Genuinely my favorite restaurant in Boston! I bring all my friends to this spot. I love the belt fish and the spicy pork. There are so many delicious side dishes (many which aren't even shown here)! The ambiance is amazing and the restaurant is very aesthetic. Awesome addition to Boston area! read more

Sanbada - Spicy pork - Korean Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Food was great. Good variety of fresh Korean food. You should try their mackerel set and spicy pork belly. The service crew were wonderful and responsive as well. The restaurant was clean. read more

Sanbada - Mackerel and spicy pork belly set. The rest are sides that automatically come with the order. - Korean Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Finally was able to try this restaurant during one of my visits down here, as I don't live in Boston anymore alas. Everything was perfection. We had tje spicy pork and the mackerel and they came with plenty of banchans (sidedish), bowl of rice and soup. The banchans are refillable. The mackerel especially was cooked to perfection and the first bite was so good! It 's hard to find American restaurants that do fish other than salmon or tilapia and this took me back to Korea right away. Honestly as a Korean, this was LEGIT Korean food. You can also order marinated crab and prawn as a side dish and I would highly recommend it. We left full and satisfied read more

Sanbada - Mackerel set and spicy pork set - Korean Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Amazing food and service. The bonchon(Side dishes) are amazing and Unlimited! You will be going for seconds, if not thirds of doenjang-guk (soup). Entrees were amazing, having tried the atka mackeral, belt fish, and bulgogi. My group liked the belt fish the best with the the least amount of oil. Our server was generous enough to explain all the key differences too. Food 10/10 Service 10/10 This place is and deserves to be packed! You'll spot it immediately considering the bright white interior! No doubt this will become a staple of Allston if not already. read more

Sanbada is a great Korean restaurant located at 165 Brighton Ave in Allston, MA. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the banchan (Korean side dishes), which were plentiful and flavorful. The atmosphere was clean, modern, and welcoming, making it a great spot for a family meal or a night out with friends. The menu offers a variety of options, including wood-fired fish and meat dishes, all at reasonable prices. I would highly recommend Sanbada to anyone looking for an authentic Korean dining experience in the Boston area. I will definitely be returning! read more

We liked this place okay. Went with my two sons. We loooved the banchan bar and, honestly, if I could just pay a fee for the banchan, I would. We didn't love the main dishes except for the spicy pork which was good. I had a fish set and my other son had a bulgogi patty set. The fish was very bony (which I expected) and just a little dry and uninteresting. The bulgogi patties would have been so much better if they were regular strips of beef. Or kalbi or something. It just wasn't great. But the banchan! The banchan was great!! Service was lovely. Ambiance was nice. It was very clean. I would go again and just get the pork. Hopefully they introduce more menu options!! read more

Great value, semi buffet style for the sides. Main dish taste wise is normal not impress. Suit great for a casual meal! read more

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I usually don't write reviews but I haddddd tooooooo for them. Been here twice already. First time experience, food was delicious, service was amazing, staff were super kind and helpful, and the restaurant itself is beautiful. I recently went again this past week as some of my family came to visit. Although it was a longer wait than usual, everything about it after the wait was worth it to the max. Staff were super accommodating and respectful, food was delicious (I have a bunch of picky eaters in my family and this was picky eater approved with the variety of options in the food spread), and atmosphere was perfect as always. Really worth the money and time and is one of the top restaurants I've been too. read more

Worth the wait! Great experience with the staff especially Peter. Bright airy ambiance. We had the mackerel & bulgogi set and they were both delicious. All the banchan was good but my favorite was the lotus root. read more

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Jun was great! He explained how the restaurant works and was super attentive even though it was really busy. Restaurant ambiance is nice, the long wait was worth it. Food was REALLY good, lots of variety in the banchan and everything was available and refilled so we had lots of options. read more

Nice and friendly staff. Unlimited refill side bar with Ice Cream. Make the Mackerel in a Pizza Oven. So yummy. The Soy Shrimp was very creamy. Small menu. Soft open. read more

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Eggplant banchan is superb and raw marinated crab was delicious. Kimchi stew was spicy but good, and unlimited Melona ice cream dessert!

Great value and tasty food. Our group thoroughly enjoyed the belt fish and (both) mackerel sets. The fish was prepared perfectly and as others have mentioned the unlimited banchan side dishes and soups were spot on. Service was fast and friendly. The spicy raw crab was good too. My child did not enjoy her kids bulgogi patty as much but it could also be that it is very different from the typical bulgogi dish. read more

Sanbada - Korean Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Great food one of best Korean in Boston. Wait can be long though but def worth it. The concept of the restaurant is really cool with the unlimited banchan and melona! read more

Food (1.5/2): The food options were quite limited but this is a plus for me as I prefer simplicity. I came here several times on the weekend with company. I ordered the set menu of bulgogi patty and spicy pork while friends ordered atka mackarel. We also ordered bossam. When I first tried their bossam, I had thought they were incredibly tender and seasoned perfectly, along with the condiments. However, the second time we ordered this, the pork was dry and tough. Their spicy pork, I think was highly inconsistent. Some of my friends reported it being very spicy while on the contrary, I felt mine was bland with a hint of sweetness. Additionally the sauce on my plate was very runny--almost soup-like. The plus side is the portion however, as I could easily turn it into 3 meals. Their mackarel was great. Slightly on the salty side but I didn't mind. Portion was sufficiently large and filling. Similarly, the bulgogi patty was well cooked. Doneness was even and you get a big portion. The sweet flavor, I think, was done well although I felt that it was slightly on the bland side. With 8 rice cookers, I would be appalled if their rice didn't come out great. Thankfully, their rice is one of the dishes that were consistently great quality. On the same vein, their banchan should be the star of their restaurant. The fried eggplant was amazing. Kimchi was fresh (although I personally prefer something a bit more fermented), the soy pork?, japchae, soup, and a few others were also great. You could technically be satisfied just with the banchan. Ultimately, I think this place's rice dishes could improve on their inconsistency. On the flip side, their banchan (side dishes) are phenomenal. Service/wait-time/cleanliness (1.5/2): Service was incredibly friendly, courteous, and quick once you're seated. However, the wait-time can be rather painful. This is to be expected though, since they're in the soft-opening phase and everyone wants to try. For a new restaurant, their cleanliness is amazing. Price (0.5/1): This might only apply for weekends but I think their price for their quality is somewhat so-so. Yes, you get unlimited banchan and rice but I also want my main dish to taste like a proper main dish that tastes good. Currently, the taste is just too inconsistent. Additionally, I feel that requiring diners to order a set menu per person to eat here defeats the appeal of unlimited banchan and rice (understandably, they probably have to do this to still profit somehow). Rounded up to 4 stars for an overall positive experience. read more

Amazing service and food! Very authentic and comforting, and one of the best Korean restaurants in Boston.

2nd time coming! Great service and banchan! Bulgogi patty and mackerel are great! Will be back again!

Excellent Korean food : especially the fried mackerel and meat patties! Excellent unlimited, generous variety of free banchan dishes : including potato zucchini soup, japchae, sesame lotus root , pickled chayotes !! Attentive service by staff , majority of which are Korean music students from the Berklee college of music !! Definitely recommended read more

I thought the food here was delicious! I got the spicy pork set and thought the meat was very tender and flavorful. I tried the grilled mackerel that my friend got, and it was very buttery yet not heavy! The bulgogi patties were good as well. I would definitely go back to this place and would probably order the grilled mackerel set. Also, there's free melona bars included at the end - I had two! read more

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A nice setup with tables that have drawers with all the silverware and napkins. Set meals to choose from. Side dishes that you can refill yourself. Ice cream bars self service and tasty. read more

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Was pleasantly surprised by the new Korean food experience for my family that didn't involve bbq. Servers were very friendly and the food stations were very well stocked/restocked and clean. I do recognize the restaurant is still under soft launch and I would've easily given it a 5/5 , but unfortunately we ran into some issues that I felt accumulated. First issue was that we were unsure if the 2/3 different fishes were plated on the same plate bc my family and I were trying to do family style in order to try everything and after basically cross referencing photos on yelp I do hope that was the case (we did order one of everything since its required you buy one set per person). Second issue, was that our drinks were not delivered to our table and I only noticed mid meal because I noticed the fridge in the back, I did also find it a bit unprofessional to come to the table to count the drinks when we 1. told/asked for them from a server already 2. we shouldn't have had to do that in the first place, especially when we were asked to preorder before seating. Third issue, more so on us is I would just warn people that mon-fri are the only days they allow you to have lunch prices , but my main concern is when I attempted to contact your phone line and the next day I had no call back , so I dont believe the phone number works and there is no way to directly contact the restaurant if anyone were to have any issues. update: no response/ignored. thats incredibly disappointing. read more

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Food is just okay for us. The reason for the two stars is that I don't feel comfortable eating and enjoying my food when you feel like they just want you to eat fast and get out. We were still eating but they didn't even ask if we are done. They just shoveled that stupid payment machine in your face like please pay now so we can clear the table and reuse. read more

Delicious authentic Korean food made with thought and care. Good prices for what you get. Friendly servers. I would definitely recommend!

The staff is really nice and helpful! Gave us recommendations for us when we weren't sure where to start or what to order. The unlimited banchan is a huge plus too! read more

I thought the food was just okay. Long wait to get seated (~an hour) but they compensated us for the long wait time so we got free beer which was nice. I think the dishes all tasted pretty fresh but it wasnt memorable for me. It's not exactly a place I would tell my friends "you gotta try this!" read more

Delicious, authentic Korean food with a great selection of complimentary banchan, all fresh and flavorful. The meal ended on a sweet note with complimentary ice cream, which was a lovely touch. Excellent value--I would definitely come back! read more

So good!!! I got the mackerel and it was delicious. Comes with ten million sides Food and service were great :) I'll be coming back w my parents read more

There are quite a few Korean restaurants in the area but they are mostly Korean BBQ which can get generic. I'm pleasantly surprised by Sanbada. The menu for lunch and dinner is the same, the only difference is price (a few dollars more). The way it works is, you order a main set which comes with all-you-can-eat side dishes, soup and rice. We order mackerel set and belt fish set, both in mid $20s range. Both fish is very fresh and tasty, crispy on the outside and juicy inside. Potion size is very decent. I also like the soup and the various tapa side dishes. They also serve Korean tea which is quite flavorful. Service is friendly. Sitting is comfortable. There is street parking and public transport is convenient. I'll definitely come back for more. read more

I've been in Boston for 5 years, and I was ready to leave this city convinced that I would never find an authentic Korean restaurant. My experience at Sanbada today changed all of that. This is the closest I've felt to Korea while living here. We ordered the 떡갈비 (bulgogi patty) set, and the meat was well-seasoned and cooked, honestly comparable to what I've eaten in Korea. The portions were also incredibly generous and affordably priced (especially compared to other Korean restaurants). Side dishes were fresh, plentiful, and delicious; I couldn't stop smiling as I ate. The interior design was also beautiful, very clean and elegant, and the waiters were very kind. I really hope this place lasts for a long time, as I finally have a restaurant I can bring my family and Korean friends to. Thank you 산바다!! :) read more

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All of the entrees we had were delicious - mackerel, atka mackerel, and belt fish. Seaweed soup was SO good! Free refills too!

Our first time here and it was an overwhelmingly great experience!! Food was top notch and staff/servers were awesome.

Service was amazing and the food was phenomenal. This is big for the korean community! The ambience was also so clean and minimalistic! :)

Great food and great service! Devin and Lydia were so kind and explained the entire menu to us. Best service I've had in Boston. Would 10/10 recommend coming here and being served by them. Would 100% get the mackerel and the spicy pork!! read more

Wow what an amazing experience an delicious food we will certainly return. I hope they remain affordable. read more

Sanbada - Two types of mackerel entrees - Korean Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Great food and portion sizes generous especially for the kids. There are more banchan at the bar than come to your table. It's a lot of food. read more

Amazing food and the service was fantastic! Highly recommend this place but make sure you go hungry!' read more

Sanbada - Bulgogi paddies. - Korean Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This place is so popular. There's a long line at night. The estimated wait time was 42 min but then we waited 1.25 hours. The good thing is that they gave us a free dish for waiting more than an hour. They don't have a lot of main dish options. But they do have a lot of panchan. They first served every panchan and then we can also go and grab anything from the banchan area afterwards. We got the spicy pork, bulgogi patty and belt fish. Kind of disappointed. The spicy pork is the normal one. Bulgogi patty is just the ordinary patty. It's the worst of all. The belt fish is a bit fishy. The soy marinated shrimp is a bit sticky. I feel like their panchan is a lot better. The soup is good. The pumpkin is good. The kimchi is good. The fried eggplant is good. I think their panchan tastes better than their main dishes. Service is good but a bit slow. They also have free ice cream at the end which is good. read more

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Came here with my family for lunch on a Sunday. It was busy but for a party of 8, five adults and three kids, we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. Food was good and the self service banchan bar was nice as well. We weren't quite finished eating yet and they took our tray of banchan away. Then our waitress came with the paying device and asked how we wanted to pay. We paid and asked for the receipt. Checked the receipt and noticed tips were already included. We had added a 20% tip on the device not realizing tips were already added. The waitress did not show us our bill upon paying and did not mention that tips were included. Service can definitely be improved. Please communicate with your guests. read more

The balance between good price and quality. The unlimited side dishes are awesome to the hungry young. You can enjoy the genuine Korea fish BBQ as well. read more

Visiting from Minnesota and was recommend this place by a friend living in Allston and it did not disappoint! One of the best Korean food spots I've had ever... waited 27 minutes on a Sunday around 1pm, service intro was very friendly. Ordered the bulgogi patty and it was really good, would definitely come back. Ambiance is casual and social, making it a good spot to catch up with friends or family read more