I find it hard to give a Korean place 3 stars because I want more of them to pop up in the city but U-Town is pretty much a hit or miss. Some dishes, mainly the soups and stir fried proteins with rice, are really, really good and taste like I got them in Korea. Others, like the ddeokbokki and pajeon, really don't meet my expectations for Korean food, especially at this price point. Don't get me wrong, I go here all the time, and the staff are super nice and remind me of my go-to spots in Seoul. At the same time, it doesn't quite take the edge off of "homesickness" as some (still very few) restaurants in the city do. Still, if you're in the neighborhood and want to try some Korean food, this is probably a good place to start. read more

OMG the Korean food tastes just like I remember it as a kid, it's awesome, I drive 35 to 40 minutes just to eat here, thanks for not changing the recipe as I've tasted from other Korean restaurants, Thanks for having the tastes that I remember!!! read more

All those good reviews made me wonder if the owner paid to say nice things. The service is horrible. An example: combo 2 presents a full size short ribs, but what they really are lots of lettuces and few slices of beef. When I tried to negotiate with the owner, what I got is an arrogant attitude. He pointed at the corner of menus and said "it told you actual things will be different", and says in 5 years no one has complained. Wtf? So it becomes my fault to point it out? Paying 10 dollars for beef so few that can be negligible? When does beef become this expensive? read more

U-Town - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A small, modest Korean restaurant located within University City. The Korean food here seems decent, and probably some of the best you'd be able to get in Philly (especially within these areas). I opted for the safest option there probably is, which was the kimchi fried rice with pork. The dish was tasty, and to be honest I had no major problems with it. I wasn't expecting much and it was much tastier than I thought. The rice was hot, flavorful, and the kimchi had a sour, savory bite to it. If you do end up going here, I definitely recommend checking out the kimchi fried rice. Cheers! read more

I enjoyed my experience here, came by for lunch and was seated immediately. I ordered a Kim Chi Jigae (is it a soup, or a stew? both?). It came out piping hot and the flavor was a bit watered down but it satisfied my korean food craving. The Jigae came with a side of steamed rice, kim chi and pickled radishes. If you're craving Korean in U City, Utown should satisfy the craving but i don't expect anything to write home about. Why the two stars? Well, while i was dining there a man came in and ordered some food, which the owner assumed it was a "to go" order since he ordered at the counter. The man then sat down and when the food came out (in the to go plastic bag and container), the owner said that the man wasn't allowed to eat there since he placed an order to go. It was super awkward and i felt pretty bad for the guy, he packed up his food and said that he would never return. I suppose I'm deciding if I should ever return in solidarity. read more

U-Town is a Korean restaurant in University City. There are lots of kids noodle, stone pots and BBQ food. The taste is good and the price is more expensive than the ramen restaurant across the street. read more

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a huge group of us came to U-town for a Korean night (we're exploring different cuisines!) We ended up ordering so much food. Seriously. We had the soft tofu soup, the kimchi soup, the grilled spicy pork belly, the LA short ribs, the bimbimbop (rice bowl), and a spicy rice cake plate. it was AMAZING. i highly recommend the grilled spicy pork belly-- it has a nice smokey-ness to it and the soft tofu soup was so warming on this chilly night. the wonderful food simply added to our already wonderful company. Now brb, I'm going to roll myself back home and doze off in a food coma. read more

U-Town - Grill spicy pork belly and Kim chi soup - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I got the $20 galbi for takeout and it was good, but only enough for 1 person portion read more

U-Town - Galbi - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

UTown is home to me. While I admit it is not the world's most amazing Korean food, it is simple and homey enough to have everyday (which is what I do). After spending a significant amount of form surveying the food scene in NYC Ktown this past summer, I can say that some dishes (such as the galbi tang) are on par if not better than the average Ktown restaurant. Plus the owners are super nice and always remembers our special orders :) I've sampled nearly the entire menu, here are the favorites and unfavorites: Highly recommend: - Galbitang (spicy and non-spicy version) - Dakdoritang (amazing potato soup, perfect for winter) - Budaejigae (don't be shy and ask for more ramen) - Mul Naengmyun - Kimchi Fried Rice - Grilled Spicy Pork Belly - Steamed Pork Dumplings - Kimbap (just wish it had spam!) Pretty good - Jajjangmyun - kimchi jigae - Deuk guek (for those who like lighter dishes) - Hot Stone Pots - Kalbi - Sachontangmyun (love the spicy soup base) Would not recommend: - tteokbokki (not chewy enough, not a fan of the sauce flavor) - Pajeon (not crispy enough, get this at 5 senses in NYC) - Japchae (it's not terrible but just quite oily) - Fried Chicken (flavor is underwhelming, but as a disclaimer, I don't like Korean friend chicken that much) - Salmon Terriyaki (this is just not the place for this) read more

A lot of stuff not going right with this place. We were sat on a pretty open Tuesday night and the table was not cleaned off. It still had pieces of rice and sauce spilled on it. Also, we were not handed a menu until 5 minutes later lol. Water glasses reeked of dish soap. I ordered the beef sundubu ($11.90). Broth was watery and tasteless. The temperature of the sundubu was so low that my egg did not even cook fully. Tofu was soft and silky. Service is non-existent. Banchan was literally just kimchi and daikon. Just no. Not coming back. $10 minimum on credit/debit card. read more

Mediocre all around. The food was passable--or at least the dumplings and bulgogi were. I did spend a summer in Korea, so it is possible that my standards are too high... I do think Tampopo is better though. The service is downright terrible; they point you to a table and forget about you. They really need a better system! Like many other reviewers, we've had to flag down waiters for water and menus. And then the food takes a while to come out. I never notice the decor or atmosphere, so I suppose it's forgettable. This place is always full, so there must be something I'm missing. Or perhaps the waitstaff is so slow that the same patrons are in the restaurant all night... who knows! I would try it again if there was more seating and better service. read more

My go-to order is always the plain soondubu (which I find superior to its beef, seafood or mushroom counterparts). If you're craving authentic Korean food close-by in the University City/Center City area, this is the place to go if you're not willing to make the trek out to Jong Ka Jib in the Northeast. Especially during the winter-time, be sure to stop by for some spicy heat to thaw out frozen hands/feet! *Tip for Korean food first-timers - crack the egg into your soup! :) read more

U-Town - Original Soondubu - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The restaurant is getting more popular these days. During dinner time, you may wait about 30 mins to be able to get your meal. Best call for take out or call before you come. Come after 8pm would be better. read more

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4 stars because U-city desperately needs a Korean restaurant and I don't want them to go away but to be frank, I'd give them three stars. :X I guess they just opened so they're trying to get adjusted to running a new business. The wait was super long, and the minute we walked in they said sorry cash only because they haven't set up their credit card machine yet - which I thought was kind of rude. They should've at least let us sit down and get settled? (it was pouring rain outside after all). Ordering the food was a bit of a mess because they kept saying they couldn't make x dish or y dish. Our group ordered a lot of different dishes and I think all of us thought they were pretty good except the dishes were all pretty salty - esp. the stews. If I were to go there again, I'd get the donkatsu (tonkatsu). I ordered the soon tofu. It was solid except they added squash in it which I thought was odd. It was suuuper salty. read more

This place is so inflexible. I'm vegetarian, so whenever I go to a restaurant, I often substitute the meat in certain dishes for tofu or extra veggies. I asked to substitute beef broth for veggie broth, and they said that they couldn't do that. I then asked to substitute beef for tofu, and they wanted to charge me extra. The owners actually are very stubborn with their menu. The service is also not-that-great, since during prime dinner hours, the place is always packed, which in turn makes the servers even slower. They give you a pitcher for larger groups so you can refill your water yourself, but when the pitcher runs out of water, they completely forget about you and don't refill it for a long, long time. If you don't have a party of more than 4 people, they don't fill your water without you asking. The food itself is alright. Nothing super spectacular about it, but it's decent and qualifies for one of the only places that serves Korean in University City. The sign at the front says it also has Japanese cuisine, which is a lie because there isn't any Japanese cuisine on the menu. If you ask the servers for their Japanese food, they'll point you to the Japanese restaurant across the street. read more

U-Town - Ramen - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1. Bussssyyyyyy 2. Tight space 3. Saucy Consumed: Spicy Fried squid dish $10.50 Bulgogi $13.50 I really enjoyed the squid dish. The squid was the perfect texture and flavorful with the sauce. The bulgigi was a little dry, but still decent. Give Utown a try! read more

U-Town - Bbq chicken bibimbap! - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

U-Town is definitely one of the better Korean restaurants I've been to that cater to Americans. It's a small joint on the Penn campus and the service is great. The servers are all very polite and respectful. Each table has a large bottle of water so you can self-refill. The food as a whole is good, albeit a bit salty for my taste. The mushroom soondubu is my favorite so far. The kimchi here is good, unlike Koreana's dry and bitter kimchi. Price is reasonable. I've been here 3 times already, and will definitely be coming back to satiate my Korean-American food cravings. read more

Bringing more K-town to U-city. Came here for lunch with a friend over the weekend. This place hadn't opened up by the time I graduated (RIP MexiCali), but if it had, I definitely would've frequented a lot. I'm a huge Koreana fan, and the proximity to campus would make Utown a more popular choice. This place is more of a sit down, with wait service and water brought to your table instead of self serve. The in-house and take-out menus are identical, with lots of useful illustrations next to their huge choice selection. I was feeling chilly and went for a seafood soondubu, while my friend went with a yuk gal tang. Some kimchi and radishes came out immediately and our food came out shortly thereafter, less than 5 minutes. To be honest, their soondubu wasn't my favorite, not because it was bad tasting, but because it was just different than I'm used to. I loved the location and environment, but I don't know if the soondubu would be the dish to bring me back. If it's blizzarding and I'm craving Korean food, would I walk all the way to Koreana? Probably not, although if Utown doesn't step it up, I would have no choice. I'm willing to give it another try though! read more

U-Town - seafood soondubu - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

U-Town is a welcome addition to Korean options around Penn's campus (Koreana, Tyson Bee's, KoJa), bringing an extensive menu, competitive prices, and some really tasty noms. Soondubu is one of my favorite Korean dishes. This flavorful soup is chock full of the meat of your preference (U-Town offers beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and veg options), silken tofu, and veggies. U-Town goes provides you a fresh egg to crack over the top (it will cook in the broth), which is one of my favorite parts and not something I have seen all Korean restaurants do for this dish (maybe they think it will weird newbs out?). Servings are plentiful and hearty, and all tables are provided kimchi and pickled radish free of charge. The dining area is small but nicely decorated, and the staff courteous and always willing to give you recommendations. Extra important, and I can't emphasize this enough, food will actually be spicy if you ask for it to be! Docking one star as service can be slow. You may need to work a little get your water refilled, extra napkins, etc, but you'll probably be too distracted by your food to care. Definitely a worthwhile stop if you are in the area! read more

U-Town - Seafood Soondubu - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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my go to asian comfort food place on campus. i love the kalabi tang as a comforting food whenever it's cold outside or i'm feeling a bit under the weather. the tofu soup with rice is another incredible combo, would highly recommend. read more

I really missed korean food while in Philly and this place is not too far away and satisfies my korean food cravings. I love their potato stew because they put big pieces of meat in and the potatos are also fresh and not cooked too much. I also love the broth in the potato stew. However, I do not enjoy their beef soondoobu because the soup is way too watery, the beef doesn't taste too fresh, and the broth is not that flavorful. their kimchi and radish is okay but i wish they would put down the prices becuase it costs me about $15 overall to just get a budaejjigae. read more

U-Town - Beef Soondoobu - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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This place is not a bad alternative to Koreana. It's slightly closer to campus (and by campus, I mean the Huntsman building at UPenn), so it's a slightly more convenient lunch spot. I tried their budae jigae (hotpot with ramen and lots of other goodies), and while it was satisfying, I still like Koreana's version better. My friends got a clear beef broth with daikon. It was tasty, and they absolutely loved it. That's probably what you need to order. I've also heard that the KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) here is pretty good! read more

Your ever-reliable spot for Korean comfort food on campus. They do all the classics from bibimbap to soondubu jigae, in an unpretentious and cozy one room restaurant. Asian drinks like Milkis and some snacks and ramen are also available for purchase in the restaurant. I had the beef soondubu jigae most recently (tofu kimchi soup with beef, served with a side of rice) and it was great, especially on a cold day. read more

U-Town - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I came in to U line with an open mind not really expecting much and they quickly surpassed whatever I was thinking. The food here is legit! I had broiled prime rib and my gf had the broiled pork belly. They were both so full of umami flavor it's ridiculous! The meat was Soo incredibly tender and delicious. They also bring the meat out on a sizzling dish which adds to the ambiance (you taste with your eyes before your mouth) This place is an amazing Discovery and is on my radar. I'll be telling everyone how good the food was here read more

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Terrible service...the guy literally kicked me out because he thought I ordered take out, I didn't. I paid (and tipped) and sat down to eat and the guy confronted me like I was stealing. He was like what are you doing sitting down. I politely asked if I could stay and he basically said no, that it wasn't usual. He was kicking me out. I left in a huff and said I won't be back. I guess I would have understood if the place was packed but it wasn't! There were just 2 other people there and plenty of empty seats. Later I realized they also got my order wrong, I asked for no onions. Food was ok but the side of humiliation left a bad taste in my mouth. read more

Pretty good food! Affordable and good serving sizes. Quick service and friendly staff.

Average food for a relatively high price. Service not great, only one waiter for all the tables. Not very loyal to recurring customers. Food is average, not bad but nothing spectacular. read more

No frills Korean restaurant. Small place but serves some authentic and decent food. High prices keep it from being a popular spot to visit though. You can tell the food is good and real because only Koreans typical go here and eat. They only serve radish and kimchee as the sides but they are unlimited so go crazy. They serve big portion so keep that in mind or you might go home with more than one takeout box. read more

Much, much better than Koreana. While slightly more expensive, I can attest that the soon doo boo is hearty and a real meal, especially if you dine in since they give you the raw egg and side dishes of pickled radishes and kimchi. I also love how the soup dishes are always bubbling when they come out, and simply teeming with tofu. I always get the seafood soondooboo and am always satisfied at how much fresh seafood (especially the squid) and tofu (almost half a block, probably) is in the bowl. Add in the generous heaping of rice, and you'll be full for half a day. Service is simply fine; they try to do their best with what they have, although sometimes there is a language barrier. They are also pretty inflexible if you have any restrictions: no substitutions, and certain things cannot be take-out. read more

They have al the popular Korean dishes available year round, that's important for those who have favorites and curious about trying a different dish particular to Korea. I haven't tried everything, just the chicken soup (prepared just right, ginseng, dates,...), L.A. galbi (the chef prepared it well, however the meat wasn't the choicest),cha-jang myun, chol-myun.... The food preparation and taste so far has been perfected in my opinion- the fact that the chefs choice in where he's getting the galbi isn't entirely his fault (asking butcher for choicest parts can be impossible...)... but the noodles didn't come out over done or under done (al-dente is my preference).... In conclusion, best in Phila.... so far. The side dishes though, there seems to be only 2 compared with some other places (like 5-12). Searobul is better restaurant, nal-mada (in cheltenham and north wales...some other places do just as good....) Good luck (understanding me) and getting served correctly read more

I was pleasantly surprised by the food here. As a Korean, its really hard to find Korean food that does not taste like MSG....The food here tastes more authentic than other Korean restaurants around this area.They have a wide variety of choices. The food is hit or miss depending on what you get & your exepectations for Korean food. The chicken dish and the pa-jeon (sea-food pancake) were so-so for me. However, their gam-ja-tang (hot soup with meat, potatoes and veggies) was great! I was not expecting an authentic gam-ja-tang at all when I ordered it, and I was very very happy :) Great for a cold, winter day. Also, it was not overwhelmingly salty or spicy, and had generous portions of meat. I would give more than five stars for it! read more

I'm from LA so I'm used to some pretty good Korean food, and I have to say that U-town comes closest to satisfying my Korean food cravings when I'm at school. I've had their kimchi jjigae, bibim bap and, jjajangmyeon and pajeon which were all flavorful Korean staples that I crave. I definitely agree, that their portions are small, definitely considering how much they charge for it (most dishes are in the $10-13 range), and that service isn't particularly friendly. I probably wouldn't give it super high marks if it weren't in Philly, but hey it's probably the best we got. read more

I have been here a few times and generally have found the food to be okay until today. The galbi I ordered at first glance looked like a lot of food, but the bottom was covered with large meatless bones. Last time, my portion was so large that I had to push what remained on my plate away to a lucky friend. This time, I was still hungry and had to fill myself up on free pickles. Very disappointing. read more

Personally, I think U-Town is one of the an okay option for Korean food in University City. They provide a lot of options that are a little bit on the expensive side, but the food is definitely not worth paying for to satisfy your Korean food cravings. The food is good but not great, and I believe it also depends on what you order. I would recommend their hot pot dishes (I prefer the meat options over the seafood ones) and the bibimbap. Sadly, you only get 2 side dishes: kimchi and pickled radishes. On the bright side, the portions are reasonable. Overall the service here is great and fast and I would come back for my Korean food cravings! If you haven't been here, I would at least give it a try! read more

U-Town - Korean Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Well, among the crappy food places in University City, this is my go-to place if I'm craving Korean. You have to go all the way to North Philly to find better Korean food. I always get the Yuk-gae-jang here. It's pretty solid. The Jap-Chae sucks. Too dry and has a weird taste that's difficult to explain. Does the place use MSG? Duh! It's a Korean place, what do you expect? read more

Read the reviews before I went here. I was a bit disappointed about the food. I got the combo set since I wanted to try the Galbi & soondubu jjigae. lets start off with the side dishes. Kimchi & danmuji which is the yellow radish. There is a saying , "if the kimchi is too sweet, or too sour. chances are the food will not be good either." Kimchi was a bit sour. Good to use for fried rice but not eating. Danmuji was okay. can't make a mistake on this. Main dishes: Soondubu jjigae - What can I say it wasn't steaming hot...just flat and boring. Crack a egg inside and the egg yolk turn into poach egg. For some odd reason the taste felt like a mix of shin ramen powder and something else. Not much tofu and regret ordering it. If you want good soondubu jjigae go to North Philly - Jong Ka Jib Soft Tofu Restaurant or Dubu Restaurant. Galbi - The meat was cut up in slices. portion size was okay. Having lettuce next to the galbi warm. It just didn't make any sense. If I wanted to use lettuce give it to me on the side. warm lettuce & galbi doesn't go together. ill try something else next time if I do come back. read more

U-Town is just okay in my book. Food is alright, but it really loses points in terms of value. It's not only just has a more expensive than Koreana, but you also need to pay tip for pretty much the same type of service you get at Koreana. To preface - I'm not a huge expert on Korean food. I have tried some of the soups and the soondubu. They were pretty yummy! I've heard from other people who are more familiar with Korean food that U-Town generally has better food than Koreana on a general level, but some dishes in Koreana are better. Again, not an expert but the food is fine. However, I personally think that U-Town is super cramped and it's really hard to get a seat during dinner-time. There aren't a ton of tables, and a lot of the time I was forced to eat sitting on these stools with a small side table. Not super comfortable. These seats also give me a sense of "order, eat, leave." That's totally cool for me. It's efficient to eat this way as a student. The waiters just walk around taking orders and serving the food, and the water is given in a large canister in the beginning so there's no need for them to pour you more water. So I don't really see the need for table service, and I think that it would function better as a cafeteria - kinda like what Koreana does. tl;dr - food is fine, but I'm confused about the service concept and think that Koreana does it better for less and without a tip. read more

Definitely mediocre. It's a knock-off version of Koreana in a nicer location (aka not right above a strip club in a sketchy parking lot with uber slippery stairs that every person struggles with). This being said, the place is always packed when I want to grab food! FOOD: 3/5 Personally, I'm a bit sad that the bi bim bap isn't served in a stone bowl. I honestly don't even know if that's required of bi bim bap, but as a clueless non-Korean, that's what I expect! The ja jang myun was also somewhat disappointing, but I credit my parents for making the most delicious ja jang myun, so my expectations, again, may be too high. SERVICE: 1/5 Flat out disappointing. One time, my food took 30 minutes to come. Water jug was constantly ignored and left empty. The waiters and cashiers seemed to be completely clueless and gossiping away without attending the restaurant visitors. AMBIANCE:3/5 Typical, college student filled small shop. Seats are limited, so come with a back up plan. In fact, I'll gladly recommend Pattaya or New Delhi/Sitar over this place. read more

I have been here twice and it's small but the kpop ambience really lifts my spirits tbh the food is decent Ive ordered the kimchi fried rice and galbi tang and they're both decent. I got jjajamyun takeout once and it was not that good so I guess would not recommend that dish read more

U-Town's sign says it serves Korean and Japanese cuisine, but its really a Korean spot. Similar to Koreana, the menu is more of a quick hot soup, stew, grilled meats place. You aren't going to have an epic table-side Korean BBQ meal here. The menu hovers in the $10 range; my noodle soup ended up being $10.99- Yuk Gae Jang (#21): shredded beef with vegetables in spicy beef broth. It became slightly more attractive once placed in a bowl along side the rice and kimchee it came with. The soup is packed with noodles and vegetables, including a plethora of different types of mushrooms and greens. There was less of the shredded beef, though I liked the bits my chopsticks came across. The broth had a kick, as promised, and although not very complex, it accomplished what I wanted out of my lunch- a spicy and filling soup with tons of submerged solids. One unexpected consequence to look out for, the broth will stain your hands or anything else it comes in contact with. Don't spill! read more