King Charcoal Barbeque House

this is one of the worst korean places in the city. always get dragged here at both random and normal hours.
1. service is awful — messed up our order a couple times and brought the wrong dish. only 1 person was working there.
2. food portions are dissappointing esp for a korean joint. only a few pieces of bul gogi
3. overpriced. go to brothers instead.

Terrible. Rice tasted very watery. Tasted like old rice that was reheated by adding water to it. I think the only reason why this place gets good reviews is because it opens late and 80% of the people there are drunk. Drunk Unilocaling is not good, so don’t drink and Unilocal.
The side dishes were average and they rarely refill them nor the water.
Bulgogi
Kal bi jin
jap chea
spicy soup with shredded beef
complimentary spicy tofu soup
I didn’t order this but 14.99 for fried chicken wings? You kidding me?
They don’t even give you those small bowls of sweet rice dessert anymore. They have lost their passion to make good food here and to take care of their customers. Very sad to see. I love Korean food but just not here.
total was 64.99

Yummy.
Good food. Good sides. Decent service.
Warning: Smell like BBQ when ya leave!
Enjoy.

Good place to go for some average-​priced korean food. My boyfriend and I both had dolsot bimbimbap (rice and veggies in the hot stoneware) and they gave us a complimentary small serving of spicy tofu soup (soondooboo). The place was pretty empty on a saturday night at 10pm, so service was quick and friendly. The waitress refilled our banchan (small side dishes) right away. The lighting was really low (they used one tea candle to light each table) and décor isn’t great, but not a bad place to eat. Open till 4am for those craving late night korean food.

kings charcoal bbq is a great unknown korean bbq place, the food is pretty good & authentic. the menu is pretty vast in comparison to most korean restaurants in the city. there are plenty of unique dishes & dishes i have only had in korea. the prices are reasonable & comparable to most korean bbq places in the city & around the local area. the accompanying side dishes are plentiful & they offer a large variety. the meats (kalbi, bulgogi & sam yup sal) are always deliciously marinated & great. there is complementary spicy tofu soup (tubu chigae) & citrus dessert with your dinner.
its a great place to go if you are craving authentic korean bbq & food.
not as smokey as most of the korean bbq places in town. usually, not over crowded & easy to find a table. private room available for larger parties. you can carry on a conversation here w/​o yelling across the table. the place closes pretty late for the late night midnight snack folks.
the cons are the place is a hole in the wall. the service is decent. there is not much in décor or ambiance but you are after authentic korean food so does it really matter. the parking in the area is pretty horrible & difficult at best.

this is the place for a casual korean lunch or a small simple korean dinner with few friends… nothing fancy dancy here… but it’s just all around decent korean food… meats, soups and stews galore here…
friends come here for the kalbi-jjim…braised meaty short ribs… almost stewed for hours with potatoes, carrots, etc… it’s little sweeter than i would prefer, but this is not something typically seen on korean restaurant menus… it’s usually more of a korean banquet dinner food…

This place tends to get packed on weekends after 2am because that’s when people tend to arrive after the clubs/​bars close at 2. It’s a great late night option because they close at 4am, so you guys don’t need to resort to Denny’s. Been going there so many times the past few years that the waiter knows us pretty well, I’d say. Food is decent [doesn’t compare to LA’s korean food though] but unfortunately they stopped serving their special steamed seabass – that was the BEST dish ever.

I ate here for the first time tonight because the line at My Tofu House was too long. From the moment you walk in you can feel the love. That is, if you love the smell of Korean food. Fortunately I do. The place is nothing to look at, but the service was quick for a Friday night. We had Kimchi Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap and Kimchi Jigae. The rice was too watery, but the bowl was hotter than usual, so the rice in the Bi Bim Bap crispified in no time. The Kimchi was extra sour, which I am told is good for cooking with. The jigae was quite spicy, but made with what seemed like packaged tofu, not homemade like some restaurants. Basic selections of Panchan. Also, they had a fairly complete menu compared to most Korean restaurants I’ve been to in SF, so maybe worth checking out if you are looking for that rare dish. Overall, not too bad as a backup but not a place you need to drag your friends to. I will go back when… the line is too long at all the other Korean restaurants on Geary.

If you’re tired of late night Mels, try Kings for good late night Korean food. Just look for the yellow sign on the left side of Geary as you come out of the tunnel. Kings opens late… later than Osha…4 AM. Come on the weekends in the wee hours, and it’s often packed with Asians who just finished a night of clubbing at an Element party. Service is very friendly, but not always prompt – but then if you had to serve a bunch of drunks, would you be eager to serve? The standard fare (jap chae, bulgogi, bi bim bop) is good, but nothing extraordinary. The one dish that makes Kings the place to go is the #10…kalbi jjim (i think)…short ribs but in a stew, not bbqed… the sauce is tasty and the veggies thrown in there are very flavorful.