Feed was delicious, we showed up without reservations and they were able to squeeze us in. Would go again.

Having been twice now, Somaek does many things well. Dishes are well-executed and flavorful and they have an excellent cocktail list. The menu is somewhat limited for repeat visits and particularly for those who don't eat pork or shellfish (like myself). The space is also not the most comfortable with a large portion of the dining room as bar seating. I would still recommend as an excellent option for more elevated Korean food in Boston!

Somaek is still relatively new to Boston, but they've definitely left a footprint on the Boston Asian food scene. This restaurant specializes in modern Korean cuisine and has an extensive list of creative cocktails! It's a small place so the service is also really great. The team was super kind and helped pick out cocktails for us to try! For food, we got the sashimi, bossam (pork belly), octopus stir fry, seafood pancake, and daenjang jjigae (fermented soy bean paste stew). Sashimi and bossam both come with ssam wrapping ingredients like sauces and different greens. The sashimi was super fresh and fit the wraps really well. The bossam had great texture but was too gamey/smelly for me, which is important in pork belly. The octopus came stir fried with rice cake and other veggies which was nice. I expected it to be spicy but it was on the sweet side instead. It depends what you want - good for non-Koreans to try. The seafood pancake was honestly delicious. The crispy texture was great and there was an appropriate amount of batter. I hate when there's too much batter but the ratio was good. Daenjang jjigae was my least favorite. I could barely taste the daenjang and instead all I could taste and smell was shellfish. Also the pork belly pieces were super fatty, which I didn't like. This is probably the only dish I wouldn't get again. We also got a few side dishes: kimchi, spicy acorn muk, braised burdock, sesame spinach, and jang jorim (soy sauce beef). My favorite was acorn muk and sesame spinach. The kimchi is also on the fresher side, so it's less fermented. It's sad seeing new modern Korean places charge for side dishes sigh... Lastly, this place is called SOMAEK so you have to drink SOMAEK. Somaek is soju + maekju (beer) and it's a classic Korean bar drink that is so delicious! ps. Make sure you eat your ssam (wraps) in one bite! or else you're cancelled

Judy had good recommendations and was incredibly eloquent in presenting and answering questions regarding the menu. Fantastic food, wonderful variety. Well worth the visit

Great experience at somaek! We got the banchan with seaweed, kimchi and burdock. The burdock was amazing, I've never had it before and I highly recommend. We also got the stir fried squid, cold buckwheat noodles, and seafood pancake. My favorite was the squid, but they were all incredible. Service was quick and attentive. It's a small restaurant so make a reservation.

My partner and I shared doenjang jjigae (soy bean paste stew), ojing-eo bokkeum (stir-fried squid), yangnyeomnong-eo twigim (fried striped bass collar), bibim guksu (cold noodles), 3 banchan (Napa cabbage kimchi, braised burdock, and garlic chive muchim), and rice - TASTE: 4/5 - favorites were the comforting stew and tasty cold. Of the banchan, the braided burdock was full of rich, soy flavor. Wouldn't get the garlic chives again, was just alright TEXTURE: 4/5 - highlights included the stew's tender potatoes and enoki mushrooms, the squid's tteok rice cakes and fish cakes, the fried bass's extra crunchiness, and the noodles' lightness PRICE: 4/5 - subtotal was $82 and total came to $104 SERVING SIZE: 3/5 - wish the portions were a little larger; the fried bass was only two pieces. Also, never been to a Korean place before where banchan wasn't free lol SERVICE: 4/5 - reserved through Resy an hour before, and arrived at 5pm opening on a Friday. Our service was a little slow, but other waiters and servers were helpful. No empty tables by the time we left! ATMOSPHERE: 4/5 - modern and narrow space w less than 20 seats PARKING: 4/5 - got a metered street spot near Essex St x Harrison Ave

Somaek is a relatively new Korean tapas-styled restaurant in the heart of Downtown Crossing. My boyfriend and I made a reservation for Friday night on the week of and there were plenty of reservation spots at the time, although by the end of the week they did not have as many spots open. We sat by the bar and got to watch everyone make drinks and prepare food. For drinks, we got the Seoul 75 and the Maekjulada. They were both good, although the cups were pretty small for their price. For food, we got the Nong-eo Hwe (striped bass sashimi), Haemul pajeon (seafood pancake), and Kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew). All of the food was very fresh and tasty. I was especially surprised by the Kimchi jjigae, which had so much depth and complexity to it (in part because they add mackerel to their stew). The service was excellent! Although she was working the bar, she was super attentive to us and followed up on all of our questions. She even gave us celebratory champagne on the house for our special occasion. Overall, I had a great experience at Somaek! The only reason I am giving it less than 5 stars is because you have to pay a lot just for banchan, which is usually complimentary, and because the portion sizes for the drinks was relatively too small, even for a tapas restaurant.

4.5/5 Seoul 75 Cocktail -- came highly recommended by the bartender and did not disappoint! 5/5 Yookhwe -- if I had to get one thing, I would get this! Very well marinated beef tartare and loved the touch of sweetness with the korean pear and crunchy fried seaweed! 4/5 Stir Fry Squid -- squid was cooked very well, tender and not chewy. Flavor wise is very on par with typical Korean sweet spicy sauces, nothing to write home about flavor wise. Super friendly staff, especially loved chatting with the bartenders as I sat at the bar area. Would return to try more menu items!

Somaek was good, with some caveats. My benchmark for Korean food in Boston is the soondubu place I go to in Allston, and the best I can break it down is - the food at Somaek is about the same taste-wise and more expensive, but the service is much friendlier. I've never seen a Korean restaurant not offer complimentary banchan at the start of the meal, which initially rubbed me the wrong way. But think about it from a food waste perspective - how much of that banchan does a restaurant throw away if you don't finish it? Chances are, if you have to pay something like $5 for some banchan or $4 for a bowl of rice, you're more likely to finish it. (Of course, the counter to this argument is that an economically-minded person would take the leftovers to go.) Still - I prefer free banchan. Finishing the banchan and asking for seconds has never been an issue for me. On the whole, the food was tasty but the portions were small. Think of a Korean menu in tapas form. Of the dishes we ordered, I liked the the stir-fried squid and pork bulgogi the most. The pork had a great chargrilled flavor but it was a very small amount of meat split among four people. Same for the squid, which came on a slightly bigger plate, but was buried in a heap of carrots and green onions. The seafood pancake was also a standout, expertly fried with a good crunch, similar to a thicker Chinese scallion pancake. I'd skip the bossam - the amount of meat was almost comically small and I'm personally not a fan of cold pork belly. Parking: garage and street options in this stretch of DTX only.