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 tempting 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.

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.

Wife-and-husband team Hyunyoung and Junsoo Bae both worked at the French Laundry before striking out on their own to open Ssal, an elegant modern Korean restaurant in an unassuming storefront on Polk Street. Four years and one pandemic later, Ssal holds a single Michelin star and might be the best embodiment of California-Korean cooking in the Bay Area. In an austere space, the team fuses premium local ingredients including Wolfe Ranch Quail and Jimmy Nardello peppers into dishes that also leverage familiar Korean flavors such as injeolmi, earthy hand-pressed sesame oil, and red bean. Ssal also marks a fresh start for Junsoo, who left the French Laundry following an incident of alleged harassment that occurred when he worked at Gramercy Tavern in New York.

Michelin Guide-worthy 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.

Whether you get your fix at the Ferry Building farmers market on Saturdays or at the mid-Market storefront, Namu Stonepot promises a modern take on classic Korean 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.

At Los Angeles-based chef and restaurateur Chris Oh’s Inner Sunset restaurant Um.ma, you can still get some of San Francisco’s most famous fried chicken wings for takeout or to enjoy on the reservations-only back patio. If you dine on-site look forward to Um.ma’s handsome outdoor setup, which allows diners to stretch out under string lights while grilling Kurobuta pork belly and “LA-style galbi” on tabletop barbecues.

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.

Chefs Corey Lee of three-Michelin-starred Benu and Jeong-In Hwang lift the Korean barbecue experience to new heights at this popular modern, minimalist restaurant in the Mission. At the center of the menu lies a selection of meats — everything from galbi to center cut beef tongue — all of which get charred on the restaurant’s custom grill fueled by lychee wood. Just make sure to save room for the excellent options from the other sections of the menu including various styles of kimchi, buttery sweet corn on the cob, and stew laden with silky tofu.

This restaurant from Korean dining wiz Ina Jungin Lee isn’t hiding behind its name; instead, it’s exactly what it states: a place for bites and vibes. The newly reopened Korner Store is an excellent gathering spot for groups to enjoy classic Korean dishes made to pair with drinks — think corn smothered in cheese-pull-perfect mozzarella on a sizzling plate, boneless fried chicken, and tteokbokki rice cakes in gochujang. There are plenty of beers and soju cocktails to explore, but it’s also worth mentioning Korner serves Korean wine and makgeolli.