48 Best Korean Restaurants near Alameda

“Enjoyed the different meals thoroughly. Have had the Chicken Curry Rice Bowl, the Spicy Chicken Ramen Bowl, Bulgogi, and a few other dishes. Easy to become a repeat customer“

“Came here quite often but first time writing the review. This place is neat and clean with good service and yummy food. I like the tofu soup the most. The combo for two people can easily feed four if you are not big eaters.“

“We eat here about once a month. There’s a large all you care to eat selection, service is fast and they have decent list of beers to go with all the meat. The only problem we’ve had is that their scissors aren’t sharpened- that’s ok, next time we’ll bring our own.“

“Such a refreshing and delicious lunch spot! The set comes with different fresh and pickled dishes made daily using seasonal ingredients, including fresh tofu. Acorn noodle was really flavorful too. Since it is plant forward meal and portion is just right, I always feel good and satisfied afterwards, and not heavy.“

“We had a very nice lunch. We sat in the courtyard, which is very inviting. The portion of the dishes are huge, with lots of meat. It is a unique place where they also sell groceries and the groceries line up of the walls of the restaurant. When you enter the building, you don't realize that they have a very nice seating area with the groceries in the back. We also bought some homemade Kimchi and snacks to take. We live in the Peninsula and we will definitely go back to Berkeley to eat here again.“

“We ordered the rose tteokbokki, soy garlic chicken, and seollangtang. It was SO GOOD!!!!! The soy chicken came out really hot but after it cooled down, the sauce was incredible. The seolltangtang was super fresh and clean, very light. The rose tteokbokki took the cake and the portion size is HUGE! Overall an amazing experience, will be back!“

“Picked up dinner twice this week. Delicious.“

“The food and service here is wonderful, get as many flavors of the fried chicken that you can. Surprisingly, even the boneless fried chicken is fantastic – it’s made with chicken thighs, so it still has a crispy skin and dark meat texture.

My wife and I visited during a workday lunch hour so the owners, a mother and her son, we’re operating and taking orders. They were very nice and super hospitable. I wish them all the best with this business because they have a fantastic product.

No seating inside, as it is kiosk/countertop ordering, but there are tables outside to enjoy your food there. Super chill, nothing fancy.“

“We got the Supreme Set A for three people a bit to much food for 3 but go figure it feeds 4-5 people. But overall food and sides were hella good kimchi sour level was great and meat well seasoned. The staff were very attentive and even cooked all the meat for us. Definitely gonna be coming back“

“Great little friendly, locally owned Korean take out place. The meals are good - “lunch boxes”, kimchi fried rice, sandwiches - and for mine are usually best with beef bulgogi. They’re also big enough to share between 2. The fried chicken is addictively good! Soy garlic and cheddar are favorites. Plus as the name suggests they have a wide selection of tasty banchan.“

“We love Mugunghwa, their food is delicious & authentic. It’s a privilege to have such well established, family owned Korean restaurant around, something that is not always given. All the main dishes, I believe, come with 6 set of side dishes and please don’t sleep on them - the portions are very generous (& you can ask for refills) and are flavorful. I think they make all their kimchi in house as well.

And as a Korean, I grew loving sotbap which is basically a rice cooked in a pot where you can take out the cooked rice to a side bowl and let the rice stuck to the pot simmer in broth which makes a nutty nooroongji. So I got pretty excited when I heard they have sotbap.

Our current favorites are: Sellongtang, galbijjim and bone harjangguk. But honestly all of their stuff is great in my opinion so try whatever sounds interesting to you!!“

“I finally got to try the dishes here and I am not disappointed.
I got the soup and it was just right amount of jalapeños for the spice. I lobe the simplistic it had, but it was still tasty ?
I also tried the island poke dish and it was very delicious as well.
I like how you have options for the rice or a salad base, or both.
Very flavorful and right amount of sauces.
I am looking forward to trying more dishes as time goes by.“

“The soups in this eatery are the bomb - we had seolleongtang (oxtail soup) and kalbitang (rib soup with mung bean noodles), both of which were nourishingly delicious. I had them with rice and it was just the perfect meal for a chilly day.

I liked it so much that I returned the next week - we had extra yukkejang, which was spicy and tasty and also the crispy and flavourful seafood pajeon.“

“I went there on Thursday evening, and the female staff serving was so kind. I filled my beer glass with ice and mixed lemon with soju, and she brought me lemon with a kind smile. The food is quite palatable. I didn't have a parking space, so I had to park somewhere else and walk, but I think it will be a good memory.“

“I got the gan-jang beef bowl for $16.53 after tax. I think the beef flavor was good, but the beef texture itself was inconsistent. There were tender/fatty portions, but parts of the beef were quite tough & hard to chew. It came with a soft boiled egg, rice, sesame, and seaweed flakes.

They charge $2.50 extra for kimchi. I feel like if you order the meal without kimchi, it lacks veggies & something to help you finish the rice. If you were to compare that experience to sit-down korean restaurants with free kimchi/banchan, it’s stingier. I would feel better paying this price if it came with kimchi, which seems like a necessary part of the meal.

The owner was nice enough to offer me extra beef/free kimchi as a one-time service, and I took him up on that.“

“I visited Mugunghwa on a Saturday evening and was pleasantly surprised to find no wait time. The restaurant immediately gave off a calm and welcoming vibe — clean, well-organized, and spacious, with soft pop music playing gently in the background. The ambiance strikes a nice balance between modern and comfortable, making it easy to relax and enjoy the meal.

Service was prompt and professional. I was seated right away, and the staff handled everything efficiently and courteously. My dishes — Galbi Tang and Bulgogi — arrived impressively fast without compromising quality.

The food was the true highlight. The banchan (side dishes) were especially memorable — fresh, flavorful, and clearly prepared with care. Each small plate added a vibrant contrast to the main dishes, showing attention to authenticity and balance. The Galbi Tang was comforting, with a clean, rich broth and tender beef that fell apart easily. The Bulgogi was tasty and well-seasoned, though the rice on the side was a touch too moist; a drier texture would have made the dish even better. Still, the quality of ingredients and consistency of flavors stood out.

Overall, Mugunghwa delivers an impressive combination of fresh flavors, attentive service, and a peaceful atmosphere. It’s the kind of place that makes you feel taken care of without any pretense. Despite a minor flaw in the rice texture, I’d gladly return for another meal — especially for those wonderful banchan.“

“A good Korean restaurant in Albany, close to Berkeley in a safe neighborhood. What more could you ask for?

The banchan is plentiful and fresh (especially the kimchi). The food is on the sweeter side and not as spicy as similar Korean restaurants and that’s okay. It is what makes it special and unique. I would recommend going one level up of spice level to what you’re normally accustomed to.

Portions are big, so I’d recommend sharing family style and expect to take leftovers home.“

“Love this spot, we’ve been going for years. All the renovations they have done really cleaned the place up.

Our favorite dishes jajangmyeon and the fried pork. Their noodles are so good!!! Big portions also. There’s no other place like it in the bay, would highly recommend.

Staff is also very attentive and always so welcoming and nice.“

“everything is freshly made. very good. 💯🔥“

“Called in for takeout late on a Saturday night. It was 11:30 PM. Surprisingly, the restaurant was completely empty. I thought there would be more people hanging out here! Not too familiar with Oakland, but maybe it was a location issue? Anyways, we called and had an estimate of 25 minutes, but our food was ready in 15 minutes. Going inside, paying and checking out was easy.

We specifically wanted bossam. We also got the tteokbokki.

Service was quick and friendly.

At home, when we started to eat, we wish the bossam had more cabbage than the portion of steamed napa cabbage they gave us. The sauce flavors were good though and they gave us some banchan. The tteokbokki was tasty.

We were also able to takeout some makgeolli since the H-Marts and other Asian grocers were closed at this time.

All in all it got our bossam fix taken care of.“

“I've been here more times than I can count. I've eaten at multiple KBBQ spots to find a place that can best this one...can't find it!

The pork belly at Jong Ga house might be the best quality I've ever eaten. It just melts in your mouth(assuming that you cook it right, of course).

I can't praise this place enough.“

“Hankki (previously T-toust) has been a STAPLE in my Berkeley experience. Amazing food and staff is always welcoming and sweet. I can't even count how many times the food here made me feel right at home!! The pork kimchi stew is my favorite ❤️“

“What a great surprise. The food was delicious, and the service was great. We look forward to trying the rest of the menu. I highly recommend the Loco Moco.“

“Came here with some friends and overall had a good time. The chicken was on the dry side, but the seasoning powder had great flavor and definitely helped. Tried the seafood pot too — contents were fine, pretty standard taste, nothing that stood out but it hit the spot.

The real highlight here is the vibe. Fun atmosphere, good energy, and a nice place to just hang out for a while. Service was friendly and the space felt lively without being too overwhelming. Not perfect on the food, but I’d still come back for the overall experience.“

“Came here with some friends for a pre Halloween night out.

First-time and I am very impressed. Bandhan was great with some that you don't normally get at other places.

Ordered the Kimchi pancake, kimchi fried rice, tteokpokki, bulgogi and spicy pork. All great and very filling.

Staff was very attentive and warm. They had the World Series game on. Overall great experience.

Will come back to try the kimchi jiggae.“

“Love this place, I go about once a week. All the meats are really good and seasoned especially when paired with the spicy mayo or even extra teriyaki sauce which isn’t needed in just a big back. The stars of the show is the short rib triangle, and the buldock and unagi are ok too.“

“First timer, great experience and great food! Loved it! Will be going back.“

“A little overpriced, but what isn't. The food is always good. Portions are hit or miss. I was full on my last visit, and I like that they have a low carb option. I've had the pork, beef, and chicken and it's all good. Need to try the seafood some time. Self serve water is always a nice touch.

Parking: Good luck finding parking.“

“The food is good, the portions are generous, and the prices are a bargain. The restaurant seems to cater towards the student lunch crowd, so the lines can get long.
I have tried the kimchi fried rice, the popcorn chicken, and the beef Bulgari, and I can recommend them all“

“I am glad that they are located in Montclair. They have a clean store with good selection of items. Great customer service!“

“A good place to taste Korean and Japanese cuisine with a twist.“

“Delicious! Amazing tofu kimchi stew, kimchi pancakes and bibimbap. Highly recommend for authentic Korean food beyond Korean bbq.“

“I really wish i could give 5 star because the food and service deserve this. However, i could not ignore the extremely high prices on the food. Example, bulgogi dish is $42. I know this is Berkeley, but still, two main dishes, chicken wings and one Soju should not cost $178 (including the tip).
Otherwise, the food was excellent. Not crazy about the dome of crispy rice, too dry and hard to chew, even after soaking it in the tofu soup“

“人生吃過最好吃的士林大雞排，竟然不是在士林！是在柏克萊！好吃到爆炸！爆汁！皮超脆粉超好吃！瘋掉！ 葡萄柚綠茶裡面有葡萄柚本人！超好喝！它們家是用有機茶～成本比一般的飲料店貴兩倍～烏梅汁也超好喝很濃～ 旁邊的貢茶不只奶蓋是我喝過美國最好喝，裡面賣的雞蛋仔超級好吃！滿滿的紅豆抹茶 日本麻糬鬆餅好吃到，回台灣開都會爆的那種！“

“Very good food and great atmosphere“

“Sean Paul and the team are incredible. This is without a doubt the best restaurant in Oakland. Every dish was 11/10. Perfect service aside - the balance of each dish was outstanding- get the tempura Cesar- the wagyu bo Ssam- the hand roll dish!!!!! Literally everything was delicious- will be going back and bringing each and every one of our friends. Michelin star ⭐️ 100% without a doubt.“

“The chicken on point! I like the cheesling and the gangjeong sauce for my wings. Very pricy for 8 wings but delish! That crunch is what it needs to be 😆🤭 Very flavorful. Yall should get sum! Forgot to take photos before eating them lol Too good to worry about a phone!“

“ton katsu rice bowl: amazing!!!
spam rice bowl: not good.
kimchi fried rice: pretty good
beef kimbap: good
japchae: not good, too oily and soggy
beef bulgogi: good
pork belly: good
dumplings/potstickers: good!
corndogs: decent

croffles: not really that good
mochinuts: very yummy
drinks: all very yummy, my favorites are ube and horchata“

“Very customer friendly with speedy service. Staying on top when it is time to change the grill plate. Food is amazing. Service staying on top of checking with customer on the next round of all you can eat. Thumbs up!“

“traveling and yelped this .. just go..“

“In all my travels, I look for what I call "happy food." Happy food for me is healthy, nutritious, tasty, nicely prepared, and served by smiling people in a clean environment. Oori exceeded all my happy food requirements and then took me for a ride through food blissfulness worth each bite. I had chicken teriyaki, grilled salmon, and spicy tuna triangles. On the side, I complimented it with miso soup and ginger. Each flavor was distinct and made my taste buds ooh, ahh, and wow for more. I'll be back here for more without question. I felt like I was dining at a 5-star restaurant and found the food reasonably priced.“

“Man, this spot just started serving bubble tea! I grabbed the Thai tea with boba today, and it’s seriously good. Highly recommend it. The flavor’s legit. Service is on point, and everything’s made fresh. Hands down, my go-to fried chicken joint in the Bay Area!“

“Flavorful food & good customer service“

“Great food and quick service! A must try place if you’re in the area!“

“It's delicious.
Can't believe it's my 1st time tried out this place.
I believe at least one of the owner is Korean.
So there is delicious Korean bulgogi bento box.
Will definitely go back and try more.“

“A good place to taste Korean and Japanese cuisine with a twist.“

“The food was pretty good, though from what I've seen the prices are pretty high. GBO gave us an item included, but otherwise, even though the food tastes good and has great portions, it's very expensive.

Also, for any GBOers who see this, the spicy rice cakes (Tteokbokki) is not portioned for a full meal!

Otherwise the dine out area is quite nice!

Vegetarian options: There is the miso tofu ramen and maybe one other option, so vegetarians won't be left out!“

“Great Customer Service Great food Friendly atmosphere“