Kayuga

We came in for an early dinner at 5: 30 on a Wednesday and the restaurant was empty. Since we had the whole restaurant to ourselves, the service was top notch. Our server grilled and cut our meats into bite sizes and was very attentive. Everything was delicious. We ordered fried oysters, which were crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. For the main course, we went with the 2-person combo, which came with 2 meats and 2 side orders. We chose pork belly and marinated short ribs to be served along with kimchi stew and soybean stew. Taste-wise, everything was perfect. However, I wished the pork belly were thicker cut. This restaurant serves them bacon-thin. We also enjoyed all the side dishes which were well fermented and seasoned. We will definitely be coming back.

Good option for a quick Korean meal or a late night K-BBQ near BU. Initially perceived as a typical Japanese restaurant, I was surprised to discover its Korean focus during a recent late-night visit. The restaurant, with its clean, traditional Korean BBQ layout, exuded a welcoming vibe. While restaurant serving Korean and Japanese food under Chinese management might not sound appealing, the dishes I tried weren’t too bad. Among the menu I ordered, the Chicken Gizzard, with its mix of peppers, garlic, and sesame oil, stood out. The Kimchi Fried Rice, while slightly Americanized lacking that extra kick of tanginess typical in Korean cuisine, was still quite enjoyable. The prompt service, with all the dishes arriving in under ten minutes, added to the positive experience. Kayuga might not be my first choice for authentic Korean comfort food, but it certainly is a reliable option for those seeking a quick Korean meal or a casual K-BBQ experience in the BU area.

You get a good feeling going into the ambience of this restaurant. The server also did a great job in understanding our needs and taking the order quick. However, the taste of all the food we ordered, WAS SUBPAR. Chicken was rubbery, rice cakes were harder to eat than usual and we just couldn’t enjoy the whole meal. They did a good job with Scallion pancakes though. I honestly feel the chef here needs to check on the chicken in their food. It tasted little stale and rubbery like I mentioned. For location, service and ambience: I feel it was good. Overall 3/5 stars

Loud music, uncomfortable seating, QR code menu type place. Food was awesome though !! I got udon noodles and the consistency of the noodles was great. Also got dumplings for an appetizer and they were tasty too. Super quiet at 8pm which was nice.

Absolutely love Kayuga. I’ve been coming here for the last 10 years and they never disappoint. The service is impeccable and food is amazing. The ambiance is cool. A great place for a date or any types of gatherings.

The atmosphere here is so great. It’s a chic kbbq place and the service is very good. I’ve been looking for a good kbbq place in the area with a more modern vibe and this definitely fits the bill. The prices are reasonable and the food itself tastes delicious. 10/10 recommend and I’m definitely coming here again

Good meat. Ordered 4 plates for 5 people, overfilled. Recommend short rib and ribeye. Went around 1am

Where do I even begin, First time back since the remodel and I found the vibe once again! Amazing experience, Amazing playlist, Amazing bartender representing the whole space solo! Ali exceeded all expectations and delivered on the best night of my life! Could not have asked for more attentive and enthusiastic service.

Kayuga by BU is one of the few late night Korean restaurants available in Boston (and even one of the only late night restaurants period) and I was excited to see that they recently started offering Korean BBQ. They are open until 1:30 every night which is so rare to find in Boston. I didn't have many expectations going in especially since there are only a handful of Korean bbq spots in Boston and I have tried almost all of them. For bbq you have to order a minimum of two meats which is standard across all bbq spots. Two orders come with unlimited banchan and rice and they also have combos starting at $99 for two which also includes a choice of egg and stew. I got pork belly ($33) and the marinated short rib ($42). The pork belly was thin cut and very good! I like both thin and thick cut pork belly but for two people I think thin is better because it is less heavy. The marinated short rib had good flavor and was tender but did have some tendony pieces. Both sets of meat come with mushroom, onion, sweet potato, and zucchini and have samjang, a sweet soy sauce, and salt. The banchan was solid and included a scallion salad, onions, woodear mushroom, bean sprout, kimchi, and pickled radish. Our server was very friendly and helpful and offered to cook for us or let us cook and he would let us know when it was ready. We did some cooking ourself but he helped us to let us know when it was ready and cut it up for us. He also came by and got us banchan refills. Although it is a bit pricey for the quality of the meat, for a spot that is open until 1:30 I think Kayuga is a pretty solid Korean bbq place. The service is friendly, the food is good, and it definitely satisfies a craving for Korean bbq. I will probably find myself coming back here for late night KBBQ and I think others would enjoy this place even though it may not be the best out there.

We stopped by late dinner. We couldn't have choice for pick up the restaurant because it was late night. My friend wanted eat Korean food and searched late Korean restaurant near our hotel. Totally we disappointed food but waiter was super friendly. He was work alone there, was a bit busy there but he very nice to everything. My rice cake soup with dumplings wasn't fully cook so I have to talked to waiter and they're cook again but still nothing good. If you looking for drink until late night, it's ok place to go but don't expect that foods are great. Big place and they interior with a lot of drink bottles. I wouldn't go back to try this place again.

Boston restaurant selling Korean and Japanese dishes I ordered the yaki udon which came with soup. While the noodles were good and the serving size was generous, the dish lacked flavor. In addition, the yaki udon comes with chichen but what I got were big chunks of dry and bland chicken breast. I'd rather have less meat if it means it would be moist and flavorful. Overall, I've had much better yaki udon elsewhere.

No longer offering a sushi menu, but still a fantastic late night spot with solid Korean and Japanese options.

I've been coming to Kayuga for many years. They've been through many iterations and now they offer KBBQ where you grill your own food. I'm not someone who likes or can cook but it's a fun and interactive dining experience with friends. Honestly, there's not many grill your own food KBBQ restaurants in Boston so this is great. The portions were generous and the meats were not overly flavored so that I can dip it into their homemade sauces. If I want a certain piece of meat saltier, sweeter, or as is, I have that choice. They also have the tofu stew, silky steamed eggs and I can never get enough of their mini juicy dumplings! The ambiance is magically and service superb as always. The owners always walk around and check to make sure that you're having a fantastic dining experience there! Love Kayuga and if you're in the area, check them out!

The food I got here (Shumai) was delicious, though a bit overpriced for the portion size. Great care was taken to make sure that the food was served fresh and warm. Taken to go, the food was thoughtfully packaged and ready for pick up on time. The ambiance inside the restaurant itself was nice and had a bit of an upscale vibe to it.

Recent change to a focus in Korean BBQ with a selection of Korean and Chinese dishes, Kayuga has great quality meat, good atmosphere, and wonderful service

This restaurant was a quick stop for us before a concert. We came in with no expectations and left hankering for more. We ordered the soft shell crab app, the beef bulgogi, and the yakisoba-- all SO flavorful and beautifully prepared. Service was quick and pleasant. This is a true gem!!

This is my favorite place because of three reasons: an incredible variety of cuisine (Japanese and Korean), the only place in Boston to get decent food late in the night, after midnight, and the extremely nice owners and staff. You can get either Japanese fresh sushi or Korean traditional food, from soups and stews, to bbq meat. My personal favorites: Sake ikura don (sliced salmon sashimi and salmon roe over a bed of rice) and Haedupbap, a Korean version of Japanese sushi, a variety of chopped raw fish over a bed of lettuce and rice, topped with a spicy chili sauce. Also, the owner, Sue, is incredibly nice and wonderful.

I just ordered Kayuga for the second time during coronavirus. They are very quick and open very late to boot. Nothing beats 2am sushi. The maki is simple but tastes very good. For the special rolls in particular, they are usually neat (not falling apart, tightly rolled). I have an allergy to sesame and when I noted that on Uber Eats, a woman at Kayuga called me to say that the spicy mayo in the spicy tuna roll I ordered had sesame in it. So many Japanese restaurants will serve you things with sesame oil even if you tell them you are allergic, so it was great that they did this (although it should be the norm everywhere!).

Kayuga just changed management. They don't serve sushi anymore, they going korean food. We tried croquettes and gyoza they both really good my fave is actually croquettes. bimbimbap was great. The stone pot keep long till the end of our visit, keep my dish warm for a long time. The veggies comes with it tastes all good together although I was hoping for more green on my bimbimbop. Spicy pork Bulgogi great as well, we just hope for more caramelized onion like Bulgogi typically comes with but overall really good! We are happy. They only thing that keeping it from 5stars is the soup that my nephew got. Don't know the name of the dish, its a big bowl of soup of rice cake, meat veggies and the color was cloudy white? We don't really liked it and I don't even want to take picture of it coz it doesn't look appetizing at all.

Sushi quality is always good. Their menu is large, so it's not always easy to pick the right items. Highly recommend: Fried Oyster Seafood pancake College Maki Dragon Maki Kayuga Sashimi Platter for 2

Such a horrible Restaurant. It always takes more than thirty minutes to serve the food. Moreover, the attitude of worker is really bad. They are getting mad for asking questions and are so lazy. If you don't want to waste your time and MONEY, DO NOT GO THIS ONE.

I just went there for sushi but they said they didn't have sushi. I'm just as surprised as you are. Maybe it was the time of day? But still a "Japanese" restaurant that doesn't serve sushi!? Not going back there again for Japanese but might try their Korean next time, as their menu is extensively Korean these days.

This place is good. I wouldn't say the food is particularly remarkable, but I do appreciate that their menu reflects a wide range of cuisines from Korean, Japanese, to even Thai food. Thus, this place is perfect for a group of hungry customers who are all craving different things! I ended up ordering the seafood tofu soup and found it to be pretty tasty! It was definitely less tofu than what's typical for this dish, but the serving of seafood was VERY generous. It comes with a serving of rice and three small side dishes so it is an overall very satisfying and filling meal. This place is a pretty solid choice. Though the food is not extraordinary, I appreciate a lot of things about it--in addition to their wide range of cuisines, I like the fact that their numerous TVs make it the perfect place to enjoy a sports games over some food and drinks!

Good service and a nice dinner, arriving close to 8pm on a weeknight. I chose the drunken noodles and they were tasty and very hot, perhaps a little bit too much sauce. But the veggies mixed through were properly tender and there was plenty of chicken. With it, a unique rice-based beer I've never had before. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was A-OK.

I came in on a weekday afternoon after an appointment in the area. I'm not too familiar with the area other than knowing that it's BU country so I figured most places are you geared towards students. This restaurant attracted my attention because not only was I craving some sushi but the exterior was clean and had a stainless steel finished back lit sign which was inviting to me. I was immediately greeted and showed to the bar, as I was alone. The bar runs the length of the left side of the restaurant with a good dozen seats or so and 2 TVs with sports on. I hear this is a good spot to watch Boston teams games. The rest of the restaurant is filled with big comfy booths! It's dark inside with moderate lighting to create a nice dinner atmosphere. I enjoyed that.... relaxing and cozy yet not too casual. Because I came in for a "snack" I had the Double Tuna Specialty maki. Delish! Satisfied with the size, sushi quality and speediness of it being made at the sushi bar towards the back where you can watch him make it. I do say I would have appreciated if the roll was a little bigger and a bit more saucy (more teriyaki sauce on top)! The prices are are affordable and what I would expect (for an area with students and simply reasonable for anyone) $8-13/roll depending if it's speciality or not. They have a good thing going over here! OH yeah, big Sapporo's and a full bar to top it off. Cheers.

Delicious Japanese korean fusion dishes, wide variety of alcoholic beverages, great customer service and whole beautiful ambience all in one place. I came here so many times but I can't tell you one time that I was ever disappointed/dissatisfied.

Very nice in both food and service!! Recommend for Boston visitors especially love in asian food

Nice atmosphere and great service . But the quality of the sushi are not as fresh if you are ordering sashimi or rolls. Food is not up to par . It's not a bad place to chill and tuck away. Watch sports games and drink.

This is our family's #1 favorite place to eat. Birthdays, anniversaries, or just a treat from this pandemic, we try to eat here at least once a month! The menu has a number of items that will be sure to be the fancy of even the pickiest of eaters. Usually I'm not a fan of multiple regional foods coming together, but whether it's Japanese or Korean food you're craving, you won't be disappointed. I love the Kalbi-tang (beef rib soup). That broth is just packed with so much flavor! Give them a try, definitely won't be disappointed!

I ordered a tuna avocado salad and got it delivered with Uber Eats. To be fair, the food tastes pretty good and the tuna definitely tasted fresh! However, the serving size was tiny, even for a sushi place. At $12 I wasn't expecting something that is essentially a side dish (packaged in a side dish container). Lesson learned. I'll stick to sushi next time...

Love this spot. Non-touristy. Variety of food is good. From Japanese to many types of Korean food. I can come here for Japanese or pocha macha type food. Super chill spot

Pad Thai terrible. Fried gyoza terrible. Had it delivered they forgot my drink. Will never order food from here again.

Nice, convenient Boston University late night spot on Commonwealth Ave. The chicken appetizer and sushi were solid.

My whole order was stale. Google gave it 4.3 stars which was shocking. Yelp on the other hand was 3.5 stars, know that seems more reasonable. Rolls were 5-7 dollars each which is relatively cheap, but still not worth that. The only reason I ordered from them was due to their late hours.

Highly recommend this place. The spicy pork bulgogi is my favorite. The service is fantastic and the staff are so friendly. I will definitely be back soon

Great place for after a show at The Paradise Rock Club up the block. We ordered Chinese (Scallion Pancake and Mini-Soup Dumplings), Korean (Bulgogi) and Japanese (Sashimi Dinner). All of it was quite tasty. Friendly staff and quick kitchen to table service. Relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. Excellent service. We will be back again.

Love this place! I've been coming here for years (since I started school in Boston). The food is really good, everyone is super nice, and they're open late! My favorite things on the menu are the crazy noodles, the bibimbap, and the spicy salmon rolls. I've never been disappointed!

Great food and the employees are very nice and hardworking. It is my go to sushi place. Highly recommend!

A sushi restaurant and bar in the middle of the BU campus. This place gets busy on weekend nights but there are a lot of other options around the area, so if you don't get a spot here, you can walk down the street to other restaurants. Fair food portions with a decent menu. They offer both Korean dishes and sushi, I preferred the sushi we got, specifically their sashimi/nigiri. Their drink menu isn't too extensive - just the average beers, soju, and sake. Me and my friend got the lychee soju which had the perfect mix of lychee juice and soju. We also got the dubokgi (Korean rice cakes), Alan's special maki, and BU Maki. Both the makis were deep fried drizzled with spicy mayo and eel sauce. I wasn't a big fan of their deep fried sushi because they all tasted the same. The spicy mayo and eel sauce took away any flavors of the ingredients inside. The one order of salmon nigiri I ordered was great. The salmon was really fresh, the slice of fish itself was nicely cut, not too thick, not too thin, and the rice was perfect. Overall, I had a good experience but this place isn't anything special compared to all the other decent restaurants in Allston.

I came here with a party of 4. Since we were all craving for tofu soup and this is one of the two korean restaurants near us that close late, we decided to give Kayuga a try. We got there around 9pm on a Thursday night. Two of us ordered a hite beer and they were really strict with ID checking which include checking your credit card to really make sure the ID is you. We were all starving so we ordered a total of 9 dishes. Maybe usually people do not order that much in their restaurant but the owner came back to our table to double check that we really did order all of them, which I thought odd. Fast forward, the tofu soups here were really bland. It was not spicy at all. The dukbokki was a lot spicier and flavorful than the soups. While eating, all 4 of us saw a mid-sized cockroach on the wall crawling around. We immediately lost our appetites and cravings were left unfulfilled. Food is mediocre at best and with cockroach on sight...I will not come back.

I came as a party of 13 on a Friday night and I still stand true to my belief that the service here is excellent. Despite our large group, they were great in handling our orders and accommodating my reservation over the phone. Appetizer wise, I highly recommend the Hotate Hokkaiyaki (Baked large scallop on shell with crab stick, mushroom, flying fish roe, and spicy mayo). Forget the seafood pancake...too doughy. After trying many of their house specialty makis, I highly recommend the MIT maki (crab stick, avocado maki with torched salmon on top, spicy mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce) and the College maki (crab salad, cucumber, tempura flakes with torched salmon on top, spicy mayonnaise, and teriyaki sauce). The torched salmon taste was delightful! Drinks wise, you gotta get the Lychee soju. It comes in a classy, narrow pitcher with real canned lychees. You get a long spoon to scoop them out so you can munch on them with your shot. Pleasantly lychee-syrup flavored with a faint hint of soju. This place does sake bombs! :D As long as you don't bang on the tables, it's alright with them :) Added bonus: Their bathroom is really clean and smells pleasant. None of that public bathroom stench! Definitely a permanent favorite place of mine in Boston now.

I love Kayuga! Everyone is always so friendly, food always comes out great, and the price is very reasonable. After covid, they don't serve sushi anymore but they still have a lot to offer with their other dishes. My personal favorite is the kimchi fried rice. It always always feels good to support a local small business versus a chain!

Don't do this to yourself. I ordered the salmon avo maki and chicken curry. I enjoyed neither. As you can see the salmon on that one piece of sushi is damn near white, which means it's been left out for way too damn long. For something that's not cooked it's not good. The other five pieces of were warm so I was less hesitant to eat it. The curry plate tasted like day old chicken, and flavorless. I don't even think they used salt on the rice nor the chicken. For great Japanese curry chicken isshindo ramen is the way to go.

I have been here many times, and I have yet to be disappointed. I have missed all the karaoke, which is possibly why I still feel this way. I loved the service, all the waitresses and waiters were really nice, careful to get you exactly what you asked for, if it differed from what was on the menu... I went there last year with the same group of people and we would be seated right away, and yes, we ran up a huge bill and tipped very well each time, but the service was the same when I went with others and didn't order as much to drink, ecc. We got a sushi plate "on the house" the last time I went there, it was AMAZING. I love being able to try things that I wouldn't otherwise try. I actually ate EEL! My god... my life has not been the same. Thank you Kayuga for breaking me out of my shell.

Good place, best food, gizzards my favorite - I def recommend to try that and boodae jeegae as well - my two must to order meals

Honestly think this is the most interesting place for Sushi in Boston/Brookline. We've been going since they opened and don't even know how long that's been. We eat in; we order out; we have them cater our parties. Their sushi menu is super innovative. They are always trying new ideas. Their tuna avocado salad is my absolute favorite thing. But...I also love their Korean menu. The flavors are just delish. Plus, the owners Soo and Alan are lovely and turn out some amazing food. Don't miss this restaurant!!

I was here for a quick dinner with the family. The service and food were excellent. The botan shrimps sushi was super yummy!

Honest review: would NOT recommend. The friend wings I got were clearly frozen/microwaved because it was watery inside. The pad Thai was extremely sticky, had a bad spoiled/funky after taste, and the fired rice had extremely rubbery shrimp and chicken that's drier than a desert. Pretty sure it was not cooked today. Not worth the $35 I paid.

Kayuga is a great restaurant on Com Ave, not only because of the food, but also because the service is amazing. Over the years I made friends with the manager Su, and she was always so kind and hardworking. She is there every night until they close at 2am and she's a super nice lady. She even gave me extra face masks she had when I said I didn't have any, right at the peak of COVID when they were in short supply! All the other staff are also really good and respectful people. The atmosphere inside the restaurant was also great when there was seating, and hope it opens up again soon. Kayuga is one of the best options for late night food when everything else that's good is closed. My recommendation for food: Japanese curry katsu

Ridiculous way of checking your I'd that is offensive. They dont believe your age so they take it away and re check it and im 30

This place has serviceable fusion junk food. I can't say that I was bowled over by the various types of fried chicken I ordered and the crazy noodles...but why five stars? Their creme brulee was great and even though I ordered delivery, they gave it to me in a ceramic container?!

Really good place to get lit if you're into Korean drinking style. Ask for the Korean menu. The yogurt soju is available and they also have different flavors like watermelon, peach, etc. We got a whole bunch of stuff but damn, their corn cheese was the best I've ever had. I'm Korean and I eat a lot of Korean food in NYC and basically anywhere I travel to and this place by far was one of the best corn cheese I've ever had.

Got take out from here - loaded up with both Japanese and Korean fare. All of it was super tasty, and the women there are great! Please support them and this restaurant during this tough time - they deserve it and you'll love the food.

They sent pork spring rolls instead of veggie and some kind of squid maki instead shiitake. I don't like pork or squid and so I spent $30 to get my gag reflux triggered twice in a row.

This place has excellent food with excellent people providing the food. Su is the owner and takes great pride in taking care of her customers. Every time I come here, I feel like home or I'm at my friend's house. It is definitely a central gathering space for friends to eat and drink. Kayuga is a timeless Boston classic that's definitely worth a visit. You will be back after the first visit. Cheers!

Outside if finding an unfortunate surprise in the bottom of my miso soup, this place food-wise was really good. I ordered delivery and the bim bop, crab legs, and soup all were very tasty. However, 3/4 of the way through my soup I found an old rusty bobby pin in the bottom of the cup! I called to let management know and they didn't seem to care much that 1. That's just gross and 2. I could have choked on it/swallowed it! They did offer me a six dollar discount for my troubles... Bad customer service and apparently they aren't to clean in the kitchen...I won't be going back, not worth the risk in my book.

Great comfort food. Expect to be filled up and happy. A good place to come after a depressive episode. Fried Rice is pretty standard, what you would expect, but good portions and conservatively flavored. Deep Fried Baby Octopus - dope - get it. Yookgaejang - really good beef soup with some kind of vegetables I was unfamiliar with. Fernbrake? Satisfying and not something I had tried before. Sukiyaki - Japanese style beef soup served in cast iron pot. For me, this one was very hearty and filling but overly sweet, challenging to finish til the end and not feel a little off. But good for indulgence.

The food was mostly ok but nowhere near very good. The spring rolls were surprisingly bad considering how others were not that terrible and that's not what you normally expect to be able to go wrong.