This used to be one of my FAVORITE restaurants in Columbia during college. It's a mom and pop show run by a Korean couple and the wife always remembers me and my order when I come (hot and spicy pork with only kimchi, apples and oranges, and glass noodles salad for sides). When I moved back to Columbia in 2016, it still tasted just as good as I had remembered it during my college years when I ate there (2009-2010) and I would eat here 3-4 times a week. I recently went again this past Sunday after not being here in over a year and was surprised to see they had remodeled, I didn't see the lady who owns the place and the food tasted nothing like I remembered. I was so disappointed. The hot and spicy pork was rubbery and the flavor from the sauce was severely lacking. The kimchi tasted pretty much the same but it wasn't cold. The apples/oranges and the noodle salad came out late because it was being made but the dressing was tart and tasted nothing like the creamy dressing I remembered. The waiter forgot to serve me the ginger salad at the beginning and when he bought it out after I asked for it, the ginger dressing was so watery. I have no clue what happened to my favorite restaurant. read more

The food was excellent, I had the Chap Chae (japchae) my wife had the hot bibimbap (dolsot) and we shared Korean egg rolls. I also had the boricha roasted barley tea cold. Everything was delicious! The restaurant itself is old and lacking in atmosphere but they make up for it in the taste of their food. Our waitress was Venezuelan and she was delightful and accommodating. We will definitely be back. read more

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The service is relatively quick. And the ambience differs and that they offer both Mexican and Korean cuisine. I had the beef Bulgogi Bento box for lunch. The spicy cucumber, kimchi, Mandu, Kimbop, were all very good. But the Bulgogi, unfortunately was not that good. To me it was a bit salty, and the meat was over-charred. May have to give him a second chance if I'm back in that area. read more

We were craving some Korean food and decided to give this place a go. Hesitant at first but well worth it. It's a old building but the service was great. It's under new owners as well. The food was FRESH. Made when ordered. The Galbi meat was very tender and the house kimchi hit the spot. Plus the house fried gyoza and spring rolls had a lot going on with flavor. It was filling but we weren't miserable after the meal which is a huge plus, We can't wait to come back and try other menu items! read more

Atypical Restaurant - Galbi lunch bento box $17 - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Delicious food Chicken Teriyaki,Spicy Pork,Kimbop Great service Classic family oriented restaurant read more

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The restaurant is attached to the Atypical Latin place. So you can order food from 2 different cuisines at the same time. Serivce was fast, and there was no waiting. They do serve alcohol and have beer and wine. They also have plum wine and sake. We ordered the Ja Jang Myun, and it was chicken bean paste with noodles. Very unique flavor, and if you want it spicier, add the Korean spicy sauce on top. We had Pollo guisado from the Atypical Latin place. It was delicious. I definitely see myself coming here often. read more

Atypical Restaurant - Ja Jang Myun - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Was in Columbia for the weekend and wanted to get some Korean. Decided to try this place out since it was close by and they served alcohol. The location wasn't great and the place was empty minus a couple that was on their way out. I tried a Korean beer called Hite and it was pretty good, though at $5 a bottle I felt it was overpriced. The meal came with a small salad with ginger dressing and a couple of plates with assorted items like kimchi, cucumbers, and Vienna sausages. The teriyaki chicken was very good. A bowl of white rice accompanied it and was sticky so a bit easy to get with chopsticks. Overall I thought it was ok but it's not going to be a return visit kinda place for me. read more

Atypical Restaurant - Teriyaki chicken - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

My wife and recently returned to O-Bok after a long absence. It is not the same restaurant at all. The restaurant has been sold and is no longer owned by a Korean family. The food pales in comparison to what it used to be. Not a flavorful as it used to be. Honestly, it is an imitation of what of a Korean restaurant. This is a sad development as this place introduced us to Korean food over 20 years ago and we had many delicious dinners there. At this point, there are so many better options for Korean food that we will not be returning. read more

This place USED to be my favorite Authentic Korean restaurant!! I would eat here at least twice a week. I was proud to become a "regular". It was always the same sweet girl as my server. She knew my order by heart. Then one day I noticed it was closed due to being remodeled, I thought awesome! Good for them. However, when they reopened I was very disappointed to see a totally different staff, the Korean lady and sweet young girl were no longer there. I attempted to order my usual, however the menu had been changed and it seemed more complicated to order. There was also a language barrier with my waitress as she couldn't understand majority of what I was saying. She had to grab another gentlemen to help. She was however, super sweet and attentive and checked on us frequently. The older gentleman she called over was very friendly as well. The inside was nicely redone and looked like they put a lot of time, money, and effort into it as well. Unfortunately, the reason for the poor rating is because the food was not satisfying. My mother and I both got the dinner portion of Bulgogi, her original, me spicy, and both of our dishes were very dry. The meat seemed either overcooked or maybe old. It didn't taste fresh and juicy/saucy. Also, I ordered a side of kimchi and it was sour! I enjoy a bite of kimchi with almost every other bite of my meal so I go through at least two small dishes of it, and I was not able to eat even one bite as the kimchi was spoiled/soggy/rotten. I know kimchi is fermented cabbage but this was well past expired. I was very disappointed as that is usually the highlight of my meal as the two are a perfect pair (Bulgogi & Kimchi). This will unfortunately be my last visit as it's my second try since they reopened/remodeled. The food just isn't the same. It's not nearly as delicious as it was with the previous management. The only reason I even awarded the 2 starts is because the establishment has a beautiful new set up and the staff was super friendly, attentive, and welcoming despite the language barrier (Native Spanish speakers working at a Korean restaurant with English speakers attempting to pronounce Korean words would be a challenge for anyone). I can tell they are trying. The food just ain't it anymore. read more

Atypical Restaurant - Old cucumber kimchi - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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I was recommended by yelp to come here. Wait for the details. Sorry the 3 stars. Just a median place to start. But, once I taste it and feel it. I will let your really know. T y for the opportunity read more

Great service, great ambiance and excellent food. The waiting time was very fast. If you don't know how it is done, they're more than happy to explain. read more

Do not recommend to anyone. My experience started with frozen Kdogs that had to be remade, unwashed cups with floaters in my water, and A LARVAE in my bugolgi. After throwing up in the parking lot and showing the entire staff pictures, I only received half a refund. Never again. read more

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I can't say too much about the difference in food between new and old owners I can say the food is good. Galbi was good but small portion. Kimchi was sour but cucumber kimchi was not. Out of some things but overall very friendly staff and clean restaurant. Will be back but it is not at the top of my list. read more

Atypical Restaurant - Dinner for two - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

This is my favorite Korean restaurant in town. It looks a little sketchy on the outside but the food is delicious! My favorite dishes are spicy pork, soft tofu soup, and kimchi fried rice (which comes with fried egg on top). One of the main reasons I come here is the side dishes. Korean entrees (except noodle dishes) generally come with rice and about 5 side dishes. O-bok entrees come with more than twice that, including many fresh vegetables. The dinner boxes also come with a plethora of items, including kimbap (sushi rolls) and fried dumplings. It's usually pretty empty and has plenty of parking. read more

Atypical Restaurant - Kimchi rice and free sides that come with it - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Poor service and did not know how to make anything on the menu. Must be under poor management

They took the O-BOK restaurant and cut it in half. One side is Latin Fusion, other side is Korean. Galbi was somewhat fatty, other items all right, but the previous owners/kitchen did a better job. Since the music was Latin, and the waitstaff was Latin I now believe I should have eaten on the Latin half of the restaurant. For Korean, one can do better on Decker. read more

I came here this past Saturday evening with my family for dinner. Note: From the outside, this is definitely a "hole in the wall" kind of place. I was concerned they'd be packed since it was graduation day across the area for a ton of schools. Color me surprised because we were the only customers for a little bit (other folks trickled in during our time there). I've had their food before but that was during the early days of Covid where it was all to-go things. I remember enjoying what I had but I was craving a sit-down experience. We were pleasantly greeted and sat at a table with the grill built into it. We ordered the pork belly, the Bulgogi, some Mandu (think pot stickers), as well as the Korean Salad - extra spicy(!) and the Kimchi Stew. So, how was it? AMAZING. We had fun cooking the meat and trying it with the different side dishes provided. I highly recommend, especially if you are new to Korean cuisine, to try the little side dishes on their own first and then experiment pairing them with the different meats. Think tasty science! I had the kimchi stew as I'd heard it was seriously good and I agree! It had a bit of a kick (I went medium) but was full of flavor. The Korean salad: Y'all, they ain't playing around with the spiciness level. However, the flavor was fantastic - it wasn't just heat. However, it was too spicy for me so the remainder was donated to my husband, who has a higher tolerance. The Mandu was good - nothing to write home about, but I'd get them again. Note: My kids just had the chicken tenders and fries as they can be picky. BUT they all enjoyed that at least. Also, the ladies working were super sweet with them and even gave them each a Ring Pop before we left. Note 2: For those familiar with the area, you should know by now that once a year, about now-ish, Lake Murray messes with the water flavor. It's AWFUL. So if you come here about now-ish, just get a soda. It isn't the restaurant's fault - it's just how it is around here. All in all, I wish I didn't live clear out on the other side of town because I want to come here more often! read more

I was happy when I saw it was being remodeled.. I stopped by and was surprised that it was a Korean/Latin place.. I decided to try it.. when I tell you I was like WTF...never seen teriyaki chicken look or taste like that..steamed dumplings were gummy... minuscule amount of sides..Oh Bok as we knew and loved is no longer.. they should stop calling this a "Korean" restaurant. read more

Atypical Restaurant - Pale Teriyaki chicken - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

The worst place ever they never have galbi and also they never answer the phone I tried to give them another opportunity but never answer the phone the customer service horrible and the bathroom smells Guys don't come here read more

A couple of friends and I did lunch again, and we checked out this restaurant, and it was my first time having Bulgogi and it was great! read more

Atypical Restaurant - Bulgogi Lunch Box - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Love The Korean Corn Dog I Think They Had 김밥 I'm Not Sure Service 4/10 Was Not Feeling It A Bit But It Was Good And Worth It This Fully As A 4/10 read more

The restaurant is under new management, the Korean lady who built the business is gone with her recipes. This is not authentic Korean food, Be Warned read more

We had the beef bulgogi box with so many sides. Everything had so much flavor. We also had their teriyaki wings. We've had a lot of wings and these are the best. Crispy and delicious. The wait staff was very friendly and attentive. Plenty of seating and nice atmosphere. Looking forward to trying the hot and spicy pork and the short ribs. read more

This place was actually pretty good! I had some spicy chicken and several different sides. I wanted to try something new and it turned out ok read more

Atypical Restaurant - Spicy Chicken, Rice,Rolls, Salad and spiced cucumber on the side. - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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I'm not typically one to leave bad reviews, but my friend and I came here for an early dinner because we were both craving korean corndogs and had the worst restaurant experience I've ever had in my life. When we first walked in we were greeted from across the restaurant and told to sit at the table closest to the front door (only 1 other family in the restaurant at the time). The same woman was our waitress and was constantly on her phone and had her AirPods in the whole time. My friend and I both ordered the Bulgogi dinner box and a potato half & half korean corndog. The waitress came back to tell us they ran out of potato and our only option was classic, so we got that. She brought them out and it was so gorgeous I couldn't help but take a picture. Excitedly, I bit into it, until I realized I couldn't. I'm not exaggerating when I say the hotdog was frozen solid. My friend then discovered that her corndog was frozen as well. We told the waitress and she replaced the corndogs for us but still charged us. I drank some of my water to wash down the taste of the frozen sausage to discover that my cup was dirty and there were specks floating in my water. At this point, I felt bad about the corndog so I just let it be and didn't drink any of it. Then our bulgogi dinner boxes came out and they looked delicious. The portions were huge and neither of us could finish our meals, so we asked for to-go boxes. While packing up our leftovers, my friend discovered what we at first tried to convince ourselves was beef fat, but was most definitely larvae. We were so disgusted that we paid and left in a rush without saying anything. We got in my car and my friend immediately opened my door to vomit. There was a full dumpster of trash that smelled horrible in the parking lot which just made it all worse. We sat on all this for a moment outside before going in to ask for a full refund. They only gave us half. We will NEVER return here again. read more

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This was the first Korean restaurant I ate at when I moved here so O-bok will always have a special place in my heart. This is a family owned business so you'll see the son, mother, and father running around. Their parking lot is small and has very limited parking so be wary of that during the weekends. The interior design of the restaurant is pretty bare and minimal, but they do have a few Korean ornaments on the wall and a TV on the right side of the restaurant. Their service is acceptable, but not the best. Since this place is family owned and they don't seem to have any hired help, the service can be terribly slow during peak hours. They also aren't very active about refilling your drinks, giving you your check, or refilling side dishes. The Food: Strengths: For appetizers, their kimbop and seafood pancake are really good. They also include a lot of side dishes (usually more than 12) if you order one of the Korean BBQ entrees! For entrees, their spicy pork, Hot Stone Bowl, or one of their bento box combos are a good choice. Weaknesses: There are some dishes that you want to avoid. Their Jap Chae isn't that great and neither is their Galbee, which is rubby and hard to chew. I remember one time I was trying so hard to get the meat off the bone that the whole thing just flew out of my hard. Their food overall is not the most authentic Korean. They have American influences and their side dishes include sausage, cole slaw noodles, and sweet fruit. Also, Korean restaurants normally don't have bento boxes. Overall, there are more authentic Korean restaurants on the same road if you want that. However, if you enjoy more of an Americanized perspective on Korean food then this is a good choice. I usually bring my American friends to this restaurant while I take my Asian friends to Arirang. read more

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I came here the Korean place I ate dinner at had disgusting kimchi and I was craving the stuff. So I ordered a side of Kimchi and their Kimchi soup to go. Oh my goodness the kimchi soup was amazing and oh so flavorful! I asked for it to be extra spicy and it was perfect. The kimchi was exactly what kimchi should be. I was even pleased that my to-go soup came with sides! read more

Went there two days ago. New refurbished inside and is now also Latin American food as well as Korean. Great service and excellent food.

Have tried this place twice; dinner and then lunch. I've had the bulgogi and the short ribs. Staff seem polite, however the food was mediocre at best. read more

This restaurant seemed to be short staffed and the food was just okay. The woman running the place worked very hard, but the food didn't wow anyone in our group. read more

If I could rate this place less than one star - I would . The first hint : a sign at the counter reads : if you do not like the food , you must still pay . We walked into this place on a Saturday night at 8 PM . We love going out to eat Korean and our favorite place was closed ..so we thought : how bad could O-Bok be ? O-Bok had bright blaring lights and no one greeted us , for awhile , as we walked through the restaurant . Two white folks came out to take our order . The place did not appear to be clean . The food was not bad and the portions were VERY small . While we were eating , the Korean owners dragged out some intense foul smelling bucket of cleaning liquid. We paid our bill . The Korean owners looked completely depressed and NO ONE said anything pleasant . We will not be going back read more

Never again! I paid $50 for dinner that was lunch size portions and the chicken was weird. The Bulgogi was too sweet, and it was a child's portions for $19.99. The teriyaki chicken was cut in ity bity cubes. The price point was for a high-end hibachi restaurant. This was my fist and last visit. read more

As you can see by some of the photos from reviewers, OBok does not know how to make good bulgolgi. Big, fat pieces of steak with little moisture or flavor are not how it's supposed to be done! There are a couple of great places right down the road who know how to do it properly, I suggest you go there. read more

Awful. Just awful and such a disappointment to both me and my husband that we gave up and went down the street to put something else in our stomach. Normally, it would make sense to just send back a dish because it wasn't hot enough or seasoned to our liking but everything just failed-except the service. We ordered a yook gwe jang and a jjamoong and there was a definite lack of veggies, beef and beef stock in the soup. There was no sesame oil, chilies and maybe a tiny bit of egg but plenty of green onions seeped in what tasted like water-just water. The jjamoong noodle was over cooked, the seafood variety was lacking and the clams weren't opened which troubled me just a bit. And again, the cook was afraid of chili peppers. It didn't even register as mildly spicy and tasted like yesterdays seafood broth with last weeks noodles. It was just awful and an empty restaurant at 1:00 should have been a red flag. This is a watered down version of what Korean food should taste like and they could do themselves a favor and take a cooking course or two. read more

I eat here twice a week. I've eaten at DJ House (down the street in the strip mall that an above reviewer mentioned) and I prefer Obok simply because I like their side dishes better. The sprouts, spinach and shredded squid and just fine for my taste and I love their salad dressing so much that I drink it out of the bottom of the bowl. The seafood pancake is good, as are the spicy pork and stews. You really have to try many things there because some are good and some aren't. You'll eventually lock in on what you like and crave it weekly. Two people can eat there for $20 and leave STUFFED. We always get the hot or cold barley tea and find that one entree each is enough to satisfy. My Chinese girlfriend also really likes their rice and I agree: they use a superior grade of rice and it makes the difference if you're asian and appreciate that kind of thing. DJ House is good, too, but I'm not as crazy about their side dishes as I am about Obok's. I really like this place and I will continue to go there as often as I can afford to!! UPDATE: I don't know why, but the last few times I've been here, I've gotten some stomach troubles, even though I always order the same thing. The food also doesn't taste as fresh as it used to. Maybe they're just in a slump. In any case, I'm downgrading this from 5 to 2 stars...maybe I'll go back and re-evaluate in a few months. read more

Atypical Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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First off the lady serving us was really kind to us but she was so slow. The side dishes lack the flavor I'm use to when eating Korean food. The Galbi tasted pretty good and the cold noodle soup was just average. The pork was terrible tasting w no flavor covered w vegetables. I got what I expected hearing that this place use to better than average from my friends in the local neighborhood. Definitely not worth 28.00 w tip, so this guy will stick his favorite spot down the road. Average at best don't expect to be blown away by this food! read more

Atypical Restaurant - Galbi w cold buckwheat noodle soup - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Great food. Delicious and fresh. Family atmosphere. Try bulgogi or Gabi...yum. Great staff friendly.

They've let this restaurant go and they it's gross. Loud TV blaring in the corner (American shows) while we are eating at these tables with absurdly pink seat cushions. Then photos speak for themselves. No way it's safe to eat here. read more

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My daughter and I decided to try something new. This place did not disappoint!family run and I assume it was the son who was our server. He was very informative and patient I tasted everything that came to our table. Everything was great. Will definitely be back read more

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I love Korean food and this place doesn't disappoint ... please check them out. Say hi to Nick when you get there The Korean salad is must and in cold days try jambong (seafood noodle). read more

Atypical Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina