, and the rest of the set was disappointing. The banchan tasted ordinary and the portions were also small. The salad greens also tasted like any other salad tossed in vinaigrette. For the price that I paid for the set, I would have liked to have a larger piece/multiple pieces of fried tofu, especially since it's the centerpiece of the dish and the restaurant. The set did not feel worth the price at all. Farmer's bowl ($18): It was my fault for ordering this. I thought it would contain tofu, but it didn't. It's a bowl of rice with assorted vegetables/salad greens and it tastes like bibimbap that you get from anywhere else, but fresher. The rice was mushy and clumpy. Not worth $18.
An extremely special place with the best tofu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Healthy, light, tasty!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5