BEST KOREAN MILITARY SOUP EVER! * * * Banjoo is a first rate Korean Restaurant and Karaoke Joint. The restaurant part is absolutely outstanding. I am the wrong man to be judging whether the Karaoke part is any good. I loathe, execrate, despise and abhor Karaoke. The only time you will ever see me in a Karaoke room Is if there is a tornado or an active shooter and we are huddling in the innermost rooms we can find. If there is an active shooter, I doubt we will have loud music and flashing lights. * * * But the restaurant part is just fine. You can stay in the front, eat Korean food and drink Korean spirits without having to humiliate yourself trying to remember a melody. Up front is pretty nice. Every wall has at least two TV screens with Korean music videos, So you can see teams of professional teenage girls All of whom DO know the words And can sing all of them perfectly while flirting or having fun in exotic locations. The kitchen is outstanding. This being a Korean joint - blow your head off hot is the order of the day. (And this means temperature wise as well as spice wise.) The first time I came here, I made the mistake of ordering the blandest thing on the menu - which is their fried rice. The fried rice by itself is no great shakes. Dump a dish of the red chili sauce they serve as a garnish for other dishes on top of selfsame bland fried rice ... And ABRACADABRA PRESTO CHANGE-O !!! You suddenly have an interesting dish ! Korean hot sauce on fried rice is super good eating. They will happily get you a dish of the hot red sauce, and you are now officially in business. * * * But to really do Banjoo right, You want to go hot and spicy. Their military soup will do the job nicely. Korean Military Soup is Korea's answer to Chipped Beef on Toast. It is a traditional food served to soldiers that gives them some protein and some starch in the cheapest manner possible. In World War II and the Korean War, nothing was cheaper than dried chipped beef and white bread toast. Make a gravy and you are in business. Fortunately, chipped beef on toast actually tastes good. I loved the dish as a kid when it was served to me in camp. I love it now. Military Soup is Ramen noodles in a pork and hot pepper broth with a mix of spam and super cheap sausage providing the protein. Blood sausage is a frequent addition. Spam and super cheap sausage ought to be awful. But with the ramen noodles and the spicy broth and with the flavors mixing from boiling, the dish is actually pretty good. Korea has a requirement of two years of military service for every able bodied male. So most Korean men have spent two years eating this stuff. They acquire a taste for it, just as I acquired a taste for chipped beef on toast. Military Soup is actually one of the more expensive items on the Banjoo menu. * * * Banjoo's version is definitely upscale. They use lots and lots of several different kinds of sausage and pate. There is no blood sausage. The meat that they buy is not the rock-bottom-of-the-market criazzap that usually goes into military soup. So this is Military Soup for chic neighborhoods. I was blown away on my first bite ... And I have been blown away by the leftovers that I have been eating for days. (Your top dollar price payment at the beginning gives you enough military soup to feed a family. If it is just you, there will be leftovers.) * * * Banjoo has many other items on the menu and a fine fine looking bar. I look forward to coming back and exploring all of these. One thing though I can promise you. No matter how much beer and soju you pour into me You ain't getting me into a karaoke room. I am too busy looking at the K-Pop girls having fun. read more

This isn't really my kind of place, it was really loud (maybe to hide the sound from the karaoke rooms?), sort of dark (phone flashed when taking food picture), and they don't give you menus, you have to do the scan a code thing and read the menu in your phone. However, the service was good and the food was great! The steamed dumplings were the best I've had in years - nice and juicy with a thin skin. The short ribs (LA galbi) were also great. Only negative with the food is they didn't give us banchan, a first in our experience for Korean places. read more

Banjoo - Short ribs - Korean Near Me - Austin, Texas

I wasn't able to post the photos I took to google reviews, so I'll upload them here I've seen Banjoo all over my TikTok fyp so we had to stop by. We were greeted immediately and received our drinks and ordered our food within minutes! Amazing. It didn't take long before I noticed how attentive our servers were. We didn't have to wait for anything nor did we have to waive anyone down to ask. We ordered the corn cheese to start, then the kimchi fried rice and carbonara ramen. The corn cheese is so classic. No notes. The kimchi fried rice is probably my favorite in Austin. I can't handle spice and the spice level was perfect for me! It's definitely super mild for the avg person lol but if you're sensitive to heat, Banjoo's KFR is a great option :) I was told the carbonara noodles were yummy and the right amount of heat for spice lovers. Not overly spicy, warm, and filling. Good for cold days Listening to the sounds of happy people singing karaoke was nice and added to the vibe too! Overall the hype is valid. If you're looking for something fun to do tonight, or if you're just looking for some Korean comfort food, you don't need to go anywhere else! read more

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I came in on a Saturday night and it wasn't too busy. The space itself is very small and they have a few tables but I expected it to be bigger. Regardless they accommodated my group and it was okay. My biggest issue is because it's so small and the tables are so close together it is very loud and hard to have a conversation. I know this is more of a bar type of place but with the music and all the people the only way to have a conversation is nearly yelling at the person next to you. Other than that good was good and service was friendly. read more

Banjoo - Korean Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Banjoo has officially become one of my favorite late-night Korean spots in Austin, especially when choices are limited after a late night pickleball sesh. This place has food and karaoke so you could do both in one spot The corn cheese comes out bubbling hot with that perfect sweet-savory balance. It's a great starter for the table. The Spicy K-arbonara was the dish I didn't know I needed. Creamy, slightly sweet, a good kick of heat, and that ramen noodle chew. It is on the spicier side, but burns so good. Seafood Pancake is one of my favorites. Crisp edges, tender inside, and full of actual seafood pieces instead of just batter. It's huge and perfect for sharing. They do it very well here. And the Army Stew (Budae Jjigae) was a slight miss. The broth came out thicker than usual and was overly salty. We told the staff and they said we can add more broth to it, but I feel like it's not the same. We usually skip this one now when we go. Overall, Banjoo is a great Korean spot. Whether you're here for dinner, drinks, or the karaoke rooms, you'll leave happy. I'll definitely be back. read more

I heard this is Soha's sister restaurant! Their food is obviously also really good as well, but I feel like the vibes are weird here. I love Soha because it has that pocha vibe, but Soha is weirdly decorated and very open? I think they could've done a much better job filling the space with more tables and more comfortable chairs, but it gave me Severance office vibes with how cheap and uncomfortable the chairs and tables are. Their staff is really attentive, and I am a huge fan of their pocha food and drinks. read more

Banjoo - Korean Near Me - Austin, Texas

the staff here are so nice i felt kind of bad that i was speaking in english here but i was so tired after acl i didnt think to jumunhagi properly.. mian to my friends who work here... first off its very loud in here but if u cant deal with that i dont kno why u would go to a joint-karaoke-restaurant in the first place ! go home. next we got corn cheese + i got samgyeopsal and my friend got galbi UMM dis was a huuge portion like the corn cheese was twice as big as i thought it was gonna be so... we got two meals outta this baby!!!!! actually the corn cheese was really good idk if they use liquid smoke or something but its so smoky and the seaweed flavor on top is very nice. the samgyeopsal was okay i dont wanna compare it cuz im from #California and idk what to tell u we got some FAT JUICY PIGS over there #metaphor ! ! ! it wasnt bad tho and it comes with lettuce, sesame oil, and i think chogochujang so it was still pretty SPLENDERIFOUS at the end of the day. i dropped my scrunchy (my fault and i am of course super dumb and stupid because i missed my OWN big ass pants pockets [i was wearing jean cargo shorts so they were really big {jargorts}] with my OWN hand which is why it fell in the first place im sorry) AND a very kind and benevolent worker picked it up for me UGHH THANK U AND IM SOOO SORRY that was humiliating for me im really sorry. im going to be thinking about that for my entire flight back to california and yes that includes the layover. anyway i would recommend going here (also theyre open late night which is so great) if i lived in austin oh trust i would be DOWNNN here on the monthly at LEAST OMG i forgot to say someone working there also complimented my pashmina. "nice pash" uh huh and whyd you call it that?... i know what you are... [say it... ]... RAVER!!!! read more

Banjoo - samgyeopsal - Korean Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Such a quality dining experience! Food is amazing and service is impeccable!!! Also... you guys outdid yourselves on the lighting and vibes in the dining area. W.O.W!!! Will be back for sure! read more

Delicious, authentic, and honestly a great time. Feels like I'm back home with delicious, quality food with soju, cocktails, and beer. The dining area is spacious while the different karaoke rooms are so fun. You wouldn't even have known there was a Karaoke bar because nothing echos outside into the spacious dining area. So glad this opened up! read more

"Delicious, reasonably priced, and generous portions!" I will come again!!!!!!!!!!! Servers are nice and kind!! read more

Banjoo - Korean Near Me - Austin, Texas

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It was good food. Ramen had good favor. Music was too loud. Not a good place if you wanna carry conversations. Service..had no complaints. read more

The food was so delicious! My friend had the kimchi with beef and rice. I had the glass noodle with beef and vegetables with a side of rice! The service was great and the staff were really nice! The ambiance was good too read more

Great food! Got the beef stir fry and beef short ribs. Be aware the vibe is sort of like a night club with loud music. They have music videos playing on flat screens and private karaoke rooms. Interesting spot! Service was great. read more