Somunnan Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in Cerritos

Updated 2/6/25

Overall the food is very good and self service banchan bar is awesome. Items not always being available and some not being as incredible as I remember is te only thing keeping me from returning to 5 stars. Kalbi was a bit of a let down again as well, but other dishes were all very good, line the tofu soup and jajiangmien.

Updated 9/28/23

Definitely still recommending this place but had to round down based on my latest visit.

Two dishes that didn’t live up to my last visit were the cold noodles and Kalbi ribs. The cold noodles had a different flavor and texture to the broth. Good, just not as good as I recall. Not a deal breaker. The Kalbi ribs were even more disappointing. Fatty and chewy.

On the positive side, the two new dishes we tried were awesome. Jjajang mien, which was sold out las time was amazing. Great flavors, actually had meat which some places stopped adding, and was a very large serving. No wonder they sell out! Also tried the soon tofu soup which was equally amazing in flavors, meat ratio and portion size. Definitely must tries.

Service and self service banchan was still great. Almost makes up for the self service pick up and clean up :) —————-

Probably more 4.5 stars, but will round up until I can try them again and see how consistent they are.

The good: Service is very friendly and helpful Self serve banchan bar - love that you don’t have to wait, but it is hard not to fill up too much as they were all very good. Food food food! Cold noodles - some great flavors and huge servings Galbi jim - again, great broth and lots of lean meat Kalbi - add as a combo and save some money. Delicious and much less fatty than many other places nearby Purple rice!!! Plenty of parking! No language barrier - spoke perfect Korean and English. Some Spanish too from what I heard.

Needs improvement: They ran out of the dish I went there for, which is the Jajangmyun, so that’s a bummer. Will try again. Parts of the self serve concept. Utensil box was empty at our table and they do expect that you take your dirty dishes back to the front. The place isn’t expensive, but not cheap either. I always get confused with how much to tip in places like this. Still tipped 18%, but not going over that for self serve like i would at full service places. Not a deal breaker, but food...

Let me first say that this was my first time and they were not notified of my arrival beforehand. Service was excellent even though it's go to the counter and order, pickup and eat. The place was well kept and clean. As soon as someone left someone came out cleaned the table. Soon as someone left the empty plates and dishes on the rack it was taken away to be cleaned. Now, the all you can eat banchan. Great idea! About 5 or 6 choices to choose from. All favorites, all great tasting. Most places are a mess and not maintained. This however is clean and we'll stocked. Now to the main course. Ample amounts , quality better than average, prices well worth it. You will get full. I love this place . We will be back! Kudos to the person that has the recipie for the cold noodle down pat. That extra kick , that extra sweetness, that extra noodles, that extra goodness, ganja Tang, my son rarely says hes full when eats that , but tonight he was full. Large portions of meat and with all you can eat banchan he was full. Very full. The sulung Tang in my opinion was ok did the job. My wife loves it so it's a winner to. Gotta love that sulung Tang. The soondae I ordered thinking that my cold noodle portion would be small. I was wrong . I had a few bites of the soondae it was good as the Seoul soondae. In my opinion but was so full from the noodle it's a winner too. So to recap if you want get full with great portions and great flavor come here. All the reviews don't lie. The guy that helped me out when I ordered keep it dude this place will flourish or is already flourishing. My go to place in town....

Table service? We don't need no stinking table service!

Sommunnan is a Korean restaurant known for their gamjatang (pork neck bone soup) & naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles). Here, it's all about helping yourself. Customers pay for their food & pick it up when their order number is called. Need water? Grab a cup at the water dispenser. Want soda/beer? Pay for it & get one from the fridge. AYCE banchan? Help yourself at the banchan bar. Remember to use a clean plate each time. When you've finished your meal, place your used plates in the rack.

Banchan- Sommunnan has a wide selection of banchan, which is kept fully stocked for those that go crazy with the thought of AYCE, like me. My favorites were the fish cake, kimchi, bean sprouts, potato & macaroni salad.

Gamjatang- Generous amounts of pork vertebrae, the gamjatang was rich, hearty & delectably stick to your ribs good. Some would be discreet about scrapping off all that meat from the bones, but I get in there with my hands, guns blazing, like a possum.

Service was good, if just being at the register. Ample seating inside, Sommunnan is located in-between Goody's Donuts & Waba Grill.

Sommunnan has become one of my favorite Korean eateries. I greatly appreciate not having to wait for busy staff to bring food & drinks to your table. I'm a self-checkout lane guy, so getting in, getting my food & getting out, is right up my alley. I'm anticipating trying their naengmyeon, the next time I stop by. Which, will be very, very...