Han Oak Restaurant
Korean restaurant · Kerns
511 NE 24th Ave, Portland, OR 97232
Highlights
Korean food with creative gimbap, hot pot & karaoke
Korean food with creative gimbap, hot pot & karaoke
"Throughout the pandemic, Han Oak has metamorphosed, offering takeout meals, hosting pop-ups and brunches, and eventually settling into seasonal tasting menu service in its hidden gem of a restaurant. Behind a barely marked turquoise door, a courtyard reminiscent of a friend’s lawn opens onto a warm, bustling space, where servers drop glasses of Portuguese orange wine and Korean lemon-lime soda at tables. Currently, Han Oak is throwing its “gimbap party,” in which a parade of banchan and corned beef soo yook open for a build-your-own rice wrap smorgasbord, with fillings like koji-cured coppa, crispy fried soft-shell crab, and an array of pickles and ferments. The energy is far from formal here; if you get a reservation late enough, an impromptu karaoke party may begin. The full meal starts at $65; reservations are available via Resy." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"Chef and owner Peter Cho’s semi-hidden Korean restaurant has gone through several different iterations in its time open, but now, the restaurant is offering what it calls its “gimbap party”: Tables fill with platters of rotating proteins — bulgogi, fried soft-shell crabs, koji-cured coppa — and various vehicles and accoutrements. The constant ia array of tasty banchan to start, including Cho’s mother’s kimchi. If you arrive on the right day, you may end up in the middle of an impromptu karaoke night." - Rebecca Roland
"It always feels like a party within Han Oak, the cool Kerns restaurant hidden behind a seafoam green door — some days, groups of friends may be singing karaoke in the main dining room; on others, chef Peter Cho may be snapping open beer cans with a dish rag. The meals here are meant to be communal and convivial: Currently, Han Oak is in its gimbap party era, in which guests wrap bulgogi, koji-cured coppa, and seared albacore in nori and rice, with an alarmingly extensive selection of kimchi, pickles, and other accompaniments. It’s always a blast, and exudes celebration without feeling pretentious." - Michelle Lopez
"It always feels like a party within Han Oak, the cool Kerns restaurant hidden behind a seafoam green door — some days, groups of friends may be singing karaoke in the main dining room; on others, chef Peter Cho may be snapping open beer cans with a dish rag. The meals here are meant to be communal and convivial: Currently, Han Oak is in its gimbap party era, in which guests wrap bulgogi, koji-cured coppa, and seared albacore in nori and rice, with an alarmingly extensive selection of kimchi, pickles, and other accompaniments. It’s always a blast, and exudes celebration without feeling pretentious." - Michelle Lopez, Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"Han Oak is profiled in the new cookbook Koreaworld." - Janey Wong
