Spoon Korean Bistro

I really enjoyed my Kimchi stew here. My wife had a bibimbap and also liked it. What she really wanted was a fish that is on the menu at the sister restaurant Bowl’d.
All in all compared to Bowl’d, this location has a smaller menu and less attractive interior. For me, if I was midway between both places, I’d prefer Bowl’d.
Spoon still has excellent food, friendly staff and a brilliantly designed menu that satisfies those unfamiliar with Korean food AND those of us who have enjoyed it for years.
Spoon has a large outdoor seating area which Bowl’d does NOT have.

So delicious! The dining space is small, as other reviewers have mentioned, so there can be a bit of a wait to get your body inside the door. They have patio seating though so you could sit there in the event that it’s nice enough outside for al fresco dining. Despite having to wait for a table, the food is great for what it is — Americanized Korean bistro food. Don’t expect spicy chicken stew like your Korean friend’s mom makes (because honestly, that takes time!), but do expect to get a big tasty pile of food for under $ 15.

Loved eating here!
The place is farther away from campus so it’s a bit of a trek. It’s a little unassuming at first but when me and my friend first walked in we were seated right away and given drinks.
Location: Not the best since it’s so far from campus but they have a parking lot so no need to worry about parking.
Ambiance/​service: It was great! Smaller shop so it can get a bit crowded and you feel too close to others, but it was very lively and they constantly checked up on us.
Food:
— seafood pancake: My fave thing. They didn’t skimp out of the seafood and it was so thick and filling. The sauce that came on the side as well was spicy but not too spicy. I even added more of it to my dish.
— bibimpap: my go to when i get korean. Didn’t disappoint and liked how they asked me how spicy I wanted it since some places i’ve gone to haven’t. TASTY!
— Fish ice cream sandwich: Near the cashier they have an ice box filled with different ice cream treats. TO my surprise they had the red bean/​vanilla dessert fish that you usually see on insta. For $ 2 it was so WORTH.

The food is amazing!!! They have vegan options for every thing!
The service is definitely worth 5
They also have out door seating which is very nice

The food here is still amazing! The kimchi fried rice we had that had bacon AND beef added to it with extra cost was soooo worth it! Kimbap was fresh and all the bbq’ed meats we have had were made to perfection. Don’t get me started on the sides!

So I must say that this place is amazingly good and we will come back.
The service was top notch.
We had the chicken pancake (mild flavor but good with the citrus soy), crab cake pancake (great), Bacon Roll (A Must try), Pork belly Bibimbop (pork belly could have been fried harder), short rib Bibimbop (amazing) and ginger tea (the best).
Atmosphere was very relaxed and great for a date or a group of folks.
Overall I have to come back and bring some more people with me.

I came here with some friends on our way back from Six Flags in Vallejo. It was a long day of walking around and we all were hungry for a meal. I’ve never had Korean food so I have no idea what to expect from it but thankfully my friends were able to help me out on what to order. The place is rather small but it was pretty busy and they had outdoor seating. Given that it was at night, everyone wanted to be inside. Our server had a waitlist ready and put our names on it. We waited about 5 – 10 min. which wasn’t too bad for waiting. The server there was really quick and he did not slow down one bit! I was actually really surprised as to how he would hop from one table to the next to meet with everyone’s standards.
I really enjoyed the food here! I ordered the Jhap Chae Fried Rice (~$ 12) which also came with an egg which is what they’re known for. One of my friends also ordered a set of wings and they were also really good. The sauce used had a sweet yet spicy taste to it. Definitely would recommend these dishes.
Overall, really nice place. Staff there are quick and attentive and the food is delicious! They also sell some snacks like chips and ice cream if you like some. If I’m ever in the area, I would come by to this place for a nice bite.

Back Story: I think I went to their other location (Bowl’d) in Albany. Can’t remember but what I do remember was the amazing glazed potatoes I had in the Albany location. I went to Korea the following spring hoping to find something similar. Unfortunately, all I could find was a candied sweet potato version of what this restaurant had.
Then my friend recommended this place (Spoon) and OMG their potatoes are amazing! Actually, you can’t go wrong with anything on their menu. Everything tastes amazing and it satisfies most (if not all) cravings you will have regarding Korean food.
Overall, I’ll be back for the good food… and a better picture :)

Nice, quiet location — but a busy restaurant. Came here with some friends after visiting Six Flags. We were huuungry, I was at least. All tables were taken at the time but we only waited about 5 minutes. The whole outdoor patio was available but it was a cold night and everyone opted to sit indoors.
I ordered the Dolsot Bibimbap w/​spicy pork. The others got the Kimchee Fried Rice and the Japchae Fried Rice (interesting combo). The food was HOT and fresh. Definitely burned my mouth from trying to shovel down my hot food. Doesn’t matter, so hungry. There was a surprising amount of veggies in my bibimbap. I couldn’t find much rice though :(. Some people like that but I like to eat my ‘toppings’ with plenty of rice. The spicy pork was tasty, but I also felt the amount was lacking too. A bit pricey here as well — about $ 12+ for my dish.
The two or three waiters were rushing around the whole night trying to keep all their customers satisfied. Hard-​working staff here.
I like how this is a snack store /​restaurant. I liked looking at all the chips and snacks that lined the shelves in the back. There was a good variety of drinks in the fridge and event a self-​serve ice cream freezer — it was something like $ 2 for an ice cream bar, and you put the money in a little box yourself!
Cute place. I’m never in this area but it was nice to stop by!

Growing up as a Korean in Southern California, my standards for Korean food were always quite high. After moving to Berkeley, I scoured the city for some authentic, delicious Korean food. To my dismay, I realized there just aren’t that many great Korean restaurants in the Bay Area. Spoon is no exception to that statement.
I will say that Spoon somewhat satiates my Korean food cravings when they get really bad, but it’s kinda over priced and the food isn’t anything too special.
I did have the ddukboki here, and it was a little better than decent. Other than that, the service is ok. The side dishes are ok. The soondubu is ok. So, overall, I’d say Spoon is ok.
With that said, I know I’ll be back eventually because there aren’t any better Korean restaurants near me.

Hands down, one of my favorite Korean spots in the Bay Area. Service is always great, even when its busy. Theres usually a 3 or 4 waiters that work very fast and very accommodating.
There is outdoor seating but its usually too cold when we come here to sit outside. The inside of the restaurant is clean and quite small. They sell a variety of asian snacks (shrimp chips, potato chips, chocolate pies, etc) as well as icecream.
The food itself is reasonably priced, not oily, and portions are big. Some of my favorites here: vegetable chap jae, seafood pancake, kim chi fried rice, and cabbage with bulgolgi. You really can’t do wrong with any of the dishes here. Plus, the side dishes are also decent! It comes with Kim chi, spicy fish cakes, bean sprouts, pickled cucumber, tofu, and seaweed.
Although, every single time we’ve been here, we hear a customer report that he or she had their car broken in. Which is pretty scary but its not the businesses fault. So just be sure to hide all valuables.

The one star is for the bad taste left in our mouths because of the bill.
We were given the bill after our meal and it showed the amount and a line underneath to write in your tip. After giving a nice tip I asked for the itemized receipt since this was a business meal.
The server looked a little worried as I reviewed the receipt and I noticed that an 18% tip had already been added to the bill. This was strange because we were only a party of 5. When I questioned the server he said ‘that is our policy.’ Well, that policy is not written anywhere. The worst part: on the bill that I was initially given, it was written «pre-​tip amount». Plus, not giving me the itemized receipt in the first place, I knew it was a scam to get tipped twice.
I was going to report this to the manager but on the receipt it said our server WAS THE MANAGER.
If the manager is doing this then more than likely the other servers are doing it too.
Watch out for this and make sure to get the itemized receipt.
Undoubtedly, we won’t be back.

Probably one of the best Korean restaurants in the Oakland/​Berkeley area. There was a pretty diverse crowd with only a small portion of hipsters. According to my husband, it’s the sort of place you would find in Korea. Restaurants managed by younger people serving traditional dishes with a slight twist, while still maintaining that homestyle feeling.
I started off with Job’s Tears, a barley/​wheaty/​nutty drink that is super comforting. It’s almost like a milk tea. There are a lot of bits so you end up chewing it while drinking, sort of like you do with boba.
Then I had the Pine Nut Porridge which was thick, with enough to feed two. It comes with a little bit of sauce that you can mix in but use it sparingly because the extra sodium can defeat the purpose of eating a light porridge.
I also had the Fried Chicken which had a thin batter with a slightly sweet sauce and crushed peanuts. Lovely mix of tastes and textures. They were cooked just right too. I’ve had this twice here and it’s better when they don’t put extra sauce in the bowl because it ends up being a bit too much.
The Kalguksoo (spicy noodle soup) was in the biggest bowl I’ve ever seen with fresh-​tasting noodles and a flavorful broth.
I got a Yukejang (spicy beef noodle soup) to go and this was not bad. They mixed the glass noodles in with the broth so I separated it when I got home so they wouldn’t expand. They’re generous with the panchan for to go orders, but the panchan isn’t the best I’ve had. Tastes fresh but the taste is just okay.
I would come back here just for the fried chicken, which was even better than I’ve had at some Korean bars in the Bay Area.

I couldn’t put down my spoon the entire time I dined at Spoon.
Food: I ordered the Soft Tofu Stew with Chicken and Mushrooms. Comfort food at it’s finest. The broth was super tasty and hearty, but the dish overall was not as heavy due to the soft tofu and lean chicken. I think adding mushrooms enhanced the flavor and I ordered extra spicy broth, but thought it was perfectly spicy. The egg cooked quickly and completed the soup. They gave us a good amount of complimentary banchan, all of which were average in taste, but still very filling and fresh. Overall, great quality, clean and tasty Korean food. My new go-​to lunch spot! Can’t wait to come back & try everything on the menu.
Price: Super reasonable! My friend & I both paid under $ 13 each for our meals which included complimentary banchan and hot tea. The servings are a tad bit larger than servings at other Korean restaurants in the area.
Ambiance: Very casual café feels, with a bit of a modern flare. Small inside, but plenty of seating outside which is shaded due to the trees.
Service: Excellent. I never use that word, but it was excellent. The servers were attentive & friendly. My friend forgot her umbrella and one of the servers ran after us to return it to us even though it was pouring.
Overall: Large servings of deliciously prepared Korean comfort food, reasonable pricing & above par service.

A very cute Korean place. I’m of the opinion that there isn’t that much great Korean food in the Bay compared to SoCal, but this place had me happy and satisfied.
My friend and I shared the Kim Chi Fried Rice Wrap, thinking it would be like an appetizer before our actual meals. It was HUGE and I probably could have had just that for lunch. I’d never heard of or seen a Kim Chi Fried Rice Wrap (w/​mozzarella in a spinach tortilla) until I saw it here on Unilocal.Thought it might be a little weird, but sounded really intriguing. Verdict: I really liked it!
For my actual meal, I had the pine nut porridge. Again it was HUGE. Extremely satisfying especially on a cold rainy day. There was a ton leftover, so I enjoyed another meal later the next day.
I would love to come back again and try more dishes in the future!

Alright came back for their pine nut porridge and dolsotbibimbap.
I’m converted. I love this place. Also, came again at 2:30PM so I can’t really comment on the wait.
But the bibimbop was BOMB. Usually I’m hesitant thinking it might just all be rice, but the proportion for this was just right. TONs of veggies, bean sprouts, pickles, carrots, the black fungus stuff, pickled lettuce, kimchi, actually I’m just gonna say there was more veggies and beef than rice. I was so happy.
Also the porridge had nicely textured shredded chicken in every bite. Nice bites of pine nuts in their thick but slightly creamy porridge. Was satisfied. Will be coming again.

Everything is so tasty here, and don’t forget, you can always get refills on the banchans.
Beef kimbap — fresh rolls! The ratio of rice to other ingredients are perfect, because it’s not a lot of rice, but they stuff each roll with a good portion of carrots, beef, sprouts, etc.
Spicy pork dolsot bibimbap — It’s simply delicious and its a huge bowl filled with plenty of veggies. I kind of wish there was a tiny bit more spicy pork though.
My friend ordered the BBQ plate, and they give you a lot of food on the plate. It also came with a side of the egg soufflé, and omg it is tasty!
Needless to say, with 2 people, we had great portions. Our tables were so full of food and banchans, I felt like we were eating like royalty.

Spoon is located just a few blocks from where I work, so my coworkers and I come every once in a while. It’s a nice spot when you’re craving Korean food and are in the area, but there are definitely much better, more authentic spots if you are willing to drive to Oakland.
The restaurant does accommodate larger groups since there are seating options both indoors and outdoors, however service is slow. The waiters are extremely nice, but if you are here for lunch, expect to be stuck here for over a hour. My tip is to ask for the check the moment you are seated and ordered your food because it somehow takes them at least 15 mins to hand us our check every time we’ve been here.
They do start you off with some banchan, which usually includes seaweed, fish cake, bean sprouts, kimchi, broccoli, and cucumbers. It’s not a huge selection, but it is pretty delicious. I wish they had the potatoes as a banchan, but they charge you for that as a side dish, so boo to that.
This visit in particular, I ordered a bbq plate with pork belly, which comes with a side of salad, rice, broccoli, shredded potatoes, and an egg soufflé. I think it is one of the better priced items on the menu due to the amount you get. The pork belly is cooked to perfection with just the right amount of crispness on the edges and flavored in a kimchi sauce. It is a thinner cut, similar to bacon to be honest, but not bad for the amount you paid for ($ 11).
Overall, I will probably be coming back, because like I said, it’s super close by. But if I were to choose another Korean restaurant vs this one, I would more than likely choose the other. The dishes here are more on the fusion side in my opinion, but I am a bit of a Korean food snob, so maybe its authentic to others.
Food I recommend:
— Dolsot bibimbop
— Korean noodle soup (huge portion)
— Ramen (personally never ordered, but everyone likes it, I just don’t like paying more than $ 2 for shin ramen…)
— bbq plate (bang for your buck)
— kimchi wrap (also huge portion)
Tips:
— Ask for tea
— Get refills on banchan
— Ask for check after you order if you’re in a hurry
— lunch time, go around 1130 to beat the crowd

Um… I really wanted to like this place… I mean I REALLY wanted to like this place. But, it didn’t happen. The service is pretty good — they offered me hot tea while I waited outside for a table and food was brought out without too long of a wait.
This is the place to go for no-​frills, quick service Korean food. Don’t hold your breath for a variety of side dishes (ban-​chan) or yummy ones, for that matter. I think I got 6 different side dishes and none of them are worth mentioning. Wasn’t offered a refill on any of them, either. Overall, the dishes lack depth of flavor.
— Spicy chicken — good portion and meat is tender. A little on the sweet side — was hoping that it would be spicier and less sweet.
— Spicy shredded beef stew — ordered it spicy but it really wasn’t. Flavor was okay — nothing to write home about. Good portion of beef and if wasn’t fatty.
— Kimchi fried rice with chicken — a little dry and not enough kimchi flavor. Pieces of kimchi were tiny.
— Seafood pancake — liked the fact that there wasn’t any imitation crab meat. I can’t stand it when restaurants put that stuff in the pancakes. Good amount of calamari and the pancake was crispy. The portion is good to share with 2 people at an affordable price of $ 8. Not the best out there, but if you have a hankering for seafood pancake, this will take care of the craving.

Spoon is located next to Berkeley Bowl West. I have frequently passed by the restaurant and, each time, I tell myself that I need to try the food. I finally had the opportunity to grab dinner at Spoon on Tuesday night. It was pretty crowded in the small restaurant with about 2 – 3 available tables.
We started our meal off with beef kimbop which is Korean styled sushi. There are sprouts in the roll which made the sushi unique. Not my favorite ingredient but was interesting to try. The beef was well marinated and gave the roll flavor. This is a great appetizer to share between 2 – 3 people.
My BF ordered soft tofu stew with beef. Since it was a cold evening, the stew helped keep him toasty. He enjoyed his dish and could barely finish it. It’s a very filling dish. I ordered dolsot bibimbap with beef which is bibimbap served in a hot stone bowl. Each component of the dish was beautifully laid out in the bowl. I added some bibimbap sauce before digging in. The entrée was delicious.
Great food and attentive service. I can’t complain with that at all.