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Brothers Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Korean Korean [Edit]
4128 Geary Blvd(between 5th Ave & 6th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
(415) 387-7991
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 12 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
818 reviews for Brothers Restaurant
Review Highlights
"The side dishes complimented the meal very well."
(in 172 reviews)
"I thought the Kal bi was so delicious over the bbq."
(in 36 reviews)
"The Kal bi and the bul go gi is awesome."
(in 28 reviews)
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818 reviews in English
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Review from Ayall S.
San Francisco, CA
1/31/2012
This place was a pleasant surprise.
As a vegetarian, i didn't know how much I could enjoy at a "Korean BBQ," but with the plethora of quality side dishes this place provides, i was more then satisfied.
Good noodle based dishes and quality fresh ingredients makes this place enjoyable if you don't plan to BBQ.
Place was busy, atmosphere was simple (chairs and tables a bit old). -
Review from Abbey L.
San Francisco, CA
1/23/2012
It's my first time dining here. I have to say food is kind of so-so. Nothing is very surprised me plus service sucked big time. Even though I told one of the server that it was my first time and asked for recommendation, she just roughly explained it to me which I still didn't quite understand. Finally, we had to decide what we wanted. When food came, she just served then left and never came back and asked if everything was alright.
It wouldn't be weird for me if she didn't ask others as well, but she did ask others, but us. First time I thought it might be her regular behavior, but she did smiled and had a good manner toward other customers, especially American ppl. or customers who regularly dine in here.
I gave her 16% tip which she didn't even deserve!! I would give her 20% or higher if she gave me a better service. She should know that she couldn't choose which customer she would give the better service and left the rest survive on their own. I could just not to give her any tip, but I know how tired it is to be server.
I paid for her energy to serve me, but not for how good the service actually was. Like I said, she didn't deserve it...more or less...I won't go back there again. I can find a lot of Korean restaurant which has better food and better service... -
Review from Andrew W.
Small portion size, less flavorful food, and deceptively long wait makes Brothers just an "A-OK" restaurant.
I called Brothers on a Saturday night to ask how long the wait was for a table after Han Il Kwan quoted us a two hour wait. Brothers said there was no wait so we spend over. To my dismay there were hoards of people waiting for a table but less than Han Il Kwan so we decided to stick it out. Thirty minutes later we get a table and are ready to place our order. We order four dishes, beef bulgogi, barbecued chicken, japchae, and bibimbap. The waitress informs us that we will be charge a fee because there are five of us but only four dishes. TERRIBLE. We order the pork belly to avoid this charge.
We happily snack on the banchan as we wait for out food. Unfortunately, both the beef bulgogi and chicken taste dry. The bibimbap was mushy and came with an overly salty sauce that I passed on. The pork belly should just be called bacon because it looked like bacon I can buy at a supermarket. It was also very dry and I did not care for the oil salt dipping mixture that accompanied it. Thankfully the japchae was great. I will be sticking with Han II Kwan but I am willing to give Brothers another chance in the future.
What I recommend:
-- Japchae -
Review from Venus L.
San Bruno, CA
2/8/2012
I don't care how awesome Korean BBQ is. I don't care how delicious their food is. What I do care about is their shitty service. They make a lot of money since this place is expensive so maybe they think they can get by with their bad attitudes.
I came here one night and the waitress or server or whatever was pretty rude. We asked a simple question and she just tells us to order whatever we want 'cause it's "all good". I apologize for having preferences. And I really disliked the attitude problem that the waitress gave to one of my family members. These ladies need to chill out. If we order something extra, we WILL pay. Instead, they were just like, "No! No!" ... WHY ARE YOU DENYING US OUR FOOD? Dang it. If I could give no stars, I would!
If you want my opinion, just go to a Korean supermarket & buy the meat from there. Then go and buy a grill and do Korean BBQ at your own home. You'll be surrounded by your people and can even watch TV while eating instead of having to deal with bad service/attitudes. -
Review from Julia P.
1/1/2012
Rating only a lunch visit.
Walked in and saw Kalbi for only 13 bucks...yessss! Then the reality came - it was small small portions. I guess I should have expected it.
The place was not packed but getting the side dishes out took a little more time than I expected (over 15 minutes).
Supposedly this place has great ratings on Zagat and previous eater's choice awards but I wasn't as impressed. Maybe I'll give it another chance sometime but I'd like to try some other places before doing so.
Note the food wasn't bad but not awesome...maybe it was just an off day? -
Review from Leigh P.
Phoenix, AZ
1/30/2012
The pork was flavorful, the service was great and we were able to bring our own wine which was cool.
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Review from Jean C.
Alameda, CA
1/6/2012
Oh geez...Is there a brisket shortage?? Well, you would think so if you ordered the beef brisket soup here for lunch. I came here earlier this week trying to satisfy my korean comfort food craving and was disappointed. There was only two paltry pieces of meat in my soup. The broth was decent but in Korean beef soup I don't want to be wondering, "Where's the beef??"
However, I'm giving this place three-stars because the waiting staff of Korean ladies were very nice and attentive. They checked on me often to see if I needed anything. Also their courtesy nine side dishes (banchans) were decent enough with good flavoring. -
Review from Quynh-An P.
San Francisco, CA
12/7/2011
I came here with some friends (5 of us) and the wait wasn't as bad as I thought it would...so I appreciate that (it was a Friday night too). The food was pretty damn delicious. The tofu soup wasn't my favorite I've had, but it was still darn tasty. The beef and pork were really good (although the pork was a bit too fatty for my liking), and you really can't go wrong with the spread of those little small plates. We did one of the "tasting menus" which, trust me, isn't a little taster, it's a beast. We were completely stuffed by the end of the meal and had to force ourselves to finish as much as we could (we're Asian, we like to get our money's worth).
I think the thing that I liked the most was the service. I mean, Asian restaurants aren't really known for their service by any means, but as we were getting up to leave, I saw the hostess walk quickly to the front of the door to be there to greet us goodbye and open the door for us. I really appreciated that small attention to detail and it definitely made an impression. -
Review from Stephanie M.
San Francisco, CA
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
Blah. I came here ALL THE TIME when I was a kid and after 10+ years came back only to be disappointed and leave with my clothes smoke-stanky. I really felt jipped on meat when I came here, I didn't even realize we had ordered two portions of galbi (LA galbi, not the real thing) because it seemed so small and not filling. The banchan were pretty scarce and forgettable to me. The other dish we had was maeuntang (spicy monkfish stew) I think and the flavor was nice and spicy but the fish itself was scarce, I mostly remember chewing on soup filler ingredients like cabbage or tofu. It was really crowded when I was there so it was difficult to get water refilled which is a huge pet peeve of mine. I felt like service was really lacking because they know people will come anyways and fill this place up so they just herd you like cattle. And please, FIX YOUR FANS OR CRACK A WINDOW. I couldn't see or breathe because of the smoke and left smelling like the grill. If you go, wear old sweats. Seriously.
C'mon, SF. Is this all you got? I almost feel embarrassed if this is still the only go-to galbi place in my city after returning to SF after a few years. *twiddling thumbs*
Side note: on my last (literally LAST) visit I noticed most of the patrons were NOT Korean. Hmm wonder if that says anything... -
Review from Que F.
San Mateo, CA
1/22/2012
The cool thing about Korean BBQ is to be grilling the meat right in front of you and eating it while it's piping hot. The dinner-for-4 portion served with an assortment of kimchi, glass noodles, vegetable tempura and tofu soup was a good choice. Additional kimchi, lettuce, and rice are brought upon request. The kimchi was not has spicy as I thought it would be.
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Review from Ami Y.
San Francisco, CA
10/16/2011
YO, 5 stars all the way. seriously. Best/only/legitimate/authentic korean restaurant in San Francisco. truth. Note: reviewer is Korean.
Any item on the menu is guaranteed to melt your "Seoul".
Favorite is chicken stew that comes with steamed potatoes and perfectly cooked chicken, in a spicy tangy sauce.
They make their own soy beans, so anything that involves the nutritious paste is bomb by default. Dwenjang jjiggae (Soy bean stew) to their soft tofu soup is yummy.
Try it. -
Review from Wilson T.
San Francisco, CA
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
It was a Friday night and it was just full. We got the last table with a grill!
The food is pretty good! We got the grilled pork and chicken, chap chae, and stone rice bowl for four people. By the end, with all the sides, we were pretty full! We also got free tofu soup! And a dessert drink thing, it was basically, as my friend put it, "liquid cornbread"
The service was very good and the manager/hostess was very nice. Always asking us if we wanted more tea or if we had enough side dishes. $21 pp after taxes. Would come back again! -
Review from Anna H.
Millbrae, CA
1/6/2012
My favorite korean BBQ place in SF, they have great charcoal grills. They could have better little dishes.
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Review from July H.
San Francisco, CA
9/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Long lines... but if you want charcoal korean bbq, then this is where you want to go. The meat are excellent quality and the side dishes are plenty. Service is ok. Make sure you check your check because last time, they double-charged us for kalbi. They took it off with an apology, but it left an unfavorable notch in my book.
They also have good spicy soup.
Be prepared to wash everything you wear after the meal. Your clothes and even your hair will smell of korean bbq... -
Review from Tom T.
8/25/2011 2 photos
Catching a taxi from SoMa down to the Richmond District was a fun experiences, especially after learning that there are no speed limits for taxi drivers. (Imagine pushing 45 on a 25 MPH street, going DOWNHILL).
We arrived at the restaurant a little after 10, when there was just one party left. I was quite surprised to hear some Cantonese speaking people around the neighborhood randomly talking about vomiting due to air pressure on the aircraft in Chinese. (Lucky for me, it didn't spoil my appetite.)
I decided to let my friend order, since he was the one who knows this place just as well as I know K-Town. All I hear from my friend was kalbi, chicken BBQ and soon dofu.
The usual small dishes came out from a typical Korean restaurant. Though there are a few things that were different:
- I have to say was that the kimchi was different from what I was used to, like there was a spike of vinegar in it. Not that it was bad or anything, just that it was a little too acidity for my taste.
- One dish came with green leaf lettuce leaves, a first that I've seen. My friend asked me if it was used to wrap the meat and I just answered, "sometimes". In Chinese restaurants that I went to, it was used to wrap meat in it, but it was either ground beef or fish, but there were other things accompanying this wrap.
- A small dish of seaweed came along with the other side dishes. My assumption was that it was for the soon dofu.
The good thing that was different about this place was the fact that the grill used wood charcoal instead of a gas grill, which gave it a different flavor. The preparation of the grill was pretty clean, how the server protected the grill with foil and how careful they placed the coals into the grill.
Food was good, but I felt that I've experienced better food in K-Town. Maybe it's just the fact that this is the only Korean restaurant around the neighborhood. However, there is a second shop down the street.Listed in: SF or BUST!
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Review from Anthony N.
San Francisco, CA
8/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
B ased on the reviews, I had high expectations here
R eally? This is the best spot for Korean in SF?
O h, there are better options, even within Inner Richmond
T he food is decent, but is in no way spectacular
H uge crowds fill this place anyway...
E xpect a wait for a table
R estaurant can get very loud because of the crowd
S ervice is quick and as friendly as Asian restaurants get
R ight after you order, you're served 9 different Banchan
E ach side dish is okay, but the Kimchee reallly stands out
S piced and flavored nicely, it was my favorite thing there
T he meats were very disappointing
A "sizzling" platter of bul go gi came to the table lukewarm
U ninspiring flavor in the meat marinade, too
R are to see Shrimp Jun on the menu, so we ordered it
A side from the bland sauce, the jun was decent
N ot an impressive meal for such a touted Korean restaurant
T ry instead Han Il Kwan on Balboa and 19th -
Review from yoshie k.
San Francisco, CA
1/18/2012
to be accurate, i'll rate this place 3.5 stars just because of their service. service is pretty bad, but food is sooooo gooood!!! u cannot go wrong with their meat, it's so flavorful, i'd come here over and over again just because the food is good, try it out if your around the neighborhood.
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Review from Albert L.
Review based off the TASTING MENU #2 -
Serves : 6
Price : $135.95
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Kal Bi + Pork Bul Go Gi :
The beef and pork was very good -- it was the first dish served once the BBQ pit was set up. The meat was nicely marinated and had a ton of flavor (same as every other time I dine here). However, considering there was six of us, there was hardly enough meat to go around. Practically, everybody only got about 3 or 4 pieces.. MORE MEAT PLZ!
Shrimp Tempura :
I really enjoyed the shrimp tempura -- it was very lightly fried (I am not a fan of most deep fried foods) so it was surprising. The shrimp was plump and the tempura gave it a nice little crisp to it. (I think I ate the most out of my party.. shhh)
Combination Jun Platter :
A variety of veggies, mushrooms, and oysters (I believe?) covered with a flour/egg batter and fried. Like the tempera, it wasn't too deeply fried so kudos but as you peel away the batter, it was just mere veggies to me.
Chop Chae :
I'm no noodle guy (the Chinaman in me requests rice!) but these were very good noodles -- light, sauteed, and with that jelly-like texture.
Man Doo Soup :
Wooo! This was spicy. Big chunks of soft tofu with chopped veggies in a kimchi-flavored soup. If you were Korean and sick, then this is probably what will revive you back to good health again! (not really) but you get the point! I love adding the little sardine banchan to the soup, giving it a crunchy and spicier base.
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I'm a regular at Brother's and always have a pretty good experience but their Tasting Menu #2 didn't blow my mind. I really want to emphasis on the whole "tasting" part of this menu -- because that's what it was; a taste of what Brother's can dish out. After the dessert (the DELICIOUS-SWEET-RICE-WATER-SUGAR-DRINK), I wasn't full at all. My party discussed how there should have been more meat (or at least not serve it out first) but maybe it's just me.
I recommend that if your already accustom to Brother's Restaurant, then just order off the menu dish by dish. But if you and your party are light eaters, then might just be the perfect meal for your get-together.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/3/2011
WHERE CAN I BUY A BOTTLE OF YOUR RICE WATER DESSERT!?
I've been dining at Brothers for years now and… Read more »
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Review from phoenix f.
Fremont, CA
10/10/2011
My husband and I were in SF the other day and decided to visit Brothers for lunch. But my experience here was so disappointing and would never visit again. First the food.
My husband ordered beef soup. I was going to give some to my daughter. But my husband pointed out there is nothing but msg in there. I tried a little myself, he is right!! I cannot taste the beef in the soup at all. It's nothing but MSG and chicken flavored soup base.
I ordered Stone Pot bibiba, sadly, there is only three SMALL pieces of beef in there. Veggies? What veggies? At MOST two tablespoons of veggies and beef combined, rest is allll rice.
Small dishes. Usually with Korean restaurants, the small dishes would make up for the main dishes if the main dishes are lacking. But for this place..... Ok, each plate is only less than half a tablespoon of small dishes. I guess ask for second rounds? Good luck with that! I tried to flag down a waitress couple times, but no luck. There were two waitress there and both of them pretend they don't see us. When my husband finally walked up to one, she finally acknowledged it. But the small dishes didn't come out until like ten minutes later. She took six empty plates from our table, replaced with only 4 plates. Where are the other two? When I tried to flag her down again, she stared me and walked away. So I waved at the other one, the other one said impatiently, "JUST WAIT."
If they are busy I understand, but there are only 4 tables in the place. And it is 12:30 lunch time on Sunday! No wonder this place is empty. Good luck with a service like that! -
Review from Cookie M.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2012
bad meat quality. Bad service.
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Review from Erica L.
Daly City, CA
9/27/2011
Not worth it.
I've been coming here since I was little... disappointed.
They have recently added a rule saying that every person there has to order an entree, or else they will charge $5 per person sharing. WTH.
Went here for my mom's bday and two of my friends came just to chill, but they were basically forced to order cause of this rule. There were a total of 5 of us n we ordered 4 plates of meat, no drinks, bill was over 100 without tip. Each plate of meat was smaller than I remember.
I mean everything tastes the same as before, its good but I don't think I will be coming here very much anymore. :(
Some of their items are way overpriced like the japchae. -
Review from Sunghi m.
San Francisco, CA
12/12/2011
Ok I have super high standard for Korean food so none of the korean restaurants in the bay area satisfies me. Anyway I go here whenever I crave their pretty decent Kimchi Dolsot. Other edible dishes are kimchi jigae, bbq, and pan fried flounder. Decor is terrible.
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Review from Josh K.
8/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Nice KBBQ but nothing seriously better than the other options in the neighborhood except these guys got famous first. I prefer Han Il Kwan on Balboa but don't get me wrong, this is solid and the wooden charcoal aspect does make the meat taste pretty good. But for me, that isn't crucial.
For a change of pace, try the deep fried bulgogi. It was strangely delicious.
Price for 4 came to roughly $30 a head with two big bottles of beer.
Bonus tip: You can order booze while you wait for a table! Good times were had. -
Review from scott t.
San Francisco, CA
7/30/2011
I am actually writing this review sitting inside the restaurant on my iPad. I came here alone at 10:30pm for their steamed short ribs. It's been a few year since I was here . I was looking through the menu and mistaken the roxtail with the ribs. The waitress seem impatient with me and took my order then just walked away without asking me if I wanted any thing else. I flagged her down later and told her I wanted a beer. Same thing, emotionaless and walked away. She came back with the beer and opened it and walked away.
8 minutes later a Korean family walked in and she was smiling and carrying on with them. Then she went back to the kitchen and got all the small side dishes and start serving them. I flagged down another waitress and told her I saw what is going on. She didn't apolpgize but told me she get me my food.
Then my steamed ribs came and they tasted like rubber. It used to be the kind that melted in your mouth and the meat fall off the bone. Now it is dry and chewy (see photo gallery)
I want to make it clear that I mentioned the food is bad because it is, the bad service is another thing.
I end up eating the small side dishes and even though the steamed rib portion is huge and I was palanning to take it home, I am not going to bother.
This is my last time here for sure because I will not spend $26 for bad food and service.
I will leave a penny for their tip so they get the message. -
Review from Robert Y.
8/1/2011
2.75
This place needs a new ventilation system. Our table of 4 didnt even grill our own food and still ended up smelling like BBQ.
We got the bul go gi, stone pot bi bim bop, tofu pork kimchi, and grilled chicken. The meats were cooked for us and served along with about 10 different side dishes. The fish cake and kimchi were the top 2 side dishes they served. The bul go gi was quite dry and bland and very unimpressive. The stone pot bi bim bop was quite good and the rice was crispy to perfection. You know a restaurant isnt that great when the best thing was the rice in the bi bim bop. The tofu pork kimchi was nothing special. They did serve a rice drink for dessert. Overall the food was unremarkable.
The prices here are typical for a korean restaurant. The bill after tax and tip was 84 so 21 for each of us. They do charge $5 for sharing dishes so consider getting a cheap dish versus paying an extra $5 surcharge. Overall a decent korean bbq but at that price Id rather get all you can eat. -
Review from Ryan H.
Cupertino, CA
6/27/2011
Seriously? Yelpers, y u love this place?? So many things went wrong when I came here. Maybe I had a generally bad experience, but I don't think so.
First of all, since I'm asian, I'm used to bad service, and so, relatively, it wasn't super bad. However, the waitress gave us really angry/strange looks when we asked for boxes to wrap up our leftover food. Why did we have leftover food? Because you're required to buy a minimum number of dishes...coming up.
Okay, so I've seen a lot of restaurants that require everyone to buy something, but in general this is a hugely bad practice, and I always walk out on those restaurants. However, this time I decided to stay because we had a huge group and it was cold outside and finding parking at another place always sucks. So we ordered the 4-person set menu with Kal Bi and Chicken BGG. At about $30 a person it's pretty expensive. Not to mention you are forced to pay $5 per person that does not buy an entree. They explain this away by saying they need to give you more rice and side dishes. Whether or not they actually give you more side dishes, I'm skeptical.
In the end, I was okay with it because I'm usually okay with paying for overpriced food if its delicious enough to justify the cost. BUT...the Kal Bi was not good at all. They gave us a lot of bone pieces with chunks of fat and ligament attached to it that was inedible. The lean pieces were also tough and very hard to eat. It wasn't a "i screwed up and cooked this for way too long" tough, it was a "omg there's so much stringy fiber shit in this meat that I can't bite through anything!!" tough. The chicken ended up being my favorite part of the meal. Really?? Chicken being better than the beef at Korean BBQ?
Also, when we showed up, it was quite empty. I figured when restaurants force people to buy food, it's either because they're so full they need to charge for you taking up a seat that they otherwise could've made money off of, or that they don't get enough customers so they need to find a way to squeeze all the money out of the customers that do show up. I think in this case it's the latter. In the future, I'm not coming back here...there are so many other good Korean places near here that are cheaper and tastier. -
Review from Patrick W.
San Francisco, CA
11/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a fun restaurant where you can get a little dirty while eating dinner. Bring your friends and prepare for a Korean-style barbecue. Entering this place always brings a smile to my face because I get to cook the varieties of meats at my table. It's not always perfect, but it will always bring me back for more. You will smell like bbq on your way home, so don't plan on going to the clubs after dinner.
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Review from Chloe B.
San Francisco, CA
6/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Brothers is one of my favorite Korean BBQ restaurants. I used to eat here twice a month when I lived in the neighborhood. The Kal bi and Chicken Kul Go Gi are very tasty and juicy. But don't ever order two Kal Bi at the same time, because they'll without a doubt put the 'two orders' onto one plate, which is actually only equivalent to one order.The Pork Kul Go Gi is also not bad. The raw beef with sliced pears and quail egg is flavorful. The Vegertable Tempura is not like Japanese style one, the veggies are mixed together then deep fried, so when you bite into a piece, you get a variety of different veggies. The soy-sauce based dipping sauce that comes with the tempura is also very good. And you get a complimentary tofu soup or Jap Chae with your order of BBQ items.
You will come out smelling like BBQ, so try not to wear something nice that's prone to absorbing smells and scents. Lastly, on weekends the place is packed and there are long lines, so plan accordingly. -
Review from Hasan S.
5/2/2011
If you've never had the pleasure of indulging in Korean cuisine
1. It's delicious
2. It's different
3. Don't be scurred/intimidated
Wandering around the Richmond looking for something to eat, not quite sure what, I noticed the Zagat Rated sticker out front, a true sign of quality. Upon entry I was greeted warmly by two lovely ladies and given my choice of seating.
The menu and setting seems ideal for group or family dining. Lots of great options, heavy on the seafood. Between the stews and soups and tempura plates I finally settled on the seafood stone pot. It came out sizzling and smelling delicious! Loved all the sides and added a bit of each one of them. By the end of the dish I was a bit oceaned out, if ya' know what I mean.
The service was great, really great actually.
Really, there is nothing better than ending a meal with a bowl of rice water (complimentary). -
Review from Angelic L.
San Jose, CA
I find it rather strange that there are two Brothers Restaurants within a block of each other on the same street. It could be potentially confusing if you're trying to meet someone at the restaurant...
Anyway, we decided to cook our own meat, and all of it was tender and delicious! I really enjoyed it. I LOVE how they have so many side dishes to go with the food too. The pancake was just ok, and the noodle dish we had tasted better than it looked. I wish I could tell you exactly what we ordered, but I honestly have no idea what we were eating. At the end of our meal, everyone got some kind of rice dessert, which wasn't bad. It just wasn't memorable either, but I guess you can't beat free dessert!
The meal came out to a little under $20 a person, which wasn't too expensive for korean food. They do charge $5 extra per person if you're sharing your dishes though. We came with a group of 10 people with the intention of eating family style, and we were told that we would have to order a minimum of 5 dishes. Ordering 5 dishes definitely isn't a problem with such a huge group, but I just didn't appreciate how we were told or the service as a whole.
However, when we asked one of the servers to take a picture for us, I thought it was clever how she told us to say "KIMCHI!" when we were smiling. I was laughing about that one for a while. Oh so "punny"... -
Review from Rielle L.
San Francisco, CA
11/12/2011
Their soon tofu is legit. I second the recent review that this is the most authentic Korean restaurant in the city. You shouldn't come here for beautiful decor or elegant atmosphere or anything like that, but come here for the really comforting warm and spicy Korean soups. I loved their side dishes too, esp the bean sprouts, anchovies, green seaweedy stuff (don't know the name in english lol). The only one I didn't like was the "mook" (it was too thick and not as soft.)
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Review from Tiffany C.
Los Altos, CA
8/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm not an expert on Korean BBQ, so I'm hardly the authority here. I came here late one night with a friend and ordered the kalbi and a chicken for BBQ. I love how the guy comes and puts in the wooden charcoal, it gives it more character and enhances the flavor of the meat.
+1 for great service. The hostess kept on checking in with us. She told us when they were clearing our table and that we'd be seated shortly
+1 for plenty of extras. We were given a zucchini tofu soup to accompany our meal, plus lots of small dishes.
BTW, i'm totally biased here since I'm nostalgic of the times I used to come here with my family as a kid. -
Review from Mai H.
San Francisco, CA
4/29/2011
Came here for dinner last night (6 of us).
Had:
Kalbi
Bulgogi
Spicy Pork
Seafood Pancake
Japchae
Tofu Soup
It was a satisfying meal. Everything was good.
The seafood pancake was good. One of the better ones I've had. The one at the garage is too soggy.
My favorite meat was the bulgogi.
Japchae I think is one of the better ones out there. They don't seem to skimp on the ingredients and noodles are perfect.
The side dishes were normal. The side fishcake was not good.
The service I must say is really good. They checked on us numerous times. Served us our tofu soup. Gave us complimentary tofu soup.
I will definitely come back! -
Review from Keiko S.
4/3/2011 4 photos
Our recent visit was more impressive than our first one from years back that was horrible. It averages out to be 3.5 stars now.
Served a good variety of banchans, lots of beef and chicken, piles of lettuce leaves and a simmering pot of tofu soup, we were quite pleased with the meal. We liked the meat - tender and juicy.
Frankly, though...I don't think this place is all that. I think we'll have a better chance of finding a solid Korean barbecue restaurant in Santa Clara.
Ambiance wise, this restaurant is not date-appropriate, at least not for your first unless you want to smell like barbecue for the rest of the day. The service could improve; we can't recall a single smile... Did we do something wrong?
SUM: 3.5 stars for now.Listed in: Korea in the Bay Area
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Review from Judy Z.
San Francisco, CA
6/1/2011
Came here mid afternoon on a rainy Tuesday with my bf ( hello ^^.)and I was super stoked to try my first Korean BBQ. I watch Korean dramas semi-religiously and so this was as close as I could get to being in one.
We walked in and the place was empty because it was right before dinner service. Lucky us! We got some excellent service because of that.
We ordered the beef and pork marinated meat for the bbq and I was amazed to see a man come out from the back, fill the grill up with hot coal or something and then leave. A waitress then came and placed two pieces of foil on the side and I assume that is for placing cooked meat on.
A plate filled with raw beef and pork came separated by lettuce, accompanied by a tower of lettuce leaves, and a bajillion side dishes. Okay, well maybe around 12 or 14. Waitresses came by to help us flip the meat occasionally and came by to check at least three times to see if we were alright. The bf dropped the soup ladle and the waitress brought a new one in two seconds. Really, two seconds.
Meat: Good and tasty meats. But I prefer the red gochujang marinade one better.
Complimentary Soup: Zuchinni with oyster, pepper, onions, and other things to fill up a warm bowl of broth. Went really nice with the cold weather and rice.
Rice: Plain white med-short grain rice that was nicely cooked.
Banchan or side dishes:
Bean sprouts with sesame oil, bean cake with sesame seeds and dressing, seaweed salad, daikon shredded with carrot salad, anchovies with gochujang and sugar, fish cake with gochujang and onion, cucumber pickles, kimchee, and some sauce that was really salty and unecessary for BBQ, seaweed, pickled something that was crunchy and sweet. All in all, banchan was awesome and we destroyed the whole lot. We were rutheless and ate everything. Piled the plates mile high!
When things got spicy, we drank from our yuzu ( asian lemon type thing) lemonade that was refreshing with it's pulp, ice, and bits of perhaps candied yuzu peel on the bottom to chew. $3 each.
At the end when we were done and our plates had not a single grain of rice left, they brought us sweet rice water which was a very nice palate cleanser. Total was around $50 ish.
When we were leaving, a waitress came after us when we were almost out the door and asked if we would like some gum. Most korean places offer this melon flavored gum. I totally forgot about this and I was jumping up and down like a little kid. She laughed and me and him set forth to sun bathe in the sun kissed streets of Geary.
Good place to come and eat with lots of people I think, since the bill is pricey ish. Service may get kinda messy because so many people come, but as far as it goes for me and him, it was SUPERB! -
Review from Dougg K.
San Jose, CA
7/31/2011
For very fine Korean BBQ, this is the bomb! For BBQ in any culture, Koreans have it down pat and can compete with anyone when it comes to beef!
Brothers is a high end Korean restaurant and well worth every penny! Expect to spend about $20-30 a person. Whether you're a seasoned expert or a novice to Korean BBQ, you will be satisfied by their service and selection. And, according to my Korean friends, this is probably one of the very best Korean restaurants in SF, if not the best.
My godmother is Korean so I just let her order. We always get the Kalbi, or beef short ribs and beef strips. We always make them ourselves. If you have not had Korean BBQ, you have the option to order the Kalbi pre-made, or to make it yourself. For non-Koreans and newbies, check out my description at the bottom for the total Korean BBQ experience.
I always like to get the Tempura Shrimp with veggies. The tempura is rarely greasy and perfectly cooked every time. My godmother likes to get the deep fried fish and an order of spicy Korean soup. The soup is very spicy so be careful if you're not used to hot and spicy. Koreans are known to love hot and very spicy so just take tentative sips just in case.
There is always a wait to get a table, especially when you want to bbq yourself. And, the service is always fast and efficient. The owners are very friendly and always come to the table to say hi.
New to Korean BBQ and Newbies
One of the most unique aspects of the Korean cuisine is the DIY bbq cooking. There is a cut out in the center of the table for putting wood coals and then a grill placed on top after you order. There is a hood for ventilation so you won't suffocate.
Once these have been set, you're off to the races and can cook your Kalbi or any other meats to your own preference. The meat comes to you prepared on a plate ready for bbq'ing. You place the meats on the grill and have at it. Once you're done, they take away the coals and the grills because they are very hot.
The other unique aspect of Korean cuisine are the side dishes. They bring out about 15 small dishes of various pastes, prepared cold vegetables and items to be used to eat with the Kalbi.
The side dishes are served cold and include simply and deliciously prepared cucumbers, bean sprouts, tofu, seaweed, and other condiments for your Kalbi. Of course, no Korean meal is complete without kimchi. The kimchi here is probably home made but I'm not sure. Kimchi is cabbage that has been fermented in salt and stored underground for months. This is definitely a must have if you've not had it before. Very addicting.
The way to eat the Kalbi is to use a lettuce leaf, add some bean paste, and any combination of side dishes, then add the beef or meat. Wrap it up like a burrito and enjoy.
They also include rice, and a cold desert drink made from rice designed to aid digestion at the end. -
Review from Angeline L.
Burlingame, CA
4/30/2011
Score for the lunch SPECIALS (11a-2p)!
Korean is tasty, but takes a chunk of your wallet, so it's nice they lunch specials (not sure about weekends).
For the LS, make sure you order during that time. I saw our server discreetly check her watch.
The prices range from 9.95 to 13.95 on the LS page.
Includes: Soup, rice, dish, ALL the sides, and dessert soup.
Our dishes didn't look very big (Chopchae and Pork), but throw in the sides and we were full by the end. I LOVE the sides.
The servers were super sweet. -
Review from Shin John C.
Sunnyvale, CA
8/6/2011
My go to place for Kalbi, hands down. Cooked over real wood coals at your table (cook yourself), and sliced the proper way (in a thin strip, cut in "roll" fashion), this represents the pinnacle of the Korean BBQ experience.
It's simply the best in the area.
My rating reflects that I only go to this place for this one thing. Don't mess around with anything else; just order the Kalbi, and enjoy the side dishes, rice, etc.. Besides, every time I get an order of Kalbi for each person, they usually comp another dish or two anyway (Chap Chae, Spicy Squid)
Wear clothing that you don't mind getting stinky, and try to avoid busiest dinner times so you don't have to wait too long. Enjoy! -
Review from Denise C.
San Francisco, CA
7/23/2011
I don't know how to eat Korean food. I had squid tempura and it was okay.
Just another Korean restaurant. I am not that satisfied by Korean food compared to other things. It was expensive. -
Review from Cherylynn N.
San Francisco, CA
2/10/2011
Oh Brothers...WHY do I even bother with you? This time I really blame it on the A A A A A ALCOHOL...
Brothers is one of the most well-known Korean restaurants in SF and I think they use that to their advantage by serving mediocre food at insanely high prices. Just ask anyone (non-foodies included), "Where should I go for Korean food?" and chances are, they will say, "I heard Brothers is good." Brothers may be good if it was in say, Bigfork, Montana but it's not even close to being good by SF Bay Area standards especially when there's such a high prevalence of Korean restaurants around.
My first visit to Brothers was in 2000, when I was young, naïve and didn't know what good food was. Me: "Oh, we're going to Red Lobster...Sizzler's...Olive Garden?...SCORE!!!" Needless to say, I would have given Brothers 4 stars back then because it was the only Korean restaurant that I knew of and went to. Since then, I've gone back to Brothers about once a year (out of convenience or it was another person's choice) and I often leave wondering "WHY"? Each time, the food and service gets progressively worse and worse.
My most recent visit was on Monday, January 24th. A little late on my review I know, I'm trying to catch up on reviews since I haven't been able to eat out because of the effen diet I'm on. Anyhow, my friend and I were drinking at Fizzee's down the street; I was inebriated and must have thought it was a Friday/Saturday night because I was CRAVING Kalbi. Brothers was just a block away so the alcohol, I mean "I" suggested that we go here.
We arrived around 8:30 PM (says my Foursquare history) and we were promptly seated.
F O O D:
Not sure what I was thinking but I thought it would be a good idea to grill the meat myself. There's nothing more dangerous than B.U.I., Barbequing Under the Influence especially for a klutz like myself and luckily I left unscathed. There's a 2 item minimum to grill at your table.
We received 10 various banchans including kimchi, bean sprouts, pickled radishes, fish cakes, marinated tofu anchovies, seaweed salad and lettuce. Everything was fresh and well-seasoned so no complaints here.
*KALBI ($27.95): OK.
Brothers slices their kalbi rather thin; a little thicker than the bulgogi. I prefer my Kalbi thickly sliced so when grilled, you can enjoy the succulent and juiciness of the meat. Although the kalbi was flavorful with a nice, savory sweetness and hints of garlic, it was missing that quintessential rich, fatty beefyness which is what Kalbi is all about.
I have no problem with paying for good food and I know Korean food is expensive. However, for nearly $28, the portion size was tiny and was overpriced for a causal Korean restaurant. Just an informational tidbit I learned from watching "Restaurant Impossible", most restaurants' average food/profit margin should be 30-38%. If this were the case, Brothers food/profit margin is 82% considering we were given about $5 worth of Kalbi--WAYYYY OVERPRICED!
*BULGOGI ($22.95): MEH!
The bulgogi was bland and lacked a salty savoryness to it. Even the charcoal infused very little flavor to make it appetizing. I had to eat every bite with kimchi to add flavor and spice.
*KALBI TANG - SHORT RIB SOUP ($24.95): MEH!
The broth lacked a beefy richness produced from slowly simmering the kalbi bones/meat. It tasted as if the Kalbi was previously boiled and thrown into a pot of boiling water to make the soup. The broth was tasteless and the kalbi was dry and flavorless. There was maybe 6 small pieces of kalbi in the soup, 2 of which were huge kalbi bones.
S E R V I C E:
Inattentive and disinterested. Well, that is no surprise to me since service has always been non-existent at Brothers. We did get our dishes fairly quickly though.
Don't be fooled by Brothers "popularity", it's OVERHYPED, OVERRATED and OVERPRICED.
If you're in the area and looking for quality mouth-watering Korean BBQ, try Han II Kwan (Balboa/19th) or Wooden Charcoal Korean BBQ House (Clement/10th) instead. If you're looking for budget friendlier options, try Arang (J-Town) or Shin Toe Bul Ti (Taraval/30th). Or, if you really want to get your money's worth, try Korean Bar-B-Que in San Bruno for their AYCE BBQ for only $21.95!Listed in: GUN BAE B*TCHES!
