They call it contemporary Korean, but it eats more like an elevated Californian tasting menu that whispers Korean influence rather than shouting it. We didn't look at the menu beforehand and were honestly surprised by how many Korean ingredients showed up once we read it after. The Korean components were subtle, not entirely traditional or in-your-face, but thoughtful throughout. Favorites from the March 2025 menu: the Dungeness crab juk with bafun uni and the eel with gamtae seaweed--both felt fresh, balanced, and totally unique. The intimate, homey space makes it feel like a special night, especially with a partner or close friends. Turns out the Polaroid photo at the end really is a charming, personal touch. read more

Unique fine dining experience -- Korean food done unlike anything you've had before. Place is intimate. Nice they kept window open for air (for the covid conscious) but feels a world apart from the outside busy street. Best dish was the tuna and caviar. Was done differently than other places by adding sesame oil Their take on tofu soup was quite a nice nod to the ordinary Korean food. I also really liked that their protein was quail which was quite different and interesting. Service is on point. Food was perfectly paced too. Would come back! read more

SSAL - BBQ quail - Korean Near Me - San Francisco, California

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price is what you pay, value is what you get Food: Needless to say, the food is good. The menu changes from day to day depending on what they are able to ship in, with offerings ranging from various seafood to quail. All the savory dishes really opened my eyes to new flavor combos and textures. My favorites were probably the eel, which amazingly tender, and the king crab, which is probably the most meaty crab I have eaten. The desserts weren't super special but had good variety and closed the meal. Also it is A LOT of food so we were very full at the end. Experience: The staff is super attentive from beginning to end and very knowledgeable about the preparation and sourcing of each dish. They often would allow you to smell and see the food before platting (ie smelling the smoked grass under the food or seeing the quail before carving) which added a nice touch. They also made friendly conversation and ensured a smooth experience. Restaurant itself is very zen and looks like the inside of an art museum. Story: For a restaurant of this caliber, I love to hear about the backstory as well. Apparently the restaurant used to be a friend chicken spot which closed during the pandemic. The owners revamped the restaurant and wanted to have something more representative of home. We got to meet the head chef who was super friendly and down to earth. Mad respect for him. Apparently the fruit served at the end is handpicked from the market by him every other day, which I thought was a cute touch as well. Verdict: Price is what you pay, value is what you get. This place is value. A classy one of a kind experience, especially amongst Asian cuisine. Will be back. read more

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This is excellent modern Korean fusion! The last time I was here was before they got their star, and they've really stepped up their game since then. The service was fantastic--our hostess used some impressive Sherlock Holmes-like deduction to figure out who was who at the table. The tasting menu offers a wonderful variety of flavors and textures. Prices are higher now, but the quality and experience are worth it. If you haven't been to SSAL yet, you're missing out. Looking forward to my next visit! read more

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I came here with my sister for my birthday dinner and my overall thoughts are that the food is good, but not worth the close to $600 bill for 2 people. As for the service, it's great! Everybody is super kind and attentive, and they were so kind in helping us take photos and even used their new Polaroid camera to take a super cute photo for my sister and I! Not to mention they really take celebrations seriously, everyone was so kind in wishing me a happy birthday and making me feel so special. The standout dishes of the night would have to be the Ssal x Arsicault Bakery Croissant with Injeolmi Butter and the Wild Jeju Galchi & Gamasot Gaba Rice dish. The Jeju Galchi dish really surprised me because I didn't expect much of the fish, but it was super soft and flavorful, and with the rice and banchan, was such an overall good dish. And I'm such a croissant lover, so I knew I would enjoy the Arsicault x Ssal crossover. Other great dishes would be the Barbecued Live Eel with Gamtae Seaweed and the Caviar and Tuna dishes. The waitresses/waitors had great intentions in wanting to show us the live eel we ate, but I think we could have gone without seeing the actual eel - kind of made me feel a bit grossed out after seeing its eye and mouth open. Dishes that I didn't particularly enjoy - the Smoked Island Oyster and the Lamb. My fault for not letting them know that I don't eat lamb, and as for the oyster, I thought it was too buttery for my liking and a fork would have been useful to have since it was hard to get it out of its shell. Overall, would I come again? Probably not, but it was still a pleasant experience getting to know the Chef and everyone there, as well as trying the restaurant once especially since it had been on my list of ones to check out! read more

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The most I've ever spent on a Michelin restaurant. Was it a good experience? YES!! Was the experience worth $1000? HELL NO!!. Would I do it again? HELL NO! We were seated in front of the kitchen area. Lots of workers hovering around and it felt a little uncomfortable. Definitely not the most intimate table and they should actually remove the table from that spot. Service was excellent, maybe even a little too obsessive. I guess that's what you get when you're seated around a bunch of hovering servers and staff. The dishes were well prepared, with a ton of transformational technique, interesting flavor profiles, and top quality ingredients. The dishes were optically pleasing and the vessels were some of the best I've seen in any restaurant of this caliber. The dishes were quite small, and even after 11 or so courses, we weren't full. That is actually a negative for me, as I don't like feeling hungry after an 11 course experience!!. We got the Kalbi add on for $100. Meat was rare and tender and I could tell it was a good cut of meat, but the portion size was so small, I thought it was a joke or something. And the meat was too buttery/fat for me. They have a nice Soju Highball which served well as a palette cleanser, since the restaurant didn't provide any. They provide a nice grainy Polaroid picture and a list of the dishes, which was a nice touch. In summary, it was a nice experience, but I wouldn't do it again. Too many other similar and even Michelin quality restaurants in the SF Bay Area at half the price point. read more

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I'm very picky when it comes to food but this place took Korean fine dining to another level. I rarely say everything was good but it was that good! Quality, presentation and service...EXCELLENT Will definitely go back! read more

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Everything on the menu was absolutely delicious! It was a quieter day today as we were the only diners for the first half of our meal, but Ssal definitely offers a really unique twist to Korean fine dining with french influence. My favorite dish of the night was definitely the Arsicault croissant. The croissant was just as flaky as the ones from the bakery themselves, and the injeolmi butter is absolutely to die for. Other standout dishes include: - Barbecued eel in gamtae seaweed: the seaweed had such a unique texture but deep roasted flavor profile - Wild Jeju Galchi; the fish was deboned and so so soft, and the broth the galchi was cooked in was so fragrant and comforting!! - Quail: definitely the best quail I have had in California thus far -- the meat was so soft and tender, with a thin crisp skin and topped with a savory and slightly tart sauce - Black truffle ice cream: the ice cream was so smooth, thick and creamy and had really nice crunchy bits! - Green tea cream puff: crunchy on the outside, so smooth, delicate and bursting with flavor and a nice cool texture The service was also super fast... we were in and out in 1.5 hours. The only ding is that we were served our croissant and soondubu at the same time, which was a bit odd. By the time we finished our croissant, the soondubu was already a bit cold. read more

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One of my new favorite restaurants. Every course was both delicious and plated beautifully, but my favorite was definitely their perfectly cooked scallop served alongside their flaky croissant. Wish they sold their injeolmi honey butter for their croissant because I would spread that onto everything. When I first looked at their menu, I was a bit hesitant because there were a few items that I don't particularly enjoy. Glad I gave them a chance anyway, because the flavors in every dish worked well together and I was left blown away. read more

3.5 stars. Love the nouveau clean modern Korean decor here. Overall the food is definitely more elevated and has some interesting elements. The only dishes that I really enjoyed eating were the eel, the caviar and crab, the octopus with foam, and the green cake. The rest were cool and plated well but the flavors just weren't there for me. For example, the greens on top of the oyster were not complimentary and tasted weird vs the oyster. The oranges at the end were so sour I couldn't finish them. The rice cake and puff pastry were quite dry and hard. read more

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Summary: During early COVID, I was coughing uncontrollably on the day of our prepaid dinner. The restaurant refused to reschedule, so we went. I spent the evening trying not to cough instead of enjoying the food. Full experience: A couple of years ago, right when COVID had just struck, we made a reservation for dinner at this restaurant. On the very day, I started coughing uncontrollably. I'm confident it wasn't COVID, but at that time, coughing in public was enough to put everyone on edge. I called the restaurant hoping they would understand the situation and let us reschedule. Instead, I was told flatly, "No," and that my only option was to forfeit the pre-paid dinner if I didn't attend. So we went. Throughout the entire meal, my focus wasn't on enjoying the food, but on suppressing every single cough. I succeeded, but I can barely recall what I ate. Recently, while my partner was making reservations for another celebratory dinner, we came across their website and saw a front-page photo of people working at the restaurant--smiling, radiating warmth and camaraderie. To me, it felt hollow, almost staged, because my own experience was the opposite. They say a dish reflects the chef's soul. On that evening, what I tasted wasn't generosity or hospitality, but arrogance and pretension. I'm sure others have had wonderful meals here, but this was my reality. read more

Beautiful meal to celebrate my husband's birthday weekend. Prepaid pre fixe menu that's Korean inspired which is something new for us since I usually go for French. We were seated promptly once we arrived and the serving time between each course was short which was greatly appreciated. We opted for the uni and ikura add on - $35 each. My favorite dish is the unagi kimbap - got me on both the taste and the presentation. I'm not a dessert person but I really enjoyed the dessert course which had plenty of goodies that were different from the usual chocolate dish. The mugwort cake roll was fluffy and delicious and it worked out so well since they served it alongside persimmon slices which is my favorite fruit. read more

SSAL - Korean Near Me - San Francisco, California

Went before they got the award. Amazing. Great selection of liquors. Creative seafood dishes.

I haven't written a review in a long time because I'm lazy. Ssal motivated me to start typing and sharing my love for the food, restaurant -- complete experience. Attentive and friendly service throughout. Every dish was unique and delicious with an element of surprise and comfort in each bite. That's a hard duality to balance with the third leg - deliciousness! My favorite was the sweet potato puff at the start. The desserts and photo touches at the end carry the dinner memories to the next morning. And order the short rib if they have it! read more

Really enjoyed my experience at Ssal! Loved the flavors of the tasting menu and how much food it includes. We ordered the truffle brown butter pasta add on and really enjoyed that too. Chef also spent some time answering our questions and telling us about his approach to cooking. Overall a fantastic experience and worth every penny. read more

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Exceptional Korean Cuisine and service by Chef JunSoo Bae and his team at Ssal I remember when Ssal opened in 2019, just before I went on a lengthy business trip abroad. I was excited to try it upon my return, but the pandemic hit and my plans were put on hold. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Ssal not only survived but thrived, and was recently awarded a well-deserved Michelin star in 2023 and again in 2024. The restaurant is cozy and energetic with some of my favorite chill Korean pop music playing in the background. Ssal is a true gem of a restaurant that offers a unique and unforgettable dining experience, thanks in large part to the exceptional talent of Chef JunSoo Bae. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Chef Bae honed his culinary skills at the prestigious Culinary Institute and gained experience at renowned restaurants. Chef Bae may appear young at first glance, but his wisdom, mastery, determination, and commitment are immediately apparent in his cooking. I was especially impressed when he surprised us with a live eel, expertly prepared and served with precision. It was then that I realized I was in the presence of a true culinary master. I was also surprised to learn that Chef Bae had served in the military in Korea, as I had assumed he was born and raised in New York. This added an extra layer of depth and authenticity to his cooking, as he draws on his historical Korean roots and family traditions to create each dish. One example of his creativity and skill is his collaboration with ALSICULT Bakery, where he combines his friendships and culinary expertise to create unique dishes like croissants with injulmi butter and abalone soup. This innovative fusion of flavors and cultures is a testament to Chef Bae's talent and his commitment to pushing the boundaries of Korean cuisine while remaining true to its roots. The Chef's meticulous attention to detail and commitment to using only the finest, sustainably sourced ingredients sets Ssal apart. Each ingredient has a story, and Chef Bae selects only the best, ranging from the seafood markets of Busan, Korea, to the local farms of Maine and California. He even goes above and beyond to ensure quality, personally receiving deliveries of items like quail from a supplier from Vacaville late at night at his SF restaurant, to accommodate the supplier's schedule who also supplies to other 3 star Michelin starred restaurants like French Laundry and Benu chosen for his ethical and devotion. He also helps and sources live eel from a supplier, Sarah from Maine as he deeply respects for her responsible farming practices. This level of care and attention to detail is evident in every dish, and it's what makes Ssal a truly exceptional dining experience. One dish that particularly touched me was the deboned fatty kalchi on milled rice. This dish holds a special significance in Korean culture, as it represents the hope and aspiration of parents who survived the Korean War to provide a better life for their children as I also recall my mom and grandma deboning the Kalchi and putting it on my bowl of rice. I shed a tear as I bit into this food. The hardship as an immigrant getting to this place thanks to the sacrifices of our parents was all evident from each of the dishes curated from the Chef. From the exquisite presentation to the complex and harmonious flavors, every dish at Ssal is a work of art that showcases the best of Korean cuisine. And with Chef Bae at the helm, you can be sure that every meal at Ssal will be an unforgettable culinary experience. Lorenzo, one of the awesome servers during the dining experience added lot of warmth and diversity of the restaurant. It was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to interact with everyone who all embodied the warmth "Jung" of Korea. I highly recommend trying Ssal if you're looking for an exceptional dining experience that celebrates Korean culture and cuisine. read more

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My return to this upscale Korean spot - and while some of my favorite dishes from the first visit were gone (I miss the seaweed-wrapped eel and the supplemental roe/uni dish), there were new standouts that had me craving a potential third visit. This is an excellent restaurant that has all the ingredients of a stunner - excellent service, an impressive attention to detail, and the kinds of relationships with food purveyors that rival those of the very best restaurants in the state. If they wanted to, they could make an effort to get an elusive second Michelin star (but it's a small restaurant, and I'm not sure the effort is worth it). The dining room is a bit sparse, but it allows you to focus on what's on the plate - and that is excellent. Standouts included the eel (while not wrapped in seaweed this time, it was still mind-blowing) and the supplemental galbi. The uni dish (juk) was also a standout, like a Korean version of paella. Pricy, and worth every penny. read more

My husband and I live in the neighborhood and decided to treat ourselves to a nice Sunday dinner. This place is amazing - it has a Michelin star for a reason! Every single thing we ate was delicious and explained in painstaking detail by our knowledgeable waiters. They even brought out the live eel we would be eating that night for us to see! The space is minimalist and cozy with just a few wooden tables. This means you can actually speak with your table and hear them! Hooray for good acoustics. The restaurant ended the meal by taking a photo of us in front of the kitchen, which we got to take home - what a lovely touch! This was a long meal (almost 4 hours) and expensive but it really felt worth it! It was so special and memorable, really unlike any other restaurants we've been to. read more

One of the best experiences I had by far with fine dining. Booking is relatively easy, as everything is online. However, booking a table for a group of 5+ may be difficult due to the limited seatings. We had booked our table for four on a Sunday night to celebrate two of our friend's birthdays. Menus do change by season, so I think you can enjoy anytime during the year. We had a total of 12 dishes with add ons and each dish was fun and unique. I won't put in all the dishes as the menu does change but will put some notable dishes. Eel & Gamtae seaweed: best to eat one bite. This was probably one of my favorite as the flavor of the seaweed and the eel compliments each other. The eel is very soft and it almost melts in your mouth. Scallop & marinated tomatoes: They took the time to peel the skin off the tomatoes, putting the scallop on top. This scallop was nice, with no fishy taste to it. Golden rice with Jeju Galchi: ssal means rice in Korean. This rice is particularly from Korea and it was so good. Don't miss out on the broth for the fish. Ice cream with Ssal Jocheong: This was by far the best ice cream I had. You get sweet and salty flavor as well as the creamy texture from the ice cream and the crunch from the ssal jocheong. The waiters were all friendly and fun, and they do take a photo of your party as a souvenir to take home. Overall, you can get a great experience here. Highly recommend supporting local restaurants like here. They also received their Michelin star and I believe they do deserve it. read more

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SSAL offers a contemporary take on Korean cuisine, boasting a menu of meticulously prepared dishes that showcase fresh, seasonal ingredients. The tasting menu allows you to experience a variety of their culinary creations, from fresh variety of seafood to juicy tender quail. Make sure you ask to see the live eel from the kitchen before it's butchered. It's that fresh. The tasting menu was innovative, flavor explosion packed in every bite that tantalized your taste buds. The staff are all attentive and knowledgeable, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable dining experience. I enjoyed chatting with the staff. The restaurant itself exudes a minimalist yet sophisticated ambiance, perfect for a special occasion or a memorable night out. read more

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My bestie took me here for my bday, they have a pre fix menu (10+ course meal) Wait time: reservations with prepayment only. Each dish came out timely Service: minus one star because they didn't respond to my best friends email (who tried to reschedule & asked about Covid protocols) They also don't have any phone numbers listed online. When we got there, the host greeted her with "oh, you came?" It was so intimidating - so, my first impression was unwelcoming. His "greetings" confirmed that they got the email, and yet didn't reach out to her. Ambiance: looks like a closed restaurant from the outside; cozy minimalist vibe Price: $175 + 20% service charge (pay during making reservations) Tip: don't come super hungry, out of all the prefixed dinners I had, this one had the smallest portions. They also don't take cash in case you order specials and drinks. WIGBA (would I go back again): food was great overall, a good one time experience in my opinion - my first impression of this restaurant will definitely last. read more

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Excellent food and service. But for a restaurant of this caliber, usually that's a given - the real question is, is it worth the price? Personally, I struggle to justify any meal that tops $200 (there are so many good meals that can be had below that!), but SSAL reminds me in many ways of a lighter weight version of Benu, for half the price, so in that sense, it's very much worth it. The space is actually pretty small - you can pretty much see all the other tables in the restaurant from where you are sitting. I sadly forgot to take the menu they provided but going by the pictures / menus shared by Yelpers, the dishes we had were (with favorites denoted by **): Oyster, Chojang, Brown Butter - A tad hot so I almost burned myself, but I still enjoyed it. Beef tartare with hand pressed sesame oil - Delicious, little bite of beef tartare in a tart. Barbecued eel with gamtae seaweed - I actually didn't love the gamtae (even though I loved it when I had it at Benu) - it had an this tingly / grassy flavor which made it bit overwhelming in terms of its flavor - but the eel itself was good. Raw fish dish - Solid raw fish dish with some acidity. Dungeness crab, sea urchin, sweet rice, semogasari - Good seafood flavor with uni and crab, but tbh I found the flavors a tad too pungent for me. Korean abalone, octopus, trout roe, malted fingerling** - I loved the creaminess of this, with the trout roe adding some nice pops of saltiness in each bite. I even enjoyed the abalone, which I'm usually not a fan of. Ssal x Arsicault Croissant, Injeolmi Butter - The croissant was too crispy for me (the edges were like crunchy), but I really liked the injeolmi butter. Wild Jeju Galchi, Banchan - The fish was really tender but I found the fish and rice a tad bland on its own (the banchan helped add some flavor). Wolfe Ranch Quail** - This was so incredibly tender and delicious. Probably the best quail I've ever had. My favorite dish of the meal. Rice Punch, Koshikari & Forbidden Rice, Chestnut - I'm not a huge fan of chestnut puree desserts, but I liked that this wasn't too heavy or sweet. Yuja Egg Custard - Pretty standard slice of cake. Assorted desserts - I loved that they came out at the end with a box of assorted desserts you could pick from. I liked the cream puff and mochi the most. I also really enjoyed the white wines that came with the wine pairing. read more

My husband and I dined at SSAL for our date night & the experience was incredible. The food, service, & atmosphere were 10/10. We enjoyed every single bite of food and some I'm still dreaming of!! The quality of ingredients was honestly impeccable - you can tell that the owner and chef takes pride in what he serves. Their brassware, dinnerware and all the little details were just beautiful and super classy. The Eel was to die for so was the beef tartare. The abalone dish was so unique and tasty. The croissant was so yummy! I can go on and on because nothing was short of deliciousness. Dorothy and Alfred provided the best service & were so nice and friendly. The owner/chef was also wonderful and we loved hearing his story! Overall, I highly recommend this spot. Wishing you guys lots of success because you deserve it. Thank you for a memorable evening! read more

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We came here for a birthday celebration. Hidden in plain sight on Polk street, SSAL presents a balanced, delicious tasting menu highlighting traditionally Asian ingredients and flavors. While some tasting menus feel too rich or sometimes more of a creative experiment than a delicious meal, I felt like every dish at ssal stayed consistently delicious. The interior is clean and minimalist and bright, and it was a wonderful place to enjoy a delicious meal and still have good conversations! read more

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Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Price: 4/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 TL;DR: Incredible place to have a nice, fancy meal or celebrate an occassion. Everything here is top tier, from the ambience, service, music, decor, & obviously food -- it's very minimalistic & clean. The servers were really nice and took the time to explain every dish to us, and were very attentive. The food was really unique & creative. It is pricey but that's expected given how large the tasting menu was and the quality of food (plus it's a Michelin star restaurant lol). Is it worth it though? Probably if you have the budget for it or if it's for a special occasion. Oyster, Chojang, Brown Butter: *4/5*: oyster had a nice sweetness & paired well with the sauce American Eel & Gamtae Seaweed: *5/5*: the seaweed has a grassy flavor and a little tough to chew through, but the bbq eel was delicious -- soft tender and the flavor was perfect. we really enjoyed this one Soondae, Perilla Leaf, Cashew Samjang: *4/5*: this was really interesting, the soondae wasn't like any traditional soondae you'd get but pretty delicious and more "meaty" than you'd expect. The cashew samjang had an extra nuttiness to it (obviously) but it didn't overpower the samjang flavor Bluefin Tuna, Caviar, House-made Sesame Oil w/ Uni on the side: *4/5*: The uni is extra & you have an option to choose if you want it in the beginning of the meal. The uni wasn't briny, great umami and creaminess that paired well with the tuna. Tuna was melt in your mouth and really focused on just the overall natural flavor of the tuna Scallop, Marinated Tomatoes: *3.5-4/5*: The scallop was cooked perfectly and the tomatoes had a sweet yet pickled-y flavor. If you're not a fan of tomatoes, this dish isn't for you. Soondubu: *3.5/5*: The foam on top was really really interesting. The soondubu itself could've used some more flavor -- it's like "white-washed" and not as flavorful as what you'd get from a traditional Korean restaurant. The mussel & octopus inside were delicious though Ssal x Arsicault Croissant, Injeolmi Butter: *5/5*: One of our favorite things of the night. The croissant was super buttery and flaky yet fluffy. The injeolmi butter was so so good too that I tried looking up recipes on how to make it after the first bite. Wild Jeju Galchi, Queen Rice, Banchan: *3/5*: Personally not a fan of this one as it was too flavorless for me, even if you ate it with the banchan. The fish was cooked really well though. My partner really enjoyed this though Wolfe Ranch Quail, Pomegranate Vinaigrette: *5/5*: The quail was so incredibly tender & juicy. It also had a nice smokiness from how it was cooked. Sauced glazed the quail well and I really enjoyed eating it together with the plum slices. Beef Short Rib, Tteokgalbi: *5/5*: Short rib is incredibly tender and smoky but honestly, the tteokgalbi is what stole the show. The pepper was roasted to perfection and the galbi inside had a sweet & savory yumminess. I traded my short rib piece for my partners tteokgalbi lol Corn Ice Cream, Black Truffle, Rice: *4/5*: A little too savory of a dessert for us, tasted good though Assorted Desserts: *5/5*: The melon was really sweet & refreshing. I loved the cream puffs the best read more

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Another go at another michelin. Heard great things about this place...so went for it. The dishes were creative and some were works of art. My favorite had to be the warm seaweed roll imported from Korea with the live eel. Seeing the live eel in person that was brought out to us was interesting - to learn about its preparation in detail. The tartare, the bonchon dish that had white fish cooked to perfection and mushrooms added a great touch to the rice. Those dishes def stood out. The perilla lead was def a common theme throughout the meal. The caviar with king crab, the abalone in a crème soup were both outstanding. The bread based out of arsicault was something I heard about and was looking forward to it and it did not disappoint. The soy butter that accompanies had a hint of honey and was a perfect pairing. Overall the experience was elevated. In between Bansang, elevated above sam ho wan and second in line toward Benu..if I had to rank the places I've been so far in this genre. Overall I'd recommend it. read more

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Excellent food and service!!! Each and every dish reminded me of my grandma's cooking in Korea in the most exquisite and most modern presentation! So authentic yet with a twist of Korean/French fusion- the explanation of each dish was like a tour of where the ingredients came from and how the food was made - very informative and such a grand experience. Appreciate the staff taking pictures, taking us on a fun foodie adventure, and sharing fun facts like bringing out the live eels! We will forever cherish our Polaroid picture of us - super cute! Everything made with Perilla leaves brought back so many childhood memories - seriously, I felt tears of joy. We brought our own bottle of Caymus, so corkage fee was $50. We also ordered additional short rib plates ($80 for two). To give you an idea of the premium Unami - the Hokkaido for one serving was $60. Wish I could post more pictures because everything was beautifully presented and plated, but Yelp will only allow 10 pictures per review. We can't wait to come back! read more

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Had dinner here for a friend's birthday. Overall really excellent meal with some standouts. We started at 6pm which was on the early side, so only one other table was occupied at the time. It was in a small, clean, intimate space, and small beautiful touches (the furniture, tableware, lighting, etc) 1. Smoked Island Creek Oyster with Chojang and brown butter - 4/5: Great tasting oyster with a kick 2. Live American Eel, Gamtae Seaweed - 5/5: Super tender, fresh, and paired really well with the very strong seaweed. My partner didn't like the texture of the seaweed and the flavor was too strong for them. I loved it! They get their freshwater eel shipped live from Maine and keep them alive in the back. This dish it presented as Live Eel, but don't be confused - it's killed and cooked! We were a little confused when the server asked us if we've ever had live eel - I've had fish and shrimp that was still kicking in your mouth, but this isn't quite that.. 3. Soondae, Perilla Leaf, Walnut Ssamjang - 5/5: This is a noodle sausage with a sweet and spicy sauce, wrapped in a fragrant perilla leaf 4. Kaluga Caviar, Bluefin tuna, Hand-pressed sesame oil, with added Sea urchin (extra $70) - 4/5: really excellent ingredients all around, but it is quite a lot after even half of it. it would have been nice to provide the occasional flavor and texture reset like a rice cracker or something 5. Pacific Scallop, Marinated Tomatoes, Garden Herbs, Tomato-Jalapeño Kombucha - 4/5: delicious tender scallops. it paired really beautifully with the tomato-jalapeño kombucha which had a really fresh sweetness to it. the tomatoes themselves were quite sweet as well with a kick from the Jalapeno. 6. Soondubu Doenjang Jjigae, Mussels, Giant octopus - 5/5: one of my favorite dish of the night. the giant octopus was amazing and the mussels were big and juicy. one of the spicier dishes. it helped that it was served with the croissant and butter so I could switch to that as a palate refresher. 7. Ssal x Arsicault Bakery 'Croissant', Injeolmi Butter - 5/5: Arsicault is known for having the best croissants in SF and maybe in the US, so no surprise on the excellence there. The injeolmi butter was JUST as incredible! 8. Wild Jeju Galchi, Gamasot Gold Queen Rice, Pine mushroom, today's banchan, Aged Kimchi, Maeuntang - 4/5: the belt fish was so soft and tender. It had a little smokiness and was well seasoned. The rice was lacking seasoning which was a shame because it would have elevated the pine mushrooms as well. The spicy fish soup (maeuntang) was interesting, it was smooth and light, but it had a heavy punch of spiciness. 9. Barbecued Wolfe Ranch Quail, Red Ginseng, Bokbunja, New Mex Suave Vinaigrette - 4/5: The quail was very soft and juicy. It had a nice smokey flavor and a beautiful crisp on the skin. I really loved both of the sauces, the one under the quail, as well as the one drizzled on top. 10. Charred Corn Ice Cream, Black Truffle, Forbidden Rice - 3/5: I'm not a huge fan of truffles, so this one was hard for me. The truffle was really overpowering and overwhelmed the corn and the rice. Otherwise, the seasoning was great, I loved how the ice cream had savory notes and was not too sweet. 11. Chiffon cake with Yuja semifreddo - 3/5, Fruit - 3/5, Injeolmi Cream puff - 4/5, Red bean and chestnut Jelly - 3/5: the injeolmi cream puff was my favorite, although it was a bit heavy. The yuja semifreddo was a bit off balance and too acidic even with the sweetness of the chiffon. One standout was the service. The servers were attentive and fun. They took the time to show us the highlight ingredients and explain the background. We had some food restrictions as well, and they checked about it from time to time without being too in your face. read more

I wanted to gift my niece and her SO a special birthday dinner as they are fantastic human beings. I did a lot of research to find some place really great. There are so many interesting SF restaurants, but SSAL stood out. From their ecstatic feedback, the reality was well beyond my high expectations. Gorgeous artful plating, amazingly creative and unconventional dishes and sublimely delicious flavors combined with stand out warm and personal service. It was a spectacular evening, one of the best they have ever experienced. Now I have to make time to fly to SF and try for myself. read more

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This Korean fine dining experience was fascinating. We had a reservation for the night and it was not so hard to book compared to other Michelin restaurants. Every dish was very fresh, delicate and flavorful. I was so impressed with the hand-pressed sesame oil, which enhanced the flavor of caviar to the max . The wild Jeju galchi fish were super fresh and soft. The seafood soondubu surprised me the most since I didn't expect it to be so rich and delicious - it's like I can taste the ocean in such a small bowl. The quail surprisingly has a lot more meat than I thought and it was seasoned se well. We were given a polaroid of us sitting at the table as a souvenir since we celebrated a birthday I just love how they decorate the whole dining room, simple yet elegant and cozy. Also, the waitress was super sweet and friendly to us. The ambience, decoration, service, everything were amazing read more

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And after many years, I have a chance to come back to Ssal and I'm really impressed with the transition of the restaurant and menu. The restaurant looks really nice , minimal and cozy. So before Ssal was doing a la carte menu but now they have changed it to pre-fix and they also got a Michelin star now. Come here to celebrate my birthday week and had a great time. We got to sit close to the chef. We could see how he prepared all the dishes. Drink menu , they also have soju and Korean sake, if you preferred over the wine but they got good selection of wine here also. I got to try their sparkling, wine and red, they were all good. For the food they focus on French and korean cuisine. Which really interesting. Let's go over all the food today. First off was oyster with kimchi and bacon. The oyster was fresh but the smokiness and kimchi bacon were overpowering the oyster. It was on the saltiness side Second dish was one of my favorite, the tuna tartare tart with caviar and sesame oil. Then we have grilled fresh eel wrapped in side rice and seaweed. Very umami from the seaweed and eel Sea scallop dish with white asparagus, very refreshing and light. Hints of yuzu sauce was nice Soondobu dish was great , Uni was sweet, firefly squid in season right now and the surf clam so good. I don't like the mussels though. The croissant with honey butter was really good almost like dessert to me. Next dish we got was the octopus and it was so tender. And my favorite dish of the night was the king mackerel over rice and pickled ramps!!!! Best best best!!! Quail dish, the chef showed us the whole quail before he sliced it for us. The quail was really tender and the sauce going really well with it also. We ordered supplements for beef short ribs and it was a good decision, the beef was so tender and the best part of it, it's the morel mushroom stuffed with sausage. Then the truffle ice cream was refreshing and the rice crackers give it texture and rice aroma. I gotta say that the chef cooking all hot dishes really really good! If you never tried Korean food and want to try it in a modern way I really recommend this place. There is not too many good Korean restaurants in the city but Ssal is one of them. read more

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Dinner review. Korean tasting menu. Smoked Oyster, Kimchi, Pork Belly (Highlight) Kaluga Caviar, Okhotsk Scallop, Corn Dubu Smoked and Marinated Tomatoes, Lime-Pickled Anchovies (Highlight) Sea Urchin, Soft Eggs, Salmon Roe Handmade Mandu, Oxtail Broth, Semogasari (Highlight) Dry-Aged Amberjack, Elderflower, Spicy Greens Grilled Black Cod, Maeuntang, Chive Beef Short Rib, Hen of the Woods, Young Corn Omija, Maesil Plum, Sesame Green Tea Cream Roll Our Roasted Burdock Tea Nurungji Parae Cracker Injeolmi Cream Puff Seasonal Fruit Red Bean Jelly Overall, some hits, some misses, but pretty unique. read more

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Wow. Just wow. What a spectacular meal and fabulous neighborhood gem!! From the food, service everything was just perfect. Really delicious Korean cuisine, the ingredients were so meticulously sourced. The staff was lovely! Fun, personable, knowledgeable. Exactly what you want from a special meal, talented folks taking great care of you without feeling too stuffy or breathing down your neck. Was an absolutely wonderful birthday dinner and I can't wait to go back! read more

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This was an ok experience and... different, considering I'm used to KBBQ, tofu soup, and the comfort side of Korean food. I opted for the weekday menu which is missing 2 items from the full menu. My favorite dishes were the forbidden porridge and liberty duck. The crispy rice was perfectly paired with the calamari and shrimp. The duck heart, which was a new addition to the plate, was also super good. I didn't love the uni and trout add on - I had high hopes for it... but their steamed egg was a little too overpowering in taste. Also, chinese steamed egg is so much better (sorry! but it's true. it's just waaay silkier), so I wish they had chosen a different base for the dish. Also, I didn't taste much persimmon on the oyster. I loved the minimalist decor of the restaurant. I wish I could keep my house that neat (too bad I'm a hoarder). I do think the menu was pretty light and wasn't entirely full at the end, so value cost ratio is just barely there. LASTLY, I'm really disappointed because their website and a lot of owner provided photos on yelp feature that amazing looking orange dessert. I was SOOOO looking forward to it, but it was not on the menu - and I realized that there are no customer provided photos of it, so I don't know if they've ever served it? I wish they didn't advertise it as much. BECAUSE I REALLY WANT IT (but I guess can't have it)!!! read more

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Shocked that it has taken me this long to write a review for SSAL! I made reservations here for my birthday last year. It was a low key celebration that I got to enjoy with my sister and boyfriend. I love a good tasting menu, and SSAL provides just that. Back in 2021, we got a 7 course meal. I added the supplemental meals as well. I absolutely enjoyed every dish. It was a very intimate experience and would definitely recommend you make a reservation to celebrate your next birthday, anniversary, or date night! read more

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Emerged out of my mini hiatus to write this review for SSAL. Easily one of the best meals I've had in a long while. Every dish was absolutely exquisite. Overall, meal is on the pricier side, around $200 pp which includes tax and tip, and we did the uni add on which is an additional $35pp. But it is worth it when you see the amount of skill and high quality ingredients that is placed into each dish, which is each uniquely, and artistically presented to you. And most importantly, I was left feeling pretty stuffed! The menu does change, but my favorite bites were: - uni/roe/truffle over egg - so rich, so delicious - black cod - meat was very tender and the sauce was so flavorful - bbq live eel - so many flavors and textures : smoky, sweet, savory; best eel dish I've ever had Overall, highly recommend and would love to come back again! read more

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I came here with my wife to celebrate our birthdays. We've been to many one to three star Michelin restaurants in the past few years, but this one stands a head above the rest. Every dish was intentional and delicious, something which often times lacks when Michelin restaurants try too hard to be avant-garde, making food in creative ways but just are not tasty. Chef Junsoo, is a humble and incredible chef. He pays homage to his Korean roots through his restaurant, from Korean art, the restaurant name (Ssal means raw rice, a nod to his parents that we're rice farmers), to his modern but still authentic Korean dishes. The specialty dish here was the eel wrapped in a special sea weed. I'd never had anything like it and it made me crave another one. At the end of the meal, Chef came to our table to meet us and he was incredibly friendly as we discussed our future parenthood. Speaking of which, service was also exquisite. They don't make it stuffy where they walk by your table to make an obvious point of giving you attention. Instead, the staff observe from afar to make sure your glasses are topped up, and tables are in order. Super friendly staff then made the experience so special. We plan to be back every quarter to support a restaurant that is doing it right. read more

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Highly recommend SSAL for a one-of-a-kind contemporary Korean tasting menu! The elaborate dishes paired with the minimalist interior design made for such a beautiful experience! You MUST get the uni supplement (we upgraded to Hokkaido uni) and be sure to try the remarkably well done drink pairing! The flavors, presentation and service were perfect--so impressed! read more

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Food was obviously tasty but nothing life-changing. It was more an artistic experience than anything else. Many tapa/bite sized items that evoked a memory of something comforting and familiar. Lots of asian aromatics, and seafood flavors. My responses were mostly " ah it makes sense why they did that" and "ok i get the expression" and not so much "i have never tasted anything like this." The room/setting was a bit odd and not fully intimate. Not so dim lighting, square open room, round tables and couples all faced the center, some square tables in the back. Major flaw was how loud the white noise was since they also played rnb/top hits/throwbacks so i struggled to hear myself/the waiters talk. Also interesting how inconsistent each serving was between the ppl at my table (different sized fish/amount of toppings) but maybe that adds to the experience? Overall delicious food but not sure if I am keen on going back anytime soon. read more

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We celebrated our engagement dinner here and everything was fabulous! One of the best tasting experiences we've had in the city (and we've done a lot) from the service to the dishes. read more

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