20 Best Korean Restaurants in Oakland

“As a goodbye/love note to Oakland, I'm leaving reviews for all my favorites. Joodooboo is my #1 for lunch. It's unpretentious, delicious, nourishing -- the place I'd go to on my own AND the place I'd take friends from out of town. I still crave the Fried Dooboo Set. Many thanks to Steve and Sarah and Akari and everyone else who ever served me.“

“Moo Bong Ri is one of my favorite Korean restaurants in the area, especially when I'm craving something warm and comforting. Their gukbap is the reason I keep coming back. The broth is rich, flavorful, and comforting without being too heavy, and the portions are very satisfying.

The food always tastes fresh, and the side dishes complement the meal perfectly. The restaurant has a cozy atmosphere, and the service is friendly and efficient.

If you're a fan of Korean comfort food, I highly recommend trying the gukbap here. It's one of the best I've had, and I'll definitely be back for more!“

“This is easily the best Korean Chinese food I’ve had in the Bay Area. The Spicy Pork Gan-Jajang was incredible, the black bean sauce is stir-fried with fresh chili peppers, which keeps it from feeling too heavy or greasy. If you love spicy food, this dish is a must :-)

The pork was perfectly crispy on the outside. It was even better dipped in the sweet and sour sauce that came with it.

The portions are also generous for the price, and the two dishes were more than enough to fill both of us. We also enjoyed chatting with server, who was warm and friendly. We’ll definitely be back :o“

“GOPCHANG LOVER’S PARADISE
If you’ve been missing your Korean Gopchang/intestines you had in SoCal, this is the spot to try! The portion is decent and flavor is there! Also love that there’s potato slices in there!

To avoid long lines, come during off hours like 3pm~ They don’t take same day reservations.

Other dishes-
Cold buckwheat noodles are 9/10
Soy sauce garlic chicken 7/10 (wish they weren’t full of fried batter clumps and wanted just wings)
Pork belly single serving 9/10
Spicy tofu soup 8.5/10 (love the tofu in there!)
Side dishes 8/10

Atmosphere-
Very loud and the music just adds to the noise, have to yell across the table for my friends to hear me, vise versa…. During busy hours that is.“

“The portions were huge and amazing, the chives pancake was both fluffy and crispy. The restaurant was gorgeous, expansive and really clean. The utensils are made from heavy brass and steel and were the most beautiful metal utensils I have ever encountered. Everything was wonderful and the soups were nourishing and delicious, the banchan was generous, and I recommend this place unreservedly.“

“This place has super fresh kim chee. Food comes out quickly. Their Kim Chee and chives pancake is perfect. I don't eat meat but my husband does and he was never disappointed with his order. He really likes their soup. The only thing to flag is that their soft tofu soup comes with pork even though it isn't listed on the menu. They were very nice to switch it out once I got it. Just wanted to flag for anyone who wanted the soft tofu soup but don't eat pork. The soft tofu soup with Kim Chee (no pork) is also totally yummy“

“We catered from here for our baby’s first birthday party (25 people) and can’t say enough how happy we were with our decision! They were kind enough to make several Korean dishes not on their standard menu (mung bean, imitation crab, and squash pancakes) in addition to heaping portions of their pork bulgogi, beef bulgogi, chicken, mackerel, various gimbaps, banchans, and fried chicken. Our guests LOVED all of it and given the amount of food they prepared for us, it was very very reasonably priced. We’ve frequented this spot for banchans and lunch often but will definitely be catering from here again!“

“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.“

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

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

“Pros:
- dog friendly
- Good vegetarian tofu bibimbap with huge portion size
- refillable complimentary small eats of which the cucumber was really tasty

Cons:
- husband didn’t like his shrimp fried rice
- chicken bibimbap could be more flavorful“

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

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

“Man this place was a hit right off the bat. Chicken was not too spicy and very juicy. The bulgogi rice plate was amazing as well. I tried their pink passion cocktail and it reminded me of the starburst. Overall great choice you some 🔥 Korean fried chicken“

“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.“

“We got the all you can eat and the staff was friendly and responsive. We did have to ask for one thing a couple times… but there were soooo many things and it was a busy Friday night! The food was yummy and fresh. The House wine was nice. We walked in at 7pm and got seated immediately.“

“I ordered two items through DoorDash, and at $27 with promotion, being able to sample three different protein options felt like a great value :-)

The rice portion was a bit on the generous side, but overall the bowl was well balanced. Personally, I’d love to see a little less rice and a bit more salad and japchae, it would make the meal feel even more satisfying and thoughtfully composed. I also wish each protein came with its own vegetables rather than just the meat, and adding more vegetables to the japchae would make the dish feel even fresher and more complete.

As for the proteins, the chicken portion was quite generous. The pork and bulgogi felt noticeably smaller in comparison, so that’s something to keep in mind when choosing your protein combination.

Overall, it’s a flavorful and reasonably priced meal with a nice variety of proteins, making it a solid option if you’re looking to try a little bit of everything :)“

“Quick and affordable made to order onigiri with vegan/plant based options. I like the spicy tofu triangle, the teriyaki tofu and the kimchi tofu triangles are good as well. They usually throw in complimentary edamame if you get a few, and they have other options as well. More of a grab and go atmosphere but they are fast and friendly to me, and the condiment section is loaded with good stuff like free sesame seeds, teriyaki sauce, Japanese spice, Sriracha, shoyu etc. I like this for a nice light meal for some protein and energy after a work out or so.“

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

“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!“