Best Korean BBQ in San Francisco (2026): Ranked by What 3,700+ Reviewers Say

Korean BBQ is a category where San Francisco punches below its weight, and locals know it. The serious KBBQ crowd drives to Santa Clara or Oakland. But if you are staying in the city, there is a real ranking to be had, and the review data is clear about both the order and the complaints.

The ranking

Rank 01 · The gold standard

Brothers Restaurant

Inner Richmond · ★ 4.5 (684 reviews) · $$

280 dish mentions · 91% loved

Overall 10/10, fav kbbq in sf hands down.

Rank 02

Han Il Kwan

Central Richmond · ★ 4.4 (1,505 reviews) · $$

320 dish mentions · 90% loved

Great portion for the BBQ, every dish is so flavorful, I absolutely love everything including the banchan.

Rank 03

um.ma

Inner Sunset · ★ 4.4 (929 reviews) · $$

190 dish mentions · 88% loved

Galbi wasn't too fatty and was delish, bulgogi was slightly too sweet but still tasty.

Rank 04

Kogi Gogi BBQ

Inner Sunset · ★ 4.2 (602 reviews) · $$

250 dish mentions · 87% loved

I would definitely recommend choosing marinated meats as the bulgogi and galbi were our favorites.

Rank 05

San Ho Won

Mission · ★ 4.6 (723 reviews) · $$$

The Michelin-starred one, from the Benu team. Charcoal galbi in a reservation-required, not-all-you-can-eat format.

What the reviews actually argue about

Brothers wins on the meat itself: charcoal tables, aged galbi, and a 91% love score from 280 mentions. The recurring complaint is everything around the meat, namely waits with no real system and brusque service on busy nights. Reviewers keep saying the food is worth it, which is exactly what a 4.5 with a 91% dish score looks like: great product, rough edges.

Han Il Kwan is the volume pick, the most-mentioned KBBQ in the city at 320. It is an old-school Richmond institution where the banchan spread does a lot of the work. The critical reviews cluster on inconsistency during rushes. um.ma runs a more modern menu (their kimchi fried rice finishes tableside) and reads slightly behind on pure grill quality at 88%.

Kogi Gogi is the all-you-can-eat entry, and its 87% needs that context: AYCE reviews always run lower because the format invites quantity judgments. For what it is, the marinated meats hold up.

The San Ho Won question

San Ho Won holds a Michelin star and a 4.6, the highest rating in this group, but we score dishes on what reviewers say about them, and its full review set is still being processed, so it carries no love score yet. What the reviews already show: the charcoal galbi is the dish everyone orders, the portions read small to people expecting KBBQ abundance, and it is a different product category, closer to a Korean grill restaurant than a wrap-it-yourself KBBQ night. Judge it on that axis and it belongs at or near the top. Judge it as AYCE-style KBBQ and you will leave hungry and lighter by $90.

See the full KBBQ map →

More Korean: Korean fried chicken, kimchi jjigae and stews, and tteokbokki and street food.