Mugunghwa

I've visited this place twice, and it came highly recommended by a friend. Everything was fantastic, especially the fried chicken and tteokbokki. It was definitely worth it, and it's now my go-to spot for Korean fried chicken. Moreover, the restaurant has a lovely modern decor. The staff were incredibly nice and friendly, frequently checking in to see if we needed anything else.

I have trying different things both dine in and doordash and there is plus and average things. Seollongtang: Beef bone Broth. (Dined in) Wish for maybe a little more noodle but solid broth on this side vs going all the way to oakland. Price is not bad, worth it. Bimbobap: (dine in) portion is generous and wider bowl for crispy rice goodness. Price is not bad, worth it. Korean fried chicken: (Ordered out) slightly priced than my go to at pyeong tofu in Berkeley. You get 8 wings here vs. 10 at pyeong. I do feel the chicken could enjoy a little salt on the chicken before being friend, but the yangnyeom sauce is solid. Additional plus, my chicken came with 6 bancha along with pickled radish for the chicken. Between this place and gangnam tofu, as both are in El cerrito, this place is better. Now compare it to Pyeong Tofu in Berkeley, they are slightly better just by a small inch. However, I do still need to try the galbi-jjim here.

This place is delicious! There's a small parking lot for customers which is nice on of busy San Pablo street. Got seated right away on a Saturday afternoon. Restaurant is clean and spacious. Order from the tablet attached to the table. The price is a little high but the flavors will not disappoint. Service was fast and very attentive to water refills and if all was ok, grabbing what we needed, extra napkins etc. can't believe this place has pure rice (one of my favorite sides rices)!The kimchi has a shrimp flair to it which makes it very nice to have an umami flavor, one you don't normally find in most Korean restaurants. The smashed tofu with sesame and chives was one of my favorite sides love how the lettuce and egg came at no cost as a side with the spicy combo kimchi soup (considering eggs at a high value right now). The spicy pork sits on top on onions as the heat from the fat cooks the onions, wonderful idea! The seafood pancake was slightly burnt but it was still good. The batter is slight thicker and heavier in my opinion but did not disappoint.

Saw this place was new and decided to try it. We got the bulgogi, fried chicken, bossam, and seollongtang. Everything was delicious, the bossam was super flavorful and paired well with the lettuce and the radish and other condiments. The seollongtang was creamy and hit the right spot and the chicken was fried really well. One downside though was that you only get like 8 lettuce leaves for about 1.5 lbs of pork belly. You also get a nice assortment of banchan with everything.Staff is nice and very helpful. Inside is very modern and clean. You order on the tablet at the table which makes things easy. They have their own parking lot but theres also street parking if it's busy because there's only about 10 spots.Overall, a great place to go if you want Korean food. Go try them out.

This place is excellent all around. The parking lot could be tricky to find, but just look for a black building and turn into that lot. Service was friendly and welcoming. You order from a tablet on the table. They were quite thoughtful of one's needs, such has having a cute yet elegant set of utensils for children, as well as a cute coloring placemat. We had the cheese pork tonkotsu, which my daughter picked at. The steamed dumplings (pork) were pretty good. Next time I'll try kimchi or veggie filling. Reminded me of dumplings from namdaemun. We also had the galbi tang combo. There was a premium version with various types seafood. The combo had a choice of meat. The galbi (+$5) was good. The rose tteoboki was really good, especially when the cheese was torched on top! Just a kick for spice. A must try.

Terry and I met here for lunch today. It was her choice and I was happy to return. Lori was under the weather and unable to join us. I knew what I wanted coming in, so I didn't have to look at the menu. I love their parking lot! It's so convenient!Terry was already there when I arrived, and was looking over the menu. She had a small pot of tea already, which was most welcome. Service was excellent, both attentive and proactive, which I will get to later in more detail. Terry decided on the dolsot bibimbop w/ beef, either galbi or bugogi. She will tell you in her review. I ordered the galbi tang again, w/ purple rice rather than white to add to the soup. We were brought 6 bowls of banchan to snack on while waiting for our meals. Terry and I both love kimchi, so we were all set. We also love the shredded white radish and when our server noticed tlater that the bowls of kimchi and the shredded radish were empty he asked if we wanted more of them, which we did,Terry's dolsot bibimbop was delivered first, then my galbi tang. We added the various sauces and banchan to our dishes. I added my rice in addition. When one of our servers observed me struggling to remove the meat from the bones w/ chopsticks he brought me a large pair of scissors, which was very much appreciated. The scissors were so useful. The soup was delicious, but after all the banchan I couldn't eat a lot of it and ended up taking more than half of it home. It will be tonight's dinner. Terry also took home leftovers. Mugunghwa has definitely become my favorite Korean restaurant, although I still love Bowl'd.

I remember when this place was a Chinese restaurant though I've never visited, I'm so glad they remodeled. The decor is inviting & the gold bowls add that elegance to your dining experience. For a family of 6, our table was too small to accommodate for the banchan's & dishes.Service was pretty well attended to with a couple of check in's from the waitress. Each time they checked in with us we didn't need anything, but once she left us we did, so timing was a little off.It was busy on. Sat.evening so service was pretty good.Orders:Fried Chicken-a beautiful golden crisp with breading well distributed, the pieces of chicken were delightfully meaty. The only thing it lacked was being marinated instead of relying on the sauce.(Don't know if that is the norm or not). It is definitely worth re-ordering.Dolsot Bibimbop(Pork)-thin slices of pork like bacon that had a plenty of vegetables. Good seasoning in the pork & a slight crisp to the rice. Dolsot Bibimbop(Bulgogi)-my preferred type of Bibimbop & my go to. A definite re-order.Creamy Soup Seollongtang-(Not Pictured, sorry-Beef Knee & Assorted)-a satisfying & soothing soup for the winter that seems to cleanse the soul. It is quite a big bowl so 2 people could easily enjoy. I was pleasantly surprised by the noodles that settled to the bottom.Garlic Bossam-the most expensive dish we ordered but so good & no strong animal taste (gamey) aroma. I enjoyed the healthy aspect of the pork slices being broiled coupled with the lettuce that you wrap it in. Because I ordered the Garlic Bossam brace yourself with a mint afterwards. Next time I would just order the Bossam.What was a novelty at Mugunghwa was the drink dispenser that you pay .50cents for a very small cup of Kopiko(sugared coffee), or Red Bean drink(which I felt was more of a black sesame drink) or tea. I usually don't comment on the Bathrooms, but it was worth noting for being clean & hygienic, the only thing you do need to be is patient as there are only 2 bathrooms offered.Overall, a wonderful experience with great food, a clean ambiance with a casual flair.

Mugunghwa is super delicious! I've been here a couple times now and the wait is never too long. The food was nothing short of amazing. Every dish was packed with flavor and authenticity. I started with a tofu stew and also a rose tteokbokki, and they both had the perfect balance of spice and richness. The galbitang was another standout--the soup was so flavorful and delicious. The banchan (side dishes) were also a highlight; each one was fresh, flavorful, and thoughtfully prepared. However I do wish the rice in the bibimbap was a little less wet because it stops the rice from crisping at the bottom of the bowl. The ambiance of the restaurant was cozy. The prices were reasonable for the quality of the food and the overall experience. If you're craving delicious Korean food with exceptional service, Mugunghwa is definitely the place to be. Highly recommend it!

I came here to grab lunch since I was craving Korean food. The restaurant is so clean and the service was even better! I had ordered seollongtang with beef knee and Mugunghwa neang myun + galbi combo. The seollongtang flavor was delicious especially with a pot of fresh purple rice. The kimchi + radish kimchi paired so well with the seollongtang. The Mugunghwa neang myun was the perfect mix of bibim neang myun and neang myun. It was so refreshing and SO GOOD. The galbi combo was also only $5 extra and was so tasty. I also really liked that it came with a side lettuce/ radish and samjjang for wrapping. As a Korean person, I really loved eating here. This place is so authentic and it's definitely my new favorite Korean restaurant in the area!

Really spectacular food! Had to travel to meet relatives in CA and we all ended up spending a few hours at Mugunghwa. The services was spectacular, honestly most the servicing staff we encountered were incredibly friendly. The food itself left nothing to be desired. We craved Korean, and we got it, in great quality. We will definitely come back for seconds the next time we are in the area!