Most locals know chef Albert Ok via his popular sandwich shop Ok’s Deli, but with his restaurant Oken’s debut in 2025, diners are getting to know his food through a new lens. Layering together Korean and Japanese flavors with other Asian influences, the food at Oken is decidedly fun and unpretentious, creating a casual atmosphere that makes for an exciting night out that earned it a 2025 Eater Award.
The restaurant has a time limit for tables during the rush. Ask if there’s a limit in place once you’re seated, to avoid a sudden ending to the meal.
Oken launched a new lunch menu as of October 2025, and it’s walk-in only. It’s much more abbreviated than the restaurant’s dinner offerings, but worth it if you haven’t been in yet and want to sample the food.
Few are the Oakland residents that don’t know — and love — Ok’s Deli. This summer, chef and owner Albert Ok took his popular combination of recognizable comfort foods and unexpected flavor bombs in a new direction and opened a sit-down restaurant with a dinner service, offering dishes like triple-cooked crispy potato, oxtail jjigae, and beef tartare onigiri. The decor might be minimal and reserved, but the menu is bold and worth exploring top to bottom.