06/02/09

Best kept secret fo sho. My favortie restaurant in SF

by JustAlady6

The best burger in the city($12)!! Also try Kumamoto oysters, crudo, panko halibut with creamed leeks, Korean chili marinated pork ribs and shitake dumplings in dashi broth, just to name a few. Small share plates allow you to try 8-12 dishes for a table of four. Every dish was soooo delicious and creative. Extremely fresh ingredients. Seasonal menu that focuses on local and organic. Extensive premium sake selection. The executive chef owns the restaurant with his two brothers. Beautifully designed contemporary minamilist and great ambiance. The bathroom sink is rad! I hear they have tasty brunch on the weekends and late night/happy hour drinks and food wed-sat 11-1am. My new favorite place in SF!

• Pros: knowledgable servers, amazing food and memorable experience
• Cons: parking can be a drag but worth it. ride bike or cab it

03/21/09

Is that a burger on the menu?

by carolinekim79

Tasty but somewhat overpriced west meets east (yes, there's a burger on the menu) fusion out in the Inner Richmond. Sleek and modern decor is a bit of a surprise on this unassuming block on Balboa, and a mismatch with the clientele, both older (t65+) and younger (families with toddlers), even on a Friday night. Verdict: SF is still in need of a great Korean restaurant.

• Pros: Open kitchen design, decor
• Cons: Overpriced, poor table/seating layout

06/12/08

Avoid at all cost!!!

by Rodan77

I chose this place because it was on Dine About Town, boy did I made a bad decision.

I gave a one star review not because of the food but because I felt cheated and mis-informed by how they lured people in with Dine About Town and telling that between the two of you, you can only choose one dish per course.......if my partner didn't order a glass of wine I would of just walked out.

We end up no ordering from the pre-fix menu, we order from the regular menu here's what we order:

bi bim kooksoo salad: it was clearly the soba noodle was cooked ahead and OVER COOKED, the dressing was a water down Gochujang .

tombo tataki: This was probably the highlight of our dinner which is very sad cause it was still mediocre.

spicy pork ribs: there were FOUR ribs and it was extremely salty, I guess all the salt they didn't use on the other item they used it on this dish.

the burger: the only reason I made my partner order cause I knew everything will be small and this will probably filled him up. Nothing special and if I wanted a burger this would be the last place I would go for a burger.

I'm really sick and tired of all these restaurant serving small plates to share, I mean I like the concept of small plate and sharing what I don't care is paying full price for half of the food.

I mean it's very cleaver for all these restaurant charge the same price, with a lot smaller portion and blasting house music to make it seem trendy so pretentious yuppies will pay big bucks for VERY MEDIOCRE FOOD.

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Everything

04/30/08

Super-fresh and creative seafood

by mika68

Before you head to Namu for a creative dishes of super-fresh seafood, make a reservation. Though hostess is one of the most friendliest creatures in the world, she might not be able to accommodate you b/c this cute little restaurant has limited space. Nevertheless, go to Namu at least once and it will become a regular trip to Richmond.

• Pros: Food, service.
• Cons: Smallish place, but not really a con

04/15/08

Worst Korean/Japanese Food

by Weeatouttoomuch

Server was excellent, but the place was bad and overpriced. We have to go somewhere else afterward. Small plates and lots of fired food, not a heathy place to eat. And, don't seat by the windows, we have lots of thing flying at us and found a big spider by our table. Not real Korean or Japanese food.

• Pros: Easy Parking
• Cons: Overpriced and too much fried selections

03/28/08

SF's BEST KEPT SECRET

by wards705

Service, atmosphere, attention to detail... all incredible. But what makes me come back time and time again is the delicious food. Must haves: Miso Caesar, Kona Kampachi (sometimes on the menu), Daikon Medallions, Tempura, Broccolini, Kobe Skirt Steak...

• Pros: Food and service

02/13/08

Can't wait to go back...

by debchin

every small plate was exquisite...the four of us are still talking about Namu a week later and wish it was our neighborhood restaurant!!! Our waitress suggested choosing two plates per person but we ordered a couple extra because they sounded so good. Every selection was perfect...not only delicious but with great presentation. The four of us shared and there was plenty of food... think we had 10-11 plates in all, each different . Order whatever sounds good to you and try something new like I did...you won't be disappointed!

02/12/08

mediocre food for SF, good presentation, expenisve overall.... horrible parking

by Ebuda

I was expecting little more from this restaurant after reading the review. I was slightly dissapointed with the selection of the food and how small portions are. They recommand ordering two to three plates for each person with the average price being around ten dollars. That's expensive for a four small slices of a raw fish on a bed of thinly sliced vegitable rounds and a three pieces of ribs... Most of dishes were more like small appetizers with almost non existant fillers such as starches or vegitables. Taste was mediocre with somehwhat good presentation. Well... We had to order bowl of rice for each person yet nothing really matched with a plain rice. We paid over two hundred for three people and still felt incompete when we left the restaurant. This was our first time so I'll give them another try before I abandon the place.

01/08/08

Awesome Small Plates

by ljune

The food is so good here! I don't usually like small plates places cause you still feel hungry and the food usually isn't that good. The food here is worth it, everything has so much flavor! I loved the dumplings and the steak is great too!! The food comes out in a steady stream! Everyone is friendly! I'll be going back for sure!!

10/22/07

Food decent...but glass is half empty

by vand8erveen

I really wanted to like this restaurant and have given it several chances since it's in my neighboorhood, but after last night I wan't go back.. The food is creatively prepared and tasty, but the main problem is in the overall attitude of the establishment . There's a big screen that plays continuous graphic Ninja movies where heads are getting lopped off and hearts ripped out, but my wife and I could just turn away from that. One thing that's hard to turn away from is the lack of generousity and very measured way of portioning the food and drink...in other words, it's a lot of money for a little bit. I don't mind ordering more food since that seems to be the way of Namu, but I take issue when I pay full price for a glass of wine that's poured very skimpily as if the establishment is trying to get 6-7 glasses out of a bottle. Last night, when the same "half empty" scenario occured at my 2nd glass, I brought it up with my waitress and even offered to pay for a slight "top off" on the glass to make it look respectable. She had a pow wow with the manager and reported back that each glass was measured and she couldn't do anything about it. The bill came to $80.00 (and my wife wasn't drinking), and I had to ask myself, what kind of management would risk losing a customer so they could save a few cents? This restaurant might fare better in LA, but it's not a San Francisco neighborhood joint for sure. Places like Clement St. Bar and Grill have thrived for decades because they make a gallant effort to treat the customer with generousity and respect...and their food and service reflect that. The Richmond district deserves nothing less from a restaurant that attracts a fairly affluent clientele.

• Pros: Food is creative and tastey
• Cons: skimpy portions including wine glasses