i haven't been to many Korean places here in Anchorage so I can't really compare it to another place. That being said, this is a good place. I ended up going to this place for lunch with my work friends and then later that night for dinner with my wife-that should speak for itself right. It smells amazing as you walk in and the bulgogi and bibibak was really yum. The steamed momos were awesome and hats off to the server/cashier/cleaner. Yes it's the same one lady who does all the work up front and she is fast and good and she is all they have. Some of the bigger Restaurants should learn from them I guess. Inspite of it being just her, service was never lacking. I love this place and I'm definitely going back. Sadly this is the only picture of the food I took because I was busy eating. read more

Vip Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

One of the best Korean restaurants in Alaska. Authentic, friendly, and kept clean. My big reason for not giving 5 stars is inconsistency. Today's seafood pancake appetizer fell apart, unlike we've had here before. The rest of our dinner was great. read more

Vip Restaurant - Mackerel, seafood casserole and side dishes. - Korean Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

I travel all over the United States and tried several Korean Restaurants. From New York City to Key West., Key West to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Honolulu, and finally from Honolulu to Anchorage, AK, all I can say about VIP Restaurant is GOOD, and very authentic. If you like Korean Cuisine, this is the place to go. read more

Vip Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Not really very good. After years of avoiding this place because of the notoriously bad service (which is not overstated) my curiosity finally got the better of me. I had heard reports that despite the bad, abrupt service, that the food was great. We'll, it's not. It's seriously lacking in depth of flavor... someone in the kitchen is taking shortcuts. Banchan was super boring, and one refill limit? Insulting. Not that they'd make the time to check on you or offer a anything additional. My companion had the lunch special of kalbi. The portion was miniscule and bland. My soon sundubu stew was borderline inedible because the meat was unseasoned and tasted boiled in broth that had virtually no flavor. To their credit, VIP does serve it Bubbling away in a hotpot. But I had to ask for a raw egg, and they also don't serve their rice in a hotpot, so I missed the crispy rice experience. I definitely won't be back. There are at least Korean restaurants in town that are far superior. read more

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I have been here a few times and I have always enjoyed the food, but tonight was the worst experience of my life at any restaurant. While enjoying our meal tonight with friends I found a small NAIL in the food after I had already placed it in my mouth. Luckily when I felt something hard I had the foresight to spit it out to see what it was. It was a small 1 inch long rusty nail! What made the experience much worse is that when I notified the server she apologized and said, "This has happened a few times before. It is because of the way they package the product. These small nails fall into the product and we have no way of sifting them out." Absolutely and utterly amazing. When you have had this experience before you switch vendors and order your food product from another source. I work in the hotel and restaurant industry and have for 10 years. The overall handling of this situation went from bad to worse when they tried to actually charge us for our meals. It would be one thing if the nail had been found in my dish specifically but it was found in one of the shared side dishes. I love good food and hate to put any restaurant on my Black List, but VIP Korean has joined only 1 other restaurant on that list. I will never eat here again and I would recommend making a very informed decision before you do so. The fact that i was not injured in some way is the only good thing that came from this experience! read more

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I absolutely love VIP. It is my favorite Korean restaurant in the world. I haven't been to Korea itself, but I've been a lot of places that ought to have really excellent Korean food (and mind you, they did) but the spicy pork at VIP takes the cake. It takes the cake and makes it taste even better. Add to the savory explosion of the pork the barley tea, pork-and-turnip soup, and the plethora of excellent side dishes and you have what is in my opinion an unbeatable combination. Other restaurants may do other Korean dishes better, but I have been to a lot of Korean restaurants and so far no one does spicy pork better than VIP. If you don't believe me, check out the picture of spicy pork that I posted. If you still don't believe me, just go eat at the restaurant. Then you'll believe me. read more

Vip Restaurant - Spicy pork lunch special with side dishes ($12.99). - Korean Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

The best! I've tried all the Korean food in town and nothing compares, I'm my opinion. I love the dining experience too. The booths feel private and cozy. Great place to go if you want to talk. The food is fabulous. read more

Their food is average (for Alaska), but the service is a bit spotty. I came here on a random Sunday and was a bit surprised that there was plenty of seating. Apparently it wasn't a busy night, since there were only two other tables occupied. Their menu didn't offer a lot of dishes that I would see in LA/OC/SD in California. I settled with the soondubu jjigae (soft tofu stew), and it was average. The soup was a bit salty - perhaps they added too much of the soybean paste. My palate is a bit sensitive to salty foods, and this has got to be the saltiest soondubu jjigae that I've eaten to date. However, the serving is larger compared to the ones I've had back home. Thus, overall the value is good. 13 different banchan (side dishes) including kimchi is definitely a plus to me. I've never been to a Korean restaurant with so many side dishes at once! Usually side dishes are rotated. Too bad I only liked a few of them, and they didn't taste as fresh. The kimchi was too sour - I prefer it slightly sour and slightly sweet. The kimchi tasted like the kind you would get from a jar - too much and your tongue might sting/tingle. Once again, this is Alaska, so I figured freshly made kimchi would be more difficult to obtain. Although it is clean inside, VIP is terribly understaffed. I swear, there appeared to only be two people working! There aren't any buttons (the ringer) on the table, so trying to get the attention of our waitress was difficult. She was also a bit slow. Overall I wasn't impressed by this place and I'm glad I never have to come here again. This place wasn't as horrible as others, so I feel that I'm being generous in giving them two stars. It's average for Alaskans, but extremely mediocre for Californians (we have reasons for having higher expectations). read more

Vip Restaurant - 13 kinds of banchan! - Korean Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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Took forever for the waitress to come, but it was okay, wasn't too hungry, just thirsty, wish I could have gotten my water faster. I got this hot beef bibimbap, it tasted very bland to me, too much rice, a little meat, usually I'm not a meat person and don't notice the little meat effect,. It was also very expensive for it..$18 I think? That was so not worth it, I mean I know I'm in Anchorage, everything is a little overpriced, but for $18..I can definitely get something much better with that dollar amount! Service wasn't that good, I think they only had one server whom was just busy running around. Well, hire another one! Overpriced and bland taste, I wouldn't go back again. read more

Vip Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

VIP is by far the best Korean food in Anchorage. They have the best spread of banchan (side dishes). Not only do they give you multiple dishes, they all taste good--even the spicy ones aren't bad. I try to get Bulgogi at every Korean place I eat because you can't screw that up. In my opinion, theirs is one of my favorite, if not my "standard" by which I measure other restaurants. It's sweet enough but not too sweet and they give a decent amount of meat that's fairly decent quality compared to many other places around town that use cheaper cuts. The seafood pancake here is quite food if you're looking for an appetizer. The japchae is also yummy. I like the bbibimbap and dolsot (hot stone pot) bbibimbap, but they don't give enough Bulgogi meat in my opinion so I stick to just ordering meat and banchan. I absolutely love their radish soup that comes with dinner. It has so few ingredients but theirs is better than any other I've had. As for the restaurant itself, it has a typical hole in the wall level of cleanliness (could be cleaner), but I choose to ignore that because the food is genuinely superior. You won't be disappointed in the banchan, despite the higher price. In true Korean fashion, you can expect poor customer service from the owners who are first generation. In my opinion, the relationship between food quality and customer service at Korean restaurants is inversely proportional. The better the customer service, the poorer the food. In this case the food is amazing and the service tends to be poor--many American friends comment on how "rude" they are. In my opinion, it's a mark of a good restaurant and it doesn't bother me. Just know what you want and make sure you order it with your meal or they may forget about you. read more

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Food was on point and I love that as a fist time customer, the service was . The server answered all my questions and helped me understand the menu. Thank you for the great service and really good eats We will return again! It's 5 worthy but I shorted the star because the weather was cold and they kept the door open. That is my only complaint. read more

Usually the food is AMAZING but that wasn't the case today. The bibimbap was served in a big plastic bowl and not the hot pot. It was luke warm as if it had been sitting there for several minutes. Guaranteed the bibimbap would've been hot if served in the hot pot. The side dishes were bland and half the amount of dishes typically served. The cucumbers were soft and soggy. I also ordered jap chae, no complaints other than how expensive it is. The waitress (I assume the owner's daughter) is not personable at all. The customer service is AWFUL. The restaurant wasn't busy but she didn't come to check on our table. We had to get to go boxes and ask for the check ourselves. Two stars only because the jap chae was good. I'd give .5 star if I had to rate the waitress that NEVER smiles. read more

Supposedly.. this was the 'good' Korean restaurant in town. Uhhh.. no. Side dishes were tasteless and unmemorable. I ordered galbitang.. a very easy to make, popular soup dish u find at almost every Korean restaurant.. how they got it so wrong is beyond me. If I wanted beef bouillon with soy sauce, I would've made it at home. Probably spoiled living in Seattle with many restaurants to choose from.. but this was supposed to be my last taste of Korean food when I went to Alaska, and it was disgusting. I wouldn't feed their food to my dog. Hopefully it was a one time screw up, but I'm not big on 2nd chances. remember that scene in chapelle show with rick james??? "wish i had more hands.. so i could give this 4 thumbs down" yea.. read more

Update on menu. Also after visiting 4 different Korean restaurants, decided for me, they have the best spicy beef soup. Yuk kae jang. read more

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This restaurant was recommended by a friend but no recommendation from me. This is my first and last based on their bad customer service. The VIP must mean something else and is misleading. The waitperson came by and since it's my first time, I need to checkout the menu. My friend knew what to order and she just snapped and said "but she is not ready to order yet." I have questions about the menu but responded just walking by. This restaurant is not for me even when they say they have good food. I can find another place who will welcome me to enjoy their food. read more

The food is good, but the quality of service could be better. There are times when coming in feels like I'm inconveniencing them. I called to see if I could place an order for pickup, but as I was asking, I got cut off and was unhesitatingly told, "No." They did not apologize nor give me a reason why. Don't get me wrong, the food is great. It's just the service that kind of puts me off. read more

Totally solid place. I was very impressed by this place, although the 5-star rating is a relative rating. It's based on there being no really good other options in Anchorage. I had the Kalbi, and my only knock is that it was pre-cut for me. I kind of feel going at the ribs with scissors is part of the Kalbi experience. The sides were everything you'd expect from a Korean restaurant. The kimchi was spicy and sour. The only really rough part of my visit there, and the reason I considered a 4-star review is the service. Not bad service, but really unfriendly service. I will eat there again. read more

Walked out after a 10 minute wait to be seated and 20 minutes without being greeted by a server or given a glass of water. Music on the radio was enough to make me walk out. I'd recommend tofu house for sure. read more

Fresh, authentic Korean food. Delicious but pretty expensive. Love the assortment of banchan. Never get great service here since the first time I've visited, but that has changed recently. Maybe their children saw reviews of the restaurant and gave their parents a heads up lol. I usually order the jap chae, bulgogi or kalbi. I'd try something else, but I'm intimidated by the menu! Maybe they should include photos of the food to give us an idea. ;) read more

The food is good but service is some of the worst in town. Only one server and when you ask her for anything she seems bothered by it. The old server was better. Went their with a party of 12 when the restaurant was empty and they didn't let us have the party room because we needed a reservation (even tho in the past we were able to just waLk in and grab the room) she got our orders wrong and never really came by to ask if we needed anything else. The worst part is when it was time to pay our huge check she complained to us about wanting to split the bill. She wanted us to pay our 300 dollar check on one card. (We were the only other ones in the restaurant) Had to talk her into letting us split it in cash and 3 cards. Just order for pickup and skip the bad service. read more

I ordered a mild seafood bibinbab to go and I got one bite when I got home but this food was too hot to eat. I complained about it but they don't want to remake mild one nor refund. This is the first time and am a long time customer. I am very disappointed. read more

This is my go to for Korean food. If you have never lived in Korea or visited then you may be put off...but for those of us that have been know what to expect and well expect it. Food and service is always on point. read more

The wait staffs are not that friendly. But the food is good. I know if I say this I'll get a lot of denunciation from people, but it is simply based on my experiences. It seems like most of my experiences with Korean restaurants have always been good food bad services. I really hope that Korean communities in America would one day do something to fix this problem. read more

I love the food! I've tried other Korean establishments and cannot find a better quality of food. I especially love the side dishes. My go to order is the spicy beef soup. Can't get enough. The one issue I have is the service. The server tends to walk by and not ask how we are doing or goes our of her way to see if we need anything. With that said, it's worth going for the food alone. read more

Vip Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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We come here every time we are in Anchorage. This is where the Koreans go to get their Korean food (my wife is Korean). 8 out of 10 times the food is spot on, but every now and then something will not taste like it usually does. Not sure if its a switch hitter cook or what. Service depends on if the owner/waitress is in a good mood or not and you have to press to get water half the time. Lots of banchan which has been very consistent the 15+ years I've been coming here. The fermented bean paste stew, Doenjang Jjige, is the best I've ever had. read more

meh- add on service charge..check your bill..tell them use English on the bill.. poor service...if your not Korean just be nice to all customers! we all pay! read more

Craving Korean food? Offer your Korean neighbor $25 to make you something, even if you don't know what it is and they can't really speak english aside from hello or thank you. You'd still get better service than VIP. My people can be lords of the douche. Quite often, "service" isn't exactly our forte. We come across as non-verbal, pushy a**holes sometimes. I get it. Perhaps apathy is a cultural thing that carried over. I don't know. However, VIP's staff (aside from the waitress) is just bad enough that it doesn't really encourage a second visit. I haven't experienced such turd bucket service since those 3 evenly-spaced visits to The Dish (pre-terrible commercial jingle era.) VIP has an attitude problem. It wasn't like this before the owner change years ago. She had bigger fish to fry, like opening Sushi Garden (pun intended), selling VIP to her jerkoff, self-righteous staff. The new VIP is on a high-horse because they have somewhat of a monopoly, & seniority. WelI, until they get their shit together, reclaim their golden years and quit being a-holes, I advise you in taking your business to Tofu House instead. The staff is nice (they acknowledge your existence) provide service, and the food is relatively consistent (not spectacular, but better than this place.) The owners are relatively new and deserve more customers than they're getting. I am not affiliated with Tofu House. I am the non-confrontational, patient customer at restaurants. If a few things are messed up on my order, I really don't care. However if they deliberately fail at service when every element in the formula indicates they should not and assume they deserve your money while being jerkoffs - we have a problem, because "homey don't play that." If you sit in the back, you're forgotten. If you were "fortunate" enough to be in the banquet room, you might have to go and ask for refills on water, or tea. and the bill. pretty much everything. I'm surprised they don't hand you an apron when you walk in since It'd be faster for you to get everything from the kitchen yourself, since they don't give two shits. You might shatter the joy luck club bubble that the hostess and owner may be in while they eat and chat about familial gossip. As if you're bothering them. And they'll look at you with that deer-in-the-headlights face, in silence as you ask for water. Instead of "good" or "bad" service, this place just lacks service period. They might not say anything as you leave the restaurant, and only say goodbye if you do first. But not before staying seated in silence, watching your party exit. The owner might avoid greeting you if she sees you outside the VIP as you enter, especially if you happen to appear Korean. Also, she's not a very apologetic person, and may offer a sarcastic reply during your meal if you ask an employee what the owner's problem is. The banchan has too much salt for Korean palates. It's more than likely they make a shit ton at once and add tons of MSG/salt to preserve it for extended periods of time (restaurant trick.). So if you thought it was too salty but, "oh, but maybe this is how it is, I don't want to be rude." Well, my culturally sensitive friend: you were right. VIP's food is saltier than the sea itself. This goes beyond cultural boundaries. It's carelessness like this that gives the impression that all Korean food is salty and unhealthy. No. This is why it's uncommon see Koreans eating out (ironic isn't it?) Some of the food isn't too bad (for Anchorage that is) such as the dak galbi and bibimbap (nothing amazing, but just "ehhh it'll do.") though the happy family is too watery and sweet (why is it sweet?) but it's kind of a hit-or-miss with sodium content (such as the beef galbi.) The price is also kinda high, but it's Anchorage (although I agree $18 is a bit too high for the quality/quantity ratio.) In all honesty, I friggin' weep for the Korean restaurants in Alaska and wonder when they'll be...satisfying. People here deserve better, damn it. Eating out and genuinely enjoying the experience with good food...people in the cities have been spoiled. Stuck here with mediocre dining choices that we become accustomed to as being "good," franchises of frozen shit invading Tikahtnu. I swear someone needs to just take over Twin Dragon & actually put those personal cooking tables to use for hot pot or personal BBQ. Seriously. I wish menus would take a little more risk in having a signature item or something interesting, y'know? Starting a business is a risk in itself, but if they've got the guts to do that, why not be a bit more adventurous? With all the competition out there, they've gotta lure us in saying "shut up and take my money!" somehow, no? Stop this redundant copy-cat-menu-at-every-east-asian-restaurant bologna. One can only order the same "crunch roll" so many times. Sigh. Sorry you had to read that. If you do see Koreans here they're probably tourists who won't know til it's too late. read more

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I used to love eating here. It was my go to place for Korean food. The food is good, the service is so-so (typical of Asian places). I stopped going here because they love to give themselves tips on my debit card, even when I left tip in cash. The first time it happened they tipped themselves $10 on top of the cash I left on the table. I thought it was a mistake, until it happened the second time. I'm not cheap, I always leave an appropriate amount for tips, but if you've ever eaten here their service does not deserve a $15-$20 tip. I've since stopped eating here permanently. The food is good, but beware of extra charges on your card. Keep your receipts! read more

Today was the first time in six years that we had bad service at this place. I don't know if it was the new person working here or what. The atutude was bad and the food cold This might be the last time that we eat here read more

Ok I must admit I've been on kindof a Korean kick lately. I went to the Central Market to pick up a few things and was starving so ran next door to VIP. It was about 2:!5 on a Saturday. I came in alone and was seated immediately by the waitress. She gave me a menu and some tea and left me to decide what I wanted. I always want Bibimbap, and so that is what I ordered when she quickly came back. I just got the simple one, no hot pot, and I like my rice on the side, as its mostly the vegetables and sauce I prefer, not a ton of rice. My food came quickly, and she gave me 7 different types of banchan. They have this one there that I have had before and just love. It's a dried radish root that is seasoned kindof sweet and spicy! I LOVE IT! I also got some kimchee, some kind of potatoes, some picked daikon radish, some like salty, pickled seaweed stuff, tofu squares, and crispy cucumbers. All of it very fresh looking! I didn't love all of it, but thats ok, it was just a taste preference thing and not because it was yucky or anything. It was all really good, I just liked some more then others. My bibimbap was really good! Many places make it with lots of vegetables but are very stingy on the marinated beef they put in it. VIP gave a very generous amount of seasoned beef along with the vegetables, and a fried over easy egg on top. I added a bit of rice, stirred in the spicy sauce, and went to town on my lunch. It was delicious. and definitely the best I've had in Anchorage. The waitress was not overly friendly, but she was polite, and not rude so I suppose that is all one can ask right? She did come back to see how I was doing, and when I asked her what the "dried radish" was she politely told me and said "Thank you" when I said it was Soo good! Overall my experience here was good, and I didn't find them to be slow at all. In fact my food came within like 5 minutes of my ordering it. I was done and out of there by 2:45. 30 minutes to get your food and eat is pretty good I think. I still think they are the best in town, but my observation is that weekends are better and mid day seems to be best. It's not really busy in there at that time and the one waitress is better able to get around and do her job. read more

I recently fell in love with this place all over again when I decided to deviate from my usual order of bulgogi, and going for the spicy pork through a recommendation. DAM! Tender pork marinated in a spicy sauce, and charred to perfection. This is now my new favorite. The banchan is exceptional as well. Think of the small appetizers as condiments; adding another layer of flavor, and texture to your meal. To my surprise, they are also included in to-go orders. I guess no Korean meal, for dine-in or takeout, is complete without them. Give this place try! read more

Hair in the Food long strand of black hair found in rice just like the long black hair on your server head and then she says its your but you have short grey hair on your own head. read more

The best Korean food in Anchorage, which abounds with average Korean restaurants. My favorites include japchae, beef bulgogi, and spicy rice cakes. Most of the things I order are not even on the menu, but if you are familiar with Korean food, they can likely make the dishes you know and crave. Generous banchan, Alaskan hospitality, and a creepy fish tank: what more could you want?! But seriously, this is the spot for K food. read more

Amazing and authentic Korean food!! So great! Would definitely recommend this place. Ordered the Steamed Dumplings to start and Kalbi which came with many side dishes. It was enough food to split between 2 people. Very good. read more

Vip Restaurant - Kalbi and steamed dumplings that came with the side dishes - Korean Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

In our family we love VIP! We have been going there for years! The food! The service! No one can top them! They have at least 10 sides! All fantastic! Lunch specials, dinner, soups stews, to go orders. They also have Chinese food, I'm sure it's good but I've never tried it. Plus all my Korean friends go here! Hello! I've eaten Korean in San Francsico ,Hawaii and no one does it better! read more

This hole-in-the-wall is the spot to go for authentic Korean cuisine in Anchorage. They serve generous portions of a nice variety of banchan. While many items on their menu are foreign to many, they are sure to please many foreign tongues. So don't be afraid to ask about and try some of the exotic dishes they offer. A few of the favorites include soups, bbq, and rice dishes such as spicy seafood and tofu soup, bulgogi, and bibimbap. VIP has an extensive lunch menu with decent prices. I'm not sure if this holds true, but in dinner hours one can request more of a particular banchan at no additional charge. If it does, there's a little insider tip for you. Their dining area is mellow and cozy with plenty of plush booths that can comfortably accommodate four. Service is hit or miss, but that hasn't kept me from coming back. The food is that good. After visiting the VIP, the grocery store at the other end of the building is worth checking out. I heard this is where VIP gets most of their ingredients. read more

One of my favorite little secrets in Anchorage: good authentic food, good price (for Anchorage), quick service. The premium is on good food and quick service not chit-chat with the wait staff. read more

The food is wonderful. It is definitely a must-try. Manners and customer service can be improved. read more

I love that VIP has gluten free options. The dishes are not labeled on the menu, however the owner is aware of items that are gluten free. You just need to ask. It's a delicious and cozy restaurant. read more

I went to Vip all the time as kid with my mom and sister, so it was a must to visit one of my favorite childhood restaurants on my recent visit back to Anchorage. But...I really want to give Vip ONE star based off my disappointing reunion. Once we walked in the place was exactly how I remembered it, but the service was just awful, and I say this with a very sad face, cause I do love the place but maybe they were just having an off day. Our host/server just acted like they did not want us there, and didn't even ask us what we wanted to drink-WE had to ask for water. It should not be like that. The food was out in a timely matter, and was great, but my kalbee had too much fat on it, which is just gross. I really wanna give Vip the benefit of the doubt that it just wasn't a good day for a happy reunion, but I'm still bitter over the horrible service (Good food though..if you get the kalbee just ask for no fat). read more