Nodaji

Nice, cozy, and dimly lit. Nodaji is the the spot if you’re looking for a chill night of Korean style snacks and drinks. Say hi to Sue for me!

This is a great spot at the yes plaza in Rowland Heights if you want some soju/​food/​conversation. I am a regular at this establishment, coming here at least once a month. The prices are affordable, the food is delicious, and the staff are incredibly helpful. It’s best to come early because sometimes they do not have available tables and it’s happy hour. They do have a secret soju menu bar you can ask Sue to make you speciality mixed soju drinks. It’s a great place and holds many fond memories.

Bulgogi fries?! Yeah that sounds really good. A friend suggested this place and so my little sister and I went for the first time and tried it out. I was looking at the reviews for this place and saw the bulgogi fries and thought that would be a must to try. We went here on a Saturday night and it was pretty empty. There was like 10 – 12 tables within the whole restaurant and only a few were occupied. I was surprised at how empty it was.
Anyway we ordered the hot stone pot bulgogi and the bulgogi fries. The fries came out and wow they looked good! As I tried it out, the fries were fresh and crispy and something totally tasted out of place. It was the cheese! Nacho cheese and French fries do not go together! The nacho cheese was so strong that it overpowered the taste of the bulgogi. The nacho cheese got a little soggy as well since it was cooling down. The texture of nacho cheese when cold gets more thicker and somehow the taste of the nacho cheese was strong. It was pretty nasty to say the least. Regretted ordering that. My sister didn’t even finish it. It was her order. But I was eating off of her fries since she already stopped eating it after a couple fries
The stone pot was okay. I’ve had better. Somehow the pot was hella hot to the point where it literally burned my rice. And yes I was mixing my rice as well. But aside from that it was okay.
Our waitress only checked up on us once while we were there for about 45 mins.
Anyway I was going to give this place a 3 star but saw how there was a lot of dust above us. At the lights. It was pretty gross. Good thing we finished eating already too. Or else. I woulda lost my appetite.
Will not be going back to this place.

This place is open pretty late. Came in on a Wednesday night, afraid that they would be closing soon. We asked the woman and she said they closed at 3 am!
It’s a nice place to drink with friends and have bites to eat. They have many different soju flavors (peach yogurt, redbull, pineapple, guave, etc.) They also have a mix of Japanese and Korean food. We ordered the bulgogi fries, chicken wings, a sushi roll, and strawberry lemonade soju. The roll was nothing to write about. The meat on the fries was tasty and I thought the dish was good. I’d probably order it again. The wings were also good, though a little messy to eat. I suggest wet naps!
The ambiance of this place is pretty chill. It’s not too big and maybe has about 8 group tables? Service is good and prompt. Parking was not an issue for us, but I know this plaza gets pretty crowded during the weekends from all the other businesses (Banana Bay, etc.) and parking can be a pain.
The only thing that was concerning was the prices. Most things on the menu were at least $ 10. Our order of 10 chicken wings was ~$ 15. So, I highly suggest coming during happy hour! We came after 9 and had just missed it.

Old school. Good place to hang out but food is not the greatest late night Korean comfort

Local hangout spot that is open every night! Even on the holidays! Sue’s your girl and the one and only waitress/​owner! Great spot for some of that late night Korean food too!

This is the spot to go to! Whether it be round one or round two of your night… the drinks and food will keep you satisfied. The (best) part is that their clientele is diverse and multi-​cultural, so nobody feels that awkward «outsider» feeling. They are known for their Korean cuisine, yet their sushi is pretty good too. Ask for Sue, she’ll take care of you!

Cozy, good eats and good soju. It is a nice little spot located near me, so I come here often. I like their beef bulgogi nachos. I also have been ordering the Mak Gol Lie rice wine, which is served in a bowl.

Horrible service. We didn’t enjoy this place at all. The service was bad and they charge way higher price than other places. Would not recommend to go. Food was so so and soju is average, but the service was the worst.

Great restaurant open late and can drink late. plus food is good too!

Nodaji is my favorite place to go… I honestly have been here more than any other restaurant. The food is always good… They have a secret menu with Korean BBQ Fries. They are awesome! The soju is fantastic, the place is always clean… But one of the reasons I go back all the time is because the owner is so great at customer service. She remembers my name every time I go in, she’s friendly to all of my friends, and she always has time to chat for a minute or two.
I can’t recommend this place enough… I’m giving it 5 stars because it’s really what a restaurant should be.
Nodaji is perfect…
Now if they had a Unilocal Page for the parking lot… That’s a whole other story!!!

Super tiny hole in the wall drink /​snack place. If you’re tired of waiting at banana bay and just want to drink and snack without a live band then you can head on over to this place. Frankly sometimes I actually prefer this place. Their food goes really well with beer and soju (duh… it’s a drinking hole). Happy Hour is deadly because you keep buying thinkin’ it’s cheap… that is until you see the bill.

Went to banna bay, but the wait was too long. I fought for parking already so we ended up wandering into this place.
We got fried pork cutlet, 12 chili chicken wings (they were ok), oden soup (japanese one is better yo), and tofu soup and 4 beers. Tab was 90 bucks, and the lady looked like she felt bad for giving us the bill. Wtf, are your employees unionized or what? Why so expensive…
Btw, One of the soups ended up with granny’s thin hair strand. I can cross this place off my list of shit to visit when thai food is too crackin.

Pros:
— This place is super tiny! But themed pretty cute, kind of a Japanese feel even though it’s a Korean bar
— Have enjoyed both my experiences here during a great happy hour that hasn’t changed in many years! +++
— Happy hour is 6−9pm, $ 5 foods (fries, rice cake, chicken gizzard, pan fried dumplings, corn cheese) haven’t tried the fries or chicken gizzard but the rest was tasty, $ 5 off flavored soju (we got pomegranate for $ 11)
— Service is good, as long as you ring the bell they come, the ladies that serve me have all been very kind
Cons:
— A bit pricey, wouldn’t suggest coming times other than happy hour
— Yes Plaza parking sucks from 7−8pm. Come any other time and you’re golden

Love this place! One of the best place to chill and eat at the same time. I suggest come during their happy hour and order all of their special items especially the corn along with all you can drink. Look for their flavored soju. The place is pretty small and they have wooden seats and benches, but it’s not usually packed and not a lot of waiting time. Good luck finding parking though if you are planning to eat here for dinner because it’s in Yes Plaza and locals know it’s busy at night.

I have to say that the food here is something to be enjoyed w beer.
I wouldn’t order the corn w cheese again, but the fried dumplings are nice a crispy and the sauce wasn’t too strong and not to light perfect balance of soy sauce, vinegar and sugar.
The chicken wings were yummy nice and crunch the way I like it but I wished it was a little more spicy, but that’s me since I love everything spicy.

Happy hour EVERY DAY from 6p — 9p !!! AWESOME :) $ 2 off regular soju, and $ 5 off flavored soju. Thank you Nodaji for a great deal~ Had tons of fun with my friends here for LDW~
Ordered —
[x] 8 bottles of soju — peach yogurt, green apple, cranberry pinapple, guava, blue raspberry, passion fruit mojito, and I forgot the rest. But all the flavors were YUMMY!
[x] Chese corn — This was quite good. Topped with plenty of cheese on top, the type where the cheese is just super stringy haha. It comes out on a HOT plate, so be careful not to touch it.
[x] Dobouki — VERY SPICY! But sooooo so so so good! It’s perfect with the flavored soju~ Although the rice cakes were skinnier than the ones I’ve had before, it’s still good. But I would recommend to order more if you have a party of 4 or more, cause one plate was not enough for us!
Tips —
[x] It’s quite small, there’s only 8 tables? 3 for big groups and the rest for smaller groups. We had a party of 8 so we were seated in the back, which is not too bad.
[x] bathrooms doesn’t have stalls, only one at a time.
[x] LOVE that they have the button you can press to get your server’s attention. Especially because we were in the back, it was the easiest and fastest way to get her attention.
[x] It’s located at the YES plaza, I would definitely recommend to carpool there since parking at this lot is a b*tch.

So I came here for my weekly Thirsty Thursday night escapade!
The place seems like a neighborhood favorite. There is several booths and dim lighting.
We ordered soju and bulgogi fries extra crunchy. My thoughts on the fries? I don’t hate it but I don’t love it either. Basically fries, nacho cheese topped off with a small amount of bulgogi meat on the top.
I think I will stick to the corn cheese which is my absolute favorite there.
This place is a good late night go to for drinks and fun conversations with friends! Almost forgot to add a wonderful place to brew a hangover for Friday morning.
I will be back! Good times! :)

You can definitely consider Nodaji to be a safe bet when looking for a Korean drinking spot in the Rowland Heights area. Not to mention the fact that there are several great Asian food choices at Yes Plaza, along with this restaurant slash pub.
It’s best to hit this place during Happy Hour, which is daily from 6pm to 9pm. Bottled soju and large sized beers are $ 2 off and the flavored soju cocktails are discounted by $ 5 as well. During that time, a handful of appetizers are 5 bucks each, so you really can’t go wrong with that.
It’s quiet, never too noisy. Wooden décor, with booths along the right side of the venue. A long hallway in the middle, which leads to the restrooms in the back. I can count on Nodaji for a relaxing drink without all the hooplah and commotion.
The service is usually good, unless it gets really busy. It seems like a 2 server operation, not including the cook, so don’t expect someone to be waiting on you hand and foot. Just ring the bell and be thankful that they at least have that.
The food is A-​OK, nothing spectacular. I mean, it’s not K-​town quality, but more than adequately does the job. The regulars appreciate the friendly staff and consistent taste, which is why this place has been able to stay in business over the years.
CHRIS EATS HERE
the quest for the ultimate korean bar

Happy hour!
Happy hour is from 6−9PM everyday! And they have $ 5 off flavored soju and $ 2 off regular bottle soju. And various appetizers (about 6 selections) for $ 5/​each. Good deal~
The soju is a good deal, I ordered the yogurt soju and it was $ 10 at happy hour, so $ 15 regularly. And they say they put a whole bottle of soju into your bottle of flavored soju and I don’t doubt that because it’s actually a little strong for flavored soju. The food was surprising as well. For only $ 5/​dish, the portions are big and the flavor was yummy.
Pancake– ⁴⁄₅ yummy it was chewy and really good dipped in their soysauce mixture in the center of the plate. It’s really big as well.
Rice cake– ⁴⁄₅ nothing much to complain about, very chewy the way rice cake should be.
Rainbow roll– ³⁄₅. Wouldn’t say the fish is the freshest. The California roll under the fish was yummy though, haha. Also, I wish they’d offer the lighter version of soysauce for sushi.
Overall pleasantly surprised by their happy hour, I’d definitely be back. It gets a little crowded during the weekend happy hours but that’s mainly because the restaurant is quite small and it’s not hard for your neighbors to overhear your conversation, esp when you’re a bit intoxicated on the HH soju haha.
*Parking is such a !@#$% on Fridays and Saturdays in Yes Plaza because of Banana Bay. So be prepared for 20min+ circling around trying to find parking.