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San Maru

4.5 (119 reviews)
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SAN MARU ATMOSPHERE

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

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Recommended Reviews - San Maru

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Reviews With Photos

N8. Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam
Mlu D.

I was looking for an excellent spot to eat lunch with my colleagues. I guess this place made me curious, so we went and ohhhh yay it's worth it. The food was incredibly good... the ladies were friendly and could help with our 5-to-go order. The place was cute, and it gets crazy busy... yup better to try them its a legit Korean food.

Seafood Soondubu Jjigae
Michael W.

San Maru is located near the southern portion of Champaign and probably my go to for Korean food in the Champaign area. Seafood soondubu had great flavors and the chili spice had a nice roast to it. My wife ordered bibimbop and it had good flavors as well. Only drawback is I wish San Maru gave more banchan options. The restaurant dining area is somewhat small, so I would recommend going early for lunch or dinner to make sure you get seating.

Ddukboki and dol sot bibimbap-- I forgot to take a picture before digging in.

The first day we went (Friday lunch), the food was fantastic! My mother got the spicy tofu soup with seafood, and I got the bibimbap. I also got the dukboki which was delicious yet. Service was wonderful, the ladies were super friendly. It was so good I decided to go back the next day with my mom. Night and day difference. I got the spicy pork Bulgogi and it had the weirdest taste... Like old meat. I'm not sure how you even achieve that flavor. We also ordered the mung bean pancakes , on the menu next to the item, it noted "fresh". It was the furthest thing from fresh. They were burnt, like they had made a large batch of them days before, and refried them as people ordered. If I had this experience the day before, I would never have come back. Extreme disappointment.

Tab Y.

We stopped by on a Friday around 4pm. Since we were traveling from Chicago, we called in to order a few dishes so we could have a quick pit stop before driving the rest of the way to Nashville. We called about fifteen minutes before we arrived, and the food came out within five minutes for us. I appreciate the fact that they were able to accommodate our tight schedule. The service was decent, but there wasn't much table service after the waters and the food came out. The food was average, especially for the price. We had the bossam, which is a cooked pork that you wrap to eat with napa cabbage and some radish kimchi. They substituted the cabbage with romaine lettuce. We thought that the pork could've been cooked a little longer. We also ordered the galbi tang and dogani (tendon) tang. The galbi-tang was not a true galbi tang. It was more of a radish soup with some beef pieces in it. The dogani-tang looked a little better, but my parents had to add salt to taste. It's a decent Korean restaurant for the middle of some cornfields, but we'll probably check out some other place the next time we're near UofI. TLDR - 3.5 stars for me; it's good Korean for Champaign Urbana

a plate of food on a table
Hyun K.

Best Korean restaurant in Champaign. Their Tangsuyuk is the must-go menu. Fishes are reasonable. Pajeon is excellent. You should also try their dessert as well.

Kimchi Kimchi and Squid Korean Pancake
Bret H.

San Maru is fantastic and a great way to introduce people to Korean food. The staff is friendly and great at recommendations. I came on Tuesday with a group of friends and had the kimchi jjigae and a kimchi pancake. Then I came back on Thursday evening with my wife and had the same thing! Great place and we'll be back again soon!

Spoon,napkin. Toothpick baggie

Even though the wings weren't as meath as I thought they would be. The spicy teriyaki was absolutely amazing. Will I try again? Yes

Bulgogi
Runzer W.

My friend liked the dishes very much, but I think there's still some space to improve. The seats are limited inside especially in rush hour. We ordered the San Maru Wings, the Bulgogi, and the Ddukboki, we finished them all and felt full, and the prices were reasonable.

B4. LA Galbi
Diann M.

I've heard good things about this place from my friends, so my boyfriend and I decided to try it out ourselves! First, the service here is AMAZING. It was fast and caring all at the same time. When we came in, we were so hungry we were munching on the side dishes while we waited for our entrees and they gave us free refills instantly when they noticed that we finished the side dishes... My boyfriend got the jja jjang myeon and I got the LA galbi! We felt that the jja jjang myeon could have used a different type of noodles becauae im pretty sure it was (?) but otherwise there was a generous amount of meat and sauce and etc., The GALBI was where it was at!!! It was probably the most well-seasoned and cooked galbi in CU area. We also had the bingsoo for dessert and THEIR BINGSOO. IT melted in my mouth! It was soft, Flavorful and sweet. I would definitely come here again just for the bingsoo.

Katsu lunch box
Shari B.

Was driving through the area and decided to stop here for lunch. They have great lunch specials. I had the bulgogi box and my hubs had the katsu box. It came with the protein ordered, rice, cabbage salad, and 5 small portions of banchan. It was a good amount of food, flavor was on point and the price was right. Highly recommend trying this place out, especially for lunch during the work week.

Jebchae
Blair S.

Great flavors, friendly service! We had the jabchae and dwenjang jjigae (tofu paste stew). The jabchae had more flavor and more veggies than many iterations I've tried before. It was just the right size, and not overly oily. It made a great lunch. The dwenjang jjigae had a comforting flavor and nice mix of textures. Even on a warm day, it really hit the spot. The banchan were good - all fresh and complemented the meal well. The prices are quite reasonable and the staff is friendly and efficient. The restaurant is clean, modern, and inviting. As a nice touch they were playing Korean music to set the atmosphere. I'll visit again when I'm in the area.

Bulgogi Take Out Boxes Veggie jabchea  Potato jorim  Veggie Mandoo

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8 years ago

Always satisfied! I love coming in for lunch on a working day. This is one of my favorite places to visit especially for take-out.

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8 years ago

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9 years ago

Extremely bad service. Waiter pretended to listen but was not. Took a long time for the order to arrive.

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7 years ago

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10 years ago

Their fried dumplings are simply amazing! This place is my official second kitchen; now that I live so close by ..

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9 years ago

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10 years ago

My second time having San Maru and it is so good. The service is good too. Reasonably priced and large portions. Highly recommended

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

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10 years ago

Great family style korean food! I thought the price was decent for the amount of food served. I loved the spicy fried chicken and dumplings.

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

Great Korean food and very tasty snow bingsus!!!! Definitely worth coming out to the crossing.

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10 years ago

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8 years ago

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9 years ago

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8 years ago

All around a great establishment although one of the workers was a fat asshole. The chicken wings however are very yummy

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9 years ago

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9 years ago

Impressive. Real, authentic Korean food! Love it! The dessert bingsoo was also very tasty.

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10 years ago

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Shinhee C.

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San Maru - korean - Updated May 2026

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