The Fresh Roll House

FINALLY, after who knows how many grocery shopping trips we’ve been on at Zion (usually because we go during the week nights when it’s closed), we tried this place. Pretty decent rolls here but they are a bit pricey, though no more pricey than the pre-​packaged rolls they have sitting off near the hot food section. Figured if I was gonna get kimbap, might as well get it when it’s fresh. The bulgogi kimbap was pretty good too — not sure I’d trust eating one of the bulgogi kimbaps that has been sitting on a shelf for more than a few hours. As far as the Korean lady being rude, we didn’t experience that — she smiled and seemed pretty nice. From reading the reviews, you’d think she’s bipolar or something.

The previous reviews are accurate. The rolls are mediocre at best but that’s not the issue. The taller/​skinny cashier lady (probably owner) is so not friendly. Please be nicer to your customers and remember you are charging us for our food not giving stuff out for free so smile… I promise it won’t hurt you:)
Last time I checked a smile is free and harmless!

Expected it to take a lot better since it’s fresh but really didn’t taste that different from the market rolls. The tuna rolls were good. The bulgogi rolls, especially the brown rice ones, I had a hard time finishing. Food wise, it’s probably a 3.5.

Love these rolls and the convenience of this location. I always grab a package (comes with two long rolls for $ 5) on my way out of Zion.

I always get the bulgogi beef kimbap and it never disappoints. $ 5 for 1 package that comes with 2 rolls and slices of yellow pickled radish. Definitely a quick place to grab lunch or dinner on the go.

The cashier gives bad attitude. Since there was a customer in front of me so I put two box of sushi on the counter waiting to check out But don’t know why one fell in the floor. I apologized three times. And she gave me the poker face and said nothing.
Charged to my credit card and then finally said «you broke it, you pay for it»!
Never going to give business to this place again
Shushi here is just average super market rolls.
Plus, how dare you call it fresh rolls but it’s made from canned tuna?

Decent snack when you are on the go. I like to share this with someone as the pack is quite a lot.
The last one I got was the beef, although next time I most likely get fish. For those unaquainted, its a cooked korean sushi like dish. I especially like the pickle they package with the rolls.

5 stars? Seriously?
It’s basically futomaki from a supermarket. I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s desperation food — i.e. really hungry, need something fast or I might pass out so I’ll settle for this crap in the market. It’s not even Korean people making it. I bought a couple rolls for the family to snack on and honestly, it’s was just OK, nothing special.

Best kimbap I’ve had? Nah, not even close. But for the sacred trio of quality, quantity, and pricing, this place is pretty good.
For around $ 5 – 6 ($ 6 usually for the brown rice alternatives), you get two rows of kimbap (12 pieces/​row for the average roll). You can watch the workers making the kimbap in house, so you have some guarantee of freshness. I’ve tried a lot of their rolls, including the bulgogi, bulgogi with brown rice, spicy tuna, fish cake, etc. I usually opt for the bulgogi, but all of them are pretty solid.
The rolls that you actually purchase are pre-​made, which means if you’re in a rush, this is a great place to pick up lunch without the hassle of ordering and waiting. Worth going out of your way to make a visit? Nope! But again, the quality, quantity, and pricing are respectable and I’d recommend if you’re in the area looking for a quick meal.

Amazingly delicious handmade Korean kimbap. «Kimbap» resembles sushi :) Traditional fillings include seasoned vegetables, egg, beef, or some kind of meat, fish and/​or imitation crab, but these days anything goes. They even offer brown rice versions and spicy tuna rolls! One package will run you about $ 5 which is pretty reasonable. «Fresh Roll House» is not a sit down restaurant, it’s basically a little booth located at the entrance of Zion Market. It’s basically pick-​up and take-​out. Definitely check this place out… And don’t forget there’s a Paris Baguette Bakery located in the back of Zion Market :)

Located inside Zion market, I usually grab a box of kimbap for an on-​the-​go lunch. The rolls are fairly large and more than enough for me. I’ve tried the beef, tuna and spicy tuna. Beef and tuna are not spicy, but the spicy tuna surprised me with an unexpected kick.
Anyway, they stuff the rolls with perilla leaves (which is amazing!), pickled radish, carrots, rolled egg and other vegetables packed neatly in dried seaweed. They give you chopsticks, but when you’re on the run, I just pop em like chips. It’s a mouthful sometimes, but that’s the only way to eat them if you want a bite of everything.

For all the korean folks, kimbap is the food you ate growing up when you went on a roadtrip, picnic, or visit to disneyland… when your parents wanted to save money from the high tourist prices of food. For all others, its not really sushi, but its rice, beef (or in this case sometimes spicy tuna), and vegetables (usually yellow radish and cucumbers) wrapped around seaweed.
There are a couple options here– they do a full order of beef kimbap for $ 5, or a half order of spicy tuna for $ 3.50.
This is a great place for a quick lunch on the go or a roadtrip. Easy to eat, and still great after a few hours. Its not sushi… But it is delicious!

Earlier this afternoon, I drove aimlessly around Irvine in search of lunch. I should have done my research at home before wasting a quarter tank of gas and thirty minutes of my life, but that’s neither here nor there. Seemingly out of nowhere I started missing my mom’s cooking and I eventually ended up at The Fresh Roll House inside Zion Market. I wanted kimbap stat.
Kimbap, is a Korean style norimaki (nori roll) filled with seasoned meats and vegetables. Unlike traditional Japanese rolls where the sushi rice is seasoned with vinegar and sugar, kimbap rice is normally seasoned with sesame oil and salt (FYI: Sesame oil is a common ingredient in Korean dishes). Korean nori rolls are filled with egg, meat, carrots, spinach, pickled vegetables and other ingredients.
The cool thing about kimbap is there is no steadfast rule in terms of the ingredients you use to fill the roll. The Fresh Roll House’s own selection of kimbap is evidence of this. For example, their Spicy Tuna and Tuna Kimbap contain COOKED tuna with shiso leaves. I remember my mom’s kimbap would have kimchi, Spam and whatever vegetables we had on hand. It was the best way to clean up leftover food. The Fresh Roll House’s kimbap choices include: Bulgogi, Fish Cake, Tuna and Spicy Tuna.
I took forever to decide, but I bought a package of the Bulgogi Kimbap. Loaded with cooked egg, bulgogi (Korean beef BBQ) and picked vegetables, the Bulgogi Kimbap was flavorful and delicious albeit slightly oily. I took some home to my husband and he enjoyed them as well. The Fresh Roll House is not conveniently close to our place, but I plan to return soon to try the Fish Cake Kimbap.
Freshly made, portable Korean comfort food. Reasonably priced at $ 4.50 for two huge rolls. The Korean ajimas are hard-​working and courteous.
Tip: Add some Sriarcha sauce to give your kimbap a nice, spicy kick!

I just recently discovered this place after a trip to the Zion market. They have a few varieties: tuna, beef, fish cake and a few more I can’t remember. I opted for the fish cake with brown rice, came out to 6 bucks for two rolls. Portions are huge! I had it for both lunch and dinner. I think I’ll become a regular here lol.