Woori Jib Restaurant

The quality and size of food do not match the price. I ordered a bowl of soup with ribs and rice. The taste is fine, just fine. The ribs were so few and skinny. And the small dishes that you usually get in korean restaurant are so poor in woori jib. I only got like 3 pieces of kimgi. There are many other good restaurants around that place. I would not recommand this one.

Bulgogi is the bomb here! Definitely recommend!
Only gave four stars because there restroom is just atrocious… almost threw up upon entering…

This is the bad experience ever! I ordered the raw fished over rice. It came out that raw fishes are frozen. And they told me that it’s supposed to be like that!!! Omg that’s ridiculous!!! I’ve had this dish at other restaurants. They just bullshit!!! I’ll never come to worijib again

An convenient place to go and grab some Korean food to eat if you are around the campus. I recommend the grilled pork+vegetable salad and/​or spicy tofu soups.

Came here based on recommendations given by friend. I would give a 4 stars for the food. However I received awful service just because I did not hear them calling out my number. I was super disappointed with the way they acted. Super rude.

worst service ever! I ordered the grilled gabi and it is overcooked. I returned the dish and they just pick the black ones out and gave me the previous one.

Oh, how the U of I campus has changed since I’ve graduated and last visited five years ago… but one restaurant hasn’t disappeared… good ‘ol Woori Jib!
Yes, it kinda looks like a dump in there.
Yes, there is no longer free soup.
Yes, the banchan tastes shitty.
Yes, the service isn’t exactly top notch.
But my goodness… that spicy chicken bulgogi dish tastes just as delicious as I last remembered it! *sparkly eyes*
Don’t even try to order the non-​spicy version. Spicy is the way to go because spiciness makes the shittiest dishes taste decent.
When you pay, they turn the screen around for you to tip. You don’t have to though because you do everything yourself minus the cooking. It gives off the same feeling as when a restaurant automatically adds gratuity, but then covers it with the credit card receipt with an empty tip line for you to fill. Sneaky, sneaky!

Not too bad but the food isn’t that great. The owner is generous and nice but the place is little crowded and little messy. Overall, would not really recommend people to try the ‘real’ Korean restaurant.

I tried out their tofu stir fry. They sure have a way with food because it stays relatively hot the entire time you’re eating it. The food was average, but they do give you a pretty hefty amount.

Decided to give this restaurant another try today, but I was disappointed again, even more than the last time I went. My friend ordered «排骨辣嫩豆腐汤» （that is the CHINESE name written underneath the KOREAN name), and this means pork rib tofu soup translated into English. So my friend ordered this, but it turned out to be beef rib and she does not eat beef. She went to ask the workers for an exchange but they refused because she has already eaten the food. I don’t know how else u can tell the difference between the two meat without tasting the food! In addition, the trays smelled like dishwash. I find it hard swallowing my food with this strong dishwash smell. Worst dining experience ever! If I could give this place no star I would.

Restaurant review
I don’t know why this place has gotten such high reviews, but my meal went south very quickly. Some tips, there is NO FREE soup any longer. When you go order they placed it through an ipad. One of the questions is whether to tip 15−25%. Just click no. This is a self serve restaurant from picking up your food to depositing your tray. There is no reason to tip and this just by default. I was craving some other korean dish which was not available here. I went to the kalbi, unfortunately I made the mistake of ordering one that was a stir fry version of kalbi. There was vegetables and it was a soaking mess. I have no idea were my dish went wrong. Small amount of beef, lots of vegetables. Tables are very cramped and the prices are not cheap. My kalbi dish cost 12+ dollars. Overall a big let down, this is a big step below K-​bowl which is leading my Korean food experience in champaign.
Pros: Unlimited rice
Cons: Expensive for the quality of food, small spaces, sub-​par food
Hidden deals:
Make sure you don’t hit the tip button. This is a SELF-​SERVE restaurant

I was finally able to give this place a shot today and I was very disappointed. Prior to eating here, I knew from other reviews that the service wasn’t the best, but I wanted to go to the restraunt without letting this info skew my opinion. However, I got there and received some of the worst service I’ve ever gotten. Right off the bat, the young man at the counter was not welcoming at all — it seemed like he didn’t want to be working. I asked him if there were any sections for lunch specials in the menu because I saw «lunch special!» written on one of the laminated pictures, and he rudely replied with «no lunch specials.» Okay then…
I paid with my debit card and they do it with an iPad, making you pay tip while they’re pointing the iPad at you, which I thought was a bit rude. I gave 15% but I shouldn’t have because this guy was extremely rude and they don’t serve you at all. It’s all self service. Also, I asked for no onions in general for my tofu soup, but when I received my food, there were green onions on top. So I said I had asked for no onions and the guy that took my order first gave me attitude saying «that’s not onions, you didnt tell me no green onions, you just said onions.» And I replied with, «they’re still onions… I said no onions, I thought that was very clear.» And he replied with «you need to specify what you want.» And I just shrugged it off and was already annoyed with him at this point where I just took the food because I didn’t want anymore trouble, and the woman who gave me my food asked the guy as I was leaving if I had an onion allergy where he replied to her saying I had none, I just didn’t like them. This was so rude because he doesn’t know me (what if I did have allergies) nor was it necessary for him to make it my fault that I didn’t specify what kind of onions I didn’t want, when I didn’t know there were two different types of onions in the soup.
So needless to say, I probably won’t be returning to the restaurant unless I’m having a huge craving for their mediocre korean food.

I don’t understand how people can come here and only order one thing.
I loveee getting their bulgogi and seafood soondooboo!
SO GOOD. I can never find anywhere that has better bugogi than here. I think it’s because they actually use a grill for the meat. AMAZING.
On top of that, the owner is SO nice. Always has a smile and is asking how my day is.
Can’t go wrong with this place :)

So you saw all the pictures people posted right? Looks good right? Mmm U can taste it already in your mouth… the hot spicey tofu soup, the bulgogi lunch combo… mmmm
I saw small little teeth marks on my kimchee that most likely was from a rat getting into the tub of kimchee in the back kitchen somewhere. These marks were not a half eaten kimchee cube from a human. I know what a half eaten kimchee cube looks like from a human. This was a pest.
I spit my food out. Got up and left. Didn’t even bother reracking the food tray.
Never came back during my two year prison sentence in grad school.

Ugh, went in for lunch today, and it was just plain disappointing. Had the pork bulgogi and it was greasy and bland. The onions were very undercooked as well. The rice was also cooked with too much water, making it mushy. I couldn’t finish it. Either this dish just isn’t good here, or there are consistency problems. Either way, last time I come here.

I really liked this place. I was a little surprised to find this downtown but it was good. Very big portions, so I recommend sharing it with your friends. The bi bim bap came in a huge silver bowl, not a black cast iron pan, so the rice wasn’t cooked crispy but the flavor was good and the hot sauce wasn’t too spicy for the non-​Korean (or none spicy) eater. The kalibi had a good flavor but the meat on the bones was a little tough. It came together with a bowl of rice and some hot soup and of course a side dish of kimchi.
You order at the front counter and wait for them to call your name. It’s self service and self busing afterwards. Quick, low key and easy to eat. Good place for a tasty meal.

For a college campus Korean restaurant, I think Woori Jib is the most genuine and the best in the area. It doesn’t say much, but it counts.
I’ve enjoyed the galbi, cold buckwheat noodles, bibimbap, and many more dishes. They aren’t bad. For a college student, it might be slightly pricey, but they’ve got to satisfy their cravings too, right?
Just don’t compare Woori Jib to the Korean restaurants you grew up going to or to the Korean restaurants outside of Champaign, and you’ll be content.

In general, most Champaign area Korean restaurants start out with bad service. This place is no different. After ordering your food, it typically takes 10 – 15 minutes to get your food, and it doesn’t always come out in the same order as you ordered. On top of that, you’ll often have other people that cut into line and get the same food that you ordered before they did.
On this occasion, I ordered duk mandu guk and it came with soggy seaweed in it. For the price of $ 10, it was a bit more expensive than other Korean restaurants in the area. In addition, it didn’t taste spectacular to any degree. The only consolation was that it came in such a big bowl that I could take a little bit home for a leftover meal.
Another dish that is pretty popular is their BBQ bulgogi. It usually comes with a special sauce but it really depends on the day to figure out whether it’s good or not. Sometimes, it’s under cooked. Other times, it’s over cooked and burnt. They also use about a 50% onion to 50% meat ratio so it seems like you are paying for a lot of onions and not a whole lot of meat.
The seating is usually crammed so during rush hours, it’s hard to find a seat. There is very little room to back your seat out as seats are pretty much back to back.