Somaek Korean
Korean restaurant · Downtown
11 Temple Pl, Boston, MA 02111
Highlights
Korean restaurant with family-style feasts and banchan
Korean restaurant with family-style feasts and banchan
"What do Somaek and the Beetlejuice sequel have in common? We’ve been highly anticipating both for months, and thankfully, Somaek is finally open downtown on Temple Place. The space is spare and serene, with only the woven-looking lamps over the bar to briefly distract you from the excellent Korean food. Bring at least one other person with you and load up on the small plates—special shout-outs to the soothing cold noodles with boiled egg and gochujang and hot steamy mandu filled with pork, kimchi, and tofu. And all of the banchan, particularly the mu radish kimchi and the soy beef, make us happier than the fact that Michael Keaton is back reprising his lead role. The place gets busy, but the bar turns over quickly, so it’s easy to grab two seats without a lot of planning for an impromptu date night or casual dinner on a weeknight." - tanya edwards, grace kelly
"This Korean restaurant from chef Jamie Bissonnette pays homage to his mother-in-law Soon Han’s traditional recipes. On the menu (written in both Korean and English) diners will find bulgogi, bibim guksu (cold noodles), a couple of different kinds of mandu (dumplings), and four different types of kimchi, among other dishes. Next door at the team’s neighboring concepts, you can grab a drink at the vinyl-spinning cocktail bar Temple Records and duck underneath to visit an underground sushi restaurant, Sushi @ Temple Records." - Tanya Edwards
"Somaek is an award-winning restaurant that acclaimed chef Jamie Bissonnette recently debuted with business partners Andy Cartin and Babak Bina in Downtown Crossing. Here, Korean cuisine takes center stage, with recipes learned from consulting chef (and Bissonnette’s mother-in-law) Soon Han. Find family-style feasts of jabchae (sweet potato noodles served with vegetables), bossam (steamed pork, napa cabbage, salted shrimp, and a spicy sauce called ssamjang) and more, alongside banchan side dishes, with the kimchi a special standout." - Erika Adams
"A Downtown Crossing Korean restaurant and one of chef Jamie Bissonnette’s new projects, this restaurant is a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. (Note: Restaurants that opened between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024 were considered eligible for this award.)" - Erika Adams
"Chef Jamie Bissonnette’s first restaurant with his new business partners Babak Bina and Andy Cartin (who also run J.M. Curley, Bogie’s Place, and the Wig Shop, located just down the street) is an ode to the Korean culture and food traditions that he learned from his mother-in-law Soon Han, who is credited as a consulting chef at Somaek. Popular Korean dishes like japchae, bossam, and galbi are served family-style alongside banchan like braised burdock, perilla leaf kimchi, and sesame spinach. There’s some sushi on this menu, too, but for a more robust sushi experience, head downstairs to Sushi @ Temple Records, owned by the same team and helmed by sushi chef Kenta Katagai." - Erika Adams, Nathan Tavares
