Rich J C Korean Restaurant

I stopped by here on a cold winter night, looking for a traveller’s meal. I was in town for an academic conference and happened on Rich JC in university town. I can only say that I wish I lived closer by! The dolsot bulgogi was hot, fresh, flavourful, and visually mesmerizing. I also got a half iced tea half lemonade (the «arnold palmer») and couldn’t have gone home more happy and satisfied. I think the price was reasonable… if only the currency/​exchange rate was better though. Put this on your student eats-​list! You won’t regret.
Side note: It’s super cute inside. It’s like a «diner» bar rail, but full of students. The side dishes are lacking here, but I would say that it mirrors the simple menu they offer. Budaejigae is available: D

My favorite on-​campus restaurant to grab a kimchi jigae or soodoobu during my lunch break. It’s a bit on the pricier side compared to other Korean mom&pop restaurants that I’ve been to but all the dish options are great. Definitely worth multiple visits!

I love Rich JC. I think I could randomly order anything off the menu and be happy. In particular, I like the kimchi fried rice (but I always feel bad ordering that cuz it’s pretty easy to make at home), budae jjigae, bulgogi, and oh my goodness their TUNA KIMBAP.
Rich JC’s tuna kimbap is seriously one of my favorite foods ever. Perfect ratio of rice to filling and they put a dab of sesame oil in it so it smells as amazing as it tastes. I think I crave it three times a week. So it kind of ruins your life because all you ever want to eat after trying it is tuna kimbap and it really makes all other foods dim in comparison. At $ 8 a roll, it’s a little more expensive than expected, but it’s a lot more delicious than expected.
Seating’s tight (it’s bar style seats) but the food is so delicious, if it really bothers you just order take-​out. Also, shorter hours and they close on Sunday (which is sad cuz I always crave Rich on Sundays. But they have a pretty cool reason for being closed.)

Rich JC is a gem on South University, and one that I didn’t really appreciate until I branched out on the menu and tried more than just their bibimbap. It’s now one of my favorite places in Ann Arbor and is definitely worth a visit!
On chilly winter days, the soon tofu jjigae is exactly what you want– bubbling, flavorful soup with just the right amount of spiciness to reheat your core and give you the willpower to step back outside into the cold. In the summer, jaeng ban gook su makes a light, tasty lunch to munch on while you complain about Art Fair.
And kimchi fried rice is good every single day. Literally, I have yet to get tired of their kimchi fried rice. Please somebody help I’m spending all my money on kimchi fried rice

There first time (4 years ago), this place had quite good spicy beef and ok bibimbop. Rice cake is good, but it’s just rice cake after all…
Now, the prices have gone up and the spicy beef is too salty. Honestly, you could probably make these dishes at home with better quality produce.
Their spicy chicken is gamey and dumplings seem like it’s store-​bought. The only reliable food is their sides.
Seating is limited so don’t come with a big party.
I would not recommend or go back.

this place is great. i’m obsessed with the dolsot bulgogi and i love that they have arizona brand grapeade to drink. the little soup to start is so good and warm, especially on chilly january nights. beware that the food comes out HOT… i have literally burned my mouth a couple of times because i wanted to eat it all so fast. just be patient and enjoy!

A favorite for me on campus! They’re army stews are the best for those cold winters when your body is drained from the weather and finals. I’ve tried close to everything on the menu and they’re all pretty solid choices. The locale is pretty small so on weekends and dinner time it can get pretty packed. In those instances take out is an easy option. One down fall to this place is the lack of good ventilation so when you come to dine in, expect to smell like korean food for the rest of the night. Otherwise, it’s a great place!

Rich JC Korean Restaurant was about as good as it gets! Everything was delicious. The beef was well cooked and the egg on top was amazing! I would suggest this as a great place to come and have a great lunch with no more than one or two people. It’s an old dinner sitting with no tables so get used to the bar sitting but amazing! Great food! I would suggest to anyone!

Great hot stone bibimbap with tofu, good service, and miso /​plate of pickled radishes come with meal. Also the person I went with got the bulgogi beef entrée and loved it!

Fast service, a little cramped because of the style of the restaurant. Dol sot bibimbap was pretty good! Not mind-​blowing but pretty decent — loved the stone bowl that made the rice crunchy.

Very nice and cute Korean restaurant that serves delicious food. Portions are large and prices are great for the quality. Recently just increased their food prices though so I can’t come as often: c the food is good though as the owners are Korean so they basically have a little Korea in big Michigan! I recommend getting the spicy stir fry with any of the meats/​seafood! The teriyaki stir fry is also fantastic. Highly recommend the stir fry in general as it is filling and tastes beautiful.

Rich JC has always been my go-​to place for «hangover food». Nothing like a hot jjigae to wake you up after a long night and this place does it right. The atmosphere here is old school diner style with some Christian music playing. Not the best place for a date or for larger groups, but it’s nice to go with a friend and talk side-​by-​side.
While I’ve yet to try every item on the menu, my top three items on their menu are the Ddukgochi, Budae Jigae, and Spicy Pork Stirfry. I believe this is the only AA Korean restaurant that offers Ddukgochi but it’s rice cakes drizzled with a nice sweet, slightly spicy sauce. It’s small and perfect to share between two people that can’t wait for the entrees.
Next is their famous Budae Jigae. I’ve been getting this for four years and it has always been consistently good — no place does it better than here.
Lastly, their Spicy Pork Stirfry; I wasn’t in the mood for their Booty Jigae one day so I wanted to try their stir fry and the waitress recommended the pork. The portions were very generous and while I enjoyed it, my girlfriend liked it so much that she ate most of it.
Overall, this is a great place to get some quick Korean food. The food is consistent and the service is good since you’re always facing the servers.

I went to Rich JC Korean after reading numerous online reviews. I got the Soon Tofu jigae with chicken. it was ok. The soup and tofu were hot (temp and spicy) and good. The chicken was a mixture of overdone, rubbery pieces and nice, easy to eat pieces.
I didn’t realize the soup had jalapeño pieces (which wasn’t on the menu) so…
it’s a TINY restaurant. I went right at noon so there weren’t too many people, but a group of six people came in, and had to go somewhere else because there was not enough space to accomodate them.
Overall the atmosphere wasn’t too great, the service was ok, the food was ok… it’s not something I’m going to tell everyone else about.
I’ll stick to University Café.

This place has been serving hot Asian food to generations upon generations of Wolverines. I used to live on South University and there was no better cure for the harsh wintry nights than getting my spectacles foggy with a piping, fiery and delectable military stew. Many a fobby student would stop by and you would be wondering whether you were sitting in Downtown Ann Arbor or Metropolitan Seoul.
I learnt abt dol sot bi bim bap, son dul bu ji gae, jap chae, and the like over here. Together with another place Maru which my Korean friend brought me to, I had my education on what kinda foods made Koreans tick. It was also a good place for people watching.
I still fondly remember mixing my bibimbap altogether — vegetables, meat and rice altogether after a hopeless Computer Science examination or after an entire night on an undebuggable error on my program. Life doesn’t seem so bad when you can get all your body’s nourishment or a balanced diet in a meal does it?
Also, Rich JC stands for Rich Jesus Christ? That’s what I heard. Happy Easter!

I tried Rich JC in the summer because I was eager to find a go-​to Korean place in town. After that initial visit, I am happy to report that Rich JC is a solid choice for Korean food cravings. I have had a number of the menu items and have not been disappointed with anything so far. The portions are generous and filling. My favorite dishes are the dolsot bibimbap (hot stone bowl bibimbap) or any of the soups. The menu has a lot of offerings so you’re sure to find something you like.
Bonus points that the restaurant is family owned and operated!

Rich JC was a fun restaurant to visit when I was in Ann Arbor. I turned to my friends on Unilocal to help me pick a spot that was close to the Ross School of Business. I did not have a car and the snow was coming down hard, so I wanted something that I could walk to without having to get a taxi. This was a quick walk away, and I was really wanting some Asian food.
When I arrived I just felt good that I was in the right spot. The counter is great, and it was filled with students enjoying hot steamy bowls of soup, and you could smell the delicious flavors of Korean barbecued meat.
I had a little bit of a difficulty understanding the menu and order something different than what I intended to, but it was great.
I would recommend this to other travelers and locals alike.

I really like Rich JC. I’ve gotten quite a few different dishes here and have been satisfied.
Both versions of the Bibimbap are really good. Although, I definitely recommend the stone bowl one because the rice gets so crunchy and delicious.
Lately, due to the weather, I’ve been getting the Seafood Soon Tofu Soup. It’s super hot and spicy, but you can ask for it less spicy if you don’t feel like sweating so much. My only complaint was that I got two pieces of shrimp and maybe 4 pieces of scallop. Most of it was tofu, which I like.
Their seafood pancake is really good. I’ve never seen a pancake made with so little flour, so it was all crispy veggies and seafood. I am a fan.
I don’t know the difference between bad kimbap and good kimbap, but I always get that too, so I also recommend it.
Everyone’s super nice. It gets crowded because it’s so popular! Also, I think I read this from another Unilocal review a long time ago, but I hear they donate tips to charity.

My friend lives literally around the block from this place so during my visit, we ran from his place to this restaurant to get some soon tofu soup to stay warm. They only have counter seats and the seats are a little high and uncomfortable but the tofu soup is so good, especially during the cold winter that I didn’t mind the seats at all!
I got the seafood soon tofu and it came with shrimp and clam and mostly tofu. Each soon tofu comes with an egg and a bowl of rice. You also get some side dishes — pickled daikon, bean sprouts, and kimchi.
Each soon tofu bowl is $ 10 so that is a pretty good deal for Korean food in the midwest.

I really liked my japchae here! I gobbled it down fast – it was addictive probably because they put MSG in it, since a couple hours after dinner I was uncontrollably thirsty! I like the casual bar seating though and the couple who runs the place seems sweet. I liked my food here better than Kang’s, but the thirstiness is a tradeoff.

This place reminded me of a Korean coney island. It was small and the whole restaurant is bar seating.
I thought the food was pretty good and the service was fast/​attentive.
I like that they just leave pitchers of water out for you so you can take as much/​as little as you want.