Soban Reviews
Submitted by Steven Kalczynski on 03/21/2022
Steven Kalczynski 3 stars rating.
Food excellent. Try the od and spicy pork dishes. Service can be spotty. One little old lady supporting a full restaurant.
Dokke Bi 2 stars rating.
The food isn't bad but it wasn't worth the price and all the hype. Side dishes were good and the servers were very attentive. The short rib was very average in taste for the hefty price tag. Spicy pork was neither spicy nor seasoned adequately. The grilled fish set was average in taste. Everything on their menu can be had for less in other K town restaurants and in fact I can probably make the same items just as good as home. For those who are new to Korean cuisine, this may be an experience but it would be an underwhelming experience for those familiar with Korean food.
Submitted by Dokke Bi on 07/24/2022
Daniel X 4 stars rating.
The raw crab tastes clean and like a jelly. Galbijjim is great but within our expectations. The seafood and tofu pancake is really good. Overall the food is decent but on the pricey side. Service can be a bit slow since essentially one owner runs the whole restaurant but she is very friendly.
Submitted by Daniel X on 07/09/2022
Kevin Loo 5 stars rating.
Small menu. Lots of side dishes. The taste is excellent. Each dish has a distinctive taste to the spiciness. The cod fish special is fresh and tender. Not cheap, but well worth it.
Submitted by Kevin Loo on 05/27/2022
Allan Deutsch 2 stars rating.
I was extremely disappointed in the food, given the hype around this place. The crab didn’t taste fresh at all, and was very bland. It’s hard to believe it’s the same dish as the marinated crab I’ve had in Seoul.
The spicy pork bulgogi was likewise extremely bland. The only redeeming item was the galbi jjim which was good but nothing noteworthy, especially with so many great options for it in ktown.
The staff were very friendly though, which was nice.
Submitted by Allan Deutsch on 05/21/2022
Garrett-Michael Lee 5 stars rating.
Amazing owner with great stories to share. Food was incredible. Street parking.
Submitted by Garrett-michael Lee on 05/03/2022
Minh Do 4 stars rating.
Braised cod, galbi jim was delicious. The raw crab for $61 wasn't worth it to me.
Submitted by Minh Do on 01/23/2022
XIAOHUI ZHANG 4 stars rating.
I didn’t wait too long to get a seat. The raw marinated crab is a bit below my expectation since it seems the crabs is not marinated for enough time. It’s a bit plain. After having it, I feel a bit irritated in my mouth.
Submitted by Xiaohui Zhang on 01/06/2022
Adam Plascencia 5 stars rating.
Absolutely love Soban. Hands down some of the best food I've had the pleasure of eating. This place has such a homely, yet high end feel to it. The mother-daughter duo who run the place give it that gusto that makes this place that much better of am experience. The cuisine is some of the best in the world. Can't get enough of the soy sauce marinated crab, spicy braised short rib, and the bountiful amounts of panchan. This place has my heart and stomach for life!!l
Submitted by Adam Plascencia on 07/16/2021
Claudia Choi 2 stars rating.
Soban is one of those places where you know they care about their food and their customers, so you want to love them. However, the quality of the food is not what it used to be. Either that, or simply put, inconsistent.
I ordered the raw crab marinated in soy sauce (간장게장), spicy black cod (은대구조림), and spicy cod soup (대구탕).
My dad and I were actually really looking forward to eating the ganjang gejang here. I remember really enjoying the food here during our visits in the past. However, this time, the ganjang gejang was incredibly disappointing. The raw soy crab did not taste fresh. If you are paying $43 for a dish, I think it’s reasonable to say that you’d at the very least, expect your food to taste fresh.
The daegutang was also pretty disappointing. The soup was tasteless. I understand if the soup is less salty to cater towards a certain customer base. (For example, some of my asian friends have complained about western food being too salty). However, the soup wasn’t spicy either, leaving it tasting like some watered down soup. The server did bring us more salt to season, when requested but it didn’t help save the dish altogether. Though, at least we tried.
The saving grace was the eun daegu jorim (and the side dishes). However, you don’t really go to a restaurant and pay for mains just for good appetizers. The eun daegu jorim was well seasoned and the fish was quite well cooked. However, if you are paying $43 for a dish, you kind of expect to get your money’s worth.
The service was slow but that’s kind of understandable, since there was only one server attending to the customers. I truly sympathize with restaurants that are trying to make meets end during this pandemic.
However, the food in itself was quite underwhelming.
Submitted by Claudia Choi on 06/07/2021
