I'd wanted to dine here for quite a while. So I was thrilled when they were hosting the Good Food foundations dinner and I was invited to attend. The service was exceptional, especially considering it was an event of all food and beverage industry professionals, and business owners. A very demanding group. Such a beautiful and unique set up with the open courtyard design. Wish I'd gotten a photo of that, but there are plenty available to reference online. The cocktails were exceptional. I had one that had a slight note of savoriness to it with sesame oil. The starters that were put out for everyone to Nashon while they arrived at the event were fresh, unique, and delicious with a seafood. Mind blowing dinner served family style. Grilled beef and Hamachi Crudo served with an array of sides, rice and seaweed to create handheld bites.
Crystal L.
I was hesitant to post a review of my experience here but here goes. Yet again my bestie drags me to the cool factor restaurants in this town and I could honestly care less. The crowd is usually the same and to me the crowds are usually an eye roll. I was really excited though for Han Oak. It was a gift for Mother's Day. We had a reservation so we were seated quickly. The hostess was friendly and on it. We sat down and got our drinks. We didn't expect or want the food to be out quickly but 40 mins is a bit too much. And the waitress made us feel not included in the experience to a point where she just ignored our table. We were dumbfounded. Finally I said something. The Chef was kind and apologized. He was wonderful and cared about what had happened. It was a good conversation and he did not want us to have that type of experience. They comped our drinks which was nice. It was the server. She just ignored us and made the experience wonderful for other tables but we were on our own. I don't understand what the glitch was. Every server was on it and doing a great job. It felt like she singled out our table. Frustrated because I wanted to love it. It was a terrible experience. I won't be back.
Jeremy Johnson
Cool experience, good food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
cutestuff c.
Tell me why is this placed so HYPED like most restaurants in portland? Our bill came out to be $205 that's with tip! We came here on April 20, 2024 Saturday The building is small they use a lot of plywood and PVC plastic for covering and making more space for tables. so I don't know why this would be a $$$$ dollar sign when it's not even upscale with luxury furniture. It's all causal and they played hip hop music!!! I don't get there theme it's giving me causal vibes but prices are wanting to be down town prices and decor is casual bar in your neighborhood! All I can say is we had Korean food many times! This is one of the NOT so great one we been to! Nothing was wrong with the service let's be clear on that! I am rating the food. The food was so basic. Just like any Korean restaurants they give you small little dishes with all these pickled/fermented veggies on small plates. I liked none of the small plates. Kimchee was not good there wasn't much flavor who ever made it didn't seasoned it very well. Potatoes wasn't great it was just bland just like the daikon. We order the $65 dollar per person gimbap all you can party off the menu whatever it's called. They were all mostly more veggies on small plates and the meats came in small portions in a hot skillet. We got pork and beef and you would roll it up on a seaweed with your veggies and rice and make a roll out of it. That was good but it wasn't like "bomb" "fire" it was the only good thing everything else is just cold and with pickled veggies! It's like going to a Korean bbq restaurants but with very much LESS options that's all it is! This is over priced and it's not even in downtown portland! For small portions it should be under $45 dollars for these meals. Like I said they are giving you pickled veggies. Veggies are cheap! They pickled the veggies and just serve it up it's nothing fancy! I didn't gain a good experience with the food here it was way to basic and small. The flavors was not there it was bland and the pickled veggies were not very well seasoned. For $200 my money is best at K town bbq grill off of Foster in 82nd in SE Portland! You get your moneys worth. I would not go back due to the food it's just over priced and wasn't tasty! Due to the reviews I expected to taste good and most of the food wasn't good and definitely not worth the price in my opinion.
Karleigh Taylor
Absolutely fantastic experience doing the Gimbap party. Tasty first course - corned beef with charred cabbage was exquisite. Main course - I could go on and on.Nothing wrong with any of it & free refills, cmon! Dessert was nice and refreshing. Exceptional service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kristen V.
Heard about Han Oak from David Chang's Ugly Delicious. We happened to be able to get a reservation during our visit. The restaurant was hidden but the interior was so cool; industrial but also had an indoor/outdoor vibe. It was a gimbap party themed menu, which was so cool. We were so happy with each course. The food was delicious and well thought out. Service was impeccable! Would recommend to anyone visiting Portland.
Chris P.
Everything was excellent except for the shaved ice dessert which was mostly plain shaved ice and disappointing compared to the rest of the meal.
Eike Lartey
The atmosphere is incredible. You walk up to a simple sandwich board that says han oak, and find the door that simply says“this is the door” and you’re moment away from a true 5 star dining experience. After you walk in, you will quickly realize you’re inside, but you’re also outside.. the vines grow into the space behind the walls. You may feel like you need to keep your jacket, but its not needed. The space is well heater but more importantly the sound doesn’t feel overwhelming, this was a very pleasant surprise.All the wait staff was attentive and friendly. Many servers came by our table for a quick chat or a recommendation for other spots around town. The set menu was executed flawlessly. You never felt rushed or that the food was coming out too slow. They even asked us how we felt after dinner to make sure the timing of dessert wasn’t rushed either.Seriously 5 stars isn’t enough. This place should be nominated for the james beard no questions.Check it out if you’re on the fence!
Chris Kestle-Kaufman
Very overpriced, mediocre service, not that tasty. We are sophisticated diners and appreciate good food and service. Everything about our experience can be described as "meh", hate that for $100 per person.
Don R.
The most creative Korean I have ever had in Portland. Great vibe, and really talented chef.
It was an expensive meal and that comes with high expectations. But this was such a fun dining experience! The wait staff were on point, the food was presented beautifully and was plentiful in quantity. The quality and complexity of the food could have shined more in other formats, which is the only reason for a 1-star deduction on the food side.We each had cocktails, which were unique and well balanced. The hand roll experience, especially with a group of friends, just felt lively and interactive throughout the 3+ hour meal. For a special occasion, this is a “yes”.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Mary R.
We had a wonderful experience. I loved the vibe and the servers were attentive and friendly. The cocktails were delicious, especially the Umami Mommie with its dark sesame oil scent and citrus finish. The banchan were flavorful and the Gimbap was really fun and tasty. The bing-soo was a light finish but honestly I wish it had come with a side of sweetened condensed milk and mango guava coconut milk because I would have loved more on my ice. I'm so glad we came. Definitely get reservations if you are planning to go.
Winnie Tan
Han Oak comes with high praise and I had really high expectations about dinner.Banchan - the OTA beancurd dish was great, simply because the beancurd was just outstanding. Tastes like a creamy soy burrata - just makes me wanna go to OTA tomorrow! Appreciate that they did a simple chilli-vinegar dressing on it. Just let the star ingredient shine!The kimchi was a little underwhelming. Not much balance of heat, salt and acid… just alot of acid. I wonder if it would fare better with longer fermentation.The corned beef soo yuk is awesome - I can see the chef’s brilliance here. Great interpretation of a traditional dish. The thinly sliced fatty beef goes great with sliced veg. Great texture and flavour. The yuzu packs a punch and makes the corned beef work so well here… while not overwhelming the broth, which is just awesome - save it so you can have it with the rice later. This dish is 5star!Perhaps the gimbap is just not a dish that allows the chef to show his/her finesse and skill. Beef and pork were cooked and seasoned nicely tho the rest of the ingredients basically needed no cooking - a basic pickle, saute or served fresh.Personally, I feel a gimbap tastes way better in a roll cos the mouthfeel of a well packed roll - when you bite into the various flavours and the texture/ crunch just bursts in your mouth - is simply lost when deconstructed.Bingsu - it’s pretty standard fare tho here’s a suggestion… this would be way better if the pineapple and mango toppings were on top - as they usually are. Not hidden at the bottom.I thk it was gojucharu sprinkled on top - that does nothing for bingsu on its own. Well… maybe if there was more condensed milk, that could work. But chilli powder on ice? Hmm.Tho when you dig down to the fruity flavours at the bottom, then you can tell why the combi works. A clever twist on mango with spice but lost in the order of presentation.Tip - dig in quickly without toppling the bingu mountain! Small tweak that would hugely improve the experience.Maybe the chef was trying to turn the bingsu on its head creatively.. but I thk the usual way fares better.Good service with chirpy staff. May come back when they have a different menu and would recommend you to consider that.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Maricor C.
Han Oak is worth the elevated experience of Korean food through the lens of kim bap. The whole experience was playful, fresh, and of course delicious! We wanted to try this place because of the Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil. We weren't disappointed. The menu is set for you. It is a go and enjoy with friends, type of vibe. I believe the menu changes seasonally based on what is available in terms of local produce. There will be some variations depending on when you go. But the basic set up is consistent. You have ban chan appetizers, which include chef's mom's kimchi. Then you have the mains to build your own kim bap experience. Then dessert to end the meal - bingsu and maybe another option with Korean-inspired flavors. Everything for us was solid. It was nice to have fresh local ingredients highlighted during this meal. Service was also exceptional. Han Oak easily accommodated one of our party's dietary needs (gluten and meat free). Han Oak is an innovative spin on 'everyday' Korean food. It is meant to be interactive and experiential, a meal you share and a vibe you partake of and contribute to. I consider it non-snooty fine dining. One gripe I have is that the temp of some of the dishes could have been served hot (but this is more a personal preference). As a reference, kim bap is usually eaten at room temperature, so it makes sense the food wasn't hot.
Cece Kiino
Such interesting flavors. Soothing or bursting. The thin beef in bone broth was incredible. And our server was so much fun and informative. Lovely evening. Have waited for this for months. Finally got in for a reservation. Worth the wait!
I'd wanted to dine here for quite a while. So I was thrilled when they were hosting the Good Food foundations dinner and I was invited to attend. The service was exceptional, especially considering it was an event of all food and beverage industry professionals, and business owners. A very demanding group. Such a beautiful and unique set up with the open courtyard design. Wish I'd gotten a photo of that, but there are plenty available to reference online. The cocktails were exceptional. I had one that had a slight note of savoriness to it with sesame oil. The starters that were put out for everyone to Nashon while they arrived at the event were fresh, unique, and delicious with a seafood. Mind blowing dinner served family style. Grilled beef and Hamachi Crudo served with an array of sides, rice and seaweed to create handheld bites.
I was hesitant to post a review of my experience here but here goes. Yet again my bestie drags me to the cool factor restaurants in this town and I could honestly care less. The crowd is usually the same and to me the crowds are usually an eye roll. I was really excited though for Han Oak. It was a gift for Mother's Day. We had a reservation so we were seated quickly. The hostess was friendly and on it. We sat down and got our drinks. We didn't expect or want the food to be out quickly but 40 mins is a bit too much. And the waitress made us feel not included in the experience to a point where she just ignored our table. We were dumbfounded. Finally I said something. The Chef was kind and apologized. He was wonderful and cared about what had happened. It was a good conversation and he did not want us to have that type of experience. They comped our drinks which was nice. It was the server. She just ignored us and made the experience wonderful for other tables but we were on our own. I don't understand what the glitch was. Every server was on it and doing a great job. It felt like she singled out our table. Frustrated because I wanted to love it. It was a terrible experience. I won't be back.
Cool experience, good food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tell me why is this placed so HYPED like most restaurants in portland? Our bill came out to be $205 that's with tip! We came here on April 20, 2024 Saturday The building is small they use a lot of plywood and PVC plastic for covering and making more space for tables. so I don't know why this would be a $$$$ dollar sign when it's not even upscale with luxury furniture. It's all causal and they played hip hop music!!! I don't get there theme it's giving me causal vibes but prices are wanting to be down town prices and decor is casual bar in your neighborhood! All I can say is we had Korean food many times! This is one of the NOT so great one we been to! Nothing was wrong with the service let's be clear on that! I am rating the food. The food was so basic. Just like any Korean restaurants they give you small little dishes with all these pickled/fermented veggies on small plates. I liked none of the small plates. Kimchee was not good there wasn't much flavor who ever made it didn't seasoned it very well. Potatoes wasn't great it was just bland just like the daikon. We order the $65 dollar per person gimbap all you can party off the menu whatever it's called. They were all mostly more veggies on small plates and the meats came in small portions in a hot skillet. We got pork and beef and you would roll it up on a seaweed with your veggies and rice and make a roll out of it. That was good but it wasn't like "bomb" "fire" it was the only good thing everything else is just cold and with pickled veggies! It's like going to a Korean bbq restaurants but with very much LESS options that's all it is! This is over priced and it's not even in downtown portland! For small portions it should be under $45 dollars for these meals. Like I said they are giving you pickled veggies. Veggies are cheap! They pickled the veggies and just serve it up it's nothing fancy! I didn't gain a good experience with the food here it was way to basic and small. The flavors was not there it was bland and the pickled veggies were not very well seasoned. For $200 my money is best at K town bbq grill off of Foster in 82nd in SE Portland! You get your moneys worth. I would not go back due to the food it's just over priced and wasn't tasty! Due to the reviews I expected to taste good and most of the food wasn't good and definitely not worth the price in my opinion.
Absolutely fantastic experience doing the Gimbap party. Tasty first course - corned beef with charred cabbage was exquisite. Main course - I could go on and on.Nothing wrong with any of it & free refills, cmon! Dessert was nice and refreshing. Exceptional service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Heard about Han Oak from David Chang's Ugly Delicious. We happened to be able to get a reservation during our visit. The restaurant was hidden but the interior was so cool; industrial but also had an indoor/outdoor vibe. It was a gimbap party themed menu, which was so cool. We were so happy with each course. The food was delicious and well thought out. Service was impeccable! Would recommend to anyone visiting Portland.
Everything was excellent except for the shaved ice dessert which was mostly plain shaved ice and disappointing compared to the rest of the meal.
The atmosphere is incredible. You walk up to a simple sandwich board that says han oak, and find the door that simply says“this is the door” and you’re moment away from a true 5 star dining experience. After you walk in, you will quickly realize you’re inside, but you’re also outside.. the vines grow into the space behind the walls. You may feel like you need to keep your jacket, but its not needed. The space is well heater but more importantly the sound doesn’t feel overwhelming, this was a very pleasant surprise.All the wait staff was attentive and friendly. Many servers came by our table for a quick chat or a recommendation for other spots around town. The set menu was executed flawlessly. You never felt rushed or that the food was coming out too slow. They even asked us how we felt after dinner to make sure the timing of dessert wasn’t rushed either.Seriously 5 stars isn’t enough. This place should be nominated for the james beard no questions.Check it out if you’re on the fence!
Very overpriced, mediocre service, not that tasty. We are sophisticated diners and appreciate good food and service. Everything about our experience can be described as "meh", hate that for $100 per person.
The most creative Korean I have ever had in Portland. Great vibe, and really talented chef.
Restaurantji Recommends
It was an expensive meal and that comes with high expectations. But this was such a fun dining experience! The wait staff were on point, the food was presented beautifully and was plentiful in quantity. The quality and complexity of the food could have shined more in other formats, which is the only reason for a 1-star deduction on the food side.We each had cocktails, which were unique and well balanced. The hand roll experience, especially with a group of friends, just felt lively and interactive throughout the 3+ hour meal. For a special occasion, this is a “yes”.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
We had a wonderful experience. I loved the vibe and the servers were attentive and friendly. The cocktails were delicious, especially the Umami Mommie with its dark sesame oil scent and citrus finish. The banchan were flavorful and the Gimbap was really fun and tasty. The bing-soo was a light finish but honestly I wish it had come with a side of sweetened condensed milk and mango guava coconut milk because I would have loved more on my ice. I'm so glad we came. Definitely get reservations if you are planning to go.
Han Oak comes with high praise and I had really high expectations about dinner.Banchan - the OTA beancurd dish was great, simply because the beancurd was just outstanding. Tastes like a creamy soy burrata - just makes me wanna go to OTA tomorrow! Appreciate that they did a simple chilli-vinegar dressing on it. Just let the star ingredient shine!The kimchi was a little underwhelming. Not much balance of heat, salt and acid… just alot of acid. I wonder if it would fare better with longer fermentation.The corned beef soo yuk is awesome - I can see the chef’s brilliance here. Great interpretation of a traditional dish. The thinly sliced fatty beef goes great with sliced veg. Great texture and flavour. The yuzu packs a punch and makes the corned beef work so well here… while not overwhelming the broth, which is just awesome - save it so you can have it with the rice later. This dish is 5star!Perhaps the gimbap is just not a dish that allows the chef to show his/her finesse and skill. Beef and pork were cooked and seasoned nicely tho the rest of the ingredients basically needed no cooking - a basic pickle, saute or served fresh.Personally, I feel a gimbap tastes way better in a roll cos the mouthfeel of a well packed roll - when you bite into the various flavours and the texture/ crunch just bursts in your mouth - is simply lost when deconstructed.Bingsu - it’s pretty standard fare tho here’s a suggestion… this would be way better if the pineapple and mango toppings were on top - as they usually are. Not hidden at the bottom.I thk it was gojucharu sprinkled on top - that does nothing for bingsu on its own. Well… maybe if there was more condensed milk, that could work. But chilli powder on ice? Hmm.Tho when you dig down to the fruity flavours at the bottom, then you can tell why the combi works. A clever twist on mango with spice but lost in the order of presentation.Tip - dig in quickly without toppling the bingu mountain! Small tweak that would hugely improve the experience.Maybe the chef was trying to turn the bingsu on its head creatively.. but I thk the usual way fares better.Good service with chirpy staff. May come back when they have a different menu and would recommend you to consider that.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Han Oak is worth the elevated experience of Korean food through the lens of kim bap. The whole experience was playful, fresh, and of course delicious! We wanted to try this place because of the Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil. We weren't disappointed. The menu is set for you. It is a go and enjoy with friends, type of vibe. I believe the menu changes seasonally based on what is available in terms of local produce. There will be some variations depending on when you go. But the basic set up is consistent. You have ban chan appetizers, which include chef's mom's kimchi. Then you have the mains to build your own kim bap experience. Then dessert to end the meal - bingsu and maybe another option with Korean-inspired flavors. Everything for us was solid. It was nice to have fresh local ingredients highlighted during this meal. Service was also exceptional. Han Oak easily accommodated one of our party's dietary needs (gluten and meat free). Han Oak is an innovative spin on 'everyday' Korean food. It is meant to be interactive and experiential, a meal you share and a vibe you partake of and contribute to. I consider it non-snooty fine dining. One gripe I have is that the temp of some of the dishes could have been served hot (but this is more a personal preference). As a reference, kim bap is usually eaten at room temperature, so it makes sense the food wasn't hot.
Such interesting flavors. Soothing or bursting. The thin beef in bone broth was incredible. And our server was so much fun and informative. Lovely evening. Have waited for this for months. Finally got in for a reservation. Worth the wait!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brisket