Jup She

I came on a day where the place was packed and my friend and I waited for an hour or longer for our food to come.
Our appetizer came after our main dish.
I should give this a lower rating but I enjoyed the food a lot. I’m sad that they closed down. I usually order take out for lunch.

Choosing a lunch spot when at least four or five of my co-​workers are eating together seems to be a task that never takes less than 15 to 20 minutes to complete. But we always inevitably tire of being undecided and one of us will make the decision and we will stick with it. So on this on particular day, it was «the Korean place». Being new on the job and unfamiliar with the neghbourhood for lunch spots, I went along. I actually thought we would be going to the closer Woo Lae Oak. But we ended up walking quite a few blocks to reach Jup She. I’ve walked by Jup She a few times before and was always curious about this Korean restaurant located in an unlikely location for a Korean restaurant.
It was very quiet at the restaurant during this Tuesday lunch time. Not a popular weekday lunch spot, I suppose. But a few of my co-​workers seem to like this restaurant. For a simple Korean meal I always like to get a bibimbap or dolsot bibimbap. Jup She has a lunch special menu with each item priced at $ 12.95, including a bibimbap. But I wanted a galbi dolsot bibimbap instead and unfortunately it’s not part of the lunch special menu, and it would cost me $ 15. A bit expensive for a work lunch, and I know I have Korean friends who would think I was silly for ordering bibimbap at a restaurant, but I didn’t mind. Some of my co-​workers opted for items off the lunch special menu, and a couple others ordered dolsot bibimbaps like I did.
After checking in on the Unilocal app, a Unilocal Check-​In Offer popped up for a free appetiser for the table. So it was a fried dumpling for everyone! Thanks, Unilocal!Our food all came out without much of a wait. My dolsot bibimbap was sizzling hot just like it ought to be, with the galbi, vegetables, and of course, a fried egg. I generously put all the gojujang into my bowl and mixed up the ingredients, making sure to scrape the bottom consistently so that none of the rice stuck to the stone pot because of the heat.
My co-​workers who also ordered the dolsot bibimbap did not throw in all of their gojujang, but they still found their lunch very spicy. To me it was spicy enough so that it was just right. They also gave enough galbi so that it was not like finding a piece of treasure everytime my mouth was able to sample the tasty beef. Overall it was a good lunch and I’m sure I’ll be back to try other dishes.

We are a regular when is time for a Korean Fix! — It sure beats going to K-​Town. I love the selections and the service. I always had dinner here but never lunch. I would try it when I get a chance.
The menu has changed and I hope on a regular basis to we can experiences new dishes. I am never disappointed with the food but I noticed that once the manager/​owner is not there, the wait staff started to slack off.

i’ve probably walked by this place a bajillion times. i go to chinatown quite often and pass this place by because it ALWAYS just looks so sadly empty… but i’m glad i stopped in to try it out finally…
A friend recently recommended their bibimbap. Call me inexperienced in bibimbap but I’ve actually never ever had a good tasting one in my life. i never understood the craze. it was just a big bowl of rice with raw veggies and perhaps a fried egg.
Not at jupshe. the bibimbap i had was THE BEST ive ever had, well to be fair. i also said i never had that many. however this bibimbap was the bulgogi one with basil. the only problem was the basil was a tad overwhelming which ruined the taste of the rice and bulgogi itself. they are generous with the meat serving as in korean places, they are generally not. this bibimbap had no egg in there which was fine. if there wasnt as much basil i would have loved it even more.
we also tried the seafood pancake from here. ive seen mixed reviews about it but ive had my fair share of seafood pancakes and i think i know a good pancake but its defintiely not at jupshe. the one we had was thick, and untasty. no taste is more like it. no seafood. a few pieces of squid… there should be fresh scallions, squid, shrimps, scallops, crabmeat, etc… if i had to make a guess, i’d say the batter was too watered down so thats why there was no taste.
the banchans are not generous. they do not refill either. the day that i went it was a friday night, we had 3 banchans. 4 including a steamed egg dish. the 3 included kimchi, potato/​apple salad, and some weird gelatin thing with soy sauce which i have absolutely no idea what it was.
my bf had the tofu soup with seafood. he said it should have came with scallop /​shrimp /​clams. it came bubbling and he dug for the shrimp but ther was no such shrimp. we waved down the waitress and she apologized and took it back to fix it. it came back in less than 5 minutes… STILL without shrimp. this tiem they definitely added more seafood. there was squid, an abundance in clams but that was it. we figured they prob ran out ?? but we didnt even wana bother asking again.
the service here is okay. nothing spectacular that deserved extra tip. they didnt thank us or say good bye to us. when we came in to be seated nobody was there to greet us or to seat us. it took prob a whole minute awkwardly standingby the doorway before we were acknowledged.
i would prob come back again to have the bibimbap but my bf said the tofu soup was nothing special. the crowd here was a mixture of the local asians and also some local people who live in the area probably.

More like 2.5 stars
I see a lot of horrible reviews for this place. Keep in mind that I’ve only been here once, and that was a couple months ago.
My experience there could have stood for a whole lot of improvement, but there really isn’t anywhere else for Korean that I know of in this area, and yes the kimchi is good (and they sell it by the jar, too!) so I don’t want it to go away!
This is a no frills place, so I stuck to the basics got the sizzling bi bim bap. Greasier than I had hoped, with way too few vegetables. But the service was fast and it was what it was. Korean food in Little Italy.

Total disappointment. The meal started off with some skimpy mediocre banchan. When I go to a Korean restaurant, that’s the highlight of meal. I look forward to the assortment of goodies, but this place only gave us three and it wasn’t worth. wasting our calories on. The pictures posted must be old because they looked nothing like what we got.
We waited 25 minutes for our lunch and when we received it, the food was luke warm. That was really annoying. We also ordered the fried tofu appetizer I saw on Unilocal and it looked nothing like the pic. Not only did it not taste good, the waitress didn’t bring it over until after she brought our lunch over.
The restaurant itself is very nice, but the food was really disappointing. Don’t waste your money.

I took my dad here for lunch. His first experience with Korean food wasnt a good one so i brought him here with hopes that he would enjoy his 2^nd Korean adventure.
He did.
The lunch special was different today but I thought it was a great selection of choices for a great price. I think this is a great place to take someone to try korean food for the first time. Its a great intro to the wonderful and unique flavors Korean food has to offer without being too intimidating.
We had the $ 10.95 lunch box special which was essentially a bento of sorts. we were served 3 bon chan (kimchee, cucumbers and soemthing pickled) all tasty in their own way. A bowl of miso soup which was hot and comforting on a cold day. Then a massive box filled with rice, two fried wontons, galbi, salad and japchae (my fav). This was the type of experience I needed my father to have. He loved everything and enjoyed lunch very much.
Cant wait to bring dad back when he needs a hot pot of silken tofu and prawns!

The people here are really friendly and down to earth. I love that I can get Korean food without the trek up to K-​TOWN and also without experiencing the crowds or rude service. The food is pretty good here. I think the space is very comfortable and clean. Their lunch special is a really good value!

Thanks to L. & I. who brought me here. I’ve been only going ‘woo rae ok’ for Korean food near work place. Jup she is low key, authentic Korean place which has alcohols. lol. It was bit salty to my Korean food standard. but generous portion, good service, free small dish (ban chan).I can’t complain. I had beef soup with rice. It was a perfect dish for this cold weather.

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh H and I LOVED this place and now — no more!
They have been raising their prices throughout the 2 years I have been eating here.
Just recently they up’ed their prices again but cut off the appetizers that goes with it. Meanwhile explaining that they gave more for the entrée.
They totally changed the GALBI too! They now have this gritty tasting sauce on top.
NEVER AGAIN!
1 star that they still have good Kimchee!
P. S. T is still hungry after getting Bulgogi — T said it was so watery and gross that it was inedible.

A quaint Korean restaurant that sits at the edge of Chinatown leaning towards Little Italy. Following a long and winding day filled with Yum Cha, Cantonese, Mandarin classes, shopping/​browsing in Chinatown my stomach craved for food as my mind was filled with language intellect.
With our gargantuan party of eighteen which completely filled the rear, the rest of the restaurant was empty of patrons. I agree with fellow Unilocaler (Dave H.) for lack of banchan typically served in Korean restaurants. The music is mellow and low key fit for dinning as I was sipping on plum wine at $ 6.00 per glass to Enya’s «Orinoco Flow» and humming the lyrics quietly. My Galbi Dolsot Hotstone Bibimbap of marinated bonelss short ribs at $ 13.95 was in true Korean form spicy, but mild as it was not spawn hot spicy. The hotstone plate continously heated the contents all through my entire consumption, which burnt my tongue and mouth. Surprisingly with our gargantuan party of eighteen with only two alcoholic drinks, eighteen individual entrees with a few appetizers our bill totaled a fair $ 286.39. Staff was attentive and friendly to our requests especially submissive to our gargantuan party of eighteen.
N.B. There is a $ 20.00 minimum for free delivery.
In Korean, Jup She is «the Korean plate, a hallow dish which food is served.»

The only place I know in the area that serves Korean food. Jup She is located on the edge of Chinatown, Little Italy and Soho. In my opinion, they have a lunch special that cannot be beat. You get to choose from the normal Korean affair like Galbi, Bulgogi, Bibimbap and several other options which by itself is already a meal. Then they go a step farther and include either a seafood Soon Doo Bu or a choice of two Jigaes. All this food for just $ 12.95.
The service is great as they constantly made sure our water glasses were full and they would refill our Ban Chan whenever we finished it. The fruit salad, which was made with apples, was not to my taste but I enjoyed the Kim Chi and the pickled cucumbers. The kitchen was a little slow so it is usually a stretch to fit it into my lunch hour. However on my most recent visit, I noticed a table behind me where all the food was prepared including the main entrees and stews, but the patrons did not arrive until shortly thereafter. I was told that they do have a call ahead option and I will be sure to take advantage of this the next time that I go.
I work in Soho and I often get a craving for Korean food. Jup She is the only place that I can go to for Korean food that is even close to comparable to Ktown in Midtown. Of course there are the Korean deli’s that litter the area, but those options are not enjoyable in the least.

I gotta say that the décor and atmosphere in here is just such a breath of fresh air from all the well-​lit, super loud places in C-​town. If you wanna try something aside from Chinese and Italian cuisine in this neighborhood, then grab a seat in Jup She.
Whether you feel like rice or noodle, spicy or mild, meat or veggie, their selection won’t let you down. Staff are so sweet & polite, it’s polar opposite from nearby places.
My favorite appetizer is the Fried Tofu. The texture of the tofu after pan-​frying, and the topping sauce~ mmm, I can eat it for days! From the soups, I’ve had mandu soup when I was sick, and yook gae jang (spicy!) any other day. I like how both contain filling ingredients that can satisfy you on soup alone.
Moving along to the main dishes:
Squid bokkum — saucy, spicy, and chewy. Bulgoki — although thinly sliced, still comes out juicy and flavorful. Jae Yook bokkum — my favorite! Galbi — only cooked from the kitchen and not grilled @ your table top, but ask for the ssamjang dipping sauce and chow down on that beefy goodness!
Special Ramen — choose either rice cake or mandu and it’ll be a good combo. Soon Doobu — it is spicy, and goes great with rice on a cold day, or if you’re feeling brave on a hot day.
Kimchee bokkum bap — one of the best fried rice I’ve ever tasted. Try splitting this with a friend over one of the above entrees. Hot stone bowl Bibimbap — I’ve only had it with the squid, and it’s so good, I can’t bring myself to try it with anything else. Someone send me recommendations, pls!

So there I was stuck in Chinatown and craving for Korean food and of course Jup She was my only option. It’s a pretty decent place, dim, spacious, comfortable, probably too trendy for Chinatown, there are bright orangey chairs, and very IKEA style. What I love about Korean restaurants are the free side dishes but this place only provides 4… I thought what… only 4?! A little disappointed… guess I’m too spoiled by Koreatown and Flushing Korean restaurants, they give like 9+ side dishes, too bad I was stuck in the area. The prices are similar to all the other Korean restaurants and the food is not bad. I recommend the hot stone bibimbap, I can never get sick of eating that and it’s loaded with a lot of different vegetables.

Who needs K-​Town?
This place is a hidden gem in Chinatown/​Little Italy.
So I searched the city for a korean restaurant that provided plenty of kim chi and bulgogi dishes on a budget.
This place came up, so me and a few friends decided it would be a good friday after work beer and food spot to try since we are in the area.
We ate our hearts out and then some more. With drinks and everything I think we spent about $ 20 a person and still had leftovers at the end.

Not bad, but not great. The seafood pancake was not bad, but I’ve had better.
I had some fried noodles that made me think more like it was Chinese rather than Korean, but the taste was not bad.
The price is a little steep for what you get.
Ask for tea rather than water — it’s good tea!
Service is pretty good — my tea was refilled every time I drank half a cup.
It’s a good place to get Korean food if you are in the Chinatown/​Little Italy area and don’t feel like going up to K-​town to get your grub.

Convinced my friend to try Korean food. (that was a feat in itself). Had the soondofu and she had the Mandu ramen. The soondofu was okay. They used bay shrimp and no clams. Not like LA at all. That was a 3 star. Also a bit disappointed about the small dishes. I’m used to tons of small dishes including spicy cucumber an not just 4. Could be better.
However they redeemed themselves with the ramen which is great on a cold winter day and their fruit infused soju was deelish!
Will be back to drink and have some ramen!

Wow. Unilocal really let me down on this one!
I worked down the street from Li Hua about ¾ years ago and I really didn’t like it.
I am again in this neighborhood, a complete void of korean food. And out of desperation (hungover and reeeallly wanting jigae or soondubu) I called and ordered for pick up. Well first I checked out Unilocal and there were lots of positive reviews of the soondubu.
It was not good. I would not eat from here unless I was absolutely desperate for korean food (which I pretty much was but I won’t make this mistake again).
Really, no good.

I’ve never went to a Korean place that offered so little banchan! (appetizers served on a small plate) They only have — bean sprouts, kimchi, and something else.
Went at 12:30pm on a saturday — there was no one eating except us. left at 1:15pm — still no one.
Sure this place is kind of «hidden». Sandwiched between main chInatown and soho. Also, their restaurant is designed discreetly — encompassing a older building instead of erecting a newer façade.
Food was decent, definitely worth a try. However, my CHAP CHAE was not worth 9 dollars considering the amount of onions i had (alot — like half a medium onion) and the amount of cellophane noodles i had (very little, like one small batch) The BEEF however was nicely shredded, though not the freshest beef, was plentiful (in ratio) I’ve ate better at K-​town and Flushing’s Northern Blvd.
My girlfriend had the HOT STONE BI BIM BAP and it was nicely made but very bland and/​or tasteless. *****If you want your egg to be cracked when served, ask when ordering. The rice was made nicely — it was crusty but not burnt — just the way it is suppose to be. Sides were decent and when mixed with red paste sauce — very edible. I prefer this over the Chap Chae. I believe 12.95(not sure)
If you are in Chinatown and need Korean food, definitely come here — being the only one in the whole vicinity. However, if you want great Korean food — head to Ktown/​Flushing.
Nice décor and setting, modern tables/​chairs, modern look. Good customer service (even though we were only ones, lol)

Ciesse is right, their décor is minimalist and there’s plenty of natural light (see photos I posted). I was there last August on a weekend and it didn’t fill up, to my surprise. The music is chill in the background FYI.
The food we ordered was absolutely delish (also see photos) but I was disappointed in the small number of banchan (small plates) provided, as well as the ones provided (personal preference). Our server (Susie) was quick and friendly.
Li Hua is particularly interesting since it’s one of the few (only?) Korean dining establishments I know of within walking distance of Chinatown. Recommended for what it is, where it is!
IN PLACE UPDATE 23 September 2009 Li Hua is now Jup She, and different visually and menu-​wise, so my review doesn’t really apply anymore…