Muk Eun Ji

Great place for lunch. Affordable and you get a ton of food. I found their kimchi especially good. Really good service as well. Make sure to utilize the free drink when you check in. Definitely recommended for a quick and delicious lunch!

It may not look like much from the outside, but the kimchi and casserole were amazing.
My first time trying Mukeunji Gamja Tang (Kimchi and Potato with Pork Backbone Casserole) and it was blissful… nothing better on a cold winter day. The meat is tender with just the right amount of satisfying chew. Tastes like it was stewed for hours with their perfect kimchi. I think we got a little extra thrown in because our Korean friend ordered (2 portions for 3 people was plenty). Seriously delicious and not something I’ve come across at most Korean restaurants. Skip the jjapchae, it wasn’t great. Lots of banchan and refills if you ask. I may have eaten a pound of cabbage that day…

Came for lunch and had kimchi stew which wass very nice with warm steam rice. Slightly on the salty side though. They gave 6 types of banchan and I think their kimchi tastes awesome, more than in other places. It also was not crowded so I had a nice and quiet lunch.

Omg. Get the Gamjatang!. Came here for the first time and got two portions of gamjatang with glass noodles. The Gamjatang is highly recommended. Two portions were big enough for three people, especially if you order another entrée. The stew is loaded with well fermented Kim chi and soft meat that falls off the bones effortlessly… It’s a hungover girl’s dream. Caveat is that it makes you want to start drinking again. I would not recommend the glass noodles though, I don’t think there was much flavor to it and the noodles seemed to be a little old (in that some parts were stuck together and felt mushier than your usual japchae).
I will be back.

I’ve only had the Jja-​Jjiang Myun and the spicy seafood soup (an amazing half bowl combo), and kimchi, but this place is AMAZING. Cheaper than other places on the block. The noodles are a bit softer than other jja-​jjang noodles, but the sauce is Sweet & flavorful. If you took this sauce and Sam Won Gak’s noodles, it would be the perfect jja-​jjang myun.
Kimchee is also really good here and you can buy a 1kg tub for $ 11 or $ 12. Also if you check in on Unilocal you get a free beer.
I like this place, but they lose a star for the consistently bad service.

I would rate a little lower but service was fantastic and I think perhaps authentic korean isn’t my thing. We had the kimchee side which was delicious but the casserole wasn’t really my thing. Unfortunately, it’s a minimum of two per order, so we had to order it insisted by fiancé. Unfortunately, i hated it.
Their sides were delicious though, and although i didn’t like the kimbchee pork dish, by partner was happy. And they refilled our potato salad, and sweet potato 4 times which satisfied me.

Friday night dinner in Ktown almost always come with long wait, so we were happy to see this place with plenty open tables. We ordered the bibimbop and Galbi Tang. They were ok, nothing spectacular. Apparently they also serve sushi and hand made noodles…

I was seated immediately. The restaurant was packed with customers so it’s very loud and there are a lot of moving parts. I started with hot corn tea and an order of steamed shrimp dumplings. They were excellent but served on top of a rice paper. Make sure to eat them quickly because as they cool they stick to the paper. All the complimentary appetizers they bring you are wonderful and vary from black beans, cucumbers and kimchi. I ordered the bulgogi bi bim bop. It came out sizzling hot and looked very fresh and appealing. It was a lot of food and I could only eat about ¼ of the bi bim bop. The staff was very prompt and attentive. They removed empty dishes and filled my water without ever having to ask. The total bill for my meal was $ 25 which I thought was very reasonable. If you like Korean food and can handle not having a quiet private dinner then I would give Mukeunji a try!

The pork backbone soup is a perfect winter dish and one of the most awesome things I’ve eaten in a long time!

Yum. I was severely craving kimchee, and Muk Eun Ji was there for me.
In an ideal world, they would have a decent drinks menu, or at least charge a bit less for the bee. But the service was good, and the food was quick to arrive and tasty.

Hands down my new favorite place in ktown!
Why?
1. Pricing is really competitive and cheaper than most places down the street. Buddae jiggae here is only $ 15!
2. Portion size is incredible. I definitely feel like I’m getting a lot more for my money. I love a giant bowl of yuggae jang. :)
3. Wait time is nonexistent. Luckily it’s not super popular, so never have had to wait and I’ve been there 5 – 6 times now.
Recommendations on dishes? Noodle or rice bowls, I’d stick with more of the Korean than the Chinese stuff.

I LOVE this restaurant! I would come here when i’m sober, slightly sober, and any time of the day, if i lived closer.
Their imported aged kimchi sets them apart from the other dozens of korean restaurants in NY. The aged kimchi is extra flavorful, softer, and more pungent; goes great with kbbq and in their kimchi stews.
I’ve been here multiple times, ordered different items every time, and was never disappointed!
They offer a large array of items on their menu, from kimchi stews to kbbq (korean bbq) to noodles to conveyor belt sushi, it’s all good! The server always has a nice smile and is helpful with helping me deciding between items to order.

My friends wanted to meet for dinner here and got their order in before myself and a friend showed up. As I sat and was greeted by my friends I asked if I was able to redeem my check in deal. She denied my request due toy 2 previous friends who have ordered and how I would have to order more food to redeem it. Thought that was a bit sketch and disappointing tbh. I shrugged it off and continued to order and indulge on the kbbq options and ordered some additional drinks after.
Thought the service itself was ok… average at most. Thought it was cool they give you the mini yogurt drink at the end.
The beef was good but the chicken was eh.

I got really excited to come here because the noodles are hand pulled and you can actually watch the guy from a clear window making the noodles. The waitresses warn you that it’ll take longer than other dishes, but it really doesn’t take long. For korean standards, the food does take a little bit longer than usual, but compared to american restaurants, it’s not long at all.
The noodles though highly ambitious, was disappointing. The inconsistency of the noodles were unacceptable. My friends called it rustic homemade, but to me, it just wasn’t fun. Some of the noodles were thick and some were so thin you couldn’t even pick it up with your chopsticks. It noodles were soggy than regular black bean noodles so I didn’t like it at all.
Not to mention, I ordered a dish called tangsooyook and the waitress thought it was made with pork even though it was clearly beef. My friend who is allergic to pork, was let to believe that she couldn’t have any even though she definitely could have.

(Disclaimer: I’m Korean and used to Los Angeles Korean grub)
Place is okay. Manhattan Korean always disappoints IMHO — both in flavor and how expensive it is. Korean food is really cheap to make — no idea why it’s $$$ here.
Tofu stew was okay — very standard, a little bland. They’re famous for this super aged (aka rotten) kimchi, but it doesn’t actually taste very good — I mean that even when fresh, the kimchi recipe is lacking.
Service was a total s&!#show. Had to flag down someone for everything — water, order, where the hell is our food and check. There was one semi-​disgruntled man from the Korean countryside working the tables. He kept talking to us like we were children and kind of yelling at us in Korean. Oh well, soft spot cuz they remind me of relatives, and you never expect good service in Ktown Manhattan.

So many options — they have regular stews, Korean Chinese food, and sushi.
Service — ⁴⁄₅! Very quick to get your order, bring out the food, refill your side dishes, check without rushing. Waiters are sweet too.
I did ask one lady whether was better or and she smiled and didn’t know what to say then settled for a «both are good» answer. I smiled back but thought that was odd, it’s like do you even eat here?
Yook gae jang — good! Not too spicy.
Hae jang gook — good but make sure you like ox blood because they give you a lot of it.
Seafood Oolmyun — very egg-​y. I like it, it’s a mixture of kal gook soo and jjam bbong except not spicy if anyone can get this reference.
My friends loved their kimchi jjigae. Speaking of kimchi, their kimchi is yummy. They have pics of kimchi all over the restaurant so you can tell they’re very proud too hence the name, .
The food overall is good and the portions are big so it’s also worth the price.

It was a raining and windy day in mid-​town and I needed something good and familiar to warm my soul. Good thing I happened to be in Koreatown, because hot Korean food is usually served to you while still cooking!
This place was great and surprisingly big inside. I had the budae chigae (army stew) and the bin dae dduk. Budae chigae is a Korean starter dish if you haven’t had much Korean cooking in the past and are wary about trying something new (plus it’s an awesome hangover cure); the dish itself was invented with American products stemming from the Korean War… check it out on Wikipedia. The bin dae dduk is one of my favorites, and they made it so GREAT here. It was thick, crunchy (didn’t fall apart), and great! Overall, the place was great and affordable too and for dessert you get a little yogurt drink, which is cute.
The ban chan could have been «more», but overall, this place was great. 5 «GREAT“s for you in my review but only 4 stars for you, Muk Eun Ji!

Are you drunk?
If the answer is no, then you have no business being here. If the answer is yes, then go to Kunjip next door.
I sometimes wonder if K-​town establishments have gotten used to catering to the standards of drunk college kids with the result that the overall quality of the food in the daytime has plummeted.
Let this be a lesson in doing a bit of Unilocaling before you enter a restaurant on this busy food-​filled street. Weary, carrying shopping bags and hungry after a long day of walking, I came in here with my mom expecting pretty decent Korean food. We were seated next to the sushi conveyer belt in the back. There wasn’t a single person in this room except a couple of waiters. Just watching the covered sushi rolls go ’round and ’round on that conveyer belt for several minutes made me doubt my choice of restaurant and pity anyone who might come in to dine on sushi that has been sitting around for who knows how long.
It seems Muk Eun Ji attempts to do everything: there’s Korean food, Chinese food (which is branded under a separate restaurant name «Son Ja Jang» or something like that), and there’s a sushi buffet. This kind of diversification in a restaurant is a big red flag that you ain’t gonna get quality.
As expected, the food was AWFUL. I wanted them to clear away the banchan as soon as they placed the dishes in front of us. Nothing looked appetizing, and indeed, according to my mom who tried a bit, the broccoli was disgusting and the cucumber was suspiciously soggy. My bibim naeng myun came out and it was a heaping mess of buckwheat noodle that stuck together in clumps. They didn’t even put enough spicy sauce on it. My mom’s soondubu (soft tofu soup) had some pretty firm tofu in it, strangely enough.
The two waiters chatted to each other the whole time we had to deal with this nasty business of a meal. They seemed to notice nothing was wrong. I wonder if they even care.

Of all the places in Koreatown, this is
The only place that kind of makes me feel like I’m back in Korea, where I lived for 4.5 years. Their kimchi dubu stew is so good, as is their bibimbap — and they’re generous with the banchan! I’ve brought tons of friends here and they’re never disappointed. Can’t wait to go back and get my check in beer!

I don’t quite understand why this place is not a four stars restaurant. they have decent food and good service.
We had the Jjambong and jajang noodle, both of them were delicious. The only down things were the fact that they didn’t give us any banchan with our orders. I guess it was a lunch item…
Also, when you go here be prepared when you go the bathroom be ready to experience to smell the NYC sewer LOL… it was quite bad!
The awesome thing was this place is 24/7…it’s an awesome one last stop after a long night!