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    Muguboka Restaurant

    4.1 (979 reviews)
    ModerateKorean, Seafood, Barbeque
    Closed 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Order Muguboka Restaurant Takeout or Delivery

    Muguboka Restaurant Photos

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    MUGUBOKA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Muguboka Restaurant

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    Joseph M.

    It was my day off and I wanted to try a new a Korean spot. I ordered sundubu-jiggae (soft tofu soup) which was served with a wide variety of banchan. The tofu soup really hit the spot for me, especially since it was a rainy day. The service here is good and the staff here is very nice. I also really like that this place is family owned. If you're into cozy authentic Korean comfort food with a very homy type feel to it, then this is the place for you. Try it out if you like. :)

    Gal Bee / 갈 비
    Amy L.

    Muguboka remains one of my favorite Korean spots in SF. The portions are generous, the food is consistently delicious, and the restaurant has a cozy, homey vibe that makes you feel like you're eating a home-cooked meal. Note: there are no tabletop grills here; everything is made-to-order in the kitchen and served ready to eat. ​We started with the Galbi. These were thick, well-marinated cuts that arrived sizzling and smelling incredible. I actually had to pace myself so I wouldn't finish all my rice before the rest of the food arrived! ​Next was the Dhan Jang Chige (fermented soybean paste soup). It arrived piping hot and savory--on a cold SF day, each spoonful felt like it was nourishing my soul and chasing the chill away. ​For the main event, we had the Galbijjim. While the portion is smaller than what you'd find at Daeho, it's still plenty for a group to share. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, accompanied by massive chunks of potato and carrot, and rice cakes. Compared to Daeho, the sauce here is thinner and less sweet, with no option for spice levels or cheese and no sweet potato noodles, but it's incredibly hearty and pairs perfectly with rice. ​The Haemul Pa Jun (seafood pancake) did not disappoint. They don't skimp on the filling--the pancakes were thick, crispy, and packed with seafood. We also tried the Korean Fried Chicken. You get six large, juicy wings coated in a gochujang-based sauce that hits that perfect sweet, salty, and mildly spicy balance. ​True to the spirit of Korean hospitality, we were even treated to some "service"--a plate of freshly fried potstickers on the house! ​I always look forward to eating here. I consistently leave feeling full, satisfied, and well-taken care of.

    Soft Tofu / 순두부
    Anh T.

    My friends and I were seated immediately on a weekend afternoon. Service was friendly and quick, and when they originally got some of our order wrong, they were very accomodating about it. Soft Tofu Soup: They gave this to us on the house! It had a savory broth that mixed well with their silky tofu. Jap Chae: The portion size was good for the price, and it was not too sweet and had a good mix of noodles and vegetables. Haemul Pa Jun: This seafood pancake had a nice, crispy exterior. I liked the proportion of seafood to pancake, Gal Bi: This was personally my favorite dish! The meat was well-marinated and tender. Bul Go Gi: I wish there was sligthly stronger seasoning for this dish. It was juicy and flavorful and not too overly sugary. Sold Korean comfort food.

    Daniel L.

    Okay but listen--Muguboka absolutely saved us. We came here after a full day of drinking, and this meal was exactly what we needed. Like, healing, comforting, back-to-life kind of food. The second the dishes hit the table, it felt like everything was going to be okay again. The flavors were warm, rich, and so satisfying--perfect post-drinks comfort food. The banchan just kept coming (a dream), and every bite felt cozy and nourishing without being heavy. It's the kind of food that hugs you and says, "You're good now." The vibe was relaxed and welcoming, the staff was super kind, and the whole experience felt easy and happy. Muguboka is officially my go-to after a long day (especially a boozy one). Forever grateful

    Dae Ji Bul Go Gi / 돼지불고기
    Alexis I.

    Randomly craving Korean food so we decided to check this place out. We were greeted warmly by the server and seated immediately. She was even kind enough to consider getting a plastic fork and spoon for our little one and complimented our daughter on her cat ear headband. The restaurant has a nice homey diner feel to it. We got lucky by arriving around 5pm because the place got packed shortly afterwards. They do take reservations and I overheard the server suggest calling in for reservations for parties of 5 or more. We ordered a lot as per usual when we try new places: Duk Boki, Goon Mandu (dumplings), Gal Bee (bbq short ribs), Daeji Bul Go Gi (spicy bbq pork), Yang Nyum Chicken (Fried chicken), & Soft Tofu soup. You also get plenty of free banchan along with your meal too. Everything tasted amazing! My favorite was the Duk Boki because there was plenty of rice cakes in it and the sauce wasn't spicy at all for my palette. My husband and I were pretty impressed with the perfect medium rare cook on the Gal Bee. Most places we've gone to, the Gal Bee is always well done, but this place cooked it to perfection. The Daeji Bul Go Gi was also very delicious and just the right amount of spice too. We were surprised when the server kindly offered us a Soft Tofu soup on the house as well. We'll definitely be coming back here. The food tasted authentic and the service was impeccable. She was amazing and so kind--I was surprised because she was the only server around covering ALL of the tables effortlessly on her own. A true hustler, I definitely tip my hat off to her. Well done!

    Cidney L.

    I love this place. No frills, friendly and attentive staff, authentic Korean food. It's not a large restaurant so be prepared to write your name down on the whiteboard. Come try all the banchan (my fav in the city) and share all the mains!

    Haemul Pa Jun / 해물파전
    Beilin L.

    A really nicely laid out spot especially for single or small group diners. Service was lowkey but welcoming, attentive, and efficient. I ordered the hearty Kimchi Chigae (kimchi stew with pork) and a full Haemul Pa Jun (seafood pancake). The pancake was a little too much for me to finish (especially with the surprise complimentary crispy dumplings!) but kept well for later dining. Will definitely be back, especially to try the larger dishes with a larger group!

    yukgaejang
    Katie H.

    I got the yukgaejang soup, which came with plenty of free banchan. We even got a free fried mandu (dumpling) on the house. While this wasn't my favorite korean spot, I still really enjoyed coming here. The vibe was great. It felt like everyone here was out with good friends/ company just enjoying a homey dinner in good company. Lots of laughs coming from every table.

    Dumplings
    Victoria Z.

    A great, unpretentious place for a delicious and hearty meal, especially since it's just a few blocks from Golden Gate Park. I loved the banchan here! Tasted authentic and included ones I haven't commonly seen in other restaurants like lotus root, which I really enjoyed. Staff was friendly and kind, they even gave us a complimentary appetizer halfway through our meal which was very sweet. Overall would recommend as a casual dining experience!

    Fish egg soup, fish pancakes, innards soup, and pot stickers. Sake was also delicious! My new fav spot in the area! Highly recommend!

    Bul Go Gi / 불고기 and Kimchi Chigae / 김치찌개
    Hanna T.

    Very homey place that serves amazing Korean food. Definitely a mom and pop restaurant that served large portions of authentic Korean food. Got the bulgogi and the kimchi tofu soup. The bulgogi was amazing, it has this charcoal, smoky taste in it and it was SOOO GOOD. Will definitely come back for it again. The kimchi tofu soup was definitely enough for two people to share. It's different from most Korean places in that I tasted a mushroom base to it? Personally I don't like mushrooms so wasn't for me but it was still really good. Great service, attentive and they even gave us beef and vegetable fried mandu on the house!

    Lunch
    Scott L.

    First time diner and we were quite impressed. The restaurant is on the corner and is bright with natural light. Seats around 40? Only challenge is parking can be a little tough in the quasi business and residential neighborhood. Pleasantly surprised to see adjacent tables of older Koreans ordering the same dishes as us. We had: Kalbitang (lots of meat, not oily, noodles, and enough to share for two), Kalbijim (also lots of meat, very good taste, reminded me of Chinese Beef Stew but a little sweeter), Mandu (crispy, small ones), Japchae (meatless and a little oily). Scissors definitely needed if you're sharing so that you can cut the meat off the bone and into bite-sized pieces. Service is excellent, we had three people and were given bowls for soup and three bowls of rice. Banchan was the common items except for a sweetened pickled root type thingy. The Kimchee was spicier than what we're used to. All in all, we liked and we'll be back!

    Sophia H.

    We came here for dinner on a Saturday evening around 6:30pm. The restaurant was filled except for one 2-person table. We came at the perfect time because after we sat down, several more groups came and had to wait. This restaurant has very mom and pop vibes. After we placed our orders, the food came out pretty quick. I ordered the Dolsott Bibimbap. This had everything you would expect in a bibimbap. The portion was perfect for me. Overall, the bibimbap was decent.

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    The food was AMAZING!!! The servers and waiters were really nice and service was great!!

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    Page 1 of 25

    Muguboka Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Muguboka Restaurant

    Is this place open during COVID-19?

    Yes! They are open for take out only. I'll post a picture of their hours under the main page.

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    Giving them 5 stars for the haters that don't understand the restaurant business especially for…read moresmall businesses. Also, because my mother loved it! Yes, it is one person doing everything, but he's super sweet and thorough. So, have patience coming here. Restaurants probably can't afford more labor when their own costs of food, labor, rent and insurance is so high. With that said, the food is expensive. However, the items we ordered were delicious, clean, fresh, and authentic. Ginseng chicken soup was made with love. Can't find this dish in most Korean spots! Longer wait time because it takes longer to make. Meat fell if the bone, stock was rich and not salty! You can salt it yourself! Mackerel was tasty and juicy. Probably, the best pan fried mackerel I've had. The mungbean pancake was good but not for the price. Side dishes were decent. Kimchee could be better. Location is in the heart of Japan town! That's rare. Mother approved and we will be coming back again!

    Service is really great and the staff are super attentive and sweet, so 5 stars for this!…read more But everything we ordered was below average (2 stars), especially considering the price. And the Spicy Calamari & Bulgogi was actually $20 higher (!!!) than what's listed on Yelp (no prices on website), so find this pretty misleading. It was also overcooked, so bummer all around. Took a chance on this Japantown fav and left wishing I'd purchased basically anything else there. Apparently I'm not alone, while all the other restaurants were bustling on a busy Sunday evening, this one was virtually empty.

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    Atmosphere is modern, clean and some elements of korean tradition…read more Service was ok. Seemed pretty busy but the food came out fast. That could be a good or bad thing depending on the vibe you are going for. All the dishes hit their mark for me. We got: Mulhwae: very refreshing white fish sashimi with refreshing greens, citrusy sauce and strawberries. I thought the strawberries added more to the presentation than the taste. However, the dish itself was delicious. Scallops and shrimp: Similar as above, a very refreshing light appetizer. I would get either this of the other because they're kind of the same idea. Potato fritter w/ mentaiko: probably my top 1 or 2 of the night. Think fancy hashbrown with creamy umami pollock row plus more crispy toppings. This is a must-have I would say. Soft tofu soup w/ galbi: I liked the theatrical element of pouring the home-grown soy from Oakland to create the tofu right in front of you. The umami broth and the jang make this dish very rich. Another must have! Pork jowl bossam: this was a delicious take on bossam. Smokey soft jowl. The greens and kimchi accompanied it made this dish taste so healthy while satisfying your craving. If you just love buttery soft tender meat, go for it. However if you like jowl because you like the chew/bounce on every bite, you might be disappointed because this meat is super soft! Drinks: matcha colada was a little too coconuttey for me. It kind of overpowered the taste of any matcha but if you like coconut, this is a perfect visually pleasing and sweet dessert cocktail. The lychee blossom had a pleasant taste of fruit and almost tasted like there was yogurutoo or calpico in it. I much preferred this drink and it was on the sweeter side too. Overall pleasant experience, worth taking some guests or a date. Also we got 4-5 dishes but left super full! We probably would've been fine with 1 or 2 appetizers less.

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    Came here last night to celebrate a friend's birthday. Had poor experiences at the Livermore…read morelocation in the past, so wasnt really expecting much from this spot either. Granted we were a bit late for our reservation, we ended up having to wait another 30-40 mins. The place (2nd floor) is small & awkward. We were all cramped waiting on the stairway and the actual seating area is also fairly small for a busy KBBQ place/big parties. The 8 of us squeezed into a booth with 2 chairs on the side. You can also feel whenever the table next to us got up and stomped/yelled/moved in their chairs-- which was really often. The basic AYCE menu is fairly limited-- esp for the side options. The marinated meats were pretty good as was the tteokbokki. Side & meat portions were alright, but the kicker is having to flag down staff to make sure they put in the order & bring it out. We asked for japchae about 5 times before it actually reached our table towards the end of our meal. The server/manager also told us that he had accidentally brought out 2 bottles of soju for us and that he'd COMP 1 bottle. We didnt notice that he had actually charged us for 2 and comped/subtracted a "third" one. So none were really comped at all. I just realized after we paid and that felt really sketchy. Idk if it's worth coming back here.

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