Bay Area · Cuisine
Korean
Mission charcoal barbecue, Japantown kalbijjim, and Santa Clara’s El Camino Korean corridor.
San Francisco’s Korean map is thinner than Los Angeles Koreatown, but it holds clear poles: chef-driven charcoal barbecue in the Mission, specialty stew houses in Japantown, and everyday barbecue and soup rooms toward the Tenderloin and Outer Sunset. Santa Clara’s El Camino corridor remains the densest suburban Korean dining stretch. Restaurant pages below cover the Michelin charcoal benchmark, the city’s most documented kalbijjim destination, and a long-running Santa Clara tabletop barbecue room on that South Bay strip.
Focus areas: SF Chinatown & Mission, Richmond & Inner Sunset, San Jose & Cupertino
Restaurants
San Ho Won
$$$Mission
Michelin-starred Korean charcoal barbecue in the Mission from Corey Lee and Jeong-In Hwang; meats grilled in the kitchen, not on the table.
Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup
$$$Japantown
Japantown specialist for braised short-rib kalbijjim and beef soups; long waits, shared pots, optional blowtorched cheese.
Jang Su Jang
$$$Santa Clara (El Camino)
Santa Clara El Camino Korean for staff-grilled tabletop barbecue, banchan, soups, and noodles in Lawrence Square.