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Korean BBQ in San Francisco: the Richmond, Japantown, the Inner Sunset and Union Square

San Francisco Korean BBQ, California

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Clement Street storefronts in the Inner Richmond, San Francisco

Korean barbecue in San Francisco is cooked by the diner, on a grill set into the diner's own table, and nine rooms in the city work that way. There is no Koreatown here, and the nine sit in four groups on six streets. The Richmond holds four: Han Il Kwan on Balboa Street at 19th Avenue, Brothers Restaurant and Wooden Charcoal Korean Village Barbecue House on Geary Boulevard at 6th and 10th Avenues, and Zajang Grill on Clement Street at 10th Avenue. Japantown holds two Post Street addresses, the Inner Sunset two rooms two blocks of 9th Avenue apart, and Union Square one, below street level on Ellis Street. Charcoal burns at Brothers Restaurant and at Wooden Charcoal; the rest run gas grates or smokeless grills at the table, and the prices stated run from $31.99 to $42.99 a head.

  1. 1802 Balboa Street, at 19th Avenue in the Central Richmond. Gas grills are inlaid in the tabletops, under a large vent above each table.

  2. 4128 Geary Boulevard, at 6th Avenue. The grills at the table burn charcoal rather than gas; lunch 12pm to 3pm and dinner 5pm to 9pm daily, to 9:30pm on Saturday.

  3. 4611 Geary Boulevard, at 10th Avenue. Charcoal grills at the table, cooking honeycomb tripe and small intestines alongside the beef.

  4. 852 Clement Street, at 10th Avenue. A tabletop grill to each party, on a 90-minute all-you-can-eat seating at $42.99 a head.

  5. Second floor, 1640 Post Street. Gas grills at the table, with the grill plates swapped between rounds and a call bell at each table.

  6. 1825 Post Street, in the Japan Center West mall. The operator's own site describes grill-it-yourself tables, with gas grills at the table.

  7. 1358 9th Avenue, at Irving Street. Diners grill bulgogi, galbi and seafood at the table, with a house special at $31.99 from Monday to Thursday.

  8. Um.ma

    food

    1220 9th Avenue. The tabletop grills are on the back patio, which takes reservations; the indoor room serves Korean dishes that are not grilled at the table.

  9. 124 Ellis Street, below street level. Smokeless grills are set into the tables, so the meat cooks at the table without the smoke.

The Richmond: Geary Boulevard, Clement Street and Balboa Street

Four of the nine stand in the Richmond District, on three streets that run west through the avenue grid.

Han Il Kwan is at 1802 Balboa Street, at 19th Avenue. Gas grills are inlaid in its tabletops and the meat is cooked on them at the table, with large vents hung above each table to carry off the smoke. Brothers Restaurant is at 4128 Geary Boulevard, at 6th Avenue, where the grills at the table burn charcoal rather than gas and each strip of meat takes on its smoke in the short run between the grate and the plate; the restaurant's own site gives 1987 as its starting year, and it serves lunch from 12pm to 3pm and dinner from 5pm to 9pm daily, with dinner running to 9:30pm on Saturday.

Wooden Charcoal Korean Village Barbecue House is at 4611 Geary Boulevard, at 10th Avenue, where charcoal grills at the table cook honeycomb tripe and small intestines alongside the beef. Zajang Grill is at 852 Clement Street, also at 10th Avenue, where a party gathers around a tabletop grill for a 90-minute all-you-can-eat seating at $42.99 a head, under extraction hoods painted with mountain ranges; the address traded as Carbon Grill before it took its present name.

Japantown: Post Street

Two of the nine are Post Street addresses in Japantown, on either side of the Japan Center complex.

YakiniQ Korean BBQ is on the second floor at 1640 Post Street. Gas grills at the table do the cooking, servers swap the grill plates between rounds for a cleaner sear, and a call bell at each table brings them over. DataSF carries a business record for Yakiniq at 1640 Post Street from 1 May 2025, with no end date.

Beque Korean Grill is at 1825 Post Street, inside the Japan Center West mall. The operator's own site describes grill-it-yourself tables and sets an all-you-can-eat bundle beside a la carte ordering, and the gas grills sit at the table. A second room under the same name trades at 3060 East El Camino Real in Santa Clara.

The Inner Sunset: 9th Avenue

Two rooms stand two blocks of 9th Avenue apart in the Inner Sunset.

Kogi Gogi is at 1358 9th Avenue, at Irving Street, where diners grill bulgogi, galbi and seafood at the table themselves and the house all-you-can-eat special runs at $31.99 from Monday to Thursday.

Um.ma is at 1220 9th Avenue, where the tabletop grills are on the back patio and the patio takes reservations. Kurobuta pork belly and LA-style galbi are ordered by the pound and cooked at the table out there, under string lights. The indoor dining room serves Korean dishes that are not grilled at the table.

Union Square: Ellis Street

One of the nine is at Union Square, in a room below street level.

ABSteak by Akira Back is at 124 Ellis Street. Smokeless grills are set into the tables, so the meat cooks at the table and the dining room stays clear of the smoke an open grate would throw. DataSF carries a business record for Absteak at 124 Ellis Street from 1 September 2022, with no end date.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as tabletop Korean BBQ, and what does not?
Tabletop Korean barbecue means the grill is set into the diner's own table and the meat is cooked there, whether the party grills it or a server does. A gas grate inlaid in the tabletop, a charcoal grate seated in a table well and a smokeless downdraft grill all count, and an all-you-can-eat price is a pricing model rather than a format. A grill in the kitchen does not count, however Korean the menu. San Ho Won cooks its barbecue over lychee-wood charcoal on a central grill and carries it out seconds after it comes off. Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup, Hwa Mi Won and Mashita Galbi Jjim braise short ribs and finish them tableside with a blowtorch, which melts cheese rather than grilling meat. My Tofu House, Toyose, Manna and Muguboka have no grate in the table at all.
Where in San Francisco are the tabletop grills?
Nine rooms, on six streets. The Richmond carries four: Han Il Kwan at 1802 Balboa Street, Brothers Restaurant at 4128 Geary Boulevard, Wooden Charcoal Korean Village Barbecue House at 4611 Geary Boulevard and Zajang Grill at 852 Clement Street. Japantown carries two Post Street addresses, YakiniQ Korean BBQ on the second floor at 1640 and Beque Korean Grill at 1825, inside the Japan Center West mall. The Inner Sunset carries two on 9th Avenue, Kogi Gogi at 1358 and Um.ma at 1220. Union Square carries one, ABSteak by Akira Back at 124 Ellis Street, below street level. San Francisco has no Koreatown, so the nine do not gather on one row.
Which rooms burn charcoal rather than gas?
Two. Brothers Restaurant at 4128 Geary Boulevard burns real charcoal in the grills at the table, and the meat takes on its smoke in the short run between the grate and the plate. Wooden Charcoal Korean Village Barbecue House at 4611 Geary Boulevard cooks over charcoal grills at the table as well, honeycomb tripe and small intestines included. Of the other seven, four have a fuel stated: Han Il Kwan has gas inlaid in the tabletop under large vents, YakiniQ Korean BBQ and Beque Korean Grill run gas grills at the table, and ABSteak by Akira Back has smokeless grills set into the tables. For Zajang Grill, Kogi Gogi and Um.ma the fuel is not stated, though Zajang Grill works under extraction hoods painted with mountain ranges.
Can I grill indoors at Um.ma?
No. The tabletop grills at Um.ma, 1220 9th Avenue, are on the back patio, and the patio takes reservations. Kurobuta pork belly and LA-style galbi are ordered by the pound and cooked at the table out there, under string lights. The indoor dining room serves Korean dishes that are not grilled at the table, so a party that wants the grill has to book the patio. Two blocks along 9th Avenue, Kogi Gogi at 1358 grills indoors.
What are the opening hours, and what does it cost?
Brothers Restaurant at 4128 Geary Boulevard serves lunch from 12pm to 3pm and dinner from 5pm to 9pm every day, with dinner running to 9:30pm on Saturday. No source states the opening hours of the other eight, so none are given here. Two prices are stated: the all-you-can-eat seating at Zajang Grill, 852 Clement Street, runs 90 minutes at $42.99 a head, and the house all-you-can-eat special at Kogi Gogi, 1358 9th Avenue, is $31.99 from Monday to Thursday. Beque Korean Grill sets an all-you-can-eat bundle beside a la carte ordering and states no price for either.

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