Yes, it’s housed in a former garage — but don’t let looks fool you. Toyose is a destination for San Franciscans craving something spicy, and even more so if it’s late at night. This hidden-away restaurant has a well-established reputation for excellent kimchi pancakes, generous portions of fried rice, and spicy chicken wings. It’s a first come, first served seating situation, but if you need a fix there’s always the option for takeout, which the restaurant absolutely nails.

Widely regarded as one of the city’s best options for Korean barbecue, Han II Wan has been doing its thing in the Richmond District for years. It’s a causal, low-key place to get either an affordable lunch or a family-size dinner complete with soup, meat, seafood, noodles, and more.

Inner Sunset residents turn to this Irving Street corner restaurant for its solid and extensive selection of Korean food — everything from spicy seafood stew to kimchi pancakes. You’ll likely see lots of diners digging into some variety of bibimbap, with the crispy rice buried under beef, vegetables, seafood or a combo of all three.

Almost equal parts Korean dining hotspot and drinking den, this casual Marina-Cow Hollow restaurant begs diners to wash down platters of crispy fried chicken and bubbling hot pots with sweet soju or golden-amber rice wine. The standout dish is a plate of soy-cured shrimp served alongside a bowl of rice topped with a fried egg and curls of dried seaweed.

Bansang may be part of the Daeho empire, but this modern Korean restaurant feels and tastes entirely different. In a high-ceilinged space near Japantown, chefs Jin Lim and Ethan Mi offer diners a parade of small plates — each clearly rooted in Korean cuisine but transformed with a combo of attention to detail and luxe ingredients like uni and caviar. For example, take the restaurant’s galbi: a thick double-cut short rib so tender the meat nearly falls off the bone, served over a swipe of pine nut sauce.

This Tenderloin Korean restaurant is a verified neighborhood gem, serving some of the city’s crispiest Korean fried chicken plus standards like tteokbokki rice cakes and budae-jjigae.

From the owners of Kitchen Story and Sweet Maple, this Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant won’t win points for keeping things traditional but serves a blend of Korean and American plates for breakfast and brunch. Start your day with either eggs and bacon or something less common like braised short rib benedict.

Whether you get your fix at the Ferry Building farmers market or at the mid-Market storefront, Namu Stonepot promises a modern take on a Korean classic: rice bowls. The signature Namu Stonepot comes loaded with a rainbow of pickled vegetables, tofu, and kimchi over koshihikari rice. If you want something hearty try the gluten-free Mochiko Fried Chicken followed by a colorful boba tea.