The Korner Store Bites & Vibes
Korean restaurant · Mission Terrace ·
Korean comfort food & soju cocktails with a DJ
Korean comfort food & soju cocktails with a DJ
"In San Francisco, weekends-only spot The Korner Store Bites & Vibes sells korean fried chicken while a DJ does their thing in the corner. Reservations are easy to snag, and the nightclubby aspects (like a mini dancefloor) are treated more like a fun novelty than the main event. For instance, people’s mouths are usually too full to actually respond to the call-and-response prompts in the prerecorded EDM sets blaring in the background." - allie conti
"The DJ booth might be empty at this Excelsior spot, but the speakers still pump live-recorded EDM sets—perfect background noise to fuel up on crispy Korean fried chicken and creamy rosé tteokbokki before hitting the mini-dance floor. Just be sure to note Korner Store is only open on Fridays and Saturdays from 6pm to midnight. Just checking Korner Store’s website a few days in advance is enough to secure a reservation. If you need to make any changes, use the chat service on their website and the staff will text you back." - julia chen 1, lani conway, patrick wong
"The people at this weekend-only Korean spot in the Excelsior may be seeking Korean fried chicken, but they’re also ready to hit the tiny dance floor and show off in front of the DJ booth at a moment's notice. Sure, technically, there isn’t always a human being standing behind that booth, but that doesn’t stop the Korner Store crowds from call-and-response singing to a recording and debuting newly invented dance moves to tables of strangers. People who grew up memorizing DDR step patterns Just checking Korner Store’s website a few days in advance is enough to secure a reservation. If you need to make any changes, use the chat service on their website and the staff will text you back." - julia chen 1, patrick wong
"Only open Friday and Saturday, this Excelsior spot feels like a house party with great Korean food. Cram around small high-tops under disco balls as pulsing EDM emanates from (an often unmanned) DJ booth, and dig into huge plates of soy garlic fried chicken and kimchi fried rice. If it’s on the menu, make sure to get the raw marinated crab—something that’s hard to find anywhere in the city. The food is reason enough to visit, but the tiny dance floor makes a meal here all the better. Just checking Korner Store’s website a few days in advance is enough to secure a reservation. If you need to make any changes, use the chat service on their website and the staff will text you back." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong
"Ina Jungin Lee’s soju and soy-marinated crab haven is a scene, and K Pop fanatics flock here for the pork-topped tater tots and wasabi octopus. Lee’s securing permitting to stay open even later, but in the meantime, food flows until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays." - Paolo Bicchieri