K Banchan x Vons chicken — Restaurant in Oakland

I'm so thrilled this shop has finally opened! There is a diverse array of ready-made authentic banchan (Korean side dishes) to purchase for you to enjoy at home as well as a great selection of meals and drinks to enjoy at the shop or to-go.

With the banchan: Everything we have bought has been fresh and delicious, and clearly made with love. It was also very reasonably priced ($3.50 to $6/7 per depending on the type of banchan) cheaper and definitely better quality than the selection you would get at the Korean supermarket down the street. 3 to 5 kinds would be enough for at least 2 meals for 2 people along with rice and a meat. There was also a great selection of soups (deonjang jjigae, yukaejang) and pickled kimchi and radishes as well. You can also buy delicious grilled mackerals and bbqed meat entrees to take home as well.

(note: for those who may be familiar with joodooboo, these shops serve two very different kinds of banchan - joodooboo is much more of new Californian inspired banchan, this place is much more homey and authentic and tastes like what your Korean aunties who make at home and send back with you after a meal. They both serve their purposes and I will still frequent both.)

With the meals: we ordered a doshirak (lunchbox) and it was such a great deal for ~$15. We got a huge heaping of bbqed meats (enough for 2), rice, and several fresh banchans and japchae on the side. We also ordered the tteokboki and it was soooo delicious - I will definitely upgrade with the cheese next time.

Ambiance is super homey and cute with an adorable collection of teacups and plants on display. They also have a solid collection of teas to order and I cannot wait to see that part of the menu expand.

Finally, the Korean aunties who run this shop are the sweetest people ever and are incredibly warm, kind, and welcoming. You can tell that they are excited to be open for business and they put a lot of love and care into what they do. They are still getting up to speed on things so please be patient!

I'm excited to come back and expect we will be hitting up this place on a...

Holy moly. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever find S-tier banchan outside of Koreatown in LA or Korea. Yet here, in this unassuming strip mall off Telegraph across from MacArthur BART, K Banchan is bringing the goods. Simply put, this is some of the best banchan- easily beats the big supermarket options by a long shot.

The storefront is simple with a couple fridges stocked with a wide selection of banchan, kimchi, stews, and meats. The ajumma working the counter helped breakdown all the different options - from picked veggies, marinated seafoods, and some treats like egg omelette. I loved the mix of classic banchan and some inventive ones like the picked beet "kkakdugi" which we had as a side for dinner and OMG I want more. The roasted garlic is to die for. And as someone who doesn't dig the classic black bean banchan, this one might have made me into a convert.

The banchan flavor is incredibly balanced and the quality is ultra fresh. I literally don't think I've ever had such crisp banchan. The snap. The bright acidity in the pickled one. I mean chef's kiss.

All in all, we picked up 6 different banchan for a little over $30. They also offer sandwiches and doshirak lunch sets as well. If you eat in, they also offer a side of rice to have with your yummy banchan.

I will be returning regularly. The supermarket banchan options just don't cut it anymore when you have a dedicated fresh option...

Unacceptable Duplicate Charges

I recently dined at K Banchan and had a disappointing experience with their payment processing. I was charged multiple times for the same transaction, each for $39.69, which I only noticed when reviewing my bank statement. This is unacceptable, and I expect businesses to have proper payment systems in place to prevent such errors.

I have attempted to reach out to the restaurant for clarification, but I have yet to receive a response or resolution. Customers should not have to chase down refunds for charges they did not authorize. I urge management to address this issue and improve their billing practices to prevent this from happening to others.

I will be disputing these charges with my bank if this matter is not resolved promptly. I do not recommend this place until they fix their...