Don't let the exterior fool you!! This place is INCREDIBLE. Delicious food, top notch service, plates were clean all around. The chicken teriyaki was amazing and my husband loved his array of sushi. read more

Korean food well done. Not much ambiance, but outstanding family service. Very reasonable prices. Been there twice now and will happily go again. I'm not going to recommend anything in particular, I had chicken based dish one night and pork the other...both tasty. I like a bit of heat so 3 was spot one. read more

This is an authentic Korean restaurant run by a Korean family. The restaurant is not too big, probably around 50 people max. The menu includes a wide array of traditional Korean dishes such as bulgogi, bibimbap, and seafood pancake. I started out with the seafood pancake which a friend and I shared (highly recommend) followed by a Korean beef stew over glass noodles. Again very tasty, though I wish it had been a little spicer. It lacked the depth that I expected. What I really liked is that they also bring out several condiments including sesame bamboo shoots and various types of kimchi. Will definitely be returning. read more

Korean SSAM BAR - Korean Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

What a great place, we enjoyed lunch here recently. The service is great too. I had the chicken bulgogi and loved it.

Lovely service and the water carafes are cute and really cold. Food was amazing and I cannot wait to return to try something else. read more

Korean SSAM BAR - Vegan Japchae - Korean Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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This is my favorite restaurant. Great food! We drive an hour to come here for their galbi and bibimbap. The food is fresh and taste delicious every time. You can also buy their kimchi to go. The price is reasonable. Most dishes are $15-$25. They also have sushi, beer, and wine. The service is great and the restaurant is clean. read more

Korean SSAM BAR - Galbi - Korean Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

I stopped here for lunch on my last day in the area for work and on my way out of town. This family run Korean restaurant is a real gem. Everything on the menu sounded good but I had to make the difficult decision of only choosing only one dish. I settled on the stone pot bibimbap which included five sides. The sides were very good, and the kimchi was especially flavorful. The bibimbap was excellent as was the gochujang that was brought out with it. My regret is I only had time to sample one dish. If we had a place like this in Tallahassee, I'd eat here several times a week. I love Korean food and this restaurant delivered. 감사합니다 read more

Korean SSAM BAR - Stone pot bibimbap with five sides. - Korean Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Great food, and the whole family loves it. Service is wonderful and super-friendly. Not everything is spicy, so if you're wanting no to try Korean but afraid of the spice, please give it a try. It's delicious and flavorful. read more

Still the best Korean Restaurant in Sarasota. Came here with my grandson.. we both loved our meals. Anytime I'm in the area this is my go to restaurant. Always great food and service at reasonable prices. Nothing fancy but always clean. read more

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We are lunch here on June 5. The lunch specials of the spicy chicken bulgogi and the beef bulgogi were very tasty. The portions are huge and it comes with rice and vegetables. The service was great with very reasonable priced food options. We will be back soon. read more

Comfortable restaurant with nice people cooking and serving Although it looks like a cocktail bar from the outside, it's a quiet place on Washington Avenue The people were very nice. I am vegan and they offered me a number of different things and the food was excellent. read more

Lunch special is great! Loved the ginger salad and the sweet and sour chicken. Multi generational family joint with authentic food.

Very friendly mom and pop Korean restaurant near downtown Sarasota. Frequented by many famous people who have their signatures on the walls Pros: super friendly ambiance with happy Korean grandma serving us in Korean. The food was incredibly delicious and homemade. The seafood pancake was so crispy and heart. The bibimap has to be ordered in the stone pot to really bring out the tastiness. So many soup options here as well that are great for a cool day. Cons: none! Definitely check this place out for delicious, homemade authentic Korean food. read more

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This was our first visit - in with friends for dinner. Place was busy, with dine-in, take-out and delivery orders! Easy to see why. The majority of the diners were Asian - a sure sign that the food you will be served is authentic. The restaurant - SSAM meaning "wrapped" in Korean - is smallish and is located in a small strip mall on the west side of Tamiami next to Sarasota Wine & Liquor and an Asian market (excellent we hear). Private parking lot for the strip mall. You're here for the food, which is lovingly prepared at this family owned restaurant. Lots of choices from Yum and Mama Jun We started with a seafood pancake and a plate of BBQ chicken served with Mama's secret spicy sauce. "Heat" is dial-able from 1-5 - we tried 4 and it had some serious kick. Three of us dialed it down to 3 for entrees, while our fourth upped it to 5 plus more on the side! The chicken was crunchy and tasty - a terrific nibble and the seafood pancake was truly delicious! For dinner we had Chicken Bulgogi, Spicy Pork Bulgogi (me), Chap Chae (my wife) and we threw in an appetizer size marinated Galbi (beef short ribs) for sharing. We loved our meals, the service was excellent throughout and wholeheartedly recommended you visit. read more

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The bulgogi I ordered did not have a sear. It was essentially steamed. Tasted rough to chew. The 4 or so kimchi's they proudly served were too sweet. They used to have more spice, and flavor. I asked for the best meal. The gentlemen recommended the bulgogi, probably because it's their highest ticket item. The service was poor, my table was not a priority. The ambiance is communist china, Don't accept phone calls and be ready to order. As a quarterly customer, this was my last visit. I recommend bulgogi house, kore, shilla, or j's Korean. read more

Korean SSAM BAR - Chewy bulgogi, it was steamed vs seared. Their kitchen needs help. - Korean Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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February 10, 2023: Not to be too brief but a LOT of visitors and distractions these days, but I HAD to get this review entered and will likely be back in the future and will gladly update this review. We have been trying to get in here for a few months but they were closed when we wanted to drop in. (yes hours somewhere but we were passing by on 301 or something, so on a whim) My wife actually made a reservation just so we knew we would go before a play at the SRT. They were moderately busy so not needed. A VERY brisk take out busy with steady stream of Grub Hub and walk-in patrons. Many Asian and Korean patrons?? We now realize why? First off EVERYBODY who greeted us was friendly and inviting, like we had entered our friends home for a dinner. Our server was world class attentive and cordial. Drinks topped up and food swiftly served and hot as ordered!!! The Bibimbaps were full of wholesome ingredients that were obviously fresh and not overcooked or saucy and over spiced. A wonderful product! We ordered a seafood pancake as appetizer that was a little oily and could have been a little more crispy but it was very tasty. The little sides were also varied and fresh. Multiple Kimchi, potato, and some fruits (chayote). Okay, REALLY one of the few and clearly one of the best in authentic Korean food near/in Sarasota. (Recommended by TWO Korean Market owners.) ~ Thomas ~ read more

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Fairly priced & good service. Seafood noodle soup (jam pong) was recommended but i will give B- You will need to find korean chinese place for this dish .. but there is not one around... seafood pancake (appetizer) was good ... ladies in our party liked it a lot.. bi bim bap (rice with meat & vegetable was ok (c) ... we are from chicago area which has over 100 korean places ... maybe it is unfair comparison ... read more

First time here and we will be back! Tastes like home cooking! The kimchi had a sweet side to it, I've never had that before, we made sure to buy a pint of it. So tasty. The staff was so sweet and friendly. The music in the restaurant was so relaxing. I will sleep good tonight!! Haha read more

Korean SSAM BAR - Bulgogi, and chap chae w/ tofu - Korean Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

My sister and BIL brought me here as I needed some korean food b4 jumping on a cruise. A mom n pop operation and you can def see them hustling in the dining room or in the kitchen. Super friendly people. Now onto the food. Ordered a little of everything as we ate family style. Spicy rice cake, octopus thingy, I even went with the cold Spicy noodles. Not as spicy as I would like, but this isn't seattle. Flavors were on point and I would def eat here again. read more

Authentic, fresh, delicious, family-run Korean restaurant. Very reasonably priced, high quality, great down home ambiance with Nina Simone and vintage jazz playing in the background while we were there. A Sarasota gem. Highly recommend. read more

As you can tell, if you follow me, I MUST try out the best Korean restaurants in every city I visit. Not because I'm a snob, but bc I love and crave Korean food wherever I go. And this time was no different... I was craving Chinese-Korean cuisine. And jjamppong is what I like.....and always extra spicy loaded with seafood. Now, If it's good, I'll devour it. If it's delicious, I'll order more food with it to make sure the place makes everything else just as well! Because I need to know :) And God damn ! This place delivered! I sat by myself after a long flight and chowed down on jjamppong.... fried pork dumplings, kimbap, and galbi with rice. I packed my leftovers and snacked on them the next day. That's why I always recommend staying in a hotel or Airbnb with a fridge and microwave. The udon in the jjamppong had the perfect chew. It was spicy but I asked them to level up for me next time hahah The tender galbi wasn't too sweet yet glazed just right, paired perfectly with the rice and amazing kimchi. Tasted like home cooking! The dumplings were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside... didn't even need the dip!! What dip?!! The gimbap... O M G I could eat this all day if I could. I wish I could have it delivered to my workplace everyday. I will def visit again the next time I'm in Sarasota! I'll miss you~~~ read more

3 things about this place: 1. The place was smaller than I expected but was greeted with a welcoming smile from the staff. Clean place and even until this day follows the mask protocols. 2. Korean cold noodles were ordered and was surprised that when you order the cold noodles, the dish comes with bulgogi (Korean marinated beef). At other restaurants, they have combos where you can order both but here, they give you without a charge which was shocking. 3. Korean cold noodles were warm when they were supposed to be cold, so ended up asking the staff for ice so the noodles can be cold. Also, the broth was a little bland so had to mix mustard and vinegar to make the broth more flavorful. Overall, I would come back here to try different items on the menu but I don't know if I will order the cold noodles again. Shoutout to the guy who took the order! He was fantastic! read more

Korean SSAM BAR - Inside the restaurant - Korean Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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We came here with high expectations, given its perfect 5-star Yelp ratings. In some ways, my expectations might have been too high because of their perfect ratings? The place itself is quite casual...somewhat of a dive? Still, it definitely had some character...with a ton of autographs on its black walls. Plus, it featured some K-Drama on the TV screen, as well as K-Pop overhead. I could be wrong, but I sensed that this may be a family-run business. BTW, our waiter was very personable, and did an excellent job. And this place practiced good Covid precautions. We ordered Kimbap, Seafood Pancake, Spicy BBQ Chicken and Spicy Squid. The winners were the Kimbap and the Spicy BBQ Chicken...in that both were really good. However, the Seafood Pancake was poorly crafted, and too thickly battered for my taste. The biggest let-down was the Spicy Squid. Though nicely flavored and moderately spicy (as requested), it just didn't deliver for me. The Noodles also arrived hot 'n piping at my table 5 minutes after the Squid (thought they were supposed to arrive together...on one plate?). Also, from my past experience, the Spicy Squid came with Cold Noodles, and I somewhat expected that. BTW, I also ordered Rice Punch, a popular Korean drink that I used to love! Lastly, the side dishes were a bit disappointing. SO...given how we enjoyed only half of what we ordered, gotta admit that I was a tad disappointed. I left feeling that I might have liked this place more if I ordered something else. The place did have a great, affordable menu and again, the service was stellar, so I would definitely consider revisiting in the future. read more

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The best Korean food in the Tampa area! I am just glad Korean SSAM Bar is close here in Sarasota. Give them a try and you will not regret it. read more

The best food ever!! The spicy bulgogi was delicious. Portions were good sized and service was excellent. We will be back very soon!

Delicious! Had he beef Bulgogi was wonderful and all the accompanying sauces and pickles were so good. We had dumplings and seafood pancakes as appetizers but they were both deep fried. I'd skip those next time but really enjoyed our meal. read more

This is a family owned restaurant that has service and will always greet you with a warm smile. Amazing food. Amazing service. Amazing people. Highly recommend! read more

We stopped in for a quick lunch and they were quite busy. Nice menu options ... we settled on galbi and pork (which they were out of) so chicken katsu instead. Food was good, I prefer a hotter grill for a better sear and deeper flavor on the galbi, and the katsu sauce was too much tomato flavor. Chicken was hot but galbi, rice and veggies were warm...but portions were huge and prices reasonable. The saw someone order the seafood pancake which looked delish !! read more

Korean SSAM BAR - Galbi and chicken katsu - Korean Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Everything was delicious. Looking forward to going back and trying the rest of the menu.

We all thought the food here was overly salted, essentially ruining the dishes. We ordered the mackerel, galbi, and spicy pork bulgogi, all of which were way too salty. Additionally the galbi was very greasy and saucy. Our seafood pancake was completely burned on the bottom, leaving a bitter aftertaste with each bite. The only good dishes worth getting in my opinion are the tofu soup, which was flavored just right and goes well with rice, and the stone pot bulgogi bibimbap. Overall the food is very average compared to other authentic Korean places that I've been to. Service here was kind of a mess. We ordered 2 galbi and the kitchen completely forgot about the second order until we reminded them 15 minutes after we had finished eating the first one. They ran out of a noodle dish, we were told of this after 30 minutes of ordering, and we ordered a substitute. But the new dish never came so we ended up canceling it because we had finished eating. They bought out the banchan half way through our meal and by the time we were half way through our meal they had only bought out one serving of rice. This may have been an isolated bad incident but was definitely not worth driving half an hour for and not worth the price. read more

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I really enjoyed this restaurant. I wish I had done this sooner. I don't remember the dishes I got but everyone of them were good. I will try it again soon and update with pics and more info. read more

Family run. Clearly a place for regulars. Food was very good and you get a bunch of cool sides. You need to be explicit about spice level. I could use spicier food but that's my fault. Not many tables but we never felt crowded. read more

Love Korean SSAM Bar! Their galbi tastes just like my mom's. If you want delicious, authentic Korean food, this is the place to go!! Who knew Sarasota/Bradenton could have such great Korean food?? read more

For the first time in a very long time I got to enjoy Korean food in Florida. My granddaughter, who is a student at New College, took us there. Being vegan/vegetarian we were able to substitute tofu for the meat. We got Kimbap with tofu, Kimchi Pancake, Tempura Vegetables minus the shrimp, Vegetable dumplings and Stone Pot Bibimbap. The portions were ample and very tasty. The service was good and accommodating. I plan to eat here again when we come to visit. read more

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Authentic Korean Food Good portions Ok service . Closes at 2 come little earlier !!! read more

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In search of the best Korean restaurant in the Sarasota area, I would choose this place. We came here twice on our last trip to Sarasota and this place is legit. I had the LA styles galbi for lunch one day and the next day I had the kimchi chigae. The LA style galbi is just what you would get in K-Town in LA. Properly marinated and full of flavor. I had the spicy version their kimchi chigae and it was spicy and full of flavor. Our waiter, who is the son of the owners, is very attentive and friendly. Dad appears to so the sushi and mom in the back is a wizard with the food. The only criticism I have would be with the ban chan. It was okay but I have had better. However, this does not deter me from becoming a regular when I come back this winter. read more

A rare home cooked style Korean fare in SRQ. This is a solid 3.5 stars with friendly and attentive service in Sarasota where Korean restos are limited. PSA - NO ssäm! Name is misleading. +. Ambiance is homey Korean...splotches of Korean art and Korean TV. It's like entering a Korean living room with some tables and chairs. Outside is kind of seedy next to a pawn shop in a small stripmall. +. Food is homemade style Korean NOT your standard resto Korean. It's very okay but several major misses. Americanized seasoning may make sense for the local area though. - Jiajangmeun had over cooked ramen noodles and was blander than what we were used to. =. Bibimbop was served cold. Not that's bad but we expected a dinner bibimbop warm. We appreciated the substitution from typical beef but the (jeyuk bokkum) pork definitely was not spicy at all. We doctored it up with a generous amount of gochujang. + Gochujang provided without having to request +. Banchon was decent with a homemade twist. I liked the radish slices in their traditional kimchi. Also they had an unusual radish and jalapeño condiment that was good. - No red or green lettuce :-/. Their name has ssam...we were offered iceberg...hard to overlook this lapse in care. +. KFC. was cubed without bones +. Price is reasonable for the quality and quantity ++. Service is prompt, friendly and attentive...much better than most and especially Korean restos +. Parking is shared with other merchants in a small stripmall. Overall, it's one of handful options to get a Korean food fix in SRQ but definitely not a standard restaurant/ingredients fare. It may be worth exploring for Americanized homier fare that's not offered in other K restos. MY RATINGS - - - Inhumane - - Disgusted - Don't bother = Missed the Mark + Good ++ Better +++ Edible...where have you been all my life! read more

Extremely fresh food and very tasty! Great family owned business. I highly recommend. Some of the best Korean food I've had, and I lived in Korea. Friendly fast service. Love the menu read more

Ate here a while back had some amazing side dishes, stews and soups. The service was very good and it was overall a very calm and delicious meal! read more

This place is really fantastic! I've only ordered take out so I miss the experience indoors but every meal I've had from them is great and it's one of my favorite local restaurants. First off: I order the spicy salmon rolls a lot for lunch. The portion of salmon is sooo generous in the rolls for the price, and it's just so good! You can tell the salmon is fresh, and it's not the "scrape". It's real salmon chunks! Plus they use purple rice for the sushi which I think makes it a little extra special. :) The spicy bbq chicken is EXCELLENT. It's a crispy chicken in a slightly sweet and spicy sauce. My mom calls it "way better general tso's". It's delicious! The spicy pork bulgogi is also top notch! They give you a really generous serving of sweet and spicy pork with a bunch of onions and it mixes so well with the rice. It's absolutely delicious. This is a dish I've had at a lot of places but I really think Ssam Bar nails the richness of the flavors and the pork is always so nice with the perfect texture and bite! I've had the jajangmeon too, which had a really nice rich flavor (I added my own spice at home since I love spice). Honestly I haven't had a bad thing on this menu and I absolutely love Korean food, but their sushi is nothing to sleep on, either! It's so difficult for me to try new menu items when I love the ones I've ordered, too! Not to mention whenever I call and pick up the order the staff are very friendly and nice! The restaurant is small but always seems nice and clean, too! If you're looking for good Korean food or good sushi, this is definitely the place! read more