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| - A new Korean place in town that, so far, is worth the rave reviews. We've been here twice already in the short time it has been open, and I think it now is my favorite Korean restaurant. By far my favorite non-fast-food restaurant. It is small and still "getting their feet wet," but everything we've had has been excellent. The menu is Korean home-style and is quite excellently prepared. The wait-staff is attentive, but not overly so. They seat you quickly, bring menus when you are seated and come by again quickly for drink orders. You are given some time peruse the menu but the staff is nearby if you have questions about what something might be or how something is prepared. If you think you are being given too much time or need some help, just look up at your waitress/waiter and she/he will be right there. Food is at least mostly cooked to order, so it isn't immediate like in a fast food place, but it won't be long until you are enjoying
We've fallen for the YukGaeJang, a beef stew or soup full of vegetables. Great flavor and plenty to eat. And my wife and I also love the Kimchi and macherel stew for two. In fact, every item on the menu that we've tried provides plenty to eat, and my family can eat a lot. I've heard "yelping" (sorry) by customers when they see eighteen or twenty dollar prices on a "Chinese" menu, but they need to remember, this is real food, not fast food. And San Maru has plenty of seven dollar menu items as well. And so far, whatever the price on what we've ordered, it has been well worth it.
I expect San Maru will need to (1) find enough staff to open on Sundays, (2) expand or move as people discover the place. This, in my mind, is to Korean food what Golden Harbor is to the local Chinese restaurant market: authentic, delicious, with many items unparalleled among local options. I highly recommend it and wish it great success. I hope some new items or specials are added regularly as we intend to work our way through the entire printed menu. I hope San Maru lasts and remains wonderful
As I said, it is not fast food. But it may become that for people who use the soon to be available "order ahead online" option. We prefer to linger and talk over our meals, so we probably won't do the order ahead option; the fifteen or twenty minutes or food prep time is fine with us as we don't need to be served immediately. But that soon will be an option for those in a hurry.
Just open a couple of weeks, but so far it is a wonderful addition to the Champaign Urbana dining scene, a true stand-out in a market with lots of Asian options already. And, with so many decent take-out only/mostly places (many of which are quite decent), we truly appreciate a place with table service and a nice ambiance when we want to eat out.
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