Japchae and banchan (fish cake, pickled radishes, pickled cucumber salad, and kimchi) with sticky rice wqw my first meal at Onions Cafe in Lancaster. I've always passed Onions but never stopped in. They're a little diner spot on queen street that serves American breakfast with authentic Korean dishes for lunch. While the Japchae was pleasant, it didn't have as much flavor as Seoulmates did. I loved the free banchan that was included with the meal, though! The cucumber salad and fish cake were especially tasty. All of this was $17 + tip. Honestly was more than enough food for 2 meals for me, and I eat a decent amount. While my main wasn't the best, I do hope to try more of the menu and really enjoyed the banchan. read more

Onion's Cafe - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Nope, nadda and next Not a good bulgogi. First of all, this review is strictly on OC's rendition of their bulgogi. It may look like the real thing, but it's far from tasting like the real thing. A mound of meat and i mean MOUND of meat arrived, in a sauce, completely absent of ginger, sesame oil, gochujang, a touch of sweet and all those lovely mouthfeels you experience, when eating bulgogi. I couldn't even discern what the sweet, cloyingly, brown sauce consisted of and OC's banchan sides, just as displeasing as my bulgogi - a total miss. read more

Came here for a breakfast with my husband and toddler and had a nice meal! Service was decent. We got eggs potato's and I got a kimchi fried rice with an egg. I'm not gonna lie the kimchi fried was the worst I've ever gotten at a restaurant haha definitely would not recommend but the breakfast was yummy! Def would come back but not get the kimchi fried rice read more

Small Cafe environment, extremely friendly staff, best Korean food around. I like the added American Menu to satisfy every palette. Very Affordably priced. Highly recommend. Been a customer for 25 years. read more

****Credit card friendly now **** love watching the fish tank while enjoying a simple yet delicious breakfast. It's definitely a dated space but very clean. Seat yourself and pay at the counter. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed! read more

Onion's Cafe - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Onions is an icon of lancaster good food good prices quaint atmosphere!!! Breakfast Lunch Korean cuisine family owned and operated

**CASH ONLY** I have wanted to try this place out for years! Small dive, on a great block, and walking distance from areas of town. Diverse menu to satisfy both Western and Korean tastebuds. The ramen was perfect on this rainy, windy day. Portion size was filling and flavorful. Not too spicy and you could still taste the kimchi. Looking forward to coming back!! read more

Onion's Cafe - Kimchi ramen - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

I've been looking for a place where I can get Korean ramen and I'm so glad to have found it! I ordered the dumpling ramen with shrimp added and it was really tasty and filling. My favorite part of the dish were the veggie dumplings. The dish came in a tin soup pot that kept it nice a hot. My husband ordered the tuna sandwich which comes with chips and pickles. He didn't find that it was anything to write home about, but he enjoyed stealing from my bowl. The restaurant was overall charming and clean kept and the service was great. The bathroom is pretty shabby but seems like they keep it clean. I have had the bi bim bop before by takeout and wasn't too crazy about it. I felt like it needed sauce/flavor but I'm looking forward to trying more of the menu because I really did enjoy my ramen dish. read more

Onion's Cafe - Dumpling Ramen with shrimp added - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Onion's is a hidden gem in Lancaster. While the ambiance is casual bordering on divey, the Korean food is delicious, and the service was great. We dined in for dinner, and started with an order of large(8) steamed dumplings. The flavor was good and came with soy sauce for dipping. We also ordered beef bulgogi, shrimp fried rice, dumpling ramen, and dul sot beef bi bim bob. The meal also came with 4 homemade sides: cucumber salad, pickled radish, fish cakes, and kim chi. They were all good, especially the kim chi, which was less spicy than I'm used to, but great flavor. Everyone loved their meals. Great fresh flavors and reasonable portions. We all cleaned our plates and were full. I got the dul sot beef bi bim bob so I will describe that one in more detail. I was going to just get the regular bi bim bob, but our waitress asked if I wanted the dul sot version. I asked what the difference was and she explained that the dul sot is a hot stone pot that causes the rice to get crispy on the bottom. I enjoyed the addition of the crispy rice, but if you don't think you'll like the texture just stick to the regular bi bim bob. Plenty of veggies, beef and rice in this dish, and goes great with the spicy sauce you can put on which tasted like gochujang. This is a great place if you are familiar with Korean dishes, or just want to try it for the first time. A basic knowledge of staple Korean dishes will help, but our waitress was able to answer our questions so ask if you need to clarify anything on the menu. Our total bill was $57.77 before tip which is reasonable for 4 entrees and a large order of dumplings. We will be coming back and urge you to give this local Lancaster business a try. read more

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Delicious breakfast with the best customer service. Coffee was delicious. I had about 3 cups! I assume the french toast would be the size of the French toast you get from higher chain breakfast spots but I was wrong. French toast were massive! They were light, fluffy and yummy. The home fries (not pictured) perfect!! read more

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I tend to go hunting for the best bang for my buck when looking for new places for a bite, in PN from out if state I went looking for something a little different from the primarily American food I've had in the area so far. Onions looked good on paper, more of a small dive with really solid pricing ($10-16) with both American diner breakfast/lunch and plenty of korean options to spice things up. We pulled up around 11am and it was pretty quiet inside. Service jumped to and helped us get seated and sort out drinks in no time. Both me and my partner went for the Bi Bim Bob and it just hit the spot! Few sides to go with and the dish itself was delicious, meat was juicy and flavorful as I'd expect from any korean joint or KBBQ experience, veggies were fresh and the whole bowl mixed very well with some of the chili sauce found at each table. Service was quick to help and happy to assist our whole experience, was a quiet lunch hour at the time though. Definitely recommend if you want a change of pace or some well priced korean/american food. The food definitely slaps read more

Onion's Cafe - a bowl of food on a table - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

The food beef bulgogi was yummy. I wish it came with more kimchi but I enjoyed it. Great customer service. read more

Onion's Cafe - Breakfast please - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

It's a peculiar restaurant: morning breakfast and Korean fare during lunch and dinner. In a Korean cuisine-starved area, Onion's is the only option. It's in downtown Lancaster, so you'll have to find street parking. And be prepared to pay with cash. I'm Korean and I prefer to eat Korean food wherever I go. So the bottom line has to be the quality and authenticity of the food. My wife was happy with her meal (stone pot bibimbap). We also ordered some ramyun and mandoo (dumplings). All were good enough to satisfy our craving. Prices for these dishes were also very reasonable. One miss on our order was the dduk boki, or spicy rice cakes. I didn't want it too spicy because I tend to sweat when I eat spicy food. So I asked to have it prepared at medium spicy level. It came out like a soup and was overcooked, so the rice cakes were falling apart. The taste was good, but it came out all wrong. When we're shopping at the outlets and get a craving for Korean, we'll likely be back again, so overall a good experience. read more

Chicken fried rice!!! Huge portion. Fresh, perfectly cooked, truly a fabulous meal Note cash only! Diner atmosphere, wooden benches, not super comfortable but clean read more

Onion's Cafe - Chicken fried rice with an egg on top! - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Great food hospitality is wonderful I would say this will be my go to spot my first time trying it for the price it was worth it oh my I brought the crab cake sandwhich it was great real crab meat very tasty read more

The best korean food I've had in central PA. Their Bulgogi beef is amazing and their french toast is on another level as far as flavor. It's also a local known fact that Onions has some of the best breakfast in the city. I highly recommend this place. My only complaint is that they only accept cash. read more

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Here for the first time in a while with my mom and let me tell you things were good till the lovely/ waitress became very rude not only to my mom but to me as well very snappy and stuff come on now I know your doing your job and you might be short handed and all but treat the public and people in general with more respect just saying don't know if I will come back again debating on that one we will see maybe read more

I ate there last week for the first time only by chance,I was down town killing time waiting for another restaurant to open,just happened to look inside and told my self why not.the place holds about 30 people at the most,very clean with plexiglass in between booths, one waitress who did an amazing job Placed my order,now if you are in a hurry you will be disappointed because each order is made to order but be patient the food is amazing I had the kimchi ramen which the chefs make along with all the other condiments I look forward to go back again to try something else read more

The only authentic Korean food in town. I always go there for lunch. They make the hot pot soup fresh. I give them a call before I hit the road. So, food is ready when I get there. Otherwise, it takes about 20 minutes. Service is great - nice and friendly people. Be aware that this restaurant is cash only! read more

Onion's Cafe - My favorite kimchi soup - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Excellent amazing food. It was our first time there and they were patient and kind. Recommended dishes for us to try next time, and what we got, was sp freaking good. We had several orders of ramen, both the regular and the kimchi, dunplings and bi bim bap. All was throughly enjoyed. We can't wait to go back read more

When we walked in, a family directly in our path, was eating hamburgers, french fries and other "diner food". It immediately embedded doubts in my mind. But, we had come this far (from my daughter's home near Reading) and I figured I could always have salad! A little noisy . . . but, hey, it's a cafe (therefore, no points off for the noise)! My sweetheart wife and I are vegans and while almost every restaurant will try to accomodate us, it is still a challenge to get an enjoyable plant-based meal out at times. Not so here! We were AMAZED at how good the Korean food is here! Veganism is not our religion and we're not out to save the planet, and are willing to bend a little while we eat plant-based as faithfully as we can. So, I can't tell you that the kimchi is vegan (most isn't), but I can tell you that, like everything else we had, it is delicious. Wife and I had a tofu Bi Bim Bop and enjoyed every morsel. Daughter and her husband and my granddaughter all had Korean dishes as well and left only dirty dishes behind! Our server was very attentive, personable, funny and kept us satisfied--did not leave any cup or plate empty--including the Banchan--until we were done! read more

The meal was nice but it was a bit pricey for a dish this size. I ordered the Dolsop Bi Bim Bop and it was about $10-$11. My friend ordered an order of three dumplings and that was $4, more than a dollar per dumpling! I have had much bigger portions for the same price at other Korean places out of town. I was a bit disappointed but this is the only place in Lancaster that I have found so far that serves Korean food. read more

Onion's Cafe - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Incredible... Dolsop Bi Bim Bop... and the homemade sides.. this place is a hidden Treasure... and Stop by Hidden Treasures 227 N. Prince Street Lancaster Pa read more

Onion's Cafe - The Best Korean BBQ in Lancaster Pa. Bi Bim Bop. This is off the chain people. served in a stone bowl, with 5 sides and all kind of flavors. - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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My favorite Korean restaurant. The staff is very friendly. For breakfast, the French toast is my favorite. The kimchi fried rice is very good and kimchi by itself is just as good. My favorite dish is the bi bim bob! read more

Onion's Cafe - Bi bim bob - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

In an attempt to get my boyfriend to try authentic Korean cuisine, we ventured out to Onion's Cafe to see what they were all about. I ordered the Beef Bulgogi bc I wanted the full experience and my sweetie took the easy way out and ordered the chicken fried rice. Our server was absolutely AMAZING--in fact the best I can recall in quite some time, which is saying a lot considering I love to eat out and I was a restaurant manager for a decade!! She was so attentive and even gave my guy the side eye when he ordered a "boring" dish. We will definitely be back for the ramen once the weather gets chilly!**CASH ONLY MY FRIENDS*** read more

Lancaster doesn't deserve this place. Thank the heavens it is here. FYI, if you want Korean food for breakfast, you CAN get it. Just ask, it is not a problem. There is a smaller American side to the menu. If that is what you are looking for you should go someplace else. Save that for your kids if they won't eat Korean. read more

Onion's Cafe is a truly a hidden gem. Tucked into a niche on a quiet small-town street, it looks like an unassuming diner. The menu bears this out, with lots of cheap, greasy diner fare. But wait - do we spy Korean specialties hidden in the corner of the menu? The Korean items listed were few, but we suspected a place like this would be willing to go off-menu. There were a couple hitches trying to get the waitress to communicate our requests to the cook (who spoke next to no English), but she helpfully called the cook's wife (co-owner) who was happy to assist. The dumplings were a little strange (friend were much better than steamed), but everything else was outstanding. The best homemade kimchi we've ever had was coupled with takuan (picked daikon) and a couple other small banchan. We asked for and received gochujang ("The red stuff?"), which was actually brown (homemade) and had a wonderfully complex flavor. For entrees, we enjoyed scalding, spicy kimchi jigae, bulgogi, and the off-menu pajeon. All were equal to or better than mainstream restaurant fare, and at less than half the price. Even with a massive tip, we left under $40, stuffed and with 4 more meals' worth of leftovers. While this is an unlikely spot for good Korean food, it's well worth the trip - especially since it's conveniently between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, should you be traveling between them in your future. Don't miss it! read more

Last night I paid Onion's a visit. I had been hoping to go to a Vietnamese place that was supposed to have the best Pho in town but it had closed. Anyone who lives in Central Pa knows that one has to construct an "Asian Archipelago" of establishments like islands. Connecting differing locales that offer decent Asian food. Some tips. The Chinese is almost universally bad. Except for Hong Kong Garden and other exceptions. Same with the Sushi. Thai can be good but it helps to include the Harrisburg region. The Vietnamese is definitely the Asian go-to, being that a good deal of Vietnamese settled here after leaving Vietnam. The Korean is non-existent. Except for isolated stand-alones. So, when I posted that Onions is the best Korean food in town, I followed it up with another FB post as the "only." That said, I have little Korean cred. Although, I did go with a Korean-born Californian to Onions previously and he pronounced it "Not Bad." Which is a pretty decent Kimshi Kudo. I had the Beef Bulgogi and I have to state that besides being a little dry like jerky (over-marinated) it was delish. Onions is, as described by another Yelper, "1/3 Korean, 2/3's Greasy Spoon Diner." Greasy chopsticks? I'd love to see them go all out Korean but easy for me to say. Although the food scene in Lancaster City is diversifying, Lancaster is still a town that is primarily a residence versus a tourist destination who perhaps have more cosmopolitan tastes. It bugs me that there are few ethic restaurants in the city getting a solid crowd night-after-night, besides The Himalayan, while chic subpar restaurants like Iron Hill who has good beer but decidedly over-priced average food, is packed. Being on the edge of the city with a parking lot helps. Put your money where your mouth is and perhaps establishments like Onions Cafe will be able to ground itself more fully into Korean soil. Right now, it is the best we have but it could be better. read more

The waitress didn't know what any of the Korean dishes were, which didn't matter because they were bland (and she was wrong when she asked the cooks anyway). The starters were just awful. I've had better from neighborhood joints in NY. And they don't take credit cards, which you don't discover until you pay, because the sign outside is written in bright red ink against a white background. Nothing like a nighttime hike to an ATM. Plus 2 bowls of Be Bim Bob = $22. Come on.. read more

My coworkers and I went in for lunch with a party of six, and there were few in the restaurant, meaning we got to sit wherever we wanted. Two of my coworkers were familiar with Korean food and had suggestions, but the waiter was confused when I had a question about one dish. I decided on the Tuk Kuk Ramen. The menu itself is kind of odd-- two-thirds greasy spoon diner, one-third Korean. So many condiments! There were bright yellow beets, spicy cabbage, fried tofu strips, and pickled cucumbers. Nom! I loved getting to try out the different tiny dishes and sample different flavors! Apparently having many side condiments is the norm at Korean joints... bonus! The Ramen came out in a huge metal bowl, piping hot. The Tuk Kuk is a rice cake, basically globs of rice, cut into slices, about two-quarters-length long. That aspect of the dish was okay, but a little bit too chewy for my liking. However the spices in the broth! YUM. I was getting steamy and sweaty, which is my indication that there is pleasure occurring in my mouth. Then adding in the condiments made the soup more exciting when I started to get bored. I wished there had been some vegetables in there too, but I guess that is not the dish. Payment for a large group is always stressful, but it became more confusing when the waiter we had was replaced by a different person. The new one didn't know Korean, which was how the first waiter had written up the receipt. So we played bingo, her calling out prices and us guessing if it was ours. And the whole cash only thing, as noted in other reviews, is annoying. We had known coming there it was cash only, but it seems kind of limiting for customers. Overall, the food was great, but the service was meh. I would like to go back and try some of the other Korean dishes that looked tempting. However, I think the experience would be less enjoyable if the place was packed. read more

Very nice cozy restaurant, good menu and friendly staff. Love the Korean menu. read more

Onion's Cafe - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Had the urge to try something new so we ended up here for the Korean food. I wish I could tell you the names of the dishes we ordered. One was a noodle dish with shrimp that was very nice, I recall it was made of potato starch noodles, that resembled Thai glass noodles, but had a wonderful sesame oil flavor that reminded me more of Japanese food. The other dish was beef bulgogi which was very tasty too. The serving sizes were generous, and the prices fair. The assortment of Korean sides was fun and kept us busy while we waited for our entrees. The dining room was clean and nice, if not fancy. You could tell they have a loyal local clientele, which gave the place a friendly feel. We both really enjoyed our meal, and are planning on getting back again soon. read more

I think this might be Lancaster's only Korean food served in a restaurant. We visited this place when it opened many years ago. Wife and I agree that it's improved. An offering of about a dozen korean dishes were on the menu along with typical Pennsylvania sandwich shop selections. Actually had lunch with my parents and wife. We each ordered something different. My duk mandu guk was really good. Wife had kimchee soup... Dad had bim bim bap. .. Mom had kimchee fried rice. We all stepped away from the table happy and two of us had "to go" boxes. We'll be back when we visit Lancaster. read more

Only got takeout from here, so it can't be a full review, and got food at 8pm on a snowy weekend. (We are desperate for a "Korean BBQ at the table" place in Lancaster.) All that being said, a good bit of the flavor in my bulgogi beef came out of the plastic sauce bucket included in my takeout order. The cook was good on the food. Just kinda mild on the flavor, at least the night I tried it. Seems like a nice place. Reasonable prices. I'll be back to try again. Short of me marinading my own bulgogi or driving down to Annandale VA to get a meal, it's nice to have Onions here in town. read more

4 stars because it's cash only and closes at 8 pm. However, the korean food is delicious!!! I ordered the squid and it was soooo yummy. Nice and spicy and it came with a ton of vegetables. It came with 4 banchan (side dishes) and everything was excellent. Pickled yellow radish, kimchi, picked cucumber, and the other I forget, sorry! I will definitely be going back for the korean food...next on my list is to get the bibimbap, but that's only if I can resist the squid! I can't comment really on the "american" offerings, but it seemed like traditional diner food...sandwiches, french fries, etc. The inside of the place is a bit plain, but I liked the atmosphere. Simple and homey, maybe a bit rundown but I like that sort of thing. The restroom was clean. The waitress (only one there) was really friendly and talking with all the patrons, it was evident to me she knew most of the people in there on a first name basis. She made sure my water was filled and chatted me up a bit too. I will definitely be going back as often as I crave some Korean food! read more

This place is a hidden gem. It's very cheap, great service and staff, and everything is fresh and delicious. The bimbinbap is excellent. I also have had the breakfast sandwiches and French toast which are great. Also the omelets. And the burgers. Highly recommend, especially for the price! read more

Hellooo, its summer and its hot out. Well I just had breakfast at Onion's (2 eggs oe, bacon, home fries, toast) how can you screw that up, good thing they didn't. It was great, simple breakfast done right at an ok price (about $6.00). Like I said its summer and its hot OUTSIDE and it shouldn't be inside. Unfortunately it was 80°f inside the café at 10:00am. They did have a fan on though. And a great big Sanyo ac unit hanging from the ceiling but not on. One place you don't want hot is a restaurant when its pushing 90°f out. Ya, you get fast turnovers but you lose customers under 80 years old. You lose more in lost customers than you spend on a new unit so stop being cheap and buy a new unit or turn the existing one on. read more

I regularly enjoy their Korean dishes, especially when the owners are waiting on me. They are very accomodating with adapting dishes to suit vegetarian requests. Try the bibambop if you are looking for some authentic fair, the Kim Che fried rice is also pretty decent. Prices are very reasonable. The decor is pretty humble, but clean and with a very neighborhood diner feel. You're likely to be seated alongside elderly neighborhood residents slurping their soup or enjoying a giant pancake. read more

Delicious food. Wonderful for creating a Korean buffet at home! I took 11 meals home and several orders of Dumplings. Love the sides of Kimchi, pickled squash, fish cake, and pickles. Lots of white rice came with the meals. read more

Onion's Cafe - Korean Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Proper Korean food. We had bi bim bop and Kim Chee fried rice. Service was excellent as well. Will be returning read more

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