Sonamu

Haywon’s

We had a wonderful lunch at sonamu on Sunday. We ordered sellotang, Galbi and Kimchi jigae. We arrived there slightly before closing time but they still serve high quality meals and service is 10/10. Server Hauk is attentive and refill BanChan for us as well. We’ve been there couple times and still my favorite is Kimchi jigaeeee!! Also they give korean bean paste and lettuce for Galbi. The best homemade authentic korean food in Richmond area!!!

Ryan Barbonio

If you're searching for authentic Korean flavors, Sonamu is an absolute gem! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with warm hospitality and an inviting atmosphere that set the tone for an amazing meal. We started with the tteok bokki, and it was everything I hoped for—perfectly chewy rice cakes in a rich, spicy sauce that had just the right kick. The sundubu beef tofu soup was another standout, served bubbling hot and packed with tender beef, silky tofu, and deep, savory flavor in every spoonful. The banchan here deserves its own shout-out. Each little dish was fresh and delicious—my personal favorites were the broccoli, kimchi, sweet soy-glazed potatoes, and crisp cucumber slices. You can really taste the care that goes into preparing every bite. A special thank you to April, our waitress, who provided exceptional service throughout our meal. She was friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our dining experience to the fullest. Sonamu is now one of my top go-to spots for Korean comfort food. Can’t wait to come back!

Nakul Bhatnagar

Went here for dinner and we’ve ordered from here a few times, honestly one of the best Korean spots in town! Took my Korean in-laws here and they approved the quality and care with the food! Highly recommend!

Alina Ferguson

This place has amazing food. We ordered the Kimchi pancakes. 10/10 The braised beef ribs. 10/10. I would spend my life eating those 5 piece chicken wings 10/10. They were good, not as good as the other stuff but still good And black current alcohol

Jessie Huynh

I really enjoy all the food here! The side dishes are also delicious and plentiful. Everyone who works here is really nice and friendly!

Daniel Bozarth

Wonderful Korean restaurant. We got an appetizer and a couple dishes to split amongst the four of us. The Pancake was great. The Banchan were great. The chicken was great. The Bulgogi was good. The Galbi was great. And the staff was great. My favorite is always the Galbi, but highly recommend everything.

Dianne Gong

Beef tartare and kimchi fried rice! Beef tartare was enough to share amongst three people. The people there were nice and asked if I had any questions about the menu.

My Hoa N.

Ordered a marinated spicy pork, chive pancake, wings, and seafood tofu soup. Everything came out delicious. The side dishes were yummy

Junsu Park

Ate here on 12.11.2023. We had ox bone soup, seafood pancake, and teriyaki chicken lunch box. The dishes and side dishes were delicious.

yang kim

Galbi, kimchi soup, mackerel and youkghegang was wonder to my taste. I was wondering about the taste since we were the only customers, here. On Jan 2nd 2025. I always order beef spicy soup from most korean restaurant and it didn't disappointed me. Banchan was also fresh when you eat the kimchi, how crisp and right level of spicy, it tastes. In my top 3 soup! From LA. We clean out the bowl and the plates.

The spicy pork belly and fresh banchan will turn your mediocre day into a great one. I enjoy their seafood pancake as well because they are generous with the shrimp and squid in it. Good portions for the price. Give it a try!

The food was amazing. I would totally recommend the cold noodles and the jokbal (braised pig’s trotters). Banchan was great and plentiful too.

This place is a hidden gem. My wife and I regularly make the trip from nob hill to eat here. Their kbbq (especially galbi) is the best I've eaten in the city - note that you do NOT cook it yourself. Other items on the menu are always delicious too, and they have soju and various other beers and wines. The ambience is quiet and charming. And the service is always friendly and prompt.

Thịnh Huỳnh

The food was amazing. I would totally recommend the cold noodles and the jokbal (braised pig’s trotters). Banchan was great and plentiful too.

Neeraj DeLima

This place is a hidden gem. My wife and I regularly make the trip from nob hill to eat here. Their kbbq (especially galbi) is the best I've eaten in the city - note that you do NOT cook it yourself. Other items on the menu are always delicious too, and they have soju and various other beers and wines. The ambience is quiet and charming. And the service is always friendly and prompt.

Jasmine Chen

The spicy pork belly and fresh banchan will turn your mediocre day into a great one. I enjoy their seafood pancake as well because they are generous with the shrimp and squid in it. Good portions for the price. Give it a try!

Came on a Friday night and it wasn’t too busy. This place was clean and had a pretty casual vibe. We got a seafood and scallion pancake and Tofu Stew with beef. Loved the banchan options, not as big of a spread as fancy Korean restaurants but pretty good for a casual place like this. The food was delicious and satisfied my craving for Korean food, especially on a windy and chilly day.

Everything was tasty but definitely on the saltier side. The bibimbap was made vegetarian and was quite delicious. The tofu soup at medium spicy was just right and it had a lot of flavor. The japchae was yummy but on the sweeter side. The galbi looked better than it tasted. It was really hard to chew the meat. The banchan were plentiful and had a good variety. The regular kimchi and cucumber kimchi were really crunchy and delish.

Angela

Came on a Friday night and it wasn’t too busy. This place was clean and had a pretty casual vibe. We got a seafood and scallion pancake and Tofu Stew with beef. Loved the banchan options, not as big of a spread as fancy Korean restaurants but pretty good for a casual place like this. The food was delicious and satisfied my craving for Korean food, especially on a windy and chilly day.

Sisi Chen

Everything was tasty but definitely on the saltier side. The bibimbap was made vegetarian and was quite delicious. The tofu soup at medium spicy was just right and it had a lot of flavor. The japchae was yummy but on the sweeter side. The galbi looked better than it tasted. It was really hard to chew the meat. The banchan were plentiful and had a good variety. The regular kimchi and cucumber kimchi were really crunchy and delish.

I’ve been to Sonamu several times now, and it’s consistently a great experience. The vibe is casual, the space is clean, and service is efficient with food coming out quickly. There is a bit of an echo, so conversations carry, but it’s not a dealbreaker. The banchan spread is generous with seven tasty sides, and they’ll happily refill them on request. I love the courtesy tea—it’s hot and flavorful. The seafood bibimbap and tteokbokki are standouts: big portions, well-seasoned, and really satisfying. The bibimbap even stayed hot until the end of the meal, which was impressive. At about $40 for both dishes, it’s also a solid value for Korean food in SF. Definitely a reliable spot when you’re craving a hearty, flavorful meal.

kim

Got a spicy tofu soup to go for a weeknight dinner. The service was friendly, and the soup was good. I’d go back to try their other dishes

David Huey

I’ve been to Sonamu several times now, and it’s consistently a great experience. The vibe is casual, the space is clean, and service is efficient with food coming out quickly. There is a bit of an echo, so conversations carry, but it’s not a dealbreaker. The banchan spread is generous with seven tasty sides, and they’ll happily refill them on request. I love the courtesy tea—it’s hot and flavorful. The seafood bibimbap and tteokbokki are standouts: big portions, well-seasoned, and really satisfying. The bibimbap even stayed hot until the end of the meal, which was impressive. At about $40 for both dishes, it’s also a solid value for Korean food in SF. Definitely a reliable spot when you’re craving a hearty, flavorful meal.

Newly remodeled from the previous Turtle Tower restaurant. Service on the slow side. As for food, Chicken Wings - good PaJun (seafood pancake) - not bad. Crusty on the outside. Banchan - simple. Generous on the fish cake but fish cakes were too fishy and tough. Tteokbokki - very different from other Korean places. Quite disappointed. Galbi (Korean short ribs) - flavor was good but on the dried side from overcooked. Galbi Tang - good but too salty. Tofu stew - broth was just ok. too watery. Ox bone soup - a little bit greasy but my favorite. Just wished it was less grease floating on top.

Small and restaurant on Geary tucked next to the public lot. This restaurant took over the old, shuttered Turtle Tower. The wait staff here is super nice and on a Friday night there were about 3 back and forth along tables. It wasn’t super busy but in this area, that’s how it is. Ordered the seafood and scallion pancake, Duk Bokki (spicy rice cake tubes and fish cakes) and tried the kimchi godeungeo-jorim (braised Kim chi and mackerel). The food came with some banchaan which wasnt very flavorful. I think the kimchi was the best tasting side dish. The others needed something. Not sure what but most was lacking in flavor. The seafood pancake was a little too batter-y for our taste as well. Also there wasn’t much flavor to it so we had to use up the dipping sauce and sauces from other plates to help it a bit. The edge pieces were nice and crispy but we wished there could have been more flavor. That brings me to the spicy rice cakes. If you look at the photo compare it to other duk bokki you are used to having the chili flakes all over the plate are a turn off. The rice tube were nice and soft but I was eating a mouthful of chili flakes and the sauce that I usually enjoy with this plate wasn’t working out for me. The kimchi and mackerel bowl was tasty but be warned that if you have never had braised kim chi you may find this dish to be too salty for your taste. Also, one again heavy on chili flakes. I hope this restaurant makes it. Since it’s a small local spot, I’ll try again and order different items to see if the other items may be better. FWIW - Total bill for 2 was $100 (incl tip). 7/24 update - I went back for a group dinner and it was just ok. Ordered a large soldier stew which is a standard size at other places and not large at all but at least it was tasty. Tried the tripe and intestines which wasn’t bad but my table mates didn’t care for it. The kimchi fried rice wasn’t a good size for sharing so we had to order another. The bibimbap wasn’t a good value either so I’d skip that next time. Poor wait person was working solo in a full restaurant (which is a good sign for the business) and very overwhelmed. She did well considering the circumstances.

A. Ko

Small and restaurant on Geary tucked next to the public lot. This restaurant took over the old, shuttered Turtle Tower. The wait staff here is super nice and on a Friday night there were about 3 back and forth along tables. It wasn’t super busy but in this area, that’s how it is. Ordered the seafood and scallion pancake, Duk Bokki (spicy rice cake tubes and fish cakes) and tried the kimchi godeungeo-jorim (braised Kim chi and mackerel). The food came with some banchaan which wasnt very flavorful. I think the kimchi was the best tasting side dish. The others needed something. Not sure what but most was lacking in flavor. The seafood pancake was a little too batter-y for our taste as well. Also there wasn’t much flavor to it so we had to use up the dipping sauce and sauces from other plates to help it a bit. The edge pieces were nice and crispy but we wished there could have been more flavor. That brings me to the spicy rice cakes. If you look at the photo compare it to other duk bokki you are used to having the chili flakes all over the plate are a turn off. The rice tube were nice and soft but I was eating a mouthful of chili flakes and the sauce that I usually enjoy with this plate wasn’t working out for me. The kimchi and mackerel bowl was tasty but be warned that if you have never had braised kim chi you may find this dish to be too salty for your taste. Also, one again heavy on chili flakes. I hope this restaurant makes it. Since it’s a small local spot, I’ll try again and order different items to see if the other items may be better. FWIW - Total bill for 2 was $100 (incl tip). 7/24 update - I went back for a group dinner and it was just ok. Ordered a large soldier stew which is a standard size at other places and not large at all but at least it was tasty. Tried the tripe and intestines which wasn’t bad but my table mates didn’t care for it. The kimchi fried rice wasn’t a good size for sharing so we had to order another. The bibimbap wasn’t a good value either so I’d skip that next time. Poor wait person was working solo in a full restaurant (which is a good sign for the business) and very overwhelmed. She did well considering the circumstances.

I am a chicken soup fan so I ordered chicken soup here. I soon realized their chicken soup was made from the frozen pack, Harim. I reheated Harim frozen pack often at home so I know it’s exactly the same. There are rice, garlic, and red date inside the small sized chicken. I’m disappointed I went that far for something I often eat at home with 3 times of price.

Emma Cheng

I am a chicken soup fan so I ordered chicken soup here. I soon realized their chicken soup was made from the frozen pack, Harim. I reheated Harim frozen pack often at home so I know it’s exactly the same. There are rice, garlic, and red date inside the small sized chicken. I’m disappointed I went that far for something I often eat at home with 3 times of price.

I came at 4:15pm on Tuesday. The place was empty and dark. I walked in and yelled hello. Finally a lady walked out from the kitchen and said that they open at 5pm. Both Google maps and a sign in their window say that they should be open.

Pasha Gleyzer

I came at 4:15pm on Tuesday. The place was empty and dark. I walked in and yelled hello. Finally a lady walked out from the kitchen and said that they open at 5pm. Both Google maps and a sign in their window say that they should be open.