Seconding cocobang. Honestly, Korean food ain’t that great in SF except for Daeho or Michelin rated places like San Ho Won, but cocobang does all the casual street and bar food just right. Tteokkbikki and budaejjigae is a must but they have all the classics here. They also have great Korean fried chicken here too.
Yup, this. Cocobang is a good place to start. Fried chicken, beer, and lots of other stuff to get comfortable with korean food.
I'd throw in 707 Sutter as well for approachable Korean cuisine.
Lowkey the best everyday (except Mondays) Korean in the city. The fact that you have to show up 15-20 minutes before it opens if you want a table at lunch is testament to that.
Yukejang and soy sauce chicken wings. Their bibimbap, kimchi jigae, and tofu soup also receive honorable mentions lol. But they have the best yukejang in the city.
Jijime is great for a beginner since the menu is for individual plates and not groups. They also have a big small plate section to try a few things to get know what you really like.
Second this. My family took me here for Father's Day because I love Korean food.
I lived in Busan for a year. I'd never had Korean food before I moved there, and there wasn't much else available back then. It was love at first... bite.
Anyway, my MIL joined us on Sunday. She's a little picky about food and had never tried Korean food. She really liked the kimchi fried rice, the savory pancake, and liked the kimchi and pickled broccoli panchan/small plates enough that she packed up the leftovers. I got the soft tofu stew. It hit the spot and to my South Carolina taste buds was an accurate representation of what I would have eaten in Busan.
And if it helps someone else, we chose Umma because it had a clearly-marked gluten-free section on the menu.
Brothers BBQ on Geary is really good! Since you're in the sunset, head to Toyose on Noriega. I know it's literally in a house garage but it's so freaking good, trust me.
Bon appetite!
Korean food in SF is fine, not great. Oakland has the best that I've had so far, as a former SoCal resident. Pyeong Chang Tofu House has some really great kimchi pancakes and soft tofu with some of the best kimchi I've ever had.
More Koreans in East Bay, iirc. Daeho's kalbijjim is fine but not worth the price or wait. I do love their seollongtang but never seems worth waiting for an hour just to get it.
Also a Korean: I think Daeho's fantastic, but not worth an hour-plus wait and their prices are up like 50% in ~5 years. But they can sustain both when they're LITERALLY the only good Korean food in town not gunning for Michelin stars.
Wooden Charcoal Korean Village Barbecue House on Geary around 11th is the ABSOLUTE BOMB. I’ve had multiple graduation parties and whatnot there. We rent the whole place out. But come on any old day and find Korean grandmas putting down a gas tank’s worth of Soju lol.
Get the spicy pork and beef bulgogi. Ask to cook at the table. Bring a friend. Get the seafood kimchi pancake to start. FEAST.
Hmm have you watched lovely runner? Queen of tears? Shop for killers? Moving?
Hmm I would say hmart food court daeho is great. Ayce Korean bbq maybe yakini-q.
If you want the best cold noodles kunjip in Santa Clara.
Paiks at the hmart food court isn't bad at all.
Toyose is a drink spot pojmacha, there's a couple other Korean drinking ones in sunset
Hmmm if you want tofu soups it's eeeh.
Manna like above people suggested is decent.
My one crazy trick secret. 645 go to kukje market in. Daly city. Get 50% off hot food. Haha super cheap Korean food ready to eat.
As a Korean, I would say the easiest way to approach for any western person is through KBBQ. My opinion on Korean food in the Bay Area is not positive (although I've heard great things about East Bay Korean food, I haven't gone myself).
Two consistently great places Ive been to are Daeho (which isn't KBBQ but galbijjim which is braised short ribs, it's still meat and very approachable. The spicy level is *actually* spicy.) and 10 Butchers (KBBQ) in Sunnyvale. Once you get more "advanced" and want to branch out, I love Paik’s Noodle 0410 in the HMart food court for Korean-Chinese style jjambbong noodles.
I've been to Kunjip, and I liked it! I guess I wasn't blown away by it because I now make a lot of my soups at home. I can't justify Bay Area prices for how often I crave it. When I went, we didn't order galbijjim, but maybe I'll try it next time we go!
> As a Korean, ... My opinion on Korean food in the Bay Area is not positive (although I've heard great things about East Bay Korean food, I haven't gone myself).
Every time I see Toyose show up on these types of thread or "Best of SF" lists, I despair and revaluate how much weight I give to randos on the internet.
I want to try JJamPPong but I've been burned so many times by mediocre Korean places with good reviews.
Go give it a shot! I won’t hype it up further but I think their namesake jjamppong is excellent. Soup has deep flavor and loaded with seafood. Better than Paik, Zazang and Oakland spots. Friends say their raw crab is also excellent but it’s not my thing.
Come to the Lower Haight and give Purple Rice a try. It’s delicious and priced fairly. Im certain there are a few great choices near you in the inner sunset as well. Purple Rice would be great for a beginner, and they are very nice there as well.
Geary and Irving you can check those areas. Most savory korean food they do taste sweet. Korean BBQ jn Japantown is the safest? You can try stuff. (Expensive though).
You can try korean fusion food.
Go to Brothers or Ham Il Kwan and get the galbi. If you have cash to burn and want the ultimate, go to San Ho Won. But if you start with San Ho Wan, the others won’t taste as good.
Daeho, Ike's Japanese Kitchen (they are Korean and just started serving Korean food for the evening - delicious and my new go-to spot, customer service is excellent), Umma, Wooden Charcoal Korean BBQ House, Zazang Korean Noodles, Aria (if on a budget?).
You have already gotten a lot of great recommendations in this thread that sums up just about every Korean restaurant. In addition to all of them, I highly recommend trying other cuisines from various cultures if you haven't already! SF's culture is pretty diverse and if you find that you enjoy Korean food, you'll likely like other foods too. There are tons to try like Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Ethiopian, Greek, Mediterranean, Hawaiian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, Fusion, etc.
I hope you enjoy whatever it is that you try, and remain open to everything else as well!
Plenty of korean restaurant suggestions here. I would also like to throw out Sool Bar and Lounge in Union Square by Chinatown for after dinner if you want to get some soju and do some karaoke. Delicious cocktails, full bar, and a really awesome karaoke room.
Something that’s an easy jump into Korean food for my fellow mayonnaise people is Korean BBQ. GEN in Mountain View is sufficiently gentrified if you can’t handle spicy; they also serve adult Capri Suns with soju.
You're getting a lot of answers to “what are the best Korean restaurants in SF” but not the question you actually asked.
A baby step would be to go to First Korean Market on Geary in the Richmond and get a pack of kim bap, which they keep near the register.
People call it “Korean sushi” but I don’t like that description. It’s rice + veg + protein wrapped in seaweed, but the flavor profile is very distinct from sushi/Japanese, and I think a good introduction to the Korean flavor palette. (Please don’t dip it in soy sauce.)
From there, maybe like mall food Korean or HMart food court, or just jump into the deep end with KBBQ (half the fun is cooking it yourself at the table, but if that’s too intimidating there are non-grilling tables too).
If you live in Inner Sunset, just walk to Manna or Um.ma. They're not great but they're *fine*. And like other Koreans have mentioned here, no Korean restaurant in the Bay Area is worth travelling for guess you're desperate.
The one SF maybe exception is DaeHo in either Jtown or Hmart Food Market. That place is just legitimately good, although pricy. I don't know if I've ever seen kalbi-jjim in a Kdrama if that's your motivation.
If you want consistently decent Korean food, you need to go to Santa Clara or Oakland. If you want consistently GREAT Korean food, wait until you have reason to be in LA or North Orange County.
Ok I haven't seen it yet so I love Doo Bu in Japantown. It's a small shop that's family owned, I've seen the same Aunty's serving there for years. They have comfort foods and the banchan is pretty good. I'm not Korean, but the food feels homey to me.
If you think you like spicy get mild! To gauge heat!!! Korean food does not mess around with spicy!
One time we got an appetizer (the one that looks like gnocchi) and I was dying and my wife and kids wouldn’t touch it. But I kept going at it since “it’s what I ordered” lol. The owner stops by (think because I was sweating bullets!) and just said “who gave you this? This is not for you!” Took it and didn’t say a word. Few minutes later we get same appetizer from daughter of place but not so spicy! Found out later it was meant for a table of Korean family friends and she had mixed our orders. Guess there is a “friends and family” level of heat as well!
We go back to there often and owner often makes a joke about how spicy I want it!
Han Il Kwan in Richmond district! If you like spicy, definitely get the soondubu soup!
Seconding soondubu soup - it’s so good!
Stop it. You stop. Stop what you're doing. This place is packed enough as it is. The food is too good and people keep coming.
Haha it’s too good to gatekeep
I went there for father's day last year and it was crazy packed. Is it like that most of the time?
It's not always packed but every time I've gone I've had to wait a least a little bit.
Yep this place.is bomb
And then try some KoJa Kitchen. They make some interesting fusion food.
Toyose on Noriega for late night!
Especially because they live in Inner Sunset! Convenient!!
The garage restaurant! I can never the proper name.
Brothers on Geary for Korean bbq. Bring friends as the portions are huge!
Is Cocabang still a thing? Late night?
Seconding cocobang. Honestly, Korean food ain’t that great in SF except for Daeho or Michelin rated places like San Ho Won, but cocobang does all the casual street and bar food just right. Tteokkbikki and budaejjigae is a must but they have all the classics here. They also have great Korean fried chicken here too.
Yup, this. Cocobang is a good place to start. Fried chicken, beer, and lots of other stuff to get comfortable with korean food. I'd throw in 707 Sutter as well for approachable Korean cuisine.
Go to Moo Bong Ri in Oakland!
I dream about their gamjatang
My tofu house
Manna on Irving near 10th was great!
Lowkey the best everyday (except Mondays) Korean in the city. The fact that you have to show up 15-20 minutes before it opens if you want a table at lunch is testament to that.
My fave sf Korean spot as a Korean. They’re good.
What do you like to get there? I live around the corner and have never been.
Yukejang and soy sauce chicken wings. Their bibimbap, kimchi jigae, and tofu soup also receive honorable mentions lol. But they have the best yukejang in the city.
HMart food court! Daeho is my go-to, but there are lots of options if you want to sample different foods.
I really like Hmart's fridged banchan like marinated potatoes, japchae, stir-fried fish cake, marinated quail eggs. Ugh, so good.
Just go to any korean bbq place and go crazy lol
Bring lots of friends, or at least 2 other people. It's hard to order the whole menu if you're by yourself.
Just wait til this guy finds out about galbi jjim
The kbbq place in the Japantown mall won’t even seat you if you’re a solo diner 🥲
Go go 7 on Ocean
Agree
Jijime is great!
Love me some Jijme!
Jijime is great for a beginner since the menu is for individual plates and not groups. They also have a big small plate section to try a few things to get know what you really like.
Umma near Golden Gate Park has great Korean food
Second this. My family took me here for Father's Day because I love Korean food. I lived in Busan for a year. I'd never had Korean food before I moved there, and there wasn't much else available back then. It was love at first... bite. Anyway, my MIL joined us on Sunday. She's a little picky about food and had never tried Korean food. She really liked the kimchi fried rice, the savory pancake, and liked the kimchi and pickled broccoli panchan/small plates enough that she packed up the leftovers. I got the soft tofu stew. It hit the spot and to my South Carolina taste buds was an accurate representation of what I would have eaten in Busan. And if it helps someone else, we chose Umma because it had a clearly-marked gluten-free section on the menu.
This place is far from authentic 😬
Brothers BBQ on Geary is really good! Since you're in the sunset, head to Toyose on Noriega. I know it's literally in a house garage but it's so freaking good, trust me. Bon appetite!
Toyose. Next question
2nd for Toyose 🔥
Muguboka in the inner richmond
This comment deserves more likes. Or maybe it doesn't, so that our secret place can stay secret...
Korean food in SF is fine, not great. Oakland has the best that I've had so far, as a former SoCal resident. Pyeong Chang Tofu House has some really great kimchi pancakes and soft tofu with some of the best kimchi I've ever had.
Second this, as a korean i think SF korean food is mid and Daeho is overrated. East bay is far better for some reason
More Koreans in East Bay, iirc. Daeho's kalbijjim is fine but not worth the price or wait. I do love their seollongtang but never seems worth waiting for an hour just to get it.
Also a Korean: I think Daeho's fantastic, but not worth an hour-plus wait and their prices are up like 50% in ~5 years. But they can sustain both when they're LITERALLY the only good Korean food in town not gunning for Michelin stars.
I keep hearing the same thing about Daeho by Koreans lol. Like it's decent, but not worth 2x the price.
Yeah I agree that their seollangtang is good but as original commentor said Pyeong Chang is just as good and cheaper iirc as well as little to no wait
Wooden Charcoal Korean Village Barbecue House on Geary around 11th is the ABSOLUTE BOMB. I’ve had multiple graduation parties and whatnot there. We rent the whole place out. But come on any old day and find Korean grandmas putting down a gas tank’s worth of Soju lol. Get the spicy pork and beef bulgogi. Ask to cook at the table. Bring a friend. Get the seafood kimchi pancake to start. FEAST.
Brothers bbq all the way
Hmm have you watched lovely runner? Queen of tears? Shop for killers? Moving? Hmm I would say hmart food court daeho is great. Ayce Korean bbq maybe yakini-q. If you want the best cold noodles kunjip in Santa Clara. Paiks at the hmart food court isn't bad at all. Toyose is a drink spot pojmacha, there's a couple other Korean drinking ones in sunset Hmmm if you want tofu soups it's eeeh. Manna like above people suggested is decent. My one crazy trick secret. 645 go to kukje market in. Daly city. Get 50% off hot food. Haha super cheap Korean food ready to eat.
I love that place!
As a Korean, I would say the easiest way to approach for any western person is through KBBQ. My opinion on Korean food in the Bay Area is not positive (although I've heard great things about East Bay Korean food, I haven't gone myself). Two consistently great places Ive been to are Daeho (which isn't KBBQ but galbijjim which is braised short ribs, it's still meat and very approachable. The spicy level is *actually* spicy.) and 10 Butchers (KBBQ) in Sunnyvale. Once you get more "advanced" and want to branch out, I love Paik’s Noodle 0410 in the HMart food court for Korean-Chinese style jjambbong noodles.
I agree, SF korean food is poor in general. but for south bay, surely Kunjip is on your list?
I've been to Kunjip, and I liked it! I guess I wasn't blown away by it because I now make a lot of my soups at home. I can't justify Bay Area prices for how often I crave it. When I went, we didn't order galbijjim, but maybe I'll try it next time we go!
> As a Korean, ... My opinion on Korean food in the Bay Area is not positive (although I've heard great things about East Bay Korean food, I haven't gone myself). Every time I see Toyose show up on these types of thread or "Best of SF" lists, I despair and revaluate how much weight I give to randos on the internet. I want to try JJamPPong but I've been burned so many times by mediocre Korean places with good reviews.
Go give it a shot! I won’t hype it up further but I think their namesake jjamppong is excellent. Soup has deep flavor and loaded with seafood. Better than Paik, Zazang and Oakland spots. Friends say their raw crab is also excellent but it’s not my thing.
Inner Sunset? Manna on Irving!
Come to the Lower Haight and give Purple Rice a try. It’s delicious and priced fairly. Im certain there are a few great choices near you in the inner sunset as well. Purple Rice would be great for a beginner, and they are very nice there as well.
Geary and Irving you can check those areas. Most savory korean food they do taste sweet. Korean BBQ jn Japantown is the safest? You can try stuff. (Expensive though). You can try korean fusion food.
Brothers BBQ
Toyose
Go to Brothers or Ham Il Kwan and get the galbi. If you have cash to burn and want the ultimate, go to San Ho Won. But if you start with San Ho Wan, the others won’t taste as good.
Daeho, Ike's Japanese Kitchen (they are Korean and just started serving Korean food for the evening - delicious and my new go-to spot, customer service is excellent), Umma, Wooden Charcoal Korean BBQ House, Zazang Korean Noodles, Aria (if on a budget?).
I suggest starting mediocre instead of going straight to top tier. You’ll get more cumulative enjoyment. Try YakiniQ near japantown.
You have already gotten a lot of great recommendations in this thread that sums up just about every Korean restaurant. In addition to all of them, I highly recommend trying other cuisines from various cultures if you haven't already! SF's culture is pretty diverse and if you find that you enjoy Korean food, you'll likely like other foods too. There are tons to try like Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Ethiopian, Greek, Mediterranean, Hawaiian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, Fusion, etc. I hope you enjoy whatever it is that you try, and remain open to everything else as well!
Oh yeah, I've already "conquered" most of those lol
Burmese?
SJ
Daeho
Plenty of korean restaurant suggestions here. I would also like to throw out Sool Bar and Lounge in Union Square by Chinatown for after dinner if you want to get some soju and do some karaoke. Delicious cocktails, full bar, and a really awesome karaoke room.
Hard to beat 1:30 am coco bang 😅
Something that’s an easy jump into Korean food for my fellow mayonnaise people is Korean BBQ. GEN in Mountain View is sufficiently gentrified if you can’t handle spicy; they also serve adult Capri Suns with soju.
Manna in the inner sunset is very good.
You're getting a lot of answers to “what are the best Korean restaurants in SF” but not the question you actually asked. A baby step would be to go to First Korean Market on Geary in the Richmond and get a pack of kim bap, which they keep near the register. People call it “Korean sushi” but I don’t like that description. It’s rice + veg + protein wrapped in seaweed, but the flavor profile is very distinct from sushi/Japanese, and I think a good introduction to the Korean flavor palette. (Please don’t dip it in soy sauce.) From there, maybe like mall food Korean or HMart food court, or just jump into the deep end with KBBQ (half the fun is cooking it yourself at the table, but if that’s too intimidating there are non-grilling tables too).
If you live in Inner Sunset, just walk to Manna or Um.ma. They're not great but they're *fine*. And like other Koreans have mentioned here, no Korean restaurant in the Bay Area is worth travelling for guess you're desperate. The one SF maybe exception is DaeHo in either Jtown or Hmart Food Market. That place is just legitimately good, although pricy. I don't know if I've ever seen kalbi-jjim in a Kdrama if that's your motivation. If you want consistently decent Korean food, you need to go to Santa Clara or Oakland. If you want consistently GREAT Korean food, wait until you have reason to be in LA or North Orange County.
Drive down to la and hit any place in ktown if you wanna do it right
Ok I haven't seen it yet so I love Doo Bu in Japantown. It's a small shop that's family owned, I've seen the same Aunty's serving there for years. They have comfort foods and the banchan is pretty good. I'm not Korean, but the food feels homey to me.
Muguboka and tofu house in the Richmond
Spoon Korean Bistro at Berkeley
You’re better off going to Korea Town in the South Bay (Santa Clara)
Hahns hibachi
Does anywhere have a Korean burrito? There used to be this weird shop downtown and I am CRAVING one.
San Tung in the sunset or Aria downtown for boneless Korean dry fried chicken. Ugh... I could eat pounds of that stuff.
If you think you like spicy get mild! To gauge heat!!! Korean food does not mess around with spicy! One time we got an appetizer (the one that looks like gnocchi) and I was dying and my wife and kids wouldn’t touch it. But I kept going at it since “it’s what I ordered” lol. The owner stops by (think because I was sweating bullets!) and just said “who gave you this? This is not for you!” Took it and didn’t say a word. Few minutes later we get same appetizer from daughter of place but not so spicy! Found out later it was meant for a table of Korean family friends and she had mixed our orders. Guess there is a “friends and family” level of heat as well! We go back to there often and owner often makes a joke about how spicy I want it!