Korean food, how I've missed you. As someone who used to live in a town where 50% of residents were…read morenative born Koreans, Una Cancion Coreana made me feel right at home. It's a bit off the beaten path, in a small Korean area in the barrio of Flores. It took me about 45 minutes to arrive from where I live (Recoleta) but the commute was definitely worth it! A lovely, clean and modern atmosphere and friendly staff greets you as you walk in the door. The restaurant seems small, but there are several rooms for larger groups, so don't fret if the front of the restaurant seems very busy. The menu is diverse and has all the Korean staples. Being a vegetarian, my go-to is always veggie bibimbap. If you have any questions, the waitstaff is very helpful. Our server was fluent in English as well as Spanish and Korean - impressive! The bibmbap was just what I thought it would be. Amazingly fresh, great flavors, and a taste of home (Fort Lee, NJ) Prices are reasonable considering any "exotic" food here is always more on the expensive side. The authenticity is there as well, so if you're used to Korean food, you know what you're getting. I'm so happy I got to try Korean food in Buenos Aires. Even though it's a long trip for me, I might be making another visit back to Una Cancion soon.

Very good! The bulgogi, kimchee, and moochee moochim was a little on the sweet side but was still…read morequite delicious when we added denjang to the amazing and deliciously prepared bossam. The pindeduk was extra crispy and delicious as well! Service was impeccable the ambiance was delightful and clean. Would go back anytime! It is deemed "old Korea town" but I would say it's the Real Korea flavor.

This is a sort of redux, a revisit, but not exactly. Those of you who've followed by various Korean…read moreadventures may remember, a couple of years ago, our visit to Mr. Ho in Floresta, which resulted in a resounding "Ho No". Now, I make no claims to having influenced this - but at least I added my voice to the online commentary that was, for much of its existence (about two years), leaning negative. The food wasn't awful or anything, it was just a boring, somewhat bland, dumbed down version of "gastropub" Korean food for non-Koreans. So, when they announced that they were closing up shop, moving to the downtown area, and starting over from scratch with a completely new menu, of classic Korean dishes, I wasn't sure whether to be, well, interested or not. However, the first report from a friend was that it was really good. The place is split in two - there's the "express" counter, upfront, which deals mostly with takeout, but there are also a few shared, high tables with barstools. The menu here is direct, simple, and to the point. For 300 pesos ($5), you get a bowl or takeout container of either white rice, vegetable fried rice, or vegetable sauteed noodles, and your choice of any one of a dozen "toppings" - classic Korean stir-fries for the most part. They don't always have all twelve, but which one or two they're missing does vary. For an additional 50 pesos, less than a dollar, you can get a second topping. And, if you're really in a spendy mood, another 50 pesos will get you a bowl of kimchi that's big enough for two to share. And, then there's the "salon", where there are regular tables, maybe seating for about 40-50 people, and a full on menu with four appetizers, nine soups, and thirty different main courses, including a selection of vegetarian ones. Prices hover around 500 pesos, with most landing right on that, and a low of 400 and a high of 600, so all falling between $6-10. Three visits on my part have ensued.... On the first, I was solo. Excellent noodles, a great black bean sauce (I do love my jajangmyeon), and a good, mildly spicy stir fried chicken (dakgalbi). The kimchi was excellent. Given that the express lunches also include a soft drink, lunch came to a whole, whopping, 400 pesos, or less than $7. On a revisit with the friend who'd touted it, he got the noodles with spicy calamari (ojingo bokkeum), and grilled short rib (bulgogi). All completely yummy. I wanted to try the fried rice this time around, so got that (delicious), also the same calamari, and decided to try their tonkatsu, the breaded and fried pork cutlet, which was juicy, well seasoned, and properly sauced with tonkatsu sauce - not that gloopy tomato sauce or the honey-chili dressing that they offered us at the original place. I liked the express enough that I got a few friends together, and they left the ordering to me.... We started with a dolsot bibimbop - the hot bowl of rice with meat, veggies and egg, and a bit of hot chili paste to mix in. Quite good! I tell you, I like my black bean noodles, so I ordered that one. Interestingly, instead of the lovely stir-fried egg and wheat noodles that come with the express version, in the salon they're served over gleaming white noodles, what appear to be somen. I like the ones on the express line more, but the dish is still delish. The spicy stir-fried pork belly in the jeyuk bokeeum was easily the best dish on the table. It had a great kick, it was packed with pork and vegetables, and it's easily a portion for two people to share. Likewise the tteok bokki, which I've never seen served this way. Usually you get those log or lozenge shaped rice cakes in a chili, onion, and garlic sauce. Our waitress brought a little tabletop propane burner, and a huge pot (this is enough for 3-4 people) filled with broth, vegetables, eggs, rice noodles, wheat noodles, fish cakes, and more, and set it to start heating up. Once it got to the bubbling away stage, and we weren't quite sure if we should step in, Mr. Ho arrived at the table and began to toss it all together, and cut things into pieces, and then add some condiments to it. While I do like the spicy version I've had elsewhere a lot, this was really good, and I'd happily eat it again. So, Mr. Ho is no longer a Ho No, but a Ho Yes!

Spicy kimchee...yes! So many places serve bland kimchee…read more Love the atmosphere and good food. I had mandu and chapchae. Will have to come back to try more dishes before my vacation ends.

almuerzo sábado al mediodía : ambos platos estaban…read moreriquísimos: vegetariano y con carne : nada Servicio: excelente y rapidísimo Deco: tranqui, cantina de comida rápida Tip: comida al paso con sabores alucinantes lunch Saturday noon : both dishes were great: the vegetarian and the meat : nothing Service: excellent and quick service Deco: chill, fast food canteen Tip: amazing flavors in a fast food service

I was downtown last week and happened to pass by the corner of Esmeralda and M.T. Alvear, and…read morespotted this sign for a soon to be opened (December 12) Korean spot. I mean, is this the start of a new trend? Will we (hopefully) start to see Korean spots opening in various parts of the city? Met up with a friend for lunch to check it out.... Mostly a business crowd, several Koreans having lunch. A lot of people wandered in while we were there and looked bewildered by the food. Each person entering was greeted with some variation of, "hi, we serve Korean food, do you know what that is?" Most didn't, and most left after a brief introduction, especially the part noting that "pretty much everything is spicy". I'd venture to guess... no, I'd bet, that 99% of locals have never actually eaten Korean food and have no idea that it's different from Chinese or Japanese or any other Asian cuisine (things tend to get lumped together here and people get incensed when they can't find sushi at a Thai place or sweet and sour chicken at a ramen bar). The menu is short and sweet - three versions of deopbap - rice bowls - with either beef, pork, or salmon; two types of bibimbap - classic beef or vegetarian; four types of la-myeon (Korean style ramen) in egg, beef, shellfish, or sausage & kimchi, and two poke bowls, not a Korean dish, but both salmon, one made with wasabi mayo and one with wasabi soy. Classic beef bibimbap, as good as I've had at pretty much any place in town. Only criticism would be that I'm used to the egg being pretty much raw when mixed in, or just barely poached, and letting it cook with the heat of the other ingredients - but I also usually order the dolsot bibimbap which comes in the hot stone bowl, that helps it do that. Reasonably spicy gochujang paste on the side to mix in. The jeyuk deopbap was a nice, mildly spicy, heavily sesame sort of barbecued pork over rice. Very similar in many ways to the pork dish I had at Namu, above. Again, a touch of the chili paste gave it a heftier kick. And, each main course is accompanied by a small bowl of kimchi, if you want - they ask, warning you it's spicy if you've said you haven't tried Korean food before. Really good kimchi too. This was the only banchan we were offered, not surprising given the style of food being served. But, it looked like they had small bowls of other things that weren't spicy, like pickled vegetables, probably for the peole who say no to the kimchi. Overall, nice casual space for lunch or early dinner (they're open Monday through Friday from 11.30-3.00 and again from 6.30-9.30). Really good food. Very reasonably priced (280 and 250 pesos, respectively). Good selection of both soft drinks and beers, plus a variety of sojus (rice wines) from Korea. Highly recommended.

Nice array of ban chan, as well as great shortribs. Unlike many of the places we've tried, here the…read moremeat comes already cooked - there's a big parrilla out in a rear courtyard and someone out there grilling up the ribs (most of the meat is already sliced off the bone), and it's served on a little tabletop grill with a few coals underneath to keep the meat hot. There's also a plate of perfectly cooked and delicious oxtail, some fried fish, fried chicken wings, and more, including probably the best soup we've had at one of these restaurants. The one thing we both agreed on that was that while there were perhaps a few fewer dishes than at some of the others, there wasn't a single misstep. Each and every dish fell somewhere between good and excellent. And, that more than justifies the slightly higher price of 350 pesos/person instead of the more typical 300. Put this one at the top of your list for Korean barbecue in town.

I haven't had Korean BBQ for 2 months. I was desperate. They said this restaurant is in a dangerous…read moreneighborhood. "DO NOT go there at night!" I went during the afternoon with a friend. I arrived at 3pm. They looked closed. I knocked. The owner said hello. He then opened the restaurant for us. We were the only 2 in the whole place. Boy am I glad I went. The meats were plentiful. The banchans were delicious. My stomach was crying out in joy. What a hidden gem in the roughest parts of BA. Go there and eat. But don't go at night.

Literally meaning "In Yu's house", this is apparently one of the older Korean BBQ restaurants in…read moretown. It's a little fancier than the other places we've been, and, a little pricier (at 380 pesos/person plus beverages). At the same time, the service is better, and much more attentive than any of the other spots we've been (setting aside the occasional flirtatious waiter). Although they were never full, they got close to it, and they'd advised me when I contacted them that they don't take walk-in diners, it's reservation only. Big array of ban chan. High quality, no doubt. Fewer sort of "side dishes" - there were some scallion pancakes, some deep-fried stuffed zucchini, and a soup, and that was about it. More variety in the meat selection for the grill, with shortribs, hanger steak, pork belly, some tripas (both small and large intestines - something I've not seen anywhere else), and calamari tentacles. There was also an odd sort of egg mixture in one of the little troughs where the cooking grease runs off, and we were show to mix in the raw, frozen corn off to the side there, and let it cook by virtue of the hot grease dripping into it. Kind of comes out like a sweet corn pudding that I don't want to eat again. Overall, nice space, friendly and attentive service, and good food. It doesn't supplant my top three for Korean BBQ, but it is good, and might be the only daytime Korean BBQ spot over in the Floresta Koreatown (which, in response to the other review already posted here, isn't particularly dangerous, even at night - I might not wander the streets, but just to go to a restaurant, it's fine).

We have been holding off on this one, not sure whether it was a Korean restaurant or not. The…read morecharacters on the sign outside are Chinese (yes, I know, prior to the introduction of the Hangul alphbet, Koreans used Chinese characters), and we'd been unable to get a solid translation on the first two characters (bao cheng). So, we've been trying the other spots first. This weekend we decided to give it a go, and mounted the stairway and got ourselves buzzed in. Found Korean characters inside, and waiter confirmed that the name was Boseong, the name of a province in South Korea which for half a millennium has been famous for its green teas. (Oh, and "bao cheng", the Chinese characters turns out to be the Chinese name for the same province.) Turns out to be another Korean barbecue joint! (Makes sense, it used to be one called Mido that closed up about a year and a half ago.) No questions asked, we'd barely even doffed our jackets and sat before a grate was placed over the barbecue pit and a whopping plate of what had to be two kilos of beef, half coated in gochujang and the other half not, hit the table. We noticed that the grate wasn't getting hot, and started to flag down a waiter to see about turning on the gas, when one approached from the kitchen carrying a bucket of fiery, burning wood coals with a pair of tongs. That got lowered into the pit - this is the first one we've encountered that didn't just use a gas burner, and adds a nice smokiness to the grilled meats. It also explains the huge extraction pipes. In short order, a small array of what turned out to be excellent ban chan also joined the beef, and we got going. First off, was simply noting the high quality of everything. The kimchi and other nibbles were spicy, well balanced, and fresh - we even liked the tripe! The smoked fish, at pretty much every place we've been, has been more or less dried out, this was soft, fresh, and perfectly flaky. Little mini mandu were tasty, but a little gummy. Slightly improved by tossing them on the grill, but not among my favorite dumplings to date. Same for the scallion pancake, lacking in scallions for the most part, and a little doughy. Come to think of it, we probably could have tossed it on the grill too. On the other hand, excellent, fresh oysters with lemon and spicy chili sauce. We never did get our bowl of soup that other tables were getting at the end, but neither of us was hungry enough to eat them anyway. After the food finishes, they bring over a pot of chilled tea of some sort - tasted like some kind of nut infused sweet liquid, something like chestnut. It was a nice way to finish. And, it all comes in at the same 300 pesos/person that the other grill spots in the 'hood charge. We left, very happy campers.

Walked in and saw two customer eating. The restaurant person came over and said they are closing…read more We were there at 2pm & sign said 3pm closing. And that they don't accept credit card. Then walked away. So much for a hardy Korean food.

A revisit to Bi Won, more or less on the border of Recoleta and Congreso areas, a place I first…read morereviewed on my blog about 30 seconds after I arrived in BA a decade ago. Absolutely nothing has changed. No, really, nothing. The ambiance is exactly as it has always been, perhaps, at best, mildly spruced up, but more just enough to not quite let it go to seed. I'm pretty sure the same waiters are working as have always been. The menu is identical other than pricing - okay, there's a change - dinner for two will now run you around 4-500 pesos with tip, still eminently reasonable for the food, which is as solid, authentic, and tasty as it was ten years ago - we obviously shared the ban chan dishes, and the waiter even brought more different ones when he saw how much we enjoyed; and then pork dumpling soup (manduguk), and a gobdol bibimbap in the piping hot stone bowl. It saves a trip to bajo Flores or Floresta to get a fix on Korean flavors - which does not negate that there are plenty of spots out there with more delicious and more authentic food. Bi Won gets a more touristy crowd, but on most of my visits, the tourists have been Korean, looking for a taste of something familiar amidst the plethora of parrillas in the city.

There's no menu. It's an "all you can eat" kind of setup, but no buffet - they just start bringing…read moreyou stuff once you sit down and keep going until you stop - and you can ask for "refills" on any dishes that you like. First up, the usual array of dishes of ban chan arrived first. A nice selection, our favorites were the just barely poached octopus with chili sauce (really mild though), and the chili tripe (also very mild). Disappointingly, not a spicy dish in the mix, and no kimchi. But then we saw a Korean family arrive and they got a much bigger array, including kimchi and other dishes. We flagged down our waiter and asked, and he sort of mumbled a bit (he's actually quite charming and speaks flawless English with a clipped British accent) about not thinking we'd want that stuff but then promised to get it for us. Despite asking again a bit later on, we never did get the spicy dishes. More small dishes showed up, with decent dumplings, some really good grilled fish, tofu, and a few others. We continued to munch away happily. I should also note, we were happy to find something besides the ubiquitous selection of Quilmes and Stella Artois beers, with Tsing-tao on the menu (why not a good Korean beer? I know they have them in Koreatown, or at least used to, so they should be available). A single small pancake for wrapping things up arrived - a little surprising that we didn't get one apiece, but so be it. And, rice finally arrived on the table. At about the same time the first of the items for grilling showed up. A bit earlier our waiter had brought a small basket of hot coals which he placed under the grill element and then turned on the gas, which I guess keeps the coals hot, but seems a strange mix to me - maybe it's always that way at Korean bbqs, I never noticed. Here we got frozen slices of pork belly and frozen shrimp. It's fine, by the way, that they're frozen, it's actually kind of common - you drop them straight onto the grill and cook them to your tastes. The pork belly was good. The shrimp were freezer burned and pretty tasteless. Really good, plump oysters drizzled with a slightly sweet chili sauce were brought to the table - I could have just sat there and eaten those. Delicious! As we'd finished off the pork belly and shrimp, our next grilling selection arrived. Marinated shaved beef, differently marinated pork, and squid tentacles garnished the plate, and we tossed them all on to get them cooking. The octopus were the best, but all were good. A plate of lettuce leaves was on the side for wrapping, along with various dipping sauces. I think we'd have appreciated, at some point, a little info on what we were being served, but for the most part, service was wordless unless we asked questions. And finishing off the meal with two different soups, a really excellent seafood broth, and a good, but less spectacular, meat broth filled with greens.

I do like Namu. The menu is very limited, 14 items only, appetizers and principle plates included…read more For the Palermo neighborhood, the comida coreana is good. The food could be spicier, with a better selection of side dishes (banchan), and slightly larger portions of some items. The better Korean food requires a bus ride or 2 from this area, 45-55 minutes usually, to 1 of the two Korea towns in Buenos Aires.

About two weeks ago I was alerted by a friend to the imminent opening of a new spot in the heart of…read morePalermo, Namu, José Cabrera 5600, corner of Fitz Roy, taking over the spot abandoned by Roy Bar, a sort of dive craft beer bar (is that an oxymoron?) that offered up burgers and wraps. Although I'm not overly fond of reviewing spots when they first open, as everyone needs time to get their act together, I thought I'd give it a try, and then decide whether to hold off and give them a couple of weeks, or go ahead. Obviously, I've decided to go ahead. Pretty room, with an interesting "garden" ceiling (I think it's all plastic plants, but some of them look real, maybe it's a mix?). The menu is relatively short, with just five appetizers and eight main courses available. They do cover a nice range of different types of dishes. Of course, dumplings are my litmus test at most Asian restaurants, and the gun-mandu were delicate, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. Even with only five of them, they're a far better deal at 170 pesos than last week's round of eight mediocre ones for 180 pesos at the "fast food" Dumpling House. Interestingly, unlike any other Korean restaurant I've been to, they don't put banchan on the table at the beginning of the meal. They're only served with the main courses, and, different dishes get a different number of (and presumably selection of) side dishes. I ordered up the daeji-bulgogi, spicy marinated pork, stir-fried, and served with rice. Again, unusual in the presentation, normally this would come with a side of lettuce leaves and some pickled vegetables to create wraps. But, it was absolutely delicious as is, I just missed that fresh crunch of the lettuce. 380 pesos. I'd also asked for extra picante, and someone came out of the kitchen to let me know that because of the marinating process, it was a set level of spicy (pretty mild, as it turned out, despite the three chili symbol next to it on the menu), but they were happy to bring me a little side dish of gochujang chili paste to add to my tongue's content. The banchan - very good, and nicely spicy kimchi, quite good pickled daikon, and just okay stewed eggplant and marinated tofu. Overall, love the space, excellent service. Both dishes I tried were absolutely delicious. By comparison to either Koreatown, and for portions that are a bit smaller than you'd find out there, it's a bit pricey, but for the heart of Palermo, it's actually a quite reasonable meal for the quality. And, they take debit/credit cards (Visa only), something almost non-existent in either Koreatown. I will definitely be back for more! Highly recommended.

This place has no sign on the door, it just looks like a house with a buzzer, but I'd been clued in…read morethat there was a "Korean Fried Chicken" spot along that block (in fact, that's how Google Maps marks it, although they think it's across the street at 682, a vacant lot - I've tried to change it, but they haven't accepted the change). There is actually a restaurant sign on the house next door at 685, but it was locked up tight. I stood around for a few minutes figuring out my next stop, and luckily, a couple of businessmen came along, rang the bell, and went in, and I saw it was a restaurant. So, gave it a shot. They were quite welcoming, and let me know that at lunch they only offer the various iterations of fried chicken, or the stir fried noodle dishes, the rest of the menu is dinner only. The name, dagi myeoni, means tea ceremony. I ordered the "Chicken Hot", to which my waitress replied, "But without the spicy sauce, right?" "No, I like spicy." "Okay...." Food arrives, a whopping place of wings separated into joints, in a sweet and sour sauce with no kick. "This isn't spicy, don't you have an actual spicy sauce like it says on the menu?" "Well, we gave you the sweet and sour because spicy isn't for you." "I want spicy." Heads to the kitchen, comes back with sweet and sour sauce with maybe a tablespoon of gojuchang stirred into it. "Here's spicy sauce, but you won't be able to eat it." I ate it all (really good, could still use more kick), they were shocked. "How did you eat that, it's too spicy for you people?" "Not for me. Next time, spicy like Koreans eat it, okay?" She was so sweet about it all though that I handed her a decent tip and got an "Okay!" with a big grin. Oh, and they'd given me salad and sweet pickled daikon for my ban chan, while the tables around me got kimchi and other spicy dishes for theirs.