Tobang — Restaurant in Santa Clara

We have been avid fans this place for 7 years, always coming often before pandemic. Then we left town & recently returned & thought bout this place. So Tonight we came for an early dinner to be rudely greeted by this short Asian female with long pony tail, she acted like we are wasting her time just entering the restaurant. Then, serving of side dishes was quick, but the meats & others were not. The same female was unmasked while the rest of the older staff whom I recognize from yons ago were all masked. Then she exclaimed & repeatedly said that tofu banchan can only replaced once, when we only asked once due to a vegetarian kid in our party who ate the 2 small pieces of tofu & asked more. She acted like we are still wasting her time(1/2 empty restaurant) & was just a miserable grumpy petite person. Then we were shocked when all food were already cooked n put into a to go box for us on the table, like we came for Korean bbq to cook on-site but ended up eating take out on site when others are all cooking around us. The ultimatum came when she gave us the check way too early as if to rush us, when tables before us weren’t given. And the upsetting part for the kid was that every other table around us, has the after food dessert drink, one per person. But our party of 5, has 2. So the elementary kid bravely went to ask the same rude unmasked female staff if he can have enough for the party? She said no. She said it will cost him(an elementary kid) extra money to purchase a free after meal dessert drink. I mean, it’s one thing to be rude to adults, it’s a whole different ball game to be bullying a kid over a free(tiny) fake yakult. Kid came back and asked why it’s so weird today that every other table had one each and we don’t? And we used to always have one each before pandemic as regulars. I said I do not know and will asked. Rude, unmasked, female staff with long pony tail came with an annoyed face and acted innocently, like I didn’t see her confront my elementary school kid who bravely asked her why because his baby siblings were sad. She said, oh, the boss said so. It’s only a meal for 2 persons, so u guys only get 2. I have to state we didn’t get the cheapest meal. We were feeding 2 preschoolers & a kid, and NOT with the cheapest meal. We shouldn’t be made to feel like beggars in a place where we used to be regulars. We can afford that stupid dessert drink from any Korean mart. But with her attitude from the step in, from serving, from bullying my child into paying her extra for a free after meal yakult, I will forever boycott this place and make known to all my friends to nv step foot into here again. Utterly disappointing and disgusting behavior from one staff that makes me want to puke. We didn’t finished our meal cos she singlehandedly ruined our appetites. She needs to be fired. Bullying a kid to weasel $ off a free yakult? When every other table has a Yakult per...

BEST PLACE TO GET KBBQ in the southbay! I don't think any other place can compare because it's priced right, you get huge portions, service is great, and the food is delicious!

The wait for this place is usually pretty long, and in previous visits I was always too lazy to wait in the long line. I came here on a Friday night with my boyfriend and we waited about 40 minutes. You have to push and shove your way to the counter the moment you walk into the restaurant just so you can get your name down on the waitlist since there is usually a crowd of people just standing around and waiting.

Once we were in our seats, we were quickly helped by one of the servers and ordered. Their service was great throughout the night, we really didn't have to ask for much. All the servers in the restaurant kind of rotate to help you so you don't have to flag your own server down just to get something. You also get get a free seafood pancake if you check in on yelp, so don't forget! :D My boyfriend and I ordered the small family which is 1.5 serving of two different kinds of meat (your choice), white rice or kimchee fried rice, egg soup, bean stew or kimchee soup, salad, and all the banchan you'll ever want (:

The Small Family ($33): It's really the perfect size if you're in a group of two. A LOT OF FOOD! we had more than enough leftovers for lunch the next day.

You get to choose two types of meat, for one meat you get 1 full serving and the other you get half serving that's why you get 1.5 total serving of meat and you HAVE to specify which meat you want as the full serving or half serving because some meats will immediately get served as the 1 serving size if you don't specify. We got the bulgogi (1 serving) and the beef slices (0.5 serving). I wish we had known earlier about the specification because we would rather have the beef slices as the 1 full serving. But they were both really good! The bulgogi came already cooked on a sizzling plate and the beef slices were cooked right on the spot. I thought the bulgogi was a little sweet but it had a lot of flavor. Your table is set up so that you have a portable stove next to you. The servers will stop by every now and then to help you cook your meat (: The 4 sauces they give you went really well with the beef slices! They also give you a mighty large portion of meat. Plus they give you large lettuce leaves and rice paper to eat with your beef, yum!

We got the kimchee fried rice too which was cooked right on your stove and that was delicious (: The other side dishes like the egg soup and the bean stew soup were also great as well. Their banchan selection was awesome! I loved every single dish that came. Overall it was sooooo much good food! and at the end you get an awesome cold yogurt drink! :D

Definitely coming back because it's too...

My family and I went to ToBang for a late Father’s Day meal, and we were extremely disappointed in how we were treated.

We had a reservation for eight people, but only seven showed up (including a toddler). When we arrived and asked about our reservation, the staff sharply told us to wait without any acknowledgment or courtesy. It set the tone for what would be an underwhelming experience.

The restaurant was not busy at all. There were plenty of open tables, which was surprising since this place used to have lines out the door. Even so, the staff seemed rushed and inattentive.

We asked for Set C but were told it was only for four people. They insisted we combine Set A and C or Set A and B. It felt unnecessarily rigid, but we went along with it.

When our meat was grilling and started to overcook, I politely asked for an extra plate to move it off the grill. They told us to use the same greasy plate that had our seafood pancake on it. Really? You cannot spare a clean plate?

No one offered to refill our banchan. And at the end of the meal, instead of preparing the kimchi fried rice tableside with the leftover meat like they used to, they just brought out a small premade plate.

When I went to pay, the cashier asked what tip I wanted to leave, 16 or 18 percent. I said I wanted to do a custom tip, and they reminded me that the minimum was 16 or 18 percent. It was an uncomfortable interaction for no reason. My group had fully intended to tip over 18 percent, but we just wanted to enter a flat number so it would be easier to split among ourselves. That interaction honestly made me not want to tip at all.

As for the food, it was just okay. Nothing to write home about. With all the Korean barbecue options out there, there is really no reason to choose this one in particular. Very mid.

ToBang used to be a solid go-to, but I will not be coming back unless it is a...