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    Nice Rice UTC

    3.3 (26 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

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    NICE RICE UTC ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - Nice Rice UTC

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    Service counter
    Emmett T.

    Although the business name and owners have changed multiple times over the years, this vendor stand at the Westfield UTC Mall dining terrace has continued to serve fast casual Korean food. Nice Rice is the latest iteration offering a build your own bowl concept. There were three steps to the ordering process... protein, base, and sauce. Nine proteins, five bases, and four sauces were available. I chose the first listed protein which was the galbi or BBQ beef short ribs. Egg fried rice was my base along with sweet soy sauce. Galbi was the most expensive meat, and there were about ten pieces of grilled short ribs with good char in the bowl. The kitchen made a mistake and provided white rice instead of the fried egg version. Not much sweet soy sauce was provided in a small plastic cup which made the mixture in the bowl rather dry. Eight add-ons/sides and several beverages, some of which were prepackaged, rounded out the rest of the menu. My order didn't take long to be prepared as there was only one customer ahead of me. I gave a three star rating for the quality of my bowl for the $16.99 I paid.

    Bulgogi Rice
    Erika T.

    Quick grab and go spot. The food came out fast and the portions were bigger than I expected. Ordered the Bulgogi with half rice and half salad (they charge an extra dollar to do that). The bulgogi wasn't too salty or overly sweet. It balanced well overall with the rice. I'd definitely come back if I needed a quick lunch and a protein fix.

    Honey garlic fried chicken on kimchi fried rice
    Ginger P.

    It's nice that there's an affordable Korean food option at UTC now. I'm rooting for this Korean-owned business to succeed! The prices are reasonable and the portions are pretty big in my opinion. My husband had the honey garlic fried chicken on kimchi fried rice. I love that they have kimchi fried rice as an option (even though the kimchi flavor is not that strong). The chicken was good, crispy but maybe on the slightly saltier side. NOTE: This place is definitely catering to a Western palate. It's not authentic Korean food! But as long as you know to expect that, I think you will like it. I didn't find the service to be unfriendly at all as opposed to what another reviewer mentioned. I think it's important to be culturally aware and realize that the people who work here aren't necessarily being unfriendly by being more reserved and direct.

    Bulgogi Rice
    Meg C.

    I'm giving this Korean food stand 5 stars because they exceeded my expectations. I ordered Galbi with Kimchi fried rice and my husband had Bulgogi with kimchi fried rice. The meat was so tender and was seasoned very well. The kimchi fried rice was really tasty. My husband loved the bulgogi. Service was great and they served our food quickly. I will definitely go back for some Galbi on my next craving.

    Cheese Tteok-Bokki
    Kathy V.

    Not worth it, doesn't look or taste like regular Cheese Tteok-Bokki. It tastes absolutely awful! If you never had Tteok-Bokki or Korean food pls avoid, you will just have bad impression about Korean food!

    #9 with bulgogi extra 3.99
    CJ L.

    the price is a bit high but the food is good. The service was okay not friendly but okay. The ambiance is clean.

    Yuzu Lemonade
    Leah B.

    Excellent quick option given what's available, you can taste the freshness of the ingredients which is rare in a mall food court. Reminded me more of a cantina style spot in Hong Kong! Quick and friendly service l, didn't take long.

    Galbi and kimchi fried rice
    Michelle S.

    Really good service and quick. Everything tasted fresh and was really good. Prices weren't bad either. I definitely recommend this place. Give it a try.

    Bulgogi Lovers Box

    The food here is really good!! I got the bulgogi bowl and it tasted delicious. The food came fast too. I would've given it a 5 but what I didn't like was the worker who took my order. She was a young girl but very serious and quiet. She looked almost annoyed that I was ordering.

    Katsu Chicken Bowl with Glass Noodles and Veggies

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    3 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    5 months ago

    I got food poisoning after eating food from here, I started to get really sick in the car and got a really bad head ache and felt nausous.

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    6 months ago

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    5 months ago

    the corn dog made me nauseous and vomit, corn dogs are also very greasy. never coming back

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Soooooooo delicious!!!! Such friendly customer service also. ;) Korean Beef Bulgogi is excellent!

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    Friend's House Korean - 36. Seafood Udon

    Friend's House Korean

    4.0(1.4k reviews)
    4.5 miKearny Mesa
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    Full stars for the thoughtful service at this place. They went above and beyond making our dining…read moreexperience enjoyable. Highly recommend their tofu soup. Their potions are filling. The inside has plenty of tables to sit at, plus they have a patio. Would definitely come back.

    Really happy that there was no wait time on a Friday night at 7:00 p.m.. place also had quite a…read morenice aesthetic and we got a table under outdoor space. Food was actually pretty good and service was also decently fast. Kimchi pancake was extremely large and we certainly appreciate that! Definitely good value for money there. Flavor was also exceptional. It was soft and light and had that kimchi flavor but wasn't too overpoweringly strong either. It was fairly oily though so I had to press out some of that oil using paper towels. Spicy chicken entree item was really nice. Not too spicy and it also had some veggies in there which I appreciate. Sauce itself was delicious and I think the only downside is that there was not as many large pieces of chicken so it was hard to tell what was chicken and what was rice cakes. Friend and husband definitely enjoyed the beef bulgogi. I only tasted a little and it was definitely good. I was really excited about the Hot Stone Bibimbap, but it didn't deliver as much. Rice on the side was fairly crispy which was nice, but overall I think it was missing a little something. The Bibimbap sauce they gave on the side was a 10/10 though!

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    Choi's - Galbi Glazed Tomahawk. 30 Day Dry Aged

    Choi's

    4.6(657 reviews)
    11.8 miEast Village
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    Romantic vibe
    Private events

    Came here with their revamped fine dining Korean Asian Fusion menu during Happy Hour and this place…read morewas absolutely amazing!!!!! First off, there is free parking available, just circle around the building until you see a garage entrance for retail parking. Two hours for free! Let me first explain the aesthetics of this place. Clean and modern with mid century feel accented with greenery throughout. Please note that they won't seat you until most of your party is present. We came here for Happy Hour which was from 4-6pm from Tuesday to Sunday! This is fantastic that HH includes the weekend!!!! To start, got a wellness shot which had a meld of juices and ginger. A great drink to ready your palate. For cocktails, I tried the Suika Spritz, which was refreshing! The Absolutely Pho-nomenal definitely tasted like cold Pho broth but spiked. It wasn't my favorite drink, but glad I tried it nonetheless. Of course we ordered the $1 oysters, and ordered all three - Baja, Pacific Northwest, & East Coast. It came with some Asian fusion sauces to dress our oysters. My fave was the Baja as these were the freshest! All three were smooth and non briny. On the HH menu we also tried - Bulgogi Birria Vampiro - Tender meat with bulgogi seasoned beef on top of a tostada. Really liked the meld of the two cultures in this dish. Duck Liver Mousse - Comes with rustic bread & crème fraiche. Very duck forward. I liked this because it was rich with flavor. Stone Crab Taco - Loved the nod to Loganisa in this taco! This was by far, my favorite protein dish on the HH menu!!!! Regular Menu - Mango Nasturium Kimchi Salad - I absolutely loved this vibrant and fresh dish!!!! I had to go back for second and thirds! Shishito Peppers with Bonito Flakes - This was definitely a fun and flavorful dish with lots of umami. Dessert - Hotteok and Vanilla Ice Cream - this was my favorite dessert! The pancakes were flaky and delicious!! Bonbunja Tiramisu - Beware! This has a strong coffee taste. It reminded of the strength and flavor profile of a Vietnamese coffee. I can't believe it's not cheesecake - Definitely a mix of a brûlée but with a cheesecake flavor. Confusing but works lol. We met the executive chef, Kyler, who explained and served some of dishes we ordered. The entire staff was so accommodating and even reminded us if we needed our parking validated! Our water never ran empty and our dishes were promptly taken away as we finished. Definitely a place to visit during HH since they offer amazing food and cocktail choices.

    My wife and I went here for dinner expecting to eat great food based on all the high reviews and…read morethe upscale price, but we were instead left with disappointment and a big fat check with an unexpected automatic 20% gratuity fee for 2 people. Food: We got several appetizers and 3 entrees. We had the Mango Kimchi Salad, Bulgogi Birria Vampiro, Silkworm Pupa Tacos, Doenjang Risotto, Miso Lingcod, and Braised Short Rib. We got plenty of dishes to try, but unfortunately they were either simply mediocre or had an issue. The Kimchi Salad was too strong in spice and the mangos were unripe and hard. The Birria Vampiro was simply mediocre and sort of bland. Silkworm Pupa Tacos were again sort of bland. The Risotto was undercooked and crunchy instead of 'al dente'. Miso Lingcod had a very fishy taste and not much else. And the Braised Short Rib was too salty. Drinks: I got the Choi's cocktail and my wife got the Gangnam Style espresso martini. Both drinks were very well made and tasted great! Service: Unlike the food, the service was great! From the person who confirmed our reservation, to the staff at the front of the door, and to our server, they were all extremely friendly. We were celebrating an occasion, which we made known when booking and upon sitting down we got a handwritten card with a congratulations note. That was very unexpected and awesome! We also got a couple of complimentary cocktail shots from the bartender while we were there. Overall, I would say the staff and service was extremely good. Parking: The area of San Diego that Choi's is located is unfortunately very bad. Overfilled with homeless, drug addicts, and just plain shady looking people who roam the streets. I was overjoyed when I found out that they give you two hours of complimentary parking in a safe place! So to summarize: The staff that provide great service, the bartender with awesome drinks, and the free parking in a safe place simply do not make up for the main reason we were there: the food. The only reason I gave this place 2 stars instead of 1 was because of all these other factors besides the food. Before paying the bill and leaving, we did let the server know about the issues we found with the food in a very friendly and constructive way. She was thankful for the honesty and the feedback.

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    Manna Heaven BBQ

    Manna Heaven BBQ

    4.3(4.8k reviews)
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    The food was amazing like always... Destiny was our server and has been our server before, we love…read moreher customer service she always greets us with a smile and is very attentive to whatever it is that we need. We love coming here on a regular basis and the fact that she remembers us means a lot because it only means she goes above and beyond to take care of her customers.

    For Korean BBQ, Manna BBQ really sets the standard. The bar is high, and after the remodel the…read moreentire place feels refreshed without losing what made it great in the first place. The updated decor looks clean, modern, and welcoming. What always stands out to me is the service. The staff is incredibly attentive and efficient without making it feel forced. Water gets refilled constantly, grills are swapped out before they get too burnt up, and food comes out quickly after ordering. It keeps the whole experience smooth and enjoyable. The quality of the food is also consistently solid. Everything tastes fresh, the marinades are flavorful without being overwhelming, and portions are fair. I also appreciate that they're accommodating with portion requests instead of making it complicated. Even the smaller details stand out here. Their sides are genuinely good, especially the steamed egg and rice paper. You can tell there's a difference in quality compared to a lot of other KBBQ spots. And ending the meal with the ice cream dessert option is just a nice touch that rounds everything out perfectly. Overall, it's just one of those places that consistently delivers a really good experience every time I go.

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    Nice Rice UTC - korean - Updated June 2026

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