SANBADA(산바다)

BEST Korean food in Boston!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 I’ve lived in Boston for about 15 years and have always craved authentic Korean food — and now I’ve finally found it! I could literally come every day if I lived closer, and I’ve already been here twice in the past two weeks. Everything is amazing! 👍🏼❤️ I absolutely love their food, service, atmosphere, and the positive vibes. The food is incredibly fresh and flavorful, the service is warm and attentive, and the restaurant is clean and beautifully designed. I’m so glad SAN•BADA opened this year! I can’t wait to try Bomb•Bada — their late-night concept that runs from 9 PM to 2 AM at the same location. Definitely my new go-to spot. If you’re looking for authentic Korean food in Boston, SAN•BADA is a must-visit. Highly recommend! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

I was so excited to have a new Korean restaurant in town! The food was absolutely delicious- fresh, flavorful, and authentic. The staff were super friendly and attentive. I’ll definitely be coming back to try more of the menu. Highly recommend! 👍

We saw Sanbada in passing when visiting Allston and finally made it to their soft opening! They have a lot of great deals (50% off of add-on proteins) during their soft opening period, which will likely extend till the end of February. The restaurant is spacious, clean, and inviting, and the staff were all kind and helpful. Everyone has to order one protein set ($25 to $29 for dinner), and you can start using the banchan/soup/ice cream bar after you receive your food, which comes all at once on a cart (once the fish is grilled). It did take about 30 minutes between ordering and receiving food -- I wonder if providing banchan earlier would be helpful? We got to try all of the grilled fish options, which was great! Our unanimous favorite was the belt fish (갈치) -- so tender and juicy. We also really liked the atla mackerel (임연수) which was also quite juicy, and the mackerel (고등어) which had a nice smoky flavor. The flounder (가자미) was dry compared to the other fish, but was still good. Overall the fish was definitely the highlight -- high quality and grilled beautifully in the pizza oven. We also tried the 떡갈비/beef patty, which was a bit drier than I would've liked, and sweet. The raw marinated shrimp (새우장) had really big plump shrimp, but the main flavor was sweet and I wished there was stronger savory soy sauce flavor. I felt the same about the 장조림 (quail egg and pork) side dish. Overall the soy sauce marinated foods tended to be on the sweet side. The banchan were beautiful and tasty. Our favorites were the kimchi and the spicy crispy eggplant. While the banchan bar was self service and unlimited, they were often missing/very low on the items we were most interested in (eggplant and the greens). I'm looking forward to seeing if the banchan menu evolves over time! The only side dish we really didn't like was the japchae, because the noodles were a bit cold and hard. I also loved the seaweed soup, and had multiple bowls (self service). You have to ask for rice refills, which they get for you from a row of sleek Cuckoo rice cookers. There were two options for ice cream bars when we were there: the chocolate covered strawberry Melona and the red bean BBBig. I prefer the green Melona myself, which I saw they had earlier in the week when I took a tour. But unlimited ice cream is unlimited ice cream, can't complain! Service was overall good, though I had a couple of suggestions -- due to the refills, we ended up having a lot of empty bowls/plates on the table. It would be helpful to have those cleared periodically. It would also be helpful to have a designated plate or bowl for fish bones. Also, we ran out of corn tea halfway through the meal, so I think it would be good to check on that as well. The bathrooms are downstairs and are very clean. The sink water pressure is very low, the water comes out very close to the edge of the sink, and the soap has pumice grains in it, which made washing my hands take quite a while. Overall we had a great experience here. The Bambada pocha menu also looks very good and unique -- I'll have to come back sometime for that! The grilled fish here was really nice, and worth a visit to try. I'll be back!

I enjoyed original Korean grilled fishes. I purposely uploaded a picture after we ate. Staffs are very nice. Lots of side dishes. You can refill all sides dishes for free of charge like a buffet. With an addition fee, Fishes and meats also can be refilled. It's a great place for family and friends. 🧡 If they increase the oven temperature or add direct flames, it could be crispy.

The food and service were fantastic; definitely a great addition to the neighborhood and by far the best Korean food I have had in Boston. Just a heads-up for the team: I noticed a bit of inconsistency with the pricing. I visited for lunch but was charged the dinner rate ($25 vs $22). I wasn't sure if the lunch rate isn't available on weekends or if it was just a system glitch, but it wasn't clearly noted on the menu. Just wanted to flag it so it’s clearer for future guests! Otherwise, highly recommend and look forward to coming back.

We had such a great experience dining here as a family. The food was absolutely delicious, and even the kids’ menu was thoughtfully prepared and genuinely tasty — our children loved it! The staff was warm, friendly, and very welcoming to families, and the service was attentive from start to finish. The atmosphere was comfortable and perfect for a relaxed family meal. We’re so happy a restaurant like this opened in the neighborhood. It’s exactly what this area needed. Highly recommend, and we’ll definitely be back!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 10/10 I am so glad that I have found an actual authentic Korean restaurant. The side dishes/main dishes were absolutely fantastic and staffs were so friendly. They had complimentary korean ice cream too 😊 Absolutely coming back!