50 Best Korean Restaurants in San Francisco

“Great food and service. I highly recommend this place for date night, family and friends. The only downside is parking is hard to come by in this neighborhood.“

“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.“

“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.“

“Respectable Korean bbq, good cuts of meat, nice sides, friendly staff, and nice that it's a little bit off of the beaten path and so usually it's not as crowded as other places. The spicy Ribeye is excellent.
This is not an all-you-can-eat establishment so be warned. But overall really good food.
Note: I've never had Korean TERRA beer before, but man, it went perfect with the meal!“

“Great food and at a great price. Can’t wait to go back“

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

“Love this place so much! Ina, Nick the whole fam and staff are the best! Know you are family and are taken care of when you walk in the doors of the korner store! The food is delicious! There’s a drink for everyone and for whatever mood you are in! Strong,sweet and even non alcoholic offerings! The music is great and they have great event nights - from kpop nights, game nights and even learn and practice your dj skills nights! It’s a great late night addition to the Excelsior and worth checkin out!

Kid-friendliness: Able to dine with kids before the evening crowd arrives“

“food is incredible!! i’ve only had takeout from them but i’m so glad i finally found a place that makes raw marinated crab! i’ve always wanted to try it and it’s SO!!! GOOD!!!!! their mapo tofu is also delicious! their shrimp fried rice is not very flavorful, but it’s passable. the quality of their other dishes completely makes up for it“

“Zajang Grill is the best restaurant“

“I would suggest the spicy seafood and tofu stew. It has a lovely amount of heat, a great assortment of mussels, octopus, a whole crab, shrimp and tofu. But ask for extra napkins, you will need them once you attack the crab and shrimp. We got a kim chi pancake...that was heavenly, they are massive, dinner plate sized.

It is very popular but worth the wait.

Small seating area, and you sit so close that you (at least I do) hear everything said by the people to my left and right... not my favorite thing when trying to have a conversation. The steamed up windows were quite lovely and charming.

Manna or manna from heaven!“

“Combination oxtail soup and dolsot bibimbap were incredible. The tendon pieces were perfectly cooked and the broth was milky and delicious. The bibimbap had great crispy bits and a Smokey smell. Honestly, eating this in the H-Mart food court just adds to the experience.

The woman at the front was very friendly and always wore a smile. Great food and great workers.“

“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.“

“A hidden gem. Really, really nice food, served fresh and piping hot. The veggies are nice and crisp, unlike so many places that serve soggy veggies. I love that the food isn't bathed in salt. The beef is tender and tastes like beef, not just salt and soy sauce. The staff is super friendly and welcoming. On top of that, the prices are shockingly low, especially considering the quality and size of the dishes. My new fave.“

“Yummy yummy yummy! 🥰 1st time here with my daughter and it was so yummy! We we will be back! 😋😋😋“

“Came to Trinidad for 5 weeks vacation and been here 4 times in those 5 weeks. Incredible staff, incredible customer service and amazing food! Highly recommend!“

“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“

“Delicious sandwich. Looks small but filled me up. I liked the egg and cream and the bread. I expected it to hurt my stomach but it did not! Good service. Unique drinks. Cool decor and there’s outdoor seating in the back! Nice bike parking out front too.“

“Came for breakfast with a friend. So many delicious treats! Ordered the Kalbijjim croissant, garlic chive scone and chocolate kouign-amann. Each one was fantastic, I wish I could have ordered more to go with me. Everything was freshly made and had great flavor. Tap to pay available, I'll definitely stop by again!“

“H Mart is a asian grocery store
H Mart plays with music ? that is great to hear and feels relaxing when entering the store

Inside by the entrance, their small restaurant for you to eat

The produce and product are ? ? ? good
thier alot of varieties of ? noodles“

“Better than Seoul Sausage and they won the Great American Food Truck Race! Perfect balance of spice, sauce, and crunch. The outside is amazing and the Parmesan was a nice touch!“

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

“order online pick up when ready.“

“Really nice, friendly people working here. Menu is simple Korean staples with a good variety of banchan. I'd rate the food a 3.5 in terms of execution and quality - tastiest thing we ordered was the tofu stew, and weakest was the chive pancake. Large portions.“

“Everything was great! The food, staff, ambience. Its a cute little restaurant, perfect for families and friends. The staff was super accommodating and they altered the dishes for us since most of us don’t eat red meat. We tried the Soft Tofu, Duk Boki, Korean Kimchi Pancakes and Bibimbap. Each dish was great, the bibimbap was a little bland but the sides made up for that.“

“Very nice staff and attentive… Food was excellent and fresh.. The establishment was very very clean.. highly recommend“

“Nice place to dine in with family and friends“

“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.“

“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.“

“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.“

“Super sweet local place with phenomenal prices and pretty good food. I ordered the rib combo and the beef spare rib was my favorites, but short rib and pork ribs weren’t bad. The ribs all come marinated in a thick sweet sauce that is really sticky but I overall liked it. Bean sprouts were marinated a little on the stronger side, but fresh and tasted good. Not my absolute favorite kbbq place, but it’s really up there.“

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

“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!“

“The BEST Galbi I've ever had. Wow the quality & cut of the meat is grade A with minimal fat, marinated and seared to literal PERFECTION. I'm happy but sad it's over.
Can't wait to eat here again whenever I'm back in SF.“

“Great service and food 😋👍🏻“

“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.“

“Yesterday our first time there. The food was delicious and the service as well we definitely will have to come back soon!!! Thank you!“

“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.“

“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.“

“Hidden gem! — Came here for dinner at 5:30pm on a Saturday, no wait! People started rolling in around 6:30pm. Even though they were busy with takeout orders, I never felt rushed. I came here with my elderly aunt and the waitress kindly + patiently answered my many questions (to make sure the food was not spicy for my aunt).

Ordered: Kimchi stew & tofu stew, each entree came with a bowl of rice. Kimchi stew was flavorful and I personally like adding a dash of vinegar (which the restaurant happily provided) to make it more sour. Asked for three refills of side dishes because we were a big fan of the potato salad and kimchi!

Even though it was a small space, it felt cozy instead of cramp. I imagine it could get loud since I was able to overhear some of the conversations across the room. Overall could eat here again.“

“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,“

“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.“

“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.“

“The Korean food here is delicious! They put a twist in it as it is a fusion concept, making it interesting. Parking may be challenging along Geary, but the neighborhood offers a lot of parking spaces. Also, the walk to the restaurant helps your build the appetite. I ordered the bibimbap bowl topped with beef bulgogi. Highly recommend this restaurant.“

“Great Food! And Very nice Small Restaurant“

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

“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!“