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    K-Bowl

    3.8 (60 reviews)
    InexpensiveKorean, Poke
    Closed Closed
    Updated over 3 months ago

    K-Bowl Photos

    K-BOWL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for kids

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    Menu page 1
    Nelson K.

    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.

    Bibimbap
    Lisa G.

    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.

    Medium bowl with spicy tuna and cucumbers. Delicious
    Ryan V.

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

    Roger M.

    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.

    Sweet and sour fried chicken, drenched
    Rhona K.

    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 -.-

    Really awesome!!
    Yijie Z.

    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.

    bulgogi
    Drew H.

    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.

    Menu page 1

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    10 years ago

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    Photo of Bryant K.
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    12 years ago

    Probably the best Korean food in Champaign. Source: I'm Korean, listen to me you ignants

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    9 years ago

    Absolutely authentic Korean food. I have visited Korea for 3 times and KBowl has the very best Tofu soup in CU area for sure! Legit!

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    12 years ago

    This is a really good lunch spot. Food has always been tasty and isn't too expensive considering quality/quantity. Will be back soon!

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - K-Bowl

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    This was our second time coming to The Poke Place, and it has been great both times. The food is…read morealways very fresh, there are a lot of good options, and the service has been excellent. Everyone has been really friendly and helpful when ordering. We've tried both the Huli Huli Hawaiian Chicken Lunch Plate and custom poke bowls, and everything we've had has been really good. The ingredients taste fresh, and portions felt fair for the price. For three of us to eat lunch, it was around $40, which felt reasonable. Seating is limited to about 6-8 counter seats, so it's definitely more of a quick stop than a sit-down restaurant. The only downside is the location--it's a little tucked away and not the easiest place to get to. Overall though, I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for fresh poke or Hawaiian-style lunch plates.

    Not that great at night, maybe better at lunch. We've been twice so far for dinner and both times…read morewe were greeted with blunt statements of all the stuff they don't have and what they won't make. The first time it was understandable, the second time they said they wouldn't make anything cold, so only fried or reheated stuff. If you do go...as for the food, the chicken Katsu is not bad, but it's hard to mess that up and they give you a good amount of rice with the lunch plate. The sides are really nothing special. They throw in a Hawaiian sounding word in the names but really it's just bland potato salad and macaroni salad. Is it the worst place around? No. Would it be a lot better if you could go and enjoy your food and not feel like you're ruining the day of the people working there just from stopping in? yes absolutely.

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    K-Bowl - korean - Updated May 2026

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