We don't have a lot of Korean restaurants in Charlotte so when I saw this one while I was down in Matthews for an appointment, I immediately decided to go try it. The restaurant is part grocery store and has a very low budget feel to it. The front door is actually an emergency exit (which was very misleading) and the actual entrance is through the side door. The food was delicious! We ordered the Korean BBQ pork, shrimp fried rice and kimchi pancakes. All of the food was very flavorful and delicious. The inside of the restaurant could be a little more lively and clean. My only issue though, was the "silverware" they provided. My parents don't use chopsticks so they were given flimsy plastic forks. I used chopsticks but the ones provided were the disposable kind, very poorly made and splintered. I hurt my hand in three different places. We just gave up and started eating with the steel spoons they gave us for the sauces. Because of that, I only give them three stars. read more

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Love love love the food. Hate hate the one fly who paid me a visit . Had #3 soup with beef. Beef came in nice big portions. Be careful though there were couple tiny bits of bones in my soup. My teeth were almost traumatized lol. Broth was hot and delicious! It was a hot day but this was too tempting. You definitely get your monies worth. read more

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To be honest, don't let the looks make you think differently. The food here is great and authentic. I love the kimchi pancakes

The food was REALLY good. I had the bi bim bob and it was delicious. I also tried the bulgogi was really good. The Food came out super fast! Will be back. It may look like a hole in the wall but i am telling u. Thia ia good stuff. read more

PePeRo - Korean Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

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This is the best place in Charlotte for Korean food! It's is a hidden gem that is easily miss off Monroe Rd behind a small Korean grocery store. The service here is great, (aside from refilling your drinks). My favorite dish here is the spicy rice cake, jab chae, seafood pancake and gai bi. read more

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I must say, I just found this place on Yelp and I will be coming back for sure. It is inside of a Korean grocery store so it is a bit hidden, all locally and family owned. Once you are in, they are very welcoming. The food was amazing, this is the 2nd time I eat here, I visited Soul few times so it had been a while since I tasted that local family flavor. Their soups are amazing, one of them was super spicy (I love it though) If you are in the area, check this place out read more

Just yummy!!!! Super clean market and clean dinning room everything about this place is fantastic... my son tried kimchi for the first time and loved it!!! read more

I'm fan because PePeRo it's a spot where I can get eat an authentic Korean meal and shop for Asian food! I'm not going to lie - it can be a bit intimidating, especially if you've never been. Let me lay it out for you - PePeRo is located in Matthews, near the intersection of John St/Monroe Rd and Hwy 51. The entrance is located on the side of the building - there aren't a ton of parking spots but it's adequate. When you enter, you'll be entering the market portion of PePeRo and off to the right of the entrance is the restaurant. The dining room is split into a couple different sections, I suspect from the effort to add on more dining tables. Usually, someone is there to greet you and show you to a table. It can get rather busy during peak dinner hours. The menu is fairly straight forward - yaki mandoo, kimchi pancakes, bulgogi, etc - and it comes with the traditional banchan (side dishes). My faves are the yaki mandoo and the kimchi pancakes. The bulgogi portion is generous and comes with white rice. My husband usually gets the kimchi tofu soup. I've also had the cold buckwheat noodles which is yummy on a hot day! I have to admit my favorite part about visiting PePeRo is the market - I can pick up a lot of my Asian favorites, not just Korean! I can pick up Japanese curry cubes, roasted seaweed packs, miso paste, Filipino sardines, sauces galore, as well as green tea, barley tea, and rice! So my two cents? Don't be intimidated to visit, there's usually someone who can help you out and direct you to what you're looking for. read more

This is some good ol' Korean homecooking! If you've come a-knockin' looking for the newest trends of truffles atop your kimchi pancake, you can't appreciate the slight doughiness they have here. Looking for accomodations? Here's a plastic white fork that ostracizes you from the thicket of chopsticks. At least this place's got ambiance, right...it really sets the mood, right? Riiiiight. Splashes of yookgehjahng soup up on my shirt is dead sexy. Though-despite all its quirks, this place is endearing and serves up some pretty darn good Korean food. Came here with some buddies who had never tried PePeRo BeFoRe... sorry, it gets addicting to type like that. We just ordered a bunch of food off the menu and shared everything. I thought everything tasted pretty good, but not spectacular. It's like eating at your friend's house where the Korean food just isn't as good as it is at home. Here, the daejeegohgi is pretty juicy and tender. Mandu is okay. Jjambbohng had plenty of seafood. But when you put everything together - it hits the spot. PePeRo can definitely hold its own and I see many a craving satisfied with Korean food here. Now only if they served soju and had a karaoke machine... dmo out. read more

Before today, my experience with Pepero was amazing. Customer Service was amazing, environment was great, food was awesome, but today's experience turned everything upside down. So, the first of the problems I had today was there was a new implemented policy that side dishes were limited to 2 servings per table. First of all, the new implemented policy was not documented in their menu. Secondly, when I asked the waitress... she was very rude and impatient. When asked about the new "policy", her answer was rude making it seem like it was our fault. Stating that due to rising cost and increase popularity of the restaurant, they no longer service additional sides. Her excuses were rude, obnoxious, and condescending. Also, she failed to bring us our drinks... for the rest of the meal, my friend's drinks were dry. Never came back to refill them. Next, there were flies flying around our table and everywhere else. I instructed my friend to hit the button... the waitress arrived and we explained it to her, and she just stood there stating that it's because of the "change of weather". Now, I understand about change of weather, but if there's an issue fix it. She failed to fix it, she just walks away while our food is infested with flies. After this, I lose my appetite because the customer service was poor, waitress was poor, food quality was now poor due to fly infestation. I call the waitress to remove the food (please note that I literally had 3 or 4 bites of my meal) and then they had the audacity to ask for me to pay for my food. This was rather absurd in my books. So, while this was going on... the employees and their families (yes, a woman had her infant child in the kitchen) were trash talking in Korean. Little did they know, my friend was Korean, so she understood everything that was said. In the end, she decides to again ask for her money and I decide to only pay half of it as a generosity... but when I get home, I found out the sides she's given me were completely rotten, low quality and probably from the trash can. So, if you would like a place that is completely backwards run and disgusting then please go to Pepero. Otherwise, there are other Korean restaurants within a 10 minute radius. read more

So far is the best Korean food I ever had in charlotte, the place is not the cleanest but the food was good. read more

PePeRo - Korean Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

Loved it! This place screams authentic. Now, I don't think I am the foremost expert on Korean food and judging its authenticity but I can easily say that this was exactly what I was looking for. A little hole in the wall Korean Grocery store with a quaint restaurant in the back. It had one section for booths and one section for tables. Each table had a service bell on the table when you are ready. Otherwise, the staff will leave you the F alone (which can be nice sometimes rather than being bugged ever two seconds). On to the food.... I ordered the Pork Bo go bi (something like that, hahaha). It was.... BANGING! It came over some white rice and was cooked in a full-flavored kimchi type sauce. The spice was perfect for me (not a huge fan of really spicy) and it didn't take over the taste at all. Just right! Also, the sides were a perfect compliment. They were free and they were basically little sample dishes: seaweed salad, kimchi, sautéed veggies. Enjoy! -Ian M. read more

We were really excited about the reviews, so we came to Pepero with great anticipation. We were seated right away at 8pm, as the restaurant was not busy. That was when the nightmare began. After taking our order, our waiter completely disappeared. As in, 38 minutes later, our banchan/appetizer dishes had not appeared, and they hadn't even checked on us. Meanwhile, at the table next to us, a couple sat down, and were served immediately. In fact, they got their entrees before we even got our banchan. Oh, and we ordered bulgogi. It wasn't as if we ordered something that they had to make specially. So after 38 minutes, we pressed the call button and asked about the status of our banchan and our entrees. "Oh, those don't come with your meal." Really? I mean, seriously? But ok, fine, what about our entrees? How are those doing? So he disappeared to check. By disappeared, I mean for a full 10 minutes, and at that point we just walked out of there. There were 2 waitstaff, and only 4 couples in the restaurant. Also, I don't understand why they did not bring banchan, and why after a total of 48 minutes in the restaurant, all we got was water and bad attitude from the waiter. I was not confrontational, I was not jamming the call button, and maybe that's why I was not served at all. Should I have tried to talk to the manager, or raised my voice? I don't think so, because that would make me as rude as they were! read more

Just very tasty Korean dishes here. Bibimbop, jap chae, savory short ribs, and plenty of refillable free app plates (I can never remember what the proper Korean word for them is). It's not as cheap as I'd love, and the restaurant... well its in a grocery store so ambience isn't the order of the day but the food is quite tasty. read more

I have searched high and low for authentic Korean food. I lived in Korea for awhile and became obsessed with the food. Thankfully, I have food Pepero to satisfy my cravings! It is funny that I used to shop at their store for Korean ingredients and didn't realize they had a restaurant in the back! Their Kalbi tang is wonderful!! It is a beef rib soup that reminds me of Korea. The bulgogi and spicy pork bulgogi is awesome too. You get plenty of food for a low price. In awesome Korean tradition they fill the table with side dishes. I love Pepero. The staff is very friendly as well. When you're done, you can explore the market and buy the ingredients to make your own sam gyeop sal or other Asian dishes! read more

PePeRo - All of this... For $9!! - Korean Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

I love that I have this Korean mart down the street from me. And here I was thinking I'd be stranded in NC without kimchi for x number of years. This little market has been a saving grace for me. I can get my jars of kimchi, packets of soontofu mix, asian vegetables, snacks, seafood, or anything else I need from this one market. The restaurant in the back is tiny, but it does the job. The soontofu and bibimbap are good enough and there are plenty of little dishes provided. The people that work here are sweet and the prices are comparable to what I usually expect from a Korean restaurant. Come here for Korean food! read more

THis is the best Korean place in Charlotte. It's located on the side of a Korean market. Its run my a nice Korean family and each dish is prepared with nothing but love. There isn't a bad thing on the menu. The people who run this place are so kind and sweet and have a great spirit. I wish I knew of this place before I wasted my money at Cho Won Garden. The food is much better and half the price. We got a small Pancake (which is huge) and 2 big bowls of soup and kim chee assortment which comes with everything for less than $25. I love this place. Once you try this place you won't go anywhere else. read more

My go-to for authentic Korean food! The selections are always good and they have big servings, enough to take home for another meal. I have not tried a Korean place better than this one in Charlotte, so far this is the best. read more

PePeRo - Korean Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

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I started eating Korean food about 10 years ago in Grenville South Carolina, I used to eat at a place called Tasty BBQ, when I first went in I thought it was a BBQ joint! but I was the only American there. They had a nice spread at the counter you ordered from and the pictures of everything on the menu in nice big color shots. I was only in Grenville for 1 year and came back to Charlotte, my home. I was looking on yelp and noticed PePeRo a while back but never went to Matthews, Yesterday I was browsing through yelp and clicked on Korean and read the recent reviews and decided I had to go tonight!. The Kitchen was clean and the rating was upper 90s which is rare for Korean restaurants. The waitress was young and friendly and spoke good English! :) I decided on the JAE YUK DUP BOB ( spicy stir fried pork over rice) First out came the little side dishes Koreans eat with their meals, banchan,, (cabbage kimchi, cucumber kimchi, bean sprout, 2 I could not recognize, so asked the waitress and marinated radish and marinated sprouts0 It came out looking and smelling clean and fresh! Then came the main dish and a small bowl of Miso soup. everything was Delicious and fresh and I cant wait to go back. The menu has each dish pictured with Korean name with English translation below. They are open until10:00 PM nightly except Sunday until 8:00PM read more

Well I have to say this was quite an amazing place !! Korean grocery store in the front and Korean restaurant in the back. Service was awesome, the portion sizes are huge for the money and the food tasted great I thought. With that said I thought this place was just a great first time experience for me .... Check it out if you like something different from the beaten path of fast food it's definitely on the top of good read more

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I haven't actually eaten at the restaurant, but the groceries and prices are awesome. I can't tell you how stoked I am to find a korean grocer here in charlotte! I read some funny reviews for this place. A word of warning. If you are strictly vegetarian, I am convinced that something will get lost in translation, and you will likely be eating some sort of animal product, probably fish. Even though you ask for the meat to be taken out, the concept of vegetarian is disturbing for Korean cooks. I have watched many a vegetarian eat dishes where they asked all meat to be removed, and watched them eat the results which clearly had once breathing protein. However, they enjoyed the dishes so much, i didn't have the heart to tell them what they were actually eating. I hope I don't go to hell for that. Anyway, I bought some frozen mandoo and kimchee, and they both taste great. My next project is to cook a korean meal with products from this store. I will update this review with the recipe's and results. Probably next month. read more

The only thing I don't like about PePeRo is that they are not in the Detroit area. My wife and I stayed with the classics and she ordered Bibimbap and I ordered Bulgogi. They both were delicious and came with the usual small pickled side dishes. We were in Charlotte for a conference and had seen PePeRo featured on Eden Eats and immediately put it on our To Do list. Staff was friendly and we noticed a lot of families eating there. The bonus here was the Korean grocery attached that we could browse through and we bought a few things there as well. Anytime we are in the Charlotte area we will make sure to stop again. read more

So fulllll. I always zoom by this house of deliciousness on the dreaded drive to Wilmington, "tryin to get out before the traffic hits" or "annoyed at all the stoplights lets just get home dammit" so I've never stopped. Stupid. Store is full, cheap, and has decent produce. Front door is to the side, don't be nerdy me all scrambling to get in, just head for the green awning. Obviously Korean in emphasis, with random Jap and Chinese sauces, dumplings, etc (some Viet products as well). Prices were consistent with Super G + Asian Corners. 15 pound bags of rice for cheap. Bags of chili powder, enough to throw a pillow case over and sleep on, 5 bucks. But the real fun is to be had down the mysterious hallway, "restaurant" sign draped across the door, smells wafting out, battling the dried fish and pickly aromas from the shelves and freezers. Hmm, sesame. Oooh, I hear something sizzling. Big, printed vinyl menu hung sideways, so you have to stoop and stick your head through the window to place an order. Either these guys know exactly how to slay the hole-in-the-wall loving crew or they're a little nuts. Let's go with the latter. So there's Soondubu, there's BiBimBap, there's fried noodles and fried rice, vegetarians. Pretty sure there's no fried tofu in this joint, only super silky soft. She knew what I was talking about I-no-eat-animals-wise and listed the things they'd leave out to properly fill my order (with a slightly sad face, like she thought I was missing out, awesome). And I get more stew than I can possibly, ever eat, complete with pickles of every type - a mild kimchi, sprouts, sweet yam, and not one but TWO poached eggs, gooooood god. Small cup of white rice. I couldn't stop, and now I need a nap. Love ya PePe. read more

First thing to know is that the entrance to the restaurant (and the store) is on the right side of the building, so don't be confused by the street front appearance. This is a restaurant for Korean people, so be prepared to no concession to the American taste. You can order any of the inexpensive lunch items (7-9 $) and you will get a soup and few appetizers with it. Really good and authentic Korean food. read more

Really good food and snack! They can be a little slow on service but the food really is flavorful and filing

Went there tonight for date night dinner and we were thoroughly enjoyed it. It's as authentic as you can get in Charlotte. Their Galbi was so great and tender. The kimchi soup AMAZING. The place doesn't look like much when you get there but don't be fooled. It's a quaint little restaurant inside a Korean grocery store. The service was wonderful too. read more

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Yuck. Sorry I know this is the beloved hot spot for many yelpers but I just wasn't feelin' it and I for darn sure don't see the hype. I couldn't really get past the fact that the place was such a dump. I get the whole "dive" thing but this was straight up grimy.. I am surprised I didn't see any roaches during my stay but the atmosphere is one that would certainly encourage such a visitor. The service was decent, not friendly but somewhat efficient I suppose. The food was just not my thing. Maybe I don't like "authentic korean" but even the shrimp fried rice was gross. The bbq was bland and there was nothing else we tried that was memorable. I realize I am not an expert when it comes to Korean food but if this is the best Charlotte has to offer then either Charlotte needs more Korean restaurants or I can confidently say I don't enjoy Korean food. Either way, I wouldn't come back here. read more

Delicious, authentic and affordable Korean food. Their restaurant is located inside of an Asian (but mostly Korean) market and is nothing fancy but is very clean. I've had their bibim bap, kimchi pancakes, daegi bulgogi, bulgogi, mandu, mul nang myun, and all their banchan. Everything I've tried has been delicious and almost exactly like what my mom used to cook so coming here is like a taste of home for me. read more

This will be as close as I get to being in Seoul. The food is amazing! I could imagine it tastes just like ones mom or dads cooking. We ordered the bulgogi, dduk bok gi, jajangmyun, kimchee pancake, and the kimchee jjigae. All devoured amongst 4 little people. Can't wait to go back! read more

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Having spent 2 years in Korea with the military, i can say this place hits the spot! Coming into this restaurant reminds me of some of our late night trips into little hole in the wall stops in Itaewon, Chun Cheon and even Uijongbu! food is quite flavorful, although not quite as spicy as I remembered all those years ago :-) Bul go Gi is my old standby, and i am ashamed to admit that I do tend to order the Bul Go gi for two just to make sure I get my fill (Don't JUDGE me :-). I also love the pork dish for its flavor, although for those who like leaner cuts of pork, you may need to look elsewhere. I love the fact that I can run out to the store side and grab my Sac Sac orange drink. The wife LOVES the hot tea service and the Dol Sot Bi bim Bop! read more

Great place to eat and shop. The food was fresh, hot and filling. The best part about the visit was the authentic preparation and taste. I will be back and genuinely look forward to the next opportunity to venture out that way. The only knock on the place is there are no refills if you get anything other than water which is fine with me. read more

PePeRo - Korean Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

Hidden next to the market/store and you wouldn't know they serve food unless you spot someone waking over or if you read about them off yelp first. Very friendly wait staff. I like their idea of a bell at every table - you just ring the bell whenever you want service and they will come by; otherwise leave you alone. Wife ordered the seafood noodle soup and I had the korean bbq beef. Both were quite good. I am yet to learn more of what Koren cuisine has to offer, so will provide an update when I try more dishes here. read more

Coming from Atlanta (aka Korean food capital of the Southeast), I was shocked to learn how devoid of Korean restaurants the city of Charlotte is when I moved here. My husband and I love Korean, but because Matthews is quite a drive from where we live, it took us some time to finally pay a visit to Pepero. We finally went for dinner yesterday. The food was good - it's nothing fancy and certainly not the best Korean I've ever had, but it was reminiscent enough of Mom's home-cooked comfort Korean cuisine. I had the kimchi jjigae, which was pretty solid. Pepero is most definitely NOT a restaurant you go to for the atmosphere. The entrance is on the side towards the building's rear, and it's surrounded by towers of boxes from food shipments. It pretty much just feels like you're eating in the middle of a small grocery store...which you technically are if you take away the wall dividing the restaurant from the store. In other words, no matter how much your crush loves Korean food, this is not the place for a first date, folks. All in all, I would definitely go back if I was in the area, but I wouldn't drive all the way across town for it. Better start diving into some Korean cookbooks! read more

This little gem is hidden inside of a Korean grocery store in Matthews. The store and the restaurant share the same name. Easily visible from the street, this place is worth the drive! Quite simply, PePeRo serves up the most authentic Korean food in/near Charlotte. It doesn't quite compare to the Korean places in Chicago, LA and even Denver, but it will take care of the cravings. Has any else notice that there is a serious lack of Korean restaurants in the QC... But that's besides the point. They have a pretty extensive menu, offering a wide variety of dishes. I didn't expect a place that small to offer some of the dishes they did. Service is nice and attentive and prices are fair. I'm a fan! read more

My first experience eating Korean food. I must say I was so excited driving 30 minutes in on a rainy day. I walked in and thought its just like the dramas. The smell of goodness was in the air and people were enjoying themselves. I ordered Korean tea, which taste like hot rice and seafood soup & Veggie buns. The wait was long but it was busy on a Friday night. I think I will stick with green tea, but we ate everything. Then walked around the store like a giddy kid. I bought a body bar of soap with oats, peppermint candy, sweet bun, and my favorite Korean Pears. I don't want to try any other place in Charlotte. I know that is not fair, but it is 2 in 1. Good food and grocery store. read more

PePeRo - Jampong and sides - Korean Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

My boyfriend and I love this place. We come almost every Sunday when we are in town. We always have the big seafood hot pot but recently started trying different dishes. We love the seafood pancake. The service is okay, I think they are understaffed for a restaurant that stays busy but they try to tend to everyone. read more

PePeRo - The seafood/beef hot pot that we get. It's enough for 3-4 people depending on what kind of eaters you have with you. - Korean Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

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Pepero, You are the Best!! Seriously I'm really really amaze that none of the Charlotte Magazines have try here(maybe it because Charlotte only care about appearance rather then quality), because the really deserve best korean restaurant of Charlotte ! Its so good that it my tradition to go eat ( and shop) here ever Sunday!! Yep your heard me, EVERY SUNDAY!! They're service is awesome and they're food is the BEAST!! soo good! Love you Pepero Family!! xox read more

PePeRo - Pepero menu cover - Korean Near Me - Matthews, North Carolina

There's not much authentic Korean food in Charlotte and especially not in North Carolina in general. This stuff is pretty much as good as it gets. When I lived in Charlotte, PePeRo was still about a 40 minute drive from my house. Occasionally, I'd make a special trip just to eat here because it's so damn good. I've only tried the BiBimBap, kim chi, fish cakes, and pickled vegetables. I always order the same thing because I love it so much. The BiBimBap is cooked properly and I always splurge and spend an extra $1 for the hot stone bowl. It's worth the extra dollar because the rice gets super crispy and crunchy at the bottom and the dish stays hot during the entire meal. Of course, the restaurant is easy to pass by. If I didn't have it on google maps I probably would have driven right past it without even noticing it. You have to walk through the store to get to the restaurant itself. While I admit, this can be a bit intimidating, the food makes up for the lack of décor and odd placement of the dining area. It's one of those no frills places with really awesome food. Just don't go in expecting ornate décor because it's just not that kind of restaurant. Staff is always attentive and they have a button at every booth you can press to alert your waitress. I've never felt the need to actually use it though. As for the store, they have lots of yummy Asian treats. Usually after dinner, I'll buy a little aloe drink or an ice cream for dessert. Some people may feel that the presence of the store detracts from the dining experience, but I disagree. I think it adds to it. Who doesn't like to eat and then shop in the same place? read more

I ventured over with my future Korean mother-in-law for some authentic Korean groceries. I felt a bit awkward in there, being the only white person in an Asian store, but the store associates didn't stare too much. They were quiet and were super helpful when it came to carrying over a large sack of rice to our car -- an Asian staple! I'm a big fan of Grand Asia Market, so this is like a mini-mart version with mostly Korean brands. The store layout is a little wonky -- the food isn't organized like a normal grocery store. Some of the foods are hard to figure out -- a small portion have English translations, but most I left up to my FMOL to transcribe for me. I lingered around the sweets since I am a sucker for sugar and I don't need English words to tell me what cookies or frozen mochi tastes like! Hehe! I was shocked to discover Korean "pocky" that's called "Pepero" -- not sure if it's a coincidence that the store has the same name... :) We also picked up the staple of all Korean diets: Kimchi! It's pickled cabbage that's fermented for a LOOONG time, but not something I would be able to incorporate into my daily meals (my boyfriend doesn't really like it -- shocking, I know). Apparently, when you spend over a certain amount here, you get a package of mochi-like treats for free! They're cold, multi-colored, round, and rubbery with a sweet bean paste inside. FMOL popped them like candy, but I stuck to eating one since it's a creepy texture to chew. I didn't notice that there's an actual restaurant in here until we were checking out! It's hidden behind a set of swinging doors (the kind you see in Westerns). Will definitely have to drop in for a bite next time! Gotta try me some Korean BBQ! ;) *One safety concern of this store is that the Emergency Exit is completely blocked by boxes. Hopefully they can fix that soon. read more

this place is so cute and the soup is so good. the staff is really friendly and i love the free sides they give yum