The first few times I came here was pre-pandemic. Coming here about a week ago, the restaurant had drastically changed from what I remember. The name itself is deceiving because they offer mostly Japanese types of items like bento boxes, udon, sushi, and what not. I was genuinely not impressed with their menu selection and was very sad to see their Korean items go. It's not as great as they used to be. To be honest, I'm shocked their still in business with how much their menu has changed. They have some decent deals for lunch combos, but other than that I don't know if it's worth going there. I'm sad to say but it's not a "Korean bowl." They need to change the name to J-Bowl to appropriately describe the current menu items they now offer. read more

Random find near U of I campus. No frills, clean, poke place. The menu on the wall does a good job explaining steps on how to make your bowl. Then you fill out a paper that lists all the ingredients. Easy and convenient. The medium sized bowls were way bigger than I expected and the fish was fresh with large portion sizes. Quality place. Hubby said "That's the freshest fish I had lately, we should bring that guy back with us to Peoria, except then he would start serving the crappy fish they got down there" Yeah...He's a little sushi jaded since our trip to Japan. I guess they serve other things besides poke here but I didn't really see another menu. The ambiance is pretty sterile with water as your only drinking option. However, it's a great place to grab a quick lunch or get take out. read more

K-Bowl - Medium sized poke bowls. Very fresh and good. - Korean Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Restaurant review So far since I have come down to Champaign, this is the best it has to offer in terms of price along with flavors. Maybe it was the dish I ordered, but the Boo Dae Chigae is a very traditional korean dish which is a stew of vegetables, ham, and noodles. The portion is not gigantic where it can be shared, but the unique blend of flavors and spiciness makes it quite a dish on a cold winter day. It is definitely spicy, but that is balanced with the saltiness of the ham/spam. You do get some noodles in the dish, but the stew goes well with the rice also. Plenty of self serve water will put out the fire in your mouth. I can't speak for the other dishes, but this was quite a nice find. Prices have gone up so I was a little surprised this dish set me back 12+ dollars. Pros: tradition korean food, spicy, flavorful, free parking lot, no need to tip, self serve water Cons: expensive for asian food with okay portion Hidden deals: The included yellow radish ban chai is delicious, too bad there is only a small dish given with your meal and some complimentary kim chi read more

K-Bowl - Boo Dae Chigae 11.95 - Korean Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Note - I added the menu pages on the pictures sections, so feel free to reference those! Not a lot of inside seating nor is it super nice on the inside. Just a small little shack-type place in a plaza on the edge of campus. So why 5 stars? Because the Korean food here is as authentic and delicious as it gets. This place is for real. It is essentially run by this Korean lady who knows what she's doing. The stews and soups are excellent here, as is the bibimbap! I love coming here after work. A little taste of Korea right in Urbana. What would I recommend? - dolsot bibimbap (in stone bowl) - a Korean classic. - budejigae - a Korean everything stew - bulgogi - meat. Yes. - spicy pork bulgogi - similar to beef bulgogi, but it's spicy. My personal favorite! - spicy tofu soup (soon dubu) - really flavorful and can be spicy - donkatsu - fried pork cutlet. Yes. read more

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Great spot to grab a hot and fresh meal. You pay when you get your food but don't need to bus your own table. Seating is limited and I don't believe they serve alcohol. 5 stars for food, 3 stars for ambiance. I would definitely recommend this place for lunch or take out. We tried the beef bulgogi and the bibimbap. Both were delicious and were served with soup and pickled veggies. read more

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Great food, friendly service, no wait time. Everything in my bowl was very fresh and had great flavor. read more

K-Bowl - Medium bowl with spicy tuna and cucumbers. Delicious - Korean Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I had the soba noodle vegetable soup with tofu and I had egg yolk with rice. Both items were delectable and I was so happy to find this restaurant while on the road. I recommend people try eating here if you like Japanese or Korean foods. read more

From a Korean: This place is sufficient for mitigating a Korean food craving but by a slim margin. Yes, it tastes Korean... No, it doesn't taste like phenomenal Korean food. This is a 3-star place, +1 for consistently great service. I've been here many times when I lived nearby, but it's almost never worth the trek for me now. I usually get the soybean paste tofu soup with beef (doenjang jjigae). I've tried the bulgogi, ddukgalbi, and soondae. With these dishes priced at about $9-13, I think they fail to measure up. Soondae is probably the best of the three I mentioned here. That's blood sausage, btw. The tofu soup, while perfectly pungent, actually tastes somewhat bland. They do a decent job of including enough solid ingredients. They're a bit light on the meat, and they don't include enoki. The bulgogi and ddukgalbi are disappointments. Portions for both are really small for the price, especially the ddukgalbi (2 patties for about $13). Other info... This is the only Korean restaurant I've ever been to with such a small number of side dishes (2 Lilliputian servings of pickled radishes). It feels unsatisfying to eat an entree made entirely of meat with almost nothing to have with it and no options for more side dishes or appetizers. The menu is really, really small... But they have the classics. There's no bathroom. read more

Champaign's best kept secret! Although completely out of the way for someone living in Urbana, I still make it a point to come here when I have the time. The shop is neatly tucked away in a small plaza and doesn't have a lot of floor and seating space available, but the food more than makes up for it. You get a full meal - rice, miso, pickled vegetables, the sides complement the main dish well. I usually get the spicy chicken bulgogi. Liberal amounts of gochujang paste are used, which gives the chicken and cabbage a rich but not overwhelming spicy and salty character. The spicy pork bulgogi, which looks to be more popular, is probably even better. The katsu is also fantastic and the bibimbap looks appealing. There's plenty to try and plenty of food given each time. I always leave satisfied! read more

I've driven by this place a few times and finally decided to try it out. I ordered Bi Bim Bap, since it is my favorite Korean food, and it was top and center on their menu. Everything about the dish was perfect. It was probably the most beautifully arranged Bi Bim Bap I've seen, which is rather surprising, as I got it to go. It had a lot of sesame flavor, and there were a lot of sesame seeds visible on it. The sauce (gochujong, I'm told) was probably the best chili paste I've ever had. The dish came with separate containers for rice, gochujong, kimchi, soy sauce, and even came with a side order of miso soup. Everything was fantastic. The woman who took my order didn't speak any English. But, all I needed to do to order was point. The restaurant has a couple bar-type seats, or you can get it to go. It took about 10 minutes for my food to be made, so it isn't the fastest fast food I've had, but it very well may be the best. read more

Wasn't too bad. Don't expect the DIY Korean BBQ; it's very basic service with somewhat authentic dishes to satisfy your taste buds. I ordered the Bibimbap and it was fresh, however, the amount of beef was less than desirable (about two tablespoonfuls; seriously) so at $9.50, it was overpriced, especially for a hole in the wall. Also had boneless Kalbi and all I can say is weird, weird, weird. It was like Korean salisbury steak; two ground up beef rib meat, which is fatty and a strange gravy to top it off. Also way too over priced at $13.95. I can get something similar but real ribs at Aloha Grill in Chicago for $7. Im sure everything else here is ok, just stay away if its more than $10, esp the Kalbi. Yecchh. read more

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Most authentic korean food you will ever get in CU. It felt like my taste buds took a first class flight to Korea! They have the best bi bim bap (). At first I didn't except much since the place is so small, but oh boy was I wrong. Their hot stone bi bim bap is so nicely arranged, and their Sul Lung Tang was so good! I believe they also have unlimited side dishes~ my friends and I got three refills of side dishes and was not charged extra :-). My friends and I offically made this our go to spot after studies, midterms, and finals! read more

Talk about confusing! I'm not Korean, and the menu here has no explanation or images. Its hard to order when you don't know what anything is!!!!! Sorry ya'll, but I'm American and I don't understand. Please add pictures to the menu or something. Then I'll try again. read more

We stumbled this place before heading home and we weren't disappointed. We ordered the bulgogi that came with rice and a large bowl with tuna and corn and edamame. Both came out in good portion size and tasting good. Didn't have a drink menu, but it's a good start to a new business. read more

I've been here a few times, and I so far haven't tried anything other than the beef bulgogi and the spicy pork bulgogi. Both are really good! The spicy pork bulgogi is just the right amount of spicy for me. You get rice, the bulgogi, a side of kimchi, and miso soup. The place is really small, and doesn't have any atmosphere to speak of, so get it to go. Heads up: they're closed on Mondays. read more

I think i've been eating too much korean food lately, specifically, korean tofu soups. So for one, this place should be categorized as $$, because prices here are definitely not cheap for meals and I'm not sure if it is justified by the shoddy interior. I mean, you can't really eat comfortably in a "restaurant" where the poor cashier (who is about 3 ft away from you from the two rows of tables they have) is standing behind a fold-up IKEA table with no place to sit, there are no proper silver utensils (no metal chopsticks!) or cups (you have to get water from a water dispenser with a small foam cup...reminded me of my previous leasing office), and what little tiled floor they have looks extremely faded and old. Basically, this place reminds me of one of those "Golden China" or "Fortune Cookie" Chinese fast food places that only does take-out, at best. Someplace with such a cheap interior should have cheaply priced foods that are competitive quality...I shouldn't be paying the same amount for similar or lower quality korean food that I could get at another korean restaurant where I can actually sit down in a chair with a cushion and where the lighting doesn't remind me of my high school cafeteria. First of all, we ordered the sweet and sour korean fried chicken ($7-$8). Horrible. Dunked in sweet and sour sauce and fried with a thick breading, these 6 pieces of assorted chicken legs/wings were hard to chew (such a thick and horrible fried breaded coating) and even harder to swallow. Not sure if korean fried chicken was supposed to taste like that. The pork and kimchi tofu soup was itself pretty average, but had almost no pork in it - i think I managed to fish out 3 small squares of boiled, dry pork, and the kimchi had almost disintegrated into the soup. Tofu was soft but a pretty flavorless dish overall. Out of the whole meal, spicy pork bulgogi was the only dish that was pretty okay. The pork was marinated well, but the RICE was so so dry...and COLD. I mean, if I also hadn't ordered the tofu soup to dip and moisten my rice in, I might've not been able to swallow the rice itself. Also, the small cup of soup the spicy pork dish came with was...miso. Cmon...miso soup? At least give me some free korean side dishes instead...please! Pretty disappointed with the food/my experience, if this place wants to improve it should really either fix up the interior (tbh, the environment honestly sometimes can make the food taste better) or notch down the price and make this place exclusively a take-out place. At least then, I can microwave my rice -.- read more

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It's a small restaurant but the food is super awesome!! The waiters here are really police and kind. Quite a clean nice place. You can find a park space easily, but it is not open on Monday. I really enjoy here. read more

K-Bowl - Really awesome!! - Korean Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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I don't really have strong feelings about this place one way or the other. I tried the bulgogi, beef noodle soup, and spicy pork. The bulgogi was good, the beef noodle soup was bland and the spicy pork was the best out of the three. If you are in the area and in the mood for Korean, then check this place out, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here. read more

K-Bowl - bulgogi - Korean Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I like this small place, even though it doesn't look fancy or nice. The kimchi tofu soup is so authentic, which reminds me of the Korean restaurant in my hometown. And the Eel rice bowl is a surprise, you will miss that tasty in your mouth for several days. Unfortunately, my husband is not a fan for this place, not sure when I will be able to visit next time. read more

I don't have much to say about this place. It's a little hole in the wall on Green St right next to a Jimmy Johns. It's no frills, basic, cheap, comforting, fast and yummy. read more

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This place is a little out of the way. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been walking right by it. The price is on par with the other places on campus. I was a bit skeptical of getting take out Korean, but I decided to go for it. I ordered the Soon Dubu JJigae (Tofu Soup) with pork and kimchi, and was pleasantly surprised. They put the soup in a huge styrofoam container - definitely enough for 2 meals. I loved the pork and the zucchini was a great addition. I'll probably go back soon! read more

K-Bowl has extremely friendly staff that make you feel welcome and answer any questions you may have. This definitely brings up their rating. I ordered the grilled eel and really didn't feel like I got all that much for $20 as it was a moderate amount of eel just over rice. Tasted pretty good though. I also tried the bibimbap which was alright. Definitely a carry-out place, especially in winter since the only tables are right next to the door. read more

I've been going here on and off for the past two years and have tried several other things off the menu. I highly recommend the budae chigae and the tofu stew with kimchi and pork. My only gripe is the bulgogi (Korean beef) is not that good. Everything else tastes delicious though! read more

I have been here about 5 times. Every time was amazing. I think they have the best Korean food in the CU area. We have gotten the soon doo boo chigae with kimchi pork, which is spicy and amazing and the dwenjang chigae which is also fabulous. Then I just noticed they had kamchatang (potato and pork soup), which I had been look for all over town. The flavors are spot on, and the kimchi is delish. The prices are competitive with other locations. This is my new favorite spot for Korean food. read more

K-Bowl - Tofu soup with seafood - Korean Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

You will literally sit in a lawn chair if you eat here. The food is good, the prices are fair. I've had a good number of food on the menu and all of it's good. the Budae chigae is kimbop is This is the perfect grab and go restaurant. The plaza has parking too, just watch out for the crazy Jimmy Johns drivers. read more

This review is based on one dish (Sul Lung Tang) that I got for carry-out. Sul Lung Tang is one of my favorite soups and one of the best cures for hangovers (based on second-hand experiences). I grew up eating Korean food. I LOVE Korean food. My go-to Korean restaurant in Champaign is Bi-Won. I had tried all the other Korean restaurants (even the sushi restaurants owned by Koreans) except K-Bowl. A year or two ago, K-Bowl had a very limited menu, so I didn't give it a try. Seeing that their menu has expanded and reading really great reviews here on Yelp, I thought I should finally give it a try. I got Sul Lung Tang (ox bone soup). I knew it would not be the best (which is Han Bat's in L.A.), but I expected to actually get what I ordered. When I got home, I opened the container, and what did I smell? Man Doo Gook (dumpling soup)! Unmistakeably! There were measly, grisly, awful pieces of meat. Sweet potato noodles, which were appropriate. And EGG! Egg does not go in Sul Lung Tang. When I called K-Bowl, I asked the nice gentleman (with excellent English) if he gave me the right order. After I described the food, he talked to the cook, came back and told me, "That's how we make Sul Lung Tang". I told him that I have NEVER in my entire life had egg in this soup. (I've had this at restaurants in L.A., Korea, Chicago, Dallas, Fairfax, D.C....never.) He said, "Well, we put egg in it". Doubting my Korean-American judgment, I asked some Korean friends if egg goes in Sul Lung Tang. They confirmed no, never. Basically, this restaurant uses the same soup stock for two VERY different dishes. There's nothing wrong with using the same stock for multiple dishes. But one should never say something is something it absolutely isn't. It's a misrepresentation; it pains me to think that people who aren't familiar with Korean food may think that Sul Lung Tang is what is served at this restaurant. Don't get the Sul Lung Tang. I can't comment on the authenticity of any of the other dishes. read more

First time purchasing from K-Bowl. I ordered through Grub Hub with no problems and even got my food earlier than expected. I ordered a large bowl which came with 4 proteins, rice, sauce, and lots of tasty extras I selected. I'm not really acquainted with Japanese cuisine, so I did end up googling a lot of the options to see exactly what I was ordering. For example, I discovered a new favorite side - Tamago, which is a delicious little omelet slice I'd highly recommend. The Gochujang chili sauce was delightfully spicy and my mouth is still tingling long after finishing the food (avoid this if you have any sensitivity to spice). The spicy tuna and shrimp were my favorite proteins in the bowl. Maybe I'm just being a dumb American, but it wasn't clear to me on the website if the fish would be cooked or uncooked. There weren't any pictures to go by and I knew there was a distinct possibility it'd be uncooked, which it was. That was new for me, but I gave it a try and it was still very tasty. Nice size portion, complex and intense flavor, not a bad price. My expectations were far exceeded! read more

So far, everything we've tried has been great. Don't let the tiny size and modest decor fool you. Great, freshly prepared Korean fast and not so fast food. Everything is made after you order, so allow 10 or 15 minutes. It will be worth the wait. As someone else noted, much of the staff speaks poor (even no) English. So, if you know what you want and it is on the menu you will be fine just pointing to what you want. But, if you have a question about how something is prepared or what ingredients it may have, you might have problems unless you speak Korean. BUT, and this is important, other patrons may bail you out. Even the patrons have been friendly when we've visited. It seems that many of the patrons speak Korean as they sometimes engage in banter with the cashier; don't take this as a bad sign. When my wife had a question, the patron jumped right in translating her question, and then giving the answer back. Twice we've been invited to sit with other patrons (seating is quite limited). Does delicious Korean food make people happy? One could draw that conclusion. (But, the couple we were sitting with simply explained that this is the best Korean food in town, they like the owners and workers, and they want the place to do well so they are more than happy to help out and make it pleasant for everyone.) Your experience may vary, of course. Not everyone will be that friendly, and very often we've been the only patrons in the store. They take phone-in orders for take-out. I am guessing, but I suspect that this is most successful if you can speak Korean. Plus, I want to know what the specials are. We love the Spicy Squid-- not deep fried like the Chinese restaurants. It comes in a nice spicy red stew accompanied by rice. Also the Grilled Eel and the Spicy Seafood Steam are excellent. The family vegetarians have fewer choices, but the Vegetables Bibimbap, the fried noodles, and the vegetable fried rice have kept our resident vegetarian happy. It has an unfortunate location. A little too far for a lot of campus town residents to visit on foot, and a little too hidden for commuters (and the parking lot is a bit hard to get in and out of in traffic) . We visit when we think of it, but it has too little visibility for us to stop by on impulse. (We even end up at El Charro more often, and their parking is harder, but the store so much more visible so we're more likely to think of it when driving home after work.) Nonetheless, I think K-Bowl is a great addition to the local food scene. Not as fancy as B-Won, but a lot cheaper and as good or better food. read more

I ordered the spicy pork bulgogi ( ) and it tastes nothing like the other ones I've had before. They put so many peppers that the spiciness became bitter. I've been to Korea before so I know what the authentic one tastes like read more

My favorite dish here is spicy tofu (soondubu) because the broth is very flavorful--even more so than a lot of the chicago places. I was moving my stuff in and only place that was open and not many tables are available but he food simply trumps it all! So I personally like the take out from here. Especially at their reasonable prices, it's the best Korean on campus if not the Illinois area. read more

Authentic, delicious, fresh and well priced Korean food; finally found somewhere worth coming to regularly.

That food was absolutely not fresh and gave me an upset stomach for a day. The smell of the beef and pork is questionable and very greasy. The miso soup was horrible, I never thought you could mess up miso but they figured it out! read more

Really fresh poke bowls with generous fish or tofu portions and lots of topping choices. Plus they went out of their way to help us avoid ingredients with MSG. I'll be back! read more

Their soondubu is the best in town! Although restaurant is a little too small, food is great here !

Ordered hot stone bimbimbap but it was not hot. Ordered seafood noodle, and it came with a soup with very few shrimps and mussels.

Great food here. The place is primarily for take-outs. I usually get Budaejjigae or Donkatsu, and never have been disappointed. All items on the menu are pretty cheap too. This is my new favorite go-to Korean place. read more

Don't expect some fancy restaurant style Korean dishes here. I kinda feel that what a usual Korean household cooks, then K-Bowl cooks it for the public. Foods are good tho, my favorites are Beef Soondubu, Bibimbap dan any kind of stir fries like Bulgogi, etc. Not to mention their wings are awesome! (ask for smoothered sweet-spicy sauce). The downside is that they're rather expensive for such business. read more

Went here for the first time tonight and the food was delicious! I got the kimbap and the bibimbap to go. They were packaged along with two cups of soup, kimchi, pickled radish, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Everything was really really good. The prices were very reasonable. The kimbap with tuna was an especially great deal. It definitely would have filled me up and it was only 5 or 6 dollars. It was pretty quiet so I'm hoping more people learn about this place and go because it was the best korean food I've had around campus. read more

very small place and the waiter doesn't pay attention to the customers. food was not that good. read more

K-bowl makes a worthy hot stone bowl bi bim bap. It's bare bones and mostly a takeout joint, but there are one or two little tables if you want to slurp up your delicious Korean food right then and there. read more