Korean Barbeque

[HMcC]

I'm looking for a good Korean Barbeque place on the Penninusla or in San Francisco. A friend once took me to a place in Campbell (?) with a buffet-type bar where you selected all your meats and sides and paid by weight. You then cooked your food yourself at the table. It's been so long I cannot remember the name of the place or exact location. Does anyone know where this place is and/or can recommend something similar?

Thanks!

[nicedragonboy]

Palace BBQ Buffet is awesome...and so is Sahn Maru...

Will be trying both Brothers and Ohgane in the near future myself, will let you know, but as many have attested here, both have pretty good reps for great food.

[WCchopper]

We ate at Ohgane last night. We enjoyed the black goat stew with sesame leaves very much, the seafood and scallion pancake very much and the flavor but not the texture of the octopus (nok ji bokum?). there was a mysterious nob on our table that we discovered to be a waiter "call button" at the end of the meal. Too bad we didn't find it earlier, we could have summonsed more panchan! As it was, the food was tasty and abundant!

[iwantmytwodollars]

I always go to Brother's BBQ (I think we go to #2) in the SF on Geary. As mentioned, you order heaps of meat, and they kind of grill it in front of you at the table (in the table, really). It's not cheap, but you get about 10 tiny little dishes of scrumptious sides before the grilling even begins: seaweed salad, pickled vegetables, tofu, etc. They always give us something for free: a Coke, soup, or rice. I don't know why, or if that's normal, but it happens every time we go. (And none of us are Korean.)

[Robert Lauriston]

Standard procedure at a Korean restaurant is that you order only entrees. You automatically get panchan (appetizers / side dishes), and each person should get a bowl of soup and a bowl of rice. Many places also serve barley tea.

You can always ask for refills on any panchan you polish off.

[augustiner]

it's common in korean restaurants to offer tables something on the house, usually a chigae, or stew, maybe jap chae noodles or a green onion pancake. maybe this is mostly for large groups or tables that order a lot. these freebies are referred to as, uh...well they appropriated the english word "service" but it sounds like "soh-bees-suh." i don't think that it's common for korean restaurants to offer "service" to westerners, but brother's is one of the few restaurants that actually caters to non-korean customers.

[Dave MP]

When I ate at Brothers w/ just one other person, we were given a free seafood chigae.

Overall, I liked Brothers a lot and would recommend it, although from what I hear, places in Oakland and elsewhere outside of SF might be better. But for Korean BBQ within SF, I think Brothers is a good bet.

[iwantmytwodollars]

Thank you Robert and augustiner for the explanation! Long live good service. Or freebies, or whatever. Panchan! There we go.

[Robert Lauriston]

I haven't seen any buffet-style Korean BBQs, the ones I know you have to order what you want. Side dishes (panchan) just come automatically, no choosing (though you can often order extra items such as pancakes).

In SF I like Han Il Kwan. You can cook at the table or not, as you prefer. Call ahead if you want charcoal rather than gas.

-----
Han IL Kwan Korean Restaurant
1802 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121

[mariacarmen]

I've been to many of the Korean BBQs in the City (sorry, none in the Peninsula) but my absolute favorite is in Oakland, on Telegraph Avenue, called Koriya. Always busy (and filled with Koreans, always a good sign), i've found their quality and taste of meat better than all other places, not to menion the variety of little accompanying sides and condiments. You can cook at your table or not, and they have a room in the back for larger parties. Check it out sometime if you're in the East Bay! i find it worth a special trip over there, tho . . .

[Robert Lauriston]

I'm not a big fan of Koryo. I much prefer Ohgane, nearby at 40th and Broadway.

[kc72]

isn't it Koryo?

i'd rather go to Ohgane or Sahn Maru

[bbulkow]

Each has their place, methinks.

I often go to Sahn Maru with friends, as they have a wide menu and friendly service and never a wait since Ohgane's opened (although I swear the main waitress is japanese). Especially good are the seafood pancake and black goat stew - and that crazy dipping sauce for the stew, which is a must-eat. You can't self-cook at Sahn Maru - they don't have the hood vents.

I find Ohgane's atmosphere a little "too nice", which just shows I've been in oakland too long. Really, I can't argue with Mr Lauriston - it likely is the best of the bunch. High quality meats, too.

Koryo, however, remains a sentimental favorite, as it's the first place I had korean bbq. Servings are huge, prices are low, and very mom n pop with their formica tables. I can't argue that it is better in any way than Ohgane. The parking lot is far more dicey in terms of breakins. That's where I dine by myself.

Then there's a few places closer to downtown on Telegraph - any of them particularly good? Do any have english language signs?

[Robert Lauriston]

Ohgane's front and back rooms have very different atmospheres. I can't believe anyone would find the back room "too nice."

Seoul Gom Tang II is good for ox knuckle soup and the like.

Pyung Chang Tofu House is good for soft tofu stews.

[mariacarmen]

I did not know about Ohgane's - will have to give it a try! i actually don't mind not self-cooking. leave it to the experts, i say, when it comes to Korean BBQ.

[sylphi]

I'm not sure what you're specifically looking for but I used to go to Palace BBQ Buffet in Sunnyvale. It's an all you can eat BBQ buffet for $12 for lunch. The Korean meats were raw and you grilled it yourself. There were also soups, noodle, and some other apre-cooked foods.

While I know this isn't in the Peninsula, it's quite close to Campbell.

The link isn't quite working but here's the address...
Palace BBQ Buffet
1092 E. El Camino Real

There's also a bunch of other places in San Francisco, such as Brother's on Geary Blvd, where they have raw meats by the plate and you cook yourself. Like I said, I wasn't sure if you were looking for a buffet or an Korean restaurant where you can grill your own meat. Hope this helps.
Sunnyvale, CA 94087

[HMcC]

Thank you so much - I'm pretty sure this is the place I was talking about! (Clearly my details were a little fuzzy)....you're a star!