Great food! I had chicken bulgolgi and it was all delicious. It's about $20 but the servings are enormous, so I get it. There's pictures of mama Kim everywhere with all types of people, some with her family, and notes of thanks, which I think is such a nice touch. The staff was friendly and we didn't wait long at all. Haha, also the bathrooms were very clean. read more

Mama Kims - Japanese Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Great food, great service. Got the teriyaki chicken with fried rice, and veggie dumplings. Everything from the food, to the sauce was excellent! read more

Love this place with all my heart. 10/10 spot for cheap hibachi eats. The white sauce with the chicken is heaven. Why arent there cheap hibachi places like this outside the SE?? Must eat every time I'm in town read more

Yummy steak and mushrooms. Love their banchan as well. Customer service was super friendly and welcoming.

Mama Kim is a Charleston OG! She makes one MEAN chicken bowl! Definitely stop by for some lunch or dinner!! It's all fantastic!

Just do it. This place is amazing. I do not even understand why people would go anywhere else for fast, cheap, delicious Korean, Japanese and hibachi goodness. Trust me, Mama Kim knows what she is doing as do her employees (whom are mostly family) and they do it well. I usually go for the spicy steak bowl with fried rice (cant go wrong with that) a seaweed salad or house soup (sometimes both if I'm hungry) and their shrimp tempura rolls but if you have a big group definitely go for the Bulgogi. Again, trust me. read more

Mama Kims - Pork Bul-go-gee. So good - Japanese Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Just happened to walk in with my hungry family. We all loved it. Food great, you don't go for the ambiance. Mama kim awesome.

This was my first time at Mama Kim's for lunch and in the new location on King Street. It has a bit of a hole-in-the-wall vibe, but in the best of ways. Walk in and funnel through to a small hallway where there's a window to place your order. Paper menus are available on the checkout counter. It's a bit expensive for lunch, but the food is AMAZING. Check out the hibachi or korean lunch specials. The express bowls are a nice option, too. Hibachi lunch specials are plenty for a hearty lunch (I had to save the rest of mine for dinner!). Comes with protein, fried rice and veggies, plus two sauces of your choice. The crew is very nice, and the wait was surprisingly quick. We placed and picked up our order to-go for 6 people in about 10 minutes. If you move past the hallway, there's a ton of seating in the way back that no one seems to know about. A wee bit pricey for lunch (~$10 just for me), but worth it. I wish my mama cooked like this ;) read more

Mama Kims - Japanese Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Grabbed the teriyaki chicken bowls while shopping on King Street and the flavor was delicious. I was wary walking in, because the outside of the restaurant wasn't very inviting. However, I'm glad I didn't fully judge a book by its cover. This is a local spot that's a treasure. read more

I was so very disappointed in the food here. I love Korean BBQ and I had been looking forward to getting some bru go ghee (excuse the spelling). The meat was dry and without flavor. I had to use a lot of siracha and imagination to make this meal palatable. I haven't decided if I will go back to try something from the Japanese menu, but I doubt it very seriously. read more

Mama Kims - Japanese Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

venue looked a little run down, not very clean, the sided salad things did not seem fresh/good, the kimchi soup however pretty damn good, but over all prob would not return read more

What a hidden gem! My wife was told that this restaurant was tasty and we decided to try it out. Located on bustling King Street, it's a downtown eatery that's worth it. From speaking with staff, this is a small family owned restaurant with a colt like following. The menu consists of Korean dishes, sushi, and Hibachi options. As soon as you walk in you get the fill of a classic oriental restaurant. You order at the register, where you can see the open, very clean, kitchen. The food is brought out to you piping hot. We opted for the lunch portion spicy pork Bul-Go-Gee, Dragon Roll, and Fried Oysters. Everything was so flavorful and came out in big portions (even the lunch special). The pork was so flavorful and charred just right. The array of spicy pickled veggies that came with the pork was the extra crunch needed to round off the dish. The service was attentive and the restaurant had a good "family owned" fill. Extra: the bathroom was extremely clean, impressive. They deliver downtown but no worries, I will be getting my "Mama Kim's" fix in person! read more

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The food took forever to come out. It was way over priced I mean waaaaay. Did not receive very many side dishes. Will not return. My wife is Korean and she will never go back. read more

As a korean who grew in korea and now currently living in koreatown of Los Angeles. I can say this place is super legit! They offer all sorts of korean comfort food menu and all the staff there super friendly!!!!!! Omg, if you have not try this place yet! Give it a try!! you will not be disappointed. Thanks again MAMA KIMs!!! read more

Good value, but found the food just OK. I will say the chicken that came with my wife's bento box was a highlight. Wonderful ever so slight smoked/charred bbq flavor. I had spicy pork that I found quite dry. Did have a kick to it though. The boxes come with rice and mixture of Korean pickled sides. I personally did not care for any of the sides, but that probably just me. Can't really compare because would not normally order. Had a plate of mixed deep fried appetizers that I found tasty, but nothing exceptional. You order at the counter, and staff all very friendly. Seems like a popular place for students. Oh almost forgot, recommend their house soup. Looks like a pretty plain bowl of clear broth, but great flavor read more

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This is probably one of the worst asian fusion restaurants I have ever been to. It was over-priced for food that was mediocre at best. We ordered jajangmyeon, rice with tofu, and udon. This tasted like nothing we expected. When I was in Korea a couple months ago, I tasted all of these cuisines. Mama Kim's should not call any of these dishes Korean. It was one of the most disappointing meals I have ever tasted-- it lacked flavor and quality. read more

I got the teriyaki chicken & steak habachi & my husband got the teriyaki chicken with the vegetable egg rolls. Was really good and fast service.. super friendly! read more

I just want to give 5 stars to the chicken bowl(express bowl) that is the thing I always get from here. But I barely order anything else. I want to try something new next time though. But whenever I'm in downtown and need a fast and nice meal I would consider Mama Kim's first. read more

We stopped here on a whim and sooooo glad we did! The Japanese chicken & shrimp --AMAZING!!!!! The lady that helped us suggested a white sauce to use on it and it's awesome!!! I would absolutely stop here anytime!!!! Wonderful service and EXCELLENT food! Thank you read more

Mama Kims - Japanese chicken - Japanese Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Mama Kim's had the one of the best stir fry udons ever! The stir fry udon was very filling and tasty. Although I had ordered it to go, they put foil in the box so my food would stay warm. The udon was very soft and had absorbed the flavor of the cooking. I wished I had come back during my stay here to try another dish or to get that udon again! read more

Mama Kims - Stir fry udon with chicken - Japanese Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

My wife and I tried the Bulgogi dish and bibimbap. Good food/Authentic taste. Friendly staff. I would definitely comeback to this place. read more

Great place with great service! Mama really runs the place & she is top notch. My new favorite place in Charleston!

I really like Mama Kim's but I think it's more because I love Mama Kim and not so much because I love her food, although I do enjoy the food. The ACTUAL Korean food that she serves is very good, but there is a lot more americanized asian/japanese food on the menu. The banchan (side dishes) are always yummy and the japchae and jajanmyun (I don't know if that's on the menu anymore) and her seafood soup are good. Of course the bulgogi and bibimbap is good. If you ever go to a Korean restaurant that has bad bulgogi or bibimbap you might as well just walk out. That'd be like a Charleston restaurant with bad shrimp & grits or fried chicken. My husband likes to get the japanese bowls when we go and it's always been good. The best thing about Mama Kim's is the atmosphere itself. Mama Kim has been a Charleston institution, as is made evident by the pictures on the walls. Even sitting and watching people come in and interact with her you can tell. Mama Kim and the other Korean ladies behind the counter are always so nice and ask how we've been. And any time any of us have ordered the bibimbap she comes over and stirs it for us lol. Then she always asks how my family is doing and how much my girls have grown up. Seriously, y'all, she remembers us no matter how long it has been between visits. It might be because we are Korean, also, but I really think that is how she is with all her customers. I'd like to comment on the other folks who have remarked that she has annoying little notes everywhere that make it seem rude or uninviting. How many Koreans have you ever interacted with? We are sweet but we cray cray. So, don't take it personally. Honestly, I think it's funny and really- you should be at church on Sunday and you should NOT be on the phone when you are ordering and you shouldn't be ordering a free water then filling up on soda or tea. Don't get mad about it. read more

Great Korean food. Kimchi and other sides excellent. A little pricy for dinner but worth it.

I was craving Korean food so I stopped in for some take out while on vacation. Got the bibimbap with steamed rice. Came with a good portion of sautéed vegetables and 3 small sides-- 2 variations of kimchi and marinated black beans. Made me think of home. I wish they would give a bigger portion of bulgogi for the bibimbap; there were only a few slices. Overall, the spice level was good and the meat wasn't too sweet like most Americanized Korean restaurants. I would recommend read more

Awesome place. Always good staffs always friendly and punctual. Mama Kim ain't to bad on the eyes either

Wow! Just wow! Super delicious! Great customer service and friendly. The food was amazing and plenty of it. Wish I lived here, I would this everyday. read more

Mama Kims - Yum!!! - Japanese Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Pretty good food, no ambiance, kind of uncomfortable setting yet pricing was still up there

I love Mama Kim's chicken rice bowls! They're soo good! I highly recommend it mixing it with the white sauce they the have sitting out. I also ordered their bulgogi lunch bento box and I thought it was alright! It's cut differently than traditional bulgogi, it's like in square pieces! The food comes out pretty fast too! read more

If you have a crying/screaming child, skip this place. The owner will make sure you feel unwelcome and give you unsolicited parenting advice and insulting comments. We were out with our almost two year old son all day, followed by a trip to the ER because our son hurt his arm. We were hungry and just wanted something quick and close to our hotel. 30 minutes into our wait, our son started to get cranky because he was hungry and tired. Three police officers who came after us were personally served by the owner by then. The owner passed our table and told our son to behave or the police would discipline him or something. I was shocked but let it slide because my son obviously didn't understand her. After another 10-15 minutes our food still didn't come and our son was having a tantrum, so we asked for the food to go. My husband later told me the owner asked if I was Chinese and made a comment about my parenting style and Chinese parents in general. My husband just wanted to grab our food and get the heck out so he didn't say anything back to her. We got back to our hotel only to find they missed my son's "express" bowl. (Yeah that's after an hour wait.) I went back to the restaurant and they completely did not realize the missing order. I decided to have a talk with the owner, and things got very ugly there. She complained our son was screaming the moment we stepped into her restaurant and it was so untrue. She didn't apologize for our food being delayed or even missing. Instead she accused me for being a bad mother. Wow. Just when I got into the restaurant the second time, I saw the three police officers leaving and her trying to force some free food on them. I was appalled and perplexed. How can a business owner treat customers so blatantly preferential, and racist might I say?! Had she made sure our food came timely and correctly we could've avoided all this unpleasantness. Oh, and the food? Overpriced and not all it's cracked up to be. Definitely not worth the hour long wait. read more

We stopped here for dinner and it was amazing. The sushi was delicious! There was so much food and it was very reasonably priced. We will definitely be going back when we visit Charleston again! read more

33 years later still my favorite Korean!! Love Kim and her entire family! Her food is home to me!

Surprisingly good Hibachi meal! This is a little hole-in-the-wall on King Street that has Korean food and Japanese food. We got the ribeye steak and shrimp. The fried rice was literally white fried rice with soy sauce, no eggs, scallions, peas, nothing. And yet again, surprisingly good. Price per meal is about $13. Check it out if you're craving hibachi in Charleston! read more

Good: food was pretty good Bad: (more detailed explanation farther below) 1. Slow prep- Took an hour for food. Police showed up 15 mins after us, got their food 15 mins before us. 2. Rude/discriminatory- Threatened our hangry 2 year old son with the police seating near by. Asked me, when I went to change our order to-go, if my wife was Chinese and criticized her parenting style, comparing it to Korean/Japanese. 3. Forgot an order, our sons's express bowl 4. Long black hair (3) in bim bim bap. I've lived in Charleston for almost 6 years and visited quite a few times as a tourist, this fortunately was one of the few terrible food experiences I've had. Avoid this place. Slow- We didn't get our food for an hour. Ordered at 6:45pm, was ready at 7:45pm. The kicker is that 3 Police Officers showed up 15 mins after us, sat down right next to us and got their food 15 mins before us. They had chicken/steak teriyaki. We had ordered Jambong (seafood stew), bim bim bap (rice bowl with meat, egg and pickeled veggies) and children's chicken express bowl. About 50 mins into the wait, our 2 year old started acting out and we ran out of things to redirect him with. This was meant to be our quick, last ditch dinner option close to our hotel. This relates to the next comment below. 2. Racist/preferential/what have you or just plain rude- After sitting for 50 mins, our 2 year old started getting unruly/crying, he was hungry and tired. We had a long day in the sun at Magnolia Plantation followed up by a trip to the ER when our son hurt his arm. We wanted close and quick. First, the lady (one of the owners from the photos) threatened our 2 year old with the police nearby if he kept crying. Of course our son doesn't understand, the comment was directed at my wife while I was away for a refill. Secondly, when our kid was at the peak of his tantrum (an hour after we ordered went and asked to get our food the same lady asked if me wife was Chinese. Then made a comment regarding the my wife's strictness and compared the parenting style to Koreans/Japanese. She also told us to move to the front of the restaurant. I played that part off because food just got done, our son was starving and we didn't want to go wait longer somewhere else. We were already making our way out. I found out about the police comment later. 3. Opened up our now 'to-go' order and our son's express chicken bowl was missing. My wife went to go retrieve it while I fed our son at the hotel room... my wife darted out to get the missing food and regretting not giving them a piece of her mind. Especially on the walk back to the hotel when we exchanged what conversations we had with the same lady. My wife described the event as combative with the staff (including those who had no first-hand accounting of either conversation), accused our child of crying the moment we walked in the restaurant and somehow managed to get his missed order out in 30 seconds. 4. The hair's self-explanatory and gross. read more

The head chef in the back is extremely combative and doesn't take criticism well. I brought my food back after pickup because my shrimp was inedible. I noticed that the way the restaurant smells, is the way the shrimp tasted. I'm not sure if it's paint or whatever but there's definitely an issue. The first thing the chef said was "well that's the white sauce, you heated it to high. That's not on us that's on you". He kept on repeating "that's not on us" over and over, and the whole altercation made me very uncomfortable. I didn't ask for a refund. I didn't even ask for my food to be remade. I only wanted them to taste what I tasted. I literally scurried out of the restaurant after his "freak out". I assume they're used to being haggled or the chef is just harsh because he was ready to fight me off the bat. It's very unfortunate, but I don't think I'll be returning. read more

Charleston Local, and I'm so upset that after 4 years, I haven't come sooner. Amazing... but a huge LOL to all those who brought their "Korean friend", thinking that would increase the experience. Being Filipino or "Asian" has never made me expect any better service. Mama Kim can keep mean muggin, as long as my steak hibachi keeps comin. read more

Some of the best food you'll find on king street. The chicken teriyaki lunch bowl is affordable and delicious with generous portions.

If you are a fan of delicious Korean food then do yourself a favor and visit Mama Kim's. The staff is super friendly and the food is delicious. I had the spicy pork bo go gee and it was outstanding. I will be returning here on a regular basis. Try the kim chi! It's great! read more

Super cozy, authentic Korean and Japanese food. Was given good recommendations and was not displeased. Super spicy, great entrees that we're amazing and well worth the wait. read more

Surprisingly good! It thought it was just going to be another shitty Americanized Asian restaurant but the food was actually good and somewhat authentic! Don't be deterred by all the college students walking in and out! read more