Bob Z.
Yelp
The lunch scene around campus lately has become a bit of a shit show, combining all of Berkeley's popular restaurant qualities: crappy service, questionable food, and prices that'll knock the wind out of you. Thank God for Seoul Hotdog.
I realize that corn dogs aren't for everyone, but if you're one the chosen few, this place is not to be missed since it remedies the usual craptacularity on display around town: decent service, solid food, and very reasonable prices.
Service: Every time I go, it's always the same lady behind the counter, and the same guy doing the food prep. They're friendly enough; no one's going to hump your leg here, but you will get a greeting and a goodbye salutation. It's a lot like not being in Berkeley. That's got to be worth something, right?
Food & Price: This is not Chez Panisse, but if you're capable of enjoying a decent corn dog, you can walk out of this place with a solid lunch for less than $12 (not counting tip; you all know to tip, right?). While they do offer a variety of dogs/dogs+cheese as well as a spread of customizations to the battered portion, these all cost extra and sort of ruin the basic reasonable quality of the corn dog.
It's Berkeley, so there's always a cloud or two in the picture:
Crap location: It's close to campus, sure, but it's at the end of a food court, and should you go at the wrong time, not only will it be crowded, but a lot of the people who choose to eat here are frankly repulsive eaters. If you're going here, go early.
Crap décor: The back end of the restaurant is slathered in motivational slogans in English and Korean. I've never been a big fan of patronizing, unsolicited advice, and having it stare me down while I'm waiting for my food kinda pisses me off. Then again, who knows? Maybe I'm the exception, and the mean customer finds this sort of freely-offered parental overreach awesome and welcome.
Crap music: The television is a bottomless slop bucket of K-pop. While music certainly has taken a turn for the worse in recent times, K-pop crosses boundaries that are there for a reason. You know, when you see a video of a band performing their songs and each every member of said band is a 10, it's not a real band and what they're "playing" is manufactured on the assembly line, vetted with focuses groups, and viciously marketed. I can feel my hackles rising, so I'll stop there.
In the final wash 4 stars: decent food for a decent price and capable and qualified service, but slogans, crappy location, and K-pop. The Berkeley Factor also figures.