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Tue-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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This place is quite pricey, but they give you a ton of food. The atmospher is nice, good for large groups or families. The service is ok, I think they are just understaffed with two wait staff for the entire restruant. This is one of the first korean places I have been too where they actually bring you the dozen side dishes without chargeing you for each one indivdually. Maybe thats why the prices are so high. It is a fun place, very interactive, good for a date or small group. One of the better korean bbq places i have tried.
Good Food, Nice Place, Very Interactive, Pricey but Large Quantities, they need to higher another wait person.
Mr. K puts up with a lot. I frequently drag him to nice restaurants (poor baby!) and he grins and bares it. Kind of like the couple in Green Acres...
Me: The stores!
Him: The chores!
Him: Fresh air!
Me: Times Square!
I might be exaggerating a little, but once year, dining out in Portland is all about him. And the wonderful Mr. K has a thing for BBQ. All types of BBQ, but ever since he went to Korea on business a few years ago, he developed a deep fondness for Korean BBQ where you grill your own meat at the table. Unfortunately this is a bit of a tall order in Portland.... not like Thai food which is on every corner. But thanks to a tip from the Yelp squad last year, we headed to Toji.
You can order individual entrees or combination meals for a larger group. I should note up front that this is a relatively expensive place to dine, so I highly recommend coming with a group so you can share the expense as well as the fun of sampling and tasting a little bit of everything. For our first experience, even though it was just the two of us, we chose a combination meal with four different meats and our favorite was the brisket. It also came with six banchan (side dishes) with spicy kimchi, green beans, bean curd, marinated potatoes, a plate of cooked calamari in sauce, rice bowls, lettuce wraps and a delicious soup.
It was an enjoyable meal and the only downer was the slow start to service. It took them quite awhile to take our order, but once it was placed, things arrived quickly. When the server brought the food out, she did a nice job explaining what everything was and how long to cook the meat, etc. And she presented us with meat scissors. I think every meal should have meat scissors.
After that experience, I wanted to return, but was convinced that it would be more enjoyable with a group. I thought they wouldn't appreciate the meal (and had Gladstone Coffee and Pizza as my Plan B), but for our return visit we decided to bring the boys and they absolutely loved it.
Just like dad, they were endlessly entertained by cooking their own meat and ate A LOT of everything. They even tasted some of the side dishes and tried to steal scraps of food from the grill. We ordered four adult entrees (chicken in a ginger marinade, steak, brisket and shrimp with scallops) and the steak was our favorite this time around. Our table was completely covered, and there wasn't a bite left.
Toji is just a block from JacIva if you have room for dessert (not likely) and a few blocks from Sapphire Hotel if you want pre- or post-cocktails. I definitely put this in my child friendly category since the meats aren't overly seasoned and the BBQ action keeps them occupied. They also offer a couple kids' menu items like teriyaki chicken. This is definitely our special occasion Korean spot, but I'm still on the hunt for more casual Korean BBQ joints in town. If you have any favorites, please send them my way. My kids are already begging for more Korean food.
Epilogue - Based on the wild success of this experience, we now have a weekly family meal in a different Asian restaurant and I've downgraded my initial five stars to four now that we've dined at So Kong Dong Tofu & BBQ.
The prices here aren't that much different from what you find elsewhere in Portland. Korean food in general tends to be a bit pricier.
That noted, this is not exactly Korean food - it's a departure from what my family would have made, or anything I would have eaten in Korea or the West Coast.
While it lacks a certain fiery, pungent and salty quality, the food would appeal very nicely to people who have difficulty with the more extreme aspects of Korean cuisine. Excepting the soup, a number of the sauces and side dishes ("ban chan") were sweeter than would be expected from traditional Korean cuisine.
I wouldn't say this is a flaw--just a bit of diversion from a more "rustic" Korean experience.
I was beyond disappointed by Toji. I know how Korean food should be served and Toji doesn't know how. Their banchan was so old and dried up (not fresh). We got the table BBQ with all the different kinds of meat and I felt like I was eating beef jerky... not galbi. The decor is sorta funky too. Overall, it was not a good experience and I won't be coming back. This is definitely not a true Korean BBQ restaurant. =(
One of the best Korean BBQ in PDX!!! there are a lot of great Korean in California, and Toji ranks on the top with the Korea town in Santa Clara!
Great Services, nice & clean environment, and has a parking lot near Hawthorne area!!! Another great thing is their different dipping sauce, and the little veggies that come with you BBQ meat order!!
The portion is on the smaller size, and not as many pan chan as 'traditional traditional' Korean places.
Hmm, I'm conflicted. The food at Toji says four stars - but the service says two stars. The three of us split the bulgogi combo for like, $43.95. The price was not bad at all and there was plenty of food for three people. Everything was delicious but the service was almost nonexistent. We had a young guy at first but then he disappeared 20 minutes into mealtime and we got some other woman without notice. We had to keep asking for water and side dish refills. Not the kind of service you expect from a place you could potentially spend a nice chunk of money at.
But there's just something special about grilling your own meat, so I'm giving it four stars! Plus, I'm nice and I got to call myself "The Grill Master" the whole night.
Toji! what a pleasant surprise!
Somehow I was expecting the usual divey, mom and pop Korean restaurant, but the interior turned out to be simple, clean and modern. I think this might have once been a Japanese restaurant that is now a Korean one. The service was great, the entrees were a tiny bit slow to come out, but I didn't have any moments were I was thinking 'where is the waitress?' or 'where is our food?'
The panchan (side dishes) were plentiful and a nice variety. I'd give these a B. My father and I both ordered the soon du bu (spicy tofu) stew, and this had a nice kick (of spice) with out being harsh and was very tasty. I do think it could have had some more bits of veggies and seafood in it, but overall it was delicious.
I'd have to say I'm a fan, and I am so glad to have found an east side Korean place to go to now. (Also, so sick of trying to go to Korean Solong Tang which seems to have erratic hours and is always closed.)
Btw, I'm Korean and so is my dad (duh), and we both really liked this place. He lives in Chicago and I just move here from SF. I'm not sure why some of the reviews were so mixed, esp from the Korean folks. I suppose I'll have to try some other dishes and visit a couple more times to see if my opinion changes. But I hope it doesn't!
I really enjoyed this place. The spicy kimchi, the seafood pancake, the mandoo dumplings and the tofu soup was all very tasty. I used to grab lunch on 32nd St in NYC and this compares pretty nicely.
"Oh dear lord, I'm never going to eat again."
These were my final thoughts as I slowly waddled away from the restaurant. I had never had Korean food before, so I can't compare. But my Korean-American friend (is that politically correct enough?) took a bunch of us for a birthday celebration and HE liked it, therefore it is legit.
I definitely think a six-person or so group is the way to go. That way you get to order a lot and try a little bit of everything. We got some bulgogi to grill on the table and that was most exciting. The amount of little side dishes you get with the meat is amazing. To be honest, I can't remember the name of anything we ordered, we let our friend do the talking. I think it was something like two meat dishes, two veggie dishes, and some amazing soup.
The soju and raspberry wine were delightful, if I recall correctly. The vegetarian dishes were also great, as was the squid/onion pancake.
I think our bill was around $150 for six people, with gratuity included, and we had just the right amount of food. And my friend got a Korean moonpie with a candle for her birthday--hollah! To be honest, the service was pretty slow, especially in the beginning. But once the mountain of food arrived I don't remember much else except shoveling it in. I think I forgot to breathe at times.
The only downside to the multi-dish/ingredient/condiment fun time? I was too full to drink the rest of the night, which is a definite no-no when you're celebrating someone's bday...
I was immediately turned off by the prices on the menu, but once we got all of our food, I understood. They give you a ton. Nothing was particularly bad about it, but I didn't love it either. It was just OK. The beef was pretty good, but a little to salty for me. We had fried tofu and dumplings for an appetizer. Both were good. I can see why one my like this place, but I doubt I'll go back, except maybe to try a lunch special.
Toji is excellent.
All I have to say is that I have severe allergies to all seafood. Toji made sure to double check that nothing I was about to eat had any seafood in it (sauce extracts, bonito, etc. etc.) that is pretty common in a lot of Korean meals. I did not have any allergic reactions and would definitely return just because of the excellent service I received despite my asking in depth questions about their ingredients and made sure nothing I was about to eat touched any seafood before hand.
Oh yeah, the food here is excellent! :D
This is a fun place to gather a few folks together. It's interactive, casual, varied, and entertaining. I have no idea if it's authentic, but I don't really care all that much.
Must gets: bulgogi and beef tongue. Really. Try the tongue. I haven't tried the short ribs yet, but they're on my list for next time.
Personally, I thought the veggie platter was a bit of a ripoff, but that's just me. I mean the whole place is expensive, but $16 for a tray of sliced partial veggies? ouch.
Beer: try the Hite. Nice and mellow but a full flavor.
Throwing things onto the grill is pretty fun too.
And I love all of the sides. Usually I'm not a huge fan of the radish kim chee, but it's good here. The black beans are interesting. Like I said, they're all good.
Not a great value for a restaurant, but worth it for the tasty experience.
Wow, I don't know if this place is "Westernized" like some folks say. The Kimche Chigae sent me a fiery wake up call the next day.........It was a helluva lot hotter than I make at home. .I think some folks think the help is a little condescending, but I just think the staff is trying to make sure that we honkies know what they are getting, how to arrange some of the concoctions and preventing you from immolating yourself at the grill, which could be entertaining.
LOVE the condiment dishes. They seem to rotate with whatever is in season. Never had a bad meal here. Lovely little place.
Interesting to see the very mixed reviews. I have never had a bad meal here or felt like I paid too much, but I have often rolled away feeling like I was going to explode.
I love that they give you so many little kimchees (banchan?) with your meal. Also, this is the first place I had squid and onion pancake, which encouraged me to try it on my own---awesome.
I had a great meal here with my girlfriend's family, and the interactive cooking part was really fun. Eveyone had a great time. Plus, walking distance from my house.
The first couple times I went an ordered soju, they just brought it out in a metal pot. The third time I ordered it, they told my friend and me that Koreans don't drink it straight, they usually add lemon or cucumber. We tried it with cucumber, and it was great!
Over all, really fun place.
I like their food and services. Compared to those Korean mum and pop place, I think Toji is a bit more Americanized with the "sweeter, saltier, and less spicy" Korean food. Nonetheless, their food is pretty good. I especially like their soup and noodle soup. My boyfriend loves their bento. Grilling on the table is always fun. They have a wide variety of banchan and they often come up with new ones.
Service is great compared to other Asian places. The servers are helpful and friendly. Your water glass and tea cup will never be empty, and you don't need to hunt them down to ask for an extra napkin. The Korean servers have poor English, but they've never gotten my order wrong before. One lady in particular has MAD memory. I went with 6 or 7 friends on my birthday and we ordered at least 8 different dishes. That lady memorized ALL of them. No notepad. No mistake whatsoever. Is that cool or what!?
The restaurant is very clean and relatively quiet. The dividers give each section/table its privacy. The environment is quite comfortable. The lighting might be too dim for some people, but I think it creates a nice atmosphere.
As odd and irrelevant as this may sound, I like their restroom. It's very clean and not stinky at all (unless you go in there right after someone took a dump). Most restaurants often neglect the cleanliness of their restrooms.
Price is kind of high and you don't get a whole lot for the price you pay. I guess, you're not just paying for the food at this restaurant but also the service and environment. It's not a 5-star restaurant, but it's not one of those typical Asian restaurant with no mood and service.
Parking is kind of limited on their busy days. They have a very small parking lot that they share with another store. There are street parking, but it's rare to find one (especially on Hawthorne).
If you want to take your friend(s) from out of town to a nice Korean/Asian place, I think Toji is a good choice. Personally, I don't think it's the place for authentic Korean food, though.
Not bad, but not really good either.
The place was clean, the bathroom was nicely decorated and they had their own parking lot. That's pretty much the only things positive about this place. They did give a good number of side dishes, which were mostly good (except for the canned green beans?).
We ordered bibimbap and bento. The bibimbap was decent but the dish seemed flavorless. The gochu jang (hot sauce) saved it. As for the bento box, let's just say I would not recommend getting this --- ever.
If you're in the area and hankering for Korean food, it might be worth your stop; otherwise, try one of the other places in Beaverton.
We had one of the tteok bossam meals - $49.99. It says serves 2-4 - there were three of us and there would have been way too much food for two. With four we would have had to get more banchan (side dishes). Three eaters was just the right amount for this feast.
The restaurant was busy - diners were about half-and-half Asian and Caucasian. The banchan and rice came in a timely manner and we set to work. Then the meat and the cooker came - two kinds of beef, thick and thin slices, and one type of pork (samgyeopsal, like a very thick bacon). We cooked and cooked and ate and ate, the meat being accompanied by plates of leaves (kkaenip or wild sesame, cabbage), thin slices of mu (radishes like daikon only fatter), and the tteok, or rice cake, which came in sheet form. The meat (and rice and banchan, or whatever one chose) were put in these wrappers and eaten like ad-hoc tacos. There was also garlic and onions to eat with these, and sauces and soup.
But that was'nt the end of it - this meal also included a plate of ojingeo-bokkeum (fried squid) and a bowl of sundubu (soft tofu soup). Both were tasty if a bit on the bland side by Korean standards.
I've probably left out some items.
I look forward to eating there again - trying a different combination perhaps. The sundubu alone might have been a slight disappointment - not bad, the flavors balanced well, just not enough of them. The meat was the main focus of the meal - it's good to pig out now and then on pig and cow. The samgyeopsal (pork) is not the sort of thing one wants to eat every day 'cause it would clog your arteries, but it sure is tasty.
If you're Korean, you won't like Toji. Unless you like your food bland. Granted, the first time I went here, we only ordered BBQ meat dishes, which were actually pretty good, but not exactly authentic. Most of their dishes are "westernized" (i.e., less spicy and less flavor overall) to make it more palatable to non-Koreans. I went again and ordered soon dubu (a draft tofu stew) and was exceedingly disappointed at its complete lack of spice and flavor. The side dishes were also lackluster and skimpy. This is a place I might take a group of white people who don't really know Korean food. I would NEVER take my parents or other hardcore Korean types here.
The best thing about this place is that it's relatively close-in, compared to all the other Korean restaurants, most of which are in Beaverton. Also, it's clean and nice inside, which also sets it apart from most Korean restaurants.
The barbecued meats were well marinated, the Jap Chae was really good, and the atmosphere was excellent. Most of the dishes are not as spicy as other Korean restaurants' I've been to, though it's not really an issue if you're only getting the self-cook meats.
The wait staff was pretty friendly and open to questions about food-suggestions. The comments about condescension seemed a little unfair, since they just want to make sure you know what you're doing, and they can give tips on how to cook the meat to make sure you don't screw up your own dinner.
I would say this is good for groups of three or four people, which is what most of the meals serve. It's a little more expensive if you have less (unless you're not aiming for variety), and seating gets a little awkward if you have more than four. (They can accommodate larger parties, but the layout of the restaurant makes it hard to have more than one long table.)
This was also the least smoky, quietest Korean barbecue I've ever been to, since the vents are inside the table, just above the actual grill. Makes conversation a lot easier. Decorations as a whole are nice and elegant.
ok, i guess i am spoiled and snobbish when it comes to Korean food. i mean, i have myriads of selections to pick from in the Bay Area. My recent visit to Portland included a trip to Toji House, which while pleasant enough was... well, unmemorable. The banchan was so-so, and the portion of meat served was on the scant side. i do appreciate the cleanliness of the place but not the overall slow-ishness. but then again, this is Portland so it's not like there are scads of Korean places to go to. especially in SE.
Very few vegetarian dishes to choose from. It was a good thing that I went with a Korean speaker! Some dishes can be incredibly spicy. For meat-eaters, you can cook your own food/meat right at the table.
This was my first experience with Korean food, so I had heard a few horror stories but found this to be quiet good. I just went with some dol sat (very similar to Japanese donburi) and it was great, as was the free miso soup that came with it. Service was splendid. Thanks to Toji, I've added another cuisine to my list.
I love Korean food, but haven't really found any places that are amazing. I love the tofu bibimbop here, but have found that when I branch out the other dishes are not so good.
the place looked really nice inside and all the tables have that setup for korean style barbecue. the staff seemed somewhat friendly, if not a little condescending at times. we got served fast and the portions were pretty large which is good considering the price. typically the korean food ive had in the past is really spicy or had a strong fermented taste, but this place was pretty watered down. everything was still fresh and colorful, but not really what i had gotten excited about before visiting.
Neighborhood: Northwest
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Southeast Portland
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Southwest Portland
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Southeast Portland
Category: Chinese
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