Moo Bong Ri — Restaurant in Oakland

If you're looking for a fantastic dining experience, this place is a must-visit! The food is exceptional, and the service is top-notch. I highly recommend trying the Bibim Cold Noodles, Rose Tteokbokki, and Bo Ssam. The portions are generous, so you’re definitely getting great value for your money. The best bang for your buck, some might say!

The Rose Tteokbokki, although listed as an appetizer, is hearty enough to serve 3-4 people. Its creamy, cheesy texture is incredibly satisfying, and the longer, thinner rice cakes make it a fun dish to eat. The addition of hot dogs and fish cakes adds a tasty protein boost. The the color is so mesmerizing...definitely need to put it on the gram.

The Bo Ssam is a standout, especially if you're a fan of pork belly like I am. The pork is perfectly braised, with a light, flavorful profile that pairs beautifully with the cabbage, ssamjang, kimchi, garlic, and jalapeños. The portion includes at least three generous strips of pork belly, making it an ideal choice for sharing with a group of 5-6 people.... or just for yourself!! (No judgement)

But the true star of the meal was the Bibim Naengmyeon. It’s been years since I had naengmyeon, and this dish did not disappoint. The noodles are accompanied by egg and vegetables, making it delicious rounded meal if eaten on its own. However, we enjoy it as a perfect additional entree to our meal. Don’t skip the mustard and vinegar that come with it either—they elevate the dish to another level. I’m already looking forward to trying their other naengmyeon varieties, particularly the acorn one! I've heard good things!

The ambiance of the restaurant is pleasant, and the clean bathrooms are definitely a plus (I could easily give 5 stars just for that!). Located in a nice neighborhood with great dessert options nearby, it’s a perfect spot for a meal. I also appreciate their thoughtful touch of shrink-wrapping leftovers to prevent spills—a detail I haven’t seen any where else.

Their hours are quite accommodating, staying open until 12 AM on weekends, making it an excellent choice if you’re coming from an event or club and need a hearty Korean meal to finish...

They are still serving up delicious food after all these years! I have been back countless times now and have ordered food through delivery during the strict COVID days in 2020. Their Gamjatang (pork bones with potatoes stew) is one of my favorite item to order on their menu. I love the taste of the sesame leaves and the rich pork bone broth flavored with sweetness from the napa cabbage. I also tried their dwaejiguk which is a pork jowl soup made with different cuts of pork ranging from pork belly to offals. Clean offal taste and the soup is thick and hearty. Adding in the salty shrimp and salt seasoning on the table make this soup so satisfying on a cold night.

The menu has changed from 2017 and they have added many more items now catering to the broader audiences. The Galbijjim is a generous serving of spicy braised beef short ribs that can fill 3 hungry stomaches. It's saucy with a good blend of sweet, savory, and spice. The beef flavor was nice and tender from slow cook and braise in the delicious sauce. Get it with the melted cheese on top! Their Rosé Tteokbokki noodles is one of my newest favorite on their menu. It's a special twist to the normal tteokbokki where they added bacon, sausage, cream, cheese..? to the dish to give it that nice creamy and smoky taste as another layer on top. Really delicious and I kept going back to this dish while I'm enjoying my meal.

Other favorite items from this place, their galbitang (super satisfying), spicy cabbage galbitang (a sweeter and soy bean version of galbitang), soondae (they have perfected this and you eat with the salt and shrimpies on the table), korean fried chicken (KFC), bossam (pork belly wraps), and jokbal (pig trotters). The Korean cuisine here is one of the more authentic taste to the ones I've had in Korea! Service is kind and they care about the quality of the food they serve. Support your local businesses!

(all attached pictures are...

I went to Moo Bong Ri with 3 other friends on the weekend. There were people waiting outside, but it only took us 15 minutes to get seated after joining their waitlist. Please note that they require the entire party to be present to be seated. The 4 of us got all the following items from their menu- Korean juice Korean fruit soda Chicken katsu Boneless soy garlic chicken (20 pcs.) Spicy short ribs with glass noodles

All their food items were on the sweeter end. Some more than the others, so we had a lot of leftover items. The korean juice was stairght up sugar water. You could barely taste any flavor. Boneless soy garlic chicken was also very sweet. We didn't taste any garlic, and the chicken wasn't crispy. The spicy short ribs were also sweet with just a tiny bit of heat even though we ordered the regular spicy level. The $70 spicy short ribs dish is marketed for 2 people, but it can easily feed at least 3 people. The glass noodles were not good at all. They were all clumped together, and their texture made it really hard to swallow them. The meat on the bone was not as tender because it was really hard to get it off the bone. My friend had to resort to using hands instead of chopsticks. The dish honestly felt like a rip-off because all the short rib pieces were mostly bone with barley any meat on it. The chicken katsu was nothing special either. The service was fine. The staff was attentive. It's a small restaurant, so it felt a bit noisy, especially because tables were not that far apart. There is a small parking lot outside the restaurant, but finding parking in that lot can be tough as that lot is shared by other shops in that small...