Gombei
Japanese · San Jose
About Gombei
En Gombei, te damos la bienvenida a un rincón de San José donde la cocina japonesa reconfortante y generosa es la protagonista. Disfruta de abundantes raciones de udon, teriyaki y nuestros deliciosos boles de arroz, preparados con cariño para que te sientas como en casa. Con una valoración de 4.4/5,...
En Gombei, te damos la bienvenida a un rincón de San José donde la cocina japonesa reconfortante y generosa es la protagonista. Disfruta de abundantes raciones de udon, teriyaki y nuestros deliciosos boles de arroz, preparados con cariño para que te sientas como en casa. Con una valoración de 4.4/5, te invitamos a descubrir por qué nuestros clientes regresan una y otra vez.
What Customers Say About Gombei
Gombei is a cozy, home-style Japanese restaurant in San Jose's Japantown, known for its consistently great and authentic food. It's a local favorite with friendly staff and a welcoming atmosphere. Expect a wait during peak hours due to its popularity.
Popular Dishes
Best For
Tip: Arrive early to avoid the 15-30 minute wait, especially during peak lunch hours. Also, check out the daily specials menu.
Features
What to see nearby
Data from Wikidata
Explore the area around Gombei
Gombei is located in San Jose, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Museums
- Japanese American Museum of San Jose (A 225m) — museum in San Jose, California
Parks & Gardens
- Heinlenville Park (A 213m) — park in San Jose, California, United States
- Ryland Park (A 736m) — park in San Jose, California, United States
- Bernal Park (A 810m) — park in Santa Clara County, California, United States of America
- Backesto Park (A 990m) — park in San Jose, California, United States
Data from Wikidata
Frequently asked questions about Gombei
Gombei San Jose Reviews
Got here right at 5pm on a Tuesday when they opened and it never got super busy (we left around 7pm). The staff was kind and quick to assist with any requests. The food also came out pretty fast and was DELICIOUS! The perfect fix for my curry craving
Gombei in Japantown San Jose has been one of my longtime favorites — I’ve been coming here for over 25 years, and the food has always been consistently great. It’s one of those rare places that truly stands the test of time. The fried stuffed tofu is hands down my absolute favorite dish here — it’s so good and something I always look forward to ordering. The teriyaki is also very solid and never disappoints. The staff are incredibly quick — impressively so — and always pleasant and helpful. What makes it even more special is that some of the staff have been working here for as long as I’ve been dining here, which is always great to see and adds to the welcoming, familiar atmosphere. Gombei is a true Japantown classic with great food, fast service, and a lot of heart. Highly recommended.
Really great local owned business in the heart of Japantown. Definitely a cozy, homestyle ambiance that creates an authentic experience. Very fast service, amicable staff ready to serve delicious plates. Salmon was fantastic with side salad, soup and rice. Price to portions was great. Paid meter parking outside.
My girlfriend has been coming here since a child and shared this place with me and I can't stop thinking and talking about it. Family owned and the staff there are very kind. The food is 10 out of 10! I recommend this place to everyone that comes to town! This is a San Jose gem for sure!
Delicious, home style Japanese food. Service popped by regularly to refill hot tea. Nice and quiet location in the middle of Japan Town! Beef teriyaki and pork cutlet was great. You can specify doneness, and the cutlet stayed crispy even with sauce on it. Definitely use katsu sauce liberally!
Homey Japanese restaurant for comfort food. You order what you crave and you get it promptly. 3 of us tried their special poke combo. It was way more than we could eat. The variety was awesome. One plate could serve two people. Service is nice. Next time I will try ramen or curry dishes. Still tasty and nice service. On weekends they tend to get packed. We tried their specials (check board before ordering) and my brother got a pork katsudon.
This place has some amazing and authentic Japanese food. The interior is a little small with a bar side and regular seating. It was very busy (during peak lunch). Since it was busy it took a little longer for us to get our orders in and our waters, but the wait was definitely worth it. I ordered a Soba and Pork Cutlet combo #6 on the special menu. My cousin got the #2 special combo. Both of the dishes were great. The soup for the Soba was loaded with flavor and umami. I will be back to try a different dish! :)
It's been quite a few years since we came here and we were really glad that the quality of the home cooked style dishes are still as outstanding as before. Stuffed tofu was an unique take on such homey food. Prices are still very reasonable. Definitely need to come back soon for all those specials also. Two thumbs up.
When I have extra time on my hands I love to take a drive and explore a new spot. I know this place has been around for awhile but for me it’s new! I wish I had only got to try it earlier. The food here is very good. So good that I came back one week later. I had the special and it was good. It came with chicken, salad, soup, rice, side of cucumber salad and tuna. The service is quick and friendly. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice lunch spot with no thrills. Only a healthy appetite. I will definitely return when I’m free.
Good value and also good if you like that “home cooking” style Japanese food. Nov 26, 2022 update: Been here many times for dinner but this was the first time for lunch. It’s pretty much the same menu but I think a bit cheaper. Spicy chicken was good, especially with the rice. Miso soup good and I like the iceberg lettuce salad with the creamy dressing. All this for $13. We also had the fried mackerel with steak combo. This was one of the specials on the white board menu in the back. I think it was $19. Service always friendly and fast here. June 2025 update: Still dang good! October 2025 update: Gombei in Japantown is my go-to spot for homestyle Japanese comfort food. They’ve been around a long time, and it shows in the consistently tasty food. I enjoyed the pork cutlet donburi most this time, but the fish kama and chicken cutlet + spicy chicken combo were also solid picks from my party. The vibe is cozy and unpretentious, the portions generous, and the service friendly even when it’s busy. Daily specials on the handwritten board add some fun variety, making it a reliable, no-fuss spot whenever you’re craving good neighborhood Japanese food.
Great comfort food and atmosphere. Drink the hot tea on a cold day. I was very satisfied with my Gombei special lunch and gyoza. Oh the grilled makerel <yum>. I was too full to add more croquettes (potato, grd beef,onion), cutlette&curry…an udon <sigh> well next time
I thought the food was comparable to what I had in Japan, although not as traditional with a Western flare in terms of flavor. For a Japanese cuisine eatery, it would be a place I'd go to get a sense of Japanese cuisine as they seemed to have a good variety of chicken/fish dishes. It's a solid place and I would come here again but I wouldn't go out of my way to do so.
I visited here for the first time in almost a year. All the staff were friendly and made me feel really comfortable. The foods they serve are relatively authentic in the US but it's kinda a little fake if you ask me japanese. I think some people who haven't been to Japan might not realize that's not real Japanese food. For example , Fried shrimp was terrible. It had a strange layer between shrimp and fry and the texture was too tough not crispy. I thought I never tried to order again. My go to dish here is Broiled Mackerel because I don't have many chances to eat it living here. Coming with Tofu is attractive as well.
We visited for a lunch on a Friday. It was busy but they got us right in at the bar. I had the teriyaki chicken and fried shrimp lunch with rice miso soup and salad. The chicken was flavorful even without the teriyaki and the fried shrimp was tasty. My friend said her chicken cutlet was also very good. Even though they were busy, the wait staff was attentive enough. I visited their sister store in Sunnyvale when it was there and they had a nice bento box. I would have liked some tempura but they didn't have it on the menu.
Ample amount of food. Unfortunately, the taste was not so good. Tuna sashima appeared to be from frozen pack and not freshly aged type. It also had some fishy smell and taste. The fish was either not so fresh or the knife used to cut had some residuals of the fish cut prior to mine. The chicken teriyaki was okay, though it also had analogous fishy taste. The grilled mackerel also had fishy taste (lingering afterward) that indicated that the fish was likely not so fresh. We were disappointed somewhat...
The food is too bland, one of the baddest taste of Japanese food I ever ate. Their attitude is too arrogant and does not want to take the blame for bad taste. Avoid this place at all cost.
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About Gombei
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193 Jackson St, San Jose, CA 95112
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193 Jackson St, San Jose, CA 95112
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