If you’ve ever eaten a Korean BBQ dinner, you know that it does not come cheap, at least in San Francisco. Generally there’s a minimum requirement of ordering 2 servings of meat, that range in the mid-$20s each. And then you have to grill the meat yourself?
San Wang
1682 Post Street
(between Buchanan St & Laguna St)
(415) 921-1453
I found this place looking for some non-Japanese food options near me and my buddy Sarah (who happens to live near Japantown). She was debuting (finally!) her new sweetie so we had to find a Grubgirl-appropriate venue so he could get what I was all about. (And I could see if he bristled at vinyl chairs.)
San Wang is a Chinese restaurant run by Koreans, so there are some dishes with a decidedly Korean flare.
Brother’s Restaurant
4128 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94101
(415) 387-7991
If you’re looking for some cheap eats around lunchtime, the famous Brother’s Restaurant on Geary has a daily lunch special where you can get chicken, pork, or beef bulgogi (that’s Korean BBQ) for $7.95. That’s a little more than I usually pay for food but you have to remember that in general, Korean food is going to be more expensive than the real cheap eats which usually fall into the Chinese or Mexican food categories.
Note what $7.95 gets you: