University Cafe

This place reminds me so much of college times! I’ve been here at least 50 times, if not 100. It’s family diner style and seemed to be owned by a Korean mom. Food always tastes great, portion is just about right, and price is very fair! Some of my go-​to dishes including gal-​bi tang, soon doo Bu, oh moo rice (egg with rice), and gal bi. Most likely you won’t go wrong with your orders here! Great for a quick lunch!

Gal-​bi Tang is a must-​try! I order this every time I come here, the food comes really fast, so a good place if you are in a rush. Price is very acceptable corresponds to the quality and quantity of the food, definitily recomend this place if you just want to have a fast lunch or dinner. They accept cash and credit cards, and the environment is very friendly.
One con of the restaurant is that they do not open on Sundays, or I will go there on Sunday definitely.

From the name and outer appearance, I never would have guessed that this was a Korean place. However, I’m so glad I ventured in! This place is great, especially for the price! Most of the food is under $ 10 and all of their entrees are a decent portion. I always end up taking half to go (though sometimes I just eat it all because I don’t want to stop.)
You get two banchan with your meal: kimchi and bean sprouts. I’ve only had the spicy chicken and sliced bulgogi entrees so far, but I plan on making my way through the rest of their menu.
When you go in, you order and pay at the counter and then they’ll bring the food out to you. No tip is explicitly required (though it is encouraged, of course). They also have complimentary tea available, which helps warm you up after coming in from the cold outside.
This place always seems to be packed during lunch, and for good reason. Give it a shot. :)

The most amazing Korean food I have ever had in my life! The kalbi beef, kimchi, bibimbap and dumplings were all delicious. The atmosphere was relaxed and the employees were kind. The owner helped us select new dishes we had not tried before. All around great experience. I can’t wait to go back!

I remembered this place from college days; not sure if the owners have been changed, but the bim-​bam-​bop quality/​quantity was not what I remembered. The portion was rather small (for a $ 10 meal) but the bowl got bigger (use to be a classy stainless steel bowl), there was very little meat (beef); the shredded carrots did not taste very good; otherwise the spout, the zucchini were fine, and it even came with a small dish of kim-​chi.
One good thing about the place is that the food came relatively quickly; which is great in comparison to say, Seoul Street on north campus.

I tried their Jop Che yesterday and, personally, for me, it was not worth it. Having gotten used to having some heat in dishes (not too much mind), I knew it was not going to have any spice in it at all, but still I wanted to be adventurous and try it. I ended up adding a ton of Sriracha to the rice and the noodles. I’ll stick to my soon tofu and Youj Kae Jang, with it’s tastey yummy broth and heat! I’m too much of a chicken to try the Spicy chicken, but I’m sure one day I will.
Still really good.

Comparable to their nearby rival Kang’s (which also got one of my few 4 stars in A2).
Head-​on comparison
+ Banchan: Still 3 things (albeit in fairly small quantities.)
+ Much more spacious
+ Like Kang’s, no tip expected, so most prices at $ 10 net.
— Perhaps a smidgeon less tasty and more MSG-​laden than Kang’s, although I’d need to try it a few more times to be sure.

This place is great. I work near here and have always seen this place around but never bothered to try it til a few weeks ago. Now I keep coming back. Everyone I’ve interacted with their so far is super nice and chill. So far I’ve had the spicy pork, japchae, and curry rice, all of which I’d recommend. The meals come with a little bowl of miso and small sides of kimchi and bean sprouts. There’s also free tea and water. It’s a solid chill place that I love coming back to and you should check it out sometime too, friend.

Granted I’ve only tried one dish — but the stir fry bulgogi is delicious. Huge meal for 10 bucks. Large portions with some kimchi and sprout salads plus a miso.

Yet another hole in the wall Korean place in AA. Expensive for the amount that you get. Got the Bibimbap and it tastes nothing special. Will likely not return.

I love this place. But, I’ve had only kimbob and jjam bong so I don’t know what other menu would be. Kimbob doesn’t have any meat or seafood, (just cucumber, eggs, carrot, other veggies) but it is way to good than expected. Jjam bong is spicy seafood soup so it’s great with kimbob.

Good portions, average prices, tastes above average.

Yum! I had a craving for a spicy soup, so I ordered the Ramen with Kim Chi. It was REALLY GOOD. I am a huge fan of the Korean food at Bell’s diner, but their ramen is not spicy kim chi ramen. This was very good, and I plan on going back and trying other stuff.

I walked into the maize and blue interior and was welcomed by whom I believe to be the owner. She was extremely pleasant as she rung me up and then brought me my piping-​hot food.
–Dolsot Be Bim Bop: yum! It comes out in a sizzling skillet like for real. ZZZSISSZZ! Everything is piping hot! The kimchi has got some spicy sauce on there! Wow. Sweet, yet spicy. The cucumbers are fresh, as are the greens. The beef is nicely shredded and flavorful. The rice is so hot! Yikes! The more and longer you eat, the creamier (!) the dish becomes. I don’t even know how to explain the creaminess since there is no thick sauce – just the rice meshing together I guess. Very enjoyable. Especially with the hot sauce they provide. The miso soup is nicely flavored and is a great contrast to the spicy bi bim bop. Like a sort of palette cleanser if you will.
–Spicy Chicken: The brown rice (you need to ask for it) is perfectly sticky and tastes somewhat like oatmeal. There are gigantic and flavorful onion bits throughout and the chicken is nice and tender. The dish is mildly spiced which is perfect for me. It’s so hot (in temperature).
FINAL VERDICT: I felt very much valued as a customer by the woman working here so I would definitely support this local business. The food was delicious, hot and filling. Oh and just a weird side note, I love their forks with beautiful flower designs on them.

There isn’t too much to say about University Café other than that it has a few decent items on the menu for typical prices. Unfortunately it competes with two superior Korean restaurants on the same block (Kang’s and Rich J.C.)
Their Bi Bim Bop is decent as well as their Jap Chae and other non-​soup dishes such as Spicy Pork/​Chicken/​Beef. Their Man Du Ramen is nothing more than instant ramen and reheated frozen dumplings.
The real problem is that their soup entrees are absolute salt bombs. Korean restaurants in general use a lot of salt (either directly or through too much salted vegetable) in their soups, but UC takes it to another level and thus I find their soups inedible. I’ve given them several chances including a few times where I specifically asked for a lighter broth (tasted just as salty).
I believe it is family owned and has a friendly staff, but ultimately fails to impress (especially with Rich JC just around the corner).

Bibimbap. That’s all I gotta say.
Well first that’s all I’ve ever ordered from there, the 2 times I’ve been. But it’s a must try so I’m Unilocaling about it :)
I get the beef one in the hot pot. They give you this huge bowl, full of bibimbap goodies with a fresh cooked egg on top, then a bowl of soup, and side of kimchi. And they give you this huge container of that delicious red sauce to put on top (I don’t know names, but I know my taste buds love it!)
The prices aren’t bad, they’re enough places to sit, help yourself to water jug.
Overall I love this place, and will go back on another rainy day.

I’m in the boat that all Korean food is good and tasty, but this place is on the decline. I’d been going here since the 90s regularly, occasionally venturing to other Korean restaurants (I’m even talking Steve’s Lunch, taking it back).
Over the years I have noticed the quality and portions have gone way down. For instance the JopChe has barely any meat in it. The sauce seems of lower quality and the restaurant has just seemed to lose it’s zing. I started going to other restaurants more frequently and realized UC just wasn’t the best anymore. It saddens me to even say that, but it’s the truth.
For a decent meal stick with University Café. For a great meal take the trip to Bell’s Diner on Stadium.

The Bi Bim Bap sauce is super tasty with a hint of spiciness, but not overwhelming for those who may not be able to handle spicy foods. The beef was really beat’n up (crumbly), and it was minimal, not so amazing, but ok. The veggies on the Bi Bim Bap seemed decent. Rice not greasy, which is a plus for me.
Inside seems to have cozy sitting selections with round tables to long lunch room style tables. Free wi-​fi, great for a quick lunch, or study break. They are also very speedy at getting your carry out order taken care of, if you are in a hurry.

University Café is the perfect choice for a quick lunch between classes or a pre-​library meal. The restaurant is on campus right by Good Time Charleys– so it is really close to everything! It’s a family run business, so the atmosphere is super casual laid back and there cute extra touches that only a family run restaurant would offer– i.e. free cups of tea and wifi.
I always get the spicy combo with chicken and beef… yum! The spicy sauce is the perfect mix between sweet and spicy, the portions are big, and my favorite part is that they have brown rice! I’ve gotten the bibimbap and jap chae before… but the spicy combo is still my go-​to meal. Solid Korean food for cheapy cheap prices– yum!

I can sit here for hours slurping their perfect miso soup and taking advantage of the free wi-​fi. I always get the sliced bulgogi over rice which comes with four little dishes of sides (two kimchi — very good!), spouts and crispy steamed brocolli.
Fountain pop includes cherry coke (yipee!) and although (according to the posted menu) they charge a quarter for refills, I’ve never actually been charged. The couple who run this place are both more than willing to put up with my long string of requests for extra pop, another miso soup (three hours later!), and subbing a second helping of spouts for the napa kimchi.
Tables are cleaned regularly. The chairs are okay, but difficult to sit in for hours (which is what I am generally doing, seeing as how I’m in here to use the internet). The bathroom is down a staircase in the back and is hard to find and use (obviously for staff use primarily!) — it’s sometimes not so clean. A big plus for me is that they usually have CNN on the flat screen with subtitles so I can glance up occassionally and see the news. Also, if I have a hankering to read the news, there are a stash of newspapers in a box under the TV (near the trashcan). You have to dig a bit to find English-​language newspapers, but hey, they’re free!
Other reviewers have mentioned the caucasian man who works here and how strange it is — for a good story, ask him who he is and how he ended up here. I’m a bit of a romantic, so I think it’s a great story.