Gaja Korean Bar

So this place is an excellent little duck off. If you enjoy Korean food. It's pretty inconspicuous, which is probably by design. I found this a while ago on the list of hidden bars, because I've been in this area before and never thought to look in a random alley looking parking lot for it LOL. But one day I decided to try it and here we are. So there is free parking, you can park on the street or in the lot, but just be aware that the parking is on you. You. Meaning that the safety of your car isn't going to be secured by security guard or something like that. The area may look kind of sketchy but it's actually a pretty safe area though. It just has that look, but don't let that sway you. I've walked these streets in this area. Plenty of times and nothing has happened so it's fine. Anyway, you're going to go into a parking lot that has a small sign on the wall of the building. You'll miss it! If you don't look or are not looking for it. You'll go in and you'll have a whole restaurant there. It's a little bit Korean and influenced and it's kind of dim but it does what it needs to do and it gives off the right kind of vibes. It has a full bar but I didn't drink when I went, I only came because I was hungry. But the full box situation looked okay to me. This type of spot is a small plates kind of spot. So the food there isn't actually all that expensive and it's plentiful enough to share for a couple of people. And you also get to try a number of different things. I had five dishes on the table and spent no more than $65. Which if you're going anywhere else, this will run you $150 lol. They have events song depending on the night you go, so for example on Tuesday they have karaoke. The door person mentioned that because some people were lining up and gearing up to get ready to get on stage to perform. Well. It's not really a stage but you get the point LOL.Beef bulgogi - Now this was okay. It had a good texture and it was tender, but it didn't really give off the same flavor than I thought it would because I have had plenty of beef bulgogi And this didn't have that same flavor profile. Now. It was very subtle and it was good but it wasn't as impactful like they didn't actually have all the brown sugar there.Brussel sprouts - to me these were really good. They had nice chunks of meat in them, cooked very crispy. And they were very nice sized. They were like they gave you little baby sprouts.Crispy dumplings - The dumplings were okay. I wanted to try them just for the sake of trying them, but there's nothing I would have run back for but they were pretty decent. Pretty on the crispier side but they had a nice flavor.Gaja chicken - I don't know what was in this chicken, what kind of hot sauce they use, but this one was the one right here. They did their thing! You got a lot of chicken, and it had a lot of spice to it. Just the right amount of super heated Tang with a hint of sweet to it. Kind of addicting actually.Kimchi fried rice - The fried rice was really good. It was seasoned very well and you got a nice portion of it. Putting the chicken on the fried rice was a winner.I would definitely go back. 100%. I would actually probably see what nice to have certain events and maybe I'll try to do that based on the event they're having. But either way it goes, this was a really good experience

Located in east Atlanta is this really cute Korean styled restaurant. Walking inside you're automatically met with a really chill and cool ambiance. Seating indoors is spread out with tables, booths and a bar in the middle. And they offer outside seating on a covered patio as well. A variety of cool art on the walls all throughout. While the menu is limited, it has just enough different options to satisfy your cravings.The restaurant is a dim lit place which just adds to the experience of an intimate dinner. The employees were nice and quick to take orders and bring out our food once we were seated. The place tends to get busy during dinner time so we did have to wait to be seated as we were a party of 5. This gave us some time to look through their menu and have an idea of what we wanted to order. We decided to do a family style meal and order a bunch of different things to try. All of which was really good. My favorite probably being he Brussels sprouts which came with pork belly pieces.Definitely recommend this place to others in the area if they're wanting some yummy food.Only downside to this place was that they brought us a "clean" cup that had someone's lipstick still on the side.. the waitress apologized about the situation and brought us a clean cup afterward. But leaves us to wonder how close they're paying attention to cleanliness when it's busy. All plates we ordered; some aren't pictured:Brussel Sprouts 9/10Pork Katsu 8/10Kimchi Fried Rice 8/10Scallion Pancake 5/10 (not my favorite)Beef Bulgogi (8/10)Spicy Fried Chicken (6/10) Mushroom lettuce wraps 6/10

First thing I noticed here is that service is fast! Came here for a date night and we were immediately seated. The inside has this gritty ambiance that makes you feel like you're out on the streets of Korea. The menu isn't vast but I really do prefer it that way since it helps narrow down what we want to order. We decided on the spicy squid, bone marrow japchae, and hedo bap. All 3 came out around the same time, fast. Personally, I liked that :) I started grubbing so hard that I thought to myself, "Wow, I'm glad my gf and I are comfortable with each other." because I was giving serious White Chicks/Marlon Wayans "damn lil lady, you sho can put it away" behavior. Spicy squid was yummy but not my fave. 2nd place went to the japchae. Noodles were good but that bone marrow was the star! I think the marrow was torched a bit so it gave it this nice charred texture and flavor. Devine! The thing that would bring me back here again and again is the hedo bap. The combo of all the crunchy toppings, warm rice and cold tuna made this texturally satisfying. Also, felt a little healthier to eat in comparison to the other things we ordered. Excited to show this place to my family when they come and visit :)

The food here is quite tasty! At least from what I experienced. We went on a busy night and the wait was surprisingly not too long. This place is definitely a hole in the wall and I wouldn't say you go for top notch service or even cleanliness if I'm being honest, but it is an experience. Prices are a little high imo, but if I was having a night out with the girls again and we wanted to go somewhere cool to share some plates, this would be a spot I ate at again.

I was in the mood for something different and decided to stop in and give it a try. I was so happy I did. We grabbed a few items and everything was delicious. The fried chicken was the star for me. A nice hint of spice just enough for the extra kick. The Brussels were amazing as well. I am adding this place to my list and will definitely be back.

Gaja has to be one of my favorite restaurants right now in East Atlanta Village! This place was right upmy alley, from the entrance to the chill cool indoor vibes and dim moody lighting inside and the good quality food and drinks! I can't wait to go back. Out of the three things we ordered I loved the kimchi fried rice and the bulgogi beef our waitress recommended getting the bulgogi beef with the lettuce wraps and I'm so glad she did because the combo together was delicious. I'm not knocking them for this because the korean fried chicken was really good, I just wish they had Korean fried chicken on the bone but that's just a personal want of mine. lol

We had a fab dinner here - our first time! Got the scallion pancakes, gaja chicken and glass noodles and it was plenty of food for two people and great pricing. Didn't get a chance to try the drinks but have heard they're great. Dim lighting made for a great vibe.

I have only seen the outside of Gaja in pictures online before actually coming here, and was surprised by how it looked on the inside. The aesthetic gave dive bar vibes and also described as a "Korean-punk speakeasy." They made of the most of the spacing inside for seating and with red dividers in-between tables in the middle for a more intimate experience. I have to mention that the service was very quick and efficient. We got there 30 minutes after they opened and were seated as soon as we walked in. The food also came within 10-15 minutes after ordering! We opted for the Glass Noodle (comes with bone marrow) and Beef Bibimbap with the Banchan & Kimchi on the side. Both dishes were okay, not as flavorful, and the portions were smaller than expected. It was a dolsot bibimbap (bibimbap in a stone bowl) so I was looking forward to the burnt rice on the bottom - but there wasn't any. The bone marrow was fairly large compared to the bowl itself so it wasn't as convenient to eat. The part that I did not like quite as much was the banchan. Kimchi flavors can vary depending on how long you let it ferment, but it tasted more sour than what I normally prefer. The other banchan consisted of pickled cucumbers, radish kimchi, and broccoli with some gochujang sauce sprinkled on top. All of the sides were sour. There's normally something sweet and something bland to help balance out the flavors as you would typically find in Korean restaurants. Overall, vibes were great and I would definitely bring friends here if dive bars are their thing. The food definitely has potential and can use some improvement. I'm willing to give it another chance and try something else on the menu! *Parking is a little sketchy but not atypical for EAV.

I regret not knowing this place earlier! This "underground" Korean restaurant is nothing short of secretive. The entrance is located in a sketchy parking lot and we had to walk downstairs to reach the restaurant. The real surprise surfaced upon actually entering it - the place is dimly lit and full of Korean-themed decorations. Everything we ordered was delicious - the banchan is fresh, pancake is spongey and buttery, the beef Bimbibap is aromatic and served warm. Overall, I highly recommended this place for Korean cuisine enthusiasts who want something other than Korean bbq and fancy a place with 10/10 atmosphere and server attitude.

Probably the fastest service in East Atlanta. Came on a subday evening... immediately sat, order placed, and food/drinks arrived within 15mins of walking in the door. Outwardly, Gaja looks like a grungy hole in the wall but upon entering its a dark, ambient korean punk bar that is buzzing with chattering and music. The food was solid. I thought the Beef Bulgogi needed a little more sauce but it came out sizzling hot. The Korean Fried Chicken was spicy either a very subtle sweetness. The Shishito peppers were amazing. They got better the further in the bowl you got (aka closer to the glaze), the winner of the night was the kitchen fried rice. . Absolutely recommend for a cool EAV experience. Also the value can't be beat. My party of 2 split a soju bottle, 1 app and 3 entrees for only $65!!! Any dinner under $100 feels like a win in Atlanta. Parking is kinda sketch but it's to be expected with the area.Be sure to check it out.