Daeho Kalbijim & Beef Soup

Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup in San Francisco is a standout for authentic Korean comfort food, especially their signature premium kalbijjim—a massive, shareable braised short rib dish packed with deep, rich flavor that’s easily enough for more than two people and well worth the slightly higher price; the bibimbap is also solid, though the meat portion can feel a bit underwhelming even when paying extra, but overall it remains a go-to spot for hearty, satisfying Korean cuisine in SF.

Food was great — especially the kalbijjim. Banchan were also very good. However, on a Friday at 6:30pm we waited about two hours total (one hour online + one hour at the door, even with preorder). Then we were asked to leave after 40–50 minutes of being seated, which felt rushed. Delicious food, but the timing and service made it a frustrating experience.

Kalbijjim Braised beef short rib impressed me. No matter the size of the rib, whether it was small or large, all were super tender, fall off the bone kind of tender, juicy and tasty. Good amount of it. Not enough rice cakes though. I maybe found 5 rice cakes and that’s it. Got the normal size but a lot of people recommend to do the XL. The sauce was really good. Spice level 1 was perfect. And the cheese on top makes a difference. It’s expensive but VERY good and I can’t wait to come back to eat it again. Large portion, filling, but doesn’t wreck a havoc on your digestion system. Their purple rice is also very good and I normally don’t like it. Was not a huge fan of their banchan though. The pickled radish and kimchi was definitely not my favorite and they usually are at any Korean restaurant.

I’ve gone tomorrow Daeho a bunch of time and my last trip there was really did me in. I’m probably not going back to this location because it’s really gone downhill. The only thing good was we were seated immediately during a Thursday night dinner. After that everything was really lackluster. Sure it’s hustling and bustling with people but after ordering a large kalbijim with squid and extra meat, cheese and glass noodles that should have been more than enough for 3 we waited a long time for our food. Our side dishes came out quick along with our rice. The food didn’t come out for about 20 mins so our rice was cold by the time we started eating. They were trying to be efficient but timing was way off. When our kalbijjim arrived it was full of potatoes and a sad amount of meat was in our pot that should have had extra meat. The whole dish was over sauced and salty and really not enjoyable. I tried to flag someone down but they were all so busy hey just kept saying one minute or be back. I gave up. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t wait to leave. I have been to Daeho numerous times and even to the San Mateo location. I didn’t think it could have been so bad. Time to move on. Others can continue enjoying Daeho but I’ll go to other locations and restaurants who offer the same but at better quality and service. Posted the video of our meal where looks can be deceiving. Piled high with veggies under there. Squid rings and a few pieces of beef, no bones included.

We went here on a Friday night at 7pm and waited roughly 1hr 15mins for a table of 2. Ordered the Regular size premium Kalbijjim and it was amazing! The portion was huge and they do not skimp out on the beef. We love that there was also stewed radish, potato, carrot and rice cakes inside. The flavour was delicious and very much worth the wait! The banchan was good and free refill. Kimchi, radish not too spicy or salty. Service was fast and efficient give how busy they were.