Kaya Korean Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in High Point

(3.5 stars. Food alone would be a solid 4 stars while overall dine-in experience would be a weak 3.)

Located at 3925 Sedgebrook Street in High Point, Kaya offers Korean and Japanese cuisine. Lunch specials are available.

Tucked into a shopping center off 68 near the High Point-Greensboro border, Kaya hits a number of hidden gem checkboxes: it's unassuming and easily overlooked, it's family-run and popular among locals, and the food is, by and large, good. That said, I would hesitate to give this place a rave.

A no-frills establishment, Kaya is nevertheless quiet and clean. It offers a familiar selection of hibachi dishes, but Korean is the main draw here. A large, pictorial Korean menu greets you upon entry. For those seeking authenticity, dishes like spicy squid or braised pig trotters let you know that you are in the right place.

My wife and I opted to split a seafood pancake, a bimimbap, and a spicy pork. As expected, they came with an array of banchan, and portions were plentiful. Though food quality varied, nothing was worse than average. The spicy pork was delicious. It was served hot with onions and slathered in a delectable sauce. The seafood pancake's dough-to-seafood ratio favored the former though it was still quite tasty. That said, the bimimbap was a mixed bag. I appreciated the array of vegetables included though it was fairly light on meat. It also was not served sizzling, but that was my fault for not realizing that I needed to order the dol (stone pot) version.

Staff here are polite, but they will leave you alone unless you specifically request something. Chalk it up to custom rather than any kind of intentional indifference. For what Kaya charges (entrees in the teens), the plastic silverware and styrafoam cups felt like penny-pinching.

The variety of Kaya's offerings and the quality of the spicy pork alone make me want to give this place another chance, but I would probably opt for takeout rather than dine-in...

They use NO MSG!!!! On our first visit it was Simply THE BEST! After our meal here I am going to have to rethink how I rate restaurants going forward. This place is super casual, California style quick Asian food Korean based with a few dishes both Chinese and Japanese inspired to include Hibachi style dishes. Like most Korean restaurants they offer the complimentary side dishes; super fresh vegetables and nothing pickled (not fresh and cheap). Today it was 4: Asian eggplant, amazing, fish cake thinly sliced, sprouts and a mix green dish. The fried chicken dish was fantastic and my kids loved it while I was more adventurous trying the spicey squid dish. Both came with white rice and we also ordered fried rice and dumplings.

By far the best authentic Asian in Greensboro hands down. Mom and Pop who try their best. I read some other reviews and I am more forgiving towards a mom & pop business because they are LOCAL besides the big box chain should have their operations down pat.....

Update: second visit and tried the C2 Dol Sot Bibimbap, wow, awesome vegetable with fried egg and rice and also a seafood soup bowl. More then we can eat and the owner thanked me for...

Starting off strong, the service was 10/10. The waiter was very friendly and took the time explain the menu to me. He was very attentive and polite. I tried the Singapore noodles and jjajangmyeon(black bean noodles). The Singapore noodles came with a side of kimchi and pickled radish(not to be mixed in your dish). The noodles were pretty good, it had the nostalgic taste I was looking for in Singapore noodles. I liked that there was shrimp, chicken, egg, and a lot of veggies in the dish. I would order this again. The black bean noodles were good. The noodles were nice and bouncy. A lot of the savory flavor that makes the dish tasty is in the meat and veggies, the noodles and sauce need the veggies and meat in each bite. This was tasty for me when eaten all together. Kaya is pretty decent price wise. I paid $32 for 2 entrees and a drink. So for two people would be about the same price give or take. I wanted to sample 2 different things I know I like at other places for my review. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. I will be back to try...