Sonamu Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in San Francisco

Food was good, portions were large (though rice servings were skimpy....had to order extra servings because regular servings were small...they use these tiny little stainless steel cups to portion rice).

Service was ridiculous. No hello, no smile, nothing pleasant or welcoming from the server at all. Not one word, just a menu dropped on the table. There were 8 of us.

We ordered, then the plates came.....plopped down on a pile at the end of the table for 8, along with a pile of napkins and chopsticks. My 11 yr old son had to set the table. Then the food came, also plopped down at the end of the table....nothing distributed evenly between the 8 people seated, everything placed in front of the two people at the end of the table. So we had to move the hot plates around so people at the other end of our dining group could get some food. NOT ONE SINGLE TIME did anyone come by to ask how the food was, ask if we needed anything, asked if we needed water...zero attention. We had to flag the server down to come over to ask for soy sauce and water. Then when the soy sauce came it was a stingy little half ounce in the bottom of a teacup.

We finished eating. Food was decent and generously portioned. We had a huge pile of dirty dishes piled up. We asked for a check. Zero effort was made to remove even one dirty dish. Then the check came...server tacked on 18% "service charge."

I laughed, called server over and asked what the hell the 18% was for? She said, "service, there were 8 people". I said forget it, we got no service. The kid set the table, not once did we get our water filled (or asked if we needed anything at any time throughout our meal...completely ignored). I pointed out that there was a huge pile of dishes on the table and not one had been removed. "We didn't get any service."

To her credit the server got a clue and removed the 18% tip. I gave her 10% tip and thought I was being overly generous. It wasn't the money, it was the principal. Why should you get a big tip for not doing your job? This could have been the worst service I've ever gotten in a restaurant. You get more service at Jack in the Box I think.

These people need to go to wait staff school or something. Completely clueless and lazy. Just ridiculous. Again, the worst service I've ever had in a restaurant in my life. Sad. And it's a shame. The...

Small and restaurant on Geary tucked next to the public lot. This restaurant took over the old, shuttered Turtle Tower. The wait staff here is super nice and on a Friday night there were about 3 back and forth along tables. It wasn’t super busy but in this area, that’s how it is. Ordered the seafood and scallion pancake, Duk Bokki (spicy rice cake tubes and fish cakes) and tried the kimchi godeungeo-jorim (braised Kim chi and mackerel). The food came with some banchaan which wasnt very flavorful. I think the kimchi was the best tasting side dish. The others needed something. Not sure what but most was lacking in flavor. The seafood pancake was a little too batter-y for our taste as well. Also there wasn’t much flavor to it so we had to use up the dipping sauce and sauces from other plates to help it a bit. The edge pieces were nice and crispy but we wished there could have been more flavor. That brings me to the spicy rice cakes. If you look at the photo compare it to other duk bokki you are used to having the chili flakes all over the plate are a turn off. The rice tube were nice and soft but I was eating a mouthful of chili flakes and the sauce that I usually enjoy with this plate wasn’t working out for me. The kimchi and mackerel bowl was tasty but be warned that if you have never had braised kim chi you may find this dish to be too salty for your taste. Also, one again heavy on chili flakes. I hope this restaurant makes it. Since it’s a small local spot, I’ll try again and order different items to see if the other items may be better. FWIW - Total bill for 2 was $100 (incl tip).

7/24 update - I went back for a group dinner and it was just ok. Ordered a large soldier stew which is a standard size at other places and not large at all but at least it was tasty. Tried the tripe and intestines which wasn’t bad but my table mates didn’t care for it. The kimchi fried rice wasn’t a good size for sharing so we had to order another. The bibimbap wasn’t a good value either so I’d skip that next time. Poor wait person was working solo in a full restaurant (which is a good sign for the business) and very overwhelmed. She did well considering the...

If you're searching for authentic Korean flavors, Sonamu is an absolute gem! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with warm hospitality and an inviting atmosphere that set the tone for an amazing meal.

We started with the tteok bokki, and it was everything I hoped for—perfectly chewy rice cakes in a rich, spicy sauce that had just the right kick. The sundubu beef tofu soup was another standout, served bubbling hot and packed with tender beef, silky tofu, and deep, savory flavor in every spoonful.

The banchan here deserves its own shout-out. Each little dish was fresh and delicious—my personal favorites were the broccoli, kimchi, sweet soy-glazed potatoes, and crisp cucumber slices. You can really taste the care that goes into preparing every bite.

A special thank you to April, our waitress, who provided exceptional service throughout our meal. She was friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our dining experience to the fullest.

Sonamu is now one of my top go-to spots for Korean comfort food. Can’t wait...