While looking at the menu outside a passerby blurted out, "small portions and not good". I am not deterred by drive by hecklers. I saw that Spoon Korean on Ashby was also listed as a business in their menu and I really like Spoon! So I have to go in. Smaller appetite and I was intrigued by their yangnyum chicken, I tried a half order of boneless. They offer different flavors with wings, boneless, or with bone. Nice variety to suit my appetite! The chicken arrived hot and had a nice glaze of yangnyum. The basket seemed to over flow and I counted 10 big pieces. The chicken had a really nice crispy seasoned crunch that I liked right away. The sauce seemed to be a gojujang, ketchup, and honey. Very sticky and spicy. I took some to friends just after and they ordered more and we feasted. Yes, I will go back for yangnyum and check out more of their Korean menu. Solid!Kid-friendliness: Alot of space for kids
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
T L
It used to be a great spot, then good, now meh with disgruntled employees. It’s probably more of a door-dash Korean fast food place now. Wonder what the space will become…
Keenan Pepper
Service was a little slow. Some of the food is really great tho, like the "pancakes"
Jim G.
This place serves up delicious wings and seafood pancakes. They serve KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) and VONS chicken. It takes time for them to make it fresh so expect a 15 minute or so wait. It's worth every second because they'll come out crunchy and piping hot! I wish they made a dry rub but their saucy fried chicken is amazing! The sides they give you like the coleslaw and radish are a great pairing to the chicken! Service is friendly and helpful. I'd for sure go back and recommend this place!
Lukas M.
4.5 Probably the best Korean fried chicken in Oakland and Berkeley. Always fresh, hot, and huge portions/size of the fried chicken not only that.. there spam kimchi fried rice is great as well. Def recommended
Arika N.
This is one of those places I swear I have written a review for but apparently I haven't... I know I have previously ordered the Honey Butter Fried Chicken and enjoyed it. Today I was also wanting Korean Fried Chicken in honor of the Ateez concert that I will be attending later. Plus now I have a post concert meal of leftover chicken. Any today's order consisted of Crispy Fried Chicken (half and boneless) Medium spice, which was the best choice I could have made. It was just spicy enough but not so spicy my lips and tongue were melting. The pickled radish and slaw where good, though to be honest of the two I prefer the radish. I also got the Citron Tea which is good, not the best but definitely worth getting again. Some day I am going to actually go out to eat again and if the fiance wants Korean food I will suggest we go to Bowl'd BBQ because I want to try all their banchan.
caly m.
The restaurant is quite spacious and dining area is clean. Waitstaff was friendly but did not check in with us after serving food. Food was okay -- soft tofu soup was decent but banchan was bland and dry, as though it was sitting out for a while. As a self-proclaimed Korean food snob, the quality was just okay. I probably would not return. Bathroom was roomy with two stalls, which was great, but the faucet was loose and floor sticky.
Mary Tiffany M.
Good food and good service. They sat us right away and the place was clean. I split the chicken and the kimchi fried rice with my friend for dinner. Very tasty and would go again.
Queena Z.
Their kimchi pancakes are AMAZING. The stews were pretty good. The chicken is quite sweet for our taste but without the sauce it's delicious. The fried spicy rice cake is quite hard to chew because if the fried outer layer. Def order their pancakes
Kwang Hyeon Kim
I have tried Garlic before and Yangnyum chicken this time. I can say it for sure that their chickens are a bit salty. The sauce itself was good but there was not enough sauce to be mixed with the chicken. I wouldn't recommend chickens. The chicken serves 2-3 people. And it was easy to eat with bonless chicken.
The chicken was pretty good and the service was okay as well. But the gimbap was not very well made (fell apart, not that tasty) and the poke salad was not good either. Also no banchan which for a Korean restaurant is kind of unacceptable. Paid over $20 per person.
Jeffrey S.
Great Korean food! We ordered delivery and most of the dishes, including the banchan sides, were sealed with a thin plastic film top inside a thicker plastic to-go container (almost like big boba tea cups), which kept stuff warm and contained (i.e., no leaking). The banchan was tasty (super good kimchi) and everything we ordered was excellent and huge portions. The beef bibimbap came in its own bowl in 2 different containers, which kept stuff fresh, and the purple rice had an interesting (and good!) flavor and texture. The boneless Vons wings were huge with a ton of gooey sticky sauce. The tofu stew was very flavorful with a lot of tofu (and probably too much vegetables). The tteokbokki was chewy and flavorful with nice fish cake pieces in there. All the flavors were great and things were definitely on the spicier side (we got all milds & mediums).
Mark K.
On an early evening, it's hard to ignore the cool breeze coming from Bowl'd's backyard patio. So wings and bbq and ramen and tofu soup? Whoa, this is like Korean Denny's, but with very good quality. Foodie hint: Banchan(free side dishes) quality is a good indicator of Korean restaurant quality. Banchan here was pretty good 8/10. Spicy wings were awesome. Nice crunch with some good heat! 9/10 Everything was actually really good! Generous portions with a good selection of beer.
Krizel D.
I've eaten here a few times in 2016-17, quality had definitely decreased. I remember eating here late night and it was packed full of people and the food tasted hella authentic. Now it tastes, for lack of better words, gentrified. I dont know if there is a different owner, but that's what it felt like. Ordered: Soft Tofu Stew with kimchi and beef - salty, yet lacked the complexity of the soon tofu. mediocre Cheese Corn - first it came out cold, the edges were warm, but the center was cold, cheese already hardened within the first 5 min of being placed on the table. i asked to heat it up, and it came out so hot that everything had split. Ram-Don w/ beef - tasted like dry instant ramen. it had enough salt, but that was the only flavor. noodles were cooked nicely but the flavor was so disappointing. Kimchi rice w/ spam - wet rice covered in gochujang. this was not good. period Kimchi pancakes - these were good, came out crispy with a ton of kimchi in it. Banchan (sides) - these were flavorless, except for the kimchi. i've never been more disappointed in Banchan. Again, i'm not sure if this business was sold from when i had it last until now, but it definitely feels like the kitchen is being run differently. Like someone else took over, bought the recipe book and has just been trying to recreate it. If that is not the case, then they've just decided to cut corners somewhere and it shows. Just so disappointed.
Jeffrey T.
If you are craving some KFC(Korean fried chicken) this is a must try spot in Oakland. I ordered two separate KFC flavors (spicy & garlic), the portions and pieces of chicken were huge! The chicken was still juicy, crispy even as the sauce is drenched all over. The spicy kfc you can adjust the level, the medium was perfect for me. The unlimited sides are also a great bonus for a great meal all around, I will be back if I ever crave KFC.
While looking at the menu outside a passerby blurted out, "small portions and not good". I am not deterred by drive by hecklers. I saw that Spoon Korean on Ashby was also listed as a business in their menu and I really like Spoon! So I have to go in. Smaller appetite and I was intrigued by their yangnyum chicken, I tried a half order of boneless. They offer different flavors with wings, boneless, or with bone. Nice variety to suit my appetite! The chicken arrived hot and had a nice glaze of yangnyum. The basket seemed to over flow and I counted 10 big pieces. The chicken had a really nice crispy seasoned crunch that I liked right away. The sauce seemed to be a gojujang, ketchup, and honey. Very sticky and spicy. I took some to friends just after and they ordered more and we feasted. Yes, I will go back for yangnyum and check out more of their Korean menu. Solid!Kid-friendliness: Alot of space for kids
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
It used to be a great spot, then good, now meh with disgruntled employees. It’s probably more of a door-dash Korean fast food place now. Wonder what the space will become…
Service was a little slow. Some of the food is really great tho, like the "pancakes"
This place serves up delicious wings and seafood pancakes. They serve KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) and VONS chicken. It takes time for them to make it fresh so expect a 15 minute or so wait. It's worth every second because they'll come out crunchy and piping hot! I wish they made a dry rub but their saucy fried chicken is amazing! The sides they give you like the coleslaw and radish are a great pairing to the chicken! Service is friendly and helpful. I'd for sure go back and recommend this place!
4.5 Probably the best Korean fried chicken in Oakland and Berkeley. Always fresh, hot, and huge portions/size of the fried chicken not only that.. there spam kimchi fried rice is great as well. Def recommended
This is one of those places I swear I have written a review for but apparently I haven't... I know I have previously ordered the Honey Butter Fried Chicken and enjoyed it. Today I was also wanting Korean Fried Chicken in honor of the Ateez concert that I will be attending later. Plus now I have a post concert meal of leftover chicken. Any today's order consisted of Crispy Fried Chicken (half and boneless) Medium spice, which was the best choice I could have made. It was just spicy enough but not so spicy my lips and tongue were melting. The pickled radish and slaw where good, though to be honest of the two I prefer the radish. I also got the Citron Tea which is good, not the best but definitely worth getting again. Some day I am going to actually go out to eat again and if the fiance wants Korean food I will suggest we go to Bowl'd BBQ because I want to try all their banchan.
The restaurant is quite spacious and dining area is clean. Waitstaff was friendly but did not check in with us after serving food. Food was okay -- soft tofu soup was decent but banchan was bland and dry, as though it was sitting out for a while. As a self-proclaimed Korean food snob, the quality was just okay. I probably would not return. Bathroom was roomy with two stalls, which was great, but the faucet was loose and floor sticky.
Good food and good service. They sat us right away and the place was clean. I split the chicken and the kimchi fried rice with my friend for dinner. Very tasty and would go again.
Their kimchi pancakes are AMAZING. The stews were pretty good. The chicken is quite sweet for our taste but without the sauce it's delicious. The fried spicy rice cake is quite hard to chew because if the fried outer layer. Def order their pancakes
I have tried Garlic before and Yangnyum chicken this time. I can say it for sure that their chickens are a bit salty. The sauce itself was good but there was not enough sauce to be mixed with the chicken. I wouldn't recommend chickens. The chicken serves 2-3 people. And it was easy to eat with bonless chicken.
Restaurantji Recommends
The chicken was pretty good and the service was okay as well. But the gimbap was not very well made (fell apart, not that tasty) and the poke salad was not good either. Also no banchan which for a Korean restaurant is kind of unacceptable. Paid over $20 per person.
Great Korean food! We ordered delivery and most of the dishes, including the banchan sides, were sealed with a thin plastic film top inside a thicker plastic to-go container (almost like big boba tea cups), which kept stuff warm and contained (i.e., no leaking). The banchan was tasty (super good kimchi) and everything we ordered was excellent and huge portions. The beef bibimbap came in its own bowl in 2 different containers, which kept stuff fresh, and the purple rice had an interesting (and good!) flavor and texture. The boneless Vons wings were huge with a ton of gooey sticky sauce. The tofu stew was very flavorful with a lot of tofu (and probably too much vegetables). The tteokbokki was chewy and flavorful with nice fish cake pieces in there. All the flavors were great and things were definitely on the spicier side (we got all milds & mediums).
On an early evening, it's hard to ignore the cool breeze coming from Bowl'd's backyard patio. So wings and bbq and ramen and tofu soup? Whoa, this is like Korean Denny's, but with very good quality. Foodie hint: Banchan(free side dishes) quality is a good indicator of Korean restaurant quality. Banchan here was pretty good 8/10. Spicy wings were awesome. Nice crunch with some good heat! 9/10 Everything was actually really good! Generous portions with a good selection of beer.
I've eaten here a few times in 2016-17, quality had definitely decreased. I remember eating here late night and it was packed full of people and the food tasted hella authentic. Now it tastes, for lack of better words, gentrified. I dont know if there is a different owner, but that's what it felt like. Ordered: Soft Tofu Stew with kimchi and beef - salty, yet lacked the complexity of the soon tofu. mediocre Cheese Corn - first it came out cold, the edges were warm, but the center was cold, cheese already hardened within the first 5 min of being placed on the table. i asked to heat it up, and it came out so hot that everything had split. Ram-Don w/ beef - tasted like dry instant ramen. it had enough salt, but that was the only flavor. noodles were cooked nicely but the flavor was so disappointing. Kimchi rice w/ spam - wet rice covered in gochujang. this was not good. period Kimchi pancakes - these were good, came out crispy with a ton of kimchi in it. Banchan (sides) - these were flavorless, except for the kimchi. i've never been more disappointed in Banchan. Again, i'm not sure if this business was sold from when i had it last until now, but it definitely feels like the kitchen is being run differently. Like someone else took over, bought the recipe book and has just been trying to recreate it. If that is not the case, then they've just decided to cut corners somewhere and it shows. Just so disappointed.
If you are craving some KFC(Korean fried chicken) this is a must try spot in Oakland. I ordered two separate KFC flavors (spicy & garlic), the portions and pieces of chicken were huge! The chicken was still juicy, crispy even as the sauce is drenched all over. The spicy kfc you can adjust the level, the medium was perfect for me. The unlimited sides are also a great bonus for a great meal all around, I will be back if I ever crave KFC.