Purple Rice - San Francisco

Their stone bowl bibimbap is artisan no doubt. I have to say that I love stone bowl bibimbap and I always order this dish in every Korean restaurant and the one at Purple rice is the best I have ever had so far.Where do I even begin?Their rice is perfect. It is soft but still Shen texture. It is neither too soggy nor dry. Just perfect. The stone bowl is heated to the perfect temperature to give the rice a beautiful crust, but not hot enough to burn the rice. Especially the chef used the perfect amount of oil so it does’t taste greasy.There are a variety of veggies. Each kind of veggie is well seasoned and fresh. Look how thinly sliced the carrot is!They offer home made sauce to go with bibimbap. It is well balanced with a hint of sweetness. The texture is fluid but not too watery and therefore can be easily mixed in and not making the whole bowl watery.The beef is thinly slice, soft and not overly oily. Texture is great. Mostly importantly, it is so well seasoned!The side dishes are very delicate, fresh and not too salty.Finally, the ratio of rice to beef to veggies is just perfect perfect perfect.Their bibimbap is officially the #1 bibimbap on my list. I will definitely go back. Hopefully they could maintain this standard every single time.

Delicious food, good portions, friendly staff. Listen to that rice bowl sizzle!

My daughter’s one of her favorite Korean restaurants in SF. Visited for the first time with her and my high expectations. Wasn’t happy with menu selection. I ordered spicy kalbi jjim.Completely surprised it came with LA kalbi with bones. Never thought I’d ever see this. Lol. Minimal condiments. Doesn’t serve with lettuce or garlic like traditional. I asked but they don’t have raw sliced garlic. Tasted like typical homemade not restaurant made.This place is for people who wants to try Korean foods for the first time nearby just to introduce the selections and taste of Korean.I would recommend Han Il Kwan and Wooden Charcoal BBQ in SF for more down to earth Korean taste and flavors. I’m just glad my daughter likes their spicy chicken BBQ ?

Walked here at 6:30 on a Sunday and was able to just be seated immediately for me and my friend. There's a good amount of tables in here. Service was very attentive and organized.We ordered the kimchi pancakes, the noodle soup with chicken, and iron works fried rice. The kimchi pancakes aren't huge but still good. Probably wouldn't get them next time though and try out the others. The soup and rice were so good. Great quantity and the chicken and eggs and carbs were all cooked wonderfully. Definitely would eat more of them.Overall I had been hearing about this place for a while so I'm happy I came and happy with what I got. Thanks!

The best Korean spot. I live in Denver but it’s one of my favorites in San Francisco, where I used to live. I always make a point to go back when I visit.