50 Best Korean Restaurants near Emeryville

“Located on the Bay Street Plaza in Emeryville, on the second floor next to Barnes and Nobles. Saucy Asian is a Korean fusion restaurant. It’s a trendy place and is pretty busy all the way to closing time. We came in today after shopping at the new Tokyo Central across the street for a late dinner. We ordered at 7:58pm and did not receive our food until 8:26pm which was quite long wait for what we ordered. There is some indoor seating as well as outdoor seating.

As for food we ordered:
- Saucy Asian Bowl
- Saucy Asian Fries
- Island Style Poke Bowl (combo: half tuna/half Salmon)

All the food were good, have no complaints, but have had better elsewhere. Overall, if we’re in the mood for their food, we would come back.“

“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.“

“Flavorful food & good customer service“

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

“What a life changing meal. These photos are actually from over 2 years ago but I still think about this place regularly. I’ve had my fair share of renowned modern, refined korean food / Korean fine dining in NY and LA, and nothing quite elevates Korean food as authentically as SSAL.

This meal quite literally changed my life and showed me that fine dining can both be deeply comforting and beautifully refined at the same time.

Will probably travel to the bay just to dine here again at some point.“

“Says feed 2-3, but with the cheese and glass noodles our family of four now have lunch boxes for a week. This is the kind of meal that will send you into a regenerative coma where you will meet your ancestors. Perfect after a hard weeks work or an arduous adventure with the gang at the local watering hole.“

“Such a fun unique place to dine and shop! It’s a small set up and the walls are lined with shelves and freezers to shop for food. Need to run in to the market? Suuuure thing. Wanna have a cute date night? Cute spot. The garden area is such a vibe too! Not to mention the food is yummy. I love coming back here whenever I’m in the area!“

“Dooboo / tofu done so well. Got the fried dooboo set which can be made vegetarian / vegan very easily and it was such great value for the quality and quantity of food that I received. The soup (pictured bottom right) was so delicious. I easily could have consumed a gallon of it. The fried dooboo was also magical as the tofu melted right in my mouth, requiring minimal chewing.“

“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.“

“Our food came out fast after ordering. We ordered the soy garlic boneless chicken and I was drooling. The picture doesnt do it justice but it’s really good. We also got rose teokbokki and the teokbokki was the perfect chewiness. Would recommend coming here!“

“Super yum sushi-to-go, fresh at 10:45am, this was a lovely surprise for a late breakfast/early lunch when I just stopped in to warm up with a coffee. Kimbap on Tuesdays and Thursdays can’t wait to try that!!! Also they have what looks like a great quick-serve menu of Korean kimbap shop staples like dolsot bibimbap and galbi set menus. Great surprise!!! Musubi looked awesome too. Coffee was hot, fresh and perfect strength. Bonus hazelnut flavored and decaf also. Nice neighbourhood vibe, tables chatting to each other about sports and local news, owners seemed super cool. Good hot breakfast menu. What a lovely find on my emergency de-icing stop in!!! Will be back!!“

“Fantastic soondubu jjigae! Popped by for lunch on a cold rainy day and ordered some to go. The food came out fairly quick, considering I hadn't ordered ahead. Super flavorful broth, generously packed with pork, tofu, and some veggies. The rice was also very soft and had a good chew.“

“Picked up dinner twice this week. Delicious.“

“My cousin and I went for dinner at 530 on a Wednesay and glad we did because we missed a big group that filled that filled the restaurant. Soy & Garlic chicken was great and the noodle dish was also delicious. I will return to try the other chicken flavor. We recommend this place. Small seating so good early.“

“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“

“Absolutely amazing. ❤️
This place was first recommended by a Korean friend, and it’s now easily the restaurant we’ve visited the most in the entire Bay Area. When we lived in Berkeley, we came at least every other weekend—and even now, we still happily drive for it. We’ve been here 20+ times.

I’ve brought many friends here, and every single one wants to come back. It always comes up whenever we talk about fried chicken.

The food:
• Fried chicken — heavenly
• Tofu soup — rich, comforting, and deeply delicious
• Kimchi pancake & seafood pancake — both excellent
• Banchan (Korean appetizers) — so good we often pack them to go

The food is comforting, addictive, and consistently outstanding. We clean our plates, scrape every last bite, and take leftovers whenever possible.

The service:
Warm and attentive, even when the place is packed and everyone is clearly working hard. It genuinely feels like eating at an auntie’s place—welcoming, caring, and full of heart.

We will absolutely be back again and again and again.

(Attached: photos over the years, the quality never changes)“

“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 came here for the smashburger, but i guess they dont do lunch untill later in the day. I ordered a breakfast sandwich instead, and it was really good! Hopefully i can try the lunch menu one day but i dont think it lines up with my work schedule. 🙃 will be comming back for breakfast though.😇“

“I have been coming to Seoul Gom Tang for more than three years. It is a family-run restaurant owned by a Korean family, and that sense of family is visible throughout the space. There is a hanbok hanging on the wall, which I believe may have belonged to the owners’ daughter when she was young. Every family member is attentive and welcoming. In the evenings, the father often sits in his SUV in the parking lot right outside the restaurant, wearing something that is visibly similar to a security uniform and keeping a flashlight on, trying his best to make customers feel safe. The atmosphere is cozy and comforting.

As for the food, my favorites are the Beef Soondubu (soft tofu and beef soup) and the Haemul Pajeon (seafood pancake). The soup is consistently smooth, the tofu retains its natural flavor, and the pancake is generously topped with seafood. The food here is not “Instagram-friendly” in a trendy sense; it is traditional, which I personally prefer.

One additional note: there are two restaurants in the Bay Area named Seoul Gom Tang. The owners’ daughter confirmed that the one in Santa Clara is owned by a different owner.“

“This spot is definitely going to be on repeat! Everything was a perfect flavor bomb in your mouth. Cucumber salad was surprisingly unique and delicious, the stews were comforting and the tofu eggplant dish was amazing. Then we had the sesame yuzu pudding and it did not disappoint. We want to try coffee and pastries next time, but either way will be back again soon!“

“Korean Soul Chicken was absolutely delicious. We ordered the fried chicken, which was crispy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. I also had the BBQ pork, and it was tender and full of flavor. The potstickers were amazing, crisp, fresh, and not greasy at all.

The service was excellent and very attentive. The food was super affordable and everything tasted fresh and well made. I would definitely recommend“

“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“

“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!“

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

“Great local Korean restaurant - it has that cozy Korean mom and pop feel with great food. We ordered the combo sundubu and it really warmed us up on a cold rainy day.

Menu is a little limited, but what's there was really good quality and delicious.“

“This late night Korean food in Oakland was much needed after our time at Lake Merrit.

We especially loved their galbi and spicy pork with cheese. We even took an order to go of the pork!

It's a good place to hang out for late night eats and vibes.“

“It was our first time at ABSteak, we ordered the premium combo, which included egg soufflé, ssam and a choice of soup. We also ordered the Woo Sul( beef tongue). When we received the dishes, I was a bit disappointed with the snow kkotsal because the meat quality does not seem as nice as other diner's pictures(with really nice marbling). The meat itself was kind of chewy. My overall rating reflects a few issues we experienced during our visit. First, it seemed like my drink order may have been forgotten. My fiancé received his drinks, but I did not receive mine. When I asked the waiter to check on it, I was brought a completely different drink, and it took some additional time before the correct one finally arrived. Additionally, when our egg soufflé was brought to the table, the waitress was speaking directly over the dish while it was still in front of her face, which was a bit concerning from a hygiene standpoint.“

“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!“

“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 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.“

“My husband and I actually door dashed this on a night in while visiting San Fran. I am a huge tofu soup fan but it’s always either too spicy or just water. There is never a perfect in between… until Ollei! The spice was perfect, just a little punch without it being too over powering. And with it being door-dashed it travelled well and was still warm when it arrived. The only complaints I have was there was hardly any beef in my tofu soup and it was very oily. I cannot speak to the service or atmosphere as I never physically went to the restaurant.“

“Food Very tasty 🤤 authentic Korean food delicious friendly staff decor trendy modern nice clean.“

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

“Cheeseburger on a toasted sesame seed bun. Some mayo. Some lettuce and tomato. Side of fries. That’s a burger. It’s not The Melt, or McDonald’s. Not In-n-Out. It’s not a burger at STK. It’s not even the best burger in SF. It’s just a classic flavor that hits the spot. You don’t have to fly out here to try this, but if you’re in the neighborhood you can’t go wrong eating here.“

“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 ❤️“

“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!“

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

“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!“

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

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

“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 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,“

“Excellent food and great service. I had the Kimchi fried rice with additional spicy pork. Make sure to stir the rice for a few minutes as it comes in a stone bowl just as the name of the restaurant suggests, otherwise your bowl will burn the rice and it’ll become hard. I liked their banchan a lot personally, and during the lunch rush this place is pretty empty and I was served my food seemingly in record time. Prices were very fair. Their gyoza was pretty good. Curious about their dubu, but that’s for next time.

All in all, I will come back again and bring some coworkers. This place is so good.“

“Wow! The Bimbop bowl is CAUTIOUSLY warm. Move with discretion. However, contents inside included rice. Music was played. Portions were a size that could easily defeat a child, or an adult that recently snacked. Booths were private yet public. You are seen, and at times not seen. If your teeth are viable, may I recommend the chewy noodles. We will be back, but I am busy for the next two weeks.“

“Extra busy here tonight. Yet we were still seated right away. Service was slow. We had to wait a looong time for our orders to be taken. But the food came quickly. The Short ribs was yummy. The sliced pork was yummy. The seafood pancake was yummy. The beef rib soup was different than what I was used to. Peppery and I liked it!!! Korean restaurants tend to be more expensive but you get better quality food.“

“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“

“New favorite KBBQ spot in Oakland. I was really impressed with how fresh the meat was, and they have a huge variety to choose from. It’s hard to find a place this good that doesn’t totally wreck your wallet, but the price here is really fair. Definitely coming back with a bigger group next time!“