Four Seasons is veryyyy mediocre, but I have to admit, the portions are great -- if you order the right thing! It's one of those places where you need to know exactly what to get to have a good experience. If you want the perfect affordable meal for two people (they note two but honestly if your friend group is small backed like us, three might also do the trick), head on right over and try their casseroles. If you want to perfectly replicate our experience, try their Boo Dae Jeon Gol, better known as Korean army stew (for curious folks and my fellow food baddies, definitely check out this link about the history of this sexy dish: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budae-jjigae#:~:text=It%20also%20goes%20by%20the,stew%2C%20and%20spicy%20sausage%20stew.&text=The%20dish%20has%20its%20origins,Korea%20was%20experiencing%20significant%20poverty. ) It's not a healthy meal for sure nor is this the best budae jigae I've ever had (quite bland for what it is) but omg, it's definitely THE ONE where you can have the most bang for the buck. They have an massive hotpot pan just for their casseroles. My friend and I, both very hungry college students, literally could not down this thing. The menu also mentioned to "share with my people" but perhaps it was a warning all along. The soju here is pretty expensive per bottle, which is a bit of a letdown. However, I do like their green grape soju and the specific brand that they have; it doesn't have that alcohol taste upfront, which is arguably dangerous. Will I willingly come back? Probably notttt, heh heh. There are better places out there to spend your money and time. Nothing about the food or the atmosphere really wowed me. It's just okay for a casual meal, but it didn't leave a lasting impression. read more

Four Seasons isn't gonna blow you away with how authentic or excellent the food is. However, if you just want some Asian food that isn't bad, you could do a lot worse. I've been here countless times, and the service has always been good. With regards to the food, it's always serviceable and sometimes pretty decent. Another advantage of Four Seasons is how open they are to sake bombing - it's one of the top sake bombing locations in Collegetown. read more

Four Seasons - Seafood Bi Bim Bop - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Unsure why the reviews aren't higher this place is so great! My family and I went on a hiking trip and decided to go grab some dinner but by the time we got there it was already 9:15. As soon as I came in I asked if we could still dine in and my server was very friendly and super accommodating. We ordered a lot of food as a family of 5 and we were truly not disappointed, the food was very good and they catered to our dietary requirements. The bathroom and tables and even the floor were extremely clean. The prices are also very reasonable. If you ever come across Ithaca, give this place a try they're good people! read more

I love the fried rice here and the bulgogi too. Sometimes, service is a little slow and the owner (woman) is not super friendly.

Ordered delivery. The jap chae tasted off, like very slight moldy taste. The kim chi was almost bland.

I went here for lunch today with a few friends, and overall it was a very nice experience. The staff were friendly, there wasn't really any crowd, the indoor dining was spacious, and there were a lot of good songs playing! I got the bulgogi bento box lunch special, which was very flavorful. The beef was my favorite, and the dumplings were very crispy! The fried rice was nothing too special though. One of my friends stated that her kimchi pancake was also very good, although it was slightly too dough-y. The seafood bowl was also very delicious, but my friend who ordered it mentioned that she often gets this dish, and today's was not as well cooked as it had been in the past. Lastly, my friend who got the beef bowl simply stated that it did taste like beef. Overall, the highlight of this restaurant is that it is a great place to eat out in a small group setting. read more

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I really enjoyed my food at Four Seasons! The servings were really generous and super flavorful and hot. We were also brought complimentary kimchi, fish cakes, bean sprouts, and broccoli before our meal came out which was really nice. I think the restaurant was pretty short staffed but our server was not the most attentive, it took a while to get served and our check taken, etc. Otherwise I enjoyed my visit and would definitely return! (*Review posted late, visited in late August) read more

Four Seasons - Jaeyook Kimchi - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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It's been quite a while since last patronizing this establishment, brings you back to the days of old. Not very crowded for a Friday night. Our server was very attentive and kept checking in how we were doing. We both ordered the salmon. It came with green beans, rice, and carrots. The salmon was good sized and cooked to perfection. It had a tasty seasoning but not so much as to overpower the fish. The vegetables had a nice Brown sugar like glaze that also was not overpowering and added a good flavor to them as well. The topper of the evening was the carrot cake. Maybe one of the best carrot cakes I ever had. I consider myself a carrot cake aficionado and this was right up there. The owner spends a lot of her time baking. You can see the toils of her efforts have paid off. The reason for three stars and not 4 or 5 or is we found a very long hair in the green beans. When the server saw me picking up my plate and checking for more she immediately came over and asked what the issue was. She was very fast to grab the plate, bring it back and give me a replacement salmon. She explained that no one had that long of a hair in back but rest assured it was. It was in the green beans. I did not ask for something in return for that incident but nothing was taken off the menu bill or were we offered any compensation. My point is, if that was my restaurant I would be incredulous to the point of giving the meal away for free along with some other compensation. I realize these are very difficult times and the prices of the menu are higher, but some thing rather than a "I'm sorry about that" would have been a nice gesture. Even if I had no intent of taking them up on it. read more

Ordered the seafood casserole and the squid bibimbap. The total for the two was $54.97. The order was prepared so fast and the service was good as well. However I was extremely disappointed with casserole. It came in three quarts full of seafood soup with udon noodles. The broth was so bland and just boring. It was not worth the $38. There was the typical frozen seafood in casseroles which I was fine with, but it lacked flavor. So disappointed and I would never recommend it to anyone. However, the 3 stars of this restaurant came solely from the squid bibimbap. It was so delicious that it became the highlight of our dinner. The squid, onion, and the pepper paste made the perfect combination. 10/10 dish The order also came with some sides, fish cake, kimchi, and broccoli. read more

Just your average Asian restaurant. I did enjoy all the food, however, it's probably due to the fact I have been on a college meal plan for the past few weeks and haven't had dishes like these in awhile. Relative to other Asian restaurants with similar dishes, this is just mediocre considering the price point too. The food was fine, but I am not dying to return, and I would rather check out other Asian restaurants in the area to see how it compares. Also we went during a busy time, around 7-8 pm on a Saturday, and I'm not sure if it's always like this, but it was packed. It was very difficult to flag the waiter down and we had to wait 10 minutes before getting his attention to get the check. read more

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Nice food, quick service. I saw other comments complained about the waiter but I think they are fine. read more

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Decided to come here with friends when we craved KBBQ. The KBBQ was so good and they have nice combo options. The LA Kalbi is well seasoned and so delicious. I found it interesting that they don't grill it for you at the table like they do at most KBBQ places. The only thing about this place is that their KBBQ is good, but their regular food is not that good. I ordered the cold noodles and it tasted a bit off and me and my friends did not like it. The glass noodles also tasted a bit strange. It was just a bulgogi dish, not a glass noodle dish. I would come here for KBBQ, but nothing else! read more

Four Seasons - a table full of asian food - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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The banchan was good, I liked the kimchi and bean sprouts. Kimchi was sour and salty but not too spicy or sweet. I enjoyed the jaeyook kimchi more than kimchi jjigae so there was less liquid. My friend ordered the pork bbq but it was precooked when it came out. Sake bombs have big servings read more

Four Seasons - jaeyook kimchi - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I got one of the boxes so I could try a lot of different items, and each was great. I'd eat here again. Glad I found it.

This was a pretty good Korean place and they really pack their stews with a lot of ingredients. I got the kimchi jiggae and it was really good, I would definitely recommend ordering it if you come. The seafood pancake was a typical pancake but it did not disappoint. I would recommend going during lunch because the prices when we went for dinner were a little high. read more

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-Food Depends on what you order. My personal favorites are je yook bok um and squid fried rice. Those never went wrong. When you are sick, get sam ge tang (which is a soup with a whole chicken). Overall, I would say Four Seasons has some of better Korean food in Collegetown. -Price If possible, go during lunch special. All menus are significantly more expensive during dinner time. They give the same quality of food for lower prices during lunch. -Service The servers are really nice and always accommodating. -Overall I would recommend this place for gatherings or date nights. read more

Four Seasons - Spicy squid fried rice - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

WE LOVED THIS PLACE! I love Korean BBQ! I found myself traveling to Ithaca NY to go to the KHouse (Karaoke) so I searched for Korean Restaurants because karaoke and BBQ Go together!They had several to choose from but of varying degrees. I wanted to be able to do the BBQ at the table and Four Seasons had it! I've seen some reviews that butchered this place and I think it's crazy! I had the Ttoekbokki and it was amazing! Not watery at all. Perfectly done! The Korean scallion pancake was deliciousWe had BBQ with Bulgogi PorkBelly and Kalbi and it was delicious! The kimchi with the banchan was amazing best I've had in awhile too! We also ordered Japchae which is was excellent as well. We got second helping of banchan without having to ask. The service was friendly and on the spot! Didn't take much pics because after seeing the ones on here I realized the phots are a disservice. It is MUCH better to just eat it in person! Definitely recommend! read more

This was a little hole in the wall place. They don't offer a huge selection of KBBQ but the pork bone casserole was delicious and it came with a good amount of meat!! We also ordered vermicelli noodles with beef which was delicious as well! read more

Four Seasons - Pork bone casserole with potatoes (we added ramen) - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Four Seasons is the best Korean food in Ithaca, far better than any of the competitors close by. I particularly love the bibimbap (the cold version) which is very healthy and fresh. Get the dolsot bibibamp if it's cold out and you'd like it in a sizzling pot with rice. One other favorite dish is their jap chae (a noodle dish). Get it with the spicy pork--so good! Every entree comes with the requisite Korean pickles and soup, which are tasty. (They even include the pickles and soup with takeout.) One thing I love about Four Seasons is that their kimchi is very high quality, unlike the other place in Collegetown. read more

Four Seasons - Delicious Jaeyook Kimchi (hold the rice cakes) with pickles and one final mandu in the background. - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Meh. Not great. As others have said the food is about as Korean as any Chinese restaurant is Chinese or any Italian restaurant in the area is Italian. Went here with American friends and the menu dishes were just so-so. Service was blistering fast even at 11:am. We were the only white people. Came back with Korean friends to try the BBQ and it got a unanimous rating of 3 on a scale of 10. Mostly the presentation of the grilling fodder was denounced. The beef came as a drippy, soupy plate of shaved or shredded meat. Not nice neat rolls as in traditional eatery. Also, most of the items brought to the table were too thick to cook quickly as expected. The other tables were all Asian customers intent on conversation and not the food. Perhaps that is the way to approach Four Seasons. read more

I have been to Four Seasons several times for lunch and dinner. The food there was great, especially the lunch special Kimchi Pork with rice. I also loved their Korean seafood pancake. However, on my most recent visit, I was very disappointed by how understaffed the restaurant was during busy hours. It took them literally 30 minutes to bring us a check and receipts. The server showed little concern, despite us reminding him multiple times that we are still waiting for a check. At the end, we had to walk to the counter. Food-wise, I would give 3.5 stars. Service-wise, I would give at most 1. My advice to the owner is to hire more servers during busy hours. read more

Four Seasons - Kimchi set, a bowl of white rice, miso soup that came with Jaeyook Kimchi - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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If I was rating the food it would be at a 4. Personally I like this place a lot more than Kokos. However, this is getting a 1 because of the wait staff. I have NEVER in my life, had a cashier come to me after I've paid the bill, hand me back my receipt, and tell me to cross out how much I had paid, and demand a bigger tip. The service wasn't exceptional. It was extremely extremely mediocre to begin with. And the nerve of this man to come and demand I give him a bigger tip. I should've dropped his entire tip to 0 at that point. read more

So I'm really surprised by all the negative reviews here. This is a great Korean Bbq place for a college town like Ithaca. We enjoyed both the food and service. For appetizers we ordered the Shumai and the seafood pancakes. The Shumai was disappointing but the seafood pancakes were delicious. For the main course we shared the Combination A korean bbq, which had good size helpings of pork, shortrib, shrimp, etc. Everything was very flavorful and the lady came to our table often to make sure that we turned the bbq over correctly :). We also ordered pork chapchae, which was good not great. The owner also brought us the traditional tofu and seafood soup complimentary, which was wonderful --- just the right level of spices and the tofu and the seafood worked really well. As in most Korean places they brought small dishes in the beginning to share. Some like the kimchi were quite good, others were okay. A great overall dining experience. read more

We were visiting some friends in Ithaca, and had visited a few of the waterfalls, Buttermilk and Lucifer, and had a late lunch. We decided to go Korean and came here. On a Saturday afternoon, there were a few tables occupied. The staff was not at all very welcoming (see Jason S' comments). They have a decent sized menu that included BBQ, tofu casseroles, noodle and rice dishes, and some Japanese fare. They even advertize soju and Korean beer on their walls. I wanted the OB, but they said they didn't get a shipment in, how odd! So this is what we ordered: Seafood pancake, cold Bim Bim Bop, chang chang myeon, tofu casserole, and bbq beef. The seafood pancake was delicious. It was very crispy and had pieces of squid and shrimp. The sweetness of the dipping sauce helped balance the flavors of the pancake. The Bim Bim Bop was good too. It was a big bowl of julienned vegetables, daikon, carrots, lettuce, mountain greens, etc., topped with a fried egg. Rice was served on the side. Mixing the vegetables with the rice and the spicy Korean fermented soybean sauce made the dish have a complex texture and flavor. The chang chang myeon (I forgot how to spell it) is somewhat like the Chinese version, but with more of the darker/blacker sauce and little meat. It was only okay. The tofu soup was somewhat disappointing. It did not have the typical flavor of most tofu casseroles I've had in the City or around Fort Lee. The soup base was thin and lacked the complexity of fermented soy bean paste. It tasted salty like to much bonito. And they forgot to give us a raw egg! The BBQ beef tasted like it should, but I think we just ordered too much food to even enjoy it when it was hot. For a place like this in a college town, I would give it 3.5 stars. As I am not from Ithaca, it is probably the only authentic Korean joint available. read more

Four Seasons - Bim Bim Bop - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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There's a lot of Korean places near Cornell but none of them are that great. However, this Korean restaurant is probably the best among them all. We had the yookgaejang, neangmyun, dolsot bibimbab and seafood pajun. The yookgaejang had a lot of meat and was a sizable meal. Taste was good too. Not the very best I've had but above average for sure. The neangmyung noodles were plentiful and you got two kinds - light and dark buckwheat noodles. The cold broth however was much too sweet. The dolsot bibimbab had a decent amount of traditional vegetables authentic Korean style, which was good. The modernized versions of bibimbab that you see cropping up nowadays seem like cheaper copies of the real thing and seem mostly popular among non-Koreans. The pajun was okay. It had shrimp and octopus but not a huge amount of it. They gave us a few banchan side dishes in very small plates - about 5. You had to keep asking for refills but the banchan tasted freshly made and tasty. Their kimchi was good. I didn't have any drinks but their drink menu features flavored soju and soju bombs. When Korean fare is what I am looking for in this town, this is the place I would go. read more

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Galbi soup is fantastic. Shumai is also great. Yet pork belly is overrated, personally not interested. Pancake as dessert is acceptable. Service is fair. Ample space, good for bringing friends along. read more

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So far my first Korean restaurant visit here in Ithaca. Spoiled by all the authentic Korean restaurants in California, the food here tastes mediocre. I ordered soon tofu, 5 small dishes came and the kimchi tastes like refrigerated for days; the soon tofu tastes like soup powder that anyone can make at home. Service was attentive, perhaps because we were the only table there on a Friday night. It was a little sketchy at first that no one was there, but the owner from green castle recommended this place, so we decided to give it a try regardless. The portion and price is similar to what I've had before. Will try other places before deciding to come back or not. read more

Four Seasons - Soon tofu - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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This place was my first experience with Korean food and made me fall in love with the cuisine. Great food, and attentive waitstaff. Once they were out of a dish we ordered and they sent along dukbokki and I discovered a a great dish in the process! I was a regular and they recognized and took care of us each time. If people are saying it is overpriced. In their reviews, it is because they are unfamiliar with the standard pricing at Korean restaurants. read more

Did we just receive a racist service? We were waiting in line. The waiter asked us how many people are in our group. We said two. Then they asked the group behind of us. They said four. The waiter just told them, "okay you can come with me." So what about us who were waiting in front of the line??? There was ZERO explanation to us. We waited for a much longer time, and here we are, sitting at a 4-person table near a pile of uncleared dishes. read more

Quite possibly one of the best restaurants I've gone to. Their food tasted authentic, savory, and the customer service was lovely. The price was well worth it in my opinion, and I am definitely going to be visiting again. Highly recommend to anyone wanting to try a Korean BBQ, they offer a grill right on your table and give you a choice to cook it yourself or have them cook it, feels extremely satisfying to give it a shot. read more

We like the Korean food. What we ordered today: Seafood pancake, grilled mackerel, ginseng chicken stew and stir fried glass noodles w chicken. Loved the crust on the pancake and we all think it was the best dish of the day. Next, the grilled Mackerel was tasty and meaty. We don't quite like the ginseng chicken as we hardly feel that is any in the flavor or taste. Last of all, the service could have been much better. The server is not too friendly and a little hostile. The place doesn't look too clean either. read more

The food is OK but the service was really disappointing. Went there with a friend of mine and waited in the line for quite a while. When it finally came to us the waiter let a group of 4 behind us to take the seat first and had us waited for extra time. Really disappointed at the chaotic management and unfair arrangement of the restaurant. Will 100% not recommend it to anyone I know. read more

Excellent service and great food. Strongly recommend this place. More importantly, not pricey:)

Fast Service - we came in with a party of 6, ordered the food, and within 15 min we all had dishes in front of us. Portions are hearty, and we were able to customize our spice level. The only downfall is that it is hard to split the bill; the restaurant accepts 2 credit cards maximum. read more

Four Seasons - Edamame, steamed dumplings, fried rice, and bim bam bop - Korean Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Dinner is very overpriced. My food i ordered did not look fresh in my opinion. Lunch runs until 3pm but was not allowed to order lunch at 2:40... read more

The food here is pretty damn delicious. I've had some korean friends that said it's relatively authentic (i have no clue to whether thats true or not) Sometimes Im guilty of getting the same thing over and over if I realize i love it. And i LOVVVVEEE the dae jai bulgogi sp?. Basically, it's the pork bulgogi. The only downside is that whatever you are wearing is gonna smell like it marinated in the stuff. It comes out on a sizzling hot plate where you see the oil and juices bubbling (this is about the time my mouth starts watering). You can literally smell it coming from the time they bring out the kitchen and it leaves a smoke trail of steam on whatever path to the table. Other stuff is pretty decent, but I honestly cant remember it that well. When I was a poor college student I thought it was slightly pricey, but as a professional now I think it was a pretty good deal. Def do come here, just dress in something you dont mind getting smelly. read more

A to go place if you're craving for Korean food when you're in upstate New York. We ordered the sea food hotpot, Korean bbq- beef short ribs and bogogi. I like the food overall, but the server is not really nice and accommodating, I feel like I was rushed in making our orders. The bathroom and the floors seemed dirty and unkempt. read more

Excellent yukgejang. Solid Korean bbq selections for very reasonable prices. The cold noodles are fine too. But unless you like udon noodles, don't bother with any of the hot noodle dishes. Staff is friendly and helpful. The restroom is clean, at least when it's not packed. Best korean restaurant in Ithaca by far. read more

The problem with ethnic foods is that I can never know how authentic it is. So this review will not even try to touch upon that. All I can tell you is that Four Seasons serves up some good, hot (temperature and spice-wise) Asian food. The place is always packed. But one word of advice to the long-haired patrons: Don't wash your hair before you go, because you *know* you're gonna leave with the lingering odour of Korean BBQ clinging to your hair. But I think that's a testament to how good this place is. You know they're grillin it up back there, fresh! What else do I love about this place? The kim-chi fried rice. The excellent location. The kid who "works" there. In fact, he deserves his own paragraph. If you go on weekends, you'll likely see this kid, who is probably not so much a kid anymore. He's probably the son of the owners. He is absolutely hilarious. He half helps out, and half plays his gameboy. He once waved a bloody styrofoam container in front of us, saying "mmmmmmmm blood!" in his best gory voice. That same trip, he also educated us on the effects of drug use ("My teacher says that if you smoke marijuana, when you're standing on the roof of a 10-story building, you feel like you're standing on the ground."). Another time, he was chatting on AIM on his laptop, and I really wanted to ask for his screenname, but I refrained. My best memory of this place is when my friends and I had Easter brunch here one year (psh, yeah, obviously this is where you would go for such an occaision), then we went home and dyed easter eggs and had the greatest easter egg hunt in the history of my life. Never mind that it was the only easter egg hunt in which I've participiated. Anyway.... Rambling aside, I love this place and it has some great memories attached to it. read more

In response to another reviewer on this site, Four Seasons has authentic Korean food fo' sho'. So authenticity isn't the problem here. When I get homesick for the maternal unit's cooking while I'm on campus, I just trek here to get me some Korean grub. It's good for my Seoul. Reasonable prices, and the owner who thinks of me as her daughter-- what more could I ask? read more