Mama Kim’s

Came here while visiting Charleston from out of state and craving Korean food one evening. We were close to King st so decided to give this place a try. The food was pretty good but the restaurant and the restrooms were kind of scary dirty. There were only two other parties eating at the restaurant besides us that evening but we saw many young people come by to take take-​out. Must be popular with the college students in that area. It was also super hot and humid outside and not much cooler on the inside. Since we ordered the Bibimbap and the beef bulgogi to share between the two of us, it was one hot dinner! We have had better Korean food in Seattle, but this may be the best Korean joint when in Charleston, I can’t really say since I do not live there and have nothing to compare it to. Overall, the service was quick, prices were alright (not cheap for the items we ordered), the food was decent but the restaurant itself freaked me out a bit.

Being a College of Charleston alum, I’ve had many chicken express bowls at Mama’s. She’s almost always there to great you and thank you for dining with her. She loves students, especially athletes, but is excited to have anyone there. My review for Mama’s will be slightly limited because I only ever order the Chicken or vegetable express bowls, but why mess up a good thing right? I’d recommend them to anyone, especially someone just looking for a greasy, delicious bowl of goodness. If you like white sauce (who doesn’t right?), there are pitchers of it so you can help yourself to as little or as much as you like. Pro-​tip, order it in a to-​go box-​they give you more food, and you already get so much anyway that you’d need the box anyway. For lunch, they do a bowl drink combo for $ 10 I believe, and they recently started a reward card so that you get a bowl free after 10 purchases. My only complaint is that the place could be classed up, or at least cleaned up a bit, but I love Mama Kim’s nonetheless.

We ordered stir fried tofu with vegetables, udon noodle soup with vegetables, and egg drop soup with slices of Asian rice cake. The food was good and kind of expensive. We thought the egg drop soup was the best dish, but to those who do not eat meat, know that the egg drop has some slices of beef in it, which we did not know as it was not specified on the menu.

So I am in town for an event and this place was recommend to me by a local. I walk in and didn’t really know what I wanted to order having never tried Korean Bbq before. When I place my order the cashier wasn’t very helpful and had an attitude. When my friend placed his order and asked questions the same cashier then gave him attitude but the cooks in the back were very nice and helpful. We got our food and it tasted great! However I do wish that the portions were bigger for the price. Good food bad customer service.

This place is heaven on Earth. Little expensive, but with King St rent, its understandable. The food is delicious and the staff is the sweetest. Definitely not a super nice destination, theres no waiter service. But its an awesome to stop to have a quick bite or order takeout. AND they deliver!

Before visiting I had heard nothing but wonderful things about Mama Kim’s and my first visit absolutely exceeded expectations. The food is decently priced for an establishment on King St and the food is better than I’ve had at any fancy (and expensive) hibachi restaurant. I got the chicken teriyaki while my partner had the vegetable dinner. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals, and I now understand my friends’ «Mama Kim cravings.» I’m sure I’ll be craving some more of this delicious food very soon.

Are here for the first time tonight, the wait for my sushi was a bit long but it was well worth it! Mama Kim apologized and was the friendliest lady ever, definitely a sense of community in this restaurant. Have you really been to Charleston if you haven’t gone to Mama Kim’s?

If you are on a date: Order Mama Kim’s Dinner for Two. It will be a great date. Trust me. Enjoy!

Delectable, fresh food; always prepared with love! We love the food and we love how we’re treated as soon as we walk through the door, better than family. You can’t go wrong with a meal @ Mama Kim’s, you’ll be a loyal customer for life.

Mama Kims is my all time favorite restaurant! If I’m ever having a crappy day, I’ll go to mama Kims to feel better. The chicken express bowl is the best item on the menu in my book, but I’m sure everything else is spectacular. Mama Kim and crew always greet me with a warm smile and even a hug sometimes!

I wished I still lived in Charleston! This place is a gem and it’s the first place I go to on my visits! Get the chicken bowl — AMAZING!

I love this place. The food is definitely made with love and care. It’s a nice little homey place. It’s casual and a great place for family and friends. This is a family business that really does make you feel at home.

Mama Kims can be summed up in three words– fast, cheap and decent. If you are looking for a quick sushi or Hibachi fix, this slightly hole-​in-​the-​wall spot has a pretty extensive menu of Japanese and Korean dishes, served on plastic plates and trays. Their Bento Boxes for lunch are a steal, and come with an entrée (either chicken, beef, pork. Tofu, or noodles) with fried rice and a selection of side dishes, all for around $ 9. The meat was dried out and oversalted but I did love nibbling on all the sides like seaweed salad, bean sprouts and my favorite– kimchi. Be sure and head to the back and squirt yourself a few cups of different sauces to add flavor to your rice, veggies and meat– with mustard, ginger, hot, teriyaki and white all available. The white sauce is particularly heavenly when doused on anything, and although I have no idea what’s in it, I’m guessing it can’t be remotely good for you. The miso soup and tempura veggies also make good starters if extra hungry. Mama Kims also has a fairly large selection of sushi rolls, all of which are cheap and nothing spectacular. If you are on the hunt for great Japanese sushi, I would definitely recommend Oku downtown or Kanpaii in Mount Pleasant before I ever recommended Mama Kims. But if you are looking for a super casual spot to grab an inexpensive platter of OK Korean food, then this spot works just fine.
Must-​order items:
Bee Bim Bop Bento Box
Vegetable Egg Rolls
Miso Soup

Love Korean food & tonight my boy friend took me to this place. I ordered spicy chicken bowl & udon. Quite delicious & I love their kim chi. Good price. Highly recommend & will come back soon.

Authentic with fair prices. Mama Kim will look after you as if you are one of her own children; her walls are covered in hand written letters that pour out gratitude and let the world know that mama kims will forever hold a special place in their heart. It’s probably a good thing they stop delivering 30 feet from my house or I may not ever leave home.

This was my first time at Mama Kim’s for lunch and in the new location on King Street. It has a bit of a hole-​in-​the-​wall vibe, but in the best of ways.
Walk in and funnel through to a small hallway where there’s a window to place your order. Paper menus are available on the checkout counter.
It’s a bit expensive for lunch, but the food is AMAZING. Check out the hibachi or korean lunch specials. The express bowls are a nice option, too.
Hibachi lunch specials are plenty for a hearty lunch (I had to save the rest of mine for dinner!). Comes with protein, fried rice and veggies, plus two sauces of your choice.
The crew is very nice, and the wait was surprisingly quick. We placed and picked up our order to-​go for 6 people in about 10 minutes.
If you move past the hallway, there’s a ton of seating in the way back that no one seems to know about.
A wee bit pricey for lunch (~$ 10 just for me), but worth it.
I wish my mama cooked like this ;)

Good food for the money.
If you’re looking for a quick bite to eat this is a good choice. I got the chicken bowl and it was very tasty. I’ll be going back soon.

Just do it. This place is amazing. I do not even understand why people would go anywhere else for fast, cheap, delicious Korean, Japanese and hibachi goodness. Trust me, Mama Kim knows what she is doing as do her employees (whom are mostly family) and they do it well.
I usually go for the spicy steak bowl with fried rice (cant go wrong with that) a seaweed salad or house soup (sometimes both if I’m hungry) and their shrimp tempura rolls but if you have a big group definitely go for the Bulgogi. Again, trust me.

I was so very disappointed in the food here. I love Korean BBQ and I had been looking forward to getting some bru go ghee (excuse the spelling). The meat was dry and without flavor. I had to use a lot of siracha and imagination to make this meal palatable. I haven’t decided if I will go back to try something from the Japanese menu, but I doubt it very seriously.

Sticky tables, extensive menu, plastic dine in cutlery, notes written in black permanent marker all over the place telling you to not drink tea/​soda if you ordered water, don’t do this, dont do that, the camera is watching you, double sided mirrors are in place, etc. the standard low standard Asian fare quick spot we sometimes yearn for.
The fellas behind the counter were pleasant. Laughing, talking, engaging, that thats a plus. I can’t comment on the Korean food as my friend wanted to try the Japanese Hibachi instead. I ordered the chicken and shrimp and she ordered the filet and shrimp. The chicken was tough and covered and smothered in that thick sweet and salty teriyaki sauce. There were maybe 3 pieces of broccoli on board, and a lot of the onions were actually the skin of the onion; the part your supposed to shed. The shrimp was not deveined and the rice was dry.
I only ate maybe a ¼th of what was on the plate because the saltiness of the sauce the chicken was drenched in had me incredibly bloated (tmi i know). Definitely a miss. My g/​f said she enjoyed the filet, but also didnt eat the shrimp because it was not deveined and tasted ‘fishy’.
Really nice crew, but food and atmosphere here does not warrant a second visit.