Han Oak Restaurant
Korean restaurant · Kerns ·
Upscale Korean spot with communal tables, tasting menus, and karaoke
Upscale Korean spot with communal tables, tasting menus, and karaoke
"Located literally next door to chef Peter Cho’s house, Han Oak feels truly homey and buzzy: part indoor, part outdoor, the restaurant nails homestyle Korean food with a seasonally changing set menu (currently $65) featuring dishes like dry-aged king salmon with citrus pepper soy and galbi-jjim sweet soy–braised short rib with squash and rice cakes. Kids can play in the courtyard on toy trucks and blocks, cocktails include a popular Mezcal-infused Smokescreen, and the recently refined wine program highlights Oregon producers." - Hannah Wallace
"Dining at Han Oak is meant to feel like a dinner party, and it truly does. But especially if your friends who host have a dining room somewhere between a large open kitchen and atrium and your friends have been given many accolades for their dinners, including being named one of the “the 40 most important restaurants of the decade” by Esquire. The preset menu begins with jipbap, an exploration of home-cooked Korean plates, often served family style, and is followed by a hearty entree selection and dessert. Vegan menus are available upon request. Beverages include soju, creative cocktails and mocktails, and natural wines. Spontaneous karaoke is known to occur as the night comes to a close." - Anastasia Sloan
"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