Matko

Incredible flavor and fresh ingredients, love Mario’s food, always hold the highest standards. Service is above and beyond, will keep coming back.

Great place to take out lunch!! Food is delicious and nice size. Gracious volume of meat!

Ordered spicy pork belly, it is just pork, not pork belly as it has no fat and it’s just average for me. They use takeout containers only which is really bad for the environment. I won’t be back.

I recently revisited Valencia Street after a few years and decided to try out a new restaurant. I was impressed by the excellent customer service. I visited on Sunday, May 19, 2024, after 5 PM. The restaurant was pleasantly quiet, which was perfect since I have a toddler who likes to run around. Although it wasn't my first time eating Korean food, the meal was outstanding. I had the Spicy Pork Bowl, and it was absolutely delicious. If you enjoy spicy food, I highly recommend it! we will be back :)

A great Korean family owned restaurant. If you are craving for Korean food... this is the place. Make your own bowl, Chipotle style .. and they also offer family style which serves 2-3 per order. Their banchan (side dish) are all home made .. even their teriyaki sauce. I was born and raised in Korea so I have a high bar when it comes to korean food.. but this place is the place where I can get home-made, comfort food craving fixed in SF.

One of my favorite go-to places for work lunch. Food is authentic, with wide range of simple but healthy and tasty choices. Quick and friendly service, too.

The food’s always amazing here! My cravings are satisfied. The staff is also very friendly and accommodating.

I had the most wonderful hangover soup here, it was full of flavor and clearly love! I will be coming back anytime i am in the area!

Absolutely terrific! Tasty little bowls that are customizable with fresh ingredients, well crafted and thoughtfully made. I got the spicy Bulgogi with half purple rice/half Japchae and all the fixings. Great service, with a cute little outdoor eating area on Valencia. One of those times where the food matches the ambience of the street life perfectly. If you're the mission and interested in something that isn't a burrito, I highly recommend this comfort food (can it be "comfort food", if I didn't grow up eating it? I don't care. It feels like love).

A great spot for quick Korean food. Feels like many Korean food options are far from Mid Market/Civic Center so I'm glad there's one around! The beef bulgogi bowl was delicious. The meat was cooked well and thin strips. However, it wasn't that flavorful by itself. But if you get the gochujang sauce, it adds a large dimension of sweet, savory, and spicy flavor. Definitely will be getting again when I need more Korean food fix. Comes with cucumber, corn, and pickled radish for free sides. Quick service for lunch on a Friday and there's lots of seating in the Market area.

Matko serves Korean lunch bowls which are quite delicious! First you would choose your protein, we opted for the beef bulgogi and the spicy chicken. Second, you would choose your base. I chose half rice and half japchae and my hubby got all rice. Third, you choose any add ons. I ordered the kimchi with the gochujang (medium spicy sauce). I would say the meats are good quality especially the bulgogi was mild and when dipped in the sauce gave so much flavor! The purple rice was soft, warm, loved the side of corn, radish and cucumbers. Not fatty pieces on the meat. Nothing was soggy or oily. Overall, a solid place to have lunch and I would be back!

One of the few eateries left within The Market and it's pretty good. I've been back several times during lunch for the soft tofu kimchi bowl and change up the base and sides. The kimchi sauce is mild but sometimes, mild is what the day, and my tummy, calls for. I'll have to come back and try the meat bowls. Ordering is self-service, then the friendly staff assemble your order, and call your name when it's ready. Plenty of tables and chairs within The Market to sit down and enjoy your meal.

I had no intentions of eating out for lunch today but I ended up walking to the Market - looking around and ventured over to Matko to check out their menu. First, the two ladies working there were so friendly and made me feel welcomed; they even offered to give me some samples to try. I've had their beef hangover soup which is tasty but the soft tofu soup grabbed my attention. Let me tell you the soft tofu soup was absolutely delicious. The soup's vibrant red color would make you think it's super spicy, but it's not. I love tofu and kimchi so having it in the soup together was a match made in heaven. One of the ladies suggested eating the soup with rice and so I got a side order of purple rice, and she was right, it was absolutely delicious. I don't believe I've eaten purple rice before but I will surely order it every time I see it now. The rice was so flavorful- eating it by itself was good but preparing it with the soup really kicked it up a notch.

Last week I was walking down Valencia on the way to order food elsewhere, but stopped because Matko's menu looked intriguing -- and was so glad I did! Ordered a savory chicken bowl to go, with a base of half spinach, half jap chae; plus three of the small add-on sides (fish cake, kimchi, seaweed). Service was prompt and friendly, and the balance of flavors in the food absolutely hit the spot on a chilly night -- will definitely go back!

I ordered the Hangover Soup, Haejangguk (16oz) thru Uber Eats for pick up. For just under $10 after tax this is such a steal these days. I ordered it for 5:45pm on a weekday for pick up and I'm not sure if it's because it's near the end of the day and not many bought the soup but my soup had a ton of beef in it. The broth had a bit of a kick to it and it was so beefy and hearty too. I wish I had some steam rice to eat it with. I would order it again especially during the colder season.

A great vendor inside of The Market and a very convenient bowl lunch near my job. The bulgogi with purple rice and banchan was not only delicious, but was served a generous portion. The staff only greets you, but nothing more beyond that. It was semi-busy during the lunch hour, which was expected. Since this is located within the market there is a bustling ambiance, but that does not interfere with the quality or portion of the food. The price is average for the City, depending on your appetite, there can be leftovers for snack

What a gem! This place is located inside Whole Foods - esque market called The Market. It's on your left in the back when you walk in. There's ample seating inside and outside of the food court - quite spacious. I went here for a late lunch, not expecting much. Either I was really hungry, or this place is amazing! base: I chose purple rice and japchae. Banchan: pickled radish, kimchi, fish cake and cucumber. Toppings: sesame seeds, scallions and crisps onions (all!!) Special sauce: magic aioli I'm writing this down so I can remember to get this same order again - this does not taste like food court food!! The portion is BIG. Just drooling looking at my picture again. I really recommend if you're in the area!

Way better than the Matko I tried at 1 Market Street, right around it's first opening. Seems like they've had some time to improve their meat cooking techniques and textures. If you ask for the family size portions, you can get containers of just meat for only a little more than the mixed bowl. Totally worth it! Beef Bulgogi: Pretty solid for a grab-and-go counter. Full of marinated flavor. Thinly sliced with good bits of fat strands to enhance the flavor of the meat. Doesn't have the nice char you'd get from doing KBBQ at your own table, but still flavorful enough. Spicy Pork Belly: Wow, really really rich. Tasted like there was a ton of gochujang in this, in addition to other spices, so very intense. A little bit of a spicy tang by lunch counter standards, but not anything like the spicy level when you ask for spicy at a Korean restaurant. The slices of meat were very thin, like bacon slabs, not like thick Chinese or Filipino pork belly chunks. Japchae: A more exciting carb than rice. Slimy noodles with a little bit of sauce flavoring. Goes great with the intensely seasoned meats though.

food - alot better than I expected. the beef bulgogi was the perfect sweetness and not too overwhelming. the beef was soft and easily breaks apart and thin (I thogujt it was be thick and chewy and dry). the kimchi tofu is soft tofu (my fave, I hate hard tofu) w kimchi like juices and sauce and it was super good flavor. the kimchi overall was good and not super spicy but still had flavor. everything went well w the purple rice and spinach price - it was like $16 ish? idk I ordered it for lunch at work

** The following review reflects my takeout experience DURING the shelter-in-place order currently in effect. ** Oh yeah, I've been to the other Matko at One Market Plaza, and actually I didn't even notice they had an operation in The Market on Market. It's part of that crowded bar island next to the Slice House, so if your nose veers toward pizza ovens versus Dutch ovens, you may not notice them either. There's quite the collection of green and orange Creuset pots on the counter each of them containing a warmed component of a customized build-a-bowl creation. Just call it a Korean-style Chipotle. The menu of selections was pretty extensive and requires studying if you've never tried it before. For the reasonable price of $11.95, you get a base, a protein, four banchan accompaniments, and up to three toppings. Yep, that's one hearty bowl. Since I've been getting predictable choosing mixed greens over purple rice, I went for Japchae Noodles instead as my base because the sweet potato chewiness sounded appealing to me. For my base, I went for the mild Savory Chicken since it was dark meat made even more moist by soy sauce. The banchan choices were easy for me: pickled radish, seasoned cucumber, sweet corn, and fresh kimchi. And of course, I ordered all three toppings: sesame seeds, chopped scallions, and crispy onion. When I brought the creation home, it was quite a tasty combination of flavors and textures from crunchy fresh to marinated supple (photo: https://bit.ly/2VK09LE). I kicked it up a notch with wasabi sauce because that's what shelter-in-place is all about - setting my tongue aflame in the privacy of my own home. FOOD - 4 stars...really hearty bowl of Korean-style goodness AMBIANCE - 3 stars...my experience was takeout, otherwise rather crowded in here SERVICE - 4.5 stars...quietly efficient, meticulous in presentation, and generous in portion TOTAL - 4 stars...who needs Chipotle? RELATED - In the mood for Korean? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2vxIt8t

I ordered the Beef Bulgogi. The beef was tender and trimmed, which I really appreciated. The other items that came with it were fresh and delicious.

Huge portion size and flavorful bowls packed with noodles, veggies and meat. My favorite is the glass noodles with pork belly, kimchi and crispy onions/garlic on top!

3/3/20 UPDATE: I've returned three more times since their soft opening and I'm really disappointed that the portions have decreased with each subsequent visit. Today, my Dosirak with 1/2 rice, 1/2 salad had a one fistful of greens and about 2-3 ounces of purple rice. And, the protein and banchan was half the portion than my first visit. I don't know if they're trying to ration since their food is cooked at a commissary kitchen or if it's a training issue but I hope they work on being more consistent because I'm still hungry after eating my Dosirak today. =X ******************************************************************************* 4.5 STARS They say, "To Save Money, Never Shop When You're Hungry". Truth. Especially at The Market in the Twitter Building. It's double paycheck compared to Whole Foods (i.e. $11 for 8 oz of pre-packed asparagus?!) but hey, sometimes convenience wins when you need a healthy snack. I was shopping for bananas at The Market this morning when I saw "Secret Open" Sign for Matko at the cheese counter across from Slice House. I saw Spicy Pork Belly on the menu... *STOMACH GROWLS* So, I returned for lunch. No wonder I'm broque. Matko is a fast-casual eatery serving BYO Dosirak Korean lunch box (similar to HoM Korean Kitchen). This is Matko's second SF location. For your Dosirak, choose the following: https://bit.ly/2txHSq8 (1) Base: Purple Rice (Japgokbap), Sweet Potato Noodles (Japchae) or Mixed Greens; (2) Protein/Entrée: Bulgogi (+$1), Spicy Pork Belly, Seoul Pork, Savory Chicken, Flaming Chicken, Tofu Kimchi, or Mushrooms; (3) Banchan (choose 4): Pickled Radish, Kimchi, Cucumber, Sweet Corn, Fish Cake, Seaweed, etc; and (4) Toppings: Sesame Seeds, Scallions, and Crispy Onions. **Sauce (+$1): Gochujang (spicy), Pineapple Teriyaki, Gochujang Aioli, Ssamjang (fermented soybean paste). PRICE: 1-item entrée - $10.95 or 2-item entrée - $12.95. For the soft opening this week, it's 15% off so I ordered the 2 Item Entrée ($12.95) w/ Spicy Pork + Bulgogi (+$1), 1/2 purple rice, 1/2 salad, pickled radish, kimchi, cucumber, fish cake, sesame seeds, scallions, and crispy onions: https://bit.ly/3bbS4FL. For fast-casual Korean fare, the Dosirak was tasty, healthy, and filling. The purple rice was nutty and the mixed greens were fresh. Of the two proteins, I liked the pork belly a lot more because it was more flavorful with a good kick (the bulgogi tastes boiled but it's not). The banchans were surprisingly solid especially the kimchi (good pickled flavor and heat) and fish cakes. The pickled radish needs more acid. With the soft opening discount, it was a great value for the amount of food I received. I have enough food for two small meals. Service was very friendly. They're new and working out their kinks but their goal is to build your meal in less than 60 seconds. Open seating in The Market, café area, and outdoor patio area. Overall, I enjoyed my Dosirak. If you're in a time crunch and can't travel far for Korean food on your break, Matko is a good option. It's just one of the many new food vendors that's starting to pop up inside The Market which is great for those of us who work in the area!

Best new place in the Market!! I was there for their secret soft opening (15% off, yay!) and everything was delicious and super affordable. I ordered a 2 protein bowl with savory chicken and spicy pork belly. In hindsight I wish I tried the beef, but there's always next time! For my base, I ordered half purple rice and half japchae. I loved both of them and will probably get the same next time. For the banchan, you can't go wrong with any of them! I got the kimchi, seaweed salad, fishcake (so glad they have this) and sweet corn. The bowl was so big that I was able to save half for the next day's lunch! Super worth it and under $15. I can't wait to come back!

A little on the expensive side for takeout, but hey it's SF! I usually get the tofu kimchi bowl with noodles and it hits every time. Deliciously spicy, flavorful, and a good portion size. One of my go to options for work lunch.

I got the soft tofu/half brown rice/half japchae. It was amazing! This is the perfect lunch spot during a work day. - usually I only see soft tofu in stews, so it was really nice having it in rice bowl form - sooo many different toppings (corn, kimchi, cucumbers, etc.) which was awesome - perfect balance of all textures: cucumber crunch, chewy japchae, soft tofu, etc. - having gochujang aioli is always a plus, but for one of the first times I felt like I didn't need it since the food was already so flavorful - generous portions enough for 1.5 meals - fast chipotle-style service

** VEGAN REVIEW** Inside the market on market. If you love soft tofu soup, come here!!! Here's what I got: 1) soft tofu kimchi - not super spicy, greatly paired with all the cucumbers, seaweed, and radish Seating: inside the market and outside on the patio Parking: don't try, just walk honestly Restrooms: they're located by the security desk parallel to the market. You have to ask them for a key.

I've been going to Matko since their soft opening. And it's the japchae that's got me hooked! I love japchae noodles, and I used to only get whenever I happened to be in the mall. And they were okay. But Matko's japchae noodles are more flavorful imo. When I first ordered from Matko, I got their spicy chicken with japchae noodles, cucumber, fish cake, corn, and seaweed. It was delicious! I loved all the flavors of each component. I really like that they offer fish cake, and seaweed at no extra cost. I've noticed some Asian cuisine places charge extra for seaweed salad. Not at Matko. And the chicken was spicy, (and I usually get medium spice for Nashville hot chicken in comparison), so I enjoyed it. The last couple of times I've been getting their savory chicken, and it really is savory. I think they use dark meat, so that plus the marinade they use keeps the chicken moist. I got their pineapple teriyaki sauce one time, which was good, but a little salty. I actually ended up using it to marinade raw chicken that I pan fried, and it was really good! This time I ordered gojuchang sauce, and I'm gonna use it for breaded cauliflower. Can't wait! The pandemic has forced Matko to use online ordering, which is convenient if you want to get in/out of the building. I ordered online, and the estimated time was 5 minutes, during the lunch hour. So it's extremely convenient for me since I work nearby. For a long time, I never really was into Korean food. Even Korean bbq. I know. Crazy! But now that I'm getting good Korean food, like from Matko, I crave certain Korean dishes now. I'm still not a fan of kimchi, though I'm not a fan of anything pickled or fermented anyway. My palate hasn't gone up to that level of sophistication yet.

Korean fast casual. It's a little pricy but they do really load up your bowl. The bulgogi was decent but unsurprisingly not as good as it would be at a proper sit down place. This place is going for quick workday lunch and more less nails that mission.

Located inside the Twitter building inside The Market. Gotta get lucky with street parking. I got beef Bulgogi Beef with Purple Rice, kimchi, Seaweed Salad, fish cake, corn, and magic aioli. Loved all the sides and the rice was nice and hot. The bulgogi was kinda dry so pairing it with the magic aioli brought more flavor to it. Also got Spicy Pork Belly with Seaweed Salad, fish cake, japchae noodles, corn, pickled radish. All the sides were good again and I like the pork belly more. It had fattiness to it but wasn't really spicy. Service was really quick. Overall I can see this being the preferred lunch option for those who work in downtown San Francisco :)

Fast, simple, and solid korean doshirak (lunchbox) food. I find a lot of korean restaurants cater to the palates of non-Koreans. In this case I was pleasantly surprised. Flavor was on the money. Price point was good as well. Today I had purple rice, spicy pork belly, pickled radish, kimchi, seaweed salad, and fish cake. Will try other combos in the future.... Till then, munch on!!!

Food was delicious and service was top notch! Cori was so friendly and she served a hefty portion, my box was so heavy and full of yummy food :) Matko is a great quick lunch spot and I would highly recommend!

Located inside the One Market food court. Matko is a reliable, Chipotle style korean take out food counter that offers relatively authentic meals. There are several different bases (rices and greens) and approximately six proteins and various toppings. You can also choose from the menu. The combinations means that you have plenty to try before you get tired of it. The glass noodles are delicious and the beef topping is really good too. Mealpal is available here and the portions are pretty decent for being Mealpal.

Restaurant is gone from the Twitter Marketplace, at least as of June 2022 when I last checked. Bummer....this was part of my usual lunch rotation. There aren't enough quick meals, and especially delicious rice bowl based lunches in the area.

Surprisingly very good. And I say surprisingly because I love Korean food and finding it in a fancy market usually isn't where you find good Korean food. The flavors were authentic, the ingredients were all authentic, and they even had purple rice! I ordered the pork belly and bulgogi bowl. I ordered a chicken sandwich from Hot Bird nearby and realized that it would take almost half an hour to be ready. Since I was hangry, I went ahead and got a bowl from Matko since it is basically a hot table of food and mostly everything was already prepared. Despite that, everything still tasted fresh and hot.

Fresh, tasty Korean food! I love how customizable everything is. Get a bowl with your choice of greens, rice, japchae noodles or...if you can't decide...they let you do a combo (my personal favorite so I still feel healthy getting my greens in!). Chicken is super juicy and flavorful, and there are lots of toppings to choose from. What's really cool about this place is you can order an individual plate, but the real deal is ordering family size portions! If you have a group (or want tons of leftovers) then this is a solid deal. One word of warning: true to its name, the Flaming Chicken is DEFINITELY SPICY!!

I stopped in for lunch at Matko today. It was a busy Friday at noon. There was a bit of a line but it went so fast. I got the plate with half purple rice, half salad with spicy chicken, kimchi, pickled radish, cucumber and fish cakes. Everything tasted very fresh, which was awesome. My friend got the same but with pork belly. The pork belly was great! So tasty! I was pleased with how flavorful everything was and how quick the service was. I definitely recommend this for a quick lunch or take out (lunch or dinner).

Got the spicy pork belly for lunch today and I will be eating it tomorrow as well as there was plenty of food! Not to spicy for my palate and very tasty. I loved the glass noodles and they cucumbers, radishes and sweet corn I got. A+

Went to Matko for lunch on a Friday, and it was delicious! You can tell that it is really popular, but the service is so efficient and fast that you are eating in no time at all! I got the spicy pork belly as my protein, and it was amazing! There were so many flavors, and I can't wait to go back. I was hesitant to get the fish cakes as one of my banchan items, but it was recommend and I loved it! The location is also really close to Civic Center Bart and a lot of the theaters, so it is a great place to grab a quick bite during a work day, after the gym, during intermission at a play, or really whenever! I will be coming back!

Hangover soup, is fantastic! Soup contaons pieces of beef stew meat with kimich cabbage..a bit of heat. 90% of the time, I order 1 or 2 with my beef bubgoi over jap chae. He soup would be during thw winter season or for breakfast.

I came here during the soft opening (twice) towards the beginning of February and the food and service was great. The staff was super nice and helpful and the food was really good for a pickup place in the Market. I came back today on February 19th and wow, completely different experience. There was different staff today (maybe last time it was the owners), and it was just crazy how different it was. Few things: 1) They ran out of rice. How does a place run completely out of their main base? I get it if they have a set amount and they can't make more, but they have two big rice cookers and I saw that they had just started cooking more. 2) The staff was super slow. There was only one other person besides me waiting for their food, and I somehow ended up waiting 5 minutes. I literally watched them fumble around not know where anything was and stop in the middle of scooping my / the other guy's food to do something else. 3) They forgot my extra protein ($2 more). I mentioned it when she brought out the food, and she was just like oh oops, and barely added any. It said it right there on the ticket, but I guess she didn't bother to look. She was also the one who just rang me up.. All in all, the food is good, but for whatever reason there's a huge gap in the service depending on who's working that day. The people that were there during the soft opening were great, but the other staff definitely needs to be trained more. I would look out and make sure they don't mess up your order.

Had a tasty tofu dish over purple rice. (2 weeks ago when it opened, I noticed this new korean eatery, and I talked to the owner lady. Today i wanted a quick bite, so i went and said I spoke to a lady weeks ago, and she said she was the only person.) I ordered the Soon Du Bu (Tofu) protein. Wish it was Temperature Hot, but was lukewarm which is ok; wish more tofu was provided. Also, the lady was very friendly, and gave couple of spicy chicken samples on request. Good portions of 4 Side dishes were tasty; since they're so good, next time I'll ask more portions. It's a new place; in time, things will get better i think.

Incredible and authentic Korean food. Each protein item has perfectly balanced flavor. Awesome service and generous portion. The homemade ginger tea is a must. It's normally a line wrapped around the cheese station at The Market, it's totally worth the wait and nice to glance and learn about the cheese selection as well. Overall - consistent excellence!!!

Incredible flavors. Feels nice and clean and unlike the typical greasy Asian flavors. The kimchi tofu is a MUST. Melts in your mouth and a big punch of flavor.

Came in Wednesday evening. Extremely good quality food. Great stuff. Nice atmosphere all over the market. Give it a try. Seoul pork is the thing.

Definitely needed to stop by if your in the area. Portion size is huge for the price. I usually get the bulgogi bowl on chapchae with seaweed salad, fishcake, and their jalapeno. Flavorful, fresh, and quick love it.

Bomb af. Really enjoyed the rice and noodles. The woman helping out said you can do half and half. The bulgogi beef is really tasty and juicy. Would def come back. (Also the lady at the front was soooo sweet and caring with the food and service :) )

Yay! More Asian food options in the Market. This place serves food Chipotle style. So basically you choose your base, choose your entree and add on your banchan. It's pretty tasty. The flavors aren't over complex but I like that you can choose up to 4 banchans and the kimchee has a good kick to it. Would recommend this place given there aren't many other Korean places nearby.

I live nearby and Matko is my go to lunch/dinner, food is always good all the ingredients it can come with just blends so well in one bowl and I top it off with my favorite gochujang sauce for the extra flavor. However they can be a little inconsistent when it comes to the portion of meat they put in the bowl, sometimes it's enough for me and my partner for a light meal, and sometimes it's less for one person.

My new favorite fast casual. Had japchae with the savory chicken and an assortment of banchan. Service was friendly and efficient, and the long line moved very quickly. I'm a fan.

I don't even know what to say besides the fact that the food is delicious. Both the vegetarian and meat options are flavorful and well done! There's really something for everyone here and it's so worth the price. Don't be mistaken, these bowls will fill you up!

Delicious! I went by Matko today on a whim and boy was it good! Super filling, authentic tasting, And well priced. All of the vegan options were clearly laid out. Will definitely be returning. Extremely satisfied.

"I've never had bad japchae before" I said confidently as I place the order on DoorDash. The japchae was indeed bad. The beef and kimchi were quite good tho