Zazang Korean Noodle
2340 Geary Blvd
(between Baker St & Broderick St)
San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 447-0655
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
268 reviews
San Francisco, CA
"Very good chance of having a super meal here. We are 5 for 5. Really good. It can be very busy and the staff can get lost in the crowd. I…" read more »
74 Reviews for Zazang Korean Noodle
Had a great bowl of spicy seafood noodle soup for lunch today. I've had this dish at almost every Korean noodle shop in town, this rates as one of the best.
I gave this restaurant several chances to redeem itself by eating here on my lunch breaks, but I can only award it 2 stars. More often than not I have walked out of this place with an empty stomach, grossed out by the overly spicy food. Not to mention that the presentation is as bad as the taste.
It earned two stars because they have only one dish that is worth coming back for if you are in the yam noodle mood. Named the Jap Chae, it's pretty filling and has the right amount of sesame oil. Portions are pretty hefty and with all those carbs, you are bound to be full for hours.
Overall, nothing really stands out from the menu and makes your mouth drool.
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Great Korean noodles, yum.
Fried potstickers came slightly overcooked, but I love their Jajangmyun.
Decent Jja Jang Myun. Yummy Tang Soo Yook (sweet & sour fried pork).
That's all I've tried here but I've had a good experience. The reviewers giving this place a bad review ---- poo poo on you.
I got great info about jajangmyun so I had to re-write.
This is from Irene S.:
"Today there are distinctly 2 versions of jajangmyun.
Chinese (original): jajangmein is less soupy/saucy. Mostly dry noodles and ground pork and pretty oily. But good in its own right. You can find this at A&J's in Cupertino.
Korean: jajangmyun is more soupy, lots of black bean paste. Noodles + seafood/shellfish + pork + cucumbers. Best I've had is at San Tung in the Richmond, San Whang in J-town/Pac Heights or Tsing Tao in Campbell.
I'm suddenly very very hungry.
Well, my Korean co worker just told me that the black bean sauce is from China but ingredients and the dish are Korean.
I think it's like Ramen became Japanese but it was Chinese noodle soup.
ZaZang!
I have a secret craving for Jajangmein on and off since I had the 1st one about 25 years ago. It was a Korean restaurant in DownTown.
Is anyone remember that there was a Korean restaurant where the Hustler Club is now?
I had a Korean friend she was a Korean TV news caster in late 70's in SF, took us there for a dinner one day. Her name was Yunsu.
I was always mixed up with the name because it sounds exactly same as the Bad Ass Hong Kong KunFu movie star. The muscle man? He was in the Enter the Dragon too.
Anyway,
We had a lot of dish, I remember that I didn't like very much for a red hot tofu soup with fish.
But Jajangmein!
The Thick Hot Black Bean Liquid Sauce served over thick egg noodle.
The 1st time I didn't mind to have a bit over cooked noodle.
It's totally different level of noodle.
So, I was looking for a Korean noodle place like here, ZaZang.
This place is small, not fancy, not much on the menu but down to earth place. i saw couples and families share the foods.
This place is not super clean high end decor hip place.
This place is cheap tables and chairs, menus are under the glass on the each table. and a huge color picture menu on the wall right hand side making look like cheap shopping moll place.
It's not good looking interior at all.
But, I like a small family like place like this.
ZaZang.
I just like saying the word.
What does the mean?
By the way,
Seong P. says,
"i've only ever had this at chinese restaurants. san tung style. it's the kind most koreans eat in LA. i'm not sure about up here."
hen a. just send me a info,
" it's korean/chinese fusion....basically the style of food was created by chinese immigrants living in korea.....most authentic restaurants will speak cantonese and korean..."
Lolia S. says,
"Since jajang mein is Chinese, it can't be authentically Korean ever? Even mein is the Chinese word for noodle. Ja jang is Chinese for the black bean sauce."
What the FXXX?
Korean+ Chinese?
I thought Jajangmyun is Korean Original.
It's a PSEUDO KOREAN then!!!
FXXX ME IN THE ASS HOLE!
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I'm addicted to their black been noodles and their sweet and sour fried beef/pork. That's all I order when I go there. The perfect combo. Big portions, so come with friends! I'm forever thankful to my Korean friend that introduced me to this restaurant.
The jjambbong is ok. The "zazang" (jajang} sauce is not... too salty and not very flavorful. The instant jajangmyun from the market is better.
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I am not sure why people are giving bad reviews, but this place is really good.
And I am Korean and I know what good korean food is since I grew up there.
The jajang myun is very good, so is the gan jajang, jam ppong, dang sue yook.
And the price is really reasonble, and even better than "playground" or "No Ri Tuh" in taste and price. Plus, playground got rid of their lunch specials and they don't even open until 5pm nowadays.
And the wait staff is nice and courteous too.
All these ppl must have been srsly PMSing while writing these reviews. Why is this place so underrated?!! Its better than most places in Korea. And what is up with this Chino-Korean crap? And Mien? Mein? That's not how you spell noodles in korean. 1) There is no jjanjangmyun in China. These ppl are obviously not korean, or they're going through an identity crisis. 2) Its Myun not mien/mein like the way chinese ppl like to spell it.
Their jjamppong is simply BOMB! Rike ermahgah~ its ssssooo good. Its spicyness is at a perfect level. Their jjajangmyun is good too :) Its a nice korean-ish atmostphere, kinda small though.
The only trouble is parking, but its kinda expected with the location :T
-,.- hwangdanghaera..
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Went here with some friends from church on a cool Sunday afternoon. Korean Soaps in the back ground, good friends and a big A portions. REALLY wanted to love it, but twas not to be. Still, my friends who are Korean like it and there were other K's there, so it must not be too bad. Maybe next time I'll just try something new.
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Oh boy, I'd like to give my 2 cents. I happen to be both Chinese and Korean and my Chinese side from the Shantung - northeastern region of China. With that said, Zha Jiang Mien (this is the proper pin yin spelling) literally translates as Fried Sauce Noodle in Mandarin Chinese. This is a very old northern Chinese recipe brought to Korea by the northeastern Chinese immigrants. (To be specific, my family had 2 of these restaurants in Seoul.) The Korean word "Myun" comes from the Chinese "Mien." Since I speak both languages and I was a Chinese major in college, I happen to know that a great majority of Korean words are rooted in the Chinese language. In fact, the most ancient Korean documents were written in Chinese. I've eaten Zha Jian Mien and Jajangmyun in both China and Korea a number of times. They are vastly different. The Chinese version is much saltier and drier. The Chinese-Korean version (my personal favorite) is saucier and more subtle than the original. In my opinion, the best Jajangmyun is made by the originators of the dish, the Chinese-Korean immigrants. It's really wonderful and unforgettable when it's done right.
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this place is booboo..
do you seriously think that this is what jjajjangmyun tastes like in korea?? cuz it doesnt..
yes.. a booboo so big a bandaid and a grip of neosporin couldnt fix it..
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I like it here. Every Korean craves jajangmyun and jampong once in awhile and must know where to get it. I on the other hand am still looking. The thing is SF has too many authentic Chinese places and not enough Koreans to have a good Korean-Chinese restaurants (With that said with not much research, I am sure I'll get a suggestion or two).
Good portions, cheap prices and descent boiled mandoos keeps me coming back. It might not be the best but for now, it will do.
side note: their branches in south bay is GROSS
YES I am one of those girls that like to watch and spend their days catching up with those Korean drama series! They are so addicting!
Everytime I watch a Korean series, they always have the actors/actresses eating Za Zang Myun noodles. It always made me hungry and I'm always wanted to try this place out. I just found this place out when I drove past it going home from work and decided that today was the day to get lunch/dinner from here.
It was about 5:30 and there was only another couple in here. Not busy but I'm assuming it's just early. Service was a bit on the rude side. I hate it when they don't really acknowledge that you're here and giving them business..
Anyways, they only have noodles, hand made floured noodles, and a couple of deep fried chicken and pork dishes. But they are known for their noodles so I had to go with the Za Zang Myun ($6.65) This coupled feed two hungry people! I only ate 1/3 of it and was full! That's pretty surprising for a girl like me who is a PIG when it comes to food!
The noodle was so smooth and soft and delicious! The black bean pasta sauce had onions, pork, and what else, black beans! Mix it together with the noodles? It was fucken good! Slurp that shit and get it ALL OVER yourself and you got yourself a true Za Zang Myun eater!!
This was the first time eating Za Zang Myun and it won't be the last. Now Juliane is on the quest for the BEST Za Zang Myun noodles in CA!
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the jajangmyeon is great, but i recommend not getting it spicy, it's much easier to season this to taste on your own.
the jampong wasn't good, at all.
if you're in the mood for jajangmyun, definitely come here. if you're in the mood for anything else, there's plenty of other great korean places in town.
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I had never been here before and we wandered in mostly out of convenience (we couldn't find free parking around Osha or japantown and there happened to be an open spot in front of this place.)
At least half of the dishes touted their Za Zang sauce. Not knowing what Za Zang sauce was except that it had some black beans in it, I asked the waitress for a small sample before I could decide on my order. Sure, I embarrassed my dinner companion by asking for a sample, but I think it's better to do that than to order an entire dish and end up not eating it.
Initially, the waitress was confused by my request but happily came back with a small portion for me to taste. It wasn't bad! Reading the menu, I was skeptical about the black beaniness of it, thinking it might be salty like chinese black bean sauce, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it tastes like very thick beef stew.
I ordered the #11 which was steamed rice with a fried egg and about 2 cups of that Za Zang sauce poured over it. Holy crap. TWO CUPS. I am not exaggerating. It was a big black pool with onions and bits of meat throughout. I suddenly realized that this is what it must be like to come across a prehistoric tar pit with bits of dead things in it. As for quantity, it was too much. I felt terrible about it, but I think I only ate about a quarter of the sauce and scraped the rest to the side. My compatriot ordered the #10 which was sauteed yam noodles with veggies over steamed rice. That dish could have easily fed two people. It was a heaping mountain of noodles and shredded veg on top of a base layer of rice. Carboholics, come and get it! Unfortunately, the veggies were mostly onions and cabbage. We washed it all down by sharing a large bottle of refreshing Hite beer, a Korean brew.
The soup that came with our meal was ok. It was spicy and a bit fishy, although not unpleasantly so. It was reminiscent of tabasco on fresh oysters. The soup was not really something I like personally, but for those who do, I think it would be quite good.
The only real negative for me is that this really isn't food I would make a point to come back to eat. The Za Zang sauce was tasty, but it gave me really horrible beef flavored heartburn about an hour later. Beefy heartburn = not tasty. Next time, I am going to make sure we keep driving down Geary and find someplace else to eat.
One star for giant portions
One star for fast service & being so gracious about my request for a sample taste
One star for the little extras like takuwan pickles and hot tea that were served to us right away.
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ordered the hae-mul jja-jang miun and must say i have had better. i liked the noodles, they are thinner then normal jja-jang places but i will not be ordering seafood one again. it tasted fishy and salty. i will give it another chance. next time will order the regular then i'll make a final desicion.
i miss LA, it has jja-jang places on every corner and most are good and cheap. wait for the next review......=)
Another dining choice when starving at work. I used to walk by Zazang every day from the bus and it always smelled so good. Tonight, someone else at work was in the mood for Korean. So I pounced on the opportunity to try them. It was really good.
I ordered the Jap Chae Bap, which is clear noodles stir fried with vegetables over steam rice. And for my appetizer I ordered the Fried Pot Stickers. Very good. I had never had Korean Pot Stickers, but they were deep fried and delicious. The portions were such a good size too that I had left-overs the next day. All of that for under $15 who can beat it.
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This place disappointed me. I am a Jajjang connoisseur and have probably eaten Jajjang from atleast 20 different restaurants. Unfortunately this place doesn't taste that great. Only the immense portion size combined with the cheap price justifies it's 3 stars otherwise this place would deserve a 2.
Pretty good if you like zazang myun! And if you haven't tried it (black bean and meat sauce with egg noodles), you need to! It's a classic fusion of chinese and korean cuisine, and is served with some korean side dishes. The appetizer plates here are also pretty good.
A hearty noodle shop that delivers the goods. The deep fried potstickers have rice dough wrappers (going purely on a texture-analysis basis). The spicy seafood soup is rich and flavorful. The deep-fried sweet and sour pork was served piping hot and crispy (REALLY hot, temperature wise. Look out!). Za zang myun was high-qual, both the spicy beef and the regular pork (I only ate the former but my compatriots enjoyed the latter).
I'm really happy to have found this place so nearby my house.
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I completely forgot that I've been here before several times in the past 7 years, although the last time was quite a while ago.
Same food as Zazang Korean Noodle And Pizza in Cupertino, but minus the pizza in SF and a little bit better quality overall.
This is a much smaller location, facing the side of Geary that goes away from SF J-town, so if you are heading there you need to make a U, or a left down into a side street.
Parking sucks around the area, and you may even have to look for space around Kaiser or in the residential neighborhood around the block (I would avoid that side, it looks like a strip where you might get shot or mugged).
The menu is identical, and of course stick with the Za Zang Myun or Ja Jiang Mien. Whether you request this in Korean, English, or even Mandarin, the waitstaff knows what you want.
Zam Pong here is slightly better than Cupertino's location. To my Korean and Japanese readers (and of course the Chinese food experts out there), could this be a derivation of Champon, the Nagasaki style noodle/ramen dish, that so far are reported to be served at Ringer Hut in San Jose and maybe a better version at Izakaya Mai in San Mateo?
The Cupertino location now takes credit cards and I believe the SF one does too.
Here's a tip, if you get the ZZM/JJM (or even any noodle dish) to go,
request that they give you UNCOOKED NOODLES (and of course the sauce or flavoring/broth will be in a separate container), so you can cook it yourself at home (just boil water). Otherwise they may become soggy and clump together like hair near a shower drain, depending on how far you have to drive.
I just saw a few other reviews of this place. I suppose if you are OG Korean, you of course will know better places for this kind of food. But this is fairly quick, easy, cheap, and comforting and while this is a derivation of Shandong/Chinese food, it's a bit of a twist. So either you like it, or you don't. Much like Hana no Gyoza in San Jose where they serve something similar to Yokohama Japan Chinatown style food, catered towards Japanese tastebuds, so not everyone will like it. It's not a case of sexually confused identity crisis, it's specialized cuisine.
Sometimes a simple cheap meal is better than some fattening disgusting French Fusion Special Sauce Oozing Cream Bacon Nitrate Salty Ham Small Portion Snob Diarrhea Inducing Butter Soggy Biscuit Dining Experience.
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This pace was tasty. It didn't have a lot of selection for vegatarians. The Zhang Pong(?) soup was spicy and great.
daikon! the kid inside loves daikon steeped in vinegar. many people diss this place but it's good. there's another place that serves this in japantown next to new korea house but i've never been there. as a little kid, one of the joys in life was having my aunt order this or the jjampong and have it delivered - there isn't or at least wasn't any other food delivery in korea when i lived there. and instant jjajangmyun is NOT better than this.
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it is a korean tradition where if you are single on valentine's day (2/14) and single on white day (3/14) -- (this is where the guy gets the girl a gift), then a bunch of folks get together on 4/14 and meet since it's a celebration of thee single folks ... this is aka as "black day" -- this is where all the single folks mooch off each other and eat jja jang mein together... it's actually quite fun, i've been part of this single bubble before and all you do is shit talk and drink and have fun..
anyways, this place sucks...
again, why is it that i always end up coming to a korean place with a chinese guy? seriously, every korean joint i've gone to in san francisco has seriously been with a chinese guy... this just proves the general consensus that sf is just polluted w/chinese folks, which is not a bad thing since i love chinese guys:) (shut it dennis oppa!.. :D)
their jambbong (spicy seafood stew w/all sorts of veggies clumped together $7.95) decent considering it's SF standards, but LA, and MY personal standards? not that great.
their kambboogee (ew dude. this is a shame to the korean race, we can make better dishes than this kinda crap...) basically this is deep fried chicken w/spicy sweet sauce... i can't descirbe this; simply yuck. i only ate a few bites cuz it was in front of me... ($12.95)
he seemed to enjoy it... :I *no comment*
TIP: every wed, it's $4 off for seniors, and get this, you're not considered a senior under the western regulations where it's 55 & over, it's 72 & over ... LOL... crajee, dont cha think???
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As a Korean who grew up in and around LA (gardena), I feel like I know good ja ja mein when I taste it. Zazang's is pretty good. Not the best that I've ever had, but the best I've been able to find in the city. I'm a big fan of Chef YuYu's in Oakland, and this place is about as good, although I gotta say, it made my teeth feel a little funny.
Now, I'm not a messy eater, but for some reason, ja ja mein always gets me, or rather, on me, and this was the first time in 25 years, the FIRST TIME, that I finished a bowl and came away spotless! Man Seh!
The Lotte gum that lasts for 45 seconds was delicious too.
I am not an expert on noodles, nor am I an expert on Korea, be it their culture, history or palate.
However, ZaZANG! (TM) is located mere blocks from my house, it's cheap, & their noodle soups are the perfect antidote for that cold breeze whipping off the ocean & all the way down Geary. When every evening feels like a brisk autumn evening, you need something hearty when you step off the bus. And that's where Zazang comes in.
My new neighborhood may be quieter (& subsequently less interesting) than my old one, but there are always hidden gems to be found, & I want to believe that this is one of them. So let me have my cake. Or noodles, as the case may be.
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Za Zaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang! This was my first experience eating Korean noodles and it was a great one. Shared a noodle soup with veggies and chicken and also had the noodle plate with beef and veggies - really good, filling and super cheap. Best part is, it's about five blocks from my apartment :)
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R. says:
This is a no-frills restaurant. Come here for a quick hearty Zazang Myun noodle meal. Stay away from the deep-fried pork and beef sweet & sour sauce; it's disgusting -- I might as well just have ordered porkrinds from some Mexican Freeway vendors.
B. says:
If you can get past the sticky tables, the noodles are great. This place totally satisfies my random cravings for zazang myun.
i stumbled across this place by accident and i really really wanted to like it and was desperately hoping it would be another hole in the wall gem but alas it was not to be. i ordered what else, the zazang noodles and my friend got the udon and both dishes were bland as hell. one would think that if your going to name your restaurant after one of the dishes, it better be darn well good. we also got the pot stickers and they were so deep fried that i felt like i was just eating crispy wonton skin.
sad because this place could have so much potential, its actually a cute little restaurant and very clean but theres really no reason to go back.
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3.5 stars
I order #1 Za Zang Myun (black bean sauce noodles with pork and veggies) $6.55. Decent size portion and definately tastes better than San Tung. Worth a try!
This is a small place on Geary up the hill from Kaiser.
I loved Korean food but what I ordered here was completely inedible - it was salty without having other flavor and just tasted foul. It was inexpensive but low price and throwing the food away doesn't work for me. I would give this zero stars if that was an option.
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meh.
watery sauce.
'nough said.
Not worth the calories, not worth the money (we just spent $20 including tip for lunch for two).
Perhaps the Udon to fight a cold, yes perhaps...
I think this is one of the FEW places in the city that offers jajangmyeon (black bean noodles). The dish is a Chinese-Korean hybrid, just like me! Since I don't really have a lot to compare it to (damn you Angelenos), I still enjoy eating it -- it sure beats the one my mom tries to make a home.
Speaking of which, my mom often sends my sister and I to get it, which can be a pain in the ass coming from Inner Sunset. And let me tell you, finding parking can be brutal.
Oh, those silly koreans. Let me give you a history lesson.
Before the Commies took over mainland China, many people from the San Tung province were moving out of China. They were very poor, and wanted to start a new life. San Tung is in the northern part of China, near the Korean peninsula. So it was easier for them to move to Korea than to Taiwan.
However, so many people were moving to Korea that the government decided something had to be done before the Chinese population became bigger and richer than the Korean population. Laws were made dictating the maximum amount of land a Chinese people can own and what kind of businesses Chinese people can own. Lots of Chinese people ended up owning restaurants because they weren't allowed to own enough land to open much else, and besides, the Korean government restricted the kinds of businesses they can own.
So Chinese people bring over their foods. This includes the zazang (black bean) noodle. Korean people started eating it at the little noodle shops operated by the Chinese. Soon it became part of Korean culture. Brought to you by the Chinese.
So I like black bean noodles. The noodles and sauce was made perfectly here. It wasn't served piping hot, so it made me wonder how long it was sitting there, or if they just make a whole huge batch of sauce and let it sit all day. That's where the minus star comes in.
Four stars because I'll still come back when I want some Chinese-Korean noodles.
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So, one of the redeeming things about having unknowingly (I didn't realize that it was an intenral system where you had to go to the Kaiser hospital for every damned thing; idiotic HR people who didn't post this very need-to-know item on the mega large spreadsheet for varioushealth plans!) having signed myself up for Kaiser Permanente health plan is that Zazang is near by. I've been craving some ja jung myun. I am tickled by their zingy American name...even though their Korean name is a little more prosaic.
What they are calling a Korean noodle house is really a Korean-Chinese basic casual meal place. In Korea, you'd get most items on this menu for about just a couple of U.S. dollars or thereabouts.
Korean-Chinese noodles are not al dente. In fact, it's preferred that the noodles be rather soft, but not loose, expanded (here, I am thinking of the Korean word that is used for noodles that are overcooked to the point of losing its shape). In my family, we are split down into the Jajang myun eaters and the Jampong eaters...I am a jajang myun eater. My mother, who is also a jajang myun eater, evaluates her jajang myun on the meat content...exactly how much meat is there in the sauce?
At Zazang, the meat content was disappointing. And I was surprised that there was not more in the way of more onions and other tidbits of veggies, given that there was so little meat. However, I am pleased to just be eating Jajang myun in San Francisco. What can I say: San Francisco has lowered my Korean food eating expectations.
However, I will note that they do offer the rice with jajung sauce with an egg. I love jajung with rice and a fried egg. So I will probably come back sometime for the ja jang bap.
So, not the greatest ja jung myun... but it's SF and Korean food options are limited.
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Two stars because besides Korean BBQ (which I freakin love), I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to Korean cuisine. So I couldn't tell you how authentic this place is or whether the food here is true to traditional Korean cooking. I can tell you I didn't like the food here. At all. The boiled gyoza was really unremarkable with no accompanying gyoza sauce. I had the za zang noodles with the black bean (?) sauce because, apparently, that's what they're known for. It was incredibly bland and flavorless. The ramen-like noodles were very mushy. My girlfriend had beef udon with the same kind of noodles, way too many vegetables and a very weak broth. My other friend had a dish that was supposed to have shrimp in it, which it did....all two pieces of it. Everyone at our table was unsatisfied. The service was adequate. I don't recommend this place to anyone unfamiliar with this specific type of food.
That's right all you Koreans I gave it a 5 star.
The Ja Jang Mein is good, almost like it was in Los Angeles. And those are pretty high standards. I miss LA.
The price is good and I felt full. It's a good place to go if your craving for some Ja Jang Mein.
I haven't tried anything else....and I don't intend too, just eat Ja Jang Mein.
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I had a craving for "ja jang mein" and decided to try this place out with my "korean wave" buddy. Given that I was starving, I inhaled it so quickly I had the "black sauce around the mouth" look *very pretty*. The portion and the price was very satifying.
