The Buoy

This Korean bakery completed exceeded our expectations! The butter salt bread was perfectly warm, crispy on outside and lightly chewy. The matcha chestnut roll was light, not too sweet and the matcha flavor was really present. I really enjoyed the matcha einspanner. The sesame latte and brownie are on the sweeter side (still tasty). The location isn’t the best (off Market) and the place itself had a bit of a cold atmosphere but clean. There are plenty of tables indoor and no wait. Overall, I can’t wait to come back and try other things!

yelena kozlova

Wow! What a find! The food was excellent, the atmosphere really fun and the service highly attentive. We got the beef tartar which was fresh, flavorful and creative with the nori chips. The kimchee was really creative, an excellent mix of freshness, fermentation and spice. We got the steak which was very tender abd paired with a house version of chimichury which was better its traditional cousin in terms of flavor. Finally, we finished with the tofu and brisket stew with the seafood addition and this was my favorite dish. It had a sous vide octopus, clams, AND abalone, along with Brisket and silken tofu - a flavor and protein paradise. We also ordered the white and the black tiger, with were good, but I preferred the white tiger for the flavor and cream inside.

Wook Chung

There is something going on at the Buoy that is very difficult to explain in conventional terms. First, it feels like a cafe and bakery during the day, perhaps even a brunch spot. Then, at night, it somewhat turns into a cocktail bar and lounge. The dinner menu is focused, distilled down to a handful selection, but are done in a creative, mind-boggling way where you wonder why you might be tasting something of this caliber at a bar lounge. Something is going on. But you can feel something special is brewing. We went there for dinner so I'd like to focus on evaluating it as a dinner spot. The interior is modern, clean, and almost too "simple". It has a cocktail bar lounge vibe, especially with the Korean music moderately loud and dark lights. However, you see the full cutlery laid out on the table and this is where your mind starts to play tricks and ask questions. The menu is super simple, perhaps no more than 20 items in total. The appetizers come in as "tapas", perfectly designed to go well with soju or Korean-style drinking. But, the caliber of the food is simple out of this world. This isn't your typical Korean comfort food that accompanies alcohol. These are meticulous creations - Korean-inspired yet focused on striking a fresh balance. We ordered 5 appetizers and each and every one of them we craved for more. The Golden Toast is simply out of this world. Each person must get one. Rich with various fresh seafood and avocaod. The crunchy galbi also is insane. The deep-frying of galbi is a fresh take giving it a texture not experienced before. The wagyu yukhwe is also a piece of artistic creation with a egg yolk puree in the middle and seaweed chips. The kanpachi turtled in a carved out tomato in olive oil was also fabulous. Even as I write this review, my mouth waters. The chef at The Buoy is not your everyday lounge food chef. He/she means business. They are here to compete, whether it is a Michelin star or other recognitions. The Buoy can be taken very seriously as a dinner location, rubbing shoulders with other progressive venues that push the boundaries of culinary possibilities. The steak, the bossam, ... my list of complements go on and on. Again, this isn't just about creating a good Korean cuisine. This is entirely new and fresh. This is not normal. We will absolutely be returning to The Buoy. Just a single visit does not do justice to what this place is bubbling with. Whether you like Korean food or not, you must try The Buoy. And again, be prepared to be confused and delighted at the same time.

Lore Dp

We had a great experience dining at the Buoy. Food was flavorful and also had great presentation. Service was also friendly and food arrived quite fast. I also loved the overall ambiance of the restaurant. Really looking forward to coming back.

Claire

I beg my finest pardon but WHAT did I just eat. The egg salt bread sando is unreal. The salt bread itself is made with rice flour so it’s fluffy and bouncy and buttery and chewy in this addictive way that should honestly be illegal. It’s so light you can basically inhale it. Then you bite in and the soft scrambled eggs are just… perfect. Creamy, silky, a little sriracha mayo hiding in there, the whole thing feels like a warm hug. I’m obsessed. I need five more.

Daniel Baek

One of the best dining experience in sf! Would highly recommend to everyone! Food taste amazing, clean and authentic but has modern fusion incorporated. Generous portions and great wine selection with dim and ambient lighting, great for dates and group dinners + solo dinners at the bar. Paid parking is right next door and service is fast and friendly.

Nicole Lee

9/10 - golden toast with sashimi on top 9.5/10: so good. the best avocado toast my bf has ever had. it was a perfect combination of crunchy / soft textures. the avocado mixed with the crispy and buttery toast, with a slight kick to it that i can't even place. - galbi crunch 6/10: lackluster. great concept, poor execution. the batter tasted like tempura chips which was weird. the meat was a bit overcooked; would've been better if it was more tender. the peppers were good. the red flakes on top tasted like hot cheetos. - soondooboo 9/10: they wouldn't give us white rice!!!! we asked twice!!! would've been a 10 with rice. best soondooboo we've had. it had a thicker consistency than normal. was on the spicier side so rice would've saved us. given that there was no rice, we wish there was more content in it (ie. meat, tofu). we're taking it home to eat with rice lol - bossam 8.5/10: the kimchi like thing and soybean paste were a good combo with the meat. no lettuce though, which was weird. the bossam felt less cooked than normal, but not complaining lol. solid but not the best i've had - mochi brownie 8/10: had little bits of mochi in it... kinda weird. but the black sesame cream was a great addition! the brownie as a whole was the perfect amount of sweet. and they gave it to us for free for our anniversary!

celina

Super cute atmosphere with really good food! LOVED the beef tartare and the yuzu carpaccio. They were both really fresh and flavorful. The cocktails were also sooo good. Perfect for a girls night out!

Yumi Ji

Was visiting family in SF and suddenly really craved Korean food—so glad I ended up here! The place totally reminded me of trendy spots back in Korea. Super clean and stylish, but still cozy. We got two kinds of mocktails (both were so good), and shared the jjambbong pasta, yukhoe, and galbi crunch. Literally scraped the plates clean—everything was delicious. I’d been missing spicy Korean noodles lately, and that jjambbong pasta seriously hit the spot. Flavorful, just the right amount of spice. Will definitely be back next time I’m in town!

Danning Sui

Super super aesthetic and food are amazing. The bread on Sake Clam was the hit!! So crunchy thin layer outside and warm soft inside. The Kampachi is great too. Music was super vibey. Love

Tammy Hsu

Came here for dinner and it did not disappoint. We had the burrata salad, spicy tuna crisps, galbi crunch, chili pasta, and galbijim — and every dish was packed with flavor. Each one was unique, delicious, and beautifully prepared. Can’t wait to come back and try more!

Yoomi Yi

Excited to experience The Buoy’s new chapter as a Korean bar and restaurant! I tried every dish on the menu except the Galbijjim, saving that one for next time 😌 Great vibe, friendly service, and bold Korean flavors in creative tapas style—loved it!❤️ It was so hard to pick my favorite menu. My top picks: ✔️Halibut Crudo ✔️Yukhoe ✔️Galbi Crunch ✔️Charred Brisket & Perilla Pasta ✔️ Soju Einspanner — Cocktail

Anna Oh

Everything tasted amazing and the vibes of the cafe are immaculate. Service was also great. Black sesame latte was super nutty and you can really taste the black sesame. 8/10 Both pastries were amazing. Black sesame mochi brownie is super unique. 10/10. Salt bread is salty, buttery goodness. 9/10.

Sylwia K

This Korean bakery completed exceeded our expectations! The butter salt bread was perfectly warm, crispy on outside and lightly chewy. The matcha chestnut roll was light, not too sweet and the matcha flavor was really present. I really enjoyed the matcha einspanner. The sesame latte and brownie are on the sweeter side (still tasty). The location isn’t the best (off Market) and the place itself had a bit of a cold atmosphere but clean. There are plenty of tables indoor and no wait. Overall, I can’t wait to come back and try other things!

My dinner experience was amazing - food, service and atmosphere were all 5/5. Went back for lunch shortly after and the service was really lacking. Still amazing food, but the front house staff working at the time seemed like they didn’t want to be there. They were impatient with taking orders and left finished dishes and cups on tables for a while before cleaning them up. Highly recommend getting dinner here though.

A perfect brunch. The kimchi panini and French toast were both delicious, and the sesame mochi was amazing too. I missed the salt bread again since it only comes out after 10, but hopefully next time! The kind service made the experience even better. Looking forward to trying their dinner menu as well!

ariana

My dinner experience was amazing - food, service and atmosphere were all 5/5. Went back for lunch shortly after and the service was really lacking. Still amazing food, but the front house staff working at the time seemed like they didn’t want to be there. They were impatient with taking orders and left finished dishes and cups on tables for a while before cleaning them up. Highly recommend getting dinner here though.

narae kim

A perfect brunch. The kimchi panini and French toast were both delicious, and the sesame mochi was amazing too. I missed the salt bread again since it only comes out after 10, but hopefully next time! The kind service made the experience even better. Looking forward to trying their dinner menu as well!

Wandered in here after passing it for months and being curious about it and I didn’t expect, due to the part where it’s a coffee shop during the day, for their evening service to be anywhere near so fancy, even though it’s a kind of posh coffee shop. The food was excellent, the service was as well, but the whole experience was not at all what I was expecting! I would be back but probably not at night without a date. I was fresh from working out and felt very underdressed! Seems like it would be such a cute spot to bring someone.

Nice cozy Korean restaurant. There is bar and table seatings. I’d recommend getting a reservation as it seems like it’s fairly busy. I went with a fairly big group and it seemed like the staff had a little miscommunication on how the evening was going which made the experience feel much longer than it needed to be. The golden toast was excellent as was the sundubu with octopus. Overall we tasted a variety of dishes and all were quite tasty.

TLDR: just go for the drinks and a photoshoot I would’ve had a better impression if they didn’t offer food. Pros: - vibey interior and presentation is beautiful - the matcha einspanner tastes amazing Cons: - the ribeye in the ribeye salt bread was dry and the sandwich was tiny - there are only small particles of beef in the beef bowl. The bowl itself tastes like a bunch of flavors and textures carelessly tossed together - wifi is super slow

The location and vibes at this place is 100%. I got the beef rice bowl for lunch. The beef itself was really disappointing. Several pieces were chewy and fatty, really unpleasant and I had to spit them out. I don’t know if they were cheap cuts or not trimmed properly. Everything else was good. I’m giving it 2-2.5 stars because it’s like eating a clam pasta dish where everything is on point but you got sand in your mouth that just ruined the whole experience. I agree with previous reviews that this place has lots of potential but survival lies in the details.

Nha H

Nice cozy Korean restaurant. There is bar and table seatings. I’d recommend getting a reservation as it seems like it’s fairly busy. I went with a fairly big group and it seemed like the staff had a little miscommunication on how the evening was going which made the experience feel much longer than it needed to be. The golden toast was excellent as was the sundubu with octopus. Overall we tasted a variety of dishes and all were quite tasty.

Kungfu Kenny

TLDR: just go for the drinks and a photoshoot I would’ve had a better impression if they didn’t offer food. Pros: - vibey interior and presentation is beautiful - the matcha einspanner tastes amazing Cons: - the ribeye in the ribeye salt bread was dry and the sandwich was tiny - there are only small particles of beef in the beef bowl. The bowl itself tastes like a bunch of flavors and textures carelessly tossed together - wifi is super slow

Food is great. Atmosphere definitely very welcoming for date night or girls night out. BUT, service is very bad. 1. When we walked in, nobody was at the host stand for at least 5-10 min. By the time he checked in my name, our table is not ready. 2. First time visiting,but no one walk through the menu nor any recommendation for food portion because their menu was meant for sharing. 3. Wait a long time to be able to put in our order. 4. Half way through I asked for bread, not until I almost yelled at “can you please bring my bread”, bread was not coming, and I almost finished a stew dish that supposed to go well with bread. 5. One of the servers did come to mention that they are short staffed today and thanks for our patience. However, I would have rated very differently had this was mentioned in the beginning. 20% surcharge of course, let me no room to adjust tips but put in here. I think for the expensive and competitive San Francisco dining experience, you def have better options.

Oh, I really wanted to like the dinner service here. The places were reasonable, and the food looked good. But the quality of cooking was simply not there. The summer tuna dish had three thin slices of tuna with tasteless watermelon and citrus foam. It begged for something sweet and salty mixed with it. The spicy noodles were fine, but the pork was dry and overcooked, and the pasta was obviously boxed pasta that had no texture or bite. And the most egregious was the braised short ribs, the Galbijim. You would expect it to fall off the bone, but instead, it was tight to it and really tough to chew and eat. To me it meant it needed several more hours braising. The flavors were fine but it was severely lacking in cooking skill. Luckily, we only spent $65 a person for these three dishes and a drink, so it wasn’t a complete rip off. But, it is not a good Korean restaurant.

We wanted a quick night out near home, so we chose this place. However, we’re so sad and disappointed that the food and service are just not matching up to the expectation. The servers and waitresses don’t know which dishes go to which tables, and even when the order was right & the kitchen was right, they still somehow managed to give us the wrong dish 🫠 We saw our bibimbap sitting at the kitchen window for a while and the waitress pushed it back to the kitchen, while I had to drink all the water from my cup because the galbijim was SO. SALTY. The waitress apologized and said that the bibimbap would be “taken care of”, but it was still on our bill. Besides galbijim, the sake clam was also super salty. The salt bread is not structured enough and just looks kinda sad. We finally had our bibimbap, but I think there’s too little fish roe in the bowl. The salmon carpaccio is ironically the best dish of the night. The black sesame brownie was on the house, and it was okay. Overall, I think the restaurant still needs to train their staff better (even the detail like the chopsticks are not from the same pair? My pet peeve even for chopsticks at home lol) and the execution of the food (actual kitchen food, the front app lady is doing fine) needs to be improved to match up to the vibe. Until then, I don’t think you can charge 18% mandatory service fee ‼️

Eddie L

Oh, I really wanted to like the dinner service here. The places were reasonable, and the food looked good. But the quality of cooking was simply not there. The summer tuna dish had three thin slices of tuna with tasteless watermelon and citrus foam. It begged for something sweet and salty mixed with it. The spicy noodles were fine, but the pork was dry and overcooked, and the pasta was obviously boxed pasta that had no texture or bite. And the most egregious was the braised short ribs, the Galbijim. You would expect it to fall off the bone, but instead, it was tight to it and really tough to chew and eat. To me it meant it needed several more hours braising. The flavors were fine but it was severely lacking in cooking skill. Luckily, we only spent $65 a person for these three dishes and a drink, so it wasn’t a complete rip off. But, it is not a good Korean restaurant.

Elva Chen

We wanted a quick night out near home, so we chose this place. However, we’re so sad and disappointed that the food and service are just not matching up to the expectation. The servers and waitresses don’t know which dishes go to which tables, and even when the order was right & the kitchen was right, they still somehow managed to give us the wrong dish 🫠 We saw our bibimbap sitting at the kitchen window for a while and the waitress pushed it back to the kitchen, while I had to drink all the water from my cup because the galbijim was SO. SALTY. The waitress apologized and said that the bibimbap would be “taken care of”, but it was still on our bill. Besides galbijim, the sake clam was also super salty. The salt bread is not structured enough and just looks kinda sad. We finally had our bibimbap, but I think there’s too little fish roe in the bowl. The salmon carpaccio is ironically the best dish of the night. The black sesame brownie was on the house, and it was okay. Overall, I think the restaurant still needs to train their staff better (even the detail like the chopsticks are not from the same pair? My pet peeve even for chopsticks at home lol) and the execution of the food (actual kitchen food, the front app lady is doing fine) needs to be improved to match up to the vibe. Until then, I don’t think you can charge 18% mandatory service fee ‼️

Wilson Tsang

TLDR: high end atmosphere but service and food does not match the high end they are going for, it’s only for IG, not for real people Walked in and looked at the items for a few minutes and was not greeted. When I stood at the register, someone finally turned around and say “hey” in a not so inviting way. Took my order gruffly, interrupted me after I ordered my drink to say anything else, before I even had time to order food. Ordered for here and sat at the bar. The raspberry roll was put down in front of me but then they put my coffee all the way on the other end of the bar and I had to get up and go get it. Why would one be here and one item put there? Also other people’s were put on a nice board and mine was not. As for the food, the raspberry cake was old. The cake itself was not very soft and there was way too much cream, I got sick of eating it and had to take some out. The black sesame latte was nothing special as well. Would not come back. $8 for a slice of roll cake is pretty expensive as well.