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Mon., Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mon., Thu. 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Fri-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Jambong was excellent, as stated in other reviews. I love spicy, and this met it! Seafood was fresh.
Bibimbap was one of the best i have ever had.
Seafood pancake was so tasty.
Very attentive service. The owner is very nice and always comes out t talk to you and discuss anything on the menu.
"Home made" food. It looked like grandma was cooking it all.
Im heading back and bringing some more people with me...
Ok I'm not going to lie. I'm not a huge Korean food expert. I've had home-made Korean food from a friend's parents a few times before, and once at a restaurant down south, that's it. The food here is great, and I'd take it over Chinese any day of the week. Though I admit, I'm about the only person on Earth that doesn't like Chinese food, so I'm biased as hell.
We ordered the Samos special, which, contrary to what the menu implies, is a huge feast that any 2 people could not possibly hope to finish alone. Everything that came out was pretty good, but the zucchini, squid, and the ribs were the easy stand-outs for me and would definitely make this place worth going back to.
The owner is a very warm and hospitable man. He not only made us feel welcome, but as if we were family over at his house for Christmas dinner. Very rare to get this kind of care and attention at a restaurant these days.
Good, solid restaurant and to my knowledge, the only place in Fresno to get Korean food. Just don't come in here expecting a cheap date, you'll probably end up spending at least a well-worth it $40-50 on a dinner for 2, with left-overs to spare!
It's "GOOD" guys, but that's about it.
It's simple, good, standard-fare Korean, but nothing to rave home about, trust me.
There's just not THAT much Korean food in Fresno to compare this too, I don't know how some people declare this 'the best in fresno' -- against what?? Seriously?
I don't want to be 'that' snob, but Fresnans are SO quick to throw up a 4-5 star rating without even stepping foot out of Fresno.
Again, this place is good -- but that's it. As far as satisfying perhaps a craving for Korean food, yea it'll do.
But all the 4-5 star 'mind blowing' Korean food I've had has either been 400 - 1,300 miles away........not 10 - 20.
NOT in Fresno people...get a hold of yourselves, please.
Authentic, everything was very delicious and homemade in the kitchen. We tried the crunchy and sweet aloe vera threads, which had a lime-like tang and the pleasantly squeaky texture of slivered jellyfish commonly found at more traditional Chinese dim sum restaurants. We were both shocked and hooked when Sam himself told us about his LONG trek to Los Angeles in search of the tasty little morsels. Very, very yummy seafood pancake -- and great traditional Korean soup.
A major find in the Central Valley!
I'd say it's more authentic than K-Town in L.A.
Best Korean restaurant I've found in Fresno. I always look forward to the pickled vegetable appetizers and highly recommend the Soon Do Bu (tofu, seafood, or beef). The Bibimbap is mediocre but there are a variety of grilled fish and barbecue dishes that make up for it. One of the best restaurants in Fresno!
Very good place to eat! The owner is such a jolly man -- he comes to tell you about the menu, the food -- that that we needed it -- we've been to many Korean restaurants.
We ordered the appetizer platter with pan fried dumplings, fried fish, fried beef balls, and fried zucchini. Yay fried foods. Very good dish. Goes down great with beer!
Then we shared the pork BBQ -- as expected, sweet & savory. I should have asked for more spicy, but that wasn't a problem. I love the charred bits on the meat. Personally, I prefer meat that's less sweet.
Anyways, a good meal!
This place rules! The owner is there, he comes to the table, he informs you about what you are eating, how it is made, etc. The food is a bit pricy, but when you find out how much work goes into making some of this food and the lengths to which the goes to buy it, it is a deal. Definitely going back soon. I guess they have a karaoke room too if you wanted to have a party there or something.
I headed down south to visit my sister and her bf in Fresno one weekend and they both couldn't stop raving about this Korean restaurant they go to. "The fish is sooo amaaazing here. You've got to try it"
I hold pretty high standards when trying Korean food and I was suprised to see that Samos Kitchen actually held up to it. I was also impressed to that they served jambong and chachamein here. (I have to drive 35 mins to the korean side of Berkeley to get that stuff...) and they had that in Fresno (of all places). The jambong was delicious! I've had jambong in Korea Town, Los Angeles and in Berkeley and they are not as good as the jambong here. That fish that my sister and her bf recommended was very good as well. Its served fried and just as a disclaimer for those who dont like this kind of stuff --- the fish is served head-on with smelt eggs. Might be strange to some, but I thought the fish and eggs were like a 2 for 1 deal. Very delish and highly recommended.
The owner was very very friendly. He made his rounds and got to know everyone that came in. They checked on us frequently to make sure everyone was satisfied. He's quite a jokester as well. It's clear that he takes a lot of pride in the quality of his food and also cares to get to know his customers (even if they're not local), which seems to be a rare thing nowadays.
My sister loves this place so much and so do I. (She keeps telling me that she is so scared that it will close down) We hope that they'll be in Fresno for a long time. I'll def be back to visit!
Overall : Five Stars!
Service - VERY GOOD!
Food - VERY GOOD! Try their Jambong, Chachamein (according to the owner, he's perfected this recipe) and their fried Fish.
Price - GOOD
Location - For being in Fresno, its a GEM!
This place made me pretty darn happy.I need to try some other dishes before I give it a 5. Tried 2 fairly standard things. The dol sot bimbimbap and jae jae myun. The bimbimbap was tasty. Veggies fresh, meat of good quality. Jae Jae myun was actually the best i've had as far as noodle texture and sauce consistency. Al dente noodles. Sauce not watery at all. Little bits of tender beef in it.
the little dishes included kimchi, broccoli with sesame, radish pickles, and sprouts.
Like many Korean restaurants, I always find things to be pricier than I think they would be. Each dish ran around $11 each. Seems like there's a wide variety of food.
Service was super friendly and efficient. I will definitely return and would definitely recommend.
Very picky Korean eater took his White, spice-adverse in-laws here for their first taste of Korean food here and it was a great success. We had ribs, dumpling soup and they loved it. Their banchan are very good, especially the buchu (garlic chives). The broth of the dumpling soup and of the deonjang jjigae was also very flavorful. The servers were very nice and attentive. Go here!
Great little Korean restaurant here, both my wife and I had the bibimbap. All the expected toppings, and it all hit the spot. Traditional Korean, which was what we've been looking for.
The hot pepper paste (gochuchang, I think it's called) could have been a bit spicier, but it worked fine.
Friendly service, I definitely got the impression that this is a family restaurant (which I like to support).
Will definitely be back again to try the other offerings.
Tucked away in a strip mall off Shaw, Samos Kitchen is a great find! Run by a Korean family, they are very excited to get Americans as customers. If you're not sure what to order, they are more than happy to assist you according to your tastes and to explain what the different Korean dishes are. Ordering the Bulgogi (Korean BBQ beef) dinner, not only do you get a generous helping of the beef, but also side dishes of Kimchi, bean sprouts, and other traditional Korean items. If you're having a dinner for two, I highly recommend the Samos Special. You choose an appetizer, entree, soup, and drink. It comes with a plethora of food at an exceptional price. With such a helpful staff and great food, make this place a priority when you want something other than the standard fare.
I'm definitely a fan of this restaurant! My girlfriends and I come for the lunch plates or share a dinner portion of Bulgogi. Prices are okay, although it's definitely worth it during dinner. Side dishes differ depending what they have that day, and kimchi seems to be the consistent staple. The owners and staff have always been friendly to me
sooooo good. short ribs are to die for.
but i think they changed owners.
last time i was there, in their lunchbox specials they substituted the veggie tempura for a piece of frozen battered fish (not served frozen, but it looked like it could be from one of those frozen bag foods). it was okay, i much prefer the veggie tempura.
overall i always come here if i'm craving for some korean BBq
It's located in the Mission Village shopping center near Shaw and 41.
The kimchi offerings are vast and vary by season. Each meal comes with five or six varieties, which are quickly refilled when you gobble through them, and I've found all to be delicious.
I don't know where they get their gochujang, or if they make it on the premises, but it is wonderful. If you ask they'll bring you a little dish of this paste to augment what they've already used to make your food. I always ask because I like things really spicy.
They serve tasty sundubu jjigae with the egg on the side (if requested) so you can crack it into your bowl yourself. And they know how to do bibimbap right. Other places will fry the egg up in the rice, but these folks put the egg at the bottom of the hot stone bowl so diners can have the singular pleasure of discovering that little yellow ball of happiness sizzling away under the fried rice.
The bulgogi and galbi are pricey ($15 - $17 buck a pop), and the meat itself isn't spectacular. It's been fatty the times I've tried it.
But still, this is Fresno - which isn't exactly swimming in Korean restaurants - so they get five stars from me.
We really like to go here for lunch. Very good fresh food and great friendly service. We always order the dolsot bibimbap and love to eat the crispy rice that cooks inside the pot :)
Decent Korean place. Good kalbi and bulgogi. The tofu soup ("soondubu") was only ok; not as flavorful as can be found in other cities. This may be the only Korean restaurant in town that serves during lunch time (there's another place but only open for dinner). Good enough to satisfy your Korean food cravings. Thankful it exists.
As a Korean in Fresno, I've been going to Samos since it opened. It's a great place to try to get some good Korean food. I'm not much of a galbi person because of the bone in the meat and I don't like bulgogi that much just because it's not spicy. ^^ But I LOVE their spicy pork (daeji-bokum). They have the perfect marinade for it and they've never failed me. It's a great place to carry on conversations because it's not too loud and you still get your privacy. The waiters and waitresses are friendly. Good services, good food. Always key to a great restaurant.
Fresno, CA
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