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Mon., Wed-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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When it comes to Korean food, I am undoubtedly convinced that the San Jose/Santa Clara area has the corner on the market, but suddenly, out of no where, I discover a little pocket in Oakland that convinced me otherwise. Just off of 51st and Telegraph is a quaint, short block of Korean restaurants, one of which provides wonderful service and delicious fare. Sahn Maru and it's staff literally bring you into their home and treat you like you are family. I was quite impressed with the level of service and am slightly taken aback by the fact that I am raving about service at an Asian restaurant, but I suppose that's just me being an ignorant, racist diner. Putting the wonderful dinner service aside, the host opened with meeting us at the door and even escorted us out and opened the door for us. That was truly service!
To match the service, the food was brought out at lightning speed and upheld all my standards for great Korean food. The pan chan was diverse and plentiful and when we asked for seconds, was granted. They had my two favorites, which are buk (looks like almond jello), and the sesame oil seasoned seaweed. Sahn Maru also carried my favorite grilled mackerel dish with was executed perfectly. Their grilled meat selection is typical and delivers in both the flavor and tenderness departments. Unfortunately, my family's tastes weren't bold enough, or I would have tried the black goat special. I suppose I'll save that for a future visit that was well deserved and earned by the great service provided here.
Here's the thing: I love Korean food but Korean food hates me. I don't even care if Korean food wrecks my delicate tummy. I love it that much.
Went here and got the set meal, aka "Dinner A". I know, totally generic but I was really hungry and couldn't make any decisions. We received plenty of banchan - the anchovies and the spicy cucumbers were my favorite.
We also ate:
Jap chae - delicious, with lots of veggies.
Bulgogi - again, delicious (except they serve it to you already cooked, which is a bummer if you're a big DIY Korean bbq person. Luckily I just want it to taste good so I don't really care).
BBQ Chicken - totally delicious and moist.
"Original" tofu soup - spicy, thick and super delicious.
Everything was delicious. Trust me. The portions were also really generous. If you go to Sahn Maru and order Dinner A, make sure you're either famished or eat like a horse.
Service was good too. Not too obtrusive, friendly, good with refills, etc.
P.S. I really enjoyed the ginger digestive drink we received at the end of the meal. It was cold and refreshing - it cut right through all the spicy foods nicely.
OMG. I love this place. Back when I used to visit my sis in oak-town, our pick-a-dinner-spot routine would oftentimes play out like this:
Sis: What do you want for dinner tonight?
Me: Um... [face smiling, eyes glimmering]
Sis: You want Korean don't you?
Me: Well, if that's what you want.
She reads me like a book. In our family, "Korean" means Sahn Maru.
At a glance, Sahn Maru's decor is a tad bit quirky. Large flat screen playing Korean shows, dolls hanging off the walls, and nude sculptures. Yup, I said it, nude sculptures. But really, who is there to glare at the walls? So anyways... Onto the food...
This place has one of the best sundubu jjigae I've ever had! It rivals the stuff I used to have when I lived in SoCal. Right amount of flavoring and spice. I can have this stuff every single night. I might not be healthy, but I'd probably die happy. Side dishes are very generous and yummy. BBQ squid is wonderfully delicious! BBQ Eel is heavenly! Seafood pancake is so very tasty! I don't recall ever having anything bad here.
Excellent service. Excellent food. Entertainment on the wall. What more could you ask for?
News flash: for those who think SF is the mecca of all ethnic cuisine, just try and step to Oakland's Koreatown. This Telegraph strip houses no fewer than a dozen kimchi restaurants; the challenge is in finding the right one. Like Goldilocks, I dabbled in a few non-committedly and am now proud to declare I've found one where the temperature is just right.
The first twenty minutes I ignored the Check Please plaques, determined not to let some baekin accolades taint my perception. The banchan came out in a glorious parade: everything from fish cakes to anchovies, bean spourts and kongbu soup. Then I started slurping the finest sul lung tang soup in the west, served with a side of sea salt and redolent of green onions. The broth was milky white, the product of hours of several stages of boiling, the brisket firm and rich. It tasted like Korean grandma.
Looking around, I realized that's probably who the proprietress was. There was traditional art and embroidered seat cushions, for crying out loud. Even the Mexican kitchen folks spoke halting Korean. No wonder my seafood bi bim bap was stellar.
Stick to the classics (not BBQ), order them spicy, and enjoy the ride.
What a pleasure for my tastebuds! I'm slowly expanding my tastes for korean food outside of korean bbq but before I try anything I don't know in an unfamiliar restaurant, I have to first see how they make my favorites. Can I just say that Sahn Maru passed my preliminary taste testing with flying colors?
1. Gal Bi: YUM
2. Jap Che: THE BEST jap che I've EVER had. EVERR.
3. Seafood Pancakes really are as good as everyone else says they are.
4. Side dishes are good. My favs were the kimchi, spicy radish, seaweed soup and the carmelized sweet potato.
5. Service is amazing.
6. Parking lot is TINY! fits about 8 cars max.
I'll definitely be back to try other recommended dishes such as the spicy pork, be bin bop and the chul pan bul go gi. Please forgive me if i butchered the spellings/names of any dishes..
OMG OMG OMG OMG.
I remember coming her regularly with a gf of mine back when were in college and a measly 5 minute drive. This past weekend I drove approximately 400 miles from so. cal. just so I can grab lunch with her again here. I absolutely LOVE this place.
I forget what the dish is called that has had been drooling and dreaming about eating it again and again for the past 3 years but its on the specials menu "Chul Pan Bul Go Gi" <-- (Natty, correct me if I am wrong!) It's a dish they used to cook at your table, but now is served on a cast iron plate cooked and served to your table, ready to eat. It's got glass noodles, pork, rice pinky, and "stir fry" veggies and the flavoring is absolutely mouth watering.
I LOVE! That dish is +2 stars by itself.
Other items worth mentioning:
seafood pancake - it's huge and never too "sea-foody"
Gal Bi - mmmm... mmm... with tons of raw onions for extra flavor
pan fried mackeral - best mackeral i've had
Great place to take your friends and family if you want some good Korean food and have some nice dinner conversation. This is very much a family restaurant and it opens late. Great place to go if you work a lot of long hours and if you've been craving Korean food all day.
The banchan is always plentiful. The anchovies are great but they do run out of them sometimes.
We always order the Seafood Pancake (Hae-Mul-Pa-Jun) without fail. Restaurants do them differently and Sahn Maru's version is the best one (for us) so far. There are some really cool and delicious signature stews that you won't find elsewhere (e.g. black goat stew). The Jap-Chae is awesome.
I heard from a Korean friend that the food here isn't the most authentic Korean food in the world but it's close enough. Hey, that's good enough for me!
Service has been good so far. Very attentive and polite. The only complaint I have is our language barrier. No problem if you already know what you want though.
The search for a decent Korean restaurant continues as my brother and I came here for dinner after finding it on Yelp. At first I was gravitated toward their noodle dishes but we decided on something more substantial for the night. The ambiance was spacious, had good lighting and colorfully decorative Korean cultural artifacts hanging on the walls with a supreme flat screen TV by the front door. By all measures, the venue is cute, eye pleasing and fitting for large groups and family events. There is a pleasant smell in the air and our table was equipped with metal utensils with nice seat cushions to enhance the dining experience.
Gooi jun ($15.95): We wanted the Korean style pancakes for appetizer but couldn't locate it on the Korean menu. So as we were describing it to the server, he pointed to a list of items on a subsection of the menu and suggested that they were what we were looking for. So in thinking that we had ordered a pancake with oyster toppings, the dish turned out to be mini oyster omelets served with a soy-based dipping sauce. I didn't mind trying something new, but the oysters were a bit too fishy while the omelets itself were slippery and very nicely done. This could be a dynamite dish if only the oysters were fresher.
BBQ ribs and soon tofu combo ($21.95): I prefer the thick bbq ribs and thought the quality of the ribs we received was inexcusably poor. The meat was too thin and the flavor was not robust as it should. This said, I thought the price was steep but our experience with the soon tofu was a bit better. There were plenty of silky tofu with clams, shrimps, beef, and other goodies to make it delicious and filling, but it was ambiguous why they didn't give us an egg to add to the boiling pot. If it's already been added they should at least tell us so. I certainly did not taste it in the soup.
Hae mool dol sot bibimbap ($14.95): This dol sot bibimbap came sizzling hot with a huge egg at the center surrounded by cucumbers, seaweed, mushrooms, chicken and a bed of rice with the hot sauce already infused. The rice was too saucy and thus wasn't able to give it a nice burn for a crispier texture. I thought the sauce they added for us was not spicy enough, and there were way too much cucumbers swimming in the pot. It just wasn't the kind of wet bibimbap that I was looking for.
Despite the disappointments, all the dishes were still decent but they didn't measure up to the nice décor. I did enjoy their wide selections of banchan as the fish cake and anchovies were the highlights. I also enjoyed the complimentary chilled cinnamon tea with pine nuts and thought that gave our dinner a nice closure. Service was attentive but I felt that we didn't really get what we wanted in the end with question marks still remain about the pancake and why there wasn't an egg for the soon tofu. 3 stars for the decent experience.
I come here pretty reguarly for lunch, and it makes me happy. Pancha are good (I really like the kimchi here), and you get a little bowl of soup to start, and a nice bowl of sweet tea to finish.
I almost always get the dol sat bimibap here - and it's good. Let the rice crisp up a bit and listen to the sizzle. Then top liberally with the house-made sauce and stir all the goodies together. I literally crave this stuff sometimes and nothing else will make hungry go away.
I tried the casserole once, and didn't like it as much. I think it's more b/c I"m a carb-kinda gal though. I'm asian and I like my rice, end of story.
I love Sahn Maru. Yes. I love it. Heart it. Gmail bold thee.
Like a fat kid loves cake.
Sahn Maru will cure your ails. It will fix your stomach. Slurp down a bowl of spicy tofu soup, shovel in bulgogi with rice, and hoard all the side dishes you can - crunchy kimchi, smooth bean paste, the ORIGINAL molecular gastronomy in the form of a white, cube shaped item made out of bean sprouts.
A little sketch area at night, but a little character never hurt anyone, right?
I went to the Fray/Jack's Mannequin Concert, so I missed out on actually seeing the restaurant in… Read more »
tried the restaurant for the first time last night. husband and i met a friend for dinner. ordered the dinner for 2 and was enough for the 3 of us.
good that they offer mild or spicy with their entrees. would make a trip again and try other dishes.
94 degree weather on a Friday evening. Too hot to cook!
BF and I made a trip to our favorite and most trusted "Check Please, Bay Area!" Korean Restaurant in North Oakland.
People will probably argue that it might not be the best Korean food around. However, most people will also say that this place is very, very good. (Ask fellow Yelper Su K. who knows her Korean food.)
For me and BF, everything we had at this place over the years are delicious. We can't complain. The bulkoki, kalbi and spicy barbecue chicken are tender and well-seasoned. The ban chans are plentiful and fresh.
The place itself is tastefully decorated in Korean crafts and is spacious. Busy with diners but private enough to have a conversation about how our week went. No grilling tables. All the grilling are done in the kitchen so I don't go home smelling like a smokehouse.
What really stands out about this place is the SERVICE. The staff make us feel genuinely welcomed and show their appreciation by their friendly smiles that they are thankful that we chose to dine with them when there are probably 10 other Korean Restaurants on Telegraph alone.
The chef/owner came out once again, very friendly and checked on us. We even got a FREE KIMCHI TOFU SOUP ON THE HOUSE!
And my favorite part? The sweet cinammony drink with nuts and dried fruit in the end. BF always gives me his knowing I love that drink so much. It is just a refreshing and sweet way to end a delicious savory meal.
It is more expensive than others but I feel that the service and good food are worth every dollar. We ordered fried battered prawns in eggs and fried dumplings for appetizers, bul ko ki and spicy barbecued chicken with 2 diet cokes. $86.74 not including a very generous tip for a very satisfying and comforting meal. (Plus a kitty bag to take home to my cat, Archie.)
Actually I ended up finishing the leftovers for breakfast. Sorry, Archie, Me-ow!
CHECK, PLEASE! BAY AREA: SEASON 4: EPISODE 8 (#408)
Hey guys, IT'S ON!!!!
I just saw "Sahn Maru" at…
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Our search for a 5 star tofu soup to rival the one at the BCD Tofu House in LA continues. Nevertheless, Sahn Maru won't disappoint. It was a bit pricey in my opinion, but it was awesome comfort food. Which is an accomplishment, because I'm not Korean.
The sundubu (tofu soup) was good, but not the best I've ever had (seriously, if you're ever in LA go to K-Town and hit up BCD). I was hoping they cracked a raw egg into your clay pot of boiling soup, but no such luck. Dinner came with a plethora of mini-side dishes which I truly love about Korean restaurants.
In addition to soup we had the pan fried kingfish, which was succulent. And the bbq short ribs are just what you hope/expect from a Korean restaurant. We also had the spicy pork which was quite tasty. The sizzling platters truly sizzled, which we appreciated, and the service was quite good. If you're in the mood for Korean food, this place doesn't disappoint.
Just the seafood pa jun alone, which in American is the savory seafood pancake, is worth the trip. It's loaded with cuttlefish and octopus, shrimp and fake crabmeat and vegetables with lots of green onion. Then, it's presented on a sizzling platter with a sesame-soy based dipping sauce.
It's incredible. The best pa jun I've had in Oakland. It beats Ohgane's pa jun by far.
Yes, it's a little pricier per dish, but the portions are big and the pan chan (little side dishes that come with your meal) are tasty. One entree is definitely enough for two adults.
We left with a doggie bag big enough for lunch the next day.
There are so many wonderful little elements to this restaurant. Family owned and very courteous and friendly. The kim chee is tangy and provides a nice fermented zing with each bite, just the way I like it. Everything is cooked to your desired spice level.
We like spicy food so we opted for "SPICY" pork kalbi and it came out well-spiced. The meat fell off the bone and the sauce was Korean finger-lickin' good.
The dining room is cute, but not overly cheesy with lots of big tables for groups.
The best part is saved for last: CHILLED CINNAMON TEA WITH PINE NUTS AND BARK. YOU MUST DRINK SOME OF THIS MAGICALLY DELICIOUS ELIXIR.
We went to Sahn Maru to celebrate a lovely friend's birthday, and I was pleasantly surprised by the restaurant decor, service and food quality.
The only thing I thought was odd was that there were no tables outfitted for grilling, which meant all the meat had to be grilled in the kitchen and brought out to serve. Otherwise our dining experience was excellent which justified the slightly higher price!
The galbi was deliciously marinated and the meat was thin, yet moist, with the right amount of chew. Sahn Maru also served the tastiest pork bulgogi I've eaten in a while. The bibim guksoo was also very tasty and not too sweet, and a jar of the hot pepper sauce was brought out in case we wanted it to be spicier. For my friend's birthday, the server brought the table a complimentary seafood pancake. It was good, but I thought it could used a little bit of frying powder in the batter so it stayed together better. When we tried to lift it from the grill pan, it fell apart.
One of the better korean restaurants in the Bay Area, and I can't wait to take my parents sometime!
Craving Korean food we ventured over to the Korean strip in Oakland. A handful of the places my friends normally frequent were closed so we checked out Sahn Maru.
It was pretty quiet given that it was almost 10pm. We ordered the seafood pancake, chap jae, bulgogi, beef and tofu soup. The seafood pancake was pretty good but it could have been a bit crispier. The other dishes were fine however things started tasting the same especially after eating the banchan.
Nothing really spectacular about Sahn Maru, but I guess if you are craving Korean food I suppose it will do.
I absolutely love this place for korean tofu soup. The first time here, my friend told me to try the Goat. My islamic side said "why not," and to this day, I am still happy I tried it. Every time since then, I have ordered that same dish since the meat was just cooked perfectly.
Along with this, the side dishes seems to come alive as well. It actually accents the experience of this place.
This is definitely a go to spot & return location.
Other Notes:
Easy parking despite having no parking lot.
Service was great.
The last impression I would leave to you is what they would bring out at the end. The sweet delightful cup of whatever liquid it may be just brings a wonderful culinary close to the dining experience. A Must Visit Spot for Korean Food.
Not bad.
The service was great, attentive and friendly. We had the BBQ and it was food galore. Pounds and pounds of meat. It just seemed never ending, like last meal on earth. Good selection of banchan. They have more options than other restaurants. Could be we spoke the language.
Will definitely come again.
Solid 3 stars!
Service was excellent. The staff was very attentive. They spoke in both Korean and English very well so no need to point and choose your lunch or dinner options.
Food was good. We had the kimchee soon dubu and the bimbim negmyun. Both were delicious. The side dishes were good, but the kimchee was a bit bitter and they didn't have any moo kimchee. Not sure what their refill policy is on pahn chan as none of the waiters would ask if we wanted seconds.
The reason i give it a 3 is because the prices were a bit high. There was no mention of "organic" or "grass fed" on the menu so I'm not sure as to why. For example, the bbq chicken was $18.95 and down the street at Koryo it's closer to $14.
I'd go back again, but maybe with a larger group (it was just my fiance and I) so I can sample more things and I wouldn't feel so bad shelling out the $$$ if i was splitting the BBQ amongst friends.
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after 15 engrossing minutes of futile attempt at engaging eye contact with a server to take our order, we left the scene... while one of the servers was furiously scolding one of the impatient customers who had been waiting half an hour for his food to arrive.
i've been to this place only once last night, but i can proudly say that this is one of the better… Read more »
Their dolsot bim bim bop and sul lung tang were amazing. We were even allowed to order ahead of time by phone, knowing that lunchtime on a Friday would be busy. Very accommodating, which was greatly appreciated. Reasonably priced as well, just as Korean food should be!
It was accidental that I chose this place out of all the Korean establishments on this side of town. We were driving up and down Telegraph and spotted this clean and well-lit place. With a parking right in front, we couldn't resist.
When I bookmarked Sahn Maru, I wanted to give it 4 stars. The first couple of experiences were quite pleasant, especially for a place we chose based on a parking in front. There was a good selection of banchan. The chap che was my favorite. The Kai Bi and the chicken were both great.
Then it all went downhill. The last two times I have been here, the kai bi had no grill mark and tasted almost, dare I say, stir fried. The onion by no means was caramelized. The tofu soup was lacking in ingredients and flavor just a tad.
I think it's time to yelp for a new Korean restaurant in the neighborhood.
How this review has escaped me, I don't even know. I used to come here when it was known as Happy Family Restaurant, a Korean owned Chinese restaurant, but kept coming back after then shifted fully to Korean food. And I must admit that the shift was not unwelcome. The food here has always been good. This place is usually one of the standbys after a long day of sports or other gaming.
I've tried most everything here from grilled/ BBQ'ed meats to stews, tofu soups to noodle soups, bibimbaps to pancakes, and rarely am I ever disappointed. Their best dishes though I think are many of their specials, which you might not be able to find at other Korean restaurants. They also have a good seafood pancake (hae mul pa jun) which is nice and crispy as it comes out on a sizzling cast iron platter. Admittedly, some of the meats can be a little on the sweet side, but it's still better than what you can get across the street. They also give you a good selection of panchan and will refill them if you ask.
I've always found the service to be friendly and fast regardless of whether you actually speak Korean. Unlike some other Korean restaurants that I've been to, you're treated in a courteous manner regardless of whether you can speak or not. The cost here is pretty reasonable for the most part. The meat dishes generally tend to be on the higher side, but no more so than other places.
I have eaten here many times and have yet to have a bad meal or bad service.
Solid 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars...
Staff is exceptionally friendly and takes the time to thoroughly answer any and all questons I have had. And some of them are quite cute, too! ;-)
I always get a good selection of panchan and they are always tasty. BBQ short ribs are served on a sizzle plate and are grilled. They are pretty good. I love the seafood pancake--I can;t believe they call that an appetizer--yeah, sure, If you have a party of 8! Have had all sorts of soups and sauteed and grilled stuff here--I have eaten here about 12 times.
I will note this--sometimes they are a little inconsistent.
I gotta try some of the other Korean places I have seen around this neighborhood, but when I have a fairly sure thing in Sahn Maru it makes it difficult to try someone else.
I went to this restaurant based on Yelp's review. Based on the average rating, this restaurant is at least decent, if not excellent. However, it turned out to be one of the worst places I have been to.
Complaint No. 1 - Lack of side dishes
The restaurant offered only 3 or 4 side dishes to us. What happened there? Are we spoiled by all other Korean restaurants with all these little munching snacks?
Complaint No. 2 - Bad cooking
We ordered the clear noodle "Jap Chae" and it was way salty. It was so bad that my cousin almost threw up because of the salty bitter taste. It was the first time I had such an incident in a public restaurant.
Complaint No. 3 - BBQ ribs
It was no bbq ribs (or I must have mistaken the menu). It was broiled rib with bbq sauce on top served on a hot iron plate. Disappointing!
This is by far the worst Korean restaurants I have been. There are so many more options around Telegraph Ave. I would avoid this restaurant for certain.
P.S. On the flip side, I much appreciated Brothers Korean BBQ after trying this place.
We saw the Pollock Spawn Stew on Check Please Bay Area and we decided we had to come check it out. Our server was really nice and had nice recommendations for us. But the service was a little bit slow. I think they're understaffed, and today there were 2 huge graduation parties, so the servers spent a lot of time at these tables. We wished the banchan dishes came out sooner. It wasn't until our stew and sizzling seafood bibimbap was coming out did they realize we had no banchan dishes. BUT - to give credit where credit is due, while it took a while for our server to come by and take our order, as soon as we gave our order, the food came out pretty quickly.
The food was great! We opted for mild this time just because different Korean restaurants have varying interpretations of what is mild and what is medium. We decided we could probably go with medium in the future.
I liked the banchan dishes - the napa cabbage kimchee and the little anchovies were delicious. Our bibimbap came with a really fresh tasting seaweed soup, which was delicious. I notice they have a lot of goat dishes on their menu - it looks like their speciality, and it is something we will definitely come back to try.
The decor was cute. Did anyone else notice the cute fertility like statues against the wall? I wasn't sure what it was right away until I realize I was looking at a butt sticking out at me. But cute.
A great find, and a great recommendation from Check Please. Oh, while we were there, the show was playing on the tv behind us. Great advertising.
hmmm.....where to begin...
after reading all the reviews on yelp, i was dying to try to place out. so finally i persuaded the bf to try it out. the inside is absolutely adorable, very cozy with tasteful decorations. clean. the waiters were all very attentive and brought over extra mook (korean jelly) with a smile. I think i asked for it 3 times. i did tell him to just bring A LOT becuase I'll just finish it off right when he brings it to me.
i think generally korean food is a litlte pricey, although there is a lot of preparation and ingredients that goes into most dishes, i don't know....i'm spoiled that i always got free food from the momma bear. (i digress....again) but yeah, this place is pretty expensive. i mean $18.00 for seafood pancake is way too much. the meats and other dishes were pretty close, about $1-3 more expensive then other joints.
onwards to our meal....we got the kalbi, dwen jang jiggae and mool neng myun. i didn't try the neng myun that the bf got, when i looked over once more it was all gone 'cept the beef stock. which he drank all later. i can only assume it was good?
the kalbi was good. i didn't see any grills, so no need to to order more then 1 order, since i can't cook it myself. it wasn't as flavorful, but decent. i asked for raw jalapenos and garlic....the waiter looked at me like i was trippin. i was dumbfounded.....i don't know how to eat my meat with lettuce wrap with out it. the waiter was trying to accomocate my needs with something else, but i don't remember and told him to forget it. i ate it instead with spoonful of dwen jang sauce (soy bean paste). this too wasn't spicy enough. the dwen jang jiggae could be spicer. maybe i should've tried kimchee jiggae instead.
anyways...i don't know if i'll be back again. the food was a bit bland and the prices much more higher. and they don't have garlic and jalapenos....which is weird.
I've been here twice with my then boyfriend, Michael.
The first time was absolutely phenomenal as I was craving Korean food that wasn't to be had in the Alameda area. I had bul go gi and I was astounded by the side dishes that came out. Michael had the pancake and it too was fresh and yummy.
The second time we went we ordered exactly what we did from our first visit but the bul go gi wasn't quite as flavorful, nor was the pancake. The kimchee and cubes of daikon were super yummy and I couldn't help eating more as I got past the hotness.
I only gave them four stars because they had raised their prices. Customer service was a hit or miss as we went later at night and there were only a few other tables occupied. The food took a while to come out and they didn't offer to fill my water either time.
It's so hard finding a good Korean restaurant in the bay area. This place is actually really good, and I want to give it 4 stars, but the only reason why I'm not and giving them 3 instead is because it's so expensive!
I came here with a friend back in November actually, so quite a while back, but the one thing that stuck out in my mind was that it cost $25 for dinner. That's a little out of my budget range quite honestly.
So my friend and I ordered one of their set dinners that had a soondubu, bulgogi, and chap chae. The chap chae tasted like teriyaki ("???"). I'm not even Korean and I know that it's not supposed to taste like teriyaki. The soondubu was quite tasty tho. No complaints for that. I don't eat beef so I can't judge the bulgogi.
However, it was suppose to be a set dinner for two and after tax and tip, the bill came out to be about $50. Since it was one of those set dinners, the portions are slightly smaller than usual compared to if you order the items separately.
Also, the location of the place isn't that good, especially going at night. It's a little scary walking outside when it's dark because there's only street parking and so it could be quite a walk. Therefore, I recommend coming here for lunch.
I love Korean restaurants that give you more banchan.
I went here with my ever-suspicious parents. When my dad peeked in the window, he initially rejected the place because no one was inside. It was freaking 5:00 on a Saturday. During an economic depression. Of course no one was inside.
After coaxing the parents into the place (I didn't want to cruise Telegraph), they were pleasantly surprised. My mother declared that this was the best Korean food she's ever had. (Take that with a grain of salt: she also declared that Teacake Cupcakes in Emeryville served the best cupcakes she's ever had.)
I judge Chinese restaurants by their hot-and-sour soup. Just as well, I judge Korean restaurants by their Dae Ji Bul Go Ki. Here, hate to say it: kinda bland.
Mmm, but expensive. (-1 star for that)
Dined: 28-May-09
Came here with the bf who wanted to take his Prius rental for a spin. We decided to come to Oakland for dinner. Got here a little before 9:30pm on a Thursday night and the place was empty. Normally, I would take that as a bad sign, but since I went here based on its Yelp reviews, I figured it was just because it was late.
I came here craving tofu soup. I had found another restaurant via Yelp that I wanted to try first, but they closed at 9:30pm - this place is open til 10:30pm.
It is a clean, cute restaurant w/ seat cushions that would remind you of your mom or grandma's house - or of items you would find at a flea market.
Anyway, we ordered original tofu soup w/ beef - mild (I cannot handle spicy) and started with the mixed seafood pancake.
Even for how much it was I was not expecting the seafood pancake to be as big as it was - good for 4. It had calamari, green and red peppers, green onions and tiny shrimp. With the dipping sauce it was very tasty.
The tofu soup was very tasty as well. I liked that it had zucchini. The soup was yum with just enough kick. It came with all the usual sides.
I definitely want to come back here again and try more of their yummy food!
This is my favorite restaurant in the whole world.
With the winter of my (dis)content and the fog both approaching on little cat feet, I know I'm going to be coming back to Sahn Maru for their soups, stews, and endless stream of delicious banchan.
On a cold autumnal night a few weeks ago the kimchi soft tofu soup warmed up every artery in my stone cold body. The bul ko ki was 'fallin' off the bone tender' and clogged up every artery in my stone cold body.
Sahn Maru is a perfect amount of walking time from my apartment (maybe about 25 minutes.) Walking in the cold just sheds right off with the warm smiles of the waiters, the silliness of the tchotchkes decorations on the walls, and of course, the perfect spiciness of the soups/stews.
I prefer some of the other places on Telegraph for bbq (love the tableside), but for a stone pot of warm goodness to enliven your cold, cold heart and hands, Sahn Maru is my place.
Came here for lunch today and had the Black Goat Stew and beef soft tofu. Both were very good. Our waiter was friendly and helped us mix a black sesame seed dipping sauce for the goat. I'm not sure why black goats would be better than some other color, but...
The place was nice on the inside with a Korean language program playing on the TV.
It wasn't cheap--lunch for two with tip was $45, but I'll be back after I try a couple of other Korean places in the area.
What loyal Korean friend would ever take his/her non-Korean friend to a crappy Korean restaurant? That would be sacrilegious, and it would injure his/her Korean pride!! Therefore, most Korean restaurants I've tried are at least 4 stars in terms of the quality of food. So what sets apart the good from the bad is the customer service.
That said, these are my top 3 reasons why I heart Sahn Maru:
1) Customer Service. Super friendly wait staff. I can always except smiles, patience and care from Sahn Maru's wait staff. My friends and I are never neglected, and they constantly check on us throughout the meal.
2) Separate event/large party room in the back of the restaurant. My friends and I have used the separate event room in the back for parties (i.e. graduation and birthday parties). The room easily seats ~ 40 people. AND there's a karaoke machine + TV, if you want to unleash the"Inner Fob," haha! Good times, good times.
3) The complimentary Korean ginger/cinnamon tea served at the end of each meal. Man, I LOVE that stuff. I have no idea what's in it - cinnamon, nuts, ginger, something like that. But it's DANG good. And every guest gets a complimentary cup of this tea at the end of the meal. Yummmm.
I'd highly recommend Sahn Maru to anybody. Excellent food, excellent customer service.
I use to live a few blocks away and aways came here whenever I craved Korean food. I'm really sad that I live further away now and can't walk here for a hot stew. I've never been big on goat but they've made me a believer. The people here are always welcoming and friendly which is not always the case with other places.
Probably one of the best Korean restaurants in the Bay Area.
Well balanced food and pretty good service.
A variety of good side dishes.
Good match with Sura down the street.
Looking for good Korean in Temescal on Yelp is easy, choosing just one place is hard. Why, it seems like every single Korean place in Temescal has an average Yelp rating of four stars. Since this place is not unlike any of the other Temescal Korean places, I guess I'll have to give this place four stars as well.
Korean food is quite possible the best kind of food to eat during cold weather. The soft tofu soups are good, come in pretty big portions and are cheap, compared to the rest of the menu. The service was efficient and friendly. No complaints, except for the Kim Chee. I might have come on an off night, but for some reason, the Kim Chee did not taste right.
The fact is the best Korean restaurants are in Los Angeles, but this comes pretty close.
This place knows how to do Korean right. There are a variety of ban chans. If you don't get ban chans at a Korean restaurant leave, no seriously leave.
I took a friend here last night who never tasted Korean food. He was very pleased. We got Combo A. It says it feeds 2 people, but really it could feed 4. It cost $41, which is pretty good. It came with 2 meat dishes (Chicken, beef), Spicy Tofu Soup, and Chap Chae. I was so full after the meal.
My friend said he didn't like Kimchee, but we'll fix that. The Kimchee is good here. If the kimchee is bad at a Korean restaurant, leave.
The best part about this place is the service. I'm sorry, but most Korean restaurants give terrible service. Why, beats me. The family here are friendly and attentive. We didn't realize that they were closed, but they didn't kick us out. Although, my friend said there was a lot of staring.
I highly recommend this place.
This place was spendy and not worth the trip. I saw it on 'Bay Area Check, Please' and realize now that it was probably an insider that is trying to drum up business for the restaurant. The place was two-thirds empty on a Saturday night and the Korean casserole house next door was packed. I should've gone next door. Anyway, now that you see the not-so-hot reviews, just walk over to the other Korean restaurants nearby.
We walked in, were seated & the waiter was really anxious and hurried, trying to place the plates on the table and dropped some plates. On my lap. He apologized and ran off. Okay, maybe he just has to do something right now. Like RIGHT NOW.
Started with the tea which was the typical borheechah (barley tea) but was really dark and good, like it was brewed down. We ordered the seafood pancake which came out sizzling, crisp and delicious. It was incredibly expensive though. But so far things are looking good! Then the manager came over and said please hurry and eat the pancake so we can make space on the table. Uh, you brought the pancake like 3 minutes ago. Then he goes into the kitchen and comes back with all the hot dishes and says again, "please just put the pancake on your plates now so we can make room. Just someone take it." Oh. When you said please hurry you meant RIGHT NOW. I know this place isn't formal but couldn't you time it better so you didn't rush your diners? Especially when you have plenty of open tables and no customers coming in. So they cram all the dishes together on the table and run back like the kitchen's burning.
The food's decent. Got the bulgogi, japchae, tofu soup and kalbi. The kalbi came out later which was unusual but I didn't mind since there were so many other plates on the table. It was very thin though and the order was the equivalent of maybe five pieces at other restaurants that have the standard cut. Which isn't that much considering we had a party of four. It was on top of a mound of sliced white onions to make it look bigger and the thin cut let them spread out the meat so it looked like more. Which is rather stingy. They did this to the bulgogi too which probably explained why the food got so cold so quickly (since the meat isn't on the hot metal serving dish, it's just on the onions). I had heard reviewers say this place had the best banchan (side dishes) but it was just run-of-the-mill. They didn't have the potatoes, or spinach, or black beans which are all pretty standard so I'd say the selection was a bit sub-par. I asked for other items like kochuchang (red pepper paste) because the dwengjang wasn't spicy but the waitress acted like she didn't know what I was talking about (which is bunk since it's like not knowing what kimchee is at a Korean restaurant). She also seemed confused when I asked for more lettuce but at least she brought that out.
We ate a lot and the cinammon tea was good. They brought out the check and we were just chatting when 5 minutes later another waiter tried to take it. Uh, we obviously didn't move the bill but if you're trying to rush people out when you still have 9 empty tables at 8pm then nice job. Signed the credit card slip and still chatting. 8:05pm the manager comes by and takes the bill saying 'thank you'. Still chatting. 8:10pm and the manager comes by and asks if we need to wrap any food to go. No, we're fine just leave us alone. 8:15pm waiter asks if he can clear the plates. Fine. Do they throw the leftovers out from banchan or do they try to reuse it for other tables? 'Cause they sure acted like they were in a hurry to clear us out.... The service was friendly but annoyingly hurried. The manager was telling the waiters to hurry and clear a table when he was already clearing it. Geez, there's like 9 other empty tables and you have no guests coming in. Relax or act calm 'cause I hate feeling rushed when I'm eating.
Anyway, for those in the area, it's fine to go but I wouldn't make a trip across the bridge for it. It ended up being $40 per person which is waaay too much for the quality and quantity of food. Probably worth more like $25. If you are making a trip from SF I'd suggest going to Ohgane (just as expensive but better quality, quantity & selection) or go to Sunnyvale/Santa Clara for destination bay area Korean food or just stay in the City and go to Han Il Kwan (it's about the same quality, cheaper, you can grill your own food so it's cooked to the temp you want, but since you're grilling your clothes will smell like BBQ). I'd go to Sahn Maru again if it wasn't so overpriced and I lived in the area and if the service wasn't so annoying.
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Oakland, CA
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Temescal
Category: Korean
Oakland, CA
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Temescal
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Korean
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