OLHSO Korean BBQ House - San Mateo (CA)

4 /5 yung-chin Chen: This is high end Korean BBQ place. There are 3 sets you can choose from or you can order individual dish. The individual dish has more variety but is also more expensive. The side dishes are very tasty. The meats have very high quality. The staffs will grill the meat for customers as other Korean BBQ restaurants. They are very professional and have very good service. The table is kind of small but food is great. I was hoping to have more meat with the price we paid. We bought 2 sets that should feed 6 people but it is still not quite enough for 5 people.

5 /5 To Dolphin: We arrived early so sat at the bar; Luiza at the bar was super nice. I asked for a light and sweet/ refreshing cocktail and she made me a special drink with Soju. This is our second time visiting. We tried the sampler menu the first time and found out which meat we liked. Today we started with our top two choices: Flat Iron Steak & Outside skirt steak (marinated). Beef tongue was really good (thick cut and then cut into smaller cubes after grilling; served with flavored green scallions) Our server, Vickie, was very friendly, attentive and cooked the meat very well table side. She also noticed when things need to be moved or refilled as well! 5 star service for sure! Thank you and we will be back !

5 /5 Julie Zhu: Last time I was in line for 2 hours and being told I cant have table/side BBQ if I dont have reservations. So this time I reserved a table. The food was surprisingly delicious, nice meat quality and they are cooked perfectly medium by the server. There are multiple sauce choices so you can mix and match. Highly recommend classic course for 2 people. We also added a beef tartar, its the best tartar I ever had. The beef tongue and skirt beef are soooo good! Will definitely come back again.

5 /5 Doug Dooley: ⭐️ Best Korean restaurant in the Bay Area At the risk of overstating the superlative quality of OLHSO Korean BBQ in Downtown San Mateo, this might truly be the best Korean restaurant in the entire Bay Area—and certainly the best on the Peninsula. Their Kalbi (Wagyu short ribs) are phenomenal, perfectly marinated and grilled to melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The Kimchi pancake was easily the best I’ve ever had—better even than ones I’ve enjoyed while living in and visiting Korea. The pancakes are fluffy and savory a bringing out the best in the Kimchi favor without dominating the taste. The Chestnut Old Fashioned is a creative and delicious twist on a classic cocktail, and the bulgogi stands out with its subtle touches of japchae noodles and tteokbokki, adding both texture and personality to a familiar dish. The atmosphere feels like a modern Korean fusion of style and casual comfort —somewhere between the energy of Japantown in San Francisco and an upscale Seoul lounge. Service was excellent throughout, and Andrew, the Korean American general manager, brought an authentic depth of knowledge and hospitality that elevated the whole experience. Even the name OLHSO stands apart. Its Hangul spelling cleverly blends two ideas—one meaning “the whole cow” (a nod to its beef-forward menu) and the other a Korean slang expression meaning “right on” or “you got it.” If you love Korean food, this is a must-visit. For Amex Platinum cardholders, the $100 quarterly RESY.com credit makes it an even easier decision to treat yourself. Thrilled to see such an exceptional new Korean restaurant call San Mateo home—it truly feels like good fortune.

5 /5 Rimma A: We came without big expectations as there were not much real photos on Google. We didn’t make a reservation, so the only options was to have à la carte from kitchen. At the beginning we had to wait at the bar a bit. Our server was really good and professional and explained the menu really good. We had a complimentary salads and sides, really tasty. Overall food was one of the best we had and one of the best old fashioned. So we really enjoyed everything and this is our favorite place now.