This is where they held the party for the cast of the movie Parasite. Clean and up to par with Seoul's best. 5 stars!!!!! read more

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Absolutely incredible food!! We drove almost an hour to come to this place because so many friends recommended it. It did not disappoint! The chef/owner and her daughter served us. We had the seafood tofu cakes, the raw crab and the famous black cod. Everything was full of flavor and so unique and delicious. Easily, one of our best meals in LA. We will be back very soon! read more

You can't go wrong with Soban! Their food is delicious and they have so many banchan that comes with your food! I love banchan because it reminds me of home cooked meals. I tried their bulgogi and galbi Jim and both were good. read more

To be honest, this place was just okay, in my opinion. I know some people are all about it, but to me and a few of my friends, we thought it was just okay. Other friends in our group loved it though. So I honestly think it's just about preference. Our group decided to check out Soban because we wanted to try the Korean dish, Soy-Marinated Raw Crab. We stumbled across Soban on Yelp and decided to check it out. We did not know that it was famous for holding Parasite's cast party. Haha. It was cool finding that out when we got there. The menu at Soban is limited. Not your typical Korean restaurant with a variety of dishes. Just a few of their famous ones. My friend and I got the Soy-Marinated Raw Crab and the Bibimbap. We were so hungry and wanted to order more dishes but to be honest, it was all pretty pricey. The Soy-Marinated Raw Crab was $40 and the Bibimbap was $20. There were side dishes, but we were all pretty hungry. The Soy-Marinated Raw Crab was interesting. It wasn't what I expected. It's a cold dish. The texture was ... I'm not exactly sure how to explain it. It was squishy. The taste was bitter. You could taste the soy though. but it was bitter. If that makes sense. Definitely not like anything I've tried before. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. I think you have to have a pallet for these things to enjoy it. The Bibimbap was good though. Very fulfilling dish. The meat was very nicely marinated. The vegetables were well-cooked and the sauces were well-seasoned. The Bibimbap and side dishes filled us up. If it were just the Soy-Marinated Raw Crab itself, I don't think we would have gotten full. The service was nice but we waited a really long time for our orders to be taken. We waited probably a good 15-20 minutes before someone came by and took our order. Granted they were busy, but we waited quite a while. Our experience was okay. It was worth trying. but I wouldn't go out of my way to come back and try it again. If we were in the area and friends wanted to eat here, I'd be down but I wouldn't go out of my way for it on my own. read more

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Authentic Korean food. The best raw crabs and Octopus dish. It's a must try. Service is great but the place and parking is too small

I ordered the braised black cod, it cost $50. It was extremely fishy so much so even the sauce which could have been delicious tasted like old fish. I told the waitress that it was extremely fishy. I didn't even get a sorry. It was awkward laughs and disagreement from her. I would not come back, or recommend this place. I feel like I got scammed out of $50 read more

OMG! Compared all their three signature dishes, I voted to the Raw Crab! It is my Must dish every time when I visit read more

Soban - My husband loves the Cod - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

If you live in or around L.A. and you like food, you probably know about Soban and three dishes that have become local dining imperatives: their Ganjang Ge Jang (marinated raw crab), Eun Dae Gu Jorin (braised spicy black cod), and Galbi Jjim (braised beef short ribs). What may be taken for granted about Soban is the variety of banchan served prior to your actual meal. Here, their pungent mini-platters are blessed with bold, funky flavors, and transcend the trivial pickled fare that you may be expecting, instead delivering a veritable multi-plate feast for ambitious eaters. As I held my drool in my mouth, Soban's owner described the thirteen small dishes she placed in front of me and answered my questions about each item in detail, from the sinus-clearing Kkakdoogi (radish kimchi) to the pleasingly fusty Eomuk Bokkeum (sliced fish cake). My favorite of these initial offerings was the stoic Gagi Namul (seasoned eggplant) for its velvety texture and its robust savoriness, though I could have eaten a dinner-sized portion of any of the banchan and left happy. Sometime around mid-meal, I was presented with a final bansang: kimchi mini-pancakes (Kimchi Jeon) served to me fresh and hot, arguably the best complimentary bite of food I ate all year. Although miniature in size, they make a whopping impression. The semi-sweet batter is mixed with piquant bits of fermented cabbage to create a delightfully uneven consistency that is chewy, crunchy, and faintly east of greasy enough. As for those three aforementioned popular plates evangelized by J-Gold's seminal LA Weekly review that everyone is still swooning over 9 years later? Yes, yes, and yes! Soban's founders are from Korea's south Jeolla-do province, where Ganjang Ge Jang is a regional specialty, and you should not leave here without trying it. They serve the raw crab among sliced onions and scallions, half-immersed in a thin marinade of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, herbs, and taeyang-cho (sun-dried Korean chilies). A clean marine aroma emanates from the bowl, gently sharpened and sweetened by the odor of the fresh onions. Soban imports its crabs from South Korea -- they use a specific breed called kkotge (Korean flower crab) that resembles a Maryland blue crab. Upon breaking apart the roe-dotted shell with the scissors provided, you'll notice the meat is gelatinous and that the mechanics of eating this dish ain't gonna be easy. I suspect using a straw to suck the meat out of the shell may have been a better option than picking at it with chopsticks. At a certain point, you may become frustrated as I did, surrendering to your primal urge to slurp directly from the shell, letting the flavorful mix of marinade and ocean jelly slither into your mouth, almost instantly dissolving on your tongue. This, my friends, is the good stuff. Also good is the Eun Dae Gu Jorim, consisting of chunks of bone-in sablefish braised in a spicy and sweet sauce. The fiery, fragrant broth is thick and lively, though spiced so that it implies a teeming pot of a murky December afternoon stiffly infused with ginger and gochujang. The wiggly meat is silky and tender, sharing its bowl with hearty discs of mu (Korean white radish, similar to Daikon) and garaetteok (rice cakes). If you absolutely require a more terrestrial entrée, you won't miss the signature home-cooked quality of this kitchen by choosing the Galbi Jjim: a traditional bowl of caramelized beef short ribs that have been long-stewed in a sweet soy-based sauce with carrots, chestnuts, ginkgo nuts, garaetteok, and mushrooms. The mushrooms are noteworthy, as they absorb the sauce, a rich and redolent elixir, and help deliver more of it into each bite, where it needs to be. The service offered by the owner at 11am on a Tuesday was doting and motherly. Busier times may not allow for the same level of service, but if other diners get even half the attention and menu insight I got, they will be thrilled. Upon revealing that I spend most of my time in San Diego, she asked how I heard about Soban. I pointed to the photo on the wall of her and Jonathan Gold and she let out a pensive sigh before nodding and allowing herself a smile. Memories can be like that. Similarly, I do not expect to ever forget my first meal at Soban. -- This is a review of a dining experience at Soban prior to COVID-19. I do not currently recommend "dining in" at any eatery. Soban is available for take-out and delivery via Grub Hub and Postmates. -- Food/Décor/Service: 4.7/3.9/4.8 What to Order: Ganjang Ge Jang (marinated raw crab), Eun Dae Gu Jorin (braised spicy black cod), Galbi Jjim (braised beef short ribs) read more

I loved everything about my dinner here. Fantastic service, flavors that are one of a kind! Good prices too. Can't wait to come back

The food was wonderful, as usual. Everything was very good, and the service was fantastic

Highly recommend. Super authentic, delicious. It's clear why this restaurant has been revered by the LA Times and fills up every table by 6pm. Ordered the seafood tofu pancakes, short rib and crab. All super yummy. We'll be back! read more

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The best meal I had in last 3 years, and not even an ounce of doubt about it. I am not a fan of food critics, but I totally understood why the late Mr. Jonathan Gold recommended Soban's soy-sauced raw crab as one of the best Korean foods in Los Angeles at my first bite into it. Bursting and subtle don't go together, but those two words soulfully married each other in my mouth. The crab was juicy and bursting with subtle flavor that killed a bowl of white rice in a snap. No words can possibly describe the beauty of this dish. You must experience it unless you are allergic to shellfish. For my second bowl of rice, I had their spicy galbi jjim (braised beef ribs). I've not had such a serenity in spiciness before. The heat was neither exaggerated nor strong. The flavor gingerly approached me with complexity and depth, a rare experience in spicy dishes. I even ate large chunks of carrots in the dish, which I would normally skip. I even loved all of their banchan (side dishes). You will taste the care from the kitchen on every dish that touches your lips. The service was efficient and friendly, but I did feel the stress that the wait staff felt during the rush. However, no point deduction since they were very accommodating when we asked to change our seats. read more

Soban - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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everything was so good! great banchan and very clean taste!! i recommend the fish dish.

went there on two different occasions, once we found this on uprising michelin discovery , we made a visit, we had the fish stew, banchan is a good variety of things, very warm and cozy , not big , which make it very unique. service was also very warm , reservation is very easy to make via google assistance. second time we went back, we ordered the signature dish, raw crab, my husband had a different stew this time, it seem underseasoned, and i think all order is cook on order, so could be little wait to get the food on the table. we order one kimchi stew, and found there were no rice cake in the stew, had to request to add in rice cake pieces. it's bit pricey but the favor of raw crabs are great. read more

Soban seems to be designed to have a sleek minimalist interior design but is thwarted by the rather random placing of piles of menus, water pitchers, boxes, wash rags, even the potted plants & large artful decorative dish seem like a jumbled after thought. Obviously, Soban is not into the finer points of orderliness for the eye as such places as Soo Won Galbi in another part of Koreatown. Our waitress was friendly & thoughtful, but her lack of English skills made for gaps in honoring our requests such as wanting the Ganjang Gejang or raw crab be the first thing to come out. Then, even the hot dishes came out almost right after the raw crab so the other two hot dishes ended up getting cold by the time we got to them. However, that is a small detail which did not diminish the meal. Panchan here can be a meal in itself. 15 small dishes. 1) Dried reconstituted julienned Daikon/giant white radish, green onions, sweet chile paste w/ dried shrimp flavor. 2) Yam based translucent noodles sautéed in bit of soy sauce & garlic, garnish of mung bean sprouts & chopped green onion 3) Water Kim Chi are small pieces of crispy Daikon & Nappa cabbage in watery brine. Kind of like a Korean version of the Mexican Aguachile. 4) Parboiled mung bean sprouts in chile paste 5) Parboiled spinach w/ garlic & buttery sesame oil 6) Wong Bok Kim Chi is pickled Nappa cabbage in salty chile paste 7) Eggplant that seems initially boiled, then sautéed in oil w/ garlic paste 8) Button mushrooms sautéed in oil slippery yet meaty-chewy 9) Steamed broccoli, Kochujang red chile sauce on the side. 10) Semi dried To-fu, pan fried to a chewy texture, dribbling of soy sauce 11) Slice of steamed egg that is bland, custardy, but firm 12) Chickpeas fried drizzled in sweet soy sauce 13) Slimey, finely julienned Kombu/kelp is braised in light soy sauce 14) Mild flavoured gelatin derived from "yellow soy beans" dyed magenta possibly from red Shiso leaf 15) Fried peanuts & baby sardines in caramelized sugar coating for a satisfying earthy, nutty, fishy taste I) Ganjang Gejang/raw blue crab is marinated in lightly sweetened soy sauce accented by sesame oil for a toasty, roasted nutty aroma. Since the crab is raw & w/ the help of the marinade, the meat is a soft, velvety, semi liquid that oozes out of the shell when sucking on the end of a crab leg broken in two. The ooze has a sweet ocean minerality & sea meaty Umami that is subtle yet compelling if one is into seafood. There are yellowish orange congealed clumps in the body section which may be the roe that when it touches the tongue, expands into a lightly bitter, fresh sea brined Umami. The crab rests in its own marinade amid shavings of bulb onion, jalapeno, green onion as a good, earthy contrast to the sea. II) Galbi Jjim is a clay hot pot dish full of big rib bone surrounded by beefy, chewy meat simmered til it almost falls off the bone. Carrots, Daikon, potatoes accompany this dish almost like standard European based stews. However, the braising sauce is sweet w/ a hint of what may be 5 spice which is usually cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechwan peppercorns. It is a hearty winter dish. III) Eun Daegu Jorim: Black Cod cut straight down the body to create ovals are braised in a viscous sweet chile & probably Miso/fermented soy bean paste based sauce full of garlic tones. This earthy sweet sauce goes well w/ the buttery, sweet, moist softness of the cod as well as the Kabocha/Japanese pumpkin, Daikon, cylindrical chewy rice "cake", chewy fried To-fu. The "brown rice" mentioned by other Yelpers is not technically brown rice which is "whole grain rice, with the outer hull removed so a brown layer is left behind; white rice is the same grain after further milling and polishing to remove the bran layer and germ." The sticky, "sweet" Mochi rice here is brown colored since it is dyed by the addition of what looks like brown Azuki beans. A random lima bean is also present. I would rate the food here as a good 4 Yelp stars. However, $35 each for a single small crab & Galbi Jjim as well as $29 for the black cod do not make a great deal. There is no bang for the bucks. Perhaps Soban raised its prices once it became part of Jonathan Gold's 101 list. So 3+ Yelp stars when price is taken into consideration. read more

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Personally, I don't understand why this place is considered the best in Koreatown. Perhaps it's because of the coverage it received in the LA Times. If you're Korean, you would know how many other places in Koreatown outshine this one. When we went there, the staff wasn't particularly friendly either. It's a restaurant I don't want to visit again. read more

I got the galbijim and ganjanggaejang for takeout which were like ~$86. I was shocked when I got home and opened the box... there were 3 pieces of gal bi jim. THREE!! I called them to check if they accidentally sent a wrong order but they said its 3 big pieces or 4 small pieces... Although they tasted okay, I don't think it was worth. Not going back again read more

Soban - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I used to really love this place but now the food doesn't taste the same. They need to put more garlic & onion etc when they preserve the crab. Is it because of the new ownership last year ? Why isn't there an option to rate 3.5? read more

Soban - Korean preserved soy sauce marinated raw crab - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Great authentic Korean restaurant.. Their gal bi jim was one of most popular dishes in this place. It is pricy but taste excellent. Food portion was too small compare to the price but understandable. I gave 2 stars because I wans't happy with the server.. From the beginning when we enter the store, she wasn't happy to see the customers. I ordered 2 dishes (gal bi jim and and fish soup) which was good for 3 ppl. But I added another dish since I had cravings for kimchi jigae and sever kind of gave me strange unsatisfactory looks.. Also, when I ask for more iced water, it took her very long time.. I had to ask multiple times to get my water. If I order more, store should be happy (I guess only the owner) and not employee.. But when you think about it, employee should be happy too since they can earn more tips and if I had pleasant experience, I would come back again.. However, the way I have been treated, I dont think I will go there again... When I was almost done with my meal, a lady visited all the tables to make sure all the customers were happy with the meal. Looking at her, I can tell she was the owner. She was very sweet and kind. My rating have been 5 star if the employee treated me the same way as the owner. read more

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Soban is a small Korean restaurant in LA. We were seated immediately, but the place got crowded quickly - the wait became 30+ minutes for the people who got there right after us. We tried two types of soup: Bean soup (dwenjang) and soft tofu soup. These items were tasty! Banchan (side dishes) also was tasty. Despite the good tasty food, the service was definitely sub-par. Perhaps, they felt we didn't order enough food (in $). The banchan selection was limited, especially compared to the table next door (somehow they didn't think we'd notice??). We didn't even get kimchee (what Korean restaurant would not provide kimchee??), and we had to ask for it. The service was also slow. It has valet parking in the back for $2 - I am neutral about this parking fee. The food is 4 stars, the service 2, at best. Overall, 3 stars. Summary: + soup was tasty - customer service (slow and lacking in banchan for us) read more

Soban - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Was pretty excited to check this place out with my wife but as soon as we enter we were greeted by a very grumpy lady. When requested to sit on the side booth, she insisted that the seats were reserved which was hard to believe being that it was only 11:00 am and only one other customer in the entire place. Long story short... her rude behavior and tone continued throughout our meal and made our lunch date very unpleasant. Did not expect to receive this kind of treatment at a Michelin rated restaurant! The star is for the food.... It was amazing! Service and decor needs work! read more

Delicious but rather pricy for portions that are on the smaller side. Expect a wait on the weekends. An order of the soy sauce marinated raw crab, galbijjim, and fish egg stew was about $110. It was enough food for four people but for $110 we expected to have leftovers... They don't use MSG in their food and you can really taste the difference (aka healthy but a liiiiittle bit bland). The galbijjim was yummy but had only two rice cakes... and that's the cheapest part of the dish. Raw crab was $40 for just one crab. My favorite part of the meal was their purple rice! It's warm, nutty, and delicious with wonderful texture. read more

Never been to this spot but my mom requested it for her birthday dinner. We got the galbi geem and the spicy cod. Both were really delicious. The prices were high but at a lot of the Korean spots rates seems to be similar. We took most of it home since my mom and I don't eat too much but the left overs were just as delicious. The galbie geem was on the sweet side as well. read more

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Came here for lunch on a Saturday. Excellent galbi and haemul dubu jun. The pancheon was fresh and generous. Very courteous service, with excellent recommendations for the menu. read more

We had their two signature dishes: braised black cod and marinated raw crab. Each were around $50 and worth every penny. The black cod was perfectly moist, fell off the bones, and was on a bed of veg (mu, potato, pumpkin). The sauce was out of this world: complex, balanced, perfect with the fish. The crab was marinated in a soy-ginger-onion mix, kinda like Korean ceviche. You pick up a quarter of the crab and start working the meat out with your chopsticks (one plastic glove kindly supplied). We both liked the consistency and taste of the crab a lot. We began with the black cod and finished with the crab and it was a really magnificent dinner. Get the white rice, which goes great with the black cod sauce. Really nice people, great vibe. We were totally happy, will go again. read more

As one Yelper stated...OVERLY PRICED. This is kind of a bias review since i'm not really a SEAFOOD person. Someone else took care of the bill this time and was treating for dinner but I should of stuck with the original plan of Chosun Galbee instead since I was the one to pick the place for dinner. She stated Chosun and I remembered the place to be expensive so I asked for another place with pretty good Banchan and a cheaper place. Along comes Soban. Mind you, I should of said no since I'm not a big SEAFOOD fan...Soban caters to the seafood eaters...fish fish fish and some blue crab, squid, etc. I think there was one beef dish (Galbi Jjim) which was ok...too sweet and cost like $30? My friend ordered the Silver Codfish (Eundaegu Jorim) which was spicy and looked like some kimchi fish. She liked it though. The banchans were ok. I guess I didn't expect the non-KBBQ place to just serve seafood. Make sure you bring your $$$ too since everything cost $25 and up per dish. They offer brown rice and white rice. Do go to Soban for SEAFOOD, do not go to Soban if you're a non-Korean like me looking for KBBQ or good banchans. The inside was also small so there was a wait. The service was a bit slow and there is valet parking in the back. read more

Soban - Banchans! - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Debated if I could do braised black cod and raw crab all on my own. Decided that it was going to be an experiment. I had attempted chili crab in Singapore. All on my own, all very tasty and all very memorable. So yes, raw crab came and it was huge, gooey and slimy. Like the marinated octopus in liver dish from Isakaya Yuzuki, but twenty times as much. It was overwhelming like the chili crab in Singapore, and one bite in I thought I've gone to umami heaven. Forget about black cod, banchans, or short ribs. The raw crab was so intensely flavored, the only thing I could think was how did I live this long, traveled to so many places, eaten that many bizarre food meals, and not stumbled onto this level of food utopia? The only thing that came close to it was the chili crab in Singapore and a cold rice wine crab in Shanghai. I had no time to tackle banchans. I had to focus, raw crab was a powerful experience. When every bit of slime was slurped up, I took a break, washed my hand, and then went onto braised black cod, which was - surprisingly tame. I liked it however, but it's a bit like northern Chinese food, which I had plenty of in my life. Short ribs was a winner, and was what this place was known for. I did not think that banchans was as impressive as the ones I get from Chung Ki Wa, which was just down the street from Soban, but they were flavorful and well executed. I have been searching for the next big thing, something that impresses and wows, something unexpected. I am not looking for longevity, old and faithful, I'm looking for that seductive dish that takes your breath away and makes a long lasting impression. Even years later I'd still remember. Like the chili crab in Singapore, or tuna sashimi in Tahiti, or green coconut crepe in Bali, or that pungent mutton milk in Tibet. Now adding to the list of my memorable food, raw crab in Los Angeles. read more

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Great authentic Korean food! The server was very helpful and gave us tips on how to best enjoy the raw soy marinated crab. Would definitely come back! read more

Service: there was only a single staff during noon, and it took some time to get help because there was 4 other tables party of 3 or 4. It didn't bother me too much because she apologized and I understood it was busy for her. She was also kind and helpful. Food: I ordered two dishes. Kalbi Jjim and Kae Jang (Steamed Kalbi and Marinated Crab). I have to say, the price was a bit much considering portion size. the kalbi jjim was actually pretty good but not $38 good. the marinated crab didn't taste marinated at all, but just fabricated and poured the sauce on top. I expected better to be personally honest. Parking: Small valeted parking in the back. Really small, like 10 car lot small. read more

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They serve traditional Korean foods. Nice side dish, we also order seafood tofu pan cake,stirred squid, spicy pork. All very tasty. Service is good but they are sooooo busy during dinner hours! I understand but if you want the kind services like American stake house, that is not going to happen. The place is clean and very unique, coming and experiencing traditional Korean food, A lot of parking outside street! read more

I hate to go against the Book of Jonathan Gold, but Soban did not live up to the hype for me :( We came at 5:30 on a Wednesday. It was pretty empty so if you want to try this place, come earlier as it got pretty packed when we left!! We got the Holy Trinity (galbi jjim, marinated crab, fish). The galbi was very fatty which is more of personal preference. It adds flavor but if you prefer less oily/greasy foods then this may not be your jam. The fish and crab were good but at $30-40 a dish, the portion is a bit underwhelming. On another note, they have large jars full of colored liquids and food that probably make homemade syrups/other ingredients that they use to make the dishes. Bonus for good quality, but overall Soban has a but too strong of a salty/sweet flavor for me! read more

Soban - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

How can you not give this place 5 stars? The banchan is some of the best I've ever had. My husband and I ordered the seafood pancake and their famous short rib. A little pricey but you leave very full and happy. Our waitress was also incredibly kind and accommodating to our 1 year old. read more

Soban - Banchan. - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This place is famous for not using any msg to enhance their flavor. Maybe since I'm used to msg in my food I was not at all impressed for my taste buds but I can taste their originality and how healthy the actual food is. However the reason why it's a three star is due to service. I do realize there are peak time but there is no reason to throw the menu at us and to clang the side dishes to our table. We have never been to this location so let us look at the menu so we can get something we like... geez we were so rushed to order and to eat and to move on. When I come to Cali I doubt I'll come back here or even recommend this location to other friends or yelpers read more

Didn't really understand the bad reviews until I ate here. The braised cod dish was good and hearty but my praises end here. I came here primarily for the banchan but they were underwhelming and contained unimpressive components like boiled broccoli. They also only offered few banchan instead of the usual 12 in minuscule amounts and didn't offer to even give more which is expected at usual Korean restaurants. The service was not only poor but I almost felt animosity from the server and was so uncomfortable I couldn't wait to leave the restaurant. Definitely don't recommend this restaurant and never coming back here. read more

I had forgotten that I had been there years ago and was unimpressed. Jonathan Gold wasn't always right. As a matter of fact, back in his early days of Counterintelligence, when I suggested he check out Ktown, he sneered, "...it's just kimchi and BBQ." I have never been to any Korean restaurant that charged for banchan refills. Their banchan bowls are smaller than usual and 2 pieces of each side dish is pretty stingy. The marinated raw crab was underwhelming as was their kimchi "stew" (chigae), especially for the price point. I will stay loyal to Chunju Hanil Kwan and say that they are cheg goh! That means #1 and ichiban! read more

Sat 9pm - free parking but a small lot so might have to park on the street. No wait for 2 at the bar. Kalbi jjim- $38 and a smaller portion than you'd like. However, what it lacks in size it makes up for in flavor. It's a bit on the sweeter side (which I like!) and beef seems to be of higher quality than Sun Nong Dan. You could share to cut the cost, but you'd both go home hungry. Ban Chan - at least 12 served and some good, some okay. Seafood Soon dubu - not worth it. Just wait to go to Beverly and order the Kalbi or crab here Coming back soon to try the seafood dishes w a bigger group! read more

Soban - Korean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Where to begin... The service is phenomenal; A top notch!!! The food is AMAZING!!! The side dishes are just enough seasoning with no MSG!!! I have not found a Korean Restaurant that doesn't use MSG. They all say they don't but it's a false statement. Because my body react to MSG immediately. I wish I can give 10+ stars for this restaurant. Just look at these pictures & please come try it yourself. read more

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Get the black cod!! That's the dish that's gonna make all your problems go away. It's so delicious you can't think about anything else while eating. Banchans feel very homemade and healthy read more

This small hole in the wall place serves great Korean food. They serve so many ban chan, we always joke about how we should just order bowl of rice with their ban chan, it would be plenty of good food for us. Small restaurant, but clean and serves great food. read more

This place is deceptively terrible. Was chased out of restaurant for not tipping on an almost $200 bill. Never would I give this place extra money if I was held at gun point. Here's why: Eat here if you like A.) Overpriced food B.) Mediocre quality C.) Terrible service D.) Being chased out and harassed afterwards for not tipping after all that. Let me start out by saying I was with a group of 8. We were all hungry and looking for a restaurant with a short wait time. We stumbled upon this restaurant compared to a line of other restaurants with 30-40 min waits. This one only had a 10 min wait... *spoiler* (It was 10 mins too long). In retrospect we should've waited for the other Korean restaurants. Once inside it's a small Korean restaurant with a "hole in the wall" vibe. With a Michellin "GUIDE" on the wall. Keyword, "GUIDE!" Also there is a nicely edited video of the restaurant and the different menu items deliciously displayed on a small TV inside. At this point my expectations are high. They became even higher when I saw the prices. $25 Bulgogi $40 Braised Beef Ribs $135 Abalone Ribs... What? What the hell are these prices? They must be really good to warrant the exorbitant price tag or provide huge portions that can be shared. I ordered one of the "cheaper" and fairly simple items, bulgogi. I was with my girlfriend and was gonna share it with her, but I was informed by my friend speaking Korean to the waitress that the portions were not meant for 2 people. Ok. Then we'll order separately, as well as my other friends who also ordered the bulgogi. The food did not take long to come out, but a longer wait for better food would've been preferred over the bland mediocre food I was about to eat. Bulgogi came on a steaming hot plate. Nice presentation, awfully mediocre Bulgogi. It was bland, dry and tasted worse than even AYCE KBBQ places. Only good thing was the portion size, which absolutely could've been shared and I would've saved money. The appetizer sides that all Korean restaurants provide with food were served not individually to us, BUT TO SHARE AMONGST 4 OF US. (We were divided into 2 tables with 4 people ea.) Along with that, my girlfriend told me that she couldn't tell the difference between most of the appetizer sides. I didn't believe her until I tried 4 of them. They were so bland and flavorless if you closed your eyes and tried them you would've thought they were all the same. Bland sides Bland main entree's I was starting to wonder where the $25 price tag was merited? Did this come with dessert? Maybe a free lychee shot cup? No. Nothing. Then I realized the Michelin "guide" sign was starting to make sense. They put up a Michelin guide instead of a Michelin AWARD to fool the naïve. Thinking if they see Michelin in this restaurant, it must be fantastic! The only award this place deserves is an award for the worst food, and experience. That leads to the service. We were largely ignored once the food arrived. I had to raise my hand to get them to refill my water. One of my friends asked for an extra fork, and received one with a piece of food stuck to it. Lovely! Not to mention, I witnessed a waitress pouring what appeared to be hot tea and overflowing it all over a customers table like it was that stupid overflowing cup challenge on the internet. How incompetent do you have to be to pour hot tea in a cup with the grace and steadiness of a 4 year old? Ok, maybe I'm being harsh and that day was a particularly bad day for everyone at the restaurant. It happens. Then the bill arrives and the total comes out to around $170. Not bad for overpriced food and there being 8 of us. Still my food was not worth the now $27 with tax price. While figuring out how much to split or give the person paying the bill, we assumed that tax and tip was included in the price. Granted most restaurants include an automatic gratuity percentage with 6 or more people. Relieved I didn't have to pay more for mediocre food, the tip was included!... Paid the bill, we left the unsatisfying meal with slight regrets in our decisions. The regret was cemented after what happened next. Across the street from the restaurant, our server came running out at my Korean friend with the bill. I was thinking he forgot his card or maybe the payment didn't go through. Quite the unexpected, my korean friend translates what she said to him asking us where's the tip? This was the first time this had ever happened to me. I was baffled by the audacity she had to run out and shame us for not tipping. She continues harass us and ask us who has cash to pay for the tip. All of us give blank stares and shrug as we pretend to not carry any cash. Unbelievable! This lady actually expects a tip for that terrible experience and food? We paid the damn bill, that should be enough. None of us actually gave her anything and she eventually gave up. Here's my tip, never eat at Soban. read more