If Hoban represents what Korean food in MSP area, then there is a problem and I just hope that MSP has better Korean restaurants above Hoban's offering. Since I was staying in Eagan area, I found my way here to get my Korean food kick... it's been a week since my last Korean meal (that was in St. Louis and that's another story) and I needed some Korean food. I pulled up, went in and got seated and reviewed the menu. I decided to go with Daegu Maeun Tang. So lets jump into my review of the food and my thoughts. Banchans - they give you 7 items - chives kimchi, green cabbage kimchi wannabe, soybean sprouts, white radish, radish cube kimchi, Napa kimchi. Chive Kimchi - dried out, lacked seasoning and flavor... the chives looked dried out and look like it was in the cooler past it's expiration date. Green Cabbage Kimchi Wannabe - not sure what this side items is supposed to be... why they serve this, I don't know. Soybean Sprouts - decent, need a little bit more of salt. White Radish - needed more vinegar to give it that sour taste and the radish tasted like as if was old, stored in the storage longer then it should have. Radish Cube Kimchi - dried, lack of flavor, it's been in the cooler way too long, very dried... it should had some kimchi broth, but it did not. Napa Kimchi - same as the radish cube kimchi, it looked like it was sitting around way too long. Daegu Maeun Tang - When I got this dish, it puzzled me as to what it was... it looked like a Daegu Maeun Tang's I had before... it had fish in there, but that's where the similarities ends... Like all Daegu Maeun tang, it had tofu, zucchini, carrots, fish cakes, fish and mushroom, but unlike Daegu Maeun tang, they used spicy beef (yukgaejang) broth to make this dish, in addition, it had eggs in a fish soup, who puts egg in a seafood tang??? There was no radish, which gives that refreshing taste. None of the employees here spoke Korean, that's fine... the clientele here was more of non-Korean Asians and your local townies that wanted to grab some okay Korean food. In looking around the restaurant, the place looked like old Chinese restaurant converted into a Korean restaurant. The only Korean folks that came in during my visit were two folks, who ordered mulnaenmyun. I guess I could have gone to downtown MSP to try other Korean restaurants, but I just hope that Hoban will step up and do a make over with their Korean foods. Not sure when I'll be back in town, but when that day happens, I'll make sure to stop by and hope by that time, thing would have changed. read more

Two words: lunch buffet! Price $8.99, all you can eat - might be one of the best deals that's under the radar in the twin cities. The knock is you have to drive to Eagan, however it isn't too bad since it's a straight shot down Hwy 77, exit Cty 13 and Hoban is in a strip mall by the Outlet Mall. If you haven't had Hoban's chicken wings, you don't know what you're missing - spicy, flavorful and yes, sticky and a little messy but as Chuck Rhodes said on Billions (Showtime) "Worth It!" So what's in this so-called buffet: bulgogi, japchae, sweet & sour pork (Korean sweet and sour is very good), there's also a spicy chicken dish, vegetable tempura (super healthy, well not really), steamed rice, fried rice, and a soup dish. Did I mention it's all you can eat for lunch, so don't eat a big breakfast and you might not need to eat dinner, just saying ... Don't forget since this is a Korean restaurant, you still get banchan - I think there were 3 types of kimchi, potato, soybean sprouts, and another sprout dish. Service is good, depending how busy the restaurant is. They have a couple TVs so you can catch SportsCenter or a Twins game at lunch. Tip: Hoban in Eagan doesn't accept American Express so use your Visa. Parking is free (and plentiful) since it's at the end of the strip mall. Also next door is Korean karoake (Noraebang) called DoReMi but I think you have to stay pretty late before it opens (not to mention you have to sing, duh!) Bottom-line: it's worth the drive for lunch - you won't be disappointed! read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Hoban lunch buffet for $8.99 is a steal - bulgogi, fantastic chicken wings, japchae, mandoo, sweet & sour pork, and more - so good!! - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

I really enjoy this place because it's where I can come for my Korean food fix! It's not quite like home but does hit the spot! Every time we come here, we order way too much food! But as always, makes for awesome left overs! I love all the Korean pancakes, the jajamyon is really good and highly recommend the kalbi and bulgolgi. This time I ordered the bibim nae myon and it is such comfort food! It has a nice spiciness to it. Noodles are my fave! :) Not a huge fan of the duk bukki here but I only had it once. May try it again. Also, the kim bap can be a hit and miss but this time I really really loved it! The owner was walking around and saying hi to everyone which I really appreciate. Every time we come it's packed but we are seated quickly. There's karaoke rooms to rent. We did it once and it was ok. Kinda expensive and we can hear people singing in the rooms connected to us so don't think I'd rent from here again. The mics are average quality too. read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Nom nom nom - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

When we arrived at Hoban, it didn't take us long to find a parking spot. Interior was nice and comfortable, with big soft sofa like seats, I truly enjoy seating in the booth area. The service was good and the food was done fast. While the kalbi was really hot, the server cut the meat into smaller pieces for us on our table. The Kalbitang was good too. The bathroom was clean enough. read more

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I absolutely love Korean BBQ and have tried KBBQ in several other cities before so I had some high standards coming in. The format of this place is similar to others where they have the grill in the middle and a few seats scattered around the tables. The service was decent, not particularly slow or fast, but somewhere in the middle. It was pretty loud in there since they had some K pop running in the background on some TV's. I love K pop but thought the music was too loud each time I've come here. The main turn-off to me was the smaller menu and expensive prices compared to other KBBQ places in other cities. It might have been just because there aren't as many places to choose from in the Twin Cities but I thought the $20-25 spent for the meat given was too expensive. My husband and I don't eat much but felt like the amount of meat wasn't enough for us two - for the price paid. The flavor of the beef bulgogi, however, was on point and delicious. Lots of flavor! The experience is definitely fun. Love all the little sides that it comes with. I would say go here to try it at least once. But you can get more beef bulgogi meat for a cheaper price at Costco and grill it or cook it on a stove, and it's much cheaper. Still, definitely worth a visit for the experience or meeting with friends. read more

Wait staff is friendly and conversational. The atmosphere is well lit and the noise level isn't bad. The rice is well cooked and banchan is well prepared. The spice level of the kimchi was less than I assumed it would be but it was well fermented and had the correct taste. This is one of the only authentic Korean restaurants I could find in this area so I even ordered Jap Chae to go. I'm very impressed and I will dine here again. read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Kimchee Chigae - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

Best kimchee ever! Its fresh and not too much over powering flavors,kimchee can be overwhelming but this place has the best. Ive been here a few times and its all been great. I forget what those little side dish/bowls are called and the items change but they always have kimchee and its always great and youcan order more for no charge! Love this place! read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Seafood Bokum Dolsot Bibimbap - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

I got the kimchi stew which was alright. It was hot and spicy, perfect for a winter day, and it came with rice. The only downside is it took a while to place our order and get our food around dinner time. read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Kimchee Chigae - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

Great to have a decent Korean place close to the South Metro. I've been going to Hoban for more then 8 years and happy to see they have improved on service and the menu over the years. If your looking for some Korean soul food that will make you feel warm and tingly get there soups for one or the big hot spots for 4. Either way you can't go wrong. read more

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Hoban has great food. Their lunch buffet is exceptional and is a great way to sample lots of Korean specialties. However, the staff are not especially friendly and welcoming. read more

Located in a low key spot in Eagan, it offers authentic Korean dishes that are well seasoned and prepared. Their gobchang gui is one of the best dishes I've ever eaten in my life and I am always willing to drive from far away just to eat this dish. They have the friendliest staff who offer fast service and are knowledgeable about the food. I highly recommend checking this place out! read more

This was definitely authentic Korean. It's tucked away in a strip mall, which for some reason makes it more authentic to me. It is worth the stop. That said, this is only a three- star review because of service and the cleanliness of the restaurant. Foodwise, fabulous. My husband ordered a dish that was basically fancy fried rice. It was absolutely delicious. Lightly fried rice with veggies and a copious amount of egg. Delicious delicious. I ordered the Tuk Mandoo Gook, which is a delightful light broth with vegetable dumplings (or rice cake), veggies and eggs. I was delighted when the bowl was put down in front of me because it contained probably a dozen dumplings. I love ordering dumpling soup and I always feel shorted on the dumplings. Not so here. I even gave my husband two of them. The soup itself was flavorful and tasty. A+. Our service was really lackluster, and I got the impression that our waiter was mad at us when we asked for a few extra minutes and were not ready to order when he stopped the first time. The employees all emitted the vibe of "annoyed I am at work" rather than "happy to see customers." But the thing that really got me was that the place just felt dirty. The carpet was old and not clean, tables sat dirty for a long time, even the menus were sticky. It's too bad. Otherwise this review certainly would have been higher. read more

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I love this restaurant the food is delicious, but they really need to remove the carpet it looks veery dirty and the bathrooms are not kept clean it needs some remodeling. For people that suffer from allergies the carpet is a most go asap! But again the food is delicious read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

Such a delicious Korean restaurant. Many delicious dishes. Great for Keto diets. They have dishes like Bul Go Gi: Add lettuce-wrap for $3.50 Bul Go Gi: Savory prime beef thinly sliced and marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, green onions and pepper. delicious mushrooms. I cannot say enough about this place.....they serve "Bud light" & many varieties of alcohol. Healthy wonderful dishes. I've gone here over 10 times. °°°°°° they also have Karaoke rooms they run called DoReMi ..sound proof rooms with the latest music --- bring your friends and you can eat in the rooms and have fun singing your sings in private, together... love love love read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

I truly adore the food here but cannot stand the service. I'm not sure if there's a cultural difference or what but the huge portions of time they make you sit between getting water and anyone even acknowledging you without you needing to flag someone down is ludicrous. I'm also not sure how you can mess rice up at an asian restaurant but the last few times I have been here the rice was over cooked and mushy or like today barely warm and dried out. In addition to being ignored for over 20 min before I physically waved someone down, every single one of our food items was brought out at different times by different staff who had no idea what went to who it was and always is just poor service. The only reason we keep going there is the food. And today my food was 70% kimchi with barely anything else. I separated it out after about 6 bites. read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

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So every time I go out of town anywhere my main focus is to find the best restaurants to eat my way through. I have been wanting to try this Korean restaurant for a while now and finally got the chance with my last visit to Minnesota. Let me tell you this place did not disappoint on the eats! I love all the side dishes that comes with your typical Korean meal! We had the seafood pancake-if you never tried it you don't know what you are missing, beef bulgogi, short ribs, oxtail spicy soup, spicy squid stirfry and more. We ate EVERYTHING lol. There were no leftovers to eat later-that's how yummy this place is. The restaurant is pretty spacious -ample seating. There is plenty of parking spaces so you wont have to worry about finding some where to park. If you ever find yourself by here, this is the place to go. read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Heaven! - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

I was in the area so decided to stop by for lunch. The last couple of times that I was here, service was extremely slow. However, this time service was fast so that was a plus! The only down fall was that after serving the food, no one came back to check on us so we had to flag a waiter down to pay and box our food. Overall, the food is delicious. I love their kal bi! read more

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food is so so...Minneapolis uptown is better. Service sucks on this restaurant that dude took our order has a very unpleasant attitude when I asked for banchan he replied" banchan comes after your appetizer" it's bullshit "banchan" is a side dish appetizer. He brought the banchan with my main entree's it's ok but then I see & observed other customers getting theirs as soon as he takes their order in. If you own this business hire someone that has a better customer service or else you lose a lot of client. It's not my first time or 20th time eating to a Korean restaurant. Straighten up your service coz it's sucks!! Ambience not a good vibes read more

This is only the second time I've been in this location and both times we have been disappointed. The stars are definitely more so for the service but the food was decent. The banchan were almost all inedible and old and all of our dishes were flavorless. They were deceivingly flavorful but lacked spices such as the "spicy wings", which the server right off the bat said that they weren't the least bit spicy. My Galbitang had Galbi that was incredibly difficult to eat, which made me throw it to the side. The service was great and they were incredibly sweet. We loved how they cut up the galbi tableside for you. read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Inedible Galbi in my Galbitang. - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

Me and my gf Ate here. My girlfriend ordered a pork bulgogi, and the meat was not fresh, dry and lacks flavor. The plate is not warm or even hot enough for the bulgogi, they were serving it on a sizzling plate. It was also the same meat that went into my bibimbap! Presentation is poor and the water container is dirty. read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

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Delicious Korean food. They add side dishes to your meals. The water is poured out of a metal jug and onto little metal cups. Not a fan of the metal flavored water but at least it's kept cold. Unfortunately, the service does not equal the taste of their food. Our waiter never came back to refill our side dishes or ask if everything was okay. We can go call him over to get his attention. I understand it was late at night but had the service been better I would have officially given this 5 stars. The food is absolutely delicious. You will never be disappointed. Freshness and taste guaranteed! read more

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My experience was pleasant and gave me very little to critique. A straightforward Korean restaurant with an extensive menu. The restaurant was clean and contemporary. The service was fast and friendly, and the food from my experience with Korean food was authentic and very good. I'd definitely go here again and make it my go-to for Korean cuisine. read more

we ordered the seafood pancake on recent visits. Twice in a row it did not live up to its billing. A few small pieces of squid and that's what counted as seafood. Other dishes are good, but this one needs to be improved. - From a long time customer read more

I like their apps and their galbi beef. I would rate them higher (the food is really good), but they are constantly understaffed. The waitstaff here doubles as the staff for the karaoke bar next door so service is usually slow. Don't forget to try their wide array of soups. Delicious stuff. read more

OMG! So happy we tried! My wife had the calamari dish, they were so tender and super flavorful! My daughter had the gogi bowl and it too was excellent. I had the tripe chitterlings dish, which was also perfectly cooked! The staff were super nice and attentive. Portions were enormous and their pickled sides were WONDERFUL! read more

We got a ton of appetizers and bulgogi and everything was great! Service was very attentive and our drinks stayed full and table cleaned off. Their bulgogi was delicious and everything we got tasted fresh and great. Definitely recommend! read more

I ordered a bunch of food for Father's day to my parents in MN through Ubereats and at that time my parents only thanked me and said it was very good. HOWEVER, when I came to visit my parents, they said it was the most horrible Korean food they've ever tasted. I was so embarrassed to find out that they did not enjoy their food and hid from me. They said the meat they gave them only had fat, the side dishes were tiny and they put absolute no effort into packing nor cooking their food. Yeokhwi was packed with apple instead of pear. I was so embarrassed. I guess I will have to find another Korean restaurant for my parents. read more

I've been here for about 5 times so far. 1. FOOD: I come here for their Kalbi (fried ribs) which is okay priced compared to other places and tastes good. - One of my Korean dinner favorites is chapchae, but they make it awful here, no meat whatsoever, watery, simply eww. Won't recommend getting it here. - They make their calamari well, most Italian restaurants will make it deep fried, here you will find a completely new way of eating calamari, highly recommend it here. - Seafood pancakes are awesome here, called pa jun. normal pa jun with green onion is also good too. You can't really find pa jun in other Korean restaurants, so if you like it, this is the place. - As far as soups go, I personally love spicy Yuk gae jang. I like their soups quite a lot. However, though it looks great on the picture, I really didn't like their hot pots at all. That pretty much summarizes the food. 2. SERVICE: it's slow, they always look understaffed. Not the best service you can find in Korean restaurants. Your wait time to sit and get your food are both slower than other Korean restaurants. That's definitely a drawback. 3. SMELL: I had to put it in a separate category. After you eat here, if there was a stray dog, that dog would totally follow you because he'll think you're a walking hot dog or something. Really, you'll stink. Even if you leave your jacket overnight on your balcony, the smell won't go away. So in short, unless you really don't mind burnt oil smell on your clothes, you should wear something you'd wash right away when you eat here. You'll smell like you worked in a kitchen all day. And you need to shower too, cause the smell won't go away from hair as well. Especially if you are a girl with long hair! I totally wouldn't bring your first date here. The place is crowded, bad ventilation and no windows that open make it a good combo to smell like a kitchen help. And it's not a bakery smell I'm talking about, it's more like burnt oil from deep frier kind of smell. But note that I gave 4/5 stars because the food tastes pretty good. read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Pa jun at Hoban - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

One of my family members recommended coming here and can I just say the food is amazing. I ordered the Fried chicken wings, Kal bi, Chicken rice bowl, Chicken fried rice, Champ pong. Everything was so good! A bit pricey but it totally worth it! read more

Food and service were top notch - chicken katzu and pork bulgogi were amazingly fresh. Sides were replenished without asking. Will return to try another entree next time!! read more

This place was once decent. Since the opening of their uptown Korean bbq location, they have neglected the Eagan location. When you're there next, just look up at the ceiling tiles near the vents. The white ceiling tiles are literally black. The tables are always sticky. This place is just dirty period. They always cheap out on side dishes even though they're cheap vegetables. The portion sizes have significantly decreased and everything is over cooked. The servers don't know how to smile, but the are good at making you feel as if your presence is a burden. read more

What a wonderful find!! They offer very generous portions at a reasonable price, and best of all, many of the dishes they offer are between $10-$15. Fair warning, go there with a big appetite! Each serving is large enough to feed 2 people, maybe 3 if they don't eat much. Food was extremely tasty! They also have a modest selection of adult beverages, so happy to have a serving of Korean beer with my meal. My family was extremely pleased with the service we received, and most importantly, we all left with a full happy stomach! My first experience was very pleasing, can't wait to return again! read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Pork Fried Rice ($10.95), fried calamari - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

This was a few years ago I only got reminded of this while browsing the app. I use to order from here all the time, it was like a weekly occurrence. I love Korean food and this was the closest to me. One night I ordered the bibimbap, something I've gotten multiple times. I got really really bad food poisoning that night. Was sick for multiple days. I've been scared to return back since. Such a bummer for a place I use to frequent a lot. Idk it's been a couple years, maybe they've gotten better but just be careful I guess. read more

Been meaning to eat here for a while. Ordered the Kimchi Bokum (stir fry), bro got the Octopus Stir fry and sis got Mul Naeng Myun (noodles). The stir fry was excellent and would rated 8/10 and 7/10 respectively. The calamari was a little overcooked but I could eat just the sauce with rice alone! Would rate 5 stars but my sister's noodle soup broth tasted like dirty laundry water and I would rate the dish -1/10. The buckwheat noodles were so hard to chew from being undercooked that they had to be swallowed whole eliciting a gag. Felt bad for my sis because she was looking forward to coming here the most. She really should have asked for then to cut the noodles or cook them a bit longer but was too shy to do so. read more

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O.M.G. The Kal Bi is extremely satisfying. Hands down. SO freaking delicious. The combination of savory and sweet ingredients play a perfect supporting role combined with just enough fat in the meat to accentuate the flavors but still appreciate the taste of tender beef in itself. Slightly burnt but I understand that can be tricky. I've gotten it a couple times now and they're consistent. My boyfriend got some chicken fried rice and noted the succulently huge portions of chicken incorporated in the entree compared to other places. 10/10 recommended. read more

Food was not the greatest. I felt like they were in a rush to cook because we sat down around 7:30pm-8pm, hence they close at 9:30pm. The food came out quickly after we placed our order but everything was very little to no season at all. The stone bowl was very plain, as if they just tossed everything together without any salt and sesame oil. There was a lot of rice to little vegetables and protein ratio. The Beef bulgogi was lightly seasoned, and the meat seem like it was take off the grill as soon as it cooked, more steamed than grilled. Calamari was very rubbery, over cooked. Beef galbi, was seared nicely and seasoned well but very chewy. First time and last. I read more

Friendly and attentive waitstaff. I'm sure the food is great when it's supplies are fresh. While the flavor is there the quality of the ingredients were lacking. The side dishes were a bit stale, a piece of gopchang I had had a stone in it. The jjambong noodles were starchy and glued together. Kind of unfortunate I will give it another chance in the future. read more

Located in a fairly small strip mall and next door to a loud Karaoke club may make the Hoban's location feel somewhat off-putting. Once inside, the crowded and mediocre setting may initially stray you away from what they have to offer. The menu is organized nicely to showcase "Korean favorites/popular dishes" and the usual Bulgogi/Bi Bim Bap that is typically offered at every Korean restaurant. Dinner time and the weekends are typically very crowded here, so expect mediocre service and long waiting times. If you can overlook the flaws, you will find the food they offer to be authentic and delicious. Their dishes are flavored perfectly-- not too salty and not too bland. What makes Hoban a standout from many other Korean restaurants in my opinion is their Hot Pot for 2. The Hot Pot definitely fills you up for about 30$ and there's a variety to choose from. There's something special about their soup base in their Hot Pot! The only downside is that Korean side-dishes (Banchan) is not included! read more

Hoban Korean Restaurant - Korean side-dishes (Banchan) offered with Tofu Dolsot Bibimbap. - Korean Near Me - Eagan, Minnesota

The only redeeming factor at this restaurant is the cooks are good. The service is awful though, it took 10 minutes after being seated until the waiter finally showed up without even an apology for tending to customers who arrived about 5 minutes after I did. They were immediately serviced as soon as they sat while my party just waited. The host was the one who eventually brought over the water. The thing about Korean bbq is that it's supposed to be quick and in plenty. We didn't receive the usual side dishes until about 20 minutes after we were seated. Then another 5 minutes until I received my dish. The other dish wasn't served until about 20 minutes after I was served, causing my food to become quite cold while I shared what I had and waited for the other dish to arrive. Also, the 2nd dish was obviously sitting for a while because it was cold. Finally, they forgot about the appetizer until the 2nd dish came out. And we never got a single refill on the side dishes or rice! The most outrageous thing about this is that the dining area was maybe half full at the most. It wasn't busy, the staff was just either lazy or incapable of performing their job properly.. I hope the other Korean BBQs around the Twin Cities aren't as poorly managed as this establishment. read more

Excellent food! Everyone was so kind. I especially liked the kimchi pa jun -- not too spicy, and perfectly crispy! My friend and I have eaten here multiple times, and we've always had a great experience. read more