Miran

This restaurant is now closed.
Walked past here yesterday, looks like it’s being flipped over into a new Korean place. Maybe this one will be better. (The food at Miran was always alright, but the service was absolutely awful.) There were boxes of new printed menus and things visible through the front window. Their old number was disconnected.

Miran is pretty solid, standard Korean food in an area of Philadelphia without many other options. I typically order the soft tofu stew, which is very well prepared here, comparable to versions in NYC’s Korea Way — hot, bubbly, spicy and served with a raw egg to cook in the simmering juices. Yum. That is my favorite hangover cure-​all meal.
Bi Bim Bap is okay but not as good as Giwa’s version a few blocks away. I’ve had the BBQ with friends and liked it, although not always liked the server’s attitude — he didn’t want to let us order the pork belly one night because he thought only «Koreans» would like that or something. Overall I’ve found the service at Miran is where they really falter — with only one waiter working the room, typically, it can be very hard to flag him down to order or get refills on drinks. Communication in ordering is sometimes an issue as well.
Still, I like going to thisp lace for an inexpensive, filling Korean meal when I’m in the mood and in the area.

So this place is great people, i will swear by it. I lived in Seoul, South Korea for a year and this place makes the most authentic Bipimbap in Philly that i have been able to find. Plus, the was they set the place up, while simple to most people, is exactly like they do it over there which is a great sign. I went down there with friends the other night and we didn’t even order (without realizing it, like morons), until they had closed, and they never even said a word! They let us enjoy our meal for over an hour and smiled politely when ever we asked for more golchuchan. Hit it up everyone, and bring some soju with you while your at it.

Although this place is erring on the 2.25−2.5 star range, I thought I’d give them the benefit of the doubt. I mean I have been a repeat customer.
I’ve frequented this Mom’n’Pop Korean BBQ/​BYO four times now. While it’s certainly not an NYC k-​town BBQ joint, the meat is always marinated well and quite tasty. When you can a get seat in this tiny 10 table place, the meat is your best bet.
A word on several Miran Mishaps:
— The male owner (a nice man) uses his knowledge of the English language selectively. If you are asking too much, he frequently pretends like he doesn’t understand you.
— They are often out of their hot dishes/​appetizers. On slow nights, this also translates to: we don’t feel like making them.
— There are often broken chairs and/​or BBQ stoves, which cuts down on the already minimal number of tables.
Overall, if you are looking for a Korean BBQ/​BYO in center city and aren’t expecting a life-​altering experience go for Miran.

Final stop in our magical mystery tour of Korean restaurants within walking distance!
Similar to the other establishments in the CC area, Miran has its ups and downs. The bibim bop was only so-​so, and in hindsight I should have gone dolsot. The hot stone bowl makes all the difference, continuing to heat the food as you eat and giving the rice that delightful crispiness from letting it sit for too long.
The seafood pancake was not as good as the future FIL’s, yet better than my meager attempts at reproduction. The batter was thoroughly cooked, but the calamari was tough. I have a theory that toothsome octopus/​calamari is preferred in Korean cooking, though, as opposed to tender.
The sundubu jjigae was delicious, probably the best available in the immediate area according to the missus. I’ll have to agree with her since I can’t recall the other versions and this one was so good. Great seasoning, with silky smooth tofu.
I’d round up to 4 stars from 3.5 but they have to be docked a half star for want of a good cleaning as well as substandard banchan (especially the cabbage kimchee, which was past its prime).

After reading all the reviews I did not have high hope. Just want to get some good hot korean food before the storm hit last night. I was presently surprised. The little dishes that come with the meal was good. But there was only 6 or 7 of them, not 15 or 20 like I am used to back where I came from. The spicy pork bimbim bo was very good and so was the seafood soft tofu stew. Both were tasty and spicy. Was going to get some soju from the wine store down the street, but the line was too long. Everyone was getting prepare for the storm I guess. Got a 6 pack of Yeungling instead and it went with the food well.

I went to Miran last night for the second time and yet again had no complaints. I think a lot of the reviews about Miran are pretty harsh, and unnecessarily so… It’s true, you can get better Korean food in Korea (and, to be fair, probably NE Philly), but for those of us craving Korean BBQ in the city, Miran is the place to be. The décor is nothing to write home about, but who really cares? When you sit down, they immediately bring you a jug of water and cups, so you can start hydrating before you start sloshing down your soju. Soju, an alcoholic rice liquor, can be purchased right down the street at the Wine and Spirits shop on your way to Miran. It’s hidden in the midst of the sake section, but it’s there. I’ve never checked other wine and spirits shops in the city, but I’m always impressed that I can pick it up on my way. The waiter handed us menus and little shot glasses for the soju. Our rule this time around was that everyone took a shot every time food was brought to the table. Our designated driver limited himself to only drinking during those times, but the other three of us handily put away three bottles during our meal.
Anyway, first off we started with the seafood pancake and the dumplings. The pancake came out with all the little appetizer-​y things that are included in your meal, like kimchi, etc. We devoured all of these (the kimchi had a nice kick to it, we were impressed!) and they were replaced with the dumplings. The seafood pancake was greasy (as required) and the dumplings were reasonable. Then we moved on to our main dishes– a noodle dish and two BBQ meats– the kalbi and the bulgogi. They came with the basics– lettuce leaves, garlic, jalepenos, and the fun red sauce, and the lettuce leaves were happily replenished during our meal. Our waiter was pretty attentive and even offered to switch out our grill when it started getting burnt sauce on it, but we were too busy throwing meat on it to be interested. All in all, we had a great time (thanks again to the soju), got to play with a hot grill, and ate some pretty reasonable Korean BBQ. I have to say, for center city, that’s not too bad!

Had the tofu dolsot bibim bap and it was just okay. I did enjoy the meal, it just wasn’t mind blowing. The best dish there is the Tofu Chigae — that dish deserves four stars. The ban chan (side dishes) were pretty good and fresh. I liked that they had hobak jun (zuchini breaded in egg) as a side dish.

My boyfriend and I used to eat here all the time — that was a couple years ago. We miss Julia the friendly waitress who could juggle serving the entire restaurant w/​out a busser. Unfortunately the restaurant has changed management too many times.
The décor has always been sub-​par, but the friendly service made up for the bare interior. The food was never great authentic Korean, but the dolsot bi bim bap and dok bo ki were always excellent and inexpensive.
We tried our old favorite a couple weeks ago and were completely dissatisfied with our meal. The dok bo ki were so overcooked they were too soft to be picked up with chopsticks. There is still a great selection of bi bim bop dishes — ones with kimchi & pork, beef, chicken, octopus and tofu — and the prices haven’t changed. The quality was very different. The octopus bowl had a thick layer of grease at the bottom and my tofu stone pot wasn’t hot enough to crisp the rice.
As for the décor, most of the upholstered seats are cracking, the filters desperately need to be changed (from all the diy bbq residue) and the tiny artwork should at least be hung level. The tacky overpriced atm machine in the already small waiting area seems unecessary.
Sadly, we won’t be going back anytime soon.

My original post was removed… hmm. So I’ll clarify. I’ve been here 3 times and have had hair in food and floaties in my water on two of those occasions. I think that the food is pretty awful and not authentic, so I stand by my post:
«If you grew up eating Korean food or care about food sanitation and service, this is not the place for you.»

It’s not the best Bi Bim Bop I’ve ever had, but it’s quite good. No matter what, rice that’s crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside is going to be tasty.
So my egg is slightly overcooked. I ask for a new one, and my request is cheerfully obliged.
This place is a cheap hole-​in-​the-​wall. Yummy.

Just wanted to put a quick review out to say that this place is still OPEN!
I went for the first time and I thought they had a great selection of Korean food. I had the dolsot bibimbap with chicken and was impressed ($ 10.99). There are many options for people who don’t eat beef.
Service was prompt and friendly. BYOB.

This place is CLOSED.
WE went on a Sunday at around 4pm and it was all boarded up, despite a sign that says that they’re open from 3−10pm for dinner on Sundays.
Too bad this place went out of business. The food was just mediocre, but it was nice to have at least one Korean BBQ place in Philly.

Overall, not bad, not bad at all.
I’ve been here twice for the bbq-​at-​your-​table. We always order the same thing — two Kalbi. The meat has been consistently tasty and the portions are the same as any other Korean restaurant I’ve been to, so no complaints there.
The ventilation system is also quite good — they have these strange sucking machines that hover over your grill to take away any smoke. They also change the grills frequently so you don’t get that nasty charcoal burn.
Downsides? Pan-​chan (little dishes) are few and just ok. The other usual adornments — salad, etc are also missing. They’re pretty stingy with the lettuce and garlic but will give you more if you ask.
The waitstaff can be a little too attentive — theyre so paranoid about the smokiness that it seems they are *always* at your table to *help* you

Food’s not bad, as far as Korean goes, but not close to what is available in NE Philly. They’re understaffed by a little bit in FOH, only had a waitress for the whole place, need at least a busboy helper, especially with all the banchan, etc. that waitstaff need to serve. Makes me wonder if they’re understaffed in BOH also.
Pastoral on 13^th might be better, but it’s probably been at least 8 – 10 years since I’ve been there.

If you’re forced to stay in Center City and forced to go to a Korean restaurant, have your abductor take you here. OK, maybe that makes this place sound worse than it is. Because, while I’ve only had the barbecue here (samgyupsal and jumulruk), it was very good. Ban chan were good, although not that much variety. Other people have mentioned the waitress, and for good reason. Super-​nice and friendly and chatty, but not in an annoying way. She isn’t Korean, but had learned some Korean working there, and it always warms my heart when people make an effort like that. Owner was very nice too.
It’s good to know there’s at least one decent Korean restaurant in Center City for when I’m too lazy to go to Olney/​East Oak Lane or Upper Darby. Just have to remember to bring soju.

I’ve been meaning to go here when I lived in the area and when I finally did, it was at a time when it wasn’t busy (around the afternoon). The waitress was AWESOME and so friendly, I’m sorry I didn’t catch her name. She was very helpful with the dishes and understood when we didn’t finish everything that was given to us.
I remember I ordered the Squid Bokum and the waitress requested that they make it mild because I don’t do well with the spicy. Well, to show how much of a lightweight I am, OMFG my mouth was on fire! I mean, the dish was TASTY, but I couldn’t eat much because I kept tearing and chowing down on the rice. I was nice and let my boyf get the kalbi, which I really wanted. I sampled the side dishes but not much as to save room for the entrée.
Nice place, I didn’t use their restrooms and they have about 3 – 5 tables on each side of the little restaurant, good to fit up to 6 people (approximately). They close at 9:30PM and like most Korean restaurants, they are closed on Sunday.

I go here for lunch — have never been for dinner.
Just wanted to get that out of the way.
Meanwhile, for lunch they have a reasonbly priced «bento-​like» special. I have tried the Kalbi (YUM) and Bulgoki boxes. That Kalbi is truly tasty — Korean Short-​ribs in a tasty BBQ sauce. Served with 2 shumai (or sometimes another type of dumpling) some green salad and rice.
I have also have some clay pot dishes with tofu — but I am a wimp and found them spicy.
Miran is a needed addition to the neighborhood. It is well worth a try.

An O-​K Korean food joint. I wasn’t so impressed with their soondubu (which is all I’ve ever gotten the 2 times I’ve been). Not hearty enough, and it tasted too watered down. I think the only reason their business is decent is that it’s located within walking distance of Penn, and all the international kids come here when a hankering arises.

Good Korean food. We had a kimchee and pork hot pot that was good for a cold night, though we would have liked a bit more meat. It didn’t taste very spicy, yet my nose ran. The dolsat bibimbap with spicy pork was my favorite. I love barbecue pork at Korean restaurants! The veggies were fresh, too. We tossed some chili paste into our bibimbap since it was a bit mild (but still flavorful). The sides were good, especially the flower (lily flowers?), bean sprouts, and the kimchee. Prices were quite reasonable. I’d like to go back to have the barbecue.
Service was very good. Our Latina waitress was bubbly, friendly, and attentive. She was good at explaining the dishes to patrons new to the cuisine (it’s a small place, so you could hear everything she said).
It was my first Korean food experience in Philly. I was hoping to bring a group here, but I’m not sure it’s so fabulous that it would win over my crowd. But I’ll try it again, especially if I don’t find other suitable Korean food in the city.