Finally got to try this place I heard so much about on a Christmas day with wife because it was…read morefrigid and we wanted a warm bowl of Korean "tang"(soup). Finding parking is quite challenging given the location on a busy commercial street, so make sure you can come earlier than meal time to have better luck. They have waiting seats OUTSIDE so yeah I suppose it's quite popular at times. 1. ATMOSPHERE (3/5) - This location is small and it's pretty straightforward place. But I still found it cozy, with decent amount of seating (I think it can handle 15-20 max) and little details like wall with wood ledges and coat hangers were a nice touch. Seating was comfortable, though we tied our down parkas around our waist as another party had hung theirs on our side of coat hangers. 2. FOOD (4/5) - We dove right in to try their famous gejang (~Korean raw crab "ceviche") and ordered two of their namesake gookbap (rice with soup) to see how they are. Here's how it went down. - Gejang (App, $20, 2/5) - I had a hunch that on a holiday perhaps I should not order this, but my craving for succulent crab flesh be damned, I went for it and unfortunately, the meat was not well-marinated as I had feared. Gejang is a dish that has to sit in the complex soy-based pickling liquid for some time... and if restaurant is too busy churning them out or if it's slow season they won't do this properly. It not only wasn't fully marinated, I think the marinade was off because the spiciness was way out of balance and was overpowering. Perhaps knowing that it didn't have enough time to marinade the kitchen put extra diced jalapenos to compensate? Because that's exactly what it tasted like - you can't fool me. I tried to salvage the dish by asking a confused-looking girl server for some sugar, but yeah, can't un-do the overpowered marinade with sprinkling of sugar. This was really unfortunate as I was looking forward to a good bite. - Ahjae Gookbap (Main, $18, 5/5) - Thankfully, their namesake gookbap was spot-on to salvage our dining. Generous slabs of succulent beef on the bone and off the bone was swimming in a hearty beef/bone broth that tasted clean and focused. Portion was good, and can I say their banchan of fish cake moochim & unfermented kimchi & ggakdugi(radish kimchi) simply ROCKS? That was some serious deliciousness and dare I say value at $18 at a day and age where hamburger costs over $10! You win at life by ordering this! 3. SERVICE (4/5) - Our server girl was attentive and food came out early on though later it was a bit hard to get her attention promptly. We found ourselves putting hands in the air, and wavin' like we don't care... for a little while. They provide gloves & metal bin for gejang which was a nice touch for people to keep their fingers clean. One thing I'd like to mention: Plastic cup they served water in was all chipped on the rim so we instead went and got water from their hot & cold water dispenser which had metal cups (as many korean restaurants do). I'd suggest them to replace all these old plastic cups with metal ones for health reasons. Overall, we were satisfied with our meal. I'd chock up the gejang mishap to it being a holiday. I hope chef was just off with the marinade that day because I am a certified gejang pro(I catch and make my own) and that balance ain't it. But I will give it another try during warmer month and we'll definitely be back to try sooyook moochim, oyster jeon & other great soup offerings.

2nd time coming here. Small restaurant with a few tables. Thankfully when we came (Saturday…read moreevening), there was one table available and it was the same table as last time! Ordered three things: 1) marinated crabs, small size (5/5). Always a must-get here. 2) ddukbaegi bulgogi (4.5/5) - Thinly sliced prime marinated beef ribeye casserole with rice cake and glass noodle and mushroom served in a sizzling hot pot. Really flavorful and so good to have on a cold day. 3) ahjae ppyo jjim (4.5/5) - Braised prime beef meat bones in soy reduction with carrots, radish, dates, chestnut, rice cake and glass noodles. We got non-spicy. It came in a HUGE bowl. Definitely meant to be shared with a group. Took leftovers home and it was still yummy the next day mixed with knife-cut noodles I had at home.

I went here Saturday night to eat dinner with friends. The staff at the register was very attentive…read moreand welcoming. Since we were dining in, we chose to sit next to the window, which is actually pretty picturesque. The ambience feels warm like a cozy diner vibe. Their food was delicious! We ended up getting the dumpling soup, k pop chicken, and kimchi pancake! I was happy about the portion sizes, and I was delightfully surprised that the "small" kimchi pancake is actually so filling! The dumpling soup was so comforting, especially with the cold weather, and there were tiny rice cakes in there too. The k pop chicken was crunchy, and it came with a side of slaw which was also very fresh and crisp. Overall, I love this place. I've been here a couple times in the past for their bibimbap, and I've never been disappointed! Definitely will be back!

If you're looking for good Korean food in downtown Newark, don't miss BulgogiZip on Broad Street. I…read morefound this jem after a long day of summer school and dinner there hit the spot. A generous portion of bulgogi accompanied by white rice, slaw and dumplings was more than enough to fill me up and getting takeaway made my day.

An amazing time per usual. The server was nice but a bit slow in checking in on us for refills or…read moremore napkins. However, the appetizer bar and sauces always help to elevate the hot pot and this is one of my favorite locations because of how much they offer. I will definitely be visiting again when I'm back in the area.

Wow! What a new experience for us! Means I have seen Hot POT places many times across the shores,…read moreand though they don't give a vibe from outside (IMO), but once you step inside, it's a whole different world. Kearny KPOT has almost ~13K reviews on Google with a 4.9 rating, which means just wow! So we decided to go there instead of our nearby Parsippany location. The first thing that disappointed us was the waiting time. They only take reservations for parties of 6+, and we ended up waiting about 70 minutes, with a kid along with us. Since we had already driven 35 minutes, we decided to stick it out. We got the A2 table. Our server, Pickel Rick, explained the whole Hot Pot + BBQ concept. We chose both options together--and the whole table has to agree on the same setup (so one person can't do only hot pot while another does only BBQ...Come on, they are smart too Hot pot was $32 and +$5 more and you can have both= means $37 per person + tax... The BBQ grill lets you control the heat, and the induction keeps your hot pot soup warm. Ordering is all done through a tablet on the table. This is an all-you-can-eat thing, any meat (Pork, Beef, seafood, chicken, Lamb) for BBQ... and you can increase/decrease the temperature of the BBQ. So it's all sorted out! Induction is there to keep your soup/pot warm, order any type of noodles (Ramn-Rice-Pho to add in your soup with all veggies, dumplings, and whatnot, so keep ordering from the tab they give you to order. They have a big selection of meats, seafood, veggies, and sauces. The quality is decent, and the food comes out quickly. The hotpot broth has good flavor, and grilling the meats at the table is enjoyable. It's basically a "cook your own food" style, so it's fun if you like that kind of thing. It was a fun experience, ordering chicken/prawn/jumbo prawns/ lamb/ dumplings = putting it in soup or into BBQ platter... some got less cooked, some were well, and some I am gonna call "well done" We were there for about 2 hours, which is actually their time limit. They even mentioned you get a small refund if you leave early (first time hearing that!). Also, if you're celebrating a birthday with a group of 6+, the birthday person eats free. That's a nice perk! Great, hearing this first time... There is also a sauce bar station - for all sauces, fried rice, Fries, and Fruits Service can get a bit slow when the place is packed--we had to wait for forks/spoons at one point. But overall, it's a fun place to go with friends or family, especially if you like trying something different.

I travel a lot and stay around the corner from Takorea BBQ. This is one of my favorite local…read morerestaurants. The tacos are inventive with a mixture of Mexican and Korean infused options. The fried chicken with different sauces is fantastic. And the Mexican street corn is a must have. The staff is super friendly and they always have K-pop music videos playing in the corner. Who doesn't love that? Highly recommend!

What a concept - Taqueria = Taco Korea!…read more Clean, well lit, open environment, offering plenty of seating and some fun selfie backgrounds. The service was respectful and kind. We ordered tacos (of course). Nick ordered the bulgogi tacos and I had a tofu taco and a bistec taco. Everything we had was exceptional. They also provide an amazing green salsa, but to be honest the tacos really don't need it, they have so much flavor! We are so glad we gave this place a try and recommend you do too!

There is a reason why this place is my go to place for OG Korean food…read more Authentic, flavorful, genuine and generous; they serve some of the best food in the area. There is always a wait, and clientele is a mix of older Korean looking for taste of home (like me) and new younger crowd who knows a good thing when they taste it. We ordered, pigs feet (everyone gets it, it's their signature dish), pork neck casserole (they don't skimp, lots of meat chunks and good flavors from wild sesame), bone broth soup/grilled fish combo (also a crowd favorite) and bulgogi in broth (it pleased our finicky eater, and they served a lot of meat instead of fillers). Kimchi sides were a mix of aged deep/sour kind (right up my alley). As for other comments about the 'bland' bone broth, it's supposed to be bland and they give you a number of condiments to suit your taste. It's BYOB, so bring your beer soju or somaks and join the crowd. Priced fair and with generous portions. We will be back again.

We parked at a metered street parking spot. Upon entering the restaurant, I was immediately…read morebothered by an unpleasant pork odor. In the corners of the dining room, there were large nets of onions, boxes of napa cabbage, dish collection trays, tin cans, and oversized plastic bags of MSG, giving the impression that little attention was paid to the atmosphere. Three types of kimchi were served, but they were overly fermented--too sour and somewhat sticky. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the gamjatang, my favorite dish, which was satisfying. However, my wife was disappointed with her sundae gukbap due to the poor quality of the sundae and the lingering pork odor. We had high expectations based on the strong reviews on Yelp, but ultimately decided not to return.

Today was a cold day and having a spicy mushroom tofu soup from So Kong Dong, definitely warmed me…read moreup.

flavorful food and decent price…read more We ordered: Japche Pork tofu soup-mild Seafood tofu soup-medium spice Seafood pancake The tofu soup was favorable and perfect for a cold rainy day. We preferred the mild over the medium spice.

Food (5/5): The spicy pork here always hits and is amazingly delicious and flavorful. I also had…read morethe spicy bean soup and it was delicious too and so good for the winter weather. Service (5/5): We had a small mix-up where some combo on the menu said spicy brisket with oxtail soup. So we thought the combo was with a hot stone spicy brisket and then a soup but it was actually another order of the spicy pork. The person apologized for not clarifying and helped us pack the food to go. Ambiance (4/5): Solid shop with wood decor and food pictures. Not the fanciest looking but looks traditional and nice.

Hands-down one of my absolute favorite places to go when I'm craving authentic Korean comfort food…read more (I believe they also operate Busan Gukbap in Fort Lee with the exact same menu, which I also completely love!). If you are coming here, you are coming for the soups. My ultimate go-to is the Dwaeji Gukbap (pork in ox bone soup). The broth is deeply flavorful, rich, and incredibly comforting. I also highly recommend their Soondae Guk (blood sausage in ox bone soup) and the classic Seolleongtang (ox bone soup). You really can't go wrong with any of their traditional broths. The service is fantastic, fast and always friendly. Prices have gone up a bit, but they now offer a discount if you pay in cash, so it's definitely worth bringing some bills with you. There's no lot and street parking in this area can be a little challenging though.

If you know Korean chicken - crispy and barbecued - then this is the takeout place for you in…read moreMontclair.

What a bold name. Did it live up to it?…read more First off, for pick up, parking will be difficult on the popular Bloomfield Ave, so you may need to circle a bit and find a nearby block. Even though the interior was small, the tables were full when I got my pickup order. I was also early and acknowledged I didn't mind waiting, but the cashier quickly prepared my order, which was nice. The soy garlic wings sounded intriguing, and they were. Not too saucy, and the chicken was nice and crisp. They made such a great shareable for football but are obviously great for any chicken craving. The sides offerings weren't much, but I am intrigued to return and try a potato or rice dog. But yes, it was indeed good chicken, and it has a lot of chicken styles to fit everyone's satisfaction.

I really liked this place. To me, it screams authentic Korean comfort food. The menu is pretty…read moresimple. There aren't many choices, most of them are soups and they are all good. Decor is also authentic and minimal. There are no outrageous bells and whistles. The place has an atmosphere of that of a family business run by dedication and hard work. In addition, the prices are fair. Service was good as well. The woman at the front was pleasant and kind. I would come back on a cold day for a nice hot soup.

The food was so delicious and felt like home. Our waitress was so kind and attentive…read more We ordered the gomtang and the yukgaejang - both were phenomenal and filled with flavor. We also ordered the kimchi pancake and that balanced out the meal well by having something solid to eat with our soup. I look forward to coming back!

Food and service were incredible. Highlights were kimchi stew, brisket, shrimp and kimchi rice…read more Will definitely be back.

Easily my top 5 favorite bbq spots of all time! Only problem is it's located in New Jersey! Need to…read morehave one in NYC! Staff were super attentive and quick on service! All the banchan were top noch! Best marinated galbi I've ever had!!!