Korean Village Wooden Charcoal

Authentic Korean food. Hands down best in SF. Unreal umami, real taste of Korea.

Food was amazing. Worth the experience even if you have to cook your own food. But try to get them to cook it if they are not too busy.

Update: After a trip to LA, I don't think this particular restaurant is out-of-line, in terms of service, compared to other fantastic Korean places. Good stuff. Definitely see why this restaurant is controversial. I went with my friend at an odd time in the day, so the restaurant was pretty empty. The floor manager, who helps you with the grill, felt like an odd presence at the table because she would stop by so often. But the food’s tasty, and if you want to have a grill at your table, then that’s the way it is. I can totally see people messing up the whole process by not grilling fast enough, etc etc.

We've been to Korean BBQs before, but never with charcoal. The taste of the meat was amazing, and the BBQ for 4 option offered plenty of food. The japchae and soft tofu stew was a great addition. Lots of good side dishes. Would highly recommend. We were the only people there at around 430 on a Saturday - this place should be packed!

The outdoor seating are very nice. The breezy weather of San Francisco keeps the smoke moving along and let you have a great time with your dining partners without smoke in your eyes! The manager was very accommodating to our slightly rowdy group! We thank her for letting us stay till the last minute!

The charcoal grilled meat always tastes better than gas grilled meat at other Korean restaurants. Service is good. Portions and side dishes are generous. I have been enjoying dinners at this place for 30 years, never disappoint.

My son and I have celebrated birthdays for years at this Korean BBQ place, love cooking the meals on the grill. I invited, treated 9 friends for my Retirement party 8 years ago and everyone loved the food and individually they have returned to grill their own BBQ meals.

If you love Korean food you'll love this place. Traditional charcoal barbecue is way better than those hot plates at other places. The service was great and they were on top of assisting us the whole way through the night. Like most Korean places I suggest going with at least four people. The meal for two can easily serve three.

aqesome. healthy. friendly. they can make food truly mild

We had the BBQ short ribs and rib eye, and the meat quality and flavor was excellent. We ordered the sautéed rice cake non-spicy for our child, and it turned out way better than we had expected, if not just as good as the spicy version we generally prefer. The sauce was so good that I want to order it non-spicy again for myself. The pan fried mackerel was also thoroughly enjoyed by our kids. The restaurant was kind enough to send us a soft tofu stew on the house and the soup was definitely one of the better ones we've had.

Couldn’t get in at Brothers up the street. Decided to check out this place. EXCELLENT!!!! Glowing charcoal table grills. Only had marinaded short rib and shrimp and tofu soup but everything was SOLID. Service on point. Banchan excellent. Will be back for sure. Thank you!!!!!

Been coming to this korean bbq spot since i was a kid! Nothing fancy very old school. Traditional flavors done right. High quality short ribs galbi. I would definitely recommend getting 2 meats and grilling it on the table. The flavors are much better then when they grill for you in the back.

Spicy pork was very good. The side dishes were good, but maybe not as plentiful as other places. But good place overall.

Grilled Korean Barbecued Steak, fresh salads with cucumber and Kim Chee, my family drove from Sonoma County to San Francisco to enjoy delicious Korean dishes, and Wooden Charcoal Korean restaurant was worth the time and drive. The food was brilliant. The restaurant team was great. Excellent management. The grilled barbecue tasted delicious. We ate everything. My daughter loves Korean dishes now.

Came here after work, wanted Korean Food, hubby picked the best! Lots of side dishes and plenty of meat(s) came out really quick. The waitress help cook too!!! Had the dinner for 2, there was enough food for 3!! Left over!!!! 😋

I love this place. I’ve been coming here for 10 years and the never disappoint. Clean classic Korean fare, and I love that they don’t use MSG. Hard to find these days. Love their ban chan, especially the crunchy shriveled gourd one (I’m obviously not Korean lol). I ordered the non marinaded Kalbi, and it may actually be better than their non marinated one! Super happy. The staff is great, and very attentive, asking how everyone is etc and know my order...I didn’t have rice for a long time and they were surprised when I ordered with (my boyfriend does not have the same dietary restrictions as I do). They’ve extended their hours to 9pm weekdays and 10pm weekends, and added a sweet outside seating area where you can BBQ over real coals! Heat while you eat ;)

Service is quick, food comes to the table very hot and fresh, flavors are excellent.... I've been here a few times and the visits continue to get better and better.

Very Traditional Korean restaurant with tasty ban chan and lots of it. Great service with little things like bringing complimentary hot tea automatically without me asking. The boiling soon du bu hot pot was delicious!

American Lover

Grilled Korean Barbecued Steak, fresh salads with cucumber and Kim Chee, my family drove from Sonoma County to San Francisco to enjoy delicious Korean dishes, and Wooden Charcoal Korean restaurant was worth the time and drive. The food was brilliant. The restaurant team was great. Excellent management. The grilled barbecue tasted delicious. We ate everything. My daughter loves Korean dishes now.

Baby Ng

Came here after work, wanted Korean Food, hubby picked the best! Lots of side dishes and plenty of meat(s) came out really quick. The waitress help cook too!!! Had the dinner for 2, there was enough food for 3!! Left over!!!! 😋

Christine Doo

I love this place. I’ve been coming here for 10 years and the never disappoint. Clean classic Korean fare, and I love that they don’t use MSG. Hard to find these days. Love their ban chan, especially the crunchy shriveled gourd one (I’m obviously not Korean lol). I ordered the non marinaded Kalbi, and it may actually be better than their non marinated one! Super happy. The staff is great, and very attentive, asking how everyone is etc and know my order...I didn’t have rice for a long time and they were surprised when I ordered with (my boyfriend does not have the same dietary restrictions as I do). They’ve extended their hours to 9pm weekdays and 10pm weekends, and added a sweet outside seating area where you can BBQ over real coals! Heat while you eat ;)

Xavier Turner

Service is quick, food comes to the table very hot and fresh, flavors are excellent.... I've been here a few times and the visits continue to get better and better.

Sandy Wang

Very Traditional Korean restaurant with tasty ban chan and lots of it. Great service with little things like bringing complimentary hot tea automatically without me asking. The boiling soon du bu hot pot was delicious!

Nirvana 1111

Been coming to this korean bbq spot since i was a kid! Nothing fancy very old school. Traditional flavors done right. High quality short ribs galbi. I would definitely recommend getting 2 meats and grilling it on the table. The flavors are much better then when they grill for you in the back.

Pasha Gleyzer

Spicy pork was very good. The side dishes were good, but maybe not as plentiful as other places. But good place overall.

You don't go here for a chic vibe. The food is simply delicious. We eat here 2x a month..come before 5:30pm gets super busy.

Absolutely amazing food. I had their BBQ Marinated Ribeye and it was amazing. The sweet, beefy smell had me salivating. The slices were big, thin, juicy, and tender flaps. I could feel the fibers of the meat giving away easily with each bite. It was sweet, smoky, and really beefy. You need to close your eyes and savor it to really take in the flavors. It left a slight smoky, woody aftertaste, making you remember wood charcoal was used to grill it and leaving you hungry for more. This was the best beef I've had this year. The banchan were also exquisite. All the vegetables were succulent and crisp, so I know they use fresh ingredients. I wonder if they make the fishcake themselves because it had a stronger and better taste than the other Korean restaurants I've been to. Maybe the fishcakes here use more shrimp. I ordered food for takeout so I didn't get to experience grilling my food for myself, so I'm going to have to return in the future to try it out.

Neal

Absolutely amazing food. I had their BBQ Marinated Ribeye and it was amazing. The sweet, beefy smell had me salivating. The slices were big, thin, juicy, and tender flaps. I could feel the fibers of the meat giving away easily with each bite. It was sweet, smoky, and really beefy. You need to close your eyes and savor it to really take in the flavors. It left a slight smoky, woody aftertaste, making you remember wood charcoal was used to grill it and leaving you hungry for more. This was the best beef I've had this year. The banchan were also exquisite. All the vegetables were succulent and crisp, so I know they use fresh ingredients. I wonder if they make the fishcake themselves because it had a stronger and better taste than the other Korean restaurants I've been to. Maybe the fishcakes here use more shrimp. I ordered food for takeout so I didn't get to experience grilling my food for myself, so I'm going to have to return in the future to try it out.

Rayannah Salahuddin

You don't go here for a chic vibe. The food is simply delicious. We eat here 2x a month..come before 5:30pm gets super busy.

Struck me as slightly weird to not have metal chopsticks. I thought this was what they were for.

My favorite KBBQ place in the city! The quality of the meat and the charcoal grilling method are on point. Highly recommend this place for good quality KBBQ.

Real charcoal BBQ! We ordered a 4 people set which included many popular dishes with a very good price! There are also free side dishes which are authentic!

It’s nice a bbq place. The meat is nice but because you are close to the charcoal, it gets super hot though

I swear they do something special here. The flavors are bold and everything is very filling. The sauces are probably our favorite at this kbbq from all others.

+1

Went here at 6 pm and got seated right away. The place has a cozy vibe inside. Tried the honeycomb tripe and intestines for the first time—super impressive, definitely recommend. The mixed cold buckwheat noodle had a bit of a spicy kick but was still good. Prices are a bit higher than other spots, but the staff was really friendly.

Great place for some authentic Korean food. Pajeon : Seafood pancake. Crispy on the edge and soft in the middle. Really good. But the sauce that came with the dish was way too salty for me. Galbi : BBQ beef short ribs. very flavorful and moist but on the chewy side. Not sure because they forgot to cut against the grain or something. Galbi Tang : beef soup. I usually leave the meat untouched because they are just too tough in most Korean places. This place cook it to point where the beef was soft and tender. So so good. Rice cake soup: also very good but I prefer Galbi Tang Kimchi Pork Belly : really yummy. A little bit spicy and very addicted. Chapjae : stir fried yam noodles. Very good Pan fried Mackerel: on the dry side and too salty I highly recommended the Galbi, pancake, beef soup and stir fried yam noodles at this place.

Hammer time “Too legit to quit” yes this place rocks and better than some of the trendy Korean bbq places in Jtown. You can’t go wrong. They serve up some delicious stuff. Not cheap but for SF it is quite good. And the authentic charcoal cooking is dead on.

Food was pretty good, they have a good variety of food options. I liked that the restaurant looked clean. Service was fast and friendly! I recommend coming here.

ANH KHOA NGUYEN

Went here at 6 pm and got seated right away. The place has a cozy vibe inside. Tried the honeycomb tripe and intestines for the first time—super impressive, definitely recommend. The mixed cold buckwheat noodle had a bit of a spicy kick but was still good. Prices are a bit higher than other spots, but the staff was really friendly.

Angela Wang

Great place for some authentic Korean food. Pajeon : Seafood pancake. Crispy on the edge and soft in the middle. Really good. But the sauce that came with the dish was way too salty for me. Galbi : BBQ beef short ribs. very flavorful and moist but on the chewy side. Not sure because they forgot to cut against the grain or something. Galbi Tang : beef soup. I usually leave the meat untouched because they are just too tough in most Korean places. This place cook it to point where the beef was soft and tender. So so good. Rice cake soup: also very good but I prefer Galbi Tang Kimchi Pork Belly : really yummy. A little bit spicy and very addicted. Chapjae : stir fried yam noodles. Very good Pan fried Mackerel: on the dry side and too salty I highly recommended the Galbi, pancake, beef soup and stir fried yam noodles at this place.

Kim H

Hammer time “Too legit to quit” yes this place rocks and better than some of the trendy Korean bbq places in Jtown. You can’t go wrong. They serve up some delicious stuff. Not cheap but for SF it is quite good. And the authentic charcoal cooking is dead on.

Alondra Avila

Food was pretty good, they have a good variety of food options. I liked that the restaurant looked clean. Service was fast and friendly! I recommend coming here.

I wanted the charcoal bbq and saw someone right next to me have it but she said she doesn’t have it. We ended up doing butane bbq but honestly I would’ve went to the other one across the street a little further down. I can do butane at home. The meat was meh. Previously frozen and for a long time too it kinda had a freezer burn flavor. It just was a little upsetting seeing someone else enjoy their food so well because it was a fully Korean family. I would give it a 2 star overall. I went two different times lunch and dinner just to give it another chance. Kimchi though, was fantastic!Quite disappointed overall.

Our regular Korean BBQ place on Balboa was closed due to COVID-19. So we decided to venture a try at this joint. Was not busy at 1 pm on a Saturday. Service was good, the restaurant was very clean (not the bathroom) the small plates were excellent. We enjoyed the combo was able to switch out a dish. Did not to grill our own meat. The tofu in the soup was so fluffy and delicious while the broth was a tad salty for me. Overall the soup was good. Might go back at night or late night.

Korean BBQ always taste good to me 😊 service is not the best, and food is alright. We ordered 2 items from the BBQ menu, but it has to be cooked in the kitchen. So, it came out a little disappointing. It is kind of soaked in oil. I would recommend going somewhere else if you're looking for some real good BBQ.

The tables are a bit small after adding the charcoal grill in the middle. Food tasted good.

francis montgomery

Our regular Korean BBQ place on Balboa was closed due to COVID-19. So we decided to venture a try at this joint. Was not busy at 1 pm on a Saturday. Service was good, the restaurant was very clean (not the bathroom) the small plates were excellent. We enjoyed the combo was able to switch out a dish. Did not to grill our own meat. The tofu in the soup was so fluffy and delicious while the broth was a tad salty for me. Overall the soup was good. Might go back at night or late night.

Lucinda Gunawan

Korean BBQ always taste good to me 😊 service is not the best, and food is alright. We ordered 2 items from the BBQ menu, but it has to be cooked in the kitchen. So, it came out a little disappointing. It is kind of soaked in oil. I would recommend going somewhere else if you're looking for some real good BBQ.

Global Nomad

The tables are a bit small after adding the charcoal grill in the middle. Food tasted good.

Two servers were very aloof to my husband and I, never acknowledged our table for any questions as this was our first visit. They weren’t busy at all. Later, someone from the back stared at us from across the room. Anyway, the food is not worth the price tag. A small side dish is $22.

Came here craving some comforting Korean food but unfortunately left a bit disappointed. The galbi came out burnt, which really took away from the flavor and tenderness. The soup looked hearty but ended up being less flavorful than expected—more heat than depth. With the meal being on the pricier side, it didn’t quite feel worth the value. The banchan selection was decent, but overall I wouldn’t rush back.

J T

Came here craving some comforting Korean food but unfortunately left a bit disappointed. The galbi came out burnt, which really took away from the flavor and tenderness. The soup looked hearty but ended up being less flavorful than expected—more heat than depth. With the meal being on the pricier side, it didn’t quite feel worth the value. The banchan selection was decent, but overall I wouldn’t rush back.

Very poor food quality and service. No one greets me for like 5 minutes despite the staff is three steps away. They don't give charcoal for us if we don't order more than we need. They then claim the bbq meat Will be cooked in the kitchen. But it takes like 3 minutes for them to serve two bbq meat, which tastes like microwave. No charcoal taste at all. They charge around 120 for 3 small dishes. avoid This place!

$57.52 for an order of short ribs? You got to be kidding me, sounds like a scam.

This place is a scam. We ordered two bbq meats. Both meats were served within 5 minutes and they are not charcoal grilled. Those are pan fried and pre-made. The tofu soup also came within 2 mins and tasted like ramen base.

Suyu Ge

This place is a scam. We ordered two bbq meats. Both meats were served within 5 minutes and they are not charcoal grilled. Those are pan fried and pre-made. The tofu soup also came within 2 mins and tasted like ramen base.

I spent $200 there, but she acted as if I owed her money. The owner or manager had a scowling face the entire time. I’m not sure if it was racial discrimination, but they were smiling and friendly toward Korean customers, while being stiff, rude, and unwelcoming to people of other races—not a single smile or sign of respect. This is the worst store I’ve ever been to in the US.

Just picking up from doordash i was late cuz of my work and they closed at 9pm. I was there like 8:20ish and that one lady told me like “Why you so late?”. Duhh! You closed at 9. She thinks i’m like doordasher or something. I was picking up for my self. No good customer service at all. 👎

Ivy Rich

I spent $200 there, but she acted as if I owed her money. The owner or manager had a scowling face the entire time. I’m not sure if it was racial discrimination, but they were smiling and friendly toward Korean customers, while being stiff, rude, and unwelcoming to people of other races—not a single smile or sign of respect. This is the worst store I’ve ever been to in the US.

Yè Yint

Just picking up from doordash i was late cuz of my work and they closed at 9pm. I was there like 8:20ish and that one lady told me like “Why you so late?”. Duhh! You closed at 9. She thinks i’m like doordasher or something. I was picking up for my self. No good customer service at all. 👎