What a neighborhood GEM!! Kuku Korean was fantastic! Fresh, tasty food at reasonable prices!…read more We (6 of us) were in the neighborhood for a Valentine's Day celebration and searched Yelp for a good ethnic restaurant in the area. We came across Kuku Korean and said YESSS, this is the place to go! The only wrench in our plans was that Kuku Korean doesn't take reservations; not even on Valentine's Day! They warned us that they expected to be very busy that evening, and to expect a wait. Ok, we made plans to go, but also made a Resy with another restaurant close by, as a backup plan in case there was a long wait for a table. But really, Kuku Korean was our preferred first choice. After our V Day event, we rushed over to Kuku Korean to see what the wait time was for a table for 6. It was just after 6pm, and the stars were aligned for us, because we got the last large table available! Woo Hoooo! Happy Valentine's Day to us!! We quickly cancelled our Resy with the other restaurant (sorry!) and perused Kuku Korean's fabulous menu. Our MENU (shared by 6ppl): ~ Seafood Pajeon ($24/large): Crispy battered pancake made with green onions & seafood (mussels, clams, squid, and shrimp). This was phenomenal! So much seafood and such a comforting dish...get this! ~ Veg Japche ($21): Stir-fried Korean vermicelli with Kuku soy-garlic Japchae sauce and assorted veggies. This dish was also available with various proteins but we opted for Veg since we were ordering other meat dishes. This dish was so flavorful and delicious. ~ Kuku Bibimbap ($24): Seasoned vegetables over rice, topped with a fried egg. Served with Kuku spicy bibim sauce. Again, you have the option of adding protein to this dish but we kept it veg. Another great dish! ~ Pork Galbi ($28): Char-grilled Pork ribs marinated in Kuku sauce, served with sauteed onions. Served with kimachi, daily banchan & purple rice. The pork was cut in thick slices, which was surprising, but wow, this was phenomenal! So tasty and lean, and just delicious. ~ Beef Bulgogi ($33): Sauteed thinly sliced beef rib-eye marinated in Kuku sauce with mushroom, Served with kimachi, daily banchan & purple rice. Another phenomenal dish. Bursting with flavor. -- Spicy Squid ($28): Stir-fried squid in spicy Kuku gochujang sauce, onions, hot pepper and carrot. Served with kimachi, daily banchan & purple rice. This squid was prepared perfectly; not over cooked nor rubbery! Great dish. - Ban Chan: generous unlimited servings; fresh & delicious. These 6 dishes, plus Ban Chan was perfect for 6 ppl to share. We finished everything and were fully satisfied. Every single dish was delicious and we ALL said we wanted to return to Kuku Korean to repeat some dishes and try new dishes. Customer service and atmosphere were great. The busser staff did an amazing job and were even more attentive than our server (who we only saw twice)...kudos to the bussers! They were so hard working, with a smiling, friendly attitude! Give them a raise! Looking forward to a return visit to Kuku Korean...hopefully SOON!!

Nice staff and attentive. Helpful when asked about dishes and preferences…read more Ordered a kudzu and a chi bap. Both were flavorful and did not disappoint. The chilled kudzu was nicely presented and consistent since my friend has had it several times. My traditional soy garlic chicken chi bap was a first time for me and I liked both the chicken and purple rice. Reliable choice restaurant that will not disappoint if you're in the mood for Korean food.

Fresh ingredients and best seafood pancake in Queens! I like the menu changes depending on what's…read morein-season and everything I've had here hitsss. Must come for the seafood pancake - it's so full of fresh seafood and perfect ratio to the thin batter. Creds to the two people running front of house and kitchen!

We happened to come to this area and stumbled upon this little Korean mom/pop restaurant and are so…read moreglad we did! This place is a little of a hidden gem and not quite like other Korean restaurants. But no gatekeeping here! We also came at a weird lunch time around 2pm so it wasn't really busy and we were seated right away. Once you enter, you'd quickly notice the very detailed beautifully hand painted murals on the walls and an abundance of painted butterflies. The attention to detail is impeccable! The menu is also very cute and I'm guessing handmade. It was pretty detailed and we appreciated learning about each dish before deciding what to order. We ended up ordering the Kimchi Pancake with seafood, the spicy bulkoki udon and the jeyuk udon. The kimchi seafood pancake was super crispy and filled with squid and shrimp! It also came with a semi sweet dipping sauce that paired nicely. Both udons came out piping hot and fresh! Udon had a nice chew to it, was loaded with vegetables as well as meat for each dish. The egg was fried and did not have a runny yolk. For sides, they gave us 4 things- a tomato salad, kimchi cucumbers, braised string beans, and bean sprouts. The tomato salad came in this cute apple shaped dish but neither of us really cared for it- this is completely biased though since we're not really fans of tomato. What we really did love was the kimchi cucumbers! Also at the end, they served us 3 pieces of cantaloupe which were very sweet. Overall, yummy food, cute shop, and friendly/nice staff! I'd come back to try their other food options in the future!

Been craving a Korean meal with 10 banchan since Ramadan. This is the only place that comes to mind…read morewhen I think of 10 banchan. Banchan: 3/5 kimchi- pretty fermented 3/5 eggs in soy sauce- decent 3/5 macaroni salad- not a fan of the stuff but standard 3/5 acorn jelly- all the flavor is in the chili sauce, wish they would add the sauce inside the jelly while making it 5/5 kkaktugi- my fave, less fermented than baechu kimchi 4/5 broccoli- how do they make something so bland- looking so flavorful? 4/5 mackerel radish- spicy, not a fan of radish that's not pickled but this is really good 4/5 potato strips- I love any type of potato 3/5 radish strips- wish it had less of the radish taste/smell but ok decent otherwise 3/5 mul naengmyeon $15- contains a slice of beef, standard, better when you add mustard & vinegar 4/5 cinnamon ginger tea- so nice of them to give something sweet to end the meal, has a bit too much cinnamon, so it's hella spicy (red hot) but really good otherwise 4/5 service was much better this time than any other time, really helps when you speak their language lol, I know they're always busy but they do need to pay a bit more attention as it's still hard to make eye contact once in awhile

Pros: - service from staff is always amazing, they're very…read morekind and friendly - portions are always very big and they give plenty of banchan (side dishes) amd refills Cons: Comments: - went on a Saturday around 12PM, at first there were only 2 other tables and it wasn't so busy but when 12:30 hit, it got really busy and all the tables were full - I've been coming here since high school and the quality of the meat has always been amazing - I usually go with one other person and 1 portion of samgyeopsal and 1 portion of kalbi is enough for the both us - the music usually isn't too loud, it's at a level where you can hear it but, it's not overpowering your conversation if you're having one

My first time having raw marinated crab and it exceeded my expectations…read more My friend and I both loved the spicy sauce and the platter was more than enough food for two people. Service was quick and space is decently sized. Was easy to get a reservation!

I was really happy to see that they've updated the tower menu. I've mentioned before (every time…read moreI've gone) that the meal could use a lighter soup option, something warm but not too filling, like a miso soup rather than the heavier army stew, especially during colder weather. It's great to see they've finally added options like that. The abalone congee, in particular, was excellent. We ordered the seafood pancake, the rice thief tower, and the 6-piece soy crab platter. Definitely more than enough food for two, but we were celebrating a birthday so it was justified. Everything we had was delicious, and the experience was so enjoyable that I've already made a reservation to bring my mom back for Mother's Day.

We've been coming to this restaurant since before COVID, when they were at their previous location…read morejust a few storefronts down the block. It has become one of our regular spots whenever we're in Flushing. We stopped in tonight around 5:00 p.m., and it was already busy, which is always a good sign. We shared the seafood pancake, my husband ordered the steamed dumplings, and I had the soft tofu with long noodles and vegetables in a mild flavor. Everything was flavorful and satisfying as always. I forgot to take photos of the seafood pancake and dumplings before we started eating--they looked too good to wait! They also bring two complimentary small side dishes to start. I usually go straight for the kimchi, and the staff is always attentive, asking if we need more and happily bringing additional servings. The entire staff is kind, courteous, and attentive. This continues to be a reliable and enjoyable place for us, and we will definitely keep coming back.

Finally made it out ot this institution and so glad I did. Their Korean knifecut noodles are not…read morethe easiest thing to find outside of Murray Hill and in that way they're a bit of a cultural institution. Big space, easy to come in on a weeknight and get seated for a table of four and the service was very friendly. This place is perfect for when it's the winter and you need some knifecut noodles to help heal your soul. We got a variety of them of varying thicknesses, which one you'll like better is entirely preference. We got the dumplings and the okonomi which were solid, though I think the noodles is really where they shine. Unassuming place, made it onto this reddit list of authentic places people would eat seeking food from their own countires and as someone who grew up eating a fair amount of korean food I really liked it here. Hope they stick around for a long time!

I ordered this via door dash so I can't speak to the ambience or service inside per se. I ordered…read morethe Galgi Bibimbap with Ban Chan, Buns, and a side of Kimchi and a side of rice. Turns out I did not need the additional sides of rice and of Kimchi as far as amount of food goes, however I think I liked the flavor and "kick" of the side of Kimchi over the Kimchi that was in the Ban Chan..... The food was pretty good! As I mentioned it came via door dash and the dasher was on a scooter and it was a few miles away so by the time it got to me it was only warm and not hot but that isn't really something the restaurant can do anything about. However I did ask for utensils to be included and I think that is something the restaurant has control over and I didn't get any utensils so there is that....

Super cute small family-run Korean spot in Astoria! Good service, great calm vibes, and reasonable…read morepricing make it a great option for authentic Asian food in a neighborhood that lacks options. Had a smattering of apps along with some soju, and it was a good time. Food was good but it was more the authenticity and casual good vibes that boost the rating up. The banchan was solid, nothing exceptional, and for $4 was a bit steep. The chicken was also similar, good but nothing standout. The spicy rice cakes though were really good. Only complaint is that it was pretty lacking on rice cakes - it was half fish cake (which tbh I prefer but maybe not everyone does). I can tell the food quality is good though, so I'd be eager to try more of their signature dishes, such as the Bulgogi. Definitely worth a shot if you're in Astoria craving Korean food!

Came here late night with my boyfriend - we ordered the squid and pork dolsot bibimbap. so good!!!…read moreGood portions and the side dishes were delicious :) We will definitely be back

Tried this place for the first time, it was a Saturday night. We arrived around 5:30 table of 2 and…read morethere were 2 other large parties. It got busy, almost full house around 6:30ish. There's 2 waitresses and one busser, but I felt only one of the waitress was pulling the weight, while the other (maybe she's the owner?) mostly chatted with one of the table customers. I felt bad for our waitress she was so busy with fulfilling takeouts + dine ins and the dishes require a lot of servicing table side. She couldn't catch 1 second of break :( Food wise, we got their 2 person combo of spicy pork gamja tang and spicy rice cake which came with the steamed egg. Everything was so good, egg was extra fluffy, rice cake was delicious and the meat came right off the bones. They take a good variety of side dishes. My partner wasn't a fan of the gamja tang but due to feeling it's a hassle to eat meat with bones, so those who fee sim may agree. We also asked for the fried rice after we finished the gamja tang, for 2 servings I think it was $4.75 or something. I really enjoyed it but I guess I like scorched rice, also something my partner doesn't enjoy so those we feel sim just note. Environment feels very old school, well worn. Feels cozy. It can get loud very quickly on a Saturday night as this place seems to be a hit for large parties. Since the wait staff is short handed, expect a bit of a wait for things. Don't come if you're in a rush.

2nd visit The duck noodle soup tastes clean. Some duck…read moredishes taste a little gamey but not in here. I wish have more duck meat but I shouldn't ask for more with $20 price tag. The beef stew is delicious as well and there is potato noodle inside. This is a one man store, don't expect a super quick service. I'm happy what I got They do have some regular customer in the store. Owner puts his heart into the food. We enjoy every bites of them. I plan to try A7 goat soup on my next visit. Can't wait to be back. They always turn on the Korean channel in the restaurant, that transformed us back to Korea travel. Don't imitate by the hole in a wall, food are amazing.

Homey Korean food that warms your soul. Nothing fancy, but it'll taste like a Korean grandma made…read moreyou a meal. Prices are also fair.

This place is delicious. My friends and I went there early this year and then my partner and I took…read moreour family there for Mother's Day dinner. They all enjoyed it. The meat was fresh and tender. The service was great. The girl who was serving us, also cooked our meat. She was attentive to her customers at other tables. This Korean BBQ is authentic and I would love to come back again next time.

I was at this very tasty KBBQ place a while back with one of my usual groups. The inside is casual,…read moreand our waitress, Jane, was extremely friendly and helpful from refilling banchan to cooking meats and otherwise. A couple of us shared a $13 bottle of the green grape flavor of Chum Churum, a soju. In terms of banchan, there was a bunch. Everyone got a cold and refreshing cabbage soup as well as a very tasty version of Braised Tofu/Dubu-jorim/두부조림. Once we ordered, we also got a bunch of other banchan, including cabbage, radish, and cucumber Kimchi, broccoli and cauliflower Namul, Marinated Mushrooms/Beoseot Bokkeum/버섯볶음, Anchovies With Peanuts/Myeolchi Bokkeum/멸치볶음, and Potato/Gamja Salad/감자샐러드. One of the other things brought out was a pretty tasty version of Raw Soy Sauce Marinated Crab/Ganjang-Gejang/간장게장. Most of these were refillable. The first actual thing that arrived was something that I can't eat, the $22.99 Seafood Pancake/Haemul Pajeon/해물파전. I have a cephalopod allergy, or in other words, anything with tentacles, so I avoid squid and octopus, and seafood pancakes always contain one of those two. Everyone else enjoyed it, though. The pajeon I could eat was the Kimchi Jeon/김치전 for a dollar less. It was pretty tasty, though I prefer other spots that had a bit more of a crisp. Next was one of their signatures, the grilled duck. Going from online reviews, we went with the non-spicy version, as people prefer it, as the spicier marinade overpowers the duck. This was the $29.99 Sang Ori Gui/생오리구이. The sliced duck was on a hot, sizzling plate, with there also being a lot of grilled onions and scallions. The duck had a mix of pieces, ranging from fatty to less so, and had a nice mix of textures. This was easily one of my favorites, though I liked it even more when paired with the ssamjang that arrived with the BBQ, as the sauce balanced the light fattiness. Arriving at a similar time was the last thing I couldn't eat, the Spicy Stir-Fried Baby Octopus on Iron Plate/Jjukkumi Cheolpan Bokkeu/철판쭈꾸비볶음, for $30.99. I couldn't try the octopus, but the portion was plentiful, and I had a bit of the noodles on the bottom after making sure there were no tentacles, as well as trying the sauce. The sauce was tasty, spicy, and very flavorful. We went with two of the Korean BBQ meats, one beef and one pork. My preference of the two was surprisingly the $49.99 Charcoal Grilled Marinated Beef Ribs/Yangnyeom Galbi/양념갈비. This also came with two veggies: kabocha squash and asparagus. The beef was extremely tender, had the perfect mix of fat and meat, and had only a light sweetness from the marinade. This was absolutely delicious and very much worth the price point. Also tasty was the Grilled Pork Belly/Samgyeopsal/삼겹살, for $36.95. This also came with a few things, including cabbage and a large mushroom. The pork belly was delicious, being just fatty enough and very tender as well, with a mild chew. The BBQ came with a few extra side dishes. This included a tasty steamed egg/Gyeran-jjim/계란찜, greens, an onion salad, ssamjang, salt, and a small boiling pot of soybean stew/doenjang jjigae. They were all tasty, though nothing particularly notable outside of the portions being generous. Also, at the end of the meal, they gave us some sujeonggwa. Not much for me to complain about this place. The food was very tasty overall, and the service was wonderful. I would go back and order a full beef BBQ set.

Most people who try Korean food can only say they have tried the usual bibimbap, soondubu jjigae,…read moreKorean BBQ and Korean fried chicken... But this spot has all of the true Korean food I grew up eating at home! Not for the faint of heart, but for the adventurous eater who love things like blood sausage, steamed offal parts, boiled cartilage, trotters and the like... Then this is the place for you! Their side dish selection, albeit small was all very delicious regardless. Portions are huge so being your appetite!

Bossam was substantial but exquisite; the oxtail bone broth needed additional seasoning and salt…read morebut felt nutritious.