First time visit Nov 2022. l ordered the kimchi jjigae and tteokbokki, both were excellent. l'd suggest letting the pork in the stew marinate overnight as it was a bit chewy. The leftover stew l took home had softer pork pieces the next day. Housemade cabbage kimchi and the cucumber salad was amazing. l took extra kimchi home too. Would appreciate an additional banchan option given my allergy to potatoes, but l shall return!! Craving the tteokbokki as l type... read more

The stir fried ramen is absolutely amazing! And of course the Beef Bulgogi and Beef Bulgogi appetizer YUM! The service is also exceptional!

The food here is exceptional, and unique. And the service staff know their food options well and are helpful.

The food here is absolutely delicious and is very reasonably priced. The staff is also very kind and I will definitely be returning to this establishment to try some new food. read more

Food is amazing! It's our favorite spot, my kids love it, all their food is delicious and they have vegan/vegetarian options! 100% would recommend! read more

They have been closed for two weeks. I called to see if they were open, they said they would be closing at 2:30. I walk in around 2. Several employees walk past me as I wait for ten minutes. The manager walks out of the back to inform me that because they close at 2:30 they won't seat me. During my wait they took multiple to-go orders. If you won't seat people after a certain time note that somewhere. Was very disappointed in this interaction. read more

We went here over Thanksgiving weekend while we were visiting family. Everything I had was phenomenal. We opted for the Korean Fried Chicken (Hot -- it didn't have that much of a kick to it), fried pork dumplings, and the fried ramen. It was all delicious. I am excited to come back here every time I am in Bloomington! If you haven't been, make sure to check it out. They offer dine-in and take out. Staff was friendly, the place was clean, and all staff wore masks. A must-try for sure! read more

Very good food and the service was awesome ! Every time I go the food is hot and delicious

Really enjoyed Seoul Mama! Waiter was so helpful guiding us through the menu! Food was incredible! Obviously made with love!!

I'm very excited to have a Korean place in town. If you've not had Korean food, Seoul Mama will provide you a good start. They have the Korean staples you want. I got the tofu soup with beef and a side of pickled radishes. The sides came out first. The kimchi and spicy cucumber pickles were wonderful. The quality of the kimchi is incredible. Freshly made, and I generally go for a bit more fermented funk, but very good kimchi. I hope they are keeping some aside for aging. The pickled radishes were also very good. Some free hot tea came out, also. A very unique taste I would have gladly paid for. The soft tofu soup comes in a stone bowl and is very hot. The consistency of the tofu is exactly as it should be. Soft and barely holding together with a light taste to combat the floating chili oil. The soup was flavorful and slightly spicy (I got the mild) with bits of beef and vegetables in a delightfully beefy broth. It will be difficult to try the rest of the menu when I know I can have this. I don't generally write reviews because I am mostly indifferent to whether any given place remains open, particularly in a city dominated with chains and the same bar a dozen times a mile. Seoul Mama offers a wonderful change and I hope they are around for a long time. read more

Seoul Mama - Soybean stew special - Korean Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

This place is great the food was tasty I got the bulgogi beef it was marinated great a little sweet which was great it paired really well with the kimchi and the kimchi cucumbers really like the Potato banchan as well also had the pickled radish and the barley tea... also had the pork dumplings they were okay... the place was packed but the food was great worth the wait I'll be back for sure I hope this place does great and add more to the menu would like to see you some more banchan's sprouts for sure and some other dishes like (jap chan) wich are glass noodles.. And maybe the steamed egg dish not sure the name all in all a great place i will be back to try the rest of the menu read more

Seoul Mama - Korean Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Yummm! Finally got to try this place out and had a couple things - the spicy wings to start with. They are just a little bit spicy (and sweet) but nothing crazy so I think most anyone would like them. Also, they're more crispy than "gloppy" which I really like - the sauce was pretty much baked on and not just put on after cooking. Then I had the seafood pancake that had little shrimp, some crab...and maaaybe calamari? Anyway, it was very good with lots of green onion flavor to go with it. I think it was also a generous portion, and definitely between it and the wings I have leftovers! I'll be back! read more

so...disclaimer...I know Korean food well, and have eaten a lot of it....I won't belabor the point...the side dishes are too small and not very good, service is not too bad, and portion sizes very lacking for the price which is a capital crime in Korean culture. Charge me more please but don't leave people hungry. The bibimbap was not great with almost no meat. Food overall has decent Korean taste but these are penny pinchers. read more

My husband and I just visited for lunch. We eat quite a bit of Korean food, so we were cautiously excited about having a Korean restaurant in town. Although there was a big party (12+) there at the same time, the service was great... Very attentive to our needs and an appropriate wait to get our food. Speaking of food, the small fermented dishes (kimchi, kimchi cucumbers, and potato) came out first... an amuse-bouche, these three delightfully cleared our palette. Made by the owner (we asked), these were the best kimchi we had ever had. We ordered the Korean wings, pork rib (Galbi) lunch special, and the bibimbap. Everything was amazing. The flavors were rich and authentic. The wings were finger-licking good. The ribs came with the classic Korean BBQ sweet sauce. So good with our bowls of rice. The vegetables in the bibimbap were perfectly seasoned and not overcooked. It came in a stone bowl, so the rice on the bottom was nice and crisp (and not oily like others we have had). And the complimentary hot (barley) tea went perfectly with our meal. We will definitely be back... And soon! read more

I came here for my birthday with my family. The food was amazing! The service was fast. And our waiter Eric was the best he was so nice. Loved this place and I don't like too many places to eat in Blono. read more

This is one of the first places I take the people who visit me. Their ramen is one of my favorite comfort foods, and the Korean fried chicken is a hit, even with my picky eater friends. I just started ordering their new sweet and spicy tofu and it's incredible too. This is one of my most beloved places in town and I highly recommend them to anyone. read more

Amazing!! I am obsessed with this place :) Excellent food, & excellent service! I love that they offer new selections each week! Follow them on IG! read more

Every time I make my way from out west I stop here for lunch. Delicious Korean food at super reasonable prices. Highly recommended.

Great food, service and plenty of options. Tons of gluten free options. Would recommend any of the bbq options. read more

Seoul Mama - Korean Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Food is always very good, but service is very spotty. If Eric is working, it's always a 10/10. There's another waiter who is a male with blonde hair, that is not very good. If he is working, it's not the best. read more

I've eaten at Seoul Mama numerous times, and each time, I find something new to love. Whether it's the fried pork potstickers or the delectable shrimp fried rice, there are no bad options here. Don't miss the beef bulgogi! It's absolutely incredible. Choice, tender diced beef mixed with shredded cabbage is virtually impossible to resist. Add to that the courteous service, and it's an excellent choice for dine-in or carry out. read more

We needed a bite to eat after a long day. Seoul Mam was a great way to end the day. The food was ready fast and FULL of FLAVOR. I got a vegetarian Bibimbap and it was phenomenal- those pickles made the rest of the bowl sing. My daughter got the vegan vegetable dumplings and loved them. She said they were the best she'd ever had. The highlight for her was definitely the Tteokbokki (vegan). This was a dish she'd been wanting to try but never had the opportunity. She loved it and was nice enough to let me try a bite. Delicious little pillows of rice in a fantastic spicy broth. We will definitely make the hour drive each way to grab food here again soon. So yum!!!! read more

I was excited to see a korean restaurant closer to home. Was very disappointed in the quality of food. We ordered the Beef Galbi. It was like chewing on rubber bands. So rubbery. The beef bulgogi was pretty bland. Very little flavor. The side dishes were so small for 3 people and watered down cucumber kimchi, one of the sides tasted spoiled and small bowl of rice with bulgogi extra charge for more rice. Their prices are too high for the poor quality of food. I also got their 5 piece fried chicken. The breading was over cooked and hard. No flavor. I will drive to Champaign to get better Korean food. Was so disappointed. For 3 people our bill was close to $100 including tip. Their choice of music was not good. Rap music. Seriously?? I Love korean food but not this one !! read more

Seoul mama is the best Asian restaurant around. It's not one of those basic Chinese places where you get something and it tastes the same wherever you go. Everything on the menu is good and cooked to order but the beef bulgogi stands king! read more

My first experience with Korean food was here and I fell in love. Everything about Seoul Mama was wonderful.

Delicious food! We had the fried pork cutlet and the KFC combo. Both were so crispy, fresh, and flavorful! I had read on the website that every entree comes with rice, but that was missing for the cutlet order. Maybe the website is outdated in this detail? I quickly made a side of rice, which you'll definitely need for the amount of meat they give you. I won't subtract a star for that because this may have been a website error having to do with mobile viewing. The food was bomb. read more

seafood pancake was good. Fried chicken wings were over-cooked. Chewy. Can be improved.

Disappointed would be an understatement. Ordered ramen to go with bulgogi, seafood and egg. After coming back to work to eat for my lunch break I find that my ramen container busted and pretty much 95% of my ramen was out of the container and all over the plastic bag. Wish they used a more sturdy way to ship ramen to go (especially when it's hot and fresh). Guess if I ever come back I will eat the ramen in the restaurant and not get it to go next time. read more

Seoul Mama - Korean Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

I go to school at DePaul University, and my boyfriend goes to ISU here in Normal. I do not visit Normal to see him - I come down to get Seoul Mama as often as I can! It's not only our favorite restaurant in Normal, but it's one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. It's cozy and comfortable, and the service is wonderful. Our go-to order is the popcorn chicken with pineapple and the chicken fried rice. Both items are always so warm and yummy! The side dishes they give out are great, too, and they're refillable! We love Seoul Mama! read more

Seoul Mama had the most helpful menu I've encountered as a vegan eating at a not completely vegan restaurant. Ordering online was tremendously easy! Not to mention the food itself was fabulous!!! The dumplings, fried rice, & sushi were to die for. read more

We are just getting ready to pay for our meal. We have never had Korean food before, but we wanted to try it. We brought our 24 year old son here because he is interested in Korean food. The food was excellent. I will be craving this daily. We got three separate dishes to try We got something called noodles. which we loved. We got fried tofu and my son got a dish of rice balls. I don't know the actual names of anything. They gave us sides of pickled cucumbers, sliced carrots and potatoes, and Kimchi. Again everything was great. Our waiter Eric was knowledgeable about the food, and really helpful. We were going home to Peoria, and passed Bloomington. I'm glad we stopped. I will definitely go back. I almost forgot we got cabbage rolls for a starter. Our son dislikes most vegetables, but liked the cabbage rolls. My wife and I have talked about eating less meat. I could definitely do it eating this. read more

Amazing!!! I love Seoul Mama . The beef bulgogi is amazing but has onions mixed in for anybody who might not want that. Honestly reccomend everything!! Service is good and it's always full of people because it's so tasty. read more

First time eating Seoul Mama tonight and I can definitely tell why it is so highly regarded. Try the spicy chicken if you like a little heat - some of the best I have had! read more

I know asian food very well and am one of those diners that never eats italian. This is a middle of nowhere restaurant that is very cheaply priced and delivers in flavor. "other than the ramen" but even that was good. TRY THE FRIED CHICKEN. korean fried chicken is a korean staple and is a must try! People who do not know asian food culture are the only ones who do not like this restaurant. Very authentic and a great place to take your college student! just go read more

First visit today. Really good! Had the veg cabbage rolls, ramen, beef bulgogi and a dessert. $34+ tip. The bulgogi was excellent w/ Korean BBQ served over shredded cabbage and onions. Not spicy. Probably will try the spicy pork next time. Also liked the sides of kimchi, cukes, and sauteed potatoes. Service was friendly and quite knowledgeable. They'd get all 5 's from me if they had a better choice of drinks. No wine/beer unfortunately, and the only other choices were soda and barley tea (not my fav). Maybe add some regular teas and some flavored waters like Pelligrino? We'll be back. read more

We waited 40mins to be seated, understandable it's packed. It took 20mins before a server came by and ONLY because we asked where the server was. Side dishes took 20mins to serve. Its been over close to an hour and a half before the server told us that they were out of most of the things we ordered. The tofu soup finally came after an hour and tasted bland. No one came to follow up with the food for us, only came buy to refill drinks. Overall a very poor opening. I know it's a newly opened restaurant. They should've expected this. Also while typing this review the friend chicken got served after an hour and 30 mins since we sat down. read more

Amazing. We live in Peoria and drive here to get food. They're open for carry out during COVID- you just drive up to the front door and they bring it out. The lunch special is delicious and a lot of food. I wish they had a location in Peoria so we didn't have to drive so far! read more

Seoul Mama - Korean Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Food was awesome but my mom got her food about 15 minutes before they were closing for the afternoon and the waiter with the glasses told us (not very nicely) that the staff is leaving in five minutes so we have to leave. It isn't our fault that the food was served so close to closing time so I didn't really appreciate the waiter's rudeness. We don't want to cause inconvenience to the restaurant by staying longer but no need to be super rude :( read more

Seoul Mama serves excellent Korean food at affordable prices. I recently purchased their food for the first time and my wife loved the Beef Bulgogi so much we went back the next day for more! I personally love the Pork Bulgogi. The meet was cooked to perfection and the portion size for dinner was huge. It's listed as spicy but I found it to be pretty mild in comparison to say, many Indian food dishes. Still, it was delicious and went really well with their white rice. If you're out for lunch I would recommend their lunch boxes which will fill you up for a decent price. The sides were all excellent, and I recommend their Kimchi and their Bibimbap. Because of everything going on, I ordered takeout and after driving 30 minutes to get home, the food was still nice and hot and ready to eat! read more

Love this place!! It's close to my work so I order take out often. The staff is always friendly. The food is so good. I love that I can quickly grab lunch and it not have to be something from a fast food chain. Thank you so much for bringing something new to town! I recommend your restaurant when ever I can! Pork bulgogi is my favorite. read more