Zoomak Asianbistro

It’s very small in here so expect a wait on busy weekend nights. Zoomak is located in a pretty random strip mall kind of in the middle of nowhere, but there is a NRB across the street and a pool hall next door if you want to wait. The interior is dark with string lights and wooden booths. The service here is usually good and the food is edible. I honestly don’t come here for the food, but more of a convenience thing because it’s the only sooljib near my house.
I would give the place 3 stars, but last time I went they had BANANA MAKKOLI! It’s a flavored Korean rice wine that literally tastes like banana milk. I’ve been asking everywhere for it so they get 1+ star for having it. It’s soooooo tasty, you should definitely try it!

I heard that this place is a ‘go-​to-​place-​to-​drink’ in Buena Park now.
But so far, I wasn’t impressed. It’s not like food or drink is spectacular, but I’m not saying that it tasted bad either.
However, it is just mediocre food and drinks with regular price; it’s not cheap or anything.
I value the quantity of food, but compared to other places, portion was smaller than I expected

This place is quite lovely style.
It is not that big but lovely :)
I ordered yogurt soju, kimchi pancake, and spicy chicken leg.
I thought yogurt soju will be light, cuz im not a heavy drinker, but actually it was heavy.
Everything was ok for first visit.

Ugh I don’t think I’ve ever written a bad review but yeah here it goes… came in here on a Sunday night because it was one of the only places in the area open for drinks and food. Had the fried oyster and literally they are the meat of the oyster fried. I didn’t care for it much. The beer selection was limited. And the sashimi I ordered was literally FROZEN like crunchy frozen. For the price too I mean come on I didn’t want my fish frozen. Basically I will not be returning.

I give them 1 star the waitress were very rude I will not go back again with the experience I had with the waitress

cool place to kick it with some friends for some soj & korean apps. Its your typical korean café where you can just chill and chat.
must try to pork salad, dried squid platter, pork hock plate. and fish cake soup. Most of their dishes are pretty good and service is good as well.
LK

Hole in the wall!
It’s a sool jip (place to drink alcohol and eat) but has delicious food. It’s quite small, but we went at 5pm, so I didn’t notice any inconvenience due to the size of the restaurant.
We ordered corn cheese, seafood udon stir fry, bacon wrapped rice cakes, old school lunch box, and rice cake galbi. Everything tastes delicious but it was a bit salty for my taste. My mom really enjoyed the old school lunch box because it reminded her of her old high school days when she and everyone else used to bring those to eat everyday. I highly recommend bring parents that are in their 40/​50s! One other thing was that some food were worth the price, and some food were overpriced!
Next time, I would like to come and taste the different types of flavored soju they have! There seems to be many different types ranging from yogurt, pineapple, peach, strawberry, etc. I’m excited and looking forward to coming back next time! :)

This place is kinda small but I like the place. Food is always good and the service is great too. Sometimes it gets really packed so come early!

I thought this place was just alright. You guys were right about the korean pancakes though, they were good. There was just a lack of character to the restaurant (compared to e.g. past memories). And the pancakes just isn’t enough to make me want to go back again.

Make your life easier by bringing someone who can read Korean with you. The main menu had both English and Korean but the happy hour menu and the specials were in Korean. It was quite tempting to just order any of those specials and see what I would get. You can always ask for help though.
Green onion and seafood pancake: nothing special but it was still good. The sauce that came with it was pretty good too. I ended up putting the sauce from the spicy pork to kick in a little spice.
Spicy pork: yum. Delicious. Spicy but not too spicy.
Whole fruit: probably depends on the season but we had a choice between watermelon, melon and pineapple. We chose the pineapple. It was cool to look at but I would probably try a different dessert next time.
It was quite dim inside and the brightness kept changing. However, it is a bar after all. Can’t expect it to be super bright!

3.5 stars
This place is more of a bar than a restaurant and seems to get packed really quickly. Even at like 8pm on a Friday it’s pretty much full. Crowd is mostly fobs from what I can tell and last time me and my gf went, there was a dozen drunk ass middle aged ahjushees breaking shot glasses, knocking a whole pitcher of water without even noticing and of course making a huge amount of noise. We watched one clearly deteriorating into a drunken abyss as his head slowly went down to his crossed arms as he fell asleep on the table with none of his buddies blinking an eye.
Anyways. the food is decent but overpriced like any other Korean bar. Brownie points for having shisamo

A nice korean bar in Buena Park. In fact, I am not sure if there is any other bars in this city. My first visit to this awesome place was on a weekday and it was packed! Thats when I knew I came to the right place. I asked the server to be waitlisted and we got our table within 15 minutes or so.
I was actually thinking of leaving because I had curfew but I was seated immediately. I am glad I stayed because everything was just perfect. Being with my boyfriend, I felt relieved, secured and relaxed.
We ordered our usual alcohol, Bokbunja (Korean raspberry wine) and my boyfriend who has been here a couple times recommended skewers ir yakitoris. We got bacon asparagus, hawaiian meatball. They were delicious. Perfectly cooked!
Also got fried shrimp and oh my! I know my fried foods and they have really good batter here. My shrimp and onions, carrots and sesame leaves that came with the fried shrimp entry were super crispy & crunchy. They were that good!
I think this place is going to be one of my favorite bars now or my favorite bar in Buena Park. Awesome. Definitely coming back!

This place is the JAM!
Until I moved out of state, this was my go to place Fridays and maybe Saturdays! The place is small so seating is limited. And like any other Korean bar, people come drink and are pretty much there ALL night — so if you want a seat get there early! If you have a big party, you might want to consider another place — only because the seating is really limited!
The food here has NOT disappointed me ONCE! The potato pancakes are the BEST here! BESTTTT!!! I love that they give you chips and some type of soup or something as service as that’s really important when you’re about to unleash the crappy week you’ve had through countless bottles of the magical elixir that is known as SOJU! I swear I was born to drink it, must be the Korean in me.
The service is for the most part good — there was this one girl I encountered ONCE who was incredibly rude and I just wanted to punch her in her skinny little throat but of course I refrained. Other than her, the service here is great! I’ve had many great nights here with friends! :)
I would definitely recommend coming here if you’d like a good night with friends! :)

Short version:
Definitely give it a try, order some soju, wouldn’t recommend the food.
Details:
Great casual spot to grab couple bottles of sake or several pitchers with your friends. Ive already been here several times, and for now, I’d consider this a Korean bar despite a mix of asian cultures and food present on the menu. Compared to nearby korean bars, i definitely prefer the décor and spaciousness here. there’s also a cleaner, more unique, modern vibe.
Basics:
+ ample parking
+ great casual place to grab drinks (soju, beer, sake) with friends
+ amazing service with very attentive and friendly owner/​waiters. hopefully it remains this way after this spots been around for longer
+ doesn’t tend to get too packed
— food. i do NOT recommend the many free small appetizers. while the dishes look incredibly appetizing, the taste is rather disappointing. not sure how the main dishes are, but my friend said it wasn’t too bad.

Stumbled upon this place with my buddy after we shot pool. It is like a club atmosphere with food. Most people come here to drink and have a few munchies. They play music videos on a projector screen and have some lasers and lights throughout.
The food is pretty good. We got the scallop skewer which was delicious, and the burnt rice + seafood soup, which also came with rice.
I think this place is Korean and they give you chips and this interesting soup with crunchy root and its kind of vinegary??? I thought it was funny they only gave us one soup so my friend and I were sharing saliva… but maybe its a cultural thing I’m missing out on. so I was down. Or maybe they only gave us one and wanted to laugh at us sharing a soup… idk…
Food is normal priced and the beers ar $ 3.50. They also have a lot of shoju and other options to drink. Cool place overall, definitely a younger crowd and a good place to go out. They are open late!

Had to check out this new Korean bar!
This place is small and mostly filled with locals… First thing I noticed was music video that is being played. Mostly KPOP & some hip hop.
I was starving and needed something to eat fast. I ordered scallop skewer and honesty can’t say I will order it again. It was very bland and bit too oily for my taste.
For main «Ahn joo», my friend ordered «Jok bal, AKA Pig feet» for herself and I got myself Grilled mackerel.
I was on a empty stomach so it may have been my hunger but grilled mackerel was SOOOO good! it was perfect over rice and I didn’t need any side dishes.
As for «Jok bal», the portion was huge. Its not a dish that is familiar to me so I cannot say it was great or not. But friend packed up the left over for home.
We also got a bottle of Soju as «service» which was nice of them.
I would def go back just for Grilled mackerel and try different things from their menu!

There’s a new sheriff in town and it’s called Zoomak Asianbistro. But, don’t let the fancy name fool you. It’s just a straight up, cozy Korean pub in Buena Park and my newest local watering hole. Lately, Buena Park has been coming up big time. With a whole bunch of businesses sprouting up everywhere, you Buena Park-​ans must be proud.
Anyways, this bar’s business plan isn’t just to make you feel comfortable. They want to serve you and serve you well. From the manager, to the waiters, and to the cooks in the back — they take running this place seriously and it shows. Zoomak wants you to come get your drink on, but with more focus on their food, in hopes that you’ll stay. I can tell you from my first visit, their grub is LEGIT.
DRIED SQUID
— According to VIP customer Paul K., half dried squid is pretty popular in Korea. It just so happens that Zoomak prepares them in house, using a special machine in the kitchen. It’s softer, obviously since it’s not dried to a crisp and tastes way better than the usual squid that Korean bars dish out. I’ve always loved dipping the squid into the mayonnaise and tabasco sauce. YUM.
NURUNGJI SOUP
— Remember that scorched rice I told you about at most Spicy Tofu restaurants. Well, they put that nutty and toasty goodness into a soup flavored with seafood. I really like this cause I’ve never had anything like it before. What a great idea. You can see why they stress so much on their food. Anybody can open a bar or restaurant, as Unilocalers we come back strictly because the sustenance is to our liking.
FRIED PORK
— I just had the Notorious P.I.G. for dinner and didn’t mind getting some more. By the looks of it, they put some love into making it and the presentation was excellent. Still, sizzling as it was brought to the table, the bacon wasn’t over cooked, and the veggies along with the kimchee only added to the flavor of the entrée.
The adult beverages consist of the usual SOJU, MAKGEOLLI, BEER, KOREAN WINES, SAKE, and COCKTAIL SOJU/​MAKGEOLLI. Service is like Speedy Gonzales, über friendly, and darn attentive. Entertainment comes in the form of a projector in the back showing music videos. The only downside are the limited number of tables. After 10pm, it’s packed and loud. Located between Aloha Family Billiards and Octave 18 Karaōke, if you’re familiar with Han Yang, it’s right across the street from that.
CHRIS EATS HERE
the quest for the ultimate korean bar

Small little cozy place!
Gets crowded sometimes
because theres only like 10 tables
The workers are extremely friendly
The owners are really cool
The service is really great
All the things i’ve been looking for

Came on a Wednesday night and the place had 3 groups of patrons so we were seated immediately. In all honesty, I didn’t see many things that I particularly like on the menu so it was quite slim pickings, however the menu is extensive. I would’ve liked to see ttongdak (whole chicken) or chicken wings. It was a nice surprise to see non-​Korean beer on the menu.
To start they serve you chips dusted with sugar (not quite sure what it was and we got a lot of crumb pieces) and a bowl of dongchimi soup (cold radish kimchi soup). For the meal we ordered: kimchi jun (kimchi pancake), chicken skewers, and budaejigae.
The chicken skewers were ok. It came with three skewers and a side of salad. I didn’t care for the sweet teriyaki-​like sauce but the chicken was tender and moist.
Then came the budaejigae on a gas range top. This is typical for a Korean place to present a stew in this fashion. For those not familiar, do not eat immediately. You have to let the broth and all the ingredients boil to merry all the flavors. I didn’t get a distinct flavor for the broth but enjoyed the hot soup nonetheless.
Lastly the kimchi jun came, which in my opinion came out pretty late. It was a huge portion and had good flavor. My only gripe was that it was cooked too thick so I didn’t get the crispy edges that I look for in a jun and I got a lot of dough/​batter taste. If you ask for kimchi and rice they will give it to you, not sure if there was a charge.
Overall nice place to catch up with friends and grab a beer. I probably won’t be back to have a full dinner though.

Atmosphere-​wise, too many college kids & too loud for my liking.
But I’LL GO BACK FOR THEIR FOOD!
Every single thing we ordered was oh so tasty XD
Be sure to try their potato pancakes!