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Mon-Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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My new fave korean place since my fave korean bff has left me for the other side of the country.
Pros:
-(Free) ban chan, spicy tofu soup, rice
-delicious spicy calamari, spicy cold noodles, jap che, and fried chicken.
I ordered to go and they gave me ban chan & rice in addition to whatever else I ordered. I was pleasantly surprised. Another surprise is that the prices are extremely decent for Korean food...
Oil... that's what I smelled when I walked in the doors. That didn't deter me however. I was excited because the place was packed (15min wait), everything looked delicious and my guy had nothing but good to say about the chicken.
We ordered the chicken and squid with rice cakes in spicy sauce (my favorite). The squid dish was delish but the sauce was very oily. The chicken... while it wasn't greasy, I could still taste the oil in the batter. It was like a tempura chicken... weird. I wasn't a fan. Other dishes looked nice though, maybe if I go again I'll get the bibimbap. No oil and the table next to us said it was good.
All-in-all, my dish was a hit but too greasy. I wasn't impressed with the chicken. This place left me feeling... comfortably greasy. LoL Good thing there are many other places that do a good oh jing oh duk bok ki for me!
Parking is a train wreck.
Probably won't see ya there.
Since we ran out of Korean restaurants choices around SF city, my friend suggested we venture out to the inner Sunset to try our luck on this home style Korean restaurant.
The restaurant is small, cozy and feels like eating in a Korean family's dining room. The people who own and work there are Koreans, so we were confident that the food would be authentic and delicious.
I should clarify that the factor that motivated the 3 of us to drive all the way across town to Shin Toe Bul Yi is because of Korean fried chicken. We ordered the fried chicken, a spicy tofu soup with beef, stir fried squids with scallions in spicy sauce, grilled beef short ribs on sizzling pan. Our order also came with rice and small plates of condiments like pickled cucumbers and cabbage, kim chee, bean sprouts, bean curds, and a few more. The small tables soon ran out of space with all the plates.
When the fried chicken arrived, we were anxious to sink our teeth in the chicken pieces, but it was way too hot to handle needless to say take a bite. From the look of the chicken, it seem well prepared, fried to golden brown with a coding of batter. Once it had cool down enough for our mouth, we tasted. For me, it was nothing to hype about. The batter was too thick and you can still taste the flour. There were very little or no seasoning on the chicken so it was bland. The frying part was also disappointing that they probably put the chicken pieces in when the oil was still lukewarm, hence the chicken was greasy on the inside. Not like southern fried chicken or Japanese chicken karage at all.
The rest of the dishes like tofu soup was good, the grilled beef was fine, although I found the marinate a bit on the sweeter side. The stir fried squid with scallions and onions was common. After awhile, every item tasted like the typical red Korean spicy sauce, the soup, the stir fried, and the grilled items. Our taste buds were bland and couldn't taste the difference anymore.
Overall, for a first time visit on a spear of the moment dinner is considered a success given that we got to eat a Korean dinner, laugh, and catch up with friends, which is the most important element of that evening and we did just that. However, when we brought up Shin Toe Bul Yi again, none of us were enthusiastic about going there the next time we get together. At least it won't be my first choice of Korean restaurant in town.
Always see a crowd here when I pass by so decided to come here for dinner one day. I ordered some noodles and then some soup to go with it. The flavors were pretty nice but was not as spicy as I would think Korean food should be.
great tiny hole in the wall restaurant. glad to have a decent korean joint in the sunset.
All I can say is...the fried chicken is the bomb, its soo freak good, Seafood pancake is great, and i was not disappointed by anything that they serve!!!
Love their lunch specials! I always order the kal-bi rice bowl (comes with kim chee, rice, and a mix of beef, egg and veggies on top). Delicious & fast for under $10!
That's what I call an affordable Korean lunch.
*Lunch is carry out only. If you eat in, you'll be eating with take-out boxes instead of dining ware (per their sign on the door..)
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Don't be led astray by the hype. Korean fried chicken is generating whispers in foodie circles, but this is not the real deal. Maybe it used to be, but no longer. At least it's not what we got, or I've been misinformed by Korean friends.
From what I've heard, the real stuff is supposed to be like Japanese karage: moist, tender, boneless nuggets with lots of flavor. The Korean equivalent is supposed to feature better flavors/marinade, touch of spicy, etc.
The fried chicken here is just plain friend chicken, but with lots of egg in the batter. That's it. No spicy, no special sauce, no boneless nuggets. Just fried chicken parts. No reason for the Colonel to lose any sleep, I guess.
Generally, the food here is good and cheap. Standard Korean fare in Parkside. The place is tiny, so expect a long wait for big tables or if you come after 7pm. Our bill for 2, with sake and beers, was $40 and we had leftovers for lunch the next day.
Place is generally good - I was not disappointed. But I was expecting Korean-style karage and got glorified Church's. Oh well.
I knew that I should have worn clothes I could get stinky in. Luckily for me, I also spilled juice all over my lap during lunch, so at least my pants were ready to be cleaned anyways.
We had the Gal Bi, Chap Che, and the Seafood Bok-Um. They also threw in a tofu soup and other minor dishes.
I'm used to a lot more side dishes, but by the end of the meal, I was totally ready to unload what I had eaten. Although it wasn't nearly as spicy and tasty, the seafood Bok-Um brought back memories of the old Ko-ko's in Berkeley where I would literally cry due to the spice they added. The Gal-Bi was pretty much run-of-the-mill, but it did fair better in tenderness compared to other restaurants.The chap-che was the most lacking of all dishes, needing a little more soy sauce.
I would stick a nice 3.5 stars for this place, but I alas , I am forced to round up in this case.
People thought this was:
Never even heard about this place until yesterday when I asked my friend if he wanted to eat after we played basketball. After we decided we were gonna eat here, we called up a couple of friends and agreed to check this place out. He told us that he knew the daughter of the owners or something and that it was really good.
He wasn't lying. Like others have said, the outside makes it look not very pretty at first glance, but once you get inside it's a very comfortable setting. We got there at around 630PM on a Friday evening and had our party of 4 seated immediately. Entrees here are served a la carte I believe if you order three or more, then you get free tofu soup! (At least we did).
All in all, I really enjoyed this place and I am really looking forward to coming back.
I'm writing this based on a take out order of fried chicken we got as a group. The chicken was a bit below average where the batter was a bit too bland. The oil temperature used to cook this was slightly too low and caused the skin to be ever so slightly soggy.
If you like dark meat then you should not order the fried chicken because it comes with dark and white meat. Basically they cut the chicken into about 1.5" cubes and lets your loose on it, back bone and all. The meat was tender enough but the batter gives this place a lower rating. For fried chicken, i still recommend 99 chicken in south bay.
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LOVE IT!
went there for dinner for the first time and it feel pretty traditional Korean ambiance, which i like!
I LOVE their tofu soup!! and the side dishes were yummy!
I can describe more, but basically I loved all the food I ate. XD
altho the two seat table was a bit small~ hardly fit all the food on the table. but it was okay. feels cozy. :D
One lesson I learned here - NEVER judge a book by its cover.
Found this spot on Yelp and decided to give it a go. We drive up and see a sign "Korean Restaurant" and ask ourselves "Is this it?" It was raggedy, rundown looking from the outside, but we said... screw it, it has to be good.
And good it was. We got there at 6 and were seated right away before the bum rushing of people came. There were 5 of us total and we ordered Bulkogi, their chicken fried pieces, Kim Chee Tofu and Jap Chae. Our waitress brought some tofu soup and we thought it was a mistake, but she kindly told us it was on the house. Sweet!
Anyway, all the dishes came out and we were pretty overwhelmed and had way too much food than we bargained for. The meat was good - standard but not the best in the world.. it was also pretty oily. Same with the Jap Chae. The Kim Chee Tofu - my BF enjoyed a lot and the Fried Chicken Pieces was pretty damn good too. It's a lot of batter and be careful when you eat it because there is a lot of tendon and hard bone you need to teeth around.
Overall - Decent experience with a really good price. For the 5 of us and our 4 dishes and on the house soup - the bill came to $60 w/ tip. We had a bit of to-go also so we were all pleased.
People thought this was:
1) Parking can be a pain in the butt
2) The wait can be long, especially if you arrive after 630pm on weekends
3) Due to the size of the restaurant, it's not really ideal for parties of more than 6, unless you arrive early or perhaps make reservations
4) Free ban chan (size dishes) + rice + soon doobu (spicy tofu soup)
5) Love the bulgogi and spicy calamari bok um
6) Love the tea (not sure exactly what it is)
7) Not a fan of the fried chicken like what the other yelpers are raving about
8) For $30, It was enough to fill two person + two boxes of To Gos!
9) Some of the stuff really aren't that spicy, so if in fact you do want it spicy, feel free to request it spicy!!
10) I'll definitely come back!
Great residential neighborhood resturant. This is a tight-spaced restaurant with decent number of small tables and just a few large tables. If you plan on coming on weekends, plan on arriving at or before 6pm, or expect to get waitlisted.
This is a typical family business, the staff is friendly and prompt. On occasions when it gets super busy, you might need to wait a bit for service; however, you do feel they try their best and is very courteous with their service.
I love the bibimbop, spicy squid, and a type of black-bean sauced noodle. They also give you spicy soup and kimchi plates on the house; and depending on how much you order, you may get the free pancake!
The pricing is decent and dish serving is good. So I'm a fan of this restaurant.
People thought this was:
Quality place. I am a loyal Muguboka patron, but I have moved away from the inner richmond to the puter sunset. Shin Toe Bul Yi has become the new Korean spot.
Panchan is soo good.
Kim Chee Tofu is the shit.
People thought this was:
If I go to a place more than a few times, I'll give it 5 stars. This is for sure one of them. The fried chicken is definitely the thing to order all the other stuff are really good there too. A lot of place charge for the tofu soup, they give it to you complimentary. Seafood pancake is really good too, some places and I've tried a few different Korean restaurants, don't cook it all the way through, this place does. So, it's not all soggy and disgusting. Chicken gizzards are one of my favorites there and a whole list. One place you can't go wrong.
We were in the mood for Korean, but thought Toyose may be crowded so we headed over here and after a few times circling around, we got a parking spot right across the street!
I was so indecisive on what to order..but we decided on sharing the famous fried chicken & he got the beef dolsot bibimbap which has kimchee in it and some seaweed, which I'm not too big on, but it was okay, and at least some of the rice got crunchy, like it's supposed to! I only liked the bean sprouts and cucumber banchan dishes & looking at the anchovies totally gave me the creeps! The fried chicken pieces are totally unidentifiable; don't try to guess what piece of the chicken you got, just eat it! I thought it was okay and the plate was plentiful for the price, but I don't think it lived up to the hype. I liked the batter and the pieces weren't dry, but it was just okay, and it was not spicy at all like the menu said! The waitress did bring us comp kimchee tofu soup and a bowl of rice (since my fried chicken was a la carte), I thought that was nice. I loved the soup, it was not overly spicy and had plenty of veggies in it and so much soft pillowy pieces of tofu.
If you'd like to get here early come no later then around 6, the place is small and gets packed, and there's only two waitresses.
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I don't know if it's Korean style or not, but get the FRIED CHICKEN.
I ain't even playin'.
People thought this was:
So I've come here numerous times throughout the years and I must say the food isn't as good as everyone raves it to be, and it isn't the worse Korean food I've ever had either. Basically the food is mediocre at best. So as I was saying, the food here isn't the best, or bad, but because I live so close to this place, I usually just settle for it because I don't want to drive too far to into the richmond district just for some food. The soups are usually bland and watery, their meat dishes like the kal bi is usually burnt to the grilling plate, and their fishes have this nasty after taste, which typically means its not FRESH! The only upside to this place is their green onion pancake, but that alone is not enough to save this place. And after the last TWO times I've been here, I've had the WORST service ever. If I could give it 0 stars, I WOULD.
The first experience was with the old lady (probably the owner), who was a total B**** about an order of soup that my party and I DID NOT ORDER. She not only forced the soup that we did not order upon us, but had the audacity to charge us for it. Apparently she has a hearing problem, so the next time you go there and she's your server, be sure to SPEAK UP.
The second experience was tonight, and it was with the short/stubby waitress. I was waiting in line with my sister, and we preferred to sit in the inside since the seat they offered us was in the front near the doors, plus my sister has kids. So we offered to wait for the table away from the door since they were practically paying the bill and ready to leave. After they finish cleaning, the stupid girl comes with her broken english and tells us that shes giving that table away when we clearly told her that we'll wait for THAT table. We asked her why, and she was like well... they're customers. I looked at her as if she was stupid or something because... HELLO, we're customers too! Not only did it not make sense since she was giving a table that could have seated 6 (which was the size of my party) to a party of 2 instead. So my sister asked the dumb waitress politely if we could get the bigger table since we had a larger party and if the other party could get the table next to ours instead (which seated 4, which would have been perfect for the couple). Instead of even acknowledging our existence she just rolls her eyes and walks off, oblivious to everything. So we finally had it with this place, and we left, FOR GOOD.
Goodbye Shin Toe Bul Yi, we've had enough of your BS service and your mediocre food. I would much rather drive my ass to the richmond district and be treated with respect at a better establishment than here. For those of you who don't mind being treated like garbage, and eating garbage, then feel free to come here, otherwise I would suggest My Tofu House, Han Il Kwan, Muguboka, or any other place than here because they either serve better or the same quality food as Shin Toe Bul Yi... but the only difference is at least you would be treated with respect. It's a different story if they served GREAT FOOD, then I guess it would be okay to treat your customers like garbage, but if you don't serve great food and your service sucks, then you have no right to treat anyone that way.
P.S. I don't know why everyone thinks the chicken wings here are great. Honestly, it tastes like chicken! It's dry like cardboard, there's no taste, and oh did I mention its DRY?!?!?!
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Come early (like right when they open) to avoid waiting in the inevitable long line!
I came here b/c I saw spicy dukk bokki on the yelp pictures and I was craving it really bad.. but when we sat down we saw that everyone had ordered fried chicken. So, we ordered that too -- SO good! Perfectly crisp and salted, and served Korean style w/the daikon (If you've tried Kyochon in LA - this is the same deal). Also, they give free spicy soon doobu, which was really really good!
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I actually was taken to this place on a group outing several years back, and re-visited it with The Boy last week (now a month, since I've been majorly slacking) on our weekly City Date. He picked Korean, and it was between here at Toyose. I think that Shin Toe Bul Yi has better food than Toyose, but that it's a draw between the two due to the flavored soju (and quirky atmosphere) at Toyose. Shin Toe Bul Yi is not fancy-schmancy on the inside - this is a date place to go to once you have already settled in with the other person, and don't need to impress them anymore.
Anyways, we get in, and they don't give us that "darn foreigners" look, and happily and quickly seat us. Water and tea is brought to the table, along with the pan chan dishes. I haven't had a lot of experience with pan chan, but the ones here are tasty.
I believe we ordered the fried chicken, some type of tofu soup, and bulgogi. All tasty, all hot and fresh, and she also brought us rice. The food here tastes authentic (well, as authentic as I know - I don't have any Korean friends that live nearby, so I have not tasted "mom's cooking"), and has just the right amount of flavor. Also, one of the nice things about this place is that they give you a free piece of fish when you come here.
Korean food always seems to be a bit more expensive than the other genres of asian food, but Shin Toe Bul Yi won't make you wince when you see the bill.
Friend and I tried their Korean style pancakes and their "sizzling" stoneware pot of rice with vegetables/meat/egg (I think it's called Bi Bim Bap? though on their menu, it wasn't referred to as such). Friend raved about the tea they served - it was some Barley tea (?), and I agree it definitely hit the spot after riding through the cold/foggy SF weather (yes, in July!) to get to this place.
They brought us over this mildly spicy tofu soup during our meal (pretty tasty - though as mentioned in other reviews, it ain't them super hot/spicy/red ones that clear up your nasal passages) and told us it was on the house, which was nice!!!
It was a lot of food, but a lot of good food so we were content:) I took off one star because afterwards my clothes smelled from the smoke! Nonetheless, a big thanks to my friend who took me here and would eat at this place again if I have the chance.
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So even though I live in the neighborhood, I've never been because I always see the long lines and I hate, hate, hate waiting for a table anywhere. But after learning that their lunch menu is now to go only, decided to pop in today.
First to dispel one erroneous yelper, you can get the fried chicken for lunch. It's just not a lunch special. The chicken had good seasoning and texture, although some pieces were a little dry. Better than KFC tho.
This place actually is quite the oxymoron. On the outside and even when you go inside the place looks and feels very, very traditional,
like how you imagine a mom and pop korean restaurant to be like.
But actually the food to me is a little bit like 'americanized' korean food. The bulgogi I ordered was ok, but just didn't have much flavor. In fact all the banchan seemed to be 'watered down' versions. The kimchee wasn't very spicy and the mung sprouts and cucumbers just didn't have enough flavor. IMO the food has made to fit the clientele for this area. Not too spicy, not too strong flavors.
I guess if you don't mind the wait and really want the chicken, then this is the place. This just isn't the first place that'll pop in my head the next time I want korean.
Stop the record. No sweet talking on this review.
S K I P !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This review is a lesson on how to F*** up a good meal.
1. 40-45 patrons with 2 servers.
2. No heat lamp outside and the wait is at least an hour at 7 pm.
3. Not that it really matters but ALL patrons are Chinese and not a single Korean except my GF and her parents. I know its the neighborhood but we wondered if it was soo popular among Koreans then where are they going?
4. Shitty service from the 2 servers that roll their eyes and give nasty looks when all we asked for was a beer and more banchan.
5. Give us the worst seat in the house by the door where they leave the door open in the Sunset and the cold outside is freaking chilling us to the bone!
6. Never came back to ask us how everything was. Just assumed it was good. WRONG!
The food was good so it saved them from 1 star. However...I will not come back to put myself or anyone else through this.
7. Even the patrons were arguing over who was next right beside our table. Really killed the mood. We wanted to leave at that point. People are inches away from us and yelling at the server about how she should do her job.
8. Only 1 kind of beer?? WTF? Only Hite? Huh?
Won't come back, nope, not ever.
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I'm giving this place 3 stars ONLY because they are closed on Sundays (WTF) and it's no longer a sit down restaurant, it's a take out spot. How am I supposed to enjoy my food if it's take out?!
The decor is...OK, it looks like someone's garage turned restaurant. Janky? Yes. Delicious? HELLS YES.
The fried chicken is literally the best I have ever had at a Korean restaurant. There's nothing super special about it except the batter is done exceptionally well, not too doughy and fried to perfection. You eat it with this crispy pickled radish and the combo is to die for. Oh yeah, they do NOT serve it for lunch so dinner only.
Their tofu soup is just the right amount of spicy and not too watery.
The little dishes (I don't know if they still offer it, seeing as though it's TAKE OUT now!) are tasty too, especially the little anchovies (my fave).
I've also tried a bunch of other items but these are the only ones I care to write about. The end.
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If you're willing to wait at least 30 minutes for a table, then this a place to check out for Korean food. One of my favorite restaurants!!! I love their Kal Bi and their fried chicken is pretty decent.
Defintely will be back when I crave for Korean food.
oh hell yes!!!! the fried chicken here was so ridiculously tasty and not greasy one bit. the banchan dishes that they served was all so tasty, especially their kimchi. not too spicy, but not too tangy. the soon dubo that comes with your meal was also incredibly tasty. sort of a smoky flavor to the tofu.
we went with a 10mo year old highly excitable (but very cute) little boy and they immediately brought out this lovely antique highchair for him and no one cared when he made a lot of noise. they servers were super friendly and prompt (and gladly doled out more banchan to us) and the clientele seemed all so friendly (though that may have been because they were all drugged by the delicious fried chicken.
This place will make my "list" of regular dining spots.
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Update: confirmed, Fridays are still busy, long wait-list even with reservations. So, try to go on another weekday, ey?
Jap-Chae=sauteed noodles (thin, clear) w/veggies/beef ($9.99)
Bul-go-gi=beef rib eye marinated ($18.99)
soft tofu w/assorted seafood ($9.99)
chicken "small" pieces - "little spicy" (deep fried) ($10.99)
Out of the way to get there, but worth the trip:
Korean Green Onion Pancake ($8.99),
Kalbi=beef short rib ($18.99),
calamari bok-um=sauteed calamari/veggies/noodles ($11.99),
soft tofu with beef stew ($9.99),
complimentary fried mackerel,
standard small plates of side dishes,
along with a bottle of so ju ($10.00).
Almost finished everything because all the items were so good - even their tea. As for the fried chicken, it was pretty good the last time we had it. There were probably four, or more, tables that ordered it while we were there.
A repeater-place = good. Got there and there was no line at all - based on previous visits, a star just for that. Plus, another star for the easy to find parking. What's going on? Is it TTET* and people cannot go out as often? Will move this place ahead of Brother's for the fact you don't leave smelling all-KBBQed.
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A few months ago they changed the lunch format, so that it's to go only. You can still eat inside the restaurant but the food is served in to go containers. I think you can still order from the entire menu and it's much less crowded during lunch (there's usually a line in the evenings). Plus they have cheap lunch specials (12 PM - 2:30 PM, M - F), mostly noodles, BBQ and rice bowls for $6.95 or $7.95.
I had the seafood bowl ($7.95). The to go container was packed with food including five types of pan chan (thin fish cakes, napa cabbage, blanched bean sprouts, crunchy cucumbers, anchovies), steamed white, sautéed seafood, scrambled egg and veggies and a cup of spicy red sauce. They thoughtfully put the spicy and non-spicy pan chan in separate compartments. I wasn't sure if they would include pan chan or not but am happy that they did (and in abundance). Good pan chan, not amazing but definitely solid.
I stirred the sauce w/ the sauteed items and rice first. The sauce was a bit too sweet and not spicy enough but the sauteed squid (not overcooked), clams, eggs, zucchini, carrots, onion and mushrooms were very good. Because you just get steamed white rice, the overall dish is inferior to bi bim bap in a sizzling stoneware pot.
The restaurant staff is really nice (consistently so). It's comfy inside even though the outside doesn't look too clean (not that I care).
People thought this was:
It isn't the cleanest, most attractive looking place but that isn't keeping the crowds away. People… Read more »
Not exactly the most authentic, but it does the job. When I went we got a free tofu soup (not like the hot soup you order at "tofu houses") which was my favorite party of the meal. It was spicy enough, but not too spicy to ruin your taste buds for the rest of the meal.
Other things we ordered were the seafood pancake, which was decently good but the sauce was not as good as I've had at other places. Spicy pork sizzling plate was nothing special and NOT spicy. The bibimbap was good and spicy and had a generous portion to share between the 5 of us little asian girls. That would probably be the only thing I recommend.
Sadly, we didn't get the fried chicken even though everyone in the restaurant had a plate. Next time I'll try it.
5 stars for the chicken only - my friends thought it was okay, but I loved it! The skin was light and super crispy. I think they fry it in super hot oil, so hot it practically disintegrates the bones. The result is fried chicken that tastes almost like gourmet pork rinds. if you like pork rinds, this is the place to go.
Service was okay. I didn't care for the bbq - kalbi, bulgogi, and chicken were either too tough or too salty. Actually, alot of items were too salty, now that I think about it!
Will be back for the chicken!
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I pass this place on the L everyday..and it's always intrigued me...but I knew it was pretty popular on yelp.
The bf and I couldn't decide what to eat for dinner last night so I suggested shin toe bul yi to him last night.
It looks pretty shabby from the outside, but inside it's nicer..there were alot of families in here last night.
We ordered the pan fried potstickers, and I got the sizzling kim chee bowl w/ pork and an egg on top, the bf got the the grilled octopus w/ noodles.
Assorted banchan was placed on our table - yum! My favorite was the teeny tiny little fish ..it was chewy and kind of reminded me of dried squid..their kimchee was really delicious too, but I would hope so-this being a korean restaurant!
My sizzling kim chee bowl came out and it was a bowl of steaming goodness! I broke up the egg and mixed everything up..it was filled w/ veggies, crab & pork..my food was steaming hot until the very end I tell ya!
My bf raved about his octopus and noodles...it looked pretty good in that spicy red sauce..the noodles were nice and chewy.
We also got a steaming hot pot of spicy tofu soup - on the house! It was nicely spicy and just perfect and FREE! heck yeah!
Next time I gotta try their famous fried chicken!
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A lot of people probably think it is weird that for lunch, it is only to go only. Or you can eat in the restaurant with a to go box, which i like so much better! I can never finish my meal, so now I can already have the food boxed up.
The tea here is really good. I usually get the spicy pork, but do wish it is a lot spicier. I miss their complimentary soup =( On the plus side, there is still kim chee with your meal!
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My initial reaction went something like:
Wait, the tofu soup is fucking free?! I knew places were over charging me for that shit. FINALLY, a place that makes sense.
Then my next discover went something like:
Korean fried chicken? Well, I have a passion for fried chicken and I do love Koreans. That's like a celebrity baby; how can you not like it?!
Slap on some Korean hot sauce (the sweet spicy one that always comes in a nondescript bottle but any real foodie knows the goodness that squirts out) and mix it with rice and you got a wholesome meal.
This joint is not exactly cheap, at about 10-12 bucks a dish... but the quantity is solid and the food is tasty. and the freebies make me cackle in glee.
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Unfortunately when all my friends talk a place up, I am super excited to go and then let down. Maybe from now on I am better off just ignoring what everyone else says, then going in on my own so I don't get down. I have a feeling if my fiance and I had not been so hyped up about the place we would have liked it more. Isn't that always the case though? I still liked my experience here though and enjoyed everything, it just wasn't as amazing as I had hoped!
It took me awhile to make coming here a priority, even though I literally live across the street on 30th. The reason was because it looked so icky, dirty and run down on the outside, and I never peeked in. But once inside, it's warm and inviting all dark wood and cozy and super clean. Every table is always filled and I have never walked by or driven by where there were not people waiting for a table, even when it's raining.
Put your name on the sign in sheet along with how many are in your party and wait.
You're seated, get your menu and order.
Some of the dishes can be opted to order as you cook yourself at the table, or they can be cooked and brought out to you. The waitress told us though that since it was only two of us if one of us wanted the cook it yourself option the other had to go with that also.
So we opted for the prepared and brought out to you option for the short ribs, and the onion pancakes, and some other items. The onion pancakes are something I love at Chinese restaurants, and the difference here was that these are made also with egg batter on the outside! YUMMY. It is a large order so of course I had plenty to bring home since my fiance is not a fan of that dish. In terms of the ribs, it was good, but a little plain. I guess the magic is in the 6 little accompanying dishes that come out for you to enjoy your meat with. Sprouts, flavored cucumbers, kimchee, little dried fish in a spicy sauce, and some other stuff. Pair that with your meat and there you go! Flavor!
Next time want to try the fried chicken, when I saw the platters of it walking past me, I kept on wanting to change my order, it looked really good!
Anyway regarding service, it was quick and fast, in terms of bringing us what we asked for, but there was about a 20 minute wait for the food (maybe dinner rush?) and when the food did come out it was almost tossed at us (again, maybe rush). Everyone was really nice though so I don't feel like any of it was intentional.
Now I have another dining option in the area, that I can literally just cross the street for.
Yipee.
People thought this was:
I've got to say, I wasn't too impressed after all the rave reviews. I had the tolsot bi bim bap (which they had some English name for I forgot) - the rice dish in the stoneware dish. The dish was not warm enough, such that the rice did not get all crispy as it should. I don't know what it is in SF - between Brother's and this place, I can't get a decent bi bim bap.
My girlfriend (who grew up Korean) said the kim chi that came with the ban chan was the worst she's had - not salted properly before prep, I think, but the cold noodle dish was excellent. The soon dobu was good, but not as good as Mom's on Grand in South SF.
Maybe we should have stuck with the fried chicken.
People thought this was:
Friday night.
The wife and I.
SEA BASS!
...fo' dat ass!
Heavy rotation at this spot may be just a few more bites away!
Six of us had dinner here last night.
Ordered Bul go gi, Bi bim bap, fried chicken, seafood pancake…
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This place is so yummy. A group of us go once a month to fulfill the crave!
I checked out Brothers on Geary recently, but I like this place much better. Better tofu soup and you don't come out smelling like Korean BBQ. Also, they don't serve the fried chicken at Brothers.
Good stuff man. Don't forget to order some Korean beer with your meal.
People thought this was:
I love this place. Has great service and of course the food is delicious. The place is small, but it's all about the food that I care about. Won't fail you, check it out.
People thought this was:
KFC and 1/2 priced beer!
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Birthday Free
Neighborhood: Western…
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
Category: Korean
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