Great spot for Korean food in Foster city with a warm welcoming atmosphere and a variety of tasty dishes. The portions are big too, so bring you appetite.

I don't know when Soon's opened but I've been living in the Peninsula for 6 years and cannot believe I just discovered this restaurant. For authentic Korean food, you typically have to head down to Sunnyvale or Santa Clara. But obviously for those who live in the Peninsula or above, it is a journey. Soon's finally starts to establish options alongside Daeho in San Mateo. From the outside, Soon's looks confusing. It is supposedly a Korean restaurant in a western plaza selling a whole variety of things. Is it fusion? Is it "Korean" cuisine by inspiration? And there's even some hints of Chinese, Hawaiian and Mexican in the menu. Again, not a good sign. Also, you need to stare at the ceiling when you're inside... it could've been a 3-story building. But let the food speak for itself. The banchan already is diverse and authentic, as well as every single dish that came out. The food is cooked by your "aunt" with decent sprinkling of love and nostalgia. It is Korean comfort food done well across the board. We had a tofu soup, galbi, kimchi fried rice and jjajangmyun... (?) - yes, the things from Chinese restaurants. And yes, all of them turned out great. It definitely is created with your aunt's interpretation but proper. The food tends to be on the sweeter side (so a bit additional sugar) but still within normal ranges. Ah, and the staff is super friendly. I am so glad we discovered Soon's. We'll absolutely be back. And one less reason to go down to Lawrence and El Camino.

Went in during testing hours. Owner was super nice. They’re testing the hours of 2 to 5, where most places close. Great and personal service, and the food was on point too. If they weren’t open, there’ll be no place to eat and I’ll starve to death

+3

Really love the bulgogi. The combination set of BBQ meat and tofu stew is a good deal enough for two people! ✌️ Attentive and funny wait staff. Though I'm not Korean, I've eaten at several Korean restaurants and this is one of the good ones. If you're craving Korean food this is a great option. So I'm not sure why there are unkind reviews below about the cooking. I personally think it's pretty awesome ☺

Very tasty and close to authentic Korean restaurant. Ordered BBQ Kalbi (Rib), Bibimbub and Hot Spicy Tofu with Beef Soup (forgot to take photo). Liked everything here. The Bibimbub bowl could be hotter as I wanted to make crispy rice at the bottom of it.

I liked the banchan here. Galbi tang and Soondubu was good. Served piping hot Very clean

Had an excellent lunch today with my cousin. Bibim bop bowl with a spicy pork was absolutely delicious. The owner was super nice.

I was visiting the Bay Area and stopped by Soons Tofu for some Korean food. The staff here is really nice, immediately offering us tea while sharing the menu. The menu consist of Korean foods as well as poke. We opted for the galbi and a soon tofu to share. The food was delicious. I enjoyed the banchan as well as the fact that they had lettuce to wrap the meat which was a better protein option than eating rice. Everything was piping hot including the tofu stew.

This review is from back in April. Our big party of 8 came in one night and the owner was super accommodating and chill. He ordered for us and the food was excellent, always checked up on us, chatted with us, complimented us drinks. Absolutely a memorable experience. Simon is the man 👍👍👍 🐜 🐜 🐜

Superb and consistent food & service over at least 10 years. This has been our Bay Area go-to place for Korean BBQ. Their gochujang sauce is phenomenal (in addition to all the menu items). Ignore the 1-star review by some anonymous reviewer who seems to have visited when the restaurant was closed, expected to be served, and was clearly angered when they weren’t.

Food was on point, really tasty, especially the marinated beef shortribs, cooked to perfection with the tastiest flavors. Definitely the best beef shortribs I’ve had in a while. Not to mention, the owner is super genuine and kind, you just know that he genuinely enjoys his work and wants to serve the best food. Highly recommend!

Had an awesome experience at Soon’s Restaurant! The staff was incredibly friendly, and Simon (I believe he’s the owner) made our night. We couldn’t decide what to order, so he just took charge and surprised us with a full platter of food and drinks. That in itself was such a cool and unique experience! For the amount of delicious food and drinks we got, I was shocked when the bill came in under $70. This is hands-down a great spot to bring family and friends for any occasion. Highly recommend!

Lucas He

Food was on point, really tasty, especially the marinated beef shortribs, cooked to perfection with the tastiest flavors. Definitely the best beef shortribs I’ve had in a while. Not to mention, the owner is super genuine and kind, you just know that he genuinely enjoys his work and wants to serve the best food. Highly recommend!

Heiss Anenglishman

This review is from back in April. Our big party of 8 came in one night and the owner was super accommodating and chill. He ordered for us and the food was excellent, always checked up on us, chatted with us, complimented us drinks. Absolutely a memorable experience. Simon is the man 👍👍👍 🐜 🐜 🐜

Manas

Superb and consistent food & service over at least 10 years. This has been our Bay Area go-to place for Korean BBQ. Their gochujang sauce is phenomenal (in addition to all the menu items). Ignore the 1-star review by some anonymous reviewer who seems to have visited when the restaurant was closed, expected to be served, and was clearly angered when they weren’t.

Jack Hamilton

Had an awesome experience at Soon’s Restaurant! The staff was incredibly friendly, and Simon (I believe he’s the owner) made our night. We couldn’t decide what to order, so he just took charge and surprised us with a full platter of food and drinks. That in itself was such a cool and unique experience! For the amount of delicious food and drinks we got, I was shocked when the bill came in under $70. This is hands-down a great spot to bring family and friends for any occasion. Highly recommend!

Judy Margaret Chen

A nice restaurant. We came for the tofu soup because I had been craving Korean tofu stew for a few days. The side dishes that come along in a Korean BBQ restaurant is always w appetizers to me. The best is always kim chi. We order different tofu soups, one spicy seafood soup and one white beef soup, but the waiter got the wrong order for me. We ended up with two seafood tofu soups, just one spicy and one non-spicy. Both are good nonetheless.

Aileen V

Little Korean spot in a shopping center near my daughters new apartment. Two weeks from moving and she said she’s been her like twice already so it must be good. And yes she was right!!! Food was delicious and tasty. The Seafood Dolsot Bibimbab had the right amount of spice. I would’ve like to have more than the one shrimp I got in mines though. Staff was awesome. Always checking up on us. Will definitely be back.

Wei-Ai Tai

Food was very average, especially compared to the Korean food that you can find in the South Bay. Bulgogi was slightly over cooked and too sweet, and the kimchi jigae was okay. However, the friendly and super efficient service bumped up the review by a star!

Chelle T

Met up with some friends for lunch. We ordered seafood and beef combination tofu soup, pork tofu soup, kim bap with bulgogi beef, and a classic poke bowl. The food was simple and filling, service was friendly.

Aaronray Antonio

Spot on with the Galbi and Tofu soup. Galbi was tender and not too sweet. They also have this fermented tofu as a side that I never had before. It was delish. It also looks like they’ll be serving poke in the future. 4 stars for consistency. Service was great and food came out fairly quickly. Worth going back to for future quick meals.

Jade Chen

Really tasty and flavorful Korean food. The portions are also good and decently priced. The stone pot dishes came out REALLY hot (the tofu stew was literally still boiling) which is amazing! Especially when you're cold and looking for something warm.

Really tasty and flavorful Korean food. The portions are also good and decently priced. The stone pot dishes came out REALLY hot (the tofu stew was literally still boiling) which is amazing! Especially when you're cold and looking for something warm.

Spot on with the Galbi and Tofu soup. Galbi was tender and not too sweet. They also have this fermented tofu as a side that I never had before. It was delish. It also looks like they’ll be serving poke in the future. 4 stars for consistency. Service was great and food came out fairly quickly. Worth going back to for future quick meals.

Met up with some friends for lunch. We ordered seafood and beef combination tofu soup, pork tofu soup, kim bap with bulgogi beef, and a classic poke bowl. The food was simple and filling, service was friendly.

Food was very average, especially compared to the Korean food that you can find in the South Bay. Bulgogi was slightly over cooked and too sweet, and the kimchi jigae was okay. However, the friendly and super efficient service bumped up the review by a star!

+2

Little Korean spot in a shopping center near my daughters new apartment. Two weeks from moving and she said she’s been her like twice already so it must be good. And yes she was right!!! Food was delicious and tasty. The Seafood Dolsot Bibimbab had the right amount of spice. I would’ve like to have more than the one shrimp I got in mines though. Staff was awesome. Always checking up on us. Will definitely be back.

A nice restaurant. We came for the tofu soup because I had been craving Korean tofu stew for a few days. The side dishes that come along in a Korean BBQ restaurant is always w appetizers to me. The best is always kim chi. We order different tofu soups, one spicy seafood soup and one white beef soup, but the waiter got the wrong order for me. We ended up with two seafood tofu soups, just one spicy and one non-spicy. Both are good nonetheless.

AC

BEWARE. this is an extremely dirty restaurant with overpriced menu items. we walked in to see several un-bussed tables and "clean" silverware scattered around (see pics in my review). if this is how filthy the dining area is, i can't even imagine what the kitchen looks like. our server did not mention that the restaurant was closed or that they were on lunch break. he sat us at a table outside on the patio and provided menus for us. we sat at our table outside and waited for 20 minutes for the server to come back and take our order. he never stopped by to take our order and apparently, was too busy having a loud conversation with friends instead. i even waited "in line" for him to wrap up his conversation but he never stopped! we left promptly and DO NOT recommend dining here. this is unacceptable.

BEWARE. this is an extremely dirty restaurant with overpriced menu items. we walked in to see several un-bussed tables and "clean" silverware scattered around (see pics in my review). if this is how filthy the dining area is, i can't even imagine what the kitchen looks like. our server did not mention that the restaurant was closed or that they were on lunch break. he sat us at a table outside on the patio and provided menus for us. we sat at our table outside and waited for 20 minutes for the server to come back and take our order. he never stopped by to take our order and apparently, was too busy having a loud conversation with friends instead. i even waited "in line" for him to wrap up his conversation but he never stopped! we left promptly and DO NOT recommend dining here. this is unacceptable.