Gaya Korean Restaurant in Burnaby

5240 Rumble St, Burnaby, BC V5J 2B6, Canada

★★★★☆
(309 reviews)
Categories: Korean restaurant
Website
gayakoreanrestaurant.ca
Address
5240 Rumble St, Burnaby, BC V5J 2B6, Canada
Plus Code
6276+VX Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Time Zone
America/Vancouver

Business Hours

Sunday
11 AM–9 PM
Monday
11 AM–9 PM
Tuesday
11 AM–9 PM
Wednesday
11 AM–9 PM
Thursday
11 AM–9 PM
Friday
11 AM–10 PM
Saturday
11 AM–10 PM

Services

Service options
Delivery Takeaway Dine-in
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park Wheelchair-accessible entrance Wheelchair-accessible seating Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Offerings
Alcohol Beer Small plates
Dining options
Lunch Dinner Dessert
Amenities
Toilets
Atmosphere
Casual Cosy
Crowd
Groups
Planning
Accepts reservations
Payments
Credit cards Debit cards NFC mobile payments Credit cards
Parking
Free of charge street parking

Photos

Reviews

4.2
★★★★☆
309 reviews

Most Mentioned

bibimbap (21) spicy (18) take out (15) bulgogi (15) gamjatang (12) tteokbokki (11) server (11) seafood pancake (7) pork cutlet (6) dakgalbi (6)
5 stars
176
4 stars
79
3 stars
22
2 stars
8
1 stars
24
★★★★★
December 11, 2024

I like tteokbokki and pork cutlet so much I had the hotpot bibimbap and Yangyeom wing Few months ago But not that good Have to eat tteokbokki and pork cutlet !! So good

★★★★
November 9, 2024

Pretty good food. Highly recommend beef tartare bibimbap and ox tail bone soup. LA Galbi is pretty tasty too.

★★★★★
November 2, 2024

Excellent Korean spot with a wide variety of menu items! Friend chicken, wild ramen combos and your standard korean bulgoggi fare to boot. Side dishes could use a little more oomph but that's a minor caveat and more preference then anything. The entrees are superb and its reasonably priced overall. Would recommend!

★★★★
October 22, 2024

We've had takeout before from Gaya but haven't had a chance to visit in person until mid-September (mainly because it's located near a high school and the area gets really busy during lunch time). We ordered a bunch of food here... the beef bulgogi, a mildly spicy chicken bulgogi, dolsot bibimbap and some chicken. The bibimbap was served in a hot stone pot but it wasn't hot enough to really good the rice a crispy texture. The half and half chicken had a big serving of boneless chicken. We got the original and the sweet and spicy (not super spicy) and the chicken was quite crispy but still moist inside. I really liked the potato croquette with the lightly crispy exterior and creamy centre. Blue lemonade was just meh.

★★★★★
August 29, 2024

I had the best experience at Gaya! The ambiance was cozy, the service was really friendly, and the food was incredible. Their pork cutlet was phenomenal and their cold noodles are perfect for the summer heat. Cannot recommend this place enough!

★★★
June 28, 2024

Honestly the food was a bit disappointing and didn’t taste authentic at all. The ox bone soup was so blend, the staff gave us salt and pepper to season it… imagine putting salt and pepper into water, that was how it tasted like LOL The rainbow chicken was good value, but the pieces were in big chunks it was clumsy to eat. Taste-wise it was average. Service was not the greatest as the restaurant was really understaffed. There was only one staff running around the entire restaurant. Sad to say this, but I probably wouldn’t go back or recommend anyone to visit unless they make some improvements…

★★★★★
June 5, 2024

Hubby, his friends and I, the 5 of us went to this Korean restaurant that is close by a friend’s house. We have parked 5 minutes walking distance away from the restaurant. If it is not raining, it is still good to take a small walk. The street parking is free but it seems to be full most of the time, there is a small parking plaza, not sure if that is for the restaurant as well. The restaurant is clean and well maintained, however the seats are quite limited of about 10-12 tables. We have ordered 3 dishes to share among each other. The Gamjatang is in good portion and comes with 2 rice, even though there is no spicy icon, but it was spicy to me. Probably because I have a low spice tolerance, but the soup is flavourful and the pork back is soft and tender. The rainbow wings and squid rings are both crispy and well fried. The rainbow wings favour included original, honey garlic and sweet & spicy sauce. The portion is enough for 5 of us, and we did have to pack a few leftover chicken wings and squid rings.

★★★★★
May 8, 2023

My friends and I decided to try a different Korean restaurant in Burnaby and we all decided to try Gaya. The price was very reasonable and the food was really good. We shared the Ttekboki which was really good, the seafood tofu soup that we all loved, bibimbup and cold noodles. We would definitely go back to try different things.

★★★★★
December 18, 2024

Highly recommended korean restaurant in Vancouver! Chicken is so nice, best chicken Id ever taste. Also try kinchi fried rice, Tteok-Bokki and Budae-Jjigae!!!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 14, 2024

Good service and nice ambiance..

★★★★★
December 7, 2024

I liked the plates and gold spoon because they were so luxurious. Gamjatang was truly the most delicious Korean food Ive ever had in Vancouver! The amount is huge! The stone pot looks really pretty and tastes great, of course. And the chicken is really the best They fry it really deliciously I heard the table next to me was eating pork cutlet and it looked really delicious.. Next time I will come to eat pork cutlet too. Everyone, please come! I highly recommend it

★★★★
Local Guide
December 7, 2024

No complaints. A variety of dishes to choice from. Taste is decent, not bad nor its the best Korean place I had. Service is good - Welcoming, friendly and polite. Came here in the afternoon on a Wednesday. Not crowed - which is awesome. Environment is clean. Its extra awesome if come in on a clear sky day because of the huge window they have. Ordered hot pot bibimbap, without meat and croquettes. I like it. But its not the best that I ever had Wont be disappointed. Deserve a visit

★★★★★
Local Guide
November 30, 2024

delicious yangnyeom chicken

★★★★★
Local Guide
October 21, 2024

Cozy place with good food.

★★★★★
Local Guide
October 21, 2024

Love their lunch specials, good price

★★★★★
Local Guide
October 21, 2024

Great quality, fresh ingredients. Attentive service, and I really felt valued as a customer. If you like Korean food, this is one to try.

★★★★
Local Guide
October 21, 2024

Food tasted great and the staff were friendly

★★★★
Local Guide
September 21, 2024

I recently visited Gaya Korean Restaurant and had a mixed experience. The restaurant was quite busy, and there was only one lady working as a server. Despite the crowd, she was doing her best to manage everything on her own. However, it took a long time for us to get our order. We had to get the water ourselves and even had to get up and ask for side dishes. We understood that the restaurant was understaffed and told the server that we didn t mind helping out. The real issue arose when I went to pay the bill. I was surprised to be confronted about why I didn t pay tips. I always tip the servers unless they are extremely rude. I explained that I had clicked 15% before tapping my phone. I asked them to redo it so I could show them the step, but they instead asked me the amount and wanted me to pay extra. Overall, while the food was decent, the service experience left much to be desired. I hope the management can address these issues to improve the dining experience for future customers.

★★★★★
Local Guide
September 21, 2024

The most beautifully fried chicken I ve seen.

★★★★★
September 21, 2024

One of the best Korean fried chicken !! Service is really good I will definitely coming back :) Food : 5/5

★★★★★
September 21, 2024

kind servers and very affordable lunch specials.

★★★★★
September 21, 2024

Best K-chicken in the metro, hands down! Their pork bone soup is incredible, full of flavor and comfort. The specialty drink is a must-try absolutely next level in taste! The service is top-notch as well!

★★★★
Local Guide
August 21, 2024

Great food and service just a bit pricey.

★★★★★
Local Guide
August 21, 2024

Amazing food and very friendly staff

★★★★
Local Guide
August 21, 2024

Foods come out very slowly but worth to wait. They have great tofu soup :) Food

★★★★
Local Guide
August 21, 2024

Oxtail soup is very rich, the consistency is similar to collagen soup. The soup comes unsalted; diners are given salt and pepper to season the soup to their liking. Beef tofu soup is too salty.

★★★★
Local Guide
July 21, 2024

Food are ok. Servers not helping too much and she is not friendly at all. It took too long to get our food. More than other restaurant

★★★★
Local Guide
July 21, 2024

Everything is normal except fried chicken

★★★
Local Guide
July 21, 2024

This small restaurant is on a quiet street. I visited here during peak hours and waited about 30 minutes. The three dishes I ordered were very authentic and met my expectations, especially the cold noodles, which are perfect for summer. However, the service was very very slow since only one server was handling all the tables, and I noticed a few small gnats around our table. Won t come again despite the good food.

★★★★★
Local Guide
July 21, 2024

Had lunch there solo on July 14th, 2024. Fantastic service with a wonderful recommendation for bimibap. Very tasty, nice ambience and super friendly service. :)

★★★★
Local Guide
July 21, 2024

I saw this place on a Facebook real and wanted to try it out. Everything was delicious and fresh. We got the beef tar tar bibimbap, the spicy cold noodles, and the seafood pancake. I loved the beef tar tar bibimbap, and the seafood pancake was very fresh tasting and light and fluffy. The spicy cold noodles was good, but next time I would get the non spicy cold noodles and add my own spicy. Just for reference I love spicy food!

★★★★★
June 21, 2024

Delish! Large, not oily pieces of Korean fried chicken. Amazing beef soup and bibimbap.

★★★★
Local Guide
June 21, 2024

Casual spot for solid Korean food! For vegan options I ve tried the bimbimbap with no egg or meat (which is delicious in the clay pot), and the ttekboki (which is fairly sweet and not too spicy). Friends and family have tried many of their other dishes and we keep coming back. Vegetarian options: 2 dishes can be made vegan from my experience. They don t have tofu but they do have lots of veggies and side dishes they can serve you. Dietary restrictions: 2 dishes can be made vegan from my experience and they accommodated some minor changes to their menu for other meat swaps as when I came here with my mom (she doesn t eat red meat). Kid-friendliness: Very home style place, the music isn t too loud and it s a very family atmosphere.

★★★★★
June 21, 2024

Hidden gem in the area. Must try!

★★★★★
June 21, 2024

I ordered it through submission, and the food was so delicious even as time went by! I had tripe casserole for the first time, and it was so tasty and plentiful that Ive been ordering it once a week since then :) The pork cutlet was super crispy, and I highly recommend the tteokbokki and gamjatang as well

★★★★
June 21, 2024

Tasted really good

★★★★
Local Guide
June 21, 2024

4 stars only because $5 to add cheese to dakgalbi is wild. Gamjatang was so good tho!

★★★★★
May 21, 2024

Food is good, fast and delicious !

May 21, 2024

Tasteless

★★★★★
Local Guide
May 21, 2024

I loved the restaurant,small and cozy I loved their tteok bokki and Dakgalbi I felt it was slightly spicy may be the dish will be like but it didn t compromise tgr taste Will definitely visit again

★★★★
Local Guide
April 21, 2024

Has improved a lot compared to my last visit about 1 year ago where it was just an average Korean restaurant with undersized portions. Now portions are closer to the normal size and taste has improved too. Service is good too now. Congratulations on your efforts to get better!

★★★★★
April 21, 2024

Its sooooo delicious. I went there because I wanted to eat Korean food, but it was really, really delicious so I was very happy. The owner is so kind that I want to go every day... Im going to go in the future to break the menu seal ~~! I highly recommend the best Korean restaurant in Burnaby...

★★★★
Local Guide
April 21, 2024

Food was very good, service was quick. Ordered Bulgogi, was nice and hot, delicious kimchi.

★★
Local Guide
April 21, 2024

I ordered kimchi fried rice and soft tofu stew through Uber Eats. I only got soft tofu stew.

★★★★★
Local Guide
April 21, 2024

Food is good, they have lunch specials for a very good price, but only for takeout.

★★★★★
April 21, 2024

Such amazing service! Food was delicious and spicy!

★★★★★
Local Guide
April 21, 2024

The owner and the waitress were super friendly, and the foods were delicious. My favorite was the onion chicken. It was soooooo good!!! I highly recommend it!

★★★★★
Local Guide
April 21, 2024

Best Korean fried chicken in town cant wait to come back for honey garlic fried chicken great experience!

★★★★★
March 21, 2024

I was surprised once that tripe casserole, which is very difficult to prepare, was on the menu, and was surprised a second time by its spicy, spicy taste without any unpleasant odour. The seafood and green onion pancake was also good.

★★★★★
Local Guide
March 21, 2024

I had the hot pot bibimbap. It was delicious. Highly recommended Closed to Michael J.Fox Theatre .

★★★★★
February 21, 2024

bulgogi is so good

★★★★★
Local Guide
February 21, 2024

Amazing food. I was searching for a Korean restaraunt after I had an issue at shilla. For a while I went to one Korean restaraunt after the other trying to find one that had food like shilla. Finally found one that is equal if not better. Dak galbi is absolutely mouth watering. Yangyeom wings were the same . Dellliiiiii. For anyone that likes authentic Korean food this is the place to try

★★★★★
February 21, 2024

Wow!!!! This place is amazing!!!! The waitress, she was working all by herself but she was super nice, service was very quick. Food was sooooo good!! Price and portion!!! This place became our new fav!! Be back soon!!!!

★★★★★
February 21, 2024

Variety menu options to choose from Clean and food was very delicious! Will come back for sure Food : 5/5

★★★★★
Local Guide
February 21, 2024

Restaurant was packed when we arrived and I can see why! I ordered the seafood spicy tofu soup and the onion rings and they were so worth the wait! Will be coming back again (:

★★★★★
February 21, 2024

found this restaurant near at royal oak station and i ordered chicken food for dinner and i can say that it tasted so good and it exactly looked like the picture was in the menu. the service was excellent. Attentive staff, always available when I needed anything. great service.

★★★★★
Local Guide
February 21, 2024

The dining place is clean and the service is good, but it is understaffed. The pork belly squid is super delicious.

★★★★★
January 21, 2024

I went to eat gamjatang, and it was so delicious that I went again! The gamjatang was really delicious and the server was so kind that I enjoyed it happily Next time I feel like gamjatang, Ill go again haha The server was really, really friendly!!! I recommend the restaurant! I have visited the restaruant to eat Gamgatang. Gamgatang was soooo tasty! I think this soup in the restaurant is similar to Gamgatang in Korea. I want to try another menu Additianally, an employee who is working in the restaurant is very kind !

★★★★★
January 21, 2024

The cute looking server was very friendly. The food was delicious so I ate it well.

★★★★★
Local Guide
January 21, 2024

Having been to many authentic Korean restaurants, including Korean grill houses, Korean Chinese restaurants and street food places over the globe, I still highly recommend this restaurant. Its tiny kitchen just doesn t limit its offers. Sometimes you have to wait for being seated, but most of time, this place can guarantee you an experience of home food. When it comes to my favorite dishes, I suggest that you order their bulgogi which stands for barbecued beef as well as their LA galbi representing their own style of beef short ribs. Their bibimbap is also superb, exactly the same you can get in Korea. I m not Korean but don t worry my review has been approved by Korean people, especially those who are quite picky about what they consume. Furthermore, there are many more must-try food on the menu, so I d just let you explore and tell me your thoughts on Korean food!

★★★★
December 21, 2023

I love Korean food and the pork bone soup here is delicious. Staff are very friendly and they have good background music.

★★★★★
December 21, 2023

A friend recommended Gaya to us and it was an enjoyable meal. We were able to get a table at around 7pm on the week night without waiting. The food came pretty quickly and our server was very courteous. Their kimchi fried rice is my favourite because it is loaded with kimchi though it could be spicy to some people. The seafood pancake was crispy and hot. We will definitely go back to try their hot pots.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Soooooo good. Nice cozy family restaurant. Fried chicken was BOMB, especially the spicy sauce. The honey garlic chicken was great but I d try a different sauce next time. Oxtail soup was good too but needed a lot of salt to bring out flavor! The server was really nice to us. Definitely would come again to try other dishes!

December 21, 2023

Ordered Beef Tofu Soup with Uber eats for lunch - the soup didn t have any tofu in it( you gotta be kidding me) but just a few floating beef pieces and onions. Very disappointed.

Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Ordered bibimbap and tofu soup delivery. Bibimbap came without the the gochujang sauce and tofu soup tasted very watered down.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

I can t read Korean and I m not familiar with Korean cuisine. I ordered a few dishes, they were quite delicious.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Hidden gem! Was recommended to come her by friends who lived close by, feel in love with the food! Servers were very friendly and always refilled our side dishes. We managed to finish everything and not need to have take out! I really love their fried chicken and cold noodles.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Ordered takeout here a couple of times and just wanted to leave a review since it definitely has become one of my go to places for Korean food. Definitely recommend the pork bone soup, as it is my favorite dish. Ive tried this dish at a number of restaurants around the city, but Gaya definitely is the best one Ive had. The fried chicken is also quite tasty and the tteoboki had some serious kick to it.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

nice Korean food and large dishes

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Loved the beef bulgogi. Also had rice cakes with fried prawns. The prawns was superb. Ordered chicken wings as well and they were crispy. Amazing quantity and the 2 of us couldnt finish the dishes.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Food is decent

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Good food and price is great. good place for quick eats.

December 21, 2023

Ordered from Uber eats. Although we provided the order detail, they insist that order not exist and refuse to prepare the food. Very disappointing experience

★★★★★
December 21, 2023

Really good authentic Korean food!

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Good

December 21, 2023

Poor service

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Had Korean spicy cold noodles last night at Gaya, as you can see in the second picture, wow it was really spicy, I highly recommend the Korean restaurant Gaya.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Chicken and tteokbokki are delicious

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

This place was amazing! There was only one server working and she was so sweet and efficient despite how busy it was! Loved the food (the japchae and yangyeom chicken were brilliant! ) 11/10 on food quality and portion size Food

★★★★★
December 21, 2023

Excellent food and fast service! Came here twice on a whim because it is near our vet. Had the bimbimbap and chicken cutlet. Both delicious!!!

★★★★
December 21, 2023

Great little place - worth coming back Prices are reasonable and food is great. It s a small restaurant so seating may be tough when they re busy. We ordered an array of things including a non-spicy soup - my husband said it was bland but they give you seasoning on the side so you can adjust it to your liking. Their seafood pancake wasn t oily and everything was delicious.

December 21, 2023

Chicken is not fresh and service is slow. Do not waste your money and time.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Very good seafood pancake and chicken

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

I ordered bibimbap. They do not serve soup in Korean style. The bowl was also Japanese fu.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Good service and delicious food.

★★★★
December 21, 2023

Big portion, it can share for 2 people. Good service and great attitude. For sure I will come back. Food

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Awesome

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

At noon, there are nearby students queuing up to buy lunch, which is very crowded and noisy.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Tried their bibimbap , spicy cold noodle and seafood pancake. All taste amazing , seafood pancake was the best. Could improve a little bit on the service

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

4-star food. Definitely try their seafood pancake as its filled with octopus and shrimp!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Best fried chicken in town.

★★★★★
December 21, 2023

There was, but there wasnt. Why is my house in Canada? It tastes like soju.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Nice little spot for Korean food. :)

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

the kimchi fried rice was really good

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Pros: Free parking in front and across the street Good pricing Friendly staff Cons: Small space NO FAULT OF THE SERVER- only 1 server with a full restaurant on my visit. She had to deal with phone calls, water, tea, side dishes refills .NEED EXTRA HELP

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

We love the place, the food, the service, everything its outstanding! And we can bring our dog with us

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Food is delicious

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

The food was hot and tasty. The prices are really good. The server were very friendly. Very little GF options.

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Price is competitive, but a bit pricey

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

The fried chicken is incredibly tasty, miles ahead of KFC or any chicken fast-food chain.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Korean restaurant in burnaby ! Good LA GALBI WAS GREAT ! Food

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Reasonable price, excellent food, excellent service! Its also transit-friendly, approx. 10 minutes walk from Royal Oak skytrain station

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Simple food. The beef tartar bibimbap was ok. The meat wasn t the most tender and there was also very little meat. The carbonara tasted like jarred sauce.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Gamjatang is quite good! As well as the Osam Bulgogi and potato croquette Place is popular so sometimes you might need to wait. Food

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Oh my god this was so good. My friend and I ordered the special tteokbokki and the fried dumplings. We were shocked that we ate everything, we were so full afterwards but it tasted so good we couldn t stop eating until it was all done. Best tteokbokki either of us have ever had, and the prawns on it were absolutely incredible, the most perfect flaky coating. The restaurant is quite small, only a few tables, and we went on a monday night so it wasn t busy at all. Service was fast and friendly

★★★★★
December 21, 2023

Everything from the food, tableware, and music in the store is the same as in Korea. If you want to enjoy original Korean food, go here.

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2023

Used to be a good place but recent orders were disappointing. Side dishes taste bad, bibimbap meat is very hard, soup spicy level always got wrong.

★★
December 21, 2023

Don t waste your money. Bad experience. Used to be my favourite, not anymore. I think they changed their ownership. food is totally different from before. Food : 1/5

★★
December 21, 2023

Food is not good any more

December 21, 2023

I am a student. Taking tooo long. It took more than 10 minutes, i had no time to eat. Food

Local Guide
December 21, 2023

I came at lunch to get some chicken and it was cold, I asked them can I get a fresh one, then they said no this one is fresh but it was cold and they refused to give me a fresh one. Do not buy here!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

New restaurant. Worth a try!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Really delicious offerings and impressive selection.

December 21, 2022

Do not recommend their takeout. Portions were next to nothing, ordered a bibimbap and pretty much all I got was rice and garnish.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Ordered Korean BBQ Pepper Chicken. It came with 3 sauces: sweet, mustard and soya sauce. It was delicious! Will come back to try other menu items! PS: You get 10% off in the next store (Its Tea) which is a bubble tea cafe when you show the receipt from this restaurant! Great way to finish good food is with good dessert!

December 21, 2022

I leave this review conflicted because I really want to support local Korean businesses during COVID but had a very negative experience today. While the food was fair, today the staff working at 3:20PM made derogatory comments in regards to my accent as I was leaving the restaurant. I walked into the restaurant at 3:20PM and ordered the tofu soup. As a Korean-Canadian, I greeted the staff in Korean and made my order. While I was waiting for my food, I could tell there was a bit of tension in the room. It was three of the staff members and myself so I figured it was a bout of awkwardness. I paid, said thank you in Korean and as I was leaving, the male cook, whom had spoken perfect Korean with no Canadian accent said thank you in Korean while imitating my accent. The female employee working there laughed. The wait staff, to my appreciation did not participate in this unprofessional behavior. I was quite hurt as I walked home, I had to collect my thoughts, ask myself if I was overreacting and after thinking it over I thought to myself that if the recipient of a joke finds it offensive, it isnt a joke anymore. I dont understand why a staff member at this establishment would say something so hurtful to a paying customer as they are leaving the restaurant. It is 2022 and in Canada we cannot have this type of behavior. What I was most upset about was that my attempt to be respectful to people who share my heritage was responded in a derogatory way and I hope that in the future this doesnt happen to other customers. The food was fair. For the price that I paid, $9.95 + tax, the rice, soup and side dish were good. This is not a commentary on the quality of the food at this restaurant but rather the lack of customer service that I received. If you are thinking about coming to this restaurant, please understand the following, I am a Korean-Canadian and the staff who are Korean thought that it was appropriate to make fun of my English laden Korean as I was leaving the restaurant. If you are from a different culture, you may very well find that you receive the same treatment if you find yourself alone in this restaurant. I hope that Gaya can work towards being a more inclusive restaurant moving forward in the future. Thank you for your time, John Kim

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Was lots of hype around this place so ordered take out. Got the Tofu and Beef Soup - it was very underwhelming. It didn t even come with sides. Very mediocre.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Decent flavours but I am picky and I thought the japchae was too oily. The fried chicken was marinated very well but the batter was not crunchy like other places. Its pretty a style and preference thing. I will try other dishes next time.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

I was searching for real taste korean food so I found here , everything was great LA galbi is little bit too salty but still ok Server was nice even late at night still has smile on her face thank you :)

★★★★
December 21, 2022

The food is nice and the staffs are friendly. Yet, they got my order wrong this time. I ordered a Honey Garlic fried chicken and a Jaeyork Deopbab (pork with rice). At the end, I have a Chicken Mayo Deopbab (chicken rice) instead of fried chicken.

★★
December 21, 2022

Went to this place today. Ordered the tofu soup with beef. Would not be my first choice as I prefer the bulgogi stew but they didnt have it. It was rainy, so the tofu soup it is. The portion was rather on the small side compared to other places. There were a lot of tofu and the soup was... tasteless. The bullion wasnt rich in flavor, the beef didnt have flavor either. It came with three side dishes and rice. These were good. The place is small and clean. However, they do not clean tables right away and they allow loud and mannerless delivery drivers shout to their phone and walk back in forth in this small space. Initially I thought to write the review after giving it another chance and ordering bulgogi but I didnt like how the server approached the paying process. I had $15 in cash, the bill was $10.49 ($9.99 + tax) and she didnt ask if I want a change. 50% tip for tasteless soup.

December 21, 2022

Went to get lunch special and it is warm Understand restaurant may premier things but come on And I went around 12:30 so it s not like I go at the non-lunch time It isn t easy for restaurant for sure but I don t think it is ok to serve warm to cold foods to customers

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Very decent food with affordable pricing. Tofu soup is yum!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

After a long day of walking, I felt like having some good old beef bulgogi. So I walked I to this small restaurant which provides a simple but very caring environment. Being there only for a take out, I could notice the hospitality provided in the restaurant. Some people where cold and they asked if the window could be closed. The server quickly addressed the issue and even offered to turn up the heat a bit to provide extra comfort for his customers. On my way home I could already imagine how delicious the bulgogi would be from such a loving and caring place. (And also I could smell the bulgogi which smelled so good!) When having my first bite, I got confirmed what I wrote above. Good job guys

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Did take out. Portions are fair. The half and half for the fried chicken is a bit smaller than Chickos Chicken for the same price. They closed the box so the chicken got soggy but it was still really good. I think they have more depth of flavor. The potato croquettes were still crispy and really good. The tteok bokki was fing awesome. Definitely will have to try again eating in.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Fantastic food and enormous portions. Great value with excellent quality. The fried chicken was very flavorful, juicy and extremely tender. The only small hiccup was that they forgot to set any chopsticks for our table and we had to ask them three times before enough arrived for all of the guests.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Lunch special $6.95 Highly recommend Honey Garlic Chicken Super tasty and good value

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Pretty much a full house by 6:30 pm on a Sunday night. One lone host/waiter up front to serve 7 groups, and look after delivery drivers picking up or people doing take out. It was hard to flag him down for service when he is so busy. The food was very tasty and filling. Ordered the bibimbap - we mix the ingredients with rice and our desired amount of spicy sauce. Enjoyed the variety of ingredients and the taste. Ordered the bulgogi, and must admit that the beef was the most tender that Ive tasted! There was also a generous amount included. Good complimentary banchan of bean sprouts, marinated potato cubes and kimchi. A good experience with reasonable pricing.

★★★★★
December 21, 2022

I had Yukgaejang(Korean Style Spicy Beef Soup), Ttukbaegi Gamjatang(Pork Bones & Potato in Spicy Soup), and Pork Cutlet to go. Everything was good and tasted like what I expected! Especially, Pork Cutlet was great - crunchy and well cooked thick meat :) Id try other dishes as well next time.

Local Guide
December 21, 2022

I ordered from Uber Eats and gave it 5 stars, but when I went to eat at the restaurant in person today, the service sucked, so Im changing it to 1 star. I will order my food from Uber.

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Tried the 1/2 1/2, Chicko chicken is better and more in volume. The original tastes a bit unrefined, seems really just original chicken flavored. Yum yum favor is pretty nicely seasoned. Cheese corn is alright, basically soggy corn with lots of cheese on top. Kids love.it though.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Excellent and delicious Korean dishes ,with affordable pricing for lunch

★★★
December 21, 2022

Portions were on the smaller side and the pork tonkatsu tasted weird. The service was really good though

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

All the food we ordered was fresh and hot.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Portions are great. But the kimchi fried rice was way too spicy. The bugolgi was great, enough beef for three people.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

My friend recommended this place for lunch cheap eats and I was not disappointed! For $7.95 (well +5% gst = $8.35) you get a good selection of takeout lunch. The lunch special is for to go, NOT FOR DINE IN! Im very impressed with their beef bulgogi rice bowl. I think there was more beef than rice. There were some greens as well for a balance of meat and veggies. On the other hand, the chicken mayo bowl was strictly just fried chicken and mayo sauce on rice. Since I ordered the honey garlic fried chicken, I can tell the fried chicken was a little bit redundant. The mayo wasnt enough for sauce wise so I had to dip some mayo chicken in the honey garlic sauce. Next time Ill probably not order the mayo chicken rice bowl and order something else. My friend said their lunch special used to be $6.95 but hey for under $10 its still very filling and delicious! I will come back and try their dine in option.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

I drive by this place everyday. It is a relatively new establishment - opening up I believe just during COVID-19 period. This is a family run place - small, clean and efficient. This place is a gem in the making if they maintain their current path. They will become not just a neighborly staple, but perhaps even something on par with Hi Genki (Just closed and retired). I know, big shoes to fill, but there are no other Korean family run places like Gaya close by in Burnaby at their scale, skill and value. Service is great. Price is also rock solid value. Portions are big, tasty and ingredients are fresh. Expect to have leftovers to take home. The menu is not big but the chef offers some of the more popular daily modern Korean items that are known worldwide - and are also traditional Korean dishes. One thing I liked about this place is that the dishes arent as salty as other Korean places. So one can enjoy Korean food without worrying about high blood pressure triggers. Think of this place as your typical Korean restaurant that one could find in Korean neighborhoods with all the popular staples. If the boss reads this, please add Kimchi Jiggae~! :)

★★★
December 21, 2022

I think this restaurant is overrated. Earlier I ordered some lunch takeout there because of the low price (about $8). My experience with them was positive. The food portion and taste were good though the wait time for pick up was long. However, when my family and I dined in there, I was very disappointed. Their dishes were pricey and their portions were relatively small compared to other Korean restaurants. I probably would not go there again.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Very clean restaurant, friendly and nice staff, comfortable seating, delicious food, good prices. Love it!

December 21, 2022

DO NO GO THERE!!!! I would give zero star if possible. Not even worth for one star. Sever was rude and food sucked. Very disappointed experience. Ox bone soup tasted like water with oil, even water taste better than the soup. Portion for tofu soup was very small. Compare to their price, ABSOLUTELY WONT COME BACK AGAIN!!!!!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

We were blown away at date night dinner. The food was delicious to the last piece of rice. Limited vegetarian options, but they will hold the meat.

★★★★★
December 21, 2022

Gorgeous Korean restaurant :) The staff are all so friendly and sweet. The service is fast and the food is absolutely delicious!! Hot pot bibimbap is one of my favorite and lunch specials too :) It s always a pleasure to have a meal.

★★
December 21, 2022

Their food was really good when they first opened. I went there once a week for months. I got busy and didn t eat there as much. After gaining popularity they drastically decreased their portion sizes and also raised prices. Seems like it s what most restaurants are doing nowadays. It s fine if they do one of the two to make ends meet but it s such a nasty look for paying customers to do both. Imagine coming in to the restaurant one day and finding everything is extra expensive and portions decreased by 1/3, no one would be happy with that.

★★★★
December 21, 2022

I didn t know here is open in my area! I ordered onion chicken! I expected more creamy or sweet but it s more like sour! But still good and big portion for price I guess! I would definitely try again! They seem have good options

★★★★★
December 21, 2022

sooo good and such good prices - very friendly and accommodating staff

December 21, 2022

It says close on 10 pm on google map, but when we arrived 8:55pm, they said the kitchen is already closed and not able to serve anymore. It s so disappointed the kitchen closed 1 hour and 10 mins before closing, it would be better if they change to 9pm closing since the kitchen closed that early.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Parking: Free street parking 2 hours

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Decent food at a small place. Good level of spice but the fried chicken flavours are limited

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

You know what there isn t a lot of places that surprise with how delicious the food is going to be and this place well, it s one of them. The tofu soup is a must . No that s not me trying to hype it up . No no no, and It is not a suggestion either. Get it and I promise you that you will come back for more. Trust me on that. So when you are craving a good soup with some heat on it, head on over to Gaya and you won t regret it.

Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Do you know what s annoying is standing outside the restaurant because not one person at the location can speak English or take the order as amazing as the food is . Our hearts are broken after siting outside for 30 min with no help in Korean . Vancouver is lost

★★★★★
December 21, 2022

Gaya has amazing food! My daughter and I went there and we loved everything we ordered. Everyone in the restaurant was friendly and welcoming. The portions were great as well. We re definitely coming again!!

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

It was delicious. The kindness and delicious pork cutlet and subs are excellent.. Lets meet again Have a blast..

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Very tasty food, good portions and great service. Highly recommended.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

tteok-bokki is awesome (but also a bit too spicy )

December 21, 2022

Its good if its fresh. I even recommended this to my friends. But this is the second time I got a re-fried chicken. I told the staff the first time that they should not do this kind of thing on regular customers, and by the way I not only get a re-fried chicken but a cold one. They offered me a new food, I told them they dont have too as long as they need to keep it fresh and new next time. You guys put the price in your menu, and we pay for whatever you put in there. So make sure you give a good food. Will never get food again.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Super good and genuine Korean food.

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Pretty good, pork bone soup was okay. Other places do it better. Noodles were a bit salty but good!

December 21, 2022

Just went there and left with huge disappointment. Me and my boyfriend were sitting there for 20 minutes and there was no waitress came to us, even though she just served dishes to another table. We have already went up to front table and asked for a service, but it seems no one cared about if we gonna stay or leave. It is the most hilarious thing we have ever met, and might never have meal there any more.

December 21, 2022

Around 4:20-5pm on 10/22/2022, I went to this restaurant and waited for 15 mins, nobody came to serve us, and then I speak out to the server that I wanted to order some food, and waited another 10 mins, end up nobody came, so I had to leave this restaurant with disappointment, such a wasting time here. How ridiculous that is for a restaurant ignoring their customers! Bad bad experience so far in my life!

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

The food was excellent, very delicious and huge portions meant to be shared with friends. The service was quite cold. The restaurant itself was very cramped. Felt like too many tables for such a small eatery. Would definitely choose this restaurant again but most likely for take out/delivery.

December 21, 2022

Google says they close at 10pm. When I got here at 9:05 their open sign was still turned on. The waitress went inside and asked the kitchen and she came out and said they were closed. Most restaurants do their last call half an hour before closing time, they seem to close whenever they want. I see there are other reviews about this so this isn t their first time. I won t be back to try their food.

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Good Korean food. it

★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

They gone sub par

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Really enjoy the sundubu and gamjatang here! That s usually my go to order with my husband. The gamjatang is hearty and it s my favorite thing to order on a rainy day :)

★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Despite having only 1 server when we visited on a Saturday evening, the server and the food held up well. Expect wait or try other places

★★★★★
Local Guide
December 21, 2022

Once for dinner & twice for lunch.. you can see why.. quite the deal. Food is pretty good & service was friendly (including the 2 takeouts). Decent variety of food depending on what you might be loving for that day. Oh my Gaya