Omogari

In light of my recent dining experience and also just because I adore this restaurant, allow me to shine a little light on S. J. Omogari.  After hearing about this quaint Korean eatery several months ago from friends + coworkers + Yelp, I ventured over to Japantown in San Jose to give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised when they were extremely busy on a Saturday night, yet were still able to quickly accommodate my small party of three, considering this place is pretty tiny.  That was good enough reason for me to want to come back with larger parties and still be confident that they would be able to seat us comfortably.  Let’s just say I’ve yet to be disappointed, and this has become one of my favorite restaurants in rotation.

Once proclaimed a Korean food newbie, my pre-Omogari knowledge basically consisted of only Korean beef short ribs and kimchi.  Seriously.  But after many visits to Omogari, I quickly became familiar with the menu and typical Korean favorites.  First off, ramen here is exceptionally delicious.  It’s at a perfect level of spiciness and flavor, and the decent-sized bowl contains a sh*tload of noodles!  I also love the simple “Bul-go-gi,” marinated beef served with a side of rice, as well as their house special stir fry with beef, and “Chap-chae,” thin clear noodles sautéed with mixed vegetables and beef (Korea’s own version of Filipino sotanghon).  Popular among regulars would have to be their assorted “Bi-bim-bab” dishes made with vegetables, your choice of meat, a sunny side up egg and rice served in stone pots.  Per usual in Korean restaurants, all entrees are accompanied with complementary “banchan,” several side dishes that include kimchi, sprouts, cucumbers, potatoes, etc.  And one scoop of either strawberry or green tea ice cream is also complimentary at the end of your meal! But don’t forget to ask for it, they don’t just straight up give it to you. 

I think what continues to bring in more customers and more importantly, keep the loyal patrons coming back is the excellent customer service.  As delicious as their food is, this restaurant thrives because their servers are inviting and friendly, and customers just feel well taken care of.  Omogari is a family-owned business, with literally a family of four running the show.  Each of them strike up conversations with the customers, are always refilling drinks and asking if we need anything else, and are just super pleasant and affable.  During my most recent visit, I came with a party of eleven that included two toddlers in tow.  Though it was impossible to seat us all together because this restaurant is already mini-sized, they had no problem seating us in adjacent tables and kindly catering to our large party, always making conversation, playfully minding the little babies, and were even willing to take our picture with our obnoxious DSLR cameras.  A few bonus points for the good looking Korean brothers who work here and help their parents out by serving, which adds eye candy to the already enjoyable experience.