Kisa

Kisa is a Korean restaurant that is serving Baek Ban, which is a traditional Korean meal comprising of rice, soup, and banchan. If you’re into set menus similarly to Japanese bento boxes, this will satisfy that itch. I love Korean food in this manner because it’s all usually really tasty and very solo friendly. I was able to walk in at around 5:30 PM on a Wednesday evening without issues.

Ambiance & Service

The interior reminded me of Korean homes of the past generation. You’d see an old TV with an oscillating fan and lots of beige colors. The dining area is fairly small, and the tables are close together.

The food definitely comes out very quickly, so you don’t need to wait long.

Food

The Rice Cracker came complimentary as an appetizer.

This was a Korean Pear beverage ($3). It had some Korean pear puree in it, and it was quite tasty. Unfortunately, it’s quite expensive for how much you get, but it does taste good.

The spicy pork ($32) came with thinly spiced pork marinated in gochujang sauce. This tasted very similar to other Korean restaurants. It came with rice and a bowl of warm kimchi stew.

Also, the SSAM wraps (+$3) came with some bean curd sauce, perilla leaves, and lettuce. I used this to wrap the spicy pork and rice in. It was good.

For the banchan, starting at 12:00 and going clockwise:

1. Potato Jorim. This was braised beef and potatoes in a sweet soy sauce.
2. Sausage and Rice Cake Skewers. This was sausage and fried rice cake brushed with gochujang sauce.
3. Soy Marinated Shrimp. This was raw shrimp cured in soy sauce with shiitake, onion, and garlic.
4. Housemade Kimchi. This was fermented napa cabbage with salted anchovy and Korean chili flake.
5. Mung Bean Jelly Salad. This was housemade jelly, carrot, scallion, and pea sprout with seaweed puree dressing.
6. Omelet Roll. This was a traditional egg omelet with carrot, onion, and scallion.
7. Roasted Seaweed. This was crunchy seaweed imported from Osan Market, Korea.

All the sides tasted pretty good and very similar to your homemade Korean foods. Of all the sides, I felt the housemade kimchi to be exceptional. It was well fermented and full of flavor unlike even higher end Korean restaurants.

Overall Impression

In the end, Kisa was a decent restaurant for being a homey Korean restaurant. For those familiar with this kind of food, the flavors are very similar, so you won’t be missing much. However if you haven’t tried this before or you have that crave for these Korean small samples of food, this would be a great place to check out.

On your way out, don’t forget to ask for a dispensed hot beverage. I clicked the hot black sesame one, and it was tasty for a final drink.

Yelp Jabs

I made a reservation on Resy, which made it easier to get in. Even on a weekday, though, there’s a long line before dinner service starts, so I recommend reserving in advance if you can!

I noticed the lines start closer to 6:00 PM on a weekday. If you eat earlier, it’s a bit easier to walk in without issues.

The side dishes were my favorite because it elevated the meal so much. It was so fun to try everything and even though there were so many different flavors, everything was seasoned well and tasted delicious. I must say, not every viral IG spot is worth the time and effort but this restaurant is a must. I would wait 1 hr,10x over

Frankly if you have had typical Korean food before in Korea or in the US, this is all very familiar. You are really not missing much, so it’s not worth waiting in any line for this type of food. However if you have never tried this food before, it may be worth trying just once to see how it’s like. All the foods are prepared great, but unless you lack a Korean palette, you won’t find the food to be that amazing.

Revisions

1. Jul 23, 2025 - Initial revision.