50 Best Korean Restaurants near Richmond

“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.“

“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.“

“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.“

“This place has the best 90s pop playing, and the staff are friendly and generous (we got some complimentary tastings). The beef bbq, army stew, and kimchi fried rice were yummy. No matter what day or time their service is consistently good and they seem to enjoy their work :) Thanks for being my new favorite neighborhood spot!“

“Have been coming to this place for more than six years now and have always enjoyed the food here. My favorites are the blood sausage, pork rib soup, acorn cold noodle, and assorted pork soup. Very authentic Korean menu items that you can hardly find anywhere else in the Bay Area.“

“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.“

“Cute mom and pop Korean cafe. Feels like a very casual Korean mom meal. Nothing fancy, but definitely prepared with love. Prices very reasonable and all house-made. Good banchan and good texture on the multigrain rice. Healthy and legit. Very happy to see the owner is actually a Korean and not a Caucasian person making mid-fake Asian fast casual food lol. Will def come back and keep supporting this business!“

“Picked up dinner twice this week. Delicious.“

“I love this place, it is my favorite new regular lunch spot in the financial district. The kingbob rolls are tasty and healthy. They come in a perfect lunch size proportion - it isn't more food than I want or need for a casual lunch. Can't beat the price either. I try to visit every week or two because its a gem and I want them to be successful!“

“This is my go to place for takeout when im sick or hungry/lazy past 930pm. I always get the kimchi soup with pork belly, seafood pancake, kimchi cold noodle, and more pork belly. Their banchan also includes a crunchy mustard seaweed noodle that is so addicting.

This may be my favorite korean restaurant in the city.“

“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.“

“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!“

“I was craving spicy marinated crab so badly lately — and I can’t believe I found such a gem so close to home after living here for a year!

Their spicy marinated crab is amazing: super fresh, soft, and flavorful. Wrap it with rice and seaweed, or just mix it into a big bowl of rice — it’s heaven.

We also tried their Hanshin Dakbal (spicy braised chicken feet), pork mozzarella cheese fondue, and sweet & spicy fried chicken. Everything was delicious, well-cooked, and full of flavor.

Definitely one of my new favorite Korean spots in Oakland. Can’t wait to come back again!“

“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“

“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.“

“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.“

“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！“

“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.“

“Ordered Korean food for pick up while visiting a friend nearby, super homey good quality Korean food! We ordered food for 4 adults and 2 kids. We got a kimchi tofu and seafood tofu soup, chive pancake, mackerel, galbi, spicy pork, spicy chicken wings and regular chicken wings, we ordered more kimchi and rice, it also came with a lot of Banchan, and japchae for the kids. The order was easy to place online and we paid online for pick up. I missed the turn into the plaza but found street parking. The server was helpful and there was a small dining room inside. I would totally go back and order from there in the future if I’m feeling Korean food while Im in the area.“

“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!“

“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 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.“

“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.“

“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“

“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 :’)“

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

“Very good food and great atmosphere“

“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.“

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

“Great place to go for a late night meal. The food was good. The peach yogurt soju was delicious. I liked how each table was partitioned off for privacy, yet it still felt like you were hanging out a trendy spot. A truly Korean vibe! The restaurant was super busy by the time we left. I would go back.“

“Hidden gem Korean food spot near the Embarcadero! I ordered the spicy pork bibimbap and it was tasty with decent ban chan. The service was good and prices were not too bad as well. It’s hard to find solid Korean food in the area. It’s run by a mom and pop so I think it’s underrated / not well marketed“

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

“This is the first time I ordered from this place through DoorDash and it did not disappoint. Me and my son shared the ton katsu mayo and the tofu soup. My son who is so picky with food rated every meal we ordered 8-10. He specifically LOVED the ube milk tea with boba. I will definitely order from this place again!“

“This is the gem of the city of Hercules. The food is always solidly good. The bi bim bop is my favorite, but it is hard to find anything I don't like. The service is efficient and friendly. I really enjoy this neighborhood restaurant!“

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

“Loved this concept. I always thought Korean food was more healthier choice but this whole Chipotle style is to my liking as well. Quick, easy, and filling. Loved their protein selections. Tried their spicy chicken and it wasn’t the best but wasn’t terrible. Their tofu was a bit plain, couldn’t absorb much flavoring to it but it kept the healthy concept. Sizing was perfect.

Bathroom was a bit untidy. Soap machine looked like it only had a few drops left with trash can inside the toilet felt like it’s been awhile since it got empty.

Place was overall still a 8/10 rating to me.“

“My cousin showed me this place and I fell in love! They always have k-pop playing and the corn dogs are so mouth watering good!

Vegetarian options: They have dogs that don't have any meat in them

Parking: It's Berkley. The parking here is tough to find“

“The best sea bass and the best sushi 🍣 Love it“

“Hidden gem! The grilled octopus is a must!“

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

“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!“

“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.“

“Flavorful food & good customer service“

“Walked in and ordered the Bento House sushi roll and the garlic fried chicken rice bowl. The sushi was fresh and delicious! The chicken was good but just a tiny bit salty. Overall, I had a great experience ordering, interacting w the staff and the food was good. Would definitely recommend and order from here again.“