I'd like to preface this review by saying we've been coming here for the last 3 years - it was always a treat as the drive was quite far from us. The food has always been great quality and authentic hence why we've been back many times. We had visited on 4/19 at around lunchtime, ordered, received our food- when it came to payment, this is where things took a turn. There were two young ladies working the dining floor, taking orders, bringing out food, etc. I had left my card on the bill to which the waitress took said card to swipe (I have an international card as I'm a UK citizen and sometimes I have to enter chip and pin), this flashed up on my banking app so when she brought back my card I said "oh would you like me to come up and enter my pin" to which she replied "no do you have another card", so my partner handed over his card and as she was taking payment, bare in mind everyone on the dining floor can hear what is being said by the waitresses as it's not exactly a large area, she was telling her other colleague "I asked for another card because he obviously doesn't have money" to which they both started laughing and making other snarky, rude comments. When she came back I confronted her about this and showed her my banking app where it cleared said after she had swiped to use chip and pin, she went back and muttered things to her colleague whilst looking at me. During the time we were dining I noticed their attitude was just so fake, asking customers in a rude way to move tables as it's for dine in customers only, no courtesy or respect. Mind you, it wasn't even busy in there. They lost all chances of a tip in those few minutes and we won't ever be coming back. It's a shame, usually they have such attentive, kind, caring people working there. I'm not sure where these self-entitled workers came from or if they're new but if they don't want to do the job or do the basics of showing some common courtesy they should find themselves another job, perhaps something not customer facing. read more

My favoriteeee Kim bap place of all time! Delicious Kim bap and very affordable for a large amount of food. I usually get the spicy anchovy Kim bap (this one is spicy beware), tuna Kim bap, and/or veggie Kim bap. They are all a 10/10. My other favorite dish is their tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes), which has the perfect flavor and amount of sauce. I've tried various dishes from this restaurant and nothing has ever disappointed me. We usually order for pick up but inside is very mom and pop shop vibes. A classic staple in the area if you ask me! read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Came here with a buddy for lunch. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, so we tried a variety of foods and had some to take home. We each only had the most basic knowledge of Korean gastronomy, so our waitress was super helpful and patiently answered our questions regarding suggestions, how best to eat something, explanation of dishes, etc. We started with some Kimbab. Our waitress explained that these rice rolls are similar to Japanese sushi, but different in that the filling is never raw, and the rice is seasoned with sesame oil rather than rice vinegar. I got the Beef Kimbab with delicious bulgogi beef filling along with tofu, crab stick, pickled daikon radish, and vegetables. Delicious - would get again. My friend enjoyed his tuna kimbab and cheese kimbab (the cheese looked like processed American-style cheese - different). It was a cold day, so we both went for a soup. I went for the Yook Gae Jang and found it to be a hearty soup with some vegetables, shredded beef, and japchae noodles. A nice spicy broth warmed me up. My pescetarian friend went for Kimchi Kalguksu, a kimchi soup with clams, vegetables, and hand-cut noodles. He said it was spicy, but very tasty. We washed down the meal with some hot tea of barley and corn. It had a nice roasty flavor and they kept filling up the cups. It's a simple place inside, with some tight tables and Korean dramas on the TV. Our waitress asked if we wanted to move to a bigger table after a larger group left, but we said we were fine. Overall, a good place to get yummy Korean food! read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Beef kimbap - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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Been here multiple times and I'm never disappointed. Cheap and super authentic Korean food, with kimbap as their specialty. Inside is pretty small, but there is room for eating in. I like to do pickup orders here. Their beef kimbap is to DIE FOR, super filling and less than $10. My only gripe is that they aren't open later! They're only open until 6:30pm, which makes dinner here not super accessible. But if you're looking for an inexpensive and authentic Korean restaurant around lunchtime, this is the spot to go. read more

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Since coming back from a wonderful trip to South Korea - I have been on a hunt for a very good kimbap. I finally found one with Kim Bob Na Ra. Came by there after my appointment and a recommendation from La Boulangerie. I had my favorite - tuna kimbap and tried the beef one. Both oh so yum! Place is small so I just hung outside until it was ready. Not a long wait. Will back again. read more

I liked the veggie kimbap- a lot of pieces for a decent price, freshly made and warm. Quick meal on the go. It does take some time to prepare so call ahead in advance. read more

Yummy kimbap! Super full and filling. Great to take to go. We put in an order for about 10-15 rolls on a Sunday and had a thirty minute wait. Super cute and cozy inside. They sell other Korean dishes as well. I like how fresh and crunchy the Kimchi kimbap is. This is probably my favorite one - the fermented cabbage is perfect in taste. Think the beef kimbap was a bit dry but still tasty too. Also love how creamy the mayo kimbap is and the hint of perilla leaves in that one. read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Beef Kimbap - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

This is by far, one of my favorite spots when I crave for kimbap at a reasonable price !!! I also enjoy their spicy rice cakes along with their sujebi (hand pulled noodle soup)! The ladies who work there are always nice and welcoming. read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

We tried spicy anchovies and octopus gimbap to go. Anchovies one is extremely spicy and I don't like seeing crab imitation,etc added to the roll. I like anchovies gimbap elsewhere,where they put more anchovies in it. Then again, too spicy for me.lol First time stopping by Ellicott city to check out Korea town. Decent food. People keep coming in. Local favorite. Ellicott city is further than VA for me. I was curious how Korean town food in MD in comparison to VA Annandale, Centreville. Personally, I will stick to VA for Korean flavor town. read more

Cheap, fast, filling, delicious. Amazing spot in Ellicott city serving Korean comfort food at an affordable price. Service is super quick, perfect for a quick bite for lunch. The restaurant is unassuming, but clean and cozy. The food itself is amazing for the price and the taste. For 13 bucks I got a spicy ramen, Kim bob, pickle and tea. I had so much I had some to take home for another meal. 10/10 would recommend read more

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Always a solid choice for lunch. Affordable. Quick service. Hearty meals. I didn't get a chance to take a pic of my bibimbap before I stirred it up. But super tasty. Well balanced meal with veggies and meat read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Kim Mari. - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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Very good kimbap - got the beef and squid one and both are 4.5/5. I think the egg was very tough and chewy which distracted from the kimbap texture. If the egg was not so overcooked it would be 5/5. The kimchi fried rice was nothing special, pretty salty and would not get again. We did really like the stone bowl bibimbap and just wished there was more meat. Overall the staff were very nice and I would come back again to try other dishes. However at the end there was a surprise charge for take out boxes which I've never seen at any other restaurants -- without even notifying us... which is a bit disappointing. read more

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Having chosen the Americanized name Nora shortly before her family emigrated to Canada from South Korea, Na Young narrates her understanding of past lives and a past love in Celine Song's quiet but provocative film Past Lives. "There's a word in Korean: In-Yun. It means "providence." Or..."fate." But it's specifically about relationships between people. It's an In-Yun if two strangers walk by each other in the street, and their clothes accidentally brush. Because...it means there must have been something between them." Nestled in a part of Ellicott City known to residents as Korea-town, Kim Bob Na Ra provides the type of culinary memories that spark, burn, linger, and return, no matter if you are dining in with work colleagues or, in my wife's case, ordering takeout so that you can dwell on the Tuna Kimbab or the Spicy Anchovy Kimbab by yourself at home. Although those experiences could just as easily be shared, the sights, smells, and tastes will linger nevertheless, even for one. read more

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Delicious food! Everything here is so good, and everyone is so nice. Highly recommend the tteokbokki and bulgogi kimbap.

The 5 stars is for the soondubu. It is the best I've ever had. And for years I have lived near Koreatown in LA. Everything else I've tried here is middling, but the soondubu is transcendent. read more

The food is pretty good, but you'd have to wait so long to get your order ready. Maybe it's busy hour we were dining in but it was like almost an hour waiting. But we didn't order too many food though. read more

This was my first time trying kimbap and I absolutely loved it. We ordered the beef and tuna kimbap! Both were very delicious and very filling. All the ingredients were fresh! The tteokbokki we ordered was also very tasty. It was spicy but not too spicy to the point where I couldn't enjoy my food. The service was great! We were greeted right away and our food came out fast despite us arriving about half an hour before they closed! This is a great little spot to grab a bite at an affordable price if you're in the area! Would definitely recommend! read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Kimbap + Tteokbokki - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Ordered tuna kimbap, odeng tang (fishcake soup), and tteokbokki+kimmari combo (spicy rice cake + fried glass noodle wrapped in seaweed). Everything tasted amazing!! Tteokbokki is on the sweeter side - sauce feels ketchup based, with cabbage. Liked that it wasn't watery. Kimbap portion is generous. Odeng tang was not too salty and perfectly seasoned. The place was packed on a Friday / lunch time. Overall, their price is reasonable, service was fast and the owners were so sweet. If you're craving street food style Korean food, would definitely recommend going to Kim bob na ra! read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

I'd heard about Kim Bob Na Ra in Washingtonian magazine, and it absolutely lived up to the hype -- especially for someone like me who loves Korean food. Their kimbap rolls (especially tuna and bulgogi) are full‑flavored and satisfying. This spot feels like a sweet mom‑and‑pop operation: cozy, home‑style, and authentic. The service is friendly and quick--expect prompt attention in a no‑frills, clean space. Portions are generous, prices are reasonable, and the overall vibe is warm and inviting--like comforting Korean street food delivered with kindness. If you're craving affordable, flavor-packed Korean rolls, bowls, and snacks in Ellicott City, don't miss this hidden gem. read more

Best Kim Baps in the area. All the other dishes are also very good. Unique Tonkatsu fried in pieces rather than a whole piece then cut. So there's more crispy edges which I like. Their tonkatsu sauce is homemade rather than from a bottle. I like the homemade taste better. Must try their sister restaurant Ugane too in the same shopping center as Honey Pig. read more

Amazing - loved everything! Very fine Korean food experience. Kimchi soup particularly good.

The food was delicious and the service was good! The ambiance isn't fancy, but it is still cute. read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Beef Kimbab, Ddukbokki + Kim Mal Yi Combo, & fried meat dumplings - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Stopped by for lunch with my girl friends. Got seated right away and brought out hot teas for us. The place bit small and was pretty packed with only two empty tables. We ordered spicy anchovy and kimchi kimbap, Sujebi and Sujebi ramen. Everything was good. Spicy anchovy is definitely spicy even for someone who enjoys eating spicy food regularly. Have me a heartburn later. But this is one my favorite places to visit for Korean street food. read more

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Cheers to my 400th review!! I've been wanting to try more authentic Korean food so found Kim Bob Na Ra through trusty Yelp (and some other recommendations). They close pretty early each day at 6:30 so definitely plan ahead if you are planning to visit for dinner! It's a small no-frills kind of place with delicious food! We ordered the bibimbap, tteokbokki, tuna kimbap, bulgogi kimbap, and kimchi stew. Everything was delicious and the tteokbokki and kimchi stew packed a punch heat-wise! It was a lot of food and we ended up taking a decent amount home. The portions are definitely large for the price! read more

Tried Kim Bob Na Ra for the first time for a late lunch (around 3pm) on a Sunday. The place was packed - mostly with Asians, which is usually a good indicator of quality for an Asian restaurant. We started with the complimentary kimchee (four kinds) and it was delicious. We had never had Kim Mal Yi before and it was our favorite of all the dishes we ordered. My second favorite was the veggie kimbab. We had never had Ddukbokki before either, and enjoyed that as well (this was pretty spicy). The chicken fried rice had an exceptionally good flavor. Finally, the stone bowl bibimbab was good, but there was almost no crispy rice on the bottom (that's usually my favorite part); the soup that accompanied the Bibimbab was exceptionally tasty and served hot the way it should be! Loved the tiny yogurt drinks for dessert - very refreshing. Overall, the food was a 4.5+ and the service was as well (5 for helpfulness and 4 for efficiency). We will probably return for more great Korean food! read more

Great little Korean restaurant in EC. We went on a Saturday afternoon and there was a bit of a wait as there's only 7 tables. The man gave us a pager notifying us it's a 20 minute wait so went walked around for a bit. We ordered the C16 Bibim Naengmyun and E5 combo (ddukbokki, veggie kimbap, and fishcake soup). The waitress cut up the bibim naengmyun for me as I guess they don't give you the scissors. I enjoyed the dish, and it's great for hot days. My partner and I enjoyed the kimbap and even ordered another one to-go. Ddukbokki is a great snack food, and it was pretty good. Fishcake soup was good, but could be more flavorful. Side dishes were also good. read more

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I don't usually drive up to EC, but I'm really glad I came to Kim Bob Na Ra for dinner yesterday night to catch up with a friend. This restaurant is a mom-and-pop with very friendly service (the man serving us was super hospitable and made sure we had our banchan refilled throughout our meal). The prices here were extremely reasonable, too! I love kimbap and was excited to see there were various options here. The kimbaps we got were super fat and filled with lots of ingredients (tasty folded omelette, radish, carrots, spinach, and imitation crab) along with the protein. My friend and I split the following three kimbaps: TUNA KIMBAP - 6.50 Definitely our favorite. We thought the texture and flavor of the tuna with mayo went really well with the rest of the kimbab. They give you a generous amount of tuna here, as well. We highly recommend giving the tuna kimbab a try! BEEF KIMBAP - 6.95 The bulgogi in the kimbab had a nice and sweet marinade that was very tasty. We didn't think it mixed nearly as well with the rest of the kimbap (compared to the tuna) but thought it would taste better on its own (would probably try getting the bulgogi entree next time). Still delicious and would recommend if you like bulgogi. CHEESE KIMBAP - 6.50 My friend and I were really curious about what this would be so we got it to try. The cheese is literally a few American singles stacked together, lol. It wasn't our favorite, but it is still pretty good. It's exactly what you imagine it being though, haha. I'd prefer it if the cheese was melted. My friend and I were really full and we had enough leftovers for another meal, which was perfect since I love leftovers for lunch! Not sure when I'll be in EC again, but I'm super glad I found a good kimbap place in the area! read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Kimbap! - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

A very nice spot either great service. The food was very good and flavorful. It was well kept and clean too read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

The best kimbab we've ever had! All are freshly made by order and delicious! Since the place is pretty small, we always ordered to gao but the taste always as perfect! Our order: Tofu Stew (very spicy) : It's filled with seafood, veggies and tofu, the seafood soup broth was super tasty and it come in generous portion. Donkatsu, fried pork cutlet : The fried pork a lil bit dry and hard to chew, maybe it's overfried or maybe that's the style, we probably will skip this menu in the future. Veggies kimbab plus Spicy Anchovy Kimbab, The star : the kimbab is in the must have list! All are rolled in deliciously fresh and very generous portion. If you love anchovies, never missed this one! It's a staple comfort food We will always back for the kimbab! read more

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Great food at a very affordable price. My fiancée and I love their kimbap, specifically the tuna and bulgogi. They also have delicious and affordable ramen. The owners are extremely nice and friendly. We recently came back and saw that they had renovated their space. It looks much nicer and we are glad they are doing well. We need more affordable and scrumptious Korean food, and Kim Bob Na Ra is one of the best in town. read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Bulgogi and veggie kimbap - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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This is one of those places where the walls are barren but you can just tell the food is going to be so good- and it is (and always has been)!! Kimbap rolls have stayed consistently cheap and filled to the brim. Perfectly paired with a plate of ribbon to share. I also tried the ttonkatsu recently and it was delicious (and a HUGE portion for the price!) read more

The kimbap is top notch..wish they were closer..i traveled from annandale va to find this gem... best kimbap !!! No place in the dmv compares !!! read more

Amazing Korean food and friendly staff. I ordered a sampling of several things and enjoyed them all. The Tteokbokki was my favorite and I ate it with the omurice for a perfect combination. The dumplings were great and the gimbap was tasty. I loved all the little sides that came with the meal. read more

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Our best friend wanted to check out the now official Koreatown in Ellicott City for Veterans Day and was looking at places that were affordable and don't have locations in Montgomery or Fairfax Counties so settled on this place. My fiancé and I ordered the Dduboki, Veggie Kimbap, and Fishcake Soup Combo and a Tuna Kimbap. Our friend ordered a Ramen and Beef Kimbap. The food was all very delicious and quite affordable. I loved the spice and flavor of the Dduboki and the taste of the Fishcake Soup. The portions of the Kimbap are also very generous of the price as it seemed like a special Korean version of sushi. I was surprised we ate it all and the total was only around 50 dollars for all of us. They also give free appetizers like kimchee. We ended up sharing most of the food. The place seemed very authentic and would love to come back. Also, outside is a new pagoda for Koreatown that you should check out which Governor Larry Hogan recently broke ground on. read more

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One of my favorite places locally. Me and the wife love the spicy anchovy and tuna kimbab the best! We also love the spicy tteok-bokki. The service is great as well and has homey environment. read more

It's been several years since I last came here. I happened to look at some reviews more recently, and it looked better. My family and came by recently, and wow it is so much better than I remembered. the Kim Bob was really good. It was slightly warm with a brush of sesame oil on top, and that made a big difference. The ratio of filling to rice was just right as well. It was excellent. We ordered sujebi, janchi kuksu, octopus with rice, and bulgogi. All were splendid and decent portion sizes as well. I haven't enjoyed a meal at a Korean restaurant like this in a long time. It gets pretty busy during lunch hours, and I can see why. I am definitely coming back! read more

We have been coming to this place before they renovated the inside!! Love the food. Kimbap is always yummy... we tried the spicy anchovy one this time like everyone recommended and it was so worth getting. Oddly we always get tuna but this time around we got it and we got sick... definitely recommend this place and I think it's just better to eat there !! read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Spicy anchovies and tuna kimbap - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Kim Bob Na Ra was recommended to me by several of my Korean friends, so I had to try it. It quickly became one of my favorite places to eat - especially for their tuna kimbap. The omurice is also pretty good (fried rice wrapped in egg and topped with ketchup). It's run by a friendly couple and service is always pleasant. I've only dined in, but they do get a lot of takeout orders and there's usually a 10-15 min. wait for this - just something to keep in mind. read more

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This place is the best!! One of my partner and my go-to Korean spots in Ellicott city. It has a lovely mom-and-pop vibe as it is a small spot of maybe 10 tables and the owners are in the kitchen, running the counter, and bringing out food. The menu is not overwhelming, just 2 pages and encourages exploration. Want to try a new dish? It's all tasty here! That being said, our go-to items are stone bowl bibimbap (sizzling rice and beef perfection), Kimbab (obviously!), and Ddukbokki (can't get enough of this stuff! Although quite spicy). Everything is delicious and I love the slow pace, personal service, and affordable prices! read more

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My first time going to this restaurant and eating Korean food the food was tasty and delicious. The service was quick, and efficient. The Ambiance wasn't bad for a lunch rush. read more

Kim Bob Na Ra - Fried pork cutlet, rice, salad, Barley Tea and miso soup - Korean Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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