ILCHA
Korean restaurant · Union Street
2151 Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94123, USA
Highlights
Korean fried chicken, hot pots, soju, and raw marinated seafood
Korean fried chicken, hot pots, soju, and raw marinated seafood
"This Korean restaurant specializes in drinking snacks like chicken wings, bulgogi tater tots, and fried seaweed spring rolls—a.k.a. what you want to fill up on as a pregame warm-up to a night in the Marina. But Ilcha’s stylish, shareable plates don’t just involve a fryer. Bubbling hot pots are on most tables, filled with everything from tofu or ramen to kimchi and baked beans. Go for the bulgogi version, which is loaded with cabbage, rice cakes, mushrooms, and bouncy japchae. And the must-order soy-cured shrimp are a sweet and salty dream. Eating it all against all-white walls and a striking mural is a great way to feel chic before losing your dignity at some nearby bar." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong
"The Korean drinking snacks at Ilcha are the sustenance you need before hopping on the mechanical bull at Westwood down the street. And the space’s all-white walls and striking mural make for a pregame that’s a lot more chic than pizza on a friend’s rickety balcony. Order the fried seaweed spring rolls that are lightly battered perfection, and know that rolling up your sleeves to dig into soy-cured shrimp is a mandatory Ilcha activity. Also go for the bulgogi hot pot, which is loaded with cabbage, rice cakes, mushrooms, and bouncy japchae." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez
"There’s a boatload of Korean restaurant power in the city by the Bay. That goes for chef Kuumi Kim’s spot, right on the cusp of the Marina and Cow Hollow. Head here for makgeoli and fried chicken. There might be no better spot in the neighborhood for quashing drunchies." - Paolo Bicchieri
"If you want to get a real taste of what Korean drinking culture is like, Ilcha is your go-to spot in San Francisco. Co-owner and chef Kuumi Kim nails the concept with her tailored menu of “anju,” which in Korean means “food paired with drinks.” Order from their carefully curated list of Korean spirits and sojus, and follow it up with the umami-rich kim mari — fried seaweed spring rolls filled with glass noodles, gochujang sauce — and a platter of the ultra-crispy Korean fried chicken. If you’re lucky, you’ll also get to snag the ganjang saewoo and gyrean bap (soy-cured shrimp served alongside a bowl of rice topped with a fried egg and curls of dried seaweed) or the masterpiece that is ganjang gejang, the restaurant’s soy-marinated raw crab." - Lena Park
"Find this top-notch neighborhood Korean spot off Lombard, in a warm and casual space that formerly housed Nabe hot pot. Now owners Kummi Kim and Hilwin Wong have flipped the restaurant into a Korean dining and drinking den with a menu that spans both hot dog-filled hot pots and super-crunchy Korean fried chicken and don’t-miss soy-cured shrimp with egg yolk rice. The drink selection runs deep with a list of Korean soju and beers to explore." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff
