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    Sanbada

    4.6 (53 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Sanbada Photos

    SANBADA ATMOSPHERE

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    Unlimited sides
    Emi H.

    Finally tried this restaurant and it is definitely worth the hype! I went on a Saturday and waited around 30 minutes after getting on the Yelp wait-list. Note that you can't do this through the mobile app so you have to go in person to get on the wait-list. It was worth the wait though! I got the Belt Fish set ($30) which came with 2 fillets of fish, unlimited rice, japjae, salad, soybean stew and an assortment of banchan. The food came out fast and everything was delicious! The belt fish was the most buttery and tender fillet of fish I've ever had and the skin had a nice char. Beware of the fish bones though! The banchans were the perfect pairing and they helped cut through the richness of the fish. I especially loved the crispy eggplant, kim chi, and pickled chayote. The japjae and the soybean stew were tasty as well! Overall, this is probably the best new Korean restaurant in town. The value and quality of the food can't be beat! I love that they have a banchan bar so you can get refills and they even offer free melona for dessert. The service was friendly and efficient and the restaurant was spacious, brightly lit, and modern. I would 100% come back again!

    Outside
    Connie C.

    Okay, I get the hype now. One of the newer additions to the Allston food scene, and I'm already looking forward to my next visit. The banchan were incredibly fresh and flavorful. My favorites were the kimchi, sweet potato mash, and pickled chayote, but honestly every single one was delicious. The grilled belt fish was cooked to perfection with crispy skin and tender meat. It looked like it was prepared in one of those high-heat pizza ovens, which gave it an amazing finish. The spicy pork set was a generous portion and arrived sizzling on a stone plate, staying hot throughout the entire meal. Each person is required to order their own set. It's a great spot for a casual meal. My one request: please sell the banchan to-go. I would happily take home containers of those sides. The restaurant gets busy, but there's a Yelp waitlist available at the door. Be sure to stay nearby--your spot is canceled if you don't check in within five minutes of receiving the text. Food comes out quickly, making this a great option for a satisfying and efficient meal. Plus, there's self-service for additional banchan, rice, and miso soup. Bonus: unlimited Melona popsicles toooo!

    Atka Mackerel and Belt Fish
    Caroline S.

    Sanbada is raising the bar for good Korean food in Boston! As of April 2026, they're serving unlimited side dishes with the purchase of an entree (my literal dream! I love banchan!). Every side dish is unique and prepared with care. I personally really liked the mashed pumpkin/potato, eggplant, and pickled chayote. Their fish was also very delicious. It's seasoned lightly but cooked very well, which pairs wonderfully with all of the available sides (and soup). The interior is bright and modern and their servers seem to be well trained. They're super attentive and offer plenty of explanations where needed. Excited to try their sister restaurants as well!

    I forgot to mention but the barley tea was YUMMMM. So refreshing and delicious. I wish I could just the jug to go. :P
    Dae B.

    I don't make it out to Allston very often, but at the behest of my friends, I had to make the trip--and I'm glad I did. From the moment we walked in, Sanbada felt very... Korean. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it, but the space felt reminiscent of somewhere in 압구정. Modern and minimal? Interior aside, the food was delicious. As first-timers, we were brought a curated set of banchan along with soybean soup and rice. I'm not the biggest fan of belt fish (I know, I'm sorry), so I went with the bulgogi patty while my friend ordered the former. To be clear, the real stars of the show are the banchan (which are unlimited, by the way!) Many of the dishes tasted nostalgic and were clearly high quality. Coincidentally, our two favorite sides were ones I never had growing up: lotus root in black sesame and fried eggplant. After a few rounds, we helped ourselves to a Melona to finish the meal. Overall, a fantastic new gem, and I'd absolutely come back the next time I'm in the Boston/Allston area. P.S. We went during lunch since it looked like they offer largely the same dishes as dinner, just at a lower price point, and we were seated pretty quickly. Not sure what the dinner rush looks like, but if you're nearby during lunch and want to save a few dollars, hop on in!

    Chris T.

    Taking over the old Tavern in the Square / The Kells location. They did a beautiful job with the space and they aren't done yet. It's still soft opening for them, so they are getting feedback on their menu for items and banchan. It was cute to see a board where patrons can leave a star on their favorite banchan items. The menu is limited, but we opted for: Spicy bulgogi - overall good portion, a lot of green onion and veg, but sneakily a good amount of pork belly. It was fatty, well cooked and came out hot. Their style of spicy marinade for me tonight was light, the flavor could have been bolder and a bit more heat. I enjoyed it overall with white rice! The atka makrel being a potent fish was treated and prepared well, no extra fishiness, fried well. The bones can be pulled straight out in one go. The meat was buttery. The lady enjoyed her dish. We ordered both as sets, come with unlimited banchan and white rice, soup and salad. The first round of banchan first. When you need to refill there is a bar to refill off to the side. Spicy stir fried eggplant, pork and quail eggs (no eggs when we dined), and pickled chayote were the top for us. They also had japchae as well under the heat lamps. Melon bar ice cream for dessert! Simmered beef shank not what i was thinking it would be but the beef was tender and soft, wasn't hot (don't know if it's supposed to). Tremella snow fungus in center. Bulgogi beef patties, you get 3 of them! It was a hit, tender, marinated and easy to eat with rice. Next time i would probably request more spicy sauce, go or something. Felt like that was what is missing. I also hope they bring in pickled fish tofu too for banchan. At the end of our table there is a drawer, it has utensils, napkins, wet wipes, and anything you may need in that sense. staff was top notch, they have their operating procedures are smooth. Well trained staff. Thank you! For the price at first you probably think hmm adds up kind of pricey but you definitely get full. I hope they add more options to the menu. Authentic cuisine, everything came out timely, service was great.

    Two Mackerel Sets
    Christine L.

    Recently tried Sanbada and was impressed with the terrific service and tasty unlimited banchan! I will preface this that the wait can be long - but they have freebies depending on how long you wait which is such a nice treat! We waited more than 30 mins so we got a free soft drink. You enter your name on their virtual waitlist (hosted through Yelp!) and you can see the ETA of when you're seated. Sanbada is incredibly clean and modern. I love the decor as it feels like an authentic Korean restaurant, especially with the complimentary barley tea. I got the Mackerel set which was solid. I do wish the fish was deboned though however it wasn't greasy at all. The quality was fresh and tasty! The highlight at Sanbada is their unlimited banchan! My favorites were their fried eggplant, pumpkin salad, and spicy radish. The fried eggplant was so well seasoned and crispy. Overall, I'd come back to Sanbada for their banchan as I found myself enjoying the banchan options more than the main entree. The wait can be quite long but I would definitely recommend giving this spot a try.

    Braised beef shank
    Evelyn W.

    My first impression was that the restaurant is super bright and clean feeling. It felt like very good value for the money as well because of the amount of free banchan that comes with the meal, and there's unlimited refills and even Melona bars for dessert! Would definitely recommend the belt fish set and the braised beef shank.

    Banchan
    Alex L.

    Great food and great service! Honestly just super clean tasting Korean food. Ordered the belt fish which was great, and the spicy pork if you want a stronger flavor. The banchan is excellent and unlimited. Service is also amazing, I had the most pleasant meal!

    Katherine V.

    A very worthy new Korean spot in town you've gotta try! Asian elder approved. I've been back three times in the last month and they basically havent even had their "grand opening" yet --it's safe to say I've moved past the "trying it" phase and straight into an obsession. It does require an acquired palate but this new Allston-Brighton spot is an experience you have to try at least once. The setup is brilliant: they serve an AYCE banchan spread, so all you're paying for is your protein of choice. Their grilled mackerel is a specialized standout that I highly recommend, along with the bulgogi patties. Between the incredible value and the authentic flavors, this place is a gem. I'm already counting down the days until their KBBQ spot opens next door!

    Salad
    Kate L.

    Walking into a bright waiting area with white lights, I thought I was entering a club at first and felt like I was eating in a scifi lab... and I would return! Sanbada is part of a trifecta restaurant concept with different ambiances and menus. All the protein entrees are wellseasoned and the bulgogi, as the waitress said, is guaranteed to be a leftover unless you're eating with someone. Unlimited banchan sounds great until I saw there's no essentials like gamja/potato salad, fishcake, or pickled radish. The fresh kimchi is perfect, the fried eggplant is crispy, and the black sesame lotus is refreshing. It was odd to see chickpeas and olives in the salad and I didnt like the pumpkin salad either. The womens bathroom is stocked with toiletries too! Terrific place for group meals despite the wait. Kind servers and good service.

    Menu from March 2026
    Andrea L.

    Came on a Friday around noon for lunch and was shocked at how busy it was (I took a day off from work, wondering if others did too haha). Because I was dining alone, I ended up seated next to another solo diner, which was fine. I ordered the bulgogi patty which was nice and flavorful. Also loved all of the banchan options, with my favorites being the spicy eggplant, japchae, and pickled chayote. The latter really helped cut through the heaviness of my meal since it was tangy and refreshing. I didn't love the soup provided as it was a bit too salty and likely simmering for a long time, but that just might be my own personal taste. I also found a tiny hair in the middle of the kimchi they gave me. Not a huge deal! If you're a big eater, I would 100% recommend this giving the unlimited sides and rice offering. Otherwise, it's definitely a place to indulge. I did wonder if my pescatarian or vegetarian friends would enjoy eating here. I noticed the soup had some chunks of meat but wondering if they have a meat free option. Because you're required to order a set protein meal, could they change their model to require a "base" price that only includes rice and sides?

    Marinated soft shell crab
    April T.

    Amazing dining experience! This review is for their soft opening. My partner and I went around 12:30pm on a Saturday and there was an hour long wait for it, so we ended up roaming around the area for a bit. When we sat down, they said they recommend everyone order a set so I got the belt fish set and he got the mackerel set. They served a lot of banchan and my favorites were the braised pork, the japchae and the soup. The fish were very tender and clean tasting though a little bit salty. They charge dinner price for weekends which I wasn't aware of until the bill but thought the price was still reasonable! We absolutely stuffed ourselves on all the banchan but somehow made room for the complimentary ice cream which rounded out our meal really well. Lastly, their bathrooms were so clean with Aesop hand soap

    Deborah C.

    Had no idea what to expect other than unlimited side dishes, but I really enjoyed my experience! I came as a group of seven for an early Sunday evening dinner. Thankfully there was no wait, but it got progressively busier. I got the atka mackerel, which was pretty tasty. I'm not too familiar with mackerel though so I can't say for sure what makes the atka mackerel special compared to the regular kind. The side dishes were all delicious but my favorite was definitely the eggplant. We also ordered two of each of the soy marinated shrimp and slow cooked pork belly to share. I would get the shrimp again but would try a different main dish next time. The servers were all friendly and helpful. The only thing though is that they never refilled our tea even when we asked, but I'll blame that on how busy it was.

    Bulgogi Patty Set

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    1 month ago

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    22 days ago

    Good was good, service was good, but the wait was.... Long. Price was kinda high for what it was. I would go back anyway.

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    2 months ago

    Great food and service! Most authentic Korean restaurant in the city. Would highly recommend their grilled fish.

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    1 month ago

    Very authentic and tasty! They served food pretty quickly too once we were seated. Will come again!

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    2 months ago

    They do simple dishes but they do it exceedingly well and quite worth the price and Saturday wait.

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Sanbada

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