Letsbap is a new quick-serve Korean restaurant, focused primarily on serving to-go meals of both traditional Korean dishes and Korean street food / snack-type items. There are currently two locations in the Atlanta area: (1) this one Chamblee, opened November 2020, and (2) one on Edgewood Ave downtown, opened August 2020.
I really enjoyed the food I had from this place. I think it's a fast, convenient option for yummy, no-nonsense Korean eats. The restaurant does a nice job with packing and takeout presentation, and their food travels well.
You can almost think of Letsbap as like a Korean Chipotle (well, kind of). I arrived to the restaurant on a Thursday at 6pm. I had ordered using my phone when I was about five minutes out. The total time from the time I placed my order to the time I received it was about 10 minutes. There were three physical customers ahead of me when I got there. If you want to save a little bit of time like I did, you can order and pay online at https://letsbap.com/.
Letsbap sells Cupbap (filling rice bowls consisting of a variety of ingredients, $8.99-$9.99 each), Dosirak (lunch boxes featuring an assortment of items, $8.99-11.99 each), Banchan (side dishes), and Bunsik (what they describe as "Korean tapas," $6.99-7.99 each). They also sell Korean beverages like Milkis (milk-based soft drink, $1.99) and Sujeonggwa (cinnamon-ginger punch, $2.49). You can grab the latter from an open self-serve fridge near the register.
I was able to try a decent variety of Letsbap menu by ordering a few different items:
* Fried Rice Cupbap ($9.99) - Korean-style fried rice, japchae, choice of protein (I chose "GoChoo Chicken"), lettuce, musaengchae (spicy radish salad), green onion, and purple cabbage with choice of sauce on the side (I chose Sriracha mayo)
* C1. Bulgogi, Kimbap & Buchimgae Dosirak ($9.99) - a box filled with Korean BBQ beef, marinated and thinly-sliced grilled beef (bulgogi); cooked rice, veggies, and bulgogi (+$1.00) rolled in seaweed (kimbap); and pan-fried pancake with batter mixed with veggies and imitation crab meat (buchimgae)
* Tteokbokki ($7.99) - spicy stir-fried rice cakes
Generally, the food was very satisfying and delicious. Each item was assembled fresh and some dishes had to be cooked up on the spot, such as the japchae, bulgogi, and tteokbokki. I watched as the co-owner, Jeong, stir-fried a new batch of japchae for me and another customer. The small wait was worth it.
Now, the first thing I want to mention about the Cupbap is the pictures do not do it justice. The cups are big and filling. They have some weight and heft to them. Each cup is filled with a bevy of ingredients. It's a shame you only see the veggies on top. Maybe they should consider switching from paper cups to clear cups so customers can see the layers of different ingredients. I think Cupbap is a great option if you just want a simple, well-rounded, and gratifying meal contained in a single bowl.
My Fried Rice Cupbap was colorful and super tasty. I guess you could say it's a form of bibimbap (Korean mixed rice), but Letsbap's inclusion of things like japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), GoChoo Chicken, and Sriracha mayo make it different. The GoChoo Chicken, which can be ordered by itself (regular $7.99, large $9.99), is similar to battered and fried Americanized Chinese chicken nuggets. It's sweet and spicy. The spiciness comes from the gochujang they put on the chicken (gochujang is Korean red chili paste). Other protein options include bulgogi and tofu. In short, I thought the Cupbap was a delightful amalgam of flavors and textures.
The Bulgogi, Kimbap & Buchimgae Dosirak was excellent. I was impressed with the quality of the bulgogi, considering the price. It was very savory and tender. The kimbap was par for the course in Atlanta which means good. I got eight thick, well-balanced pieces, complete with danmuji (yellow pickled radish) and plenty of meat. The buchimgae pancake was cut into squares. It was quite appetizing, especially with the sweet and tangy soy-vinegar dipping sauce that accompanied it. I do think the staff should have done a better job sealing that particular sauce (perhaps wrapping the container in plastic wrap) because the container still leaked when the top was snapped on.
Like the other items, the Tteokbokki was fresh and delicious. I can't say Letsbap's tteokbokki stands out from the competition in metro Atlanta, but none really do. This is a fairly consistent dish among restaurants here, in my experience, with little variation. One nuance to Letsbap's version is it doesn't contain slices of fishcake, but tteokbokki doesn't have to. If you like tteokbokki like me, I say go for it. You won't be disappointed.
Michelle, wife of co-owner Jeong, worked the front of the house during my visit. She was very friendly and chatty. Jeong was quiet and reserved. Michelle told me this location was busier than their downtown location. Jeong used to own/operate wing restaurant(s). read more