Tang 190

Best galbi tang you will ever have. My go to place for the best Korean food. I love their bulgogi bibimbap too.

Ok for new style polished to a shiny gloss Irvine is known for. Food is subpar, service is whack, and prices are not worth it.
Seems like they’re trying to fancy up their versions of these dishes. Makes little sense but I suppose they’re catering to the uppity neighborhood. Not worth the value especially if they are holding back on their food costs by cutting things or limiting the contents of the dishes. Like with naengmyun it is supposed to be served with sliced brisket but they leave it out or use really stale and old beef. Inedible but price is 60% more than most places for the same dish (served as it’s supposed to be).
I would’ve given 2 or 3 stars but Worst part upon completion of our meal a baby cockroach walks across the table. Seriously? I would expect more for that bump in price and lowering in the quality .
Taste wasn’t there. Food was 4 of 10. But the rules and regulations on the back of the menu says a lot about what the owner is focused on. Cost. Not the customer or the product.
Well all the cost savings in the world will not make the product any better than it is now. Perhaps labor costs could be saved and used on better waitresses.
Wouldn’t recommend or return. Plenty of other better and cheaper places less than ½ mile away

I frequent this place often whenever I crave galbitang.
Other things here are pretty ehhhh compared to other places I’ve been. Don’t get the gamjatang :(it’s not good, barely any meat.
But the hangyang galbitang, don-​katsu, and bibimnengmyun never disappoint my appetite.
The service could be better, but I see that they’re trying to improve it.
Restaurant is open and clean. It’s a nice place to sit and talk while eating good food ^_​^
Prices don’t bother me, but I’ve heard people complain it was a little pricey. I don’t think so at all o_​o but that’s a subjective matter!
Anywayyyyyy~ nice local place :3

Hard to find good Korean soup places, but this place always hit the stop.
Pricey than other Korean places, but maybe it’s because of the location. My family ordered the Bibimbap, Galbi Tang, and Galbi Jim.
Each dish is filling for one person. Bibimbap ($ 14) gives a lot of meat which is really nice! The soup from the Galbi Tang ($ 13) is so addicting and tasty and the meat is literally falling off the bone. The Galbi Jim ($ 16) has a very strong soy sauce flavor and the meat is so tender. They definitely don’t skip out on the portion.
Tons of parking in the plaza.
A family favorite!

Great soups! I like 牛筋软骨汤 and 牛排骨汤 (couldn’t remember their Korean-​English names though)

It is a nice venue, especially the outdoor seating during a hot evening.
Soups are very good. However, they put too many green scallions that turned me off. That said, very tasty and beef bones were delicious.
I like Korean BBQ, sprouts pan cakes, tofu soup, the beef soup EXCEPT kimchi!
Enjoy!

I’ve been to tang 190 a couple of times and it waivers between 3.5−4 stars. The food is good but a bit pricey while service is not the best.
Food
–galbi steeew– I almost always order this as it is the most flavorful and tasty. The meat is really tender and soaks up the sauce very well. Great over rice.
–bibimbap– pretty good with a decent amount of food. I usually come here for soup though.
–banchans-​their side dishes are alright, potatoe salad is not as sweet as I like and all the pickled veggies taste the same. Seaweed is good though.
Service
–it’s ok. Waiters don’t really smile, some have attitude. You have to flag them down for refills.
Environment
–restaurant is kind of small and noisy but they also have outside seating. Be prepared for a wait during busy hours.
Overall, this place is good but not somewhere I would go very often.

I was in the mood for a homey soup, so I decided to try this place. Initial thoughts based on online research: Korean food minus the kbbq or tofu house feel.
Sunday at 7 pm, 15 – 20 minute wait for indoor seating, but immediate seating outside. It wasn’t too cold, so I sat outside. Waitress was helpful with my order, as I was new to this place. She suggested galbi tang.
Banchan: fresh veggie goodies of marinated seaweed, spicy radish, kimchee, potato salad, and spicy bok choy (probably).
Soup: hot and delicious broth. Meat was not «fall off the bone» because it had the chewy tendony texture that I like. Meat comes with a spicy soy dipping sauce. Comes with a bowl of rice, too.
Pretty filling and decently priced (~$ 14). I’ll be back for other soups!

With the influx of Korean ayce bbq places spawning on every corner, other types of Korean food fall into the shadows but I’m glad SoCal has a few spots to highlight Korean soups.
Gamjatang [Potato & Pork Neck Soup] $ 14:
When I first visited South Korea, my friends would take me to the local joints run by cute Ahjummas to eat «hangover soup» after a night of liver damage. The spices bring you back to life. I always make it a mission to find gamjatang restaurants when I visit Korea /​Korean neighborhoods. MAD CRAVINGS. Gnawing on these bones isn’t very glamorous but I love cartilage and chewier bits so this is totally up my alley. Not the best gamjatang I’ve ever had but still tasty.
Galbitang [Back Rib Soup] $ 13:
Wow. So simple. Much comfort. Such delishus. Some might think it’s too bland but I think it’s quite perfect accompanied by banchan and the side soy sauce mixture. Just throw some salt in if you want more flavor. Meat could be more tender-​fall-​off-​bone though.
Banchan — kimchi, daikon, seaweed, greens, potato salad. Keeping it basic but good quality! Kimchi isn’t as tart or spicy, but has a really good bite to it.
Tang190 brings a good variety of different types of soups, noodles, and rice dishes – soups are the star though.

Got there at 1130 and was seated right away. The food, even the side dishes are all on the sweet side compared to other korean restaurants but not enough to make me hate it.
Service was ok. Why? Because by noon, the place is packed with a line out the door. So they are slower and less attentive. Plus, they kind of rush you out if you don’t ask for anything else.
Overall, a definite must try.

Their galbi tang is great! There’s a lot of tender beef in the soup. The broth has good flavor. Their bossam (thick slices of pork) is very good, too. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the banchan here. I didn’t think their kimchi or potato salad was that good.
The waitresses were helpful. While we were waiting, we were brought menus and our orders were taken. When we were seated, we didn’t wait long for our food. I thought that was very smart. I had a nice dinner here and wouldn’t mind returning.

This has become one of my fav Korean restaurant to go around my area!
My friends and I always ordered their samgyetang, ton katsu, bibimbap! Ton katsu is a must for me here! It’s fried nicely with breading outside but not too thick but still keep them crunchy. Bibimbap is delicious! Much better than many places I’ve been! Always come with 5 – 6 side dishes. I’d say their kimchi isn’t as flavorful as some others though, could be stronger.
I’m hoping to try their galbi tang and cold noodle next time!

Our favorite Korean soup restaurant. The galbi tang is the best! Gingseng chicken soup is also another favorite. We also enjoy the slightly sweet beef short rib stew. Spicy cold noodle is perfect for a hot day. Service is always friendly. Oh and you get unlimited banchan!

SO SO DELICIOUS! Yes, the prices are a bit high (as are most Korean restaurants), but if you are a soup lover like me, this place is really awesome! I don’t know of any other Korean restaurants specializing in soup.
The banchan are super fresh and tasty, and they push a little cart around when you need refills. All of the soups are fantastic, with the beef rib one being one of the most popular. I chose the tendon soup on this visit, while my mom the kalbi, and we were in heaven. The soups are lightly seasoned so you can dip your meat in various sauces/​salt for additional flavor, but the broth is excellent.
Interior is clean with a moderate number of seats, but the restaurant is not huge so you may have to wait. And service is fairly average.
But the food… I’m drooling just thinking about this place; will have to come back soon when I am home!

As of right now my rating is 2 stars but I’m hoping my next visit here will bump it up a bit. I knew I should’ve gotten their galbitang or sullungtang but I was really craving gamjatang so that’s what I ordered. My boyfriend ordered the bulgogi hot stone bibimbap and he was extremely satisfied with it. It also came with a side of soup.
My gamjatang LOOKED delicious but wow, looks are deceiving. The potatoes were HUGE but WAY undercooked. It was literally rock solid, how do they expect the customers to enjoy it? The pork was also extremely dry & difficult to eat. I’ve always had it where the meat would easily fall off the bone but this was a different story. It also had an off aftertaste to it. The only part I enjoyed was the soup. The soup was perfect-​spicy and hearty. I ended up just drinking most of the soup with my rice but I was still disappointed overall.
Service-​wise this place is decent. You can’t expect much when dining at an Asian restaurant but the waitresses here are pretty attentive.
I definitely want to give this place another chance so I’ll update my review when I do so.

Came here with family one day on a weekday afternoon bc my bf’s mom raved about this place. We walked in and were not greeted by anyone despite having stood there for a while. We had to go up to the workers and say we had a party of 3. Furthermore all of the tables were covered by dirty dishes from customers who left earlier. which was unsettling.
As for the food, we ordered the galbi tang and the jap chae. The galbi tang was super bland in my opinion and if I didn’t add a mountain of the spicy condiment on the table (not sure what it is-​chili paste in a sense?) it wouldn’t have been good. I highly recommend you add it as well. The meat was pretty good although the noodles were a little lacking. The jap chae was also pretty good, and the dipping sauce was a good compliment to the meat provided in it. Furthermore, the kimchi has got to be the tastiest I’ve had in a while.
The reason why I’m giving this place 3 stars is because the service sucks. I don’t understand why they took so long to clean all of the tables when the servers were just sitting in the corner when we came in. We asked them to clean the table that was right next to us since it was still dirty and they still took their time in cleaning it. I think if you’re not Korean they won’t care as much about you (as sad as that sounds) because other customers in the restaurant were Korean and they were much nicer to them. They just had an attitude the entire time which I didn’t understand.
Overall the food is pretty good although a little pricey in itself, but especially after the service, I wouldn’t return.

A few years back, I was dating a Korean woman who showed me how to eat Korean dishes that I thought were bland. She also introduced me to some dishes that I had never heard of as well.
Because of her, I also learned to speak (basic) Korean, which I believe helps when it comes to customer service in Korean restaurants — as it did, the other night, as one of my friends speaks the language fluently. The restaurant was busy — not an empty table inside, outdoor seating available, up until closing. So, service wasn’t «Johnny, on the spot», but it wasn’t bad either.
As for the food, I’ve had portion sizes and flavors which I liked better, but the prices at Tang 190, are decent when I consider that I’m eating in Irvine. The same dishes I’ve had, been here a few times (see pics), have been a lot more at other Korean restaurants I’ve been to.
Didn’t know but they also split checks — mixing cards and cash, which is nice when your party need or wants separate bills.
Lots of parking available.

Had the bimbimbop here and it was good. The meat was savory, the hot sauce readily available, the fried egg still had a runny yolk. But for my California acclimatized tastebuds, there just weren’t enough vegetables. No carrots, no sprouts, no people cabbage. Sigh.
The appetizer pickled vegetables were good. I especially enjoyed the dark green leafy one. The kimchi was also perfectly spiced and still crunchy. There was an odd ball of yellow mush with peas and carrots that I don’t know what to make of.
Service was decent. The cart brought around the appetizers regularly, but I was still left wanting more hot tea. Overall, I’m glad I came, but I wouldn’t rush bush l back even if I lived here.

++ Galbi Jeem
My friend told me that I would really like Tang, and I told him not to tell me how to live my life.
But he was so right!
Whenever I have a hard day, or it’s particularly cold, or I miss my parents and a home-​cooked meal, I come to Tang 190. Weird, I know. It’s always really bustling with families, friends, and etc so the one time I came to eat alone it made me feel even more sad hahaa. But the imos working were especially nice to me even though they were crazy busy, so being alone and looking pitiful has its perks! Although I was in between reading/​eating/​checking my phone, at one point they even asked if I wanted to charge my phone lols :)
I love love love love the Galbi Jjim here. For those of you who haven’t tried it yet, you need it in your life. It’s beef short ribs simmered in a sweet sauce with scallions, whole cloves of garlic, prettily-​sliced carrots (blech), dried jujubes, and a whole myriad of other things. It comes out somewhere in between sauce and stew, and compliments rice perfectly. The beef becomes really soft and tender, and sort of just melts off the rib bone. If you’re the type of person that loves sukiyaki with your shabu shabu, you’ll really like Galbi Jeem.
Someone else raved about the Galbi Jjim in their review, and said that it was a steal. Yes, that is absolutely true! The only other time I had Galbi Jjim this amazing was in a little mom and pop shop in Ktown called Seongbukdong, but that one order was pushing $ 25. At Tang, it’s around $ 12. It’s a pretty time-​consuming dish to prepare, hence the steep prices.
Tang 190 is unique in that there’s efficient outdoor seating. If you’re here at night for a date and you’re dressed warmly, it might be a cute idea to sit in the plaza area. There are strung up lights to give it a nice, festive glow. During the day, umbrellas are there to block out the harsh sun too. The tables have your standard Korean service buttons — so you can simply press the button to get someone, rather than struggle to flag them down. If I recall correctly, there’s also a separate button to request the bill as well.

I must had dined during an «off» day because I didn’t really enjoy my meal at Tang. I saw the great reviews on Unilocal and was looking forward to dining at the restaurant. The modern restaurant has a relatively small inside seating area and a spacious outside patio area. We sat inside and I believe Tang is known for their galbi tang rib soup but I was craving something spicy.
So, Hubby and I ordered the following:
(1) Banchans
I think there was about six types of banchans. Nothing really stood out.
(2) Gamjatang
My spicy pork bone soup with potatoes & topped with a few greens was a HUGE disappointment. The broth was too salty and my pork bones had NO meat. I was just scraping at the cartilage which I expected… but, there should had been some meat on those bones. I just filled up on the banchans and rice.
(3) Bulgogi Beef Bibimbap
Hubby’s bibimbap came out on a sizzling plate with rice topped with a variety of veggies and bulgogi. He absolutely loved it and I had a taste and it was yummylicious!
(4) Galbi Tang
I ordered the galbi tang soup to go since this is the soup that everyone raves about. I had it for dinner and again … I don’t get it. A few pieces of rib meat and very little noodles with lots of broth. The dish is overpriced for what you get.
I doubt that I will return to Tang again unless I’m in the mood for some bulgogi beef bibimbap. I tried two types of their soups which were both disappointments. 2 Stars!