50 Best Korean Restaurants near Albany

“The food at this place is soooo much better than up the street at Korean Superette. If you’re looking for good food this is the one you want. The other places has a much cuter outdoor seating area but honestly the food is much worse that it’s almost not worth it.

Vegetarian options: Vegetarian ramen broth and plenty of tofu

Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian friendly!“

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

“The beef shortrib is amazing!! Got the extra meat, extra beg and tteokbokki and the flavors meshed so well. The mild spice level was really nice with some light heat, but still had all the flavor. The melty cheese on top was fire (literally) and obviously the soju went great with all the flavors. I did wish they gave us more banchan or refilled our dishes, but thats just because I'm a fiend for daikon kimchi. We did have to flag down the waiters a couple times to get refills on water and for drink orders, but they were crazy busy (for good reason!). The restaurant was also super loud, so expect to shout to talk to your table. Some noise dampening in the restaurant would probably be helpful. We waited an hour for our table and i 100% would wait again.“

“What a treat , the decor, the atmosphere, the service , the presentation, the flavors… it was our first time and for my wife s birthday who turn out to not “typically” like most of what was on the menu (except the lobster but she was hoping for crab but was no longer in season) but LOVED every dish she had and so did I. They offered an extra dish but there is already plenty. I would have been very happy without the quail dish which felt like a lot after everything else but we just came out of a detox and tend to tend toward vegetarian (not a good place for those purists!); still an amazing place we will get back to when we can.

Vegetarian options: No options it is a lot of seafood plus quail topically with no option to swap .

Dietary restrictions: No way to tweak the menu much, a no go for our vegan and vegetarian friends !

Parking: Busy street paid parking until 8p Mon-Sat but can find it in back streets with patience ?

Kid-friendliness: No, very quiet and very strict / fancy menu

Wheelchair accessibility: Seems so, table are quite spaced out !“

“It was my first time trying raw marinated shrimp, and they were delicious. I was a little bit hesitant because I originally came for the crab, but they were out of season. Our waiter convinced me to try the shrimp, and he was honestly one of the reasons why I gave this place 5 stars. He was a total vibe. I will come back to this restaurant every time I’m in town.“

“I don't know what happened but the service and quality of this restaurant is significantly increased - better banchan, friendly and helpful staff and food presentation, small stuff like topping of cold noodle become so much better. I definitely will come back here“

“This place is a must-go for a delicious and modern take on Korean cuisine. We had 3 people sharing 6 plates for dinner (4 small and 2 large) which was just enough food for dinner. The cocktails were also all great and just the right balance of flavors. The dishes that stood out the most were the sunchoke & truffle, soy glazed potatoes, and the radish kimchi fried rice.“

“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.“

“The banchan was delicious and plentiful. We had mud fish soup and it was yummy. We also ordered kimchee dumplings thinking they were vegetarian but they also had ground pork. Very modern inside, hip and trendy. Menu is super pork centric, so if you love pork, you’re set!“

“What a find! I live in West Marin but when I have to schlepp to E. Bay, lunch here (almost) makes the long haul bearable. Really delicious food in a very pleasantly quirky environment with a sweet patio. Friendly service. I got a $49 parking ticket for overstaying my 90 minute spot and I (almost) didn't mind...the lunch was so good“

“Fantastic food and even better service! Stumbled upon this restaurant and after abysmal service from every other restaurant I’ve tried in SF, we were blown away. The galbi tang was piping hot and so comforting and the pork belly was so delicious. The drinks were very good and also reasonably priced! The highlight of our night was definitely our amazing server Hazel. She was so incredibly sweet and personable and really made everything 10x better. Would highly recommend if you’re in the area.“

“3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

Kimcheese Smashburger: Patty has a decent texture, but may be too mushy for some people. Not very tasty and a bit plain - definitely did not feel like I was eating a Korean food item.

Fries: Good texture, although a bit hard. Under-seasoned.“

“The Sacramento Daily Union, June 23, 1864: "CONSUMPTION CURED. DR. JAMES' EXTRACT OF CANNABIS INDICA! THE ONLY KNOWN REMEDY FOR ALL DISEASES OF THE LUNGS. — ALSO— James' Celebrated Ointment and Pills. ROWLAND, WALKER & CO., Sole Agents, 647 Clay street, San Francisco." This restaurant has carried on with its flavorful and healthy cuisine. It continues to carry on the fine tradition of Dr. James.“

“This family run cafe is the best. Get the Bibimbap!! If you eat in they’ll even do it stone pot style.

Vegetarian options: Any of the tofu specialties or sandwiches.

Kid-friendliness: They are the best with my kid. I delivered next doors so they’ve known him since day 1.“

“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“

“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 service was excellent!

The meat was great quality and it was enjoyable to watch the meat cooked right in front of you! The pork belly rice and soup is very tasty!

The cocktails are creative as well.

They have a beautiful wine cellar and private dining room.“

“We returned to this restaurant twice during our visit to SF, it was that good. Very much enjoyed the garlic soy chicken wings, salmon eggs benedict, kimchi, bulgogi, pimped up ramyun, and of course the bacon.“

“Picked up dinner twice this week. Delicious.“

“Super nice/friendly folks. Food came out quick. Nice large portions. Was super satisfied“

“Homey. Great service. Banchan all crunchy and given right away. I had rice cake bone broth and a delish seafood pancake. They have many healing soups. Im embarrassed i usually go get bbq and not tried these healing soups sooner. There are single folks and families alike! Love this place and cant wait to come back!“

“So glad to find out they reopened after being closed a while during the pandemic. Currently you have to pre-order a day in advance for pickup so it takes a little planning but so worth it.Their fried chicken is so crispy. I ordered it with waffle fries and they say they only fire up the fries just before your pickup time so that they're fresh. When I went to pick up my order, they let me know it would just be a few minutes because the fries were finishing and when he came out with my order, he said he accidentally made the salad but included both the fries and salad and threw in a vanilla pudding. Everything was so delicious. Even the bonus pudding had flecks of vanilla bean and tasted so much better than the instant stuff. The chicken and fries were enough for 2 meals.“

“I knew exactly what I wanted as I walked in. I smelled the Bibimbop and my tummy was already smiling. the service was great! and the food was delicious! our 3 year old approved the Chicken Cutlets with their special sauce! we're definitely coming back the next time we're in town!“

“Just incredible Korean contemporary fusion cuisine. Kept the fundamentals of the Korean authenticity with unique broad appealing western gastronomic desires. Well done!!!👍“

“Food was delicious. Might be my favorite Korean spot in the Bay Area. The kimchi fried rice was mixed with cheese and the flavor was not overpowering. The fried chicken was perfectly crispy. The real winners were the tteokbokki and kimchi jigae. I want to go back.“

“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.“

“Food is so good!! So comforting as an international Asian student! The lady that owns the shop is also so kind and welcoming! She remembered me after coming just a few times

My favorite restaurant around Berkeley <3 highly recommended“

“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.“

“This is our local, “go to” place whenever we’re craving Korean food. It never disappoints. At night, they generally project K-pop music videos onto a large wall, which brings the whole room to life. Lotsa fun!“

“Tell me why when I first opened the delivery box of galbi boneless chicken and stabbed what I thought was a French fry with my fork, I literally did a chew double-take and removed the tteokbokki from my mouth because my taste buds were so thrown off from what I was expecting. I really should’ve known better, but I’m accustomed to seeing tteokbokki drenched in a gochujang based sauce, so they deceptively resembled fries. To be fair, from this experience, I learned they taste way better dry and seasoned, but I digress.

Onto the main part of the review…

As I’ve written in a couple other reviews this week, I’m “researching” the best Korean fried chicken spots in San Francisco to determine which to order from for an upcoming Friendsgiving. I looked up a ton of options in the city and narrowed them down to a shortlist of 3 spots, this place included. A few things I examined to create my short list were varieties/flavours of chicken, quantity to price ratio, other customer ratings, images of the chicken, and proximity to my neighborhood or deliverability to my friends’ neighborhood where the Friendsgiving will be hosted.

When I took the first bite of K Soul chicken, I knew I’d found a winner. I’m very particular about KFC having spent the last few years living in LA and Orange County, home to copious dedicated KFC restaurants. K Soul’s chicken tastes the most similar to my favourite spots in SoCal. It has the perfect texture and crunch, the meat is neither dry nor greasy, and the umami flavor is on point. They’ve created a perfectly balanced KFC, and that’s why I’ll be taking this to Friendsgiving.“

“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！“

“it’s our favorite take out food in the city. the best poke bowl is the island style!
however, they‘ve raised their prices A LOT - six years ago when I first went, a bowl was $12.50
now the same bowl is $20…
i understand - inflation and higher labor costs. but +60%?? that is too much.“

“Finally tried Jong Ga House for their AYCE Korean BBQ, and it was a delight! The variety of meats was impressive and perfectly seasoned. The sides complemented the BBQ well, especially the kimchi and pickled veggies. The staff were friendly and attentive, making sure our grills were always sizzling. The only downside was a slight wait time, but it was worth it! Highly recommend joining their waitlist while you’re heading to the restaurant.“

“This place was fantastic! The food was so good we couldn’t wait to take a picture before digging in. Everything was fresh and flavorful. The restaurant was clean, and the staff was friendly and attentive. If you’re looking for great Korean food, this is definitely worth a visit.“

“I recently revisited Valencia Street after a few years and decided to try out a new restaurant. I was impressed by the excellent customer service. I visited on Sunday, May 19, 2024, after 5 PM. The restaurant was pleasantly quiet, which was perfect since I have a toddler who likes to run around.

Although it wasn't my first time eating Korean food, the meal was outstanding. I had the Spicy Pork Bowl, and it was absolutely delicious. If you enjoy spicy food, I highly recommend it!
we will be back :)

Kid-friendliness: yes !

Wheelchair accessibility: yes,“

“Seoul Garden is an absolute gem for Korean food in SF! The flavors are authentic, the portions are generous, and the service is always warm and welcoming. Their BBQ selection is top-notch, with high-quality meats and delicious banchan (side dishes) that keep coming. The kimchi jjigae and bibimbap are must-tries—perfectly balanced and packed with flavor. Whether you’re here for a casual meal or a group feast, Seoul Garden never disappoints. Highly recommend!“

“I’ve never been to Korea so can’t say if it’s authentic, but the tteokbokki is better than all other places in SF that serve this delicious dishIt still has a kick for the non-spicy level but I think it’s what makes it great. Awesome flavor, nice thick sauce. Warmed me up on a really cold day.Pairs really well with Soju. I’m going to be ordering this a lot going forward.Ordered through Uber Eats so going to try and eat it at restaurant next time with the extra cheese.“

“Total Score: 7.05


Usable but slightly grimy

Customer Service: 3.5/5
Nothing notable, didn’t speak much

Ambiance: 3.75/5
Nice moody lighting, very simple and cutesy

Food: 4.25/5
Was decent Korean food. Everything was right amount of sweat and spicy. The sides were delish too. Nothing to complain about the fried rice either. Everything was right texture too.


Normal Korean Restaurant

Total Score = BR + CS + 2*AM + 5*FOOD + WOW“

“Stumbled upon Gangnam while passing through the area and I’m glad we did, the Korean food here is homey and tastes just right. They do the classics well here as well ordered a tofu soup and a bibimbap, both of which were flavored well and a hearty portion.

The side dishes were authentic as well and we finished them all. Seating inside was a bit limited depending on the time of day and the staff were running around trying to take care of everyone but the food makes up for it. Prices were decent too so I’d recommend making a stop here if you’re in the area.“

“My first visit to Kimchi House in Pinole.
They have a very good menu. I chose to order the Korean Bento Box with grilled spicy chicken. I like spicy food, and this item was not too spicy, so I ordered more
chile.
The green tea was super good.
I will return and order the spicy grilled mackerel.“

“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“

“My foodie coworkers have nothing but praises every time you guys cater for us. Impressive how you pull off such tasty AND healthy food. Thank you!“

“Love their marinated meats, pickels and fermented vegetables. Their Kimchi is my favorite.“

“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.“

“This is a spot right across the street from campus in the alley cutting through Bancroft and Durant. It’s not the best Korean food I’ve ever had, but it’s still really delicious, and the price is very reasonable for something so close to campus. The portions are also pretty generous. Sometimes I feel like I can spend $20 on something at a restaurant and still not be filled, but they offer a lot of food for a good price. I would definitely recommend going into the physical location and ordering at the kiosks, even if you’re ordering takeout. Ordering on something like DoorDash will give you inflated prices, even if you do pickup. Even ordering on Snackpass isn’t the best because I’ve found that I don’t get the discounts/daily deals the in store kiosks do (maybe I’m tripping).

It’s all self-service. You order at the kiosk, pick up your food at the counter when it’s ready, choose your utensils as needed, and then you empty and return your tray yourself. There’s also a free water dispenser for patrons and you can get ice cold water. It’s pretty consistently busy throughout most hours of the day, and people seem to be in generally good spirits. There’s kpop blasting all the time too, if you’re into that.“

“If you’re craving authentic Korean comfort food, you NEED to stop by Pyeong Chang next time you’re in Berkeley, because this is some of the best korean food I’ve ever had!! Everything is made in-house with the freshest ingredients and the KIMCHI was hands down life changing ?? REALLY recommend getting the seafood bibimbap and kimchi cold noodles :’)“

“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.“

“Hot pot is the name of the game. Great AYCE and AYCD (Sapporo and hot house sake) specials. You can upgrade to premium options and order a la carte, as well. They have a self-service bar where you can pick your own vegetables, ssam, sauces, etc. Staff are attentive, but if you wish for faster service, press the button on your table whenever you're ready to order.“