Soon's Tofu & Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Foster City

I don't know when Soon's opened but I've been living in the Peninsula for 6 years and cannot believe I just discovered this restaurant. For authentic Korean food, you typically have to head down to Sunnyvale or Santa Clara. But obviously for those who live in the Peninsula or above, it is a journey. Soon's finally starts to establish options alongside Daeho in San Mateo.

From the outside, Soon's looks confusing. It is supposedly a Korean restaurant in a western plaza selling a whole variety of things. Is it fusion? Is it "Korean" cuisine by inspiration? And there's even some hints of Chinese, Hawaiian and Mexican in the menu. Again, not a good sign. Also, you need to stare at the ceiling when you're inside... it could've been a 3-story building.

But let the food speak for itself. The banchan already is diverse and authentic, as well as every single dish that came out. The food is cooked by your "aunt" with decent sprinkling of love and nostalgia. It is Korean comfort food done well across the board. We had a tofu soup, galbi, kimchi fried rice and jjajangmyun... (?) - yes, the things from Chinese restaurants.

And yes, all of them turned out great. It definitely is created with your aunt's interpretation but proper. The food tends to be on the sweeter side (so a bit additional sugar) but still within normal ranges.

Ah, and the staff is super friendly.

I am so glad we discovered Soon's. We'll absolutely be back. And one less reason to go down to Lawrence...

At first we thought the meals were expensive for such an unassuming restaurant but then the waiters bought out eight (that's right eight!) side dishes, each of which was uniquely delicious in texture and flavor. My husband and I got three main courses to share and again they were all delicious and very enjoyable. I ordered the tofu and vegetable stew and thoroughly enjoyed it. My husband got the bulgogi steak and kimchi pancake and didn't leave any of it. His said his beer was icy cold which is the way you want beer to be served right? The restaurant itself was very well maintained and the plates, cutlery and glasses were clean to the touch ( I hate grimey things in restaurants). So our date night turned out surprisingly tasty.

I agree with other reviews that they do need to update their pricing on their website to reflect the true pricing of the meals. The website is a lot cheaper than reality.

I can see that in the past they have had trouble with getting good kitchen and wait staff and customers have complained, but at the moment their service and menu is...

I used to live in Koreatown in Los Angeles, and how I miss walking to multiple soondubu restaurants! This place hits the spot, it's the closest thing I've had on the Peninsula to LA's Koreatown. Each banchan was seasoned well. I got the kimchi jigae, it doesn't have meat in it, which was what I needed today. I got it at "spicy" level spice, next time I'm going for "very spicy" just so I can get the spice level I got used to in Koreatown. Overall a nutritionally well balanced meal and just oh so delicious, especially on a rainy day like this. I'll be back!

They gave me an option of either water or tea. I opted for tea. It's hot corn tea and they didn't charge me for it, bonus!

The restaurant wasn't crowded at all when I came, it was just me and one other table. The doors are wide open and the cold air does come through, but if you're COVID conscious, this is a good thing. Just make sure to bring a...