DoorDashed Ollei for work and wow I was so impressed! We ordered the Seafood Pancake, Beef and…read moreSeafood Tofu Soup, and the various Banchan to-go. The portions are HUGE! My tofu soup alone lasted me two meals, and it is exceptionally spiced. There is a lovely seafood broth and the tang of the Korean pepper makes this dish so comforting and warm. The Seafood Pancake was a bit dry and not fried to my preference - but came with generous amounts of squid in the pancake. Overall, enjoyed this and WILL COME BACK. It was so good!

solid korean food at the edge of russian hill…read more the portions will definitely leave you satisfied, and the broths are packed with flavor. it seems the smart way to go is to order several different small plates and share with a group. but still, their main entrees are well made and worth their value.

Crossed off yet another Michelin! I've discovered that I especially love Korean Michelin…read morerestaurants because they do elevated yet simple food SO well, and SSAL was no exception. The entire menu was impeccable. At first, I wished I had gotten a menu beforehand since I believe they change it pretty regularly, but by the end I was actually so glad I went in blind and let every course be a surprise. At one point they brought out what genuinely looked like a dessert with a little box, and I fully thought the receipt was inside. I was like wait... I'm definitely not full yet LOL. Turns out it was another savory course! I almost wonder if they purposely troll you a little because the reveal genuinely made me laugh to myself. The staff was SO friendly and incredibly knowledgeable about every course. I came here and dined by myself after finishing a business trip, and it ended up being such a lovely way to close out my time in SF. The space is super intimate and you can see directly into the kitchen as they cook and prep everything in front of you. I loved that feeling of being so close to the entire experience. It would be perfect for a date or a small dinner with friends. I also had one of the best champagnes of my life here! Everything felt so thoughtful, and I loved how the menu paid homage to both Korean cuisine and San Francisco. Such a special experience and somewhere I would happily come back to again and again. Highly recommend!

Date: Friday, May 29th, 2026 Time: 8pm…read moreParty of: 2 Meal: Dinner Reservation Made Thru: OpenTable a little over a week prior Accolades (that I know of): MICHELIN Guide Restaurants - 1 Star Ssal Menu ($270) x2 *Island Creek Oyster, Choujang *Bluefin Tuna, Kaluga Caviar, Handmade Sesame Oil *Australian Wagyu, Pine Nut, Flavor Rose Pluot *Roasted Sweet Potato, Perigord Truffle *Live American Eel, Koshihikari, Gamtae *Sweet Prawn Tartare, Brokaw Avocado, Kaluga Caviar *Ssal x Arsicault Bakery Croissant *Mulhoe Myeon, Shimi Aji, Giant Octopus, Yuzu-Chile Yuksu *Korean Abalone, Bloomsdale Spinach, Malted Fingerling *Cuttlefish, English Peas, Bergamot, Deonjang Beurre Blanc *Sablefish Jorim, Green Asparagus, Sweet Corn *Nuruk-aged Duck, Bokbunja, Red Ginseng *K&J Orchard Stonefruits, Basil *Albion Strawberry, Yogurt, Mint, Mignardises & Fruit *Galbi ($60) x2 *Soft Drink ($10) *Guiborat Tethys 21 BTG ($48) *Carbonnieux Sauvignon 2023 BTG ($24) *Paris Syrah 2021 BTG ($26) *Cht Branaire-Ducru 2014 BTH ($38) *Service Charge - 22% ($177.32) *Tax ($84.80) A friend and I decided to splurge and have dinner at Ssal. It's been on my list of spots for a while, but my fam does not believe in paying premium prices for asian food, so I never suggest it for a special occasion meal. Luckily my friend was down, so we made it happen. Reservations were pretty easy. We didn't have to plan too far ahead. The atmosphere is very much more on the casual side. Granted they have that dim fancy resto lighting, but the vibe wasn't your typical michelin spot. No tablecloths, a stool for your purse, etc. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. When you're paying a certain amount, I feel like a chair for your purse isn't too much to ask. Moving on to the real reason people come here, the food! I'm not gonna pretend I know a lot about Korean food. I did marry one, but he makes the casual traditional stuff - super spicy soondubu, kalbi, samgyeopsal, sesame leaf wraps, fish cakes, anchovy side dishes, etc. I do love really strong flavors, so some things were a little too delicate for me. But I did appreciate the inventiveness of the dishes. I guess asian fusion just really isn't my jam either at this price point. Service was excellent. I wanted to do a pairing, but it's mostly white and I'm a red girl, so the sommelier helped me to create my own pairing. That was fun and actually worked out really well. It's rare I find a michelin spot I would pay to go to more than once. This one was not a rarity. But in all, a good experience. I'm not mad I tried it. REVIEW #4074

Awesome place with a huge portion size of food!…read more Good: - Only waited about 5min for a seat on a Sunday night for dinner - They are generous with the banchan and we had a couple refills - The galbi jjim for 2 people was way too much and well worth since it powered 2 more meals after - super fresh and so many toppings - the meat is super soft - The watermelon strawberry drink was huge and great value Bad: - Takes a while for the food to come - The place is pretty small Overall would come again, super comfort food. Great value and just enjoyed the vibes.

super cute small-ish restaurant serving korean dishes and known for galbijjim! we came by to try it…read moreout and i really enjoyed it. it didn't seem too busy on a weekday night and our party of five was able to sit right away. the food also came out quickly once ordered! the only thing is that service could be spotty, as it seemed they didn't have enough staff for the floor when we were there. i didn't mind too much but keep that in mind if you are on a timeline! we tried the galbijjim, which comes with glass noodles, rice cakes, and cheese by default. they also gave us banchan and rice. the galbijjim was saucy and savory with tender meat & lots of cheese. i do think it's less sweet than daeho's version, which can be a plus if you find theirs to be overly sweet! additionally, they include the rice cakes and cheese, which are paid add-ons if you go to daeho. the banchan were better than daeho's in my opinion. their fish cakes were nicely grilled and kimchi tasted great. i only wish they had purple rice as an option! the portion was perfect for five of us so it's a really great value in my opinion. overall a good vibe, great food and banchan, nice portion for galbijjim. service can be slow but they're very kind and helpful.

Found this spot on TikTok and it looked Instagram worthy, so my cousin and I headed over on…read moreSaturday for a late lunch [def have to go back for brunch]. We decided to share a mimosa flight, spring rolls, and ahi scoops. Even though it wasn't brunch, they still allowed us to order a brunch flight, and they were so polite and helpful throughout 4.8/5. The inside is tiny, but quite stunning, clean, and gives a lot of opportunities for insta-worthy pics 4.9/5, I only wish there had been an actual photo wall. Now to the food. The crispy spring rolls were cooked perfectly, and seasoned well. The clear noodles and veggies were so yummy. I asked for soy sauce because that's what I prefer over sweet sauce, but honestly they needed nothing 4.8/5. The ahi scoops had the best seaweed salad on it that I have EVER had, the wasabi cream on top was the show stopper, and I don't even like wasabi 5/5. We shared the flight and was more than tipsy from two drinks each, flavors on point champagne delicious 5/5. Overall

Had Blackwood on my list for a while as I was looking for new brunch places to try. The premise of…read morea thai fusion brunch intrigued me and I was hoping it was would surpass my expectations and previous experience with Peacock Pansy (similar brunch spot). The reservation system was a bit odd with no designated time slots, but rather you put in a time yourself online. The system turned out to not work very well as I originally booked a spot for 2 at 11am and then had to call to move it to 11:40am (weird time). Turns out when we got there, my name or a close spelling of it was on the list for 12:40pm. This wasn't a big deal to me since it's easy to mishear on the phone so we moved on from that. The restaurant was decently booked and we sat inside. Now for what my partner and I ordered! Unfortunately nothing called to me strongly so I went with the very basic choice of 2 eggs plate with ciabatta toast and rainbow potatoes. I added in chicken sausage for $3. 5/10: The toast was unbuttered and honestly tasted stale. The potatoes were nice and crispy, but unsalted and quite plain. The eggs were nice, I got mine scrambled. Sausages were okay, I think I actually ended up with the pork sausages rather than chicken. My plate was $26 and I can confidently say it is not worth close to that unfortunately. Brussel Florentine Benedict 6/10: My partner was intrigued by the ton yum hollandaise sauce. There was a hint of it which was nice. Benedicts were okay, nothing special. Coconut oat matcha 8/10: On the sweeter side, but enjoyable! I liked the toasted coconut pieces on top and thought it was a nice drink. Premium matcha wise, I don't agree necessarily, but hey it was an enjoyable drink. Drip coffee 0/10: My partner loves a drip coffee and not in a snobby way. From diner coffee to honestly plain old regular slightly brunt coffee, thats her jam. This coffee was just burnt. Not sure what happened but it was $5 for a completely bitter cup of burnt coffee. Not great. Fun side note: As we were ordering the table next to us called attention to their dish as their waffle was completely undercooked and tasted bitter. The wait staff was apologetic about it, but seemed to either not understand or insist it was "too sweet" not undercooked or bitter. The table was very polite about it so honestly it was not the best look for the restaurant. It was simply feedback and I don't believe it was taken very well. Regardless, just a fun note to throw in! We will not be back unfortunately. There are many lovely brunch spots and restaurants around the city and sadly I don't think this one is worth a try just because of the cost for the quality, but I always tell myself its always worth to try in case you do think differently!

Two of us came here on a Friday around 8:15pm and there was a line of a few groups in front of us…read more It took about 20 minutes. Then when we were about to walk to our booth, which I saw seats 3, we heard the group behind us say there were 3 of them, so we gave our table to them (it just made more sense). The host was really grateful, promised us no more than a 5-minute wait, and gave us free soju drinks! Very very delicious food and even more amazing drinks. Lively yet romantic vibe. I'd love to try Nisei sometime (they share a kitchen with Bar Iris), their dining room in the back seemed like a much quieter serious vibe. DRINKS * Mint - 4.5 stars, beautifully balanced, nice foam texture. * Ninjin sour - 4 stars. * Uni Cocktail - 5 stars. So amazing, complex, crazy, tasty. FOOD * Temaki Flight - 4.5 stars * Yaki flight - 4.5 stars * Kuzu chip - 4 stars * Wagyu Tartare - 4 stars

Visited Bar Iris with a friend at 7PM on a Saturday evening, and there was a line out the front…read moremoved pretty quickly since the service was efficient and attentive. The interior was dimly lit and very moody. I loved how it was more of an intimate experience, where people are sipping on drinks, snacking on finger foods, and engaging in quiet conversation. My friend and I got the white peach as well as the strawberry drinks. We both are not big drinkers, and prefer drinks that are lighter in alcohol taste, and we highly recommend these drinks if you are looking for fruitier, refreshing drinks. We also ordered the yakitori and the hand rolls, and both were very tasty and flavorful. The chicken yakitori was juicy and the portion was pretty substantial. The fish in the handrolls tasted very fresh and high quality. We both hope to one day eat at the restaurant that the bar is connected to!

Run don't walk!!!…read more If you're feeling adventurous for brunch, this is the place. Their Korean friend chicken makes a great Benedict although I prefer their Korean fried chicken wings with the sweet & spicy sauce. Their drink menu is extensive & you must try the Ube latte in some form. Ambiance is very modern with great vibes & service is extremely friendly & helpful.

Such a great brunch spot! We came across it after walking the pier…read more Food was delicious, we tried the French toast with berries, Korean fried chicken and the Blackstone Benedict with their Million Dollar Bacon. Everything came out fresh and flavorful, and the bacon was definitely worth trying!!Service was friendly and attentive and the ambience was relaxed and welcoming. There's also plenty of seating and parking. Definitely a spot I'd come back to for brunch!

Honestly I wouldn't think twice of an Americanized modern place specializing in Chinese food. Could…read moresay I'm a snob for the authentic hole-in-the-wall spots. But this is the first modern Chinese restaurant in SF that I was truly impressed by. The ambience is chic, sleek, bringing classy take on the Chinese lounge experience. The restaurant front is even tucked away from the Main Street in marina, presenting an elevated courtyard secret exclusive feeling as you saunter your way into the restaurant. - Szechuan Spicy Chicken - dried fried chicken seasoned with ginger green onions, dried chili; almost mistook this dish for Taiwanese fried chicken (鹽酥雞）! Light batter air-fried texture, super flavorful and not overly salty, an excellent bite snack to share - Garlic Shrimp Noodles - super smooth & buttery, al dente noodles, baby shrimp mixed in, fragranced by chopped parsley & green onions on top - Beijing Dumplings - chicken & shrimp, house-made vinegar; a new bright green wrap, not sure if the pool of vinegar was entirely necessary, but still a scrumptious bite - Eggplant Tofu - my favorite dish of the night, super impressed by this one, thick blocks of eggplant & tofu cut in the same form, super silky tofu, tender soft eggplant The interior prides is imbued with a black, gold, & blue color palette. I've also never seen lamps like these before, almost like Chinese lanterns encrusted in a bronze mesh. The ingredients used are organic & locally sourced and you can truly taste the difference. Will need to stop by the patio and grab a cocktail next time around. Service was a friendly & checked in on us a few times. Atmosphere was pleasant and not crowded for 8pm on a Friday night.

Delicious and great ambiance…read more Ordered the wasabi mayo shrimp, the tuna tartare, the truffle soup dumplings and the garlic shrimp noodles. All exquisite. Dumplings were the fav. Got the cheesecake too which was a nice small portion and delicious.

Loved it! We tried the Mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, fish and mushroom dumplings and the garlic…read morebroccoli. Everything was delicious, but the noodles and mapo tofu were a stand out. Service was friendly. We went for lunch on a weekday and the ambience was calm.

If you're looking for next level Chinese food then look no further! You literally can taste the…read morequality in the ingredients used here. And isn't that everything? Dan Dan noodles. Undeniably first rate although a tad too spicy for my hubs. Maaaaybe for me too, though I don't like to admit it since I like to think that I possess a high threshold for spice. Like I'm some kind of spice ninja or something. But, in actuality, I'm just not. Hot & spicy dumplings. I hate mushy dumplings & these were nothing of the sort. Full of flavor, but not too spicy. Beef noodle soup. Hubs LOVED this so much that now he orders it every time. Fried rice. I order fried rice every time I order any Chinese food, just fact. This fried rice is stellar! So fresh, perfectly cooked, & not greasy. Win. Barbecued pork buns. Dynamite! Scallion pancake. Not too thick, not too thin. Not overcooked, not undercooked. Not too greasy. They got it right. Crab & cream cheese "rolls." For whatever reason, I feel compelled to order crab rangoon whenever I order Chinese, & this is their equivalent. They're more like "packets," thin & flat. The ratio of vessel to filling is just disproportionate. Where's the crab? Perhaps more importantly, where's the crab flavor? Lots of potential here but they fall flat. This appetizer is the only thing we've tried here that we haven't loved. Dumpling Union is now our favorite for Chinese delivery. Thank you DU for bringing us such a fresh & quality option for Chinese food. 4 & 1/2 stars.

High quality, clean ingredients, and mind-blowing flavors! Service is superb. Friendly staff…read moreupgrades your dining experience to an unforgettable great memory. I have dined there multiple times and hosted several parties there. Everyone tried the food all love it. 5/5. They also have a happy hour menu and the portion is filling. I specifically love the Wagyu garlic noodles, it's garlicky, buttery, beefy, it super addicting. The ground floor is smaller with a bar with 5 TVs where you can dine solo and drink beer at the bar or have smaller parties. The second floor is huge and there's also a large karaoke room where you can easily fit 30 people for a bigger party.

We came on a Saturday evening for an early dinner and were able to walk in with no wait. The server…read moregreeted us warmly and seated us right away. The restaurant was quiet, clean, and comfortable overall. We ordered the Australian Wagyu AYCE menu. The meat and veggie options weren't a lot, but everything we tried was really high quality. We chose the tonkotsu and Japanese tomato soup bases, and both were tasty without being too strong. The chicken karaage was a standout -- we liked it so much we ordered it twice! It wasn't exactly traditional Japanese-style karaage; it tasted more like Taiwanese popcorn chicken, which we loved. Overall, a great dining experience!

Celebrated a birthday here. Susan our wait staff was great. Service overall was great, except they…read moreforgot to give us our leftover takeout box. We ordered their classic garlic pepper crab, garlic noodles (plain), kungpao eggplant, and fried calamari. Everything was tasty, except for the eggplant dish, which was over-caramelized. The texture was weird, and there was no kungpao flavor whatsoever. It tasted like candied eggplants. For dessert, we had the baked alaska. It was beautiful, nice presentation. It was super rich but if you've never had one before it may be an opportunity to try one for yourself. For cocktails, we ordered a Strawberry Field. It didn't taste anything like strawberry although it was beautiful. The beer selection was rather pedestrian. They had Sapporo, Budweiser, and a bunch of other options similar to the ones you can find at your local gas-station. lol

It makes me sad to give this restaurant 3-stars because it has so many positives!…read more The ambience is amazing! It's the type of place you can easily spend a couple of happy hours. The cocktail menu was fantastic. I had the Saigon 75 and I would order it again! For food, I did the filet mignon shaking beef and Ferry Building Farmers Market vegetables. My dishes tasted very good but both were very sweet. Especially for the shaking beef, had the sauce not been so sweet, the flavor was really good. Note that I ordered this without the potatoes. The other thing I noticed was regarding the vegetables the green beans, sugar peas, and mushrooms were really tasty (though in a sauce that was too sweet), there were many green beans that were not fresh. The service was top notch!