Maru Lounge

The shuttering of BBQ Chicken a few left a hole in the San Diego food scene in the specific niche of Korean fried chicken. The first spiritual successor came in the form of a counter in the then-​new Zion Market location. However, Maru Lounge arguably better fits the bill if one is looking for an option that is less… found in a supermarket. Walking in, one discovers an interesting décor that spotlights two-​by-​fours, empty beer bottles, and fake IV drips (which apparently you can get filled with alcohol). So that’s… different? You decide if that’s better than getting bumped by shopping carts.
Maru naturally isn’t quite as focused on fried chicken as BBQ Chicken was and offers a lot of other traditional Korean dishes (on which I can’t really comment in this review). For those really craving the chicken, this means that there’s not quite as many customization options, but one does get some choices when it comes to sauces. I chose «spicy» although it came out «white boy» spicy, that is, literally weak sauce. The chicken itself, however, was surprisingly decent, surpassing some non-​Korean fried chicken options in San Diego even it doesn’t pass my other K (as in «Kentucky») fried chicken test, the latter still being superior to pretty much any competitor regardless of the price.
Summary: Possibly worth giving a cluck.

3.5 Stars. I was not sure about this place after reading some of the reviews of this place but decided why not, give it a try and make my own judgement. Place inside is dark and geared more toward drinking and food to help with more drinking. Soda is not even listed on the drink menu. I had the wings which took a little time to come out but the lone server told me it would be couple of minutes. The wings were good. They were the big size kind so an order of 10 is pretty filling. Service was decent. I can see where people had an issue with it but as the lone person sitting at the bar, it was not that bad. You do get water but they do not offer refills unless you ask I guess. I would probably come back here again with friends to hang out. By myself, not sure unless I wanted chicken wings desperately and it was late.

For the past few years this place has been a bit of an enigma for me. On my first attempt of trying to eat here, they were closed! I wasn’t sure if they were closed for good or if they were doing some sort of remodel. On my second try, we got there when it opened and they were still closed. Their hours stated that they opened at 5:30pm and there wasn’t a soul in sight until we were leaving the parking lot and then a couple of guys pulled into the parking lot, and opened the doors. Anyway, on my third attempt I finally got in!
When looking over the menu, I couldn’t believe how many spelling errors there were! (Please see the pictures.) I wanted the spicy pork tacos, but our server told us «no tacos today.» Hmm… did they not get their shipment of tortillas for that day? So, I had to settle on just spicy pork.
I’m not sure if this is the type of Korean restaurant that serves banchan or what, but we only got picked radish. I was hoping for some sort of kimchi. Anyway, my spicy pork arrived and it was good. It wouldn’t say it was anything super special. I thought it was really odd that I was asked if white rice was okay, and yet they never brought it out. Being stuck in a little booth, it was hard to flag someone down.
Overall, I’m undecided if I’ll make another visit someday.

So this is the 2^nd time my fiancée and I visited Maru… We wanted Tajima, but it was packed, so we didnt want to wait again so we decided to go to Maru.
Maru has their own parking spots, 3 to be exact. and theres always a spot for some reason.
So our first visit. We ordered the pork ramen, and Korean Soy wings. The Ramen was pretty bland. had to add things in there to make it somewhat flavorful. The wings were actually good. however, they are saucy. i mean SAUCY. like alot.
**Wings– Worth getting again
Our 2^nd visit– We ordered the Kimchee fried rice, and Spicy Korean wings (sauce on the side)
The kimchee fried rice was super SAUCY. kinda like jambalaya saucy. they dont skimp on making things extra saucy here, so if you like that, you may like. Again. the wings were OK to me. They werent that bad.
So of our 2 visits. the wings were the only things good to us.
I read alot of reviews about the bulgogi fries being good, «IF» there is a 3^rd visit. we shall give that a shot. and ill update
They have 3 TVs with nothing playing on them, especially with Monday, Thurs, and Sunday football, they would probably get more traffic coming in. I asked if they can turn the game on, the worker said no.
Inside Maru– Pretty dark. Hard to see. To me it kinda felt icky.
Service was below ok– Food took a while to come out. Our kimchee friend rice came out first (10min). 10 mins later. the wings came out. the place didnt have any one in there.
Why is Maru never packed…?

Friday night 8:00pm Convoy area restaurants can get packed. We originally wanted to try Yakima Izakaya, the wait was 45 minutes minimum. We took a chance and drove a short distance to Tajima on Convoy. Unfortunately the wait was the same.
It ended up being a coin toss between: Liang’s Kitchen and Maru Lounge. We went with Maru Lounge and had a good time here.
The service was good. The server answered any questions about the food. In our party of 5, several of us had actually eaten and just wanted something light. We ended up ordering some appetizers to share and the others in our group ordered dishes. A different server came by to refill our water and check on us.
They brought out: 10 wings (half spicy, half original), bulgogi fries, teriyaki chicken skillet, and a seafood udon bowl. There are low light conditions inside the lounge so the pictures probably aren’t the greatest.
Spicy wings were nice and tasty. Good amount of kick without being too much. Probably could have been spicier, but it wasn’t bad. The original wings need to be kicked up a few notches in the flavor department. Tasted on the bland side. I think I’ll try the soy sauce flavor next time.
We loved the bulgogi fries… fries were nice and crispy. They topped the fries with a good amount shredded cheese and bulgogi. Bulgogi was tender, juicy, and tasty. Try it if you like carne asada fries and bulgogi (other meat toppings available).
Udon seafood and teriyaki chicken looked good. My party enjoyed their food, no complaints about either.
There was plenty of seating inside and outside on the patio. The place wasn’t packed. We were seated right away. I’ve seen this place packed the few times I walked by and ate at Tajima, but it was much later in the night.
The décor is alright. There was a big flat screen playing K-​Pop music videos (television was muted) and a mixture of music was playing in the background (K-​Pop, American hip hop, and a country song?). The country song was really random, but it’s okay.
Overall, cool place, good food, and good service. I would come back here.

I honestly dont even know how I feel about this place. I say this only because the service is so so. but the food & drinks are delicious and not too pricey compared to thang thangs or min sok chon. The first time I tried this place, service was okay. second time, it was excellent! Then just last night, i wouldnt say it was horrible, but it wasnt the best at all either. Our server didnt even refill our waters, nor did he ask if we were doing okay. The only time he came back was when he cleared out our table and that was it. We had to wait another 10 – 15 mins for our check that we never got until my boyfriend went up to the counter & paid for our meal. What makes it more of a bad experience is the fact that it was not busy at all. The place was empty with only 3 groups, including me & my bf, that he had to serve last night.
I guess I wont be coming back for a while unless i crave their kimchi fried rice…

The bulgogi fries are bomb and very decent pricing. Service is very friendly and quick. I definitely recommend for groups. The décor is very unique and cozy.

My favorite thing about Maru lounge is THE FOOD and Soju. All about that peach soju life. I go to Maru lounge at least once a month with my boyfriend. We are creatures of habit and we come for the same dish of chicken katsu bowl with mayo. I love the kpop music in the background and the waiters are always very polite. Parking isn’t the best but every time we go, I haven’t had trouble.

My friend and I wanted Tajima for dinner but the wait was crazy so I suggested we check this place out for some drinks while we waited for our table. I didn’t eat any food here so this review is just for the drinks and service.
The first thing I noticed on the menu was that it was happy house till 9pm. Happy hour till 9 on a Friday night, yes you heard right! They have happy hour deals for every day of the week. Friday nights is 50% of sake and a draft beers are always 20% off during happy hour. My friend and I got 2 Sapporo’s each and1 large sake to share and the total came out to about $ 24. Not bad eh? For munchies they give you free chips and salsa. Browsing their menu it’s pretty standard Korean bar food from fried rice to stews to share. Service was ok, kinda slow but they were friendly. Parking can and is a bitch so heads up if you come during peak dinner times.

My girlfriend and I started with bulgogi fries. Very good and the meat had good flavor. The fries were nice and crispy. My only gripe is the lack of meat to fry ratio. Need more meat. Next thing was the kimchi fried rice with spam. Whoever came up that is a genius. Pairing fried rice and kimchi is like PB and J. Lastly we had spicy seafood ramen. It was better than i expected. The flavor was there and it had just enough heat.
Definitely will have to come back and try other things. FYI the parking is not that good. Limited parking. Its best to park near the car dealerships.

This place is great, expensive but great.
I’m not sure what the décor is suppose to be.
Sometimes I think it’s a classroom but other times I think it’s a hospital, nevertheless I love coming here for their soju. So many great flavors to choose from!
And if you can’t make up your mind, they do have a soju sampler and you get to pick from their assorted FLAVORS.

Their food was sooooo bomb! We got the Kim chi fried rice and it comes with an egg on top & their wings. I got a soju flight and it was sooooo disgusting. I think the guy literally just poured one droplet of soju in each shot glass because I only tasted the flavored juice mix.
Plus it was sooooo dead. My flight didn’t come out for awhile, not until I asked him about my flight after my food came out.

Meh. I’ve experienced better.
No really, for Korean cuisine Maru Lounge does not do it justice. Came here on a random weekday and the place wasn’t busy and so were the staff so you assume we would get all the attention. But no. They would tend to us in long intervals even if we would wave them down and went to actually seek them out.
But aside from the service, the food was just alright. Their wings were pretty saucy and its cool they have a variety of different flavors to choose from but they aren’t out of this world delicious that people would need to try. Plus their traditional korean cuisine just lacked in flavor. The food came warm and just was not appetizing to want to come back.

There were quite a few items I wanted try here, mainly the bulgolgi ones! They gave us complimentary chips and salsa while we browsed the menu. The atmosphere is very intimate– the booths are very private and they have these cute IV bags hanging with lights in them. I ordered the bulgolgi fries and it was huge! It tasted kind of weird since the meat was sweet, but still good. Service was good until it got busy– we had a long wait to get our bill! I want to try the bulgolgi udon next time. They also have specials on wings on Wednesdays. Who wants to join me? :)

Disclaimer: I am Korean. (Koreans love Koreans)
I’ve always received great service coming here.
I usually arrive late in the night and chill with friends over a pitcher or two. And some soju.
The WINGS are delicious. (Get the spicy ones!)
I love coming on wednesdays; if you buy the wings, your 2^nd pitcher is half off. Always love a reason to get another pitcher.
Sit outside if you come in a larger group! You can move tables in together and be bit more raucous.
¹¹⁄₁₀ for Sally

Wing Wednesday! They have a special for their Korean style wings and a pitcher of beer special! I love love love their wings, they have the grilled marinated one, pepper one, and also the original. All of them go perfectly with the pitcher of beer that you can share among your friends!
They have indoor seatings that are super cozy, my friends like to come here to watch the games while munching on their other delicious foods (skewers, ddukbokki, stews, korean dishes, etc) They also have outdoor seatings for people that smoke or just a large group of people!
The service is excellent, waiters are really attentive and fast. This place is definitely underrated, but the upside is that there’s always seats when we come! Parking can be a hassle, but you can always park at the next plaza that has more parkings!
The only place I’d come for Wing Wednesday or pre-​game for PB on Convoy!

I came to this place for Wings Wednesday and it has AMAZING wings.
They are perfectly crunchy and flavorful and goes very well with the beer
that is given for the Wings Wednesday special. If you order sake on the side,
it also tastes amazing with the wings. TIP: the wings fill you up quickly, so don’t order too many thinking you’ll finish it all!
The waiters are very helpful and nice and serve the food quickly. There is also
a lot of seating areas for large parties and small parties. I would highly recommend if you are looking for a place for a large gathering and great food.
Downside: bad parking

Chill place to hangout with friends while eating Korean style wings and beer!
I really really like their wings — crispy, spicy, and soy. They come out fresh and the pieces are really huge.
However, I find this place a bit expensive for wing Wednesday. Their wings can go for $ 15 for 20 pieces BUT you will need to buy beer. Their standard beer is $ 20 per pitcher, but they have a deal that the second pitcher is 50% off. So I guess they have good deals but if you are going with people who don’t want to drink, then I’d say to order something else or go to another wing restaurant.
Tldr: good wings, many deals, but expensive compared to other wing places.

Location: Clairemont Area
Parking: Parking here is limited. Small lot that share their space with other restaurants, especially Tajima (located in the corner of this lot).
Ambiance: Pretty mellow. Laid back. Not too busy but not surprised since it fairly new to most. Bar type feel with wooden booths. Metal clips hang from the ceiling above the table for those that order the Beer IV. Yes, Beer in an IV pouch that hangs from the table. Booths are small but they got an outdoor patio to accommodate larger parties, some limited seating inside for big parties. Korean disco feel, night club restaurant feel. Ha. Idk.
Service: Service was ok. Server was cool but then we had slight communication problems with the newer staff who came to help out. Understandable, no big deal. Servers were friendly even to a bunch of drunk people like ourselves. Ha.
Food: Food was surprisingly affordable. Was thinking it was going to be like another Korean spot I know that charges $ 15 – 20 a dish. Good thing my meal cost about $ 10. Ordered the Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam, onions, and fried egg on top! Very delicious. Good size and very filling. Came in a pan, instead of a plate, which I thought was cool.
Beer: we ordered a Beer IV, just like the ones you see at the hospitals which I thought was cool. 1.5 liters of Stone. About $ 15, we split between the 5 of us.
Definitely coming back here for sure.

We wanted ramen and when we pulled up, the first place we wanted dine in was busy. So we saw Maru and decided to give it a shot. We were quickly seated in the patio which was nice sunce there were heat lamps out and the night was nice.
We started out with bulgogi fries and the small was a perfect size. Fries were crisp andnthe bulgogi was delicious. Since we were both craving ramen we ordered the spicy seafood bowl. It came out in a heavy hot bowl with a handle which was a nice touch. The spicyness would be a 6 on a scale from 1 – 10. It had clams, shrimp, octopus and a couple other items which I cant remember. It was happy hour so drinks were half off.
Service was great and everything came out within 10 minutes. Cool spot to check out if the other ramen joints are busy.