I was looking for a somewhat healthier meal with veggies and protein, and KOBA checked those marks and more! They have a big menu to choose from spanning from fried rice, kimbap, bibimbap, to stews and more. Their signature "make your own bowl" had so many options, came generously portioned, and was so colorful and tasty :D The customization starts with a base: white rice, multigrain rice, japchae (noodles), or salad bases and moves onto a loooong list of toppings. A few of the more interesting ones like bellflower and fern brake roots were sold out when I ordered for dinner. And who else offers a fried egg for no additional charge as a topping? The toppings are yummy by themselves because they are already cooked or marinated. Definitely a great way to get one's vegetables! Proteins include bulgogi, pork belly, garlic chicken, spicy chicken, tofu, and even spicy squid. For kalbi, there's an additional cheese. The bulgogi was well seasoned and hit the spot! A little on the sweeter side but I didn't mind. The texture of the meat is mushier than the usual bulgogi, more of a Philly cheesesteak texture, but tasty nonetheless~ Don't count on this being authentically Korean. The bowls come with sauce options, but everything was so flavorful that I didn't use any! I agree on the hefty portion size; it's enough for a big meal if you're hungry and otherwise two lighter portions. Since the flavors, color, tastes, and flavors were so delightful, I finished it all so don't count on it lasting for multiple meals :) Patrons can order at the kiosks up front or schedule online to pickup. There's plenty of seating that looks fairly comfortable. Service was friendly enough. For more than $20 with tip, it's kind of expensive for a meal, but for the variety, taste, and relative healthiness, this meal was on point! read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - KOBA Bowl with bulgogi/beef ($19)-- choose from tons of veggie options, rice/noodle/salad based, toppings, and even a fried egg :) yum! - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

The FiDi location for KOBA is excellent, definitely a top choice for fast casual Korean food. I've gotten lunch delivered from here multiple times, and it's a consistent winner in terms of quality, spice, and massive portion size. The kimchi fried rice is so good, it's a big bowl with spicy rice, kimchi, little cubes of beef, and a fried egg to top it all off. Even after surviving the bike delivery transit, the bowl looks great and tastes even better. It's got a nice heat to it that makes the otherwise heavy ingredients taste even more interesting. And I'm not kidding about portions...I've never been able to make it through more than half a bowl, and usually have to stop after a third! read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Kimchi Fried Rice - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

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Stopped in here for a quick lunch. The food was really good and very fresh. Staff was very helpful.

This place is SO GOOD. I cannot stop thinking about this place. Both times I got the marinated short ribs and it was amazing. I adore the lunchbox set because it has more than just carbs--I throughly enjoyed all the side dishes and bonchons. This lunchbox set has brought me so much joy and I cannot wait to have more. The spicy sauce is mysteriously good, albeit a little salty. read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

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My husband and I both loved our food here. We each got the traditional bibimbop. I was surprised how much food came with it! We both left stuffed. Very tasty. Meal was quick and it was easy to order with touch screens (or you could talk to the worker)... when you order you can also select if you'd prefer chopsticks or a fork/spoon which was nice. Would definitely recommend this! Good food and filling. read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Traditional Bibimbap - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

Reasonably priced casual Korean BBQ place! It's not the typical kbbq in town but more like a quick casual Korean rice meat soup set place. There's a ton of food for the price you pay and it's super worth it! Service was also pretty quick! read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

Ordered takeout and was disappointed to find that my food was cold. Other than that, the order was completed quickly and there's at least two meals for the price of one. The meat to rice to sides ratio was also good read more

I've always been wanting to try this. But Looking at the menu before coming here...$20 for a bowl?! After ordering, We got a lunch set and a Koba bowl. 10% off if you pay cash, 20% off if you have student or military ID! Lunch set: You get a meat, rice, 3 toppings which come in the side, 1-2 actual sides, and a treat. We got braised pork belly (so delicious), mushroom, spicy radish, eggplant, soup, dumplings, and purple rice. The soup I see that they tried to mild-ify the spice but it's nice. Everything was delicious! I prefer lunch set over the bowl -- everything tastes better separated rather than mushed in one bowl. Pleasantly surprised that if you get seated they bring the food to you in metal bowls and cups. They even serve you water bottle. This is what you call healthy, delicious, and affordable fast casual Korean. I am a fan of the concept and I will be returning. read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

Excellent choice for casual Korean food. Did a takeout order (via Grubhub) and picked up a few Koba Bowls. You get to customize them with choices for base, mix-ins, proteins and toppings. They were terrific - delicious and good sized portions. For the proteins, we liked both the Kalbi Short Ribs and the Beef Bulgogi that we got. Friendly service and our order was ready when we arrived. Will certainly be back! read more

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This place is more like a fast food style Korean concept (so don't expect any banchan), and a bit pricey imo. But there aren't any other options for Korean food in the FiDi area so beggars can't be choosy. The lunchtime stew wasn't available so I ended up ordering a KOBA bowl. What I customised ended up pretty similar to the japchae except I could pick even more ingredients to add to the bowl, so this was super hearty for lunch. I'm surprised I managed to finish it but ended up skipping dinner altogether because this was so filling lol. Tasted good but given the price point I'm not sure I'd return regularly. We also got a yogurt drink, though you can choose one of the sweeter Korean snacks (eg chocopie) for free read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - KOBA Bowl - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

The customer service is not good. They also forgot the sauces that came with my meal.

Grabbed lunch here and while the amount of food I got for $20 I wasn't amazed with the taste. The bulgogi was on the dry side and barely warm. Service was quick and friendly. read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Lunchbox Set bulgogi - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

I truly love this place! I work nearby which makes it so convenient for me to purchase food there. One of my favorite dishes is the Jap Chae. It has sweet potato glass noodles tossed with beef, sautéed onions/scallions, egg strips, spinach, carrot, shiitake mushrooms, and sesame seeds. The portions are big and I have never able to finish it in one sitting. They also have a great discount for teachers. This is definitely a great and upbeat place to eat. read more

For real for real. This is in my top ten for the entirety of NYC eateries. Though I had quite a time trying to figure out what to order I was happy to have been given a helping hand by the staff at the restaurant. I had the glass noodles, spinach, mushrooms, and beef and everything was so tasty. Everything. All of it. And I've had their food at catered events and I've had it multiple times and it's so good. And the chicken dumplings were good. Because of this place, I am now a huge fan of Korean bbq. And, the space is a nice size. Again, one of my favorites. A large amount of food for the price. read more

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Excellent Korean. Kimchi fried rice is tremendous. Keep the ram-yun in stock please it is incredible. read more

What a delicious meal. They have student, teacher, military discounts as well, which is amazing. Service is fast, place is clean, has a clean bathroom. I would highly recommend this place for lunch! read more

Honestly, surprisingly great fast-casual Korean food. I'm generally a little skeptical but this is definitely a lucky gem to have in FiDi. The gimbap/kimbap is made well (and yes! gotta have that brush of sesame oil+sesame seeds on top), and wow the japchae is better than most fast-casual places in KTown :-O. They do a great job with proportions of protein+veggies to the sweet potato noodles!! Depending on my mood, I'll do the gimbap+appetizer portion of japchae so I can have both, otherwise a regular portion of japchae is when I'm going hard, hahaha. Again, real glad to have this downtown! read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Yum--gimbap & japchae (appetizer portion). - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

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KOBA exceeded my expectations! I was looking for a quick dinner after work and finally decided to give Koba a try. Upon walking in, there are 3 ipads you can order at, then pay at the register. There is plenty of seating, though I got my order to go. The bibimbap ($20) was a generous portion, and meat was very well flavored. I had enough left over for lunch today! While ordering, I saw an option to add extra meat- I chose to try the spicy pork out of curiosity, and also liked it. Out of the two meats, I preferred the bibimbap beef more. read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Traditional Bibimbap with side of spicy pork - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

Very delicious food and quick service! My office is down the street from Koba and since I don't go in often, I try to check out the new spots with good reviews. Happy to report that Koba did not disappoint. I ordered the create your own bowl with spicy chicken, multigrain rice, edamame, carrots, cucumbers, egg, garlic flakes. They were out of furikake which is the only thing that wasn't ideal. The bowl itself was still delicious though! The service was speedy and efficient. The price is a bit higher than what I expected as I was thinking it would be around the price of Dig Inn or Chipotle but it's a lot of food and I won't eat there often so it's okay. read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - KOBA Bowl - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

I'm not sure if I recommend. I was extremely hungry the day I went here for lunch ordered a veggie kimbap and got fish cake instead for some reason. Didn't realize until I got back to my office. Probably wouldn't go here again. Sorry y'all. I like the fact they have fast checkout though (check out at kiosk). Staff at register was kind. Taste of the food... I don't know. Because it's not what I ordered ... what I did get was ... something I could have gotten from frozen section at grocery store. The ones that come in yellow and green wrap at grocery store in the freezer taste better read more

I have ordered here mutiple times for lunch and I usually get the bulgogi kimbap. I love to get kimbap since it's quick and easy to eat. Today I noticed they didn't put as much meat as the other times. It is also heavier eith the rice. I hope its just the person making it. Overall the kimbap is good aside from less protein. read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

Solid bowls. Good amount of food, great quality, and good variety. Got it one time for lunch and then got it again the next day. I've tried both their Bulgogi as well as their Pork Belly. Both good. I'd go back! read more

I think this location is relatively new? Cause I've been craving good korean food when I'm at the office and was always disappointed. I wanted to have just a big bowl of banchan and they didn't disappoint! I got to choose as many as I wanted, and it also came with a little dessert on the side. Can't wait to try their other items. read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

Here's my issues- 1. They blare I mean BLARE music so it's hard to eat in peace. Rude and annoying. The music is also the worst pop music I've ever heard. 2. No sauces/ soy sauce. The only sauce they have is this disgusting version of soy sauce that tastes like ... nothing. Why do you not have soy sauce at least. 3. No salad dressing if you order a salad it comes with.... Lettuce and that's it. 4. The food is seriously mid. They were out of every meat besides beef bulgogi and chicken. It's not good sorry. read more

My boyfriend and I LOVE Koba. We're both students at Pace University and it's one of our go-to spots for something quick, filling, and delicious. The women at the register are always super kind and helpful, and there's plenty of open seating, which makes it a nice place to hang out for a bit. We almost always get the KOBA Lunchbox Set with Kalbi and Shaved Ice. 10/10 recommend! read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - KOBA Bowl Lunchbox Set Shaved Ice - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

Amazing service, and great amount of food for the price! The food is similar to authentic Korean food.

Love this place. Great kimchi fried rice, great service. Fast, reasonable, and tasty. My go-to.

Digging this new place! Considering NYC prices you absolutely get your money's worth. You order at kiosks and if you select the Koba Bowl you can choose from different bases (greens, rice, japchae noodles, etc), proteins, an array of toppings (at least 20 of them, no joke), sauces like gochujang, and a sweet item (Choco-Pie, Yakult, and one other). Portions are generous, almost enough for two meals, and prepared quickly. Everything tastes delicious and they don't skimp on the meat. This does look like more of a takeout spot, but if you want to dine in there are plenty of tables, plus TVs overhead playing sports. If you work in FiDi I recommend you add this to your lunch/dinner rotation! read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - KOBA Bowl - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

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It's actually a really high quality fast food lunch spot in FiDi that has quite a big portion. There's a line of ipads to order so most of the cashiers are replaced by automation. They even have the fancy purple rice option that makes me seem healthy?! I got the unmarinated short ribs, which tasted like freshly grilled steak. The amount of sides are pretty good as well. There's a bean soup, kimchi, tofu, and a spicy sauce , which I think is gochujang. There's even a small dessert included. I got the matcha choco pie. read more

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I didn't like it so much my second time. They didn't have the soybean soup that I love so I got the kimchi soup. They said it wouldn't be too spicy. I said I can't tolerate spicy please water it down. It was still insanely intolerably spicy! Even my spice loving partner thought it was very spicy. And the kimchi fried rice was just OK read more

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i don't even know where to start. the prices were insane, both in good ways and bad. first of all, the kimchi fried rice was amazing! it was delicious and fairly cheap ($18) for the portion and the flavor. however, the kimbap barely even filled the small sushi to go dish it was placed in. there was what, 8 pieces? they were extremely small. the kimbap was $12. so overpriced. the service was ok, but i didn't like how we got a sprite that was room temperature. we only received a cold one when we requested one, and to be honest, aren't cold drinks the standard at restaurants? i also want to mention that the bulgogi was barely chewable. it was like trying to eat cardboard. the soondubu jjigae? for the koreans out there, i want to PSA that it is NOT in fact a jjigae. it's more like soup. i quite literally laughed aloud when i tried it. they also BLASTED songs right in my ear. that's not a vibe, that's a concert. i did NOT enjoy it at all, and neither did my eardrums. i've definitely been to better korean dish restaurants. i hoped for better. read more

Stopped by for lunch on a whim and ended up eating some great Korean food. After reviewing the menu (that a staff member helpfully handed and explained to me), I ended up ordering the KOBA bowl. For $15, you can select items for as your base, protein, mix-in, toppings, and sauce. I really like how you can choose more than one item as your base, mix-in, topping, and sauce at no extra charge; most places charge you for each additional item. I ended up choosing sweet potato glass noodles, greens, and multigrain rice as my base, spicy pork as my protein, a ton of veggies as my mix-ins (corn, carrots, burdock root, onions, zucchini, edmame), toppings (sunny-side up egg, scallions, red and green chilies, sesame seeds, seaweed strips), and two sauces (gochujang and tangy cho-jang). You get a little extra treat with your order; you can choose among a Choco Pie, some cream wafers, or a small yogurt drink. I ended up choosing the drink to go with my hefty meal. I was so excited to try my lunch. The food is flavorful and delicious. I found the meat a bit too salty, but the rice, noodles, and veggies helped balance it out. If the pork was less salty and more spicy and sweet, it would have been perfect. Also, as you can see from the pictures, the portions are huge. I ended up eating only about half and saving the rest for dinner. While I took my food to go, there is ample seating inside. They also have touch screens where you can place your order. The pictures of each item, down to the toppings and sauces, are helpful if you want a visual of what ingredients are going into your bowl. After ordering, you can pay with card or go up to the cashier and pay with cash. The staff are helpful and they work hard to make your experience a good one. I had a solid first time here and I can't wait to go back to try the other items on their menu. read more

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Great bang for your buck here. A myriad of healthy toppings and sizable portion of protein for around just $18. Like a higher end Bibibop but not much more expensive. read more

KOBA Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

First time here food is delicious and very filling. Staff is very friendly and very helpful. I came here for lunch to Check it out read more

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Nice Korean take out! It offers a discount for cash. They have box lunches and alla cart. It's cute they give a little dessert for your order. It's clean and nice. read more

I have no clue who's idea it was to open this Koba in this area, but give them a raise. Truly. GENIUS. Fidi is devoid of any good Korean food. I've longed to have bimbimbap or kimchi fried rice for lunch on many occasion while working close by. I walked into Koba not expecting much. Firstly, I love how you can add as many toppings as you want without them costing more. The zucchini, eggplant, and spinach are flavored SO well- super textbook banchan style and they're SO good. The meat portion you get with the Koba bowl is more than enough, and way more than I expected. Had I walked in knowing this, I could have easily avoiding buying another side of Bulgogi to go with my spicy pork, but the side of bulgogi was huge, and for only $3! It was probably the best bulgogi I've encountered in NYC. So traditional, juicy, and flavorful. Truly textbook. They're also giving out FREE MATCHA CHOCO PIES for dessert (not sure if this is permanent) So freaking good. Everything, from the flavors, to the sauces and services, to even the water canisters I'm accustomed to at kbbq spots, this places hits all the boxes and I am SO glad they're close to my work! read more

mid! no flavor really at all, rice was gummy, just not overall great and i wish i had gone elsewhere tbh

The workers there are amazing. So nice and attentive. 5 star food and service. The two girls up front especially are hard workers and so nice. read more

Finally a fast food Korean place in FiDi/Seaport district. Their JapChae is like my mother-in-laws, delicious. Like with most Korean food, the flavors are going to be soy, sweet, sesame oil and umami(fish sauce), but if that's what you like, then this is a perfect spot for you. We ordered takeout from here, got the JapChae, Ssam Bap set and Korean style Bento box. All 3 items were a good amount of food for the price (especially nowadays in the downtown area). My spicy chicken was flavorful and the kimchi was solid. I didn't love their pan fried tofu, but that's also because I don't like tofu unless it's deep fried and coated in sauce. My wife enjoyed her Ssam Bap set with Bulgolgi and it was enough food to last her two meals. I hope this place sticks around because the actual location they opened up in is somewhat cursed (smash burger and then some place that never actually opened and sat empty for 2 years). I'm looking forward to going there again and this becoming part of our regular takeout rotation. So excited!! read more

Highly recommend the bulgogi bibimbap. A good amount of beef in the dish and portion of one order was enough for 2 meals. Authentic flavor!