Old Street Food

I was expecting some pretty good food here given all the really good reviews.
But this is my honest opinion, maybe I am just not a fan of this food, or perhaps the chef was having an off day, or perhaps just overrated.
First of all apparently you have to be aggressive at the counter because I was the only one there and was totally ignored until I had to get her attention myself.
Secondly, they did not have 2 of the 4 things I tried to order (rice drink and fried squid), which is not a good sign for a place with only 10 or so items on the menu anyway.
The spicy rice cakes were simply disappointing. The cakes themselves were OK, but the sauce just tasted like a condensed tomato soup, with very little spice. Maybe that is the way it is supposed to be, but lacking in both spice and flavor in my opinion.
The kimbap bowl also disappointing. Absolutely nothing special, and again the meat was lacking in flavor. It was also a bit crumbly.
The food was not bad, but simply nothing to go out of your way for, and I’ve had much better with more depth in flavor in many other places.

Hidden within Zion — creatively nearby the meat section and vegetables — laid this little place.
Had to grab something quick before going to Zumba with Jocy! It turned out to be some beef kimbap. Simple and just delicious — for a price of $ 5.40. I was searching for a snack and the beef kimbap was perfect. Though I thought to myself, it probably has been there for a while, it tasted fresh like it was just made!
I gobbled up half of it before making sure I saved the other half for later. After zumba and heading home, I demolished the rest of it. Cannot wait to try the rest of the menu next time when I have more time!
Cash only!

Located inside Zion market. Excellent korean street food. Recommend the spicy rice cakes.

Exact Korean style street food. I love it! Food is so delicious and noodle is so good.

Reminded me of Korea haha. Very basic yet delicious and real Korean food run by a generous man! Very good prices for what you get. Definitely go check it out because it’s better than most places at convoy and definitely more worth.

I’ve been searching for a good ddeokbokki place for a long time & I found my spot! I absolutely love the ddeokbokki, very spicy which is what I have been searching for. The chef is really nice, he did ask many times to make sure if we wanted anything else but we were all good. I will always come back for more. I just wished he had his own shop outside of Zion so that possibly he could be open a little later the night.

This cute little stand is located inside the Zion Market on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. It’s basically in between the produce and meat department (facing meat dept). It offers korean street food and is ran by a cute couple.
The food is just comfort food and basic good. I like their fish cake soup, deep fried rice cakes and the glass noodles, rolled in seaweed and then dipped in tempura and fried. Great snack to have while you finish up your shopping. There are a few chairs and a bar you can sit at to enjoy the food and take a break from the shopping and shoppers.

Service is a bit slow due to only one worker taking orders and making the food. But it’s definitely worth the wait and time. The lady that helped us was very nice when it was our turn, and even ended up giving us more food than we ordered at a lower price than we ordered. The spicy rice cake was on point and the extra sauce from it tasted great with the fried squid. Overall the foood was great and we will definitely be coming back for more.

Definitely the best rice cakes I’ve tried so far in SD. And a decent portion was given when I ordered as a medium for only $ 5. The special rice cake is a bit pricier than I hope for, but the flavor is intense. The texture of it is much more chewy than regular rice cake, and its weird but you get used to it.
Also something weird, I ordered fish sticks (twice) and I thought it was a mistake that the first time I ordered it I got soup and a bunch of small pieces of fish cake in it, second time I got soup and a bunch of large fish cake pieces. I thought fish stick = fish on stick not soup. Can a korean/​specialist clarify this for me?

This little place in Zion market is soooo good. It’s run by one man (I believe) and he was very nice. The food was great and hit the spot. Its not very expensive either and the portions are good too. Its the perfect little snack place!

I’ve only gotten the ddukbokki, soondae, and odeng soup here and all three dishes have been delicious every time!
Out of the three dishes I definitely recommend getting the soondae or blood sausage. I grew up in Korea eating these blood sausages almost weekly and the ones that Old Street Food sells taste exactly like the ones I used to eat back in the day.
If you’re thinking about getting the ddukbokki or soondae from Zion, don’t get the one’s that they sell in the grocery store and definitely buy the ones from here!

Love this place! It’s located inside Zion! Not the food court but the actual market. So far I have tried the fish cake soup, spicy rice cake and spicy calamari with kimbap! I am impressed. Everything tastes so good that I have to come back the next day to get more. The owner is very nice and friendly. If you are in the area stop by and try it.

Love their food here! Cheap, savory, quick, and delicious! Reminds me of the actual street food i use to have in korea as a child. The owner is very friendly and kind every time. Definitely stop by when you are grocery shopping at zion market or pick up the $ 5 korean sushi for a quick fix.

We were sadly disappointed when we finally tried Old Street Food. We ordered the BiBimBap and the Buckwheat Noodles. We also ordered the Fried Seaweed Roll and the Beef Kimbap to go. The BiBimBap tasted pretty good but it came out served like fried rice instead of a rice bowl with meat and toppings. Also even though there was meat in the photo there was no meat that we could see or taste in the fried rice. I don’t know if they changed it but when I look at other photos it looked like nothing we were served.
The buckwheat noodles in the photo looked like it was supposed to be served in the usual broth of chicken or kelp/​anchovy but it came out in a super sour vinegar soup, something that tasted like Japanese Sunomono Salad sauce. The Seaweed Rolls tasted like the ones you can buy frozen and the Kimbap was okay, nothing to write home about.
I’m not Korean so maybe this type of old street flavor is just unfamiliar to me, but based on my own preferences I would not come back. I would have also preferred if the food served looked more like the photos displayed.

If you want a place with tasty kimbap and other Korean snack foods, this is the place! It’s tough finding a good kimbap place in San Diego (let alone really good Korean food). I like getting their bulgogi kimbap and the spicy squid (with the rolled just rice kimbaps on the side). Their kimbap is perfect for traveling or any on to the go events. Personally I like taking it home and eating my kimbap with spicy ramen. :)
The couple that works there are super sweet and friendly. They’re always welcoming and it’s awesome when they offer their delicious samples. I hope they stay for a very long time!

The menu has everything that I like. Wish I was hungry… but full. I will try this place. Looks yummy!
For now ordered fish cake kimbab $ 3.99

Very hard to make a full review because we got here at closing but i’ll try my hardest
(+1) Excellent rice cakes with spicy sauce (Tteokbokki). The sauce was thick and delicious and spicy. very spicy. Yummm!
(+1) Great kimbap!
(+1/​-​1) The stand was closing an hour early — with no signs or anything. We caught the guy as he was about to leave so he agreed to make both the kimbap and ttekbokki for us but said he didn’t have time for other dishes. Slightly disappointing.
(-1) For being cash only. Come on — plenty alternatives exist.

Great treat. Love everything about all the dishes they offer here. I came here right as they opened, so I chose what to eat not to be a pain in the ass. Went with the Old Street soup and spicy rice cakes.
The soup is pretty incredible. Seems like a basic soup but some special things going on with the basics. Old Street are noodle experts. My noodles were perfect. Kimchi is delightful. I’m not the biggest rice cake fan in the world, but the spicy sauce they serve it with is amazing. Great experience and can’t wait to get back for some squid and poke bowl. I snoozed on the rice juice and will be hitting that next. Very cool place with talented chefs that are friendly. Great value on great food, please tip generously.

I do have an adventurous palate, but some of this was just not my thing. I’m actually quite surprised at myself. There isn’t too much I don’t like in this great, big, wide foodie world, but I guess Korean street food is not it for me. Maybe I just ordered the wrong things? I went on recos from here, but… ugh.
I got the spicy rice cake.weird. I’m not even sure what those chewy hot dog shaped things were in it… rice cake? And the sauce was way too spicy for me and I just didn’t care for the flavor anyway. I’m pretty sure later on, this is what gave me a bad stomach ache and heartburn!
I also tried the 3 fish cake on a stick. I don’t understand the appeal of this at all. Floppy, mushy fish? It was pressed and formed into something else. Broth it was served in was ok.
I got the bulgogi kimbap and that was the only thing I thought was edible. It resembled a crab roll but with beef instead.
I brought all this home and my bf tried it all and didn’t care for any of it either.
Please don’t go by my review. Obviously others really like this place. I have never been a fan of kim chi, so maybe I’m just not a fan of Korean food. Sorrrreeeeee!!!

I love the bulgogi kimbap from Old Street Food. The sweetness from marinade and the pickled radish are perfectly balanced with the savoriness of the sesame oil. Fresh, flavorful, and filling. The tuna kimbap was good but not nearly as good as the bulgogi. Much better than the kimbap you can grab at the deli next to the meat counter.
Old Street Food faces the meat counter. Barstool seating is available if you want to dine there. Eating here is as close as you’re going to get in San Diego to eating at a Korean street stall. The ahjussi in charge is super friendly. People are passing by, shopping for groceries, asking how the ahjussi is doing, ordering at the register, and casting envious glances at you while you gobble up your treats. I find the whole experience rather charming.
The fish cakes and spicy rice cakes are good but my favorite is definitely the kimbap. Great neighborhood eatery that gets full marks from me.