Namu at the Ferry Building - San Francisco

Namu
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
1 Ferry Bldg
San Francisco, CA 94111

Rated: ♣♣♣♣

Although I constantly complain about the lack of good cheap eats in the Financial District in San Francisco, I am grateful for the Ferry Building Farmers Market that occurs every Thursday. It is by no means a “cheap eat,” but I am impressed with the array of local produce and interesting food choices, specifically Namu, the Korean taco stand. Namu can be found alongside other food stands to the left of the main entrance of the Ferry Building.

The Service:

If you come during the lunch rush, be prepared to wait a while if you order the Okonomiyaki or the kimchi fried rice. But, the service is outstanding. One of the chefs saw my lunch buddies and I waiting for our fries and he offered us complimentary, full-sized might I add, green tea lemonade.

The Food:

Korean tacos - Tasty, but tiny. The tacos are made of rice, kalbi beef, kimchi salsa and green onions wrapped with 2 pieces of seaweed rather than the usual tortilla. Way over priced for what you get - $2.25 for one taco, $4 for two.

Kimchi Fried Rice - Loved this one. I’ve been told, if you get the kimchi fried rice, you have to get it with the egg. The homemade kimchi was very fresh and was the perfect balance of tangy and spicy.The fried rice is $9 and the free range fried egg is an additional $1.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) - Their Okonomiyaki is a gooey pancake filled with kimchi and topped with bonito flakes, green onions, kewpie mayo (sweet Japanese mayo) and Okonomiyaki sauce (which is like a sweet/savory, thick, rich Worcestershire sauce). The pancake was definitely my favorite dish at Namu. The sauce can be kind of strong, so I’d ask for half the amount.

French Fries - I can’t remember the name of the fries, but it’s basically the toppings on the kimchi tacos on top of french fries. The fries are fried-to-order so they’re fresh and crispy when they serve it. The fries are only $5, which is probably the only reasonable priced item on the menu.

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