You could easily walk right past this hidden jewel without a second glance, but all it takes is one visit to experience some of the beauty hidden within its unadorned exterior. Jong Ga House, at 372 Grand Avenue, right next to Lake Merritt in Oakland, is an unassuming gem that all Korean food lovers will be happy to find. Although its location is on a street with only a few other restaurants and businesses nearby, Jong Ga House has plenty of charm, thanks to its family-owned congeniality and homemade Korean food.

 The large, comfortable, family-style booths and tables all come with individual grills, and are my favorite element in the simply decorated space. I don’t visit Jong Ga House for its ambience. The food, however, speaks for itself—and that’s the reason I (and other loyal patrons) return again and again. The traditional Korean fare here is the tastiest I have eaten in the East Bay. Portion sizes are extremely generous, prices very reasonable, and the staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Dinner entrées are priced at about $8.00–$20.00, and lunch prices are even lower. The menu includes myriad options, including a variety of soups and stews, grill-it-yourself meat dishes (including traditional bulgogi and kalbi), a variety of seafood dishes, and traditional bibimbop, to name just a few. I suspect that if you develop a longing for one particularly hard-to-find Korean dish, you could get it here.

 No matter how many times I visit Jong Ga House, I always leave feeling stuffed—but in a good way! Every entrée is accompanied with a generous assortment of small side dishes called banchan. These dishes include cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, bean sprouts, sweet candied potatoes, and other variations on traditional side plates. All are very good, and each one is unique. The flavors have an undeniable home-style flare.

 On every one of my dinner visits to Jong Ga we were first served a cold kimchi-flavored soup with crunchy greens and white noodles. This is the flavorful, refreshing start of the culinary voyage that is commencing. Next, a spicy, miso broth-based soup with seafood and tofu cooked in individual hot pots is served. Finally, the main dish comes to the table. My all-time favorite Korean food is bulgogi!—tender beef marinated in soy sauce, garlic, rice wine and sugar—and when I come to Jong Ga House I frequently order this delicacy. Cooked right at your table, bulgogi is accompanied by a sesame oil–flavored rice, lettuce and other greens to wrap the meat in, garlic and jalapenos for spice, and a fermented salty miso paste to spread on the lettuce. The crisp greens, spicy jalapenos, pungent garlic, and soft rice combined with the marinated, grilled beef create an amazing wrap, containing many layers of flavors that reveal themselves in each mouthful.