When we moved to East Bay from the city a couple months ago we were so excited to try all the korean options we couldn’t find in SF. If you love Korean food and need a good staple spot, or just looking to try korean food (besides fried chicken) for the first time, here’s our list of our favorite local places to check out.
The second night at our new apartment we immediately opened DoorDash and tried to find a Korean fried chicken place. We ordered from OBTown and it totally hit the spot. It’s a really authentic fried chicken restaurant. They have lots of sauce options, all of which are worth trying, but the Spicy Yang Nyum chicken is the best in our opinion. Goes extra well with soju and friends.
This style of Korean-Chinese food was an early staple of delivery food in Korea. Every small town has a version of this style restaurant. This is our go-to when we’re too busy or too lazy to cook. Our normal order is the Ja Jang Myun and Jap Che Bop.
Ja Jang Myun
House noodles with ja jang sauce with diced pork and various vegetables in season.
Jam Pong
Spicy. House noodles in hot and spicy soup with shrimp, squid, mussel, and various vegetables in season
Tang su Yuk
Sweet and sour sauce with chunks of pineapple, onions, slices of cucumber, and carrots served over your choice of meat.
Bul Go Gi Jap Che
Thinly sliced beef with house sauce, clear noodles, and various vegetables in season.
Another Korean food icon is tofu soup. This place has the best, as well as lots of options and types to choose from. Every detail and dish feels like it was handcrafted by a family member, and almost everything on the menu is great.
Seafood Pancake
Traditional Korean style seafood (squid, mussel, and clam) pancake prepared with flour batter
Combination Tofu Soup
Soft tofu stew with a combination of beef and seafood—squid, clam, and shrimp
Blood Sausage, one of the lesser known korean food staples, is Minji's go-to hangover soup in Korea. Ben (although is a reformed picky eater) still won't touch the stuff, so luckily this place has other options as well. Get for your Korean wife when she’s sick, or just to be adventurous for yourself.
Traditional Blood Sausage Soup
Spicy Beef Stew
Shredded beef brisket, glass noodle, green onion and egg in spicy beef broth
You thought we were going to make a Korean list and not mention Bonchon? When we are desperate for lots of flavors and we can’t decide on what to order together you can never go wrong. The Combo comes with pickled radishes, which is an underrated addition in Minji’s book. Get the Spicy & Soy Garlic sauce for a good balance of savory/spicy fried chicken goodness.
Combo
Medium includes 10 wings and five drumsticks and the famously underrated pickled radishes
Pork Buns
Slice of savory pork belly dressed with Bonchon soy garlic sauce, topped with cucumbers, coleslaw, spicy mayo, and katsu sauce. Each order includes three buns.
