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Mon-Wed All You Can Meat $19.95 per. 3 options, unlimited satisfaction. Mon- Fri 11:30-3:30 Lunch Buffet $9.95 per. Come make bibimbap!
Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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strips of red piled high,
delicately sinuous and glistening
after an interlude of
clacking.
a dozen little squares of ban chan
pixel perfect saucer array,
they hold everything:
the bounty of the sea,
briney and cold.
plants and seeds,
sweetness and tart.
weaving their colorful course.
to gaping mouths, staining white
leaving smears.
with time, fire browns meat
then the blackness creeps
under a watchful eye
turning slowly.
eyes crinkle, arms raise
clinking.
gathered round the heat
and anticipation,
we drink deeply
polishing the bottom
of bowls
with our chopsticks.
BOMB. ASS. KOREAN. FOOD.
Don't forget to use the purifier on your way out so you don't smell like a lardass.
Food: 3.5 - though it can be very hit and miss
Service: 2
Ambiance: 2.75 - highly flammable, so take into consideration the humidity factor and windage before you begin your meal
Had dinner here with the boys about 3 weeks ago and this review reflects the overall service & experience. I told the server that I'm *allergic* to chile/peppers/anything "hot" and requested mild (e.g. not angry, volcanic looking kimchee) banchan... doubling down on the blander ones was fine with me.
We ordered:
* green onion pancake (app)
* bim bim bap (Cadet)
* kalbi (Kim D.)
* bulgogi (Caveman)
Our woodburning cook station for some reason was kicking up embers to the point where we almost had to Stop, Drop and Roll - I'm not exaggerating: FIRE was coming up from the grate and landing on our clothes.
In fact, a red-hot ember flew up and landed right under Caveman's right eye... which started swelling and tearing up immediately. He left to go splash cold water on his face and be grateful that he didn't actually burn his eye... but it was right along the lash line - puffy and red for the next 4 days.
It flustered our server to the point where she ran to her supervisor; her solution was to lay lettuce across the grate to prevent the fireworks display... the lettuce for our meal was never replaced, and we couldn't cook our meat until the lettuce was removed.
The Manager (a non-Korean guy) was dispatched to express his concern for the burn that Caveman received from the flying embers. "Please do call and let me know that you're okay," is what he said. Silly me: I thought he was implying he was actually going to step up with an actual gesture that means service...
The short ribs are truly delicious, but I recommend flame-retardant clothing and protective eye gear next time around. I was peeved when the check arrived - IT WAS FOR THE FULL AMOUNT - they didn't even take into consideration the actual INJURY to Caveman's eye.
We ate our food; I wasn't looking for the whole thing to be comped, but... I thought it strange that Caveman's eye had to be extinguished, and they weren't going to do any better than a verbal Hallmark Card's worth of acknowledgement.
I politely asked the manager if I could get a some consideration towards that unfortunate experience - and THEN he asked me which dish I wanted removed. I took Caveman's dish off... which was the mid-priced one, and tipped on what the full tab would be.
I was a bit insulted that we had a bona fide injury during our meal (nobody else's grill was acting up; there was plenty of room and they easily could have accommodated us at another spot) - and then to get the full bill, like nothing happened?
Caveman's eye was rapidly swelling shut; the Cadet was exhausted, and I was slipping into a meat coma. By the time we got home, walked the dog, fed the cats, etc.... I was just too tired to take a shower.
So washed my face, Febreezed my head (I'm not ashamed and it actually works pretty well for those emergency odor-eliminating situations) climbed into some jammies and passed out.
Meat + Fire = Good. Meat + Fire in your eye = not so much.
I am a white girl trapped in Vietnamese packaging. I attribute this primarily to the fact that I am… Read more »
Ok, again, not that the food is amazing or anything, but $9.95 for a lunch buffet?! That's damn good. It is kinda leftover-y and you have to wait at certain points for some foods to be replaced, buuuut for all the food they have, it's a GOOD price. AND a good variety to boot!
They had fish, ddukbbokki, small fried mandoo, japchae, galbi, soondubu, banchan, the fixings for a bibimbap, glazed chicken wings that were delicious, and so so much more. Along with tax and tip, it was maybe $13, but still a good price for an entire lunch buffet I think. Definitely coming back and getting more at some point :D
Ok, maybe this rating is biased from me not having had Korean food in awhile, but I thought this… Read more »
The food was delicious. I greedily ordered the soon dobu for myself, while one of my Korean friends ordered enough kalbi for our table, which consisted of six. I made a weak attempt to share my soup and so my friends declined. I've been craving it all week that I offered it with just the right lack of enthusiasm. My friends got the hint. (I have very perceptive friends.) I loved the side dishes too--lots of them.
The bottles of soju enhanced the meal and may have caused our group to be a little more rowdy than average. The service was typical korean style. They kept the water and alcohol coming.
Quantity over Quality. Reasonable price for a lunch buffet on weekdays. Food was a bit salty but decent for your money. There was a good amount of choices for a Korean Restaurant. They provide free parking. Place was clean.
Overall, this restaurant is okay for your money.
Honestly, this place probably has the tastiest Korean food you're going to find on this side of the Bay. I have yet to come across a dish they didn't make well, and they're generous with the banchan (those little appetizer side dishes) too. Because I judge you, Korean Restaurant X, when your banchan sucks. It's half of the experience! Ohgane's offering is impressive; my favorites are all there: kong namul, kong jang, myulchi bokkum, potato salad, kamja jorim. I generally hoard these and forget about all the others, but there's a good variety (15 dishes or so?).
As far as main dishes go, I'm partial to mool naengmyun (cold buckwheat noodles). They make the broth just right--perfectly balanced, so there's no need to add mustard or vinegar at all.
If I'm getting galbi or chicken (but not necessarily other meats), I prefer that they cook it in the kitchen--as opposed to you cooking it yourself at the table. It tastes better when they do it, you're less distracted during dinner, and your clothes/hair/skin don't smell as strongly of barbecue smoke once you leave.
Downsides:
* Pretty damn costly, unless you're taking advantage of their buffets. Gives you a rare reason to envy LA.
* Poor service, less so if you're Korean, of if they think you're Korean.
Food = really good. I generally like ordering Cold Buckwheat Noodles, which defeats the purpose of going to Korean BBQ restaurants, but the Cold Noodles I had here was one of the best ones I've had.
My bf ordered the Kalbi - delicious. The small dishes that they provide are also very good and composes of a much larger variety than normal.
Restaurant is very large, definitely do not have to wait for seating, especially if you go during lunch time. They also have their own private parking lot, which makes it a lot easier since parking is hard to find around that area. The service is mediocre...not very attentive; but you can't expect too much from Korean ahjummas. They're about the same at any Korean restaurant.
It's good enough. NOT great. Maybe because we didn't go on one of the ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT-MEAT days. Regardless --- the food was good enough.
The service? Not so much. Maybe it was a busy night, then again --- maybe it was just subpar service. Folks were nice enough, but maybe we should have gotten a tutorial on the table buzzer...
What I walked away with was that it's the only pi bim neng myung that I'd go out of my way for and NOT for the meat.
If you're looking for Korean BBQ --- I prefer BROTHERS in SF over this establishment. If you must choose --- nab the PALACE KALBI. Twas tasty, but nothing to fly to the moon for.
Also --- dress appropriately. Do NOT dress in anything that needs to be dry-cleaned. Expect to be reeking of garlic and smoke once you've stepped away from the establishment.
Korean Lunch Buffet for $9.95!
Right?!?
Yes: Korean Lunch Buffet for only $9.95!!!
What are you doing still standing there?!
Right! You might wanna know what $9.95 will get you before journeying out to the East Bay for a cheap lunch.
Along the side of the front dining area is the buffet table lined with trays of your average Korean fare. They get a decent lunch crowd from what I've seen, meaning the trays are turned over quickly enough that your food will still be hot/warm by the time you get it back to your table.
The food: It's what one would typically see on most Korean menu's, and it was all pretty good. Off the top of my head: jap chae, gyoza, sauteed string beans, fried rice, kim chee, sweet chili glazed wings, kalbi, gim bap, tofu soup, and a dish of fried eggs. All were present. The string beans and tofu soup were really good. The jap chae didn't have a lot of the veges that I normally like to pick at, and the wings are hit or miss, but I wouldn't snub Ohgane for it.
If the buffet line doesn't strike your fancy, I hear their bbq and regular menu is pretty bomb at a more inflated price.
Do give it a try.What do you have to lose, for what's a Hamilton these days?
My goodness I overlooked writing a review for my buddy Kangstas, place!
Well everyone already knows I order:
Kalbi x 2
Fish
Tofu Stew
Spicy Pork
I have not had anything I did not like here, the only disappointment I ever had was when they run out of my favorite sorbet flavor! Guava!
I love paid Holidays! I haven't eaten lunch (on a weekday) in the east bay for over a year. I was hesitate to try Ohgane since Leah E. had horrible service here but my bf was raving about how great the weekday buffet was. I figured buffets wouldn't require that much service anyway so I decided to give it a shot. We arrived at 11am ready to chow down for our brunch/lunch of Korean goodness. We found out the buffet actually starts at 11:30am so we had to sit and wait for them to get the food ready. For $9.95, I'd say this place is definitely worth it.
You get beef short ribs, BBQ pork, fried mackerel, grilled chicken, fried potatoes, salad, pot stickers, tofu soup, rice, noodles, etc. The first pieces of ribs were the best. I loved the savory sweet flavor of the meat. However, after a few people go through the buffet line, there were way more pieces of meat with bones and the pickings got a little slimmer.
They also give you an unlimited amount of fried sunny side up eggs! I can make my own bi bim bap and have all the runny yolks I want. The mackerel, pot stickers, and fried potatoes were really good too. I had to stop myself from eating too many pot stickers to save room for the "expensive stuff". The last time I was at a buffet was in Vegas where I spent $30 for one plate of food. Yes, major fail. But even if you aren't that hungry here, you can still definitely get your money's worth for only $10! Now you can eat away without any nagging feelings to eat ten plates of food.
This is the best Korean Restaurant I've been to in either SF or Oakland. I've been hearing about this place and am soooo glad to have finally tried it. They DO serve over 16 ban-chans (korean side dishes), and they are ALL fresh and flavorful.
After reading about the $20 "all you can eat" Korean BBQ special at Ohgane, I was sooooo curious and HAD to try it. I made dinner reservations and was surprised to hear someone answer the phone in perfect English.
Upon arrival I was greeted by a non-Korean gentleman. He was very polite and remembered me from the phone conversation. He was the only non-Asian working there, and I consider Ohgane VERY Korean.
I looked over their extensive menu, and of course wanted to try everythiiiing. They have very specialized Korean dishes, as well as the typical BBQ meats. All good reasons to go back:) I ended up ordering the "all you can eat" BBQ special.
This special is offered on a sperate card (like a flyer).
Basically it goes:
$20 (endless BBQ meat)
Meats include: jumaluk (fresh cuts of beef), kalbi (without the bones), and sangupsal (pork belly).
Special is only offered for dinner on Mon., Tues., Wed.
What did I think of the food? The meats were fresh and marinated nicely. The beef came out first. And I cooked them on an open wooden charcoal grill. When the beef was finished, I rang the service bell to order the pork. A little surprised, it came out on a sizzliing platter pre-cooked. Which was fine, because I was tired of cooking. It may have been nice to be informed of this ahead of time, because sometimes, I reeeeeallllly want to cook it myself.
The service was pretty good for a Korean restaurant. The owner came out and asked me herself, how everything was. I could tell that they really are trying HARD to upgrade their service. And I do appreicate that!!!
Do soju and lit charcoal really mix?
My three friends and I recently shared four bottles of soju at Ohgane. We were spoiled by the servers who cooked for us initially before trusting us to do it ourselves. Once the soju kicked in, I found myself turning raw meat with metal tongs while half our party collapsed in a soju haze.
It's easy to get so lost in your soju induced conversations that you forget to turn the meat on time. Soju aside, I found the beef very tender and flavorful, especially with the lettuce, garlic and special sauces. I didn't get a chance to savor the dessert our servers brought us because my friends practically self-destructed.
Good times.
**This review is for the lunch buffet only**
I came here for a co-worker's birthday lunch. Another coworker had tried this place and said it was reaaaallly good, so we all agreed to try it. I'm very wary about buffets now. As you get older, the metabolism slows down, and AYCE is very hazardous to your waistline.
The buffet had a pretty good selection to choose from( http://static.px.yelp.... ). There were a lot of veggie dishes, so vegetarians can enjoy the buffet as well. Most of the dishes were good, but some of the meats could've been marinated longer. The flavor just wasn't there. The chap chae and pot stickers were good. They even had all the ingredients to make your own bi bim bap, including the fried egg!
The food was decent overall. The best part of my meal was my dessert....freshly cut, cold watermelon....mMmMMm. Another coworker said he'd been there for dinner, and the food was much better. Not sure if I'll be back for the lunch buffet. I just can't keep stuffing my belly anymore....the jeans are getting way too tight. =P
**Lunch buffet $9.95
** Parking....lot on the side and metered parking on the street
Absolutely worth the drive from San Francisco to Oaktown.
Three ladies representing Korea, Japan and Taiwan head over to this place and we ALL love it!
If you are going to go Korean then might as well be the best around. My dear friend (who is Korean) recommended this place. Hands down the best finger-licking Korean BBQ around.
Service was attentive but the Credit Card machine broke and we waited for quite a bit before we decided that cash was better since they were still having problems with the machine.
Go here, come hungry and leave satisfied.
GREAT korean food! Love the free appetizer dishes! There's a lunch buffet option. Not bad, bad all your basic korean foods and then some for $9.95! Super cheap and you definately get more food than you bargained for!
Dinner was pretty good! I normally don't like to complain about the service, but they get pretty busy at night and I seriously think all the waiters ignore you! Even when they walk by and you are yelling at them for attention, they just look the other way. So getting our check was pretty tough...not to mention getting another glass of water was like climbing Mt. Everest.
But all aside, the FOOD IS WORTH IT! :)
Came here yesterday with some friends for lunch. They give you a lot of the complementary side dishes (banchan)...since there was five of us...they gave us double of everything! woohoo! we had a lot of dishes but I'll only review the dishes that I liked:
SEAFOOD PANCAKE: i've had better, but I still liked this one. it was filled with green onions, squid, and shrimp.
BBQ GALBI: really tender marinated beef connected to bone. Came with lettuce wrap.
DUKBOKI: this had really fresh rice cakes...really soft and tender. the buckwheat noodles were really good too and the sauce was delicious. it came with mung bean sprouts that I like :)
There was another dish but I forget what the name of it was...basically it was tender pork pieces marinated in a spicy BBQ sauce w/ sauteed mushrooms and onions. This was delicious!
Oh Gane! Very Korean...It's the typical place where you reek of BBQ when you leave...It's the place where you have a multitude of side dishes..and It's the place where you have that button that chimes the servers to your table. The east bay has much better quality Korean food and service than SF. Oh gane was delightful on a Monday Night. I got to sit and each my galbi, duk man du gook, and korean veg. pancakes while watching MNF. Can't beat that!
tried the ohgane buffet (9.95) 12 -3 again and again i was less than totally wowed.
the 6 banchan tooked fresh but i didn't try any of them this time.
main entrees (8?)
kalbi-basically tasteless
squash dessert: interesting
fried wings: very tasty but is this korean?
-fried rice: didn't try
-soontofu: very tasty and spicy
-sir lan tang? tasted bland
-spicy rice noodle: ok
-chicken something: bland.
- meat something: bland
-fried mackeral: not totally cooked yet, raw breading
-fried fish: very tasty
-japchae: tasted good
panchan:
-food isn't that flavorful, especially the korean standbys,
-best tasting items were not korean: wings, fried fish,
-best tasting korean items-soontofu, squash dessert, japchae.
-good value for plenty of food, taste level not equal, choose wisely.
ohgane is huge with the front section dedicated to buffet (11.30-3) and the back section dedicated… Read more »
SERVICE SUCKS!! zero zero zero stars!!!!
Leah E. I have to totally agree with you ...
My husband and I met our friend who was visiting from Hawaii for dinner ...
The restaurant was not busy when we first got there ... everntually it started to get busy ...
They take our order -- they bring the meat to cook on the table ... I ask the male server "Can we get some plates please" "Ok - he responds..." time passes ... the meat is cooking on the grill and close to being cooked ... press the bell ... "can we have some plates" "ok" responds the older lady ... time passes -- the meat is THOROUGHLY cooked ... press button again ... ugh ... could we have some plates to eat off of please ... there happened to be an empty dish on the table -- she tells me to use that one -- ok ... fine -- i'll use that one - BUT what about the THREE other peeps at the table ... ??? Ok OK ... she says ~ I'll bring the plates -- also .. can we have two rice please? OK ...
More waiting .... finally the dishes come ... where's the rice? We had to ask FIVE different times for rice ... finally on the 5th time ... the guy says -- oh ... it's not yet cooked ... we'll bring it as soon as it's done. WTH! You're a freaking KOREAN restaurant ... RICE and KIMCHEE are a STAPLE ... how could it not be ready??! whatever ... I'm already fuming b/c of the plates ... now this --
We order beer -- she brings it ... opens the bottles -- thank you .... we order more beer ... leaves it on the table UNOPENED ... how the hell are we s'pose to drink it if it's not opened --- did they think we carried our own opener? Press the button ... uh, could you open the beer? We ONLY had to ask 3 times for the beer to get opened ....
SERVICE SUCKS!! but the real kicker is .....
so my hubby's friend paid for dinner ... he asked how much tip we should leave ... uh ... service sucked ... leave 10% .... we really didn't want to leave anything ... but ...
ok - so he leaves 10% on the check ... the older lady server comes by to pick it up ... looks at the amount of the tip ... states it's not EVEN 10% and tells us to FIX IT!! WTF!!! I'm just appalled ... at a LOSS of words ... is she kidding ...???? NOPE she wasn't kidding ... she actually put the check back on the table and told us to fix it.
She's lucky we didn't fix it to ZERO ...
This restauarant gives hard working Korean's a bad name --- I hope that the servers don't pull that shit w/anyone else ...
Of course I said something to the lady who was working the register ... but she told me she wasn't the owner ... I told her what the server did -- and explained that a TIP is not mandatory ... and is based on the service received ... and for the server to demand more is just out right WRONG! I continued to tell her that she's lucky she even got 10% of the bill ... I almost wanted to tell her to give it back ...
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO UTTERLY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS RESTAURANT ....
If you're driving to get to this place .. drive alittle further down the freeway to TOBANG in Santa Clara .... trust me ... you'll thank me for this tidbit of info ... :) TOBANG rocks!! The service is great and so is the food!!!!!
Leah E. don't give up on Korean food ... and peeps ... check out TOBANG ... good service good food good prices ... what more could you ask for!~!
Food was great. We had a very big party so they cooked everything for us an then brought it to us. We got served quiet well for the amount of people we had. Only bad thing that I could remember was we had to askthe waiter a few times to bring us cups. Also, we never got water When we first got into the restaurant.
The tables are built in with buttons where we could push the button to ask for the waiter to come to us. Accidently we repately pushed the button, however they came fairly fast, even though we didn't need it.
For a group of 15-16 we didn't get charged gutility charge on the bill automatically.
I knew we were in for a treat when our Korean friends Randi and Hans drove all the way up from San Jose to bring us to Ohgane. They went to Korea last year and they said this joint is the real deal Holyfield.
Yeah, that's right, up 101, past Sunnyvale's K-town, through the peninsula, over the Bay Bridge, through the streets of Oakland, past some bottomless carwash, http://static1.px.yelp... (look for my review later on) just to eat here - http://static.px.yelp....
We ordered a bunch of items and everything was really tasty.
For some reason I think service/food taste better whenever you or you have people in your party that can speak to the waitstaff in their native language.
The banchans were numerous and plentiful but easily my favorite dish of the night was the unseasoned beef that you cook yourself on the stone grill. http://static.px.yelp....
It's soo good dip when you dip it in this sauce (sesame oil, salt, pepper, a little garlic).http://www.yelp.com/bi..., you can make a little lettuce wrap with it ..http://www.yelp.com/bi.... The rice was super tasty as it had been seasoned with sesame oil and garlic.
I would describe the food at Ohgane as being more simple and clean. The flavors being a little more subtle and authentic. It truly reflects the personality of the restaurant being more on the traditional side.
Seng gal bi - I like this because it doesn't have the bone and it's very beefy, not as fatty, and very tender. http://static.px.yelp....
Topoki - Korean warm noodle dish. A nice warmth from the spice. http://static.px.yelp....
Dessert - This chilled honey rice water was refreshing and reminded me of Mexican horchata. Palate cleanser. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Kim chee chi gee. - kim chee soup, http://static.px.yelp....
Man, I had only intended to write down a few things too and now it turns into a dissertation. But yeah, I'm a fan and I'd go back.
We go in from the wrong door, the front door. Yes, if you don't want to make our mistake, go through the parking lot. That's where the real entrance is. The place is big, bigger than we expected. All I am hoping for is something quick and hot, and perhaps two or three tables taken. Nobody wants to eat at a restaurant as the only table attended to. We walk pass a glass cabinet of liquor; not super top shelf, but they had Johnny Walker Red label. Not too shabby I think. Maybe it's going to be more than $10 bucks. Then they seat us at a table under a bbq vent and present us with a tome-like leather menu . OK, $20 bucks it's going to be. There are eight or nine tables full of people, so I am glad.
We order the "Jahp-chae" and sauteed beef and vegetables, we aren't too hungry, and a large bottle of Hite. Not "hi-te", but "height"; I am corrected by the Korean waitress. We sit for a bit, watching the baseball scores on the Samsung LCD, and the waitress returns with a platter of appetizers. I guess they are trying to outdo the Koreal house? There are 15 mini dishes of ban-chan appetizers, ranging from kimchi and carmelized potatoes to steamed vegetables and seaweed. Not too shabby, and they do go out of their way to explain each one to you.
After the beer came, we just decide to just enjoy the meal. It's been awhile since we had Korean food anyway. The spicy sauteed beef dish is really good, just enough flavor for the beef and authentic kim chi sauces. The Jab-chae can be a bit spicier, but it really complimented the spicy stuff well. They bring out complimentary seaweed soup (much like miso) and a bowl of rice for each of us. That's always nice, rice should always be complimentary. Even when it's costing up to a dollar a pound now.
We talk and eat, and drink some more beer. When the time comes to pay for the bill, I notice a knob on the side of the table. There is one on every table. Might it be a service button? I press it comes a digital "25" on their table monitor and a waitress comes up to us. We tell her we want the check. Amazing, I haven't seen a service bell in the U.S. for a long time. A great feature in Asia, and almost every Japanese restaurant.
We pay for the bill and think of what to do with the leftovers for the night.
Two of us stopped by for lunch and saw a large crowd in the front dining room which featured the buffet. After checking out the choices in the buffet, we went to the rear section which had table service. The menu was extensive. We ordered the pan-fried mackerel, BBQ pork and grilled spicy chicken.
The banchan came immediately and we had a great time sampling the 15 or so dishes. The server brought refills when asked.
The mackerel was cooked perfectly as well as the pork and chicken. Total bill was about $35 with tip.
The owner wrote to me in response to my ZERO star review:
IN A NUTSHELL:
-She apologized.
-She asked for the description and name of our server that evening.
-She offered me a gift certificate for future dining at Ohgane which I appreciated and graciously declined.
-She wrote again after my response and really took responsibility for everything without being defensive. She mentioned that she might hire more staff to reduce the chaos and avoid mistakes. After exchanging messages with Jessica O. (owner), I believe that her apologies were sincere. I will wait for the business to iron out the imperfections and I might give them another try.
Given the efforts made above, I think it is only fair that I change my review from 0 to 3 stars.
HERE IS MY RESPONSE:
Hi Jessica, Thank you for being attentive to the feedback of your customers and for taking the time to contact me about my experience at Ohgane. It is true that my boyfriend and I were very disappointed that evening when we went to your restaurant for the first time.
We felt that we gave a reasonable amount of time to get our drinks and food given that the restaurant was very busy. However, after waiting for almost 40 minutes without drinks or even the appetizer we ordered, we were afraid that we were forgotten by our server. (You asked for her description. We did not get her name but she is an Asian lady in her mid-40's to early 50's. ) I am very sorry to say that she was very, very rude. I understand cultural differences might have played a part but as I stated in my review, not only she yelled at us but she did not give us a fair amount of time to place our order or ask questions. She acted like we were being a nuisance by being there.
You mentioned, "I understand that bad service is not excusable but I hope you understand that on that day, we received large parties that did not make any prior reservations." If you'll allow me, I do not agree with you on that. I believe every customer should count whether he/she is dining alone, a party of 2 or larger.
I believe that was exactly what happened: the large party got served efficiently while my boyfriend and I were just looking on and felt like we were set aside because it was just the two of us instead of a big group or family.
I really appreciate your offer of gift certificate for future dining at Ohgane. It is a very nice gesture but it is unnecessary. I understand that you are a family-owned business and in this tough economy times, every profit counts. No need to send us anything but your apology is appreciated and accepted.
I wish you and your business the best of luck. Honestly, it is difficult to trust a business after having an unpleasant experience but we might try your place again one day. We live in North Oakland and we like to support the businesses in our neighborhood.
JESSICA O, THE OWNER'S PM:
Hi Leah. I'm very sorry that you had such an unpleasant experience at Ohgane. The owners remember that you had left and they sincerely express their apologies. I understand that bad service is not excusable but I hope you understand that on that day, we received large parties that did not make any prior reservations. Regardless, to express our gratitude for your patience and to compensate for your time, I would like to send you an Ohgane certificate. If you also give us a description of who served you (or the name), we will make necessary action I hope you can give us another chance. Thanks. Jessica O.
Owner
48 minutes ago Hi Leah. Once again, I'm very sorry for your experience. If you could email me your address, I'll be happy to send over the certificate. In addition please feel free to send me additional comments and opinions. We would love to hear from you so that we can prevent such circumstances in the future. Thank you and have a great week.
Star: Z E R O !
Here's why:
9 MINUTES: Amount of time BF and I looking like…
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Meh, it's alright. Being korean and loving food with a belly to show for it, I think I'm legit about my ranking of the korean establishments.
When you get there, the front door is the back door and the back door is the front door. It's werid... it's kinda of like using the back door to get into the wonderful land of korean la... i mean korean bbq. HAHA, I almost missed up on that one. The service was good, I liked our waitress, she was uber nice, primpt, and cute. Better than most ahjamoni's at the other places.
What I didn't like was the host carding me. Come on, I'm korean.. your korean, it's all good. What korean restaurant cards? The side dishes... they have a lot of variety... but come on, give us some more. They seriously served 4 pieces of kimchee.... I hate to be one of those customers that have to ask for more lettuce or kimchee or whatever every 5 minutes. I got the spicy pork and marinated galbi... the pork was ok, but the galbi was lacking....It was lacking flavor. When I get my meat, I want it to have that brown tint to it, because it's been soaking in the magical korean juices of soy sauce, sugar, 7 up( white folks: that's the secret ingredient we don't tell you in the recipes), ginger, green onions, garlic)....
In conclusion, it was ok, kinda expensive. Good service, and I would go to samwon next time even though its in the ghetto.
Need I say anything more that hasn't been said already about this place?
Well, we got lucky as first timers here and fell right into a sort of comfort level with the "all you can eat meat" night ($20 per)...you can choose from two different types of prepared, uncooked meats (lightly marinated or bacon type strips of meat or both) from Mondays to Thursdays (?? I'm pretty sure it runs until Wednesday of every week). They advertise an buffet for lunch, which I'm already dying to try.
So, besides the meat...we got the spicy tofu and beef soup (comes with rice). Our meat was served with lettuce leaves to wrap. Hot tea for drinks...
I love the fact that we control how well done our meat will be since we have the bbq grill on our table...vents are right above each table but you still can see the smoke and leave with the smell of Korean bbq on your clothes and in your hair. HMMMM HMMMM good.
I was instantly a fan when I saw all the condiments, pickled and salted items...i think 15 at least.
Worth a second time around to try the other plates, sea foods, meats, soups...and breads.
There's parking for customers and generally good parking around dinner time around that spot. Bring a small party or big, cause the tables are big!
Eat here please!!!
This is probably really "As good as it gets" in North America. The problem with Korean food in N.A. is that they like to put a twist on their dishes so that they would appeal more to the general populous; but this place was very authentic (a lot of the dishes reminded me of my recent trip to Seoul), which was definitely a plus.
The restaurant has a divide, the left (upon entering from the "back" door, which is really their main entrance) side is brightly lit and more noisy -- a more Asian setting, whereas the right side is more elegantly decorated with dimmed lighting, perhaps more appealing to westerners. We were seated on the "American" side, probably because I was not able to speak Korean to them.
The waiter and waitresses were very friendly, although their English skills were somewhat limited, but basic communication was not a problem.
They gave us around 15 plates of banchan (side-dishes) with our BBQ and they were all delicious, but unfortunately, they didn't have (at least as banchan) the raw crab I so loved. We ordered a lot of meat, including kalbi, gogi and some spicy pork cooked in the kitchen. The meats were well seasoned and the waitress was diligent such that we did not have to worry about moving our meat out of the grill before they get dry or burnt. We also ordered a seafood pancake dish, which I absolutely loved. It's probably one of the best Korean pancakes I have tasted in a long long while. We also ordered a seafood ricecake dish, which was average.
All in all, it's a very good Korean BBQ restaurant. *Slightly* expensive, but who cares.
Banchan heaven! I counted no less than 18 different types. The server smirked as she spied my eyes bulging out larger and larger as even more banchan dishes were arranged in front of me. Fabulous!
I needed to celebrate the fact that after years of effort, I finally cleaned out my email. I was so surprised to see an empty inbox, I decided to treat A to some Korean. Oghane is a great place for celebrations large and small. The atmosphere was nice and I did not need a reservation for a 6:30 dinner on a Wednesday. By 7:15, the place was packed.
The menu is huge as are the prices, but I felt the quality of the food was worth it.
*dol sot bi bim bab-This was the best dish I had that evening. The mix of flavors (and most importantly to me) textures was just perfect.
*duck boki-I really like the spicy rice cakes at Koreana Kitchen II, but these were not bad. They were spicier than KK's, and I like spice, but I felt it slightly distracted from the flavor of the rice cakes.
*san gyub sal kim chee boke um-This dish was all right. The bacon in the dish was very tender, but all the saucy goodness made it difficult to see the parts that were fat versus the parts that were meat. I think I will stick with classic pork next time.
The service was friendly. I did not feel like an idiot for not being Korean or well versed in the art of Korean cuisine and etiquette. They were very busy, however, with those customers who ordered food to be cooked at the their tables, so I felt a little ignored. I could have used some more tea sooner. At least one check-in would have been nice. It was awkward trying to flag them down as they raced from grill to grill. That was the only reason I had to give them 3 stars instead of 4.
I can't wait to try them again. I just wish I was close to someone who is more of a Korean cuisine expert. There are so many choices on their menu, it is hard to decide.
This is the first Korean BBQ place I've tried since moving away from LA and the mecca of Korean food in the US, KTown. I tried to temper my expectations because I realize that the Korean food scene isn't as expansive as in LA.
First up, the banchan.
I don't think I've ever gotten so many banchan before! There were like 20 little dishes. So a huge plus for variety. And the kimchi was excellent. But the plates were seriously teeny tiny. We gobbled through them pretty fast, but the staff were very quick about refilling them.
Now for the meat.
We ordered one plate of galbi and one bulgogi. The portions were pretty small, especially given how expensive it was. I've paid $25 bucks for a plate of galbi before, but the meat quality is usually worth the price. It wasn't at Ohgane. The galbi was great. Tender and flavorful. But again, we weren't given a lot of meat.
The bulgogi was flat out not good. The meat was paper thin, which was strange to see and eat. And the flavors weren't there either.
Was also surprised by the lack of chadolbagi
Service was very attentive. A little too attentive. I dislike it when the waiters or waitresses just stand there your entire meal, poking at the meat. Part of the fun of Korean BBQ is grilling your own meat and they kind of robbed us of that opportunity. But still, everyone was super friendly and quick with the service.
It was definitely a good meal. But not great, and definitely not worth $56.00 for two people. We left still a little hungry, which was the first time that's ever happened after Korean BBQ. Usually I leave stuffed to the brim and with the smell of meat radiating from my skin. If the cost was $10-$15 cheaper, I would give this place another star.
I had the BBQ chicken, bul go gi, jab chae, and bi bim bab
Pros: The BBQ chicken and bul go gi were very tasty and not too salty. The jab chae was amazing as well - lots of toppings! I just wish it were larger! The bi bim bab was crispy and flavorful. I was also impressed with the number of side dishes
Cons: A bit pricy, particularly the barbequed meat. Unfortunately our grill was broken so we couldn't cook our own meat
I was very impressed with my meal - I will definitely return!
Pros:
-Large amount of side dishes
-Good quality BBQ
-Good service
Cons:
-Pricey
-Portions could have been bigger
-Bi Bim Neng Myun wasn't very good
IT WAS THE WORST SERVICE I EVER EXPERIENCED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD GIVE IT A ZERO STAR IF THERE WAS THAT OPTION!
I NEVER felt the need to write a yelp review until now. It was so TERRIBLE that I needed to warn others away from this place.
We were recommended to the restaurant because a friend told us that it was good and my friend wanted a birthday dinner at a korean restaurant.
We went to the restaurant with 9 people in our group yesterday night on Saturday. They had a table for us and they gave us a few menus and only 1 pitcher of water. The pitcher of water only filled 7 cups of the 9 cups.
We tried to flag people down but when they made eye contact with us while we flagged, they TURNED THEIR HEAD AWAY AND IGNORED US. One of us got fed up and went up and got the menus for us.
WE WAITED FOR MORE THAN 20 MINUTES while flagging but we were not serviced. We seriously were about to walk out the restaurant.
When the waiter finally came to us, he rudely asked "CAN I HELP YOU??"
Yes! We want to place our order. We, then, asked the FIRST time if we can get water and extra plates. He said "Yes" and walked away.
It took awhile for the food to come out and the side dishes didn't come out until the actual meals came out too. When the food came to us, we asked a SECOND TIME for plates and water. They said yes and walked away.
We already had some of the food, so we were tired of waiting for plates so one of us got up on his own and retrieved plates.
More food came and we asked a THIRD TIME FOR WATER, then we actually received a pitcher of water.
The food was actually good, the only thing that wasn't quite right about the food was the soft tofu stew that was supposed to have beef, seafood, and tofu in it but only had 1 clam and a lot of tofu.
After the meal was done and we received our check, we saw that they overcharged us with a soda that we did not order. We had that fixed. We decided that the service was so bad, that we should not give a tip. Then we thought, if we didn't put a tip down, they might think we forgot. So instead, we put a penny down to make a point that the service was bad.
We left the establishment and were walking to our cars when a woman from the restaurant rushed to us and started questioning us!!!!!
She had a stern look on her face and said "SERVICE NO GOOD???"
We had the nicest people in our group calmly explain to her exactly why the service was not good. B/c if it was me, I would've started shouting.
But the worst thing is, she didn't even want to hear about the bad service!! IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EXPLANATION, SHE JUST TURNED AROUND AND STORMED AWAY. NO APOLOGY, NO "customer is always right" HORRIBLE!! AND THE AUDACITY TO CHASE AFTER US
If you want a tip, then you should train the staff to provide better service. If you are not even willing to listen to the explanation, then that means you don't even care about about the service!!!
I've noticed that the smaller tables who sat down after us had better service. The waiters and waitresses were nice to turn over the meat for them and to grab a new grilling plate. But, once they see a big table like us, it felt like we were too much work and they didn't want to serve us.
Even weirder was that another big table came in after us, and they even had better service. So, I don't understand!!!
The ONLY redeeming feature of the restaurant is the food. The food was good, the service was definitely not. NEVER EVER GO THERE!
PRO:
* Food is pretty good
* Very comfortable place for large family gatherings
* Easy parking in the lot or on the street in front of the restaurant
CON:
* Pricey
* Service is mixed; either very good (very attentive/responsive throughout the meal) or not so much (e.g., losing our reservation)
alternatives: Seoul House in Oak's Chinatown is less comfy but with good food and cheaper; best Bay Area K-food right now is in Concord: Korean BBQ Plus!
caveat: once met one of the owner's kids; he was a great golfer and a good guy
Note: This restaurant is only 2 blocks away from the main Oakland Kaiser Hospital. I visited on a Thursday for lunch and decided to try the all-you-can eat buffet, even though I don't normally have much for lunch. Great food at a good price ($9.95), but what really impressed me was the courteous and efficient service and the very positive attitude of the manager. This place is large enough for one or two group functions at once - there's a banquet room upstairs - and I have no doubt that the staff would be up to the task. Definitely a place I'll go visit again, perhaps next timewith my boss and our team.
Oh*My*GOD*gane!
What a nice spot to go and enjoy a dinner, I bet even a lunch, and do it with a ton of your friends/family.
Everything I had here was pretty damn good. I have had better but I must say this place is at the top of my lists of places to check out locally in the town. The BBQ is what you'd expect from any good Korean joint but more importantly, the Korean blood sausage was the best I've ever had.
Been here several times and each time, I have not been disappointed. I usually get the Korean BBQ dinner set which includes the Kalbi, a bean paste soup in the middle of dinner and an ending with a cold noodle soup (the best part!). The place is clean and average price for Korean BBQ in the Bay Area. I took my good friend and his wife there as well and they loved it! I will definitely keep coming back!
Friday, 7:00PM.
Despite it's bad location (limited parking and heavy construction adjacent), this place gets packed fast. This place is huge, lots of tables and grills, obviously set up for groups.
Our party of 8 was having one last ssssshhhhheeeebang for a few colleagues graduating and leaving the area. We were some hungry mofos and needed some serious grub.
We ended up dropping $30 each, a bit pricey, but the food was good and we were all full.
+ Clean restaurant, good layout: didn't have the feeling of being cramped
+ Flavorful food
+ Palace yang nyum gal bi: ribs are well seasoned
+ Soon tofu chi ghe: clam was a nice twist to the spicy beef
+ Seafood pancake: whoa, seafood meshes well with the batter
- Slow service
Final Service:
More expensive than Jong Ga but more food. It's not necessarily better...I'd alternate between the two when craving authentic Korean BBQ (or at least their versions of it).
Came here for a girlfriend's birthday dinner. Ordered tons of food ranging from japche, kimchi jige, bibimbap, sauteed chicken to kalbi and bulbogi BBQ. Every dish was amazingly delicious!!!
I couldn't believe how many side dishes they gave us like 1...2...4...6...12...16 total.
I like their service system. There's a buzzer on the table for you to buzz the waitresses whenever you need something. They come fairly quickly after the buzz. The birthday girl loved sitting next to the buzzer.
I love Korean food and I ate at many Korean restaurants on El Camino in Santa Clara. I thought those were the best, but this is my new favorite Korean restaurant. I would come again...definitely!
Oakland, CA
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Temescal
Category: Korean
Oakland, CA
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Temescal
Category: Korean
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