Southgate

Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages of the Unilocal world lets get this review rolling !
First let me just say this place is down right awesome in the gastropub scene. Great food, great service, down to the choice of beverage. Ok so you might want to get ready to love thy neighbor while you’re in Southgate. What I mean by that is, it is tight quarters, so get ready to see and smell what they ordered. Along with that you’ll hear everyone’s business, with it being small.
I met up with some Unilocalers that evening which is always a fun time, so we’ll call it a mini UYE. The first thing that was mentioned was «Get the Wings»! Who am I to turn down wings, it’d be Un-​American if I did. I am a wing fan, and I am telling you, these are some of the best wings to be had. Big meaty wings, that would make Popeye’s, KFC, and Crown go back to their drawing board.
–Korean Fried Chicken~ A.K.A. «KFC» is what you’d say to your server, plus it even says is on their menu. Don’t worry though, this isn’t a Colonel Sanders recipe kiddies, so get ready to wipe your mouth. This is what you’d expect to bite into, now get ready for a crispy double fried wings with your choice of sauce. You can either go with their soy garlic or spicy gochujang, we rocked out the gochujang as our option. UHHH-​maze-​ING
–Mandoo~ I know everyone knows what a dumpling is, and I am sure we all are saying «its a dumpling» what is so special about it. My friends, I said the same thing until I tried it, and yes it is a dumpling. The Mandoo is a fried beef dumpling, over a creamy an eggplant type of purée. To simply put with one word, three syllables which is De-​Lic-​Ious… Delicious.
There is so much more that I wanted to peruse, like their Bulgogi burger and their Bibimbap where this also had my mouth watering. So besides the food being awesome, their cocktails and craft selections are just as good. I really, and I mean I REALLY enjoyed their Southgate Citywide Special. A great concocted blend of Sapporo with a shot of Soju that will make you order one after another. Careful though, it maybe subtle, but this will come up on you like a freight train if you have to many.
In all the server was on the ball, the food is great, and the beverages are on point. What else could anyone ask for? Minus the size and the closeness of everyone, Southgate is a great spot to visit. I know I’ll be back, get that KFC ready!

What a cool idea it is to open a Korean gastro-​pub! Southgate adds a whole new menu of foods to the typical Center City pub. I really enjoyed drinks and dinner here. I loved the Korean version of the Citywide — here it was Sapporo and a shot of Soju. The sweet potato fritters were more than tasty as was the Korean fried chicken. My one complaint about the chicken was that it was supposed to be spicy. It wasn’t at all to me. My friend’s Dolsot Bibimbop looked very good and she was pleased with it. The place looks good, service was fine … but there was one other thing that I think is kind of annoying. We arrived at 5:15 on a weekday. Of course I know it’s happy hour and I had checked that out beforehand online. The hostess gave us only a regular drink menu and the waiter brought over only a regular food menu. I had to ask for the Happy Hour menu… and when I did I got a response, «Oh do you want a Happy Hour menu?» C’mon — if you have Happy Hour specials just give out the menu and don’t make people have to specifically ask for it or otherwise miss out on the special offers. Despite this, I still think Southgate is a good four-​star addition to Center City Philly!

The cocktails are glorious but the food is sub par. The Korean BBQ tacos tasted as memorable as a TGIFridays microwaveable app but 4x the price. The atmosphere sounds like a middle school cafeteria because there seems to be an absence of sound absorbing materials.

Solid 3 Star. Space is tight and only allows 1 person at a time to walk down the single aisle.
I didn’t have any cocktails, but went for the Soju. The Chum brand that they carry is on the sweeter side. I just read that Chum makes their soju «softer» to attract women drinkers– okay –_​–
Between us 2 we shared 4 apps: Sweet potato fritters, Mandoo, Wings extra spicy requested and the octopus.
Fritters– sweet potato purée perfectly deep fried with a panic bread coating. It came with a sweet dipping sauce which didn’t make sense to me since the fritter is already sweet. I wish it came with a spicy/​tangy dip to counterbalance.
Mandoo/​dumpling– tasted like shu mai dim sum, not like a traditional Korean dumpling. IT wasn’t bad it just wasn’t Korean tasting
Wings– even with the spicy request, still pretty mild. The crispy coating was delicious and tasty. Qty served was generous. Solid 4 stars.
Octopus– of the 3 tentacles, 1 was grilled perfectly, the other 2 maybe a bit overcooked and a bit chewy. My date loved it.
For entrée we shared bimbimbap beef in dol sot, ordered extra kimchi and dumped it in before mixing. I found that all the components, like the veg, were too «wet» and after mixing it almost looked like a stew. Or maybe the stone wasn’t hot enough to evaporate all the moisture. I will say that the rice was probably cooked too much prior to going into the dol sot cause after a while, the rice was starting to break down and become mush. Kitchen needs to not cook their rice all the way so it stands up to sitting in a dol sot at the table.
The flavors were good.
Overall, it’s a very slick, trendy restaurant that is doing a decent interpretation of Korean noms.

I really wanted to like Southgate. It’s in my neighborhood and Korean food is normally my jam. But it just really didn’t live up to my expectations based on the taste and price of it’s food.
For happy hour, we got
— Soy Garlic Chicken Wings (3 out of 5)
— Gochujang Chicken Wings (3 out of 5)
— Chicken Sandwich (3 out of 5)
— Koreanchini (3 out of 5)
We also had some drinks for happy hour. A beer & a shot of soju for $ 5? Reasonable!
Conclusion — Southgate just didn’t live up to expectations. The food is just barely above average, but too pricey. The drinks during happy hour are the only draw for me. Wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here.

I love korean food i was happy to try southgates sinces there were open the resturant look pretty decent but if you know about korean food this place is not the one, im from Cali and i always been to many Korean resturant this places compared to others korean places this is below the average i gave a 2 star just because of the services wad good
Food ²⁄₅
Service ⁴⁄₅

Quick review for a quick dinner —
Came on in a Friday, no reservations; got seated at the faux bar towards the back which faces the extremely tiny kitchen. It’s kind of impressive how many people they serve here with what looks to be a a kitchen the size of a large bathroom. It probably isn’t their only kitchen but if it is, good on them for being efficient.
«koreancini» = ¹⁄₅ — I would not get this. Dry, terrible texture, no flavor. Didn’t go well with the dipping sauce.
«KFC» = ³⁄₅ — a solid rendition of KFC. I’d put slightly below Federal but way below Andy’s Fried Chicken. Size of the wings were decent and the batter was solid. Could have used a little more sauce.
bibimbap = ³⁄₅ — also a decent rendition of bibimbap. I ordered mine with beef and it came in a stone pot. For $ 18, it was kind of small. Needed more gochujang which the waiter was happy to oblige.
It’s nice to get some korean food in Philly. I will be back when I need my next fix as the local spot, Giwa, doesn’t cut it.

I had dinner at Southgate recently and I was impressed! The menu is pretty small and doesn’t do the final product justice!
I don’t remember the name of the cocktail that I had but it was similar to a Moscow mule, but with a citrus twist! We shared the mandoo (fried beef dumplings) and they were absolutely fabulous. The balsamic reduction and eggplant purée were a wonderful accompaniment.
I had the bibimbap (how could I not?!) with beef; it was exactly what I was hoping for. The beef was flavorful and tender, and the spicy sauce was just enough to give it a kick without overpowering the other flavors! My date had the tuna hwe dup bap. It was also tasty but he said he felt like he was eating a huge spicy tuna roll.
Our server was great and attentive. They kept our waters filled and refilled our cocktails as soon as we finished! Next time I am trying the tacos!

I had been walking passed this place while staying at an airbnb. Then a friend suggested we meet there since she had heard good things and wanted to try it.
Perfect. I had the Autumn salad, who would have thought a kale salad could be so delicious and filling.
F had the tofu rice bowl and loved it. My friend had the tofu taco and said they were really good.
I even tried their persimmon shortcake which I took home and it was still good the next day.

Wow, what a unique concept for a gastropub – this is definitely not a theme that I have stumbled across before. A sleek and minimal feel for the space makes the tiny tables in the bar area feel less cramped than they actually are. There is a communal table in the back (near the open kitchen) that would benefit larger groups and the bathroom is downstairs.
As everyone else has mentioned, you ought to get the wings. Don’t afraid of the hot wings – they are not so hot as to make you tear up and pack a more flavorful punch than the sweet wings. No matter the flavor, you are in for an ample, crunchy portion. The kale salad was the perfect size for two to share as a starter, and the mashed avocado made the dish. The buns were light and sweet and were a good addition as a starter to our meal. But what really stole the show was the dessert (check the specials board). We had a caramel pot de crème with peanut brittle and dark chocolate on top… I can still taste it melting in my mouth.
Service was fantastic and felt more upscale than the title «gastropub» would suggest. All of the servers I’ve had are knowledgeable about the drinks menu. I don’t remember which of the signature cocktails I had, but it was whiskey-​based, strong, and reminiscent of an old-​fashioned – in a word, delicious.
An excellent place to come with friends for drinks and small plates – I’m sure I will be back again soon.

Solid 4-​star, only because I merely did not quite try enough to bump them up to 5-​star (yet)…
Came here with CP a few days prior to Turkey Day (i.e. Thanksgiving) to give them a test run. We each had some food and drinks. The bartender was happy to describe the drinks on the menu and help guide selection. The P&P I had truly hit the spot and the tacos were filling without being heavy (if that makes any sense). We did not try to wings, as described in so many other reviews. They looked awesome, friends say they are awesome, I will confirm during a future visit.
The wait wasn’t outrageous, but we found seats at the bar. The hostess was willing to move us to seats once they opened up, but we decided to stay put. I wouldn’t call the atmosphere unique, but it still very nice yet a bit tight. Therefore, I would probably recommend reservations in advance for a larger group. Otherwise, more details will come as I try more… And I will be trying more!

Wings wings wings. So good. Get the spicy ones. They’re not the tiny little wings. They’re like from chickens on steroids.
Stick with the beer because the drinks are a bit overpriced and not very strong. Kind of pricey but the portions are huge. The fish and chips are great. The tacos fell flat for me.
Stick with the wings. Go for it.

Solid 4-​star spot right around the corner from a friend’s place. For the immediate area I was extremely happy with the food and the service.
Draft beers appear seasonal and though there aren’t a ton to pick from there are enough to satisfy a variety of beer drinkers. Overall a nicely curated list. The cocktails look lovely, even though I didn’t partake. Next time for sure.
The food menu is limited but what they do, they do well. Mandoo was a good substitute for the steamed buns — which were sold out (so disappointed they didn’t have these — it was merely 7pm). Bibimbap with tofu was on point and a large serving which probably would have worked to share if accompanied by a couple apps.
Ate at the bar — service was friendly and attentive without being overbearing… And he wasn’t hard on the eyes either.
Recommend this place for sure.

Nice spot first time here since they became SOUTHGATE cute small place for girls night or even a date loved their rice bowl but sampan is much better lol

Not bad, but ultimately, this place veers toward watered down Korean than interesting Korean fusion.
The Koreancini and dumplings were off the mark in terms of marrying western and Korean flavors — I don’t get what’s so «Korean» about a corn-​filled arancini with tomato sauce and the eggplant purée does not add to the dumplings. You can certainly get better Korean fried chicken. The Korean pickle in the bulgogi burger was a nice touch, but overall not mind blowing. Finished the meal with the misugaru cake with lemon cream and persimmon… and apparently the people here do not know what a ripe persimmon tastes like.
The highlight here was definitely the cocktail — the P&P is a great rye whiskey drink that balances the bite and the sweet well.
If you have risk-​averse diners, then this place would probably be a nice introduction to Korean flavors in a posh setting. But if you’re a Korean food veteran, then look elsewhere to satisfy your cravings.

Maybe it’s because I am a frequent diner of Korean cuisine, but all this place seemed like to me was overpriced Korean fusion food in a «hip» setting. Honestly, if you don’t eat Korean food EVER then this place will be AMAZING to you. The place is clean and sleek, the chicken wings are bomb, and bibimbap is not an item that is easily accessible in center city. But if you are like me and regularly eat Korean food, $ 2 per wing, $ 3 for fermented cabbage that usually comes free, and ~$ 15 for a bowl of rice and veggies in a stone bowl are just not worth it.
On the plus side, at least this place is helping Korean food become more mainstream.

I’ve been to Southgate twice now and I’m not going to stop.
1. GET THE WINGS. Large portion, perfectly crispy, spicy is pretty spicy and they’re a bit messy, but they give you wet wipes.
2. Skip the buns. They were ok, nothing to write home about, and you can do better (Bing Bing).
3. Try the Korean 76, the Korombian Punch, or the p&p.
4. Skip the white sangria and the ritten in the stars.
5. The bibimbap and hwe dup bap (basically a tuna rice bowl/​salad situation) are good, solid sized portions. Tuna is super refreshing.
6. End with the misugaru cake– like strawberry shortcake but the cake is a bit denser and not too sweet.
Service was great and you can make a reservation through Unilocal Seatme. Great ambiance for a date, to catch up with a friend, or just grab a drink and a bite at the bar. I hope they stick around and I hope they slowly integrate more traditional Korean foods onto their menu (pajeun, maybe some Korean soups/​stews for winter?)

Heard a lot about Southgate, so decided to come here last night with a few friends. Perhaps it was because of the high expectations (particularly about their wings), but the food did not really wow me. As a starter, we shared their highly praised KFC (Korean fried chicken) wings — half soy garlic and half spicy gochujang. It came out hot and crispy (and was really big!). As a spicy-​food-​fanatic, I was surprised that I preferred the soy garlic. It had a more memorable flavor profile, while the gochujang was just plain spiciness (could use some citrus seasoning, for example). While I loved how crispy and juicy the wings were, the flavors didn’t really seep into the actually chicken, so unless you’re eating the flour crust/​skin, there wasn’t much flavor.
I ordered the marinated beef bibimbop (without the stone pot — I think it’s rather ridiculous to pay $ 2 just based on the bowl that your food is served in!), and was rather disappointed. While the flavors were good, it came out cold, the egg on top was overcooked, and the beef was rather tough. I really wanted to like Southgate, especially since there aren’t many Korean restaurants in the area; however, I don’t think I’ll go back for a while. And if I were to go back, it would be for the ambience and I would not be getting the same dishes again.

After two check ins, Unilocal is asking me, what keeps you coming back?
My answer: THE WINGS!
Honestly, I think they’re the best wings I’ve had in Philly, so crunchy on the outside and so juicy on the inside. They’re somewhat pricey ($ 12 for 7 wings) but the wings are huge and meaty, so I usually only need 4 – 5 wings paired with some beer for a full meal. I loved both their flavors, but I’m slightly partial towards the soy garlic. Other items on the menu include a variety of Asian fusion dishes, but they seemed mediocre at best in my opinion. However, the service is excellent and meticulous (they gave us little wet wipes because the wings can be messy on the fingers) and the ambiance is upbeat and modern. Also, I tried one of their specialty cocktails, which was delicious, and I’d love to try more of them! As such, I’d definitely come back regularly for the wings and the drinks.
And so, yes Unilocal — «Yay! I’m a fan»

I am picking up what you are putting down, Southgate! My friend and I had a catch up dinner on Tuesday and it was perfect!
First off, I can’t even believe the space was formerly Tangier. It has been completely transformed and looks very modern and sleek. While we passed on drinks, there is a full bar and it looks like a great spot to perch for drinks or a solo dinner.
After reading the rave reviews of the KFC we had to share some to start, and I have to say it was incredible. We both liked the spicy version more but the garlic soy were also delicious.
For my entrée I went with the bibimbap with beef in a hot stone bowl. It was great, if perhaps a questionable choice on a hot summer night. I will save the sizzling bibimbap for cooler weather in the future. There are lots of other options I’d like to try in the meantime.
Our server was pleasant and on top of keeping our water glasses full. My only gripe was that it was at times hard to hear him and even my friend over the din of the restaurant. Nothing that will keep me from going back, next time with some drinks thrown in!