Ilbunjee #1 - Pojangmacha

 

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120

Hooray C.

San Francisco, CA

I'm sad to say that I have no idea what I ate because one of my Korean friends took care of the ordering for me. The service, for an Asian establishment, was above average. The food was also unbelievable, but this could be due to the fact that I had nothing to eat the whole day. We had a party of 9, and although our tables were small, this helped us socialize more intimately over our communal meal.

Our party was extremely loud, but the owners seemed amused by our obnoxious antics (random screaming, showcasing the latest dance craze on a chair, excited whispers about the dirty tapes we saw at the liquor store next door, loud descriptions of genitals). I love places with owners as tolerant as they were.

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56

66

Irene S.

San Francisco, CA

Another good hole-in-the-wall spot in the south bay if you want some Korean meat grilling action. It's best to go in groups of 4 or more since most of the items require a 2 order minimum, and you'll get to try more things on their menu. We ordered the combo plate which consisted of beef and pork. The meat was fresh and those sam gyup sal slices were nice 'n thick! I wanted to try some of their fried rice dishes that come out in a huge sizzling stone pot and portable gas stove, but with the 2 order minimum it would have been way way gluttonous.

Yay to the food, mint green walls, and having Bath & Body Works soap & lotion stocked in the bathroom.

Nay though for having to play the "Where's the ajuma?" game for 10 min when we needed our check.

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Elite '08

1143

825

Connie C.

Cupertino, CA

If you aren't Korean, I suggest that you come here with someone who is so that they can order properly and shout across the room in Korean to the servers for more beer, food, utensils and what not. It helped tremendously,  and when I sat there with a blank look on my face when the server spoke to me in Korean, my friend was able to immediately translate for me.

When looking for this "hole in the wall" pojangmacha - tented street vendor in Korea - look for the big neon #1, the rest of the sign is in Korean. Be prepared to smell like bbq smoke for the entire night, so wear your non-dry clean only clothes. Also, build up a big carnivorous appetite, because this is no nonsense grubbing.

The 7 of us left it up to the veterans to order. First, we had bottles of soju and Hite beer for the table, and a nice spicy soup, along with banchan. Minutes later, a huge platter of meats were brought over and the grilling began. Various cuts of pork and beef sizzled on the grill: pork belly, sirloin steak, thin slices of ribeye - all delicious. I'm sure there was more. It was a big meat fest. We had two grills going, and we managed to eat every last piece of meat.

I think I've eaten enough meat for the rest of the week. Going to have a vegetarian lunch now.

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6

28

sophia c.

Los Angeles, CA

awesome awesome food.  -1/2 a star because i thought it sucked that there was a two order minimum for some of the items.  i mean, what if you come as a pair and want rice AND meat?  and -1/2 a star for crappy parking.  w/e.  

anyway, everything came out very very fresh.  the seafood.  the MUSHROOMS!  the pork belly.  the grilled slab of tenderloin meat.  oh my goodness that was some tender meat.  and the panchan was different too.  the candied nuts plus anchovies and small shrimp was extra yummy.  i would definitely go back there again when i have the chance to.

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Elite '08

134

299

Sooj O.

San Francisco, CA

The morning after eating a meal here, I thought I had died and gone to meat heaven.  

I think that was the side effect of my skin smelling like beef and pork belly after an evening of sitting around a little propane griller with several different kinds of meat sizzling away, including beef brisket, rib eye steak (yes, the whole thing...thankfully, they came by and cut it for us midway through grilling...we were all puzzled as to how to eat it), pork belly, and I think kalbi was the last cut.

None of the meats were marinated.  With meat this good, you don't need a marinade...just some dipping sauces, sohjou, and banchan.  This is a pojangmacha, meaning that it's not about the banchan as in the larger affair Korean restaurants.  Really, it's just about hanging out with your drink, some meat and a soup dish.  The banchan is bare bones here, as it's meant to be...a couple of different kimchees, some baby candied anchovy with baby whole shrimp (yes, whole, meaning unpeeled...you eat it all), the ubiquitious Korean potato salad, and some julienned radish.  Of course, we also had the napa lettuce leaves, sliced peppers and garlic to wrap up the meats.

For the soup, we had the fishcake soup.  Fishcake soup is...fishcake soup.  Kinda hard to mess it up.  Next time, I want to try something different and more unique.  The oyster/tofu soup caught my eye...next time, for sure.

Service is brisk and businesslike.  And given that the four Koreans at the table were practically illiterate in Korean, we communicted more by the point method than anything else.  Given that, service was quite friendly to us...and they didn't make fun of my Korean (which is what really counts!).

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Elite '08

448

299

omar b.

Santa Clara, CA

i came here with a bunch of koreans...my ancestors are thankful to korea for providing us buddhism and a writing system.  what i appreciate most is how korean spots that are really good- like 85% of the joints in the southbay, are all signed up only in hangul with no damn subtitles--how the hell am i supposed to decipher that #1restaurant is ilbunjee pojangmacha??

i swear i drove in circles trying to find this spot- euge was laughing at my sorry ass-- even with a GPS...a**hole!

the food is a meatlover's dream.  henry rocked at serving and explaining how i should be dipping my meat in the various sauces, yeah that sounds nasty...my bad.

before even pouring our first drop of soju, irene was talking about playing some drinking game called titanic...it was a weekday and i wasn't interested in feeling all crappy so declined.  yes iam a kitty-kat.

like connie said, a translator is mandatory.  

man, i freaking passed out from the food coma i experienced after the gorge-fest.  plenty parking on the street, so don't fret that the lot is all full...

what iam most thankful to koreans for are hawties like...
http://www.pestaola.gr...

omfg.  i recognize that face...no way..is it possible??!!
http://video.google.co...

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Elite '08

181

616

Dave K.

Sunnyvale, CA

Went here with The Girl a few nights ago as we were both craving Korean BBQ.  Soondubu and Korean BBQ are two completely different things and need separate gustatory attention.

Pretty much every review of this place was glowing, and it did not disappoint.  This is pretty much as Korean as you'll get in the US, even moreso than Gooyi Gooyi.  It really helps to know Korean here.  We got there at 6:15pm and it was empty, but by the time we left at 7:30pm it was totally packed.

Like most BBQ places, you have to order at least 2 meat orders.  We ended up getting the combo with 2 beefs (brisket and tenderloin, I think) and sampgyupsal (pork belly).  Someone mentioned that they cook everyone's meat, which is not true.  They cooked the initial tenderloin then left us to our business.  As we looked around the restaurant (which only holds about 30), that was pretty much the case at all tables, and I think The Girl was the only non-Korean in the joint.

Like most Korean places, it's expected to just yell when you need assistance, and you'll have to do that because they have a small staff.  But they're very quick to replenish what you need.  The meat is pretty good quality and the variety of banchan is not huge but it's definitely interesting.  They even have this little fishcake soup that most places don't have for a starter.

Ilbunjee qualifies as a hole in the wall, and it excels when you come in with this mentality.  As expected, for 2 the price will be about $40-$50 since you're required to order 2 meat orders in order to get any.

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11

178

Katherine L.

Santa Clara, CA

I had the filet mignon.  I came here under the assumption that I would be able to cook my meat to my liking.  I wanted to cook it myself, but instead they brought the meat in, already cooked on a hot metal plate.  I like my meat more on the rare side, so I had to take one of the side dishes, dump it into another dish and dump all the meat into that dish to stop the meat from cooking.  Since there wasn't enough room in one dish, I had to take another side dish dump the contents into another one and use that dish.  Having to do that irritated me.  It wasn't worth the $28.

The side dishes were okay, nothing special.  It was an interesting flavor though...the lettuce, meat, rice and sauce wrapped together.

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6

62

henry n.

New York, NY

This place was so hard to find! But worth the search. I was driving around its vicinity looking for Ilbungee #1 Pojangmacha and could not find it. Finally i realize that the big #1 sign was the restaurant. When i opened up the door i got a whiff of the K-BBQ. Also saw a bunch of ppl just drinking a ton.
I didnt really know what to order so the waitress recommended a couple things to me. The meats they have here are so fresh and juicy. I would recommend the sirloin steak!! Its not like conventional Korean restaruants where the meat is already marinated. This place gives you unmarinated meat and a sauce you can dip in. Super flavorful!!! i ended up pigging out on the food becuz my mom and GF werent too hungry. i pretty much ate a whole combo plate. Ppl should definently try this place out.

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Elite '08

335

1127

hen a.

San Francisco, CA

"pojang macha" in santa clara?!$#%?....cold 'n' rainy night....dreamin' of gizzards...odeng 'n' cheap "seoul" food.....arrival and findin'......wth#!%#.....where's the tent?%#?......where's the blue/orange tent?%?!?.....fake~!!%....fraud~!#....

clean 'n' typical "strip mall", plaza, korean restaurant in the santa clar'....not a real "pojang macha"...parking lot far too small to accomodate....open of doors 'n' mini-metal oil drum tables surrounded by standard chairs (not plastic stools or benches...a disappointment).....portable butane buners...iron funneled skillet top...drainage hole for grease to bowl...quick tossin' of menu....pricing similar to standard korean bbq restaurants......but still offering gizzards, roughly chopped meats, stews 'n' such.....free dented yellow tin pot of tempura soup with a spicy kick....banchan (sidedishes) plenty....soju 'n' beer free flowing....yellin' for more shot glasses, beers, soju, rice, water 'n' spoons....at time a self serve of napkins and extra utensils.....

conclusion..not really a true outdoor tent 'n' stools "pojang-macha" experience...in korea, spending $ten for full meal and over indulgence of drinks.....in santa clara "pojang-macha", spending $twenty five per person for fulll meal and very "light" drinkin'......

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Elite '08

44

121

Cindi N.

San Jose, CA

if you're like me...looking for a place called Ilbungee #1 Pojangmacha....good luck, you'll never find it....if you look for #1, you'll find a small place tucked in a corner.

we came and it was pretty empty on a weekend at 9 pm. hesitantly, we ordered a BEEF platter, with 4 types of beef. it came with fish cake soup which was pretty flavorful and good since it's cold outside. the meat was impressive. especially the rib eye steak and the filet mignon. they were sooo soft that melts in your mouth.

it was our first time, and since the place was almost empty. the waitress cooked our food for us...goes to do her things in the kitchen while we finish up the meat, then comes back just in time to cook other types of meat for us. that was a very nice gesture.

we started wrapping our meat in lettuce, but she stopped us...saying that the good meat should be enjoyed alone with sauce only. good idea. :)

we also ordered the oyster soup (because i love oyster and from what i've read in Grace's review) it sounded pretty good. it was pretty good. no fat, no msg. the meat, on the other hand....left a half bowl of fat. ugh.

waitress made a point to tell me that there's no msg in their food. i have respect for them right away.

we had no problem conversing with the waitress...she spoke enough english for us to understand her....she recommend the right stuff to order. we'll definitely come back again.

oooooooooooooh another plus to this place is that the bathroom has bath & body handsoap....and lotion (pineapple scent....my current favorite). fancy.

they open 'til midnight.

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0

17

Mr. H.

Palo Alto, CA

I love ambience of this place.. it's a korean style street-pojangmacha. I usually eat "prime serloin" and it is the best serloin in sunnyvale & santa clara. juicy and tasty. I've been to many korean barbeque restaurants in sunnyvale & santa clara area, and this place offers the best quality meat. Almost all customers are korean.

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Elite '08

287

331

Grace K.

San Francisco, CA

This place is more commonly referred to as "Pojangmacha" rather than their DBA "Ilbunjee" or "#1" place.  The term "pojangmacha" refers to the old and shabby blue/white tents that were commonly placed all over Korean cities where people had access to cheap drinks, cheap comfort foods as well as appetizers, noodles, etc. while sitting at a metal table on a probably wobbly stool or bench.  Just as is the case with many things in life, things of days gone by have acquired a sort of novelty now, and eating in this fashion (which was originally for those who could never afford a restaurant) has become a cool way of eating/drinking.

I have frequented this place since the week it opened, and have been loyal to this establishment even to this date.  Great owners, terrific food, and really good atmosphere in which to chat, catch up, drink, and eat some good food.

They bring to your metal tables a burner and grill on which you will be grilling your meat.  There are ample side dishes including a nice potato salad, kimchi and bean sprouts as well as a mini-shrimp thingie with your share of garlic/peppers, and "ssam" which is a variety of lettuce.  They always serve you "o-daeng guk" first, which is a fishcake soup, which is a perfect chaser if you're drinking soju (as well as being terrific when you're freezing).  Sidenote:  this soup was perhaps one of the most common servings in the real "pojangmachas".

Then your meat is brought out.  #1 is has mostly non-marinated fresh meats that you grill at your table and dip into specific sauces that are provided for you.  This is not the same as the galbi you get at other BBQ houses, but rather just plain fresh meat.  Some of the choices you have are ribeye, galbi sans marinade, "heuk dwaejee dam gyub sal" which is pork belly, and even "chun gyub sal" which means 1000 layered pork belly (actually less fat than the 3-layered, go figure), rather than the other variety which means 3 layers.  All of them are good.

You dip the cooked meat into the sauce.  Place it into a big piece of lettuce, add a piece of roasted or raw garlic, add a pepper, put a dab of soy bean paste in, as well as some green onions, wrap it all up and CHOW DOWN.  Take a sip of soju and start all over again.  :-)

#1 also brought in some interesting seafood items, all raw.  First is something they call "Pan Jogae" - which is actually a sliced raw scallop variety.  REALLY yummy eaten totally raw, or even slightly roasted on your grill.  They also frequently have live "haesam" (sea cucumber) and "mung-gae" (forgive me, I have no idea what this is called in English).  These two are more acquired taste but perfect companions to Soju, in any case.  Served fresh, chilled and absolutely delicious.  They always let me know when they get a great batch in - and I don't hesitate for a second before I order more than we can consume.  (Hint:  get there before I do if you want any!)

Another item I usually order, or the owners will often give me as "service" since I am always there and have perhaps taken more business there than anyone in history, haha - is "Gool Tofu-tang".  This is an oyster/tofu soup, extremely light, slightly spicy and so refreshing - - definitely worth a try is you like oysters and/or tofu.

This is not a fancy restaurant, and given the definition I provided above of what "pojangmacha" actually refers to, that is no surprise.  Dress code is completely casual - perfect to go to after a game of golf, or just as a dinner after a lazy day.  What this restaurant provides is a totally relaxing environment in which guys and girls alike can hang out and eat good food while getting toasty on soju.  Some only have a shot or two while here, and others will leave more intoxicated than they have ever been due to the good aura of #1 and still, others don't drink at all and come solely to eat.

Whatever you choose to do, if you like meat, you are sure to enjoy making this establishment one of your favorites.  It's definitely a place that you can call a "home away from home", you feel it the  first time you enter - and before you know it, you find yourself craving the food there.  It's as authentically Korean as you will get in the Bay Area, for sure.

As a sidenote, the clientele is generally all Korean.  People can get a bit loud or rowdy amongst themselves as they drink too much, but that is rare.  

FYI - they are closed on Sundays.... it's such a bummer that all of my favorite places are closed on Sundays!!  I can't tell you how many times I used to drive out to these restaurants only to scream in horror when I notice the dimmed out signs.  "WHAT?  NO POJANGMACHA FOR ME TODAY?"  It's like my whole world falls to pieces.....as I begrudgingly try yet another substandard restaurant in lieu of my favorite place due to my hunger pangs.....

For people who eat sparingly, it will cost about $25pp.  If you order like me, the sky is the limit....

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17

34

Joe Y.

Mountain View, CA

The only reason this place doesn't have more positive reviews is that the most of the regulars here would probably only yelp if they could in Korean...  This is your classic meat and soju joint - where the asiatic business man goes after a late day at the office to eat meat and have a few too many drinks with his ace team.

The meat quality here is top notch and that's why this place remains popular.  The cuts of meat always seem somehow more flavorful and better marbelized than other meat joints.  The soup that they serve in the tin pot is surprisingly good along with the sparse but tasty side dishes.

But don't think about taking your lady here for a nice date.  The place is small, parking is bad, and your dog will want to eat your shirt after you get home because it smells like what you had for dinner.  This is more like the place you go to after a round of golf.

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Elite '08

660

525

euge l.

San Francisco, CA

i really miss korea. the food, the women, the drinking, the women, the food, the women, the drinking, the women.

in korea, the food is amazing. they have neighborhoods entirely dedicated to certain dishes. some of my favorite places in seoul....

the suh suh kalbi neighborhood,  *literally standing up kalbi* named for the famous converted oil drum tables, where you stand around it, picking at juicy, INCREDIBLE pieces of meat.

the duk bok khee alley in bundang.....see pics, enough said

the kae jang (raw marinated blue crab) neighborhood.....

oh good lord, im about to tear up

so why all this reminiscing? went down to santa clara to eat at ilbunjee. after reading irene ss and jane ys review, im like i HAVE to try this place. holy crap, this is so me. soju and meat?!?!?! come on.

so i drive down to meet the aforementioned hotties there. holy crap, ive been here before, dood this place is awesome. damn cloudy memory of mines.... yeah so, this place, its not cheap. pojang machas, a tent restaurant, is what they try to emulate and food wise, they do. but in korea, the pojang machas, you can literally feed a table of five with a 20. here, each serving is about a 20. no worries.

the food itself is excellent. they too have the converted oil drum tables, but they also have seats. the service, ehhh. i was asked to use my inside voice, so no koreanangrymaneuge voice. however, quick tip. around koreans, and especially in korea, you cant be timid..... *cough* (channeling russel peters) BE A MAN. you dont ask for things in places like this you politely demand things.

"no, were not mad, thats just the way we talk. "

the menu? all sorts of pork belly, beef -- ribeye steak, marinated ribeye, thinly slices fatty ribeye..... some soups and soju and beer.

*how funny, some messican JUST posted on a thread, how hard can making korean food be, marinate some beef, grill it and get drunk. hahaha. hello luis.*

so yeah, eat, drink, be merry, then next morning go to your job and be miserable, smiling on the outside, dying on the inside.... then eat, drink, be merry..... its the korean way!!!!! woohoo!!!

too bad this place is soooo far from the city. hmmmm anyone want to open a place like this with me? im serious. this would do very well.

edit : fare bit of advice, this aint even close to what most of you would think is a bareboned, no decor korean restaurant. when i say bareboned, i mean NOTHING. no ventation. nothing on the walls except a few specials written in korean. they bring out portable propane grills, you get covered in smoke, fat pops off the grill constantly........ such a good time.  BRING A KOREAN WITH YOU. no seriously, its pretty much mandatory, although their menu DOES have english translations.

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32

93

Bernard M.

Palo Alto, CA

Korean food in the Bay Area sucks.  Mediocre at best, but this place is solid.  Grungy, dirty but good meat and stews. Great place to grill meats and drink soju with friends that don't care if you're in gym shorts, ripped t-shirt, and a greasy face.

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25

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patty l.

Sunnyvale, CA

I thought I was going to be the first to write a review for #1... arrghhhh... guess, I am not #1.  My bf is Korean, and when we just started dating, he took me here... my first impression was like...are you kidding me?  Out of all the good Korean restaurants in the South Bay, you take me to this ghetto place?  This is definitely not the best spot to take your date; imaging men crossed their legs on the chair with no shoes on, group of men smoking outside, room filled with business men, drunk men...etc.   I immediately downed a few shots of soju to get myself buzzed.  Maybe the soju worked or smell of the bbq or the sesame oil dipping sauce.  I instantly fell in love with this place, and knew this guy (my bf) is a keeper.  How can you not like a guy who can work the grill and fan away the smoke for you!?  Good choice honey!  Now that I like #1's non-marinated meat so much, I don't even eat Kalbi anymore.  The meat is so fresh, tender, and you can "actually taste the meat rather than heavily marinated sauces"!  Get the bbq meat combo here...it's a great deal!  I love taking my friends here, and look how their facial expression changes before and after the meal.

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Elite '08

437

507

Irene S.

San Francisco, CA

SEXISM
MEAT

There.  Those are my tags.  If that doesn't interest you, move on.  

K-Twiggy and I met up for dinner on a weeknight.  Where should we go?  Cafeoohlalatrendy?  Chezpretty'npink?  Nah...  

Meat.  Soju.  Tent.  That's how we roll.  So Ilbunjee #1 isn't actually a tent, though they call themselves a pojangmacha.  What it IS, in fact, is a hole in the wall.  A nice sort of dump, shall we say.  It's like a drug lord office d/b/a copy services shop that got ransacked by the [insert name of corrupt city here] PD and this jolly 'ol Korean owner marched right up, threw up a few hand-written poster paper menus, folding chairs, cardboard tables and portable gas grills and decided to make a business of it like it ain't no thang.  I can almost hear my mom's scolding voice, "A lady doesn't eat like a dog!"  Well, momma hasn't seen lifestyles of the rich and famous puppy food like the stuff at Babies in Hayes, but that's another review.  Actually, even my cousins IN Seoul won't touch the tent businesses for fear of contracting hepatitis.  While I can't speak to the disease factor of Ilbunjee, I can say this:  the tender beef and pork combo is BLISS.  The combos come with odeng guk (fishcake soup) as "service", and the banchans are average.  

Based on meat alone, it'd be 5 stars, but I have a bone to pick with the ajumah hostess/server.  K-T and I were the only female clientele and everyone orders the same thing:  beef.  So I notice as we're waiting for our order, this ajumah is going around to all the ajushi/business mens tables grilling their meat, and I'm thinking to myself, "sweet, full-service!"  Moments later, our tray of pork bellies and dungshim arrive and this ajumah turns right around and sits her flat korean booty behind the cashier and proceeds to read a magazine.  Hello...Yoboseyo?  I'm a woman!  I have rights!

Did she treat us differently because we're women, and since she's a woman, she's thinking, "Psh, if I have to grill, they gonna grill.  Handle it!"  Who knows, perhaps she was tired, but I thought the whole thing was awfully rude and presumptuous.  You know what really kills me though?  I still left a 15% tip.  Sigh.

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72

131

bennet a.

San Jose, CA

this joint has been my favorite in south bay to get together with friends after a round of golf and enjoy soju shots with pork belly bbq sizzling on your table.  they have a variety of bbq meat to try.  i love the complimentary odeng-tang in a beaten-up nickel silver pot.

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Jane Y.

Fremont, CA

how magnificent that irene's review was ROTD today as me and this hot chica had our date here last night!

we may look dainty (ok, maybe not so much me) but we can definitely roll, drink, and grub like the men *roar*! this was absolutely the perfect place to park our ghetto fab korean arses to drink, eat and catch up! i was thoroughly surprised that our meat was so tender and yummy and all the banchans (side dishes) that came along w/ it were surprisingly good!

i cannot believe that i haven't been here before and now that i have, i will be a frequent customer, just like them ajushi's. one of irene's vp's actually came by our table w/ soju in hand to drink and badger the poor girl on what you ask....yup, getting hitched! sigh..at least they were nice enough to pick up the tab for us...one good quality of a korean male. =P

irene: always a good time w/ you...see you at pojangmacha!

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