Moon Garden Restaurant

Moon GArden is clean fresh and authentic. From a childhood birthday hotspot 20 years ago to today, the quality of food has not changed. Delicious! Generous portions and complimentary sides. Love

I’ve been told that the service here is very slow but the coworkers and I were determined to come for lunch so one of us called an hour prior, placed our order and told them what time were coming. When we got there, the table was set up, and soup was waiting for us, covered in foil to keep warm. Few minutes later, our seafood pancake came and then our entrees soon after.
The seafood pancake was delicious!!! And unlike most places, they certainly did not skimp on the veggies and seafood. We also ordered 3 different lunch specials: beef bulgogi, dak gui (grilled chicken), and veggie stir fry; each came with soup and an egg roll. The veggie stir fry was alright but the beef bulgogi and dak gui were delectable. The beef bulgogi was tender and flavorful and the dak gui was chargrilled to perfection. The prices werent bad either!
The husband and wife who own and run the place do everything! So it is understandable why service is slow. But I don’t mind since I can always call ahead. And being there feels like eating at grandma’s. However, I suggest not coming here if you are super hungry and/​or pressed for time.

I first went here to get a gift certificate for a friend who loves this place. It’s definitely a hole in the wall magic wonder. Absolutely amazing food. And definitely huge portions. The owner is such a sweet lady, well from reviews I have read, I assume she is the owner. My friend and I got the same thing, and we were both extremely happy with it, Beef Bulgogi? I’m not sure if I’m spelling it correctly, my first time ever even hearing of it. The service is a little slower. But she’s one woman probably doing a lot of the work, so it was just a good time to catch up and get your hunger going. 100% will be back.

My family has been going here since before I was born and I’m turning 34 this year. They know my parents and all of us kids by name. I compare every Asian restaurant to Moon Garden. They use fresh ingredients and make all their food from scratch. No frozen egg rolls or premade egg drop soup (theirs is the best of all time). It’s all fresh and delicious. On a recent journey I learned that the flavors of their dishes are true to S. Korea street food. So incredibly good and very authentic.

Great service and Bulgogi! We would stop in again if in the area.
I met up here with family before a shopping trip at Jungle Jim’s and must thank Unilocal reviewers for convincing me to eat lunch here. My husband and I tried the Bulgogi and Bibimbap while our conservative companions opted for Sweet and Sour Chicken and Chicken Lo Mein. Everything was good, but everyone agreed the Bulgogi was the best thing on the table.

I have tried most Korean restaurants in the Cincinnati and Columbus areas. It is my favorite ethnic food as I love the salads and bulgogi. Moon Garden is by far the best around. The family that runs this place is very nice and friendly. One of the waitress’s (the owners daughter), calls her regulars by name and always asks about family. The waitress on Friday nights is very sweet also. I don’t order anything else on the menu because I love the bulgogi so I can’t speak to other things, but the bulgogi is worth the trip. You won’t be disappointed.

So I am not Korean, I have however eaten at hundreds (literally) Korean Restaurants across the country, to include the heavily Korean concentrated states of California and Hawaii. I have also had the opportunity to eat Korean in Korea probably 20 – 30 times while in the Navy. I would say that Moon Restaurant would morale a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. It is a combination Korean/​Chinese fare and I think the Chinese influence overtakes the Korean a little. Unlike most Korean Restaurants I’ve been to there were no side vegetables, the rice was okay and the Bulgogi was better than average. Was served a Egg roll with meal. Yaki man doo was pretty good.

I find this restaurant the best Korean in town. My favorite dish is the Korean
Chicken barbecue.

This was our first experience with Korean food, so everything was new. The restaurant is a cute little place, squeezed in a strip mall, next to Scotty’s. Inside, the restaurant’s music swirls with the bar’s. I found this to be charming. My friend was consumed with the TV that was tuned to a Korean TV station. He kept saying things like, «It’s traffic like our traffic, but Korean.» And, «It’s golf like American golf, but in Korea.» I don’t think he was being funny. The TV might have been enough for him. He didn’t need the food.
The woman who, I’m assuming from the other Unilocal,is the owner, brought us a glass of crispy noodles and took our drink order. We examined our menu. And knew nothing about it. There’s a Chinese section but we wanted actual Korean food, so we stuck with that. Vegan options are a little tricky here, but you can ask to remove things or replace meat with tofu, I imagine. We ordered a plate of fermented vegetables. It wasn’t, really. There was kimchi, pineapple, tofu, and chicken nuggets. Enough for two people but she tried to up sell us to two orders for some reason. It was ok, but eating raw tofu isn’t really good. Lesson learned.
We also ordered dolsot bibimbap. Me with tofu, him with beef. This comes with egg on top, so not vegan. You could ask for no egg, I’m sure. I asked if there was dairy or milk in it. Communication was tricky, but we figured out there wasn’t. The food came in stone bowls. That was our main reason in choosing the dish. And they were super hot. The strange thing about the food, was that it came out with the hot sauce. I guess I’m spoiled and used to the 1 – 6 scale or whatever. And, it turns out, I’m bad at doing it myself. I couldn’t get it right. A tiny bit at a time. The food was decent and thick, filling. But I couldn’t get the seasoning right. My friend had a hard time, too. He started adding random things. There were fortune cookies with our check, which is always nice.
I intend on going back here and trying something else. I think I just need to learn more of what I like and don’t like. Trying new things is good.

Went here for lunch. Wife had the bulgogi and loved it. I had the lunch portion of bibimbap (didn’t come with an egg?) and we shared an app of mandu. Mandu was good but tasted like the frozen kind that I buy at Jungle Jim’s just down the road. The lunch prices are fine, but the dinner prices are pretty high at $ 13 – 15. The waitress was absolutely fantastic, but as we were leaving there was about 20 customers in the place — and still only one waitress. She worked her tail off but the service got annoying slow. This is more like a 3 ½ star review, and yeah, this strip mall has seen better days and I can imagine that at night it would be a very off-​putting location.

Pleasant surprise ordering dinner for the family! A jewel in the rough! Lol
We had the seafood pancake, Kalbi and seafood soup.
Seafood pancake was excellent. You can tell a good seafood pancake when the batter to ingredient ratio had more ingredients than batter. The batter is meant to bind the ingredients. It was hot, crispy, flavorful and huge! It covered a large plate.
KALBI was meaty and well seasoned, not too sweet or salty. When you order it as a side, make sure you are with hungry company. It’s a lot for one person
Seafood soup! Fish, shrimp, tofu, scallions, excellent broth that you won’t be able to stop slurping. Eat it with rice. It’s a fantastic meal to share with a family of 4. It is large.
It’s a family run business, with not many people working so it may seem slow, but it is worth the wait. It’s not a fast food establishment. If you want quality food, you’ll get it here, and it will take time. Considering that, it’s pretty amazing that they can pump put as much quality in to their dishes with little staff working. 5 stars!

I never write reviews on here, but we went to this place last night and it was phenomenal! No other customers in the place on a week night; it’s a little tucked away. The owner said they’re busy on the weekends. The food was out of this world! The service and ambience were excellent. My only complaint was the bar next door had music blaring and it shook the wall next to us. I would suggest sitting on the opposite side. Kudos!

I’ve been here quite a bit — dine-​in and carry out. They have a really sweet older lady that handles the carry out and has been really nice. I really enjoy the food. The portions are bigger which is nice because it is a little more expensive than chinese. I really enjoyed myself when I went and really have no complaints. The bar next door does make a lot of noise but that’s not their fault. They close early to accommodate from having bad experiences but that’s about the only thing they can do about it.
I loved the appetizers that come before the meal. I recommend the soup, bulgogi, and the kim-​chee fried rice.

OMG this place has the best bulgogi. It’s a family owned restaurant, which I love, and the word on the street is that the chef was brought over from Korea and has been working there for something like 30 years. The food sure tastes like that’s the case.
The bulgogi is to die for here. Its clearly cooked over charcoal, because you can taste the smokiness from the charcoal and the flames.
I wish I could say more about the rest of the food but I really think that the bulgogi was so good that it eclipsed my impressions of the rest of the meal. All I remember is that everything else was also quite yummy

Great bulgogi and kalbi. They used the right cuts of meat. Ja jang myun sauce was done right and the Mandu was very tasty. All in all a great experience at great prices.
Server was very friendly and I am always amazed because you have to know she’s been running ragged all through dinner hour. We were there for a later dinner between 7:15 and 8:30 and she kept her pleasant demeanor up throughout.
As with many of these restaurants to keep overhead low, one server makes for a longer wait. I don’t mind provided the food checks out as high quality and the value is there. Thumbs up on both fronts.
One very small complaint: the glass of red wine I ordered was very refrigerator cold which is fine if it’s white or a nice cool one but an oddity for red.
All in all a very good experience.

Went to Moon Garden based on Unilocal reviews and was not disappointed.
Dinner does not start until 5:00 and we arrived shortly thereafter. Had a warm greeting and was promptly seated and waited on. Started to get busy but waitress managed effectively
Food was great — started with Man Doo and enjoyed all the sides I enjoyed Dack Guee (chicken with medium spice) dinner special and was just the right amount. My dinner companions had the Bulgogi and Kal Bi — both beef dishes. Excellent barbeque flavor on all. Egg rolls are just ok and the fried rice is really just dirty rice
We all left satisfied and will definitely keep on our list when we are in Fairfield

I’ve been to Moon Garden a couple times. On my most recent trip I went with a group and we got a bunch of different things.
I and another person got the Dolsat Bi him bap (stone bowl) and it was wonderful. The Korean hot sauce wasn’t particularly spicy to me, but it never really is.
Another group member ordered the Beef Bulgogi which had a kind of BBQ touch to it which everyone at the table truly enjoyed.
I also ordered (for sharing, I swear! I swear!) the Man Doo and the Fried Wontons. Both delicious.
Sadly Moon Garden has no desserts to speak of. I’d have been the easiest sale in the world for some tasty matcha ice cream or one of those delicious little Korean yogurt drinks.
Tasty, but not my favorite Korean in town. But the only one worth anything on the West side of the North.

Korea-​born SoCal girl stuck in Cinci for a while, so what do I do? Try every Korean place in the area, of course! So the mission of finding my fav Korean place in the area continues…
I found this place on Unilocal one day after work… I happened to be working near by, didn’t know anything in the area, hadn’t eaten all day and NEEDED some good comfort food. And much to my surprise, I found a Korean restaurant, so I went right away.
The tiny little whole in the wall restaurant is in a slightly sketchy appearing strip mall, and I wouldn’t even have given it a second glance if it hadn’t been for Unilocal.I wouldn’t even have guessed if I drove by that there was a Korean restaurant there. Parking lots if full of potholes and it’s dimly lit at night. But I ventured inside.
It’s run by a nice Korean family. Mom & pop kind of place. The wife is the only person that works the front of the house… so it’s a little short staffed. I waited a while before anyone realized I even came in and sat me. The service is slow but very kind and attentive to your needs. Very good kimchi that is made by the owners. The food was good and it hit the spot after a long day at work. I got the pork bul go gi. All in all, it was what I needed at the time, and there’s nothing wrong with the food. I’m likely to go back if I’m working late right in the area again, but not likely to seek it out otherwise. If you go, know that you’ll wait a while for the food. But the owners will be very warm and try to give you what you need.
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Explanation of my rating system —
5*: Epitome of something, the best I’ve had, would LOVE to go back
4*: Great food and happy to go back regularly, but not the best of the category
3*: Food is fine. I may spontaneously decide to go there based on convenience. But no need to go back either.
2*: If you insist. I guess I’ll come along if someone wants to go. But I wouldn’t have picked it.
1*: No plans to come back. I’ll try to talk companions out of going. If they insist, I may come and not eat, or may just see them some other time.

I found Moon Garden right here on Unilocal,thank you guys! Wow! This place was tucked away in Fairfield, right next to a really gross and smelly bar. Never in a million years would I have decided to come in here if it weren’t for the amazing reviews! I’m here to tell you, the reviews don’t lie! Oh my gosh, this was incredible to the highest degree! They earned their five stars with their most hospitable service, fresh homemade food, attention to detail, care for their customer’s health, and amazing iced tea I’ve ever come across. Yes, iced tea, plain, no sugar. Amazing! How do they get it to taste like that? A must try. It’s crazy good!
Our server is the daughter of the owner, a woman from Korea born and raised, who personally selected her chef 33 years ago, and whom remains faithfully with her today as chef. She taught him everything she knows, and he carefully crafts her recipes to this day with care and finesse. Imagine an egg roll that is beautifully cooked, but wrapped so tightly that no oil got inside during cooking, and somehow, even though it was fried, it isn’t oily at all on the outside or in one end as you eat downward? Once again I find myself asking «How did they do that?!» Yes, attention to detail, technique and a genuine love for their customers and their cuisine.
May I be the first one to say our server was the nicest, most gentle caring most hospitable hostess and representative of the family business, that I ever have, and most likely, ever will come across as a customer at any given business? I have dined at 5 star restaurants with less service and skill than this beautiful and competent young woman! She even came out to our car not once but two times to bring us little toys my son had somehow scattered around our table that despite looking before we left, we did not find? Amazing! The food was the best Korean food either of us have ever eaten. They served homemade sauces, such as the peach sauce that came along side of my egg roll, that was divine! The meat was gristle free, tender, trimmed with expert precision, and generous. Not a single thing was anything less than five star quality. Everything was blow-​your-​mind incredible.
Truly a five star experience. We started craving the food again almost as soon as we left. This restaurant should be on anyone’s «MUST TRY» list for 2013! Simply incredible. The only downside is the noisy smelly bar next door, which allows smoking inside and you can tell from the inside of Moon Garden through the wall along with the thumping of music so loud you can sometimes identify the song. Of course, it’s not their fault they have rude neighbors! If we all support them with our loyal business, perhaps they will become wealthy enough to build themselves a stand alone location! Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Let’s do it Ohio!

4.5 stars. Warm friendly service in this little independent gem, delicious food and fair prices. The charming hostess/​owner/​server guided us through our first experience with Korean food, answered questions and even demonstrated the method to mix your hot pot of Bi Bim Bop! We also shared the Kai Bi short ribs. Both dishes were superb. Soups were very special. Little side salads were awesome! Service was prompt. If they added cloth napkins and water glasses would be full five star hands down.
Visit this great independent spot for unique ethnic cuisine! I’m on a mission to never eat at a chain again. Support your small local restaurants! We will definitely be back.
Remember they do close after lunch and reopen at 5 on the dot.