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    Maru Korean Bistro

    4.0 (74 reviews)
    Open 4:30 pm - 9:00 PM

    Order Maru Korean Bistro Takeout or Delivery

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    Beef bibimbap
    Kim C.

    I've only had Korean food in San Francisco and Korea, so I may be spoiled. I'd been wanting to try this place for a long time and I left so very disappointed. First off, I've never had a Korean meal without banchan. All those little side dishes are meant to enhance your main. Our server brought out a large-ish bowl of kimchi before we ordered. Appetizer? Weird. Soft tofu stew is my go-to dish. Maru's was almost bland. Plus, no vegetables?! Very strange. I dumped in the kimchi and the hot sauce and it was ok. At least it was hot. I don't eat beef, but my husband said his dish was nothing special either. The server was just ok. Not friendly. Not unfriendly. Just meh. The place was clearly meant for take-out only. Despite the lavish exterior, the interior was cold and sterile. In addition, there was dried food on the window ledge next to my seat and fruit flies buzzing around everywhere. I shuddered to think what the kitchen looked like. Overall? Bland, uninspired, and overpriced.

    Rice Cake / 떡볶기
    Michele V.

    Everything that we had at Maru was perfection. From sitting down at the table. Our server was well knowledgeable and able to explain to all of the different options to us. The ambiance was calm and relaxing. I ordered the Bimibop Stone bowl and it was so tasty and perfectly fresh. We also ordered the Black Bean Tofu Ramen which was super tasty. Would totally come again.

    Soju
    Ankita S.

    My husband and I had a date night here on a recent Saturday evening and our experience was...very average. We had reservations for 7:30, but we got there around 7pm due to an earlier event ending sooner than we thought. We were prepared to wait if the place was exceedingly busy, but that's not why we ended up having to wait. We got to the front desk and noted that there was a larger group of guests but then only 2-3 other tables with customers. Despite it being not as busy as we were expecting, no one noticed we had been waiting to be seated for about 20 minutes. The waitress who did finally notice and seat us was very pleasant and did let us know that because the larger group had just put in their orders, our food may be delayed a bit, which was fine with us. We got a bottle of soju which was tasty (but we were served dirty cups) and the sweet and spicy veggie dumplings to start with. Before our app came out, our waitress brought out complimentary seaweed salad and kimchi, both of which were very tasty! The kimchi didn't taste super fermented, but it did taste good. The dumplings themselves were a little bit chewier than I like and the sauce was very sweet without really any heat. They were overall fine and we finished them, but would probably not order again - at least not with the sauce. My husband got the crispy chicken which came highly recommended by our waitress. I wanted to get the jap chae, but after putting in my order, our waitress came back to tell us that the kitchen was out of the noodles needed for the dish. I ended up getting the stir fried noodles with vegetables and made spicy. My dish was definitely spicy, no doubt about that! But the flavor otherwise was disappointing - it just didn't taste like much. My husband was similarly disappointed, saying the chicken didn't have a lot of flavor. Throughout our meal, there were several guests that came in and were told that the restaurant wasn't seating any more guests for the rest of the night due to higher demand earlier in the day. Overall our meals were fine, but the whole experience was odd and I probably wouldn't return. Our waitress was super sweet throughout though!

    Kimchi-jjigae with purple rice
    PD T.

    I don't know why not enough people come here but whenever I want to get my Korean food craving satisfied, this place is my go to! The food is warm and tastes delicious! The ban chan is okay, would love more for the price but it is enough to pair with meals.

    Soft tofu stew with kimchi
    Samantha R.

    I'm always happy to see Milwaukee get more Korean food. There's a lot to try, but I'm partial to the spicy stews and noodle dishes. I have dined in at Maru a couple times and also gotten delivery. The food has been consistently good, if slightly pricey. The decor at the restaurant is cheerful and the service is nice even at off-peak hours. I tried the soft tofu stew on my first visit because it's one of my favorite dishes ever. Maru's is good. It's pleasantly spicy, comes with purple rice, and you can get an egg on it. The budae jigae is something I was trying for the first time. It's also nicely spicy and as filling as it sounds. I would get it again. I also had the spicy chicken when I ordered delivery and I thought the sauce was really addictive. The same purple rice was excellent for soaking it up. I had the duk mandu soup and it was delicious and not spicy. The restaurant is clean and bright inside, with signs advertising the food and flowers in the window. I'm in this area quite a bit on the weekends so Maru is getting added to my restaurant rotation.

    Spicy Bibimbap / 비빔밥

    Maru was fantastic! I got the spicy Bibimbap / 비빔밥 bowl with Beef Bulgogi / 불고기 and it was fantastic! The rice became crisp the longer it sat in the hot stone bowl. Amazing

    tteokbokki
    Moua Y.

    Been to this restaurant twice and I love the food. The flavors are very tasteful. If you like spice, I would recommend the soft tofu stew and the spicy bulgogi stone. Both are my favorite dish. Very nice atmosphere and clean.

    Bibimbap / 비빔밥

    The stone bibimbap is always delicious. The service is always great and the servers are friendly. We were quickly seated and the food comes out in a reasonable amount of time.

    Sweet Potato Noodle Dish
    Ally S.

    Highlights 1. Amazing (and authentic) Korean Food 2. Friendly Service 3. Generous Portions Visited Maru on Saturday night for a birthday dinner. We had 5 in our party, did not have a reservation, and were able to be seated immediately. I would say you probably don't need a reservation (even on weekends) to get seated fairly quickly, but of course it's all dependent on what is going on that night/party size/etc. Korean Food is typically shared family style (my favorite way to eat!) so our table ordered a ton of plates to share. The portions are GENEROUS. All 5 of us went home with leftovers. Everything we ordered was loaded with flavor and had just the right amount of kick. We tried the bibimbap, beef bulgogi, sweet potato noodles, a very delicious kimchi stir fry tofu type dish, Korean wings and of course a few delicious Sojus. Service was fast and friendly. We didn't realize when we arrived at 8pm that they actually close at 9pm but the staffed stayed a little late and let us finish up our meal. I'm still thinking about the food and can't wait to come back!

    Stir fried noodles with seafood
    Shanna C.

    Wow yum! So glad there is a new option for Korean food in the Milwaukee area! Stopped by on a Friday afternoon with some friends, and we decided to share a bunch of things to try out the place. Between the 3 of us, we ordered the rice cakes, stir fried noodles with seafood, dol sot bibimbap with beef, and the beef bulgogi. Parking was actually not an issue, which I was really surprised by especially on a Friday night! Service here is great, everyone is incredibly friendly. The food came out fresh and absolutely delicious! I think my favorite definitely had to be the stir fried noodles. The noodles I would akin to a chewier udon noodle. There was the perfect amount of flavor coated on each noodle. I also really appreciated that the dishes here aren't super salty, and the natural flavors are really hi-lighted in each dish. Love that they do purple rice here, so good! Unfortunately there was only one type of ban chan available-- the spicy cucumber. It was incredibly delicious, but I was really hoping there would be more variety!

    Rice Cake, Kimchi Beef Fried Rice, Jap Chae, Spicy Squid, Beef Bulgogi
    Lico J.

    We were so excited to finally see a traditional Korean restaurant open in Milwaukee again! The food was overall decent, traditional, and homey. The dining and pick-up area was bright and very clean. We tried Rice Cake, Kimchi Beef Fried Rice, Jap Chae, Spicy Squid, and Beef Bulgogi (all pick-up). Nothing went wrong. They even included yummy banchan (side dishes) for free! If I am being picky, the Bulgogi and Jap Chae could be a bit more flavorful with a bit more oil and seasoning. But we enjoyed our meal and will go back often for sure! If you like or miss traditional Korean food, this is definitely the place to be! And just don't compare the only traditional Korean restaurant here w LA or NYC's.

    Plum Soju
    Davina R.

    Such an adorable looking space. The decor/seating is very nice for a date night, or special occasion. The complimentary pickles veggie plates were one of my favorite things, soooo much nicer than bread rolls or things you get at American restaurants! I asked for the glass noodle dish to be spicy and over all I think the heat could have been higher but the flavor was delicious and well rounded! - this was my first time having soju and it wasn't bad but also not my favorite. Very sweet and zero carbonation. So If that's what you are looking for go for it!

    Inside
    Nikita B.

    Great authentic place for Korean food in the Milwaukee area! I ordered the tofu stew with Kimchi and it came with a bowl of rice and unlimited amounts of kimchi. I love good kimchi and this one tasted fresh and well spiced! I obviously loved the fact that there was no limit on how many bowls of kimchi I could get and took full advantage of it by eating 3 full bowls of it. The tofu stew was warm and hearty, perfect for a cold winter day. I'm a fan of Korean food and this place hit the spot for me! So thankful that I found a great Korean restaurant in the area!

    Entrance

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    10 months ago

    All the food is great! Love the tteobokki and the sweet & spicy dumplings. Would absolutely recommend!

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    Back Street BBQ & Hotpot - Birthday cake

    Back Street BBQ & Hotpot

    4.5(60 reviews)
    0.1 miLower East Side, East Side

    This was only my second time at a Korean bbq spot, we really enjoyed it. Our group opted to just do…read morethe bbq and not the hot pot. We ordered the bulgogi, steak cubes, pork belly, spicy pork belly, beef tongue, rib meat, shrimp, creamy corn, fried buns, and a few other smaller items. The meat was all good quality! Our tables' favorite meat was the bulgogi for sure. We also loved the creamy corn and fried buns. However, beef tongue was so tough though I couldn't even bite into it (but honestly wasn't expecting to enjoy it!). The sauce bar was a fun touch to get exactly what we each liked. It was a little tricky being in a booth and getting people out to make their sauce combos though but we made it work. There is also a dessert bar but nothing was super intriguing to us and we were pretty full from the meal. The only downside was the service. Other servers seemed awesome but our waitress was totally aloof. She missed multiple orders of ours and we had to reorder those, and she acted super confused each time we had to tell her. She didn't give any direction on the process, and each time we wanted to add to the order we had to wave her down. I don't think she proactively checked on us once. A table nearby had the hotpot and that looked really good. We were intrigued and want to come back and try it. All in all, a great experience, and $31 per person for the amount of food you can rack up felt like a really good deal.

    We went there for Mother's Day with family, and everyone loved their food. The place looks small…read morefrom the outside, but it was actually quite big on the inside. Plenty of space for parking in the back. Dark, smoky atmosphere with Asian interior designs. Perfect ambiance for BBQ! We had both Korean BBQ & hot pot, absolutely worth the price for both. The BBQ was by far everyone's favorite. We recommend the beef bulgogi, beef short ribs, and pork belly--these were the best for BBQ. Since it was all you can eat, we had a few servings of them. There was also a counter for different types of sauce one could get and a dessert section. The hot pot was great as well. We recommend the bone broth and the fish/shrimp/meatballs with it as well as udon noodles. The service was great overall. Our server was busy, but she managed to be attentive with us. We left with our belly full. We will absolutely come back.

    Photos
    Back Street BBQ & Hotpot
    Back Street BBQ & Hotpot
    Back Street BBQ & Hotpot

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    Stone Bowl Grill

    Stone Bowl Grill

    3.5(368 reviews)
    0.2 miLower East Side
    $$

    Compared to other Korean restaurants I've been to, this one offers less free appetizers and more…read moreexpensive prices. I got the short rib soup - King Kalbi Tang. It came piping hot in a stone bowl so very glad it comes with a side of rice. It also has clear rice noodles. Portion size was good but the short rib wasn't very flavorful. Happy Milwaukee has Asian options. But not noteworthy.

    We came here the other day because I was craving Korean food but did not have the time nor energy…read moreto make it. I have not been here before so we decided to try it out and see if it was worth it. I ordered the beef kulguksu and my wife ordered the bibimbap. I have kulguksu before but only when my mom would make it back in Korea. It took about 20 mins until the food was ready but when it was brought to us I could smell the flavor of the broth. It was extremely hot, so I had to wait a bit until I could eat it. My wife's bibimbap was also piping hot but hearing the rice crackle always brings back fond memories of my motherland. I was a little shocked that they did not provide banchan though. Banchan is the side dishes that are usually provided with each meal at Korean restaurants or houses for home cooked meals. I didn't ask why because it was pretty busy and I knew I would be full after all the soup. After my kulguksu cooled down a bit I was able to taste the savory beef broth. If you have never had this before, the noodles are usually hand rolled and have a more chewy texture. They are not sweet potato or ramen noodles, so they are able to absorb more of the flavor of the broth. There was beef, cabbage and onion all cooked in the broth that just was a happy medley of deliciousness. I am not going to talk much about the bibimbap because while my wife said it was really good, it was pretty much the norm for bibimbap. I will say however that the kulguksu was as good as my mom's, if not better. So, I will definitely be back for that--I just wish they offered banchan too.

    Photos
    Stone Bowl Grill
    Stone Bowl Grill - Jap Che

    Jap Che

    Stone Bowl Grill - Bimbibop Spicy Pork

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    Bimbibop Spicy Pork

    Todd - Thai Larb rub chicken wings - not very spicy but delicious!

    Todd

    4.6(64 reviews)
    3.8 miBay View
    $$

    Super happy with my meal at Todd! I ordered takeout and my meal was ready very quickly. The worker…read morewas very sweet, and I even got an extra tender in my 3pc order- that made my day! The order of fries was more than enough to share, and the quality and freshness were very apparent. I am excited to go back to Todd to try the karaage and katsu! The outdoor hut/seating area is quaint. I love the vibe of this place!

    What can I say about Todd? I love their wings, tenders, rice cakes AND their katsu. It hits all the…read moreflavor and texture profiles I usually want and they are really quick about cooking the food to order. The staff is always very nice and if they are busy for some reason, they even have kiosks to order from as well. I'm Korean and love me some Korean fried chicken wings, but going here means I do not have to make them, make a mess in my kitchen, or have to spend time prepping everything beforehand. Yes, I know these are Karaage but they are very similar. I usually get the boneless wings just because I am weird and do not like having sticky fingers when I am eating, so these I can eat with a fork. The crispiness is always spot-on and I love that they give you just enough sauce to give everything a good coat and flavor but not too much that the chicken is drowning. I also really love the rice cakes that they add into the tenders and wings, it's like a nice little chewy treat to go with everything. Their fries are a LOT of fries! My wife and I have learned we can share one order of them. They have a bunch of varieties of seasonings you can add to the fries but I tend to get mine plain and just eat it with ketchup. I love coming here and their little outdoor patio is great when I want to bring my pup or just enjoy the nice fresh air as we eat our meal.

    Photos
    Todd - Kiosk ordering. This menu has pictures to see what you're ordering.

    Kiosk ordering. This menu has pictures to see what you're ordering.

    Todd - Chicken Katsudon

    Chicken Katsudon

    Todd - Outdoor dining

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    Outdoor dining

    Dia Bom

    Dia Bom

    4.3(14 reviews)
    0.1 miEast Side, Murray Hill, Lower East Side

    Great service but only okay food. I love both latin and asian flavors, but mixing the two caused…read morethe food to lack the flavor complexity of both cuisines. I got the special of the week which happened to be birria ramen and it was only okay. Decent sized bowl for the price but I was hoping for it to be better The location is in the crossroad collective which is a fun place to bring picky eaters. It has many options for food so everyone can find something they love. So maybe grab an appetizer here and give another stall a try too.

    Asian X Latino fusion restaurant. Pretty unique in Milwaukee! I appreciate the diversity that Dia…read moreBom has brought to Milwaukee food scene. The menu is basically $6 - $11 for appetizer sized of food, so it could easily cost someone $18 - $27 to get full. I tried Churro Bao with Strawberries, Beer Braised Pork Belly and Jerk Chicken Bao. I really liked the pork belly that's crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It's a slightly heavy dish due to the fat from the pork belly, but the sauce on top balanced it out. It really reminded me of Cantonese-style roasted pork. The Jerk Chicken Bao - I liked the flavorful meat and the refreshing veggies and pineapple. But I am not 100% sure about putting them in Bao. To me, the flavors and texture didn't add up here. The Churro Bao w Strawberries idea worked though! Sweet, warm, flavorful. The Ube sauce on top was so good. I enjoyed them a lot!

    Photos
    Dia Bom
    Dia Bom - Jerk chicken bao

    Jerk chicken bao

    Dia Bom - Strawberry

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    Strawberry

    DanDan - Sesame Chicken Bao: I guess it's  "American Chinese" because it's like a burger instead of a traditional Bao.

    DanDan

    3.8(612 reviews)
    2.2 miHistoric Third Ward
    $$$

    I have been to DanDan multiple times recently and have left full and happy (: I'd recommend sitting…read moreout on their cute patio on a nice day and enjoying some delicious food. If you like a little bit of spice I really enjoyed the Happy Chicken specialty and (of course) the DanDan noodles are a must. For appetizers, the crab rangoons and Sichuan pork dumplings were so delicious. We also had the mapo tofu dish that was great delicious for the vegetarian option. So many delicious things to split between friends My absolute favorite dish they offer is the walnut shrimp. It was so delicious and sweet, I will definitely be ordering it every time I'm back at DanDan! Lastly, we tried some sweet mango crème brûlée that hit the spot at the end of a nice din din

    I had an incredible time at DanDan. Granted, it was because of my Chase CC that we got a prime time…read morereservation and the meal was essentially free due to Open Table credit, but honestly, we were so happy with our experience. I completely agree that this isn't authentic chinese food, but approachable fusion that tries to keep it truthful to the flavors and presentation. The highlight of the meal was the peking duck, which they only have about 2 orders of a night. We snagged it immediately when we sat down and it can easily feed 4 people with the sides. The duck was juicy and cut into thick pieces, so it was more of a steak rather than a bao style that I am used to. Nevertheless, it was delicious and even warmed up well the next day. The green onion wraps were...strange in my opinion. They fell apart easily and didn't have the best flavor that complemented the duck. Overall, I would come back for the duck itself, but everything else was average or extra salty. Service was great and the staff are very attentive. Happy eating!

    Photos
    DanDan - Inside

    Inside

    DanDan - Smashed Cucumbers

    Smashed Cucumbers

    DanDan - Outside

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    Outside

    Maru Korean Bistro - korean - Updated September 2026

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