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.

San Maru is probably one of the best Korean places in Champaign. Everything is so hearty. I recommend the selongtang or galbitang. For apps, the dumplings are a must ,if they're available. read more

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

First time here. The place looks pretty new. Had the dolsot bibimbop and bulgolgi and they tasted great! Service was top notch as well. Will definitely come back and try their bingsu! So far my favorite Korean place in town :) read more

TL;DR (out of 5): Located in a quaint strip mall shop in a rather secluded area of SW Champaign, San Maru offers classic, simple Korean dishes. A great introduction to authentic Korean cuisine, the food here really feels like a warm embrace into someone's home. Their bossam, seafood pancakes, and dduokgaegi are things you won't find at other common spots in CU and are made wonderfully. Although you'll probably spend more here compared to other Korean places in town, the extra few bucks will definitely be worth it. Food: 4 Atmosphere: 4 Price: 4 Service: 3 Decor: 3 I was first introduced to San Maru by a friend who works in the area when they first opened and, to be honest, was kind of reluctant to visit due to its location in a relatively sparse area of Champaign. I walked into the relatively clean, modern, and simplistically decorated shop and was still (although baseless) reluctant about the quality of the place. My friend ordered the Bibimbop and I ordered the Seolleong-Tang. Naturally, the meal came with an assortment of banchan (Korean side dishes), which was also very straightforward and prepared well. The bibimbop had great flavors and was pretty basic, although executed perfectly. I'd never tried seolleong tang (a beef bone soup with brisket and scallions), but wanted to try something new. It was... pleasant? It had almost like a milky-ness to the flavor that I wasn't expecting, and I wouldn't say it's overly flavorful, but it had its subtle nuances that kind of grew on me as I worked my way through it. The brisket was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth. Not something I would recommend to people unless they're looking for something really different/new. Over my next few visits, I got to try their bossam, seafood pancakes, and an assortment of other things (I think they've added to their menu over time, or else I would've ordered those during my first visit), and everything has always just been simple, classic, and delicious - nothing super fancy, but made with quality ingredients and as traditional methods as realistically possible. If you like Korean food and frequent places like A-Ri-Rang or Woori-Jib (or Spoon house for something other than tacos or burritos) on campus, take a drive out to San Maru for something more authentic - something made with a little more flavor and a whole lotta' love. Bibimbop: $10 Seolleong-Tang: $9 Bossam: $24 Seafood Pancakes: $12 read more

Clean food, no msg taste. Bossam was a good dish to share. Sullungtang was done perfectly. Tasted like home cooked meal and that's as good as it gets for Korean food. read more

Wonderful authentic Korean food! Everything tastes home-cooked and not like a chain restaurant. The lunch bulgogi box was absolutely fabulous! A must if you're looking for authentic Asian food in Champaign. read more

This place is a great place for Korean food. Service was excellent and the food was just like mom's...we swing by on our way to Lithuania Springs to camp--close so it's perfect and beats burgers and highway food joints. Definitely would recommend the bulgogi and the cold buckwheat noodles. read more

Dining area is clean and comfortable, staff is very friendly and attentive, food tastes and looks amazing! If you like Asian cuisine, you'll adore this place! I can't wait to come back read more

Ordered the Bibimbap & short ribs, both were very delicious! Especially the short ribs, YUM. So tender, lots of flavor. The only reason why I'm giving it 4 instead of 5 stars is because the portion of bulgogi you get is very small so every time I order I ask for extra meat ($3) which isn't that big of a deal but that's the average portion I've gotten from other Korean restaurants with no extra charge. Overall love this place to get my Korean fix! Definitely coming back soon! read more

A new Korean place in town that, so far, is worth the rave reviews. We've been here twice already in the short time it has been open, and I think it now is my favorite Korean restaurant. By far my favorite non-fast-food restaurant. It is small and still "getting their feet wet," but everything we've had has been excellent. The menu is Korean home-style and is quite excellently prepared. The wait-staff is attentive, but not overly so. They seat you quickly, bring menus when you are seated and come by again quickly for drink orders. You are given some time peruse the menu but the staff is nearby if you have questions about what something might be or how something is prepared. If you think you are being given too much time or need some help, just look up at your waitress/waiter and she/he will be right there. Food is at least mostly cooked to order, so it isn't immediate like in a fast food place, but it won't be long until you are enjoying We've fallen for the YukGaeJang, a beef stew or soup full of vegetables. Great flavor and plenty to eat. And my wife and I also love the Kimchi and macherel stew for two. In fact, every item on the menu that we've tried provides plenty to eat, and my family can eat a lot. I've heard "yelping" (sorry) by customers when they see eighteen or twenty dollar prices on a "Chinese" menu, but they need to remember, this is real food, not fast food. And San Maru has plenty of seven dollar menu items as well. And so far, whatever the price on what we've ordered, it has been well worth it. I expect San Maru will need to (1) find enough staff to open on Sundays, (2) expand or move as people discover the place. This, in my mind, is to Korean food what Golden Harbor is to the local Chinese restaurant market: authentic, delicious, with many items unparalleled among local options. I highly recommend it and wish it great success. I hope some new items or specials are added regularly as we intend to work our way through the entire printed menu. I hope San Maru lasts and remains wonderful As I said, it is not fast food. But it may become that for people who use the soon to be available "order ahead online" option. We prefer to linger and talk over our meals, so we probably won't do the order ahead option; the fifteen or twenty minutes or food prep time is fine with us as we don't need to be served immediately. But that soon will be an option for those in a hurry. Just open a couple of weeks, but so far it is a wonderful addition to the Champaign Urbana dining scene, a true stand-out in a market with lots of Asian options already. And, with so many decent take-out only/mostly places (many of which are quite decent), we truly appreciate a place with table service and a nice ambiance when we want to eat out. read more

Great food in very clean, informal atmosphere. The prices are reasonable, the service is prompt, and the staff are very friendly. I plan to eat there again and highly recommend it to my friends. Korean food just like "omma" (Korean for mom) made! read more

The food was amazing! Just like how my Korean mom made!. The staffs were friendly. The food tasted like it was cooked with only natural ingredients. Dumplings and seolung tang ( milky beef broth soup) were so yummy. I will definitely go back again! read more

This place is golden. I have been waiting for a GOOD Korean place in town (all other places are mediocre or sub par), and they delivered. Tastes almost as good as my mother's cooking. The dumplings are made from scratch, down to the dumpling skin, which is quite impressive. Their fried dumplings and chicken is phenomenal, as well as the sulungtang and bossam. Definitely recommend. read more

Wonderful place to eat dinner. Love their chicken wings! Very tasty...try the mild sauce. The dumplings were also excellent. Plan to go back for a full meal soon. Can't miss spot! read more

Great homemade Korean fare right off of I57 in Champaign. Owner came right over to our table to help us make our selections. She told us that her sister owns a restaurant in DC and has won awards for her original teriyaki sauce. We had it on the chicken wings and they were crispy and delicious. Also enjoyed the steamed pork dumplings and Bee Bim Bop. Great casual dining experience. read more

Great Korean Food! We had the steamed dumplings and wings which were a great start. We followed it up with a beef stew and bibimbap. Everything was hot and fresh. Service was very friendly and efficient. We will come back on our trip from Chicago to St Louis. read more

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

A small family-operated Korean restaurant. Food is authentic. The reason I gave three stars is the bibimbap was not as good as the one I had at other Korean restaurants. The kimchichigae was very good though. read more

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

Slightly away from the U of I campus but the food and the atmosphere are great. The restaurant is neat, organized and well-managed. Also, the owner is very friendly and welcoming! So, how much does that tell you? It's worth visiting with your friends, family, and loved ones :) read more

This is definitely my favorite Korean restaurant in town! I always go here when I'm craving Korean food. It's authentic, and they use good ingredients. In addition to their good food, the staff is friendly, and the restaurant is clean and well maintained. I would highly recommend this place? read more

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.

Really good Korean food and delicious Bingsu. Very authentic and the prices are very reasonable. Definitely recommend coming to this place if you have the chance! read more

Came here because of the stellar reviews and left disappointed. The soups are mediocre at best compared to the other Korean places in the area and ingredients are scant. Menu price is pretty high for what you are getting. On the plus side, staff is friendly and the place looks clean. read more

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

I've been here twice. I think this place has very good Korean food but unfortunately not 5-star worthy. Both times, my table ordered the seafood pancake and pork belly to share. The seafood pancake is probably the best pancake I've ever had from any Korean restaurant in the area and maybe from any Korean restaurant I've ever been to. It is crispy and loaded with seafood, really well done and quite delicious. The pork belly lettuce wrap dish is also pretty good, although the pork belly itself is a little plain and really needs a lot of sauce. The first time I went, there was a lot of fat and not a whole lot of meat and the second time there was a lot more meat. A little inconsistent but I suppose this isn't something they can control. The first time I went, I had the beef bulgogi. It was delicious but very much the typical bulgogi. The second time I had bibimbap, it was very good, but again nothing really special and the egg was slightly overdone. Overall, after 2 visits, I think they have some outstanding items like the pancake, and everything else is just well done Korean food. read more

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I absolutely love San Maru. It's a nice quiet place that's a 25 minute drive from campus, but the food is worth it. I've had the yuk gae jang, kimchi jjigae, pajeon, fried mandu, bulgogi lunch special, and the fruit and green tea patbingsu. The yuk gae jang is nice and hearty with a good amount of spice whereas the kimchi jjigae was spicy but overall all right. The pajeon is SO good here. It has lots of seafood and tastes great with the soy sauce mixes. The meat mandu has a light flavor and texture, so it isn't too heavy or overpowering. The bulgogi special comes with glass noodles, rice, bulgogi, and a salad with dressing. It's pretty tasty and for about $7-$8, it's definitely a great deal. The patbingsu is honestly why the reason I come though. The fruit one is nice and sweet but also light. It comes with frozen blueberries, strawberries, and mango with a fruit sauce and sweet cereal underneath. The green tea one is nice and sweet without the tang of the fruit bingsu. It's definitely a sweeter finish than the fruit, but not overwhelmingly so. The shaved ice itself has a milky flavor. It always helps to cool down the spice from any of the tang or jjigae. It costs about $10 for each patbingsu. I recommend this place for lunch since it's never too busy from 11 to 2. read more

Great service! Very friendly people! I got a carry out order and when I walked inside I came to see an incredibly clean and modernized environment! The lunch special was fantastic! I got a sliced beef lunch plate and I was very impressed! Flavor was more than impressive, not too much not too little. And the small salad it comes with had an amazing slight spice to it. Overall A++ I will be coming back shortly! Thank you so much! read more

Great addition in SW Champaign. Service could be slow, but most dishes I tried in my 4 visits were very good, particularly the pancake with octopus and green onions and the 2 large sharable dishes of pork belly and beef tendon. Also loved their fried pot stickers but sometimes they don't have them. Thought their bibimbob could use more meat and the side dishes are not as plentiful as most Korean places I visited outside of C-U area. read more

We tried this for the first time tonight and it is definitely going into our "favorites" list! The dumplings were incredible as was the beef bulgogi. The waiter was very friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is very casual but don't let that fool you. The food is delicious! read more

One of the best places in town. Such nice management and waiter. Food came very speedily and was nothing short of pure dankness. It was very authentic and was served in nice portions. Even the bathrooms were spotless . Walking out the door had me in tears. Really looking forward to my next experience. read more

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

I used to go San Maru every couple of weeks but I stopped. The quality of food is not as good as before. I ordered a pot of hot beef stew last time. With over $10 per pot, you should expect to get a decent amount of beef. No, I got only tiny, shredded pieces of beef on the bottom of my pot. My friend who ordered seafood one is the same: only tiny pieces of sea food but with lots of kimchi. With other korean restaurants around the town, I will not go back to San Maru again. It is really not worth of the money. read more

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

Great bibimbap. I stopped in while driving across the Midwest, worth it if you're similarly driving through Champaign. The women who served us were incredibly nice. The place itself is like the food: clean and simple. Delicious kimchi as well, some nicely spicy pickled cabbage, and daikon radish (in a couple of variations). My wife ordered a couple of items that were not available, which was no big deal but I did want to try more of their food. read more

It is hard to believe that this place could receive so many five stars. Are they real experiences????? I agree that this place is clean and the owner is friendly. But personally I feel the food is just ok and decor is below average. The price is at a higher end based on the size. With the same price, you could get much more around the campus (like Bap plus maybe?). It is good to be away from the campus once a while. But I don't think this place worth of the driving. Again, I still don't understand where other reviews are from. Many reviews here are like commercials to me...... read more

San Maru is a Korean restaurant located at The Crossing in southwest Champaign. After reading all the positive reviews on Yelp, I decided to try it. It's a very clean and tidy restaurant, but from the start I sensed that this restaurant can't make it even though the food is quite good. My companion and I went there at about 1 PM on a Saturday afternoon. We decided to sit at a table outside since it was a nice day. I asked the person at the counter if service was available outside, and she said yes, and asked if we wanted menus. That was the first odd sign. I took the menus, and she said that we would have to order at the counter and pay up front. That was the second odd sign. We took the menus outside and looked them over. We both decided to have the dumplings for a start, and then two lunch bowls, one fried chicken pieces and one shrimp. I went inside and placed my order. We wanted dumplings, but they told me they were out of them. I ordered the chicken wings instead. Then I was asked to pay. I paid with a credit card, and couldn't decide how much of a tip to leave. I asked if a server would bring the food to our table, and she said yes, so I put a tip on the card, but not as much as I usually would. I went back outside and sat back down at the small table which had a slight wobble to it. We sipped the glasses of water (no ice) that they had brought, and waited for our food. The lunch bowls were brought out promptly. They consisted of a large amount of rice topped with a few vegetables, and several pieces of chicken and shrimp, and drizzled with teriyaki sauce and mayo. The dish was under seasoned, very bland and short on vegetables. We had eaten half of the bowls before the wings were served. They were seasoned better, with a nice crackly skin, a bit of spiciness and some heat. We ate those, and left half of our bowls unfinished. Since we only tasted two dishes, I can't speak to the overall quality and taste of the other menu items. I will say that this restaurant is in the wrong part of town to be run like a campus semi-fast food place. If non-college students go to a $$ restaurant, they expect to be waited upon, served, and then pay the bill. I would love to see this restaurant survive, but they will need to re-do their marketing strategy to do so. If they do this, I'll give it another shot. read more

Wow! There are several good Korean restaurants in Champaign/Urbana, but San Maru is by far the best in my opinion. I have been there 3 times so far, and I left each time wanting to come back and try everything on the menu. I had fried and steamed dumplings, all made from scratch including the skin. These apparently are very popular and often sell out. The fried chicken wings had sweet, spicy, and tangy taste I had never tasted before, and it is GOOD! Their naengmyun (cold noodles) are served either in a cold broth or in sweet and spicy sauce. I tried the broth, and it was so good. They do not use MSG. They do not serve any alcohol, and they are closed on Sundays. The interior is clean, and the staff is super friendly. Last but not least, you got to try their Bingsoo. This is a shaved frozen milk topped with all sorts of toppings such as mocha, green tea, vegetables, sweet red bean paste, etc. read more