First time here and place was cool. Staff was pretty nice. One thing I didn’t like it was very segregated where people watching wasn’t am option.
Ryan L.
Classificação do local: 5 Katy, TX
Great food, casual atmosphere. The cold noodle soup, ddeokbokki(spicy rice cakes) and fried dumplings were amazing. I also like their yogurt soju.
James T.
Classificação do local: 5 Houston, TX
Very big improvement from last year. The inside area now matches the«patio» aesthetic. The food is greatly improved — clean, flavorful, and refined. The service is generally good, however it might be a better idea to sit in the patio area because each table has a buzzer for service, inside does not. I’ve only ordered the beef stone bowl and seafood pancake, both are delicious — best I’ve had in town.
Vanity K.
Classificação do local: 5 Houston, TX
This is my new go to Korean restraunt in the ‘Branch! My little brother moved to Korea about 5 years ago to become a teacher. Through him I fell in love with Korean culture and the food. He was in town for a short visit and I really wanted to eat with him but his dance card filled up quick and I had an almost last minute business trip to go on and wouldn’t be back before he left. I figured I’d just run to hmart and grab some Jajangmyun to-go from the food court but it got too late and they were closed. Thanks to Unilocal I called Soju Bang and they were super nice over the phone and took my order for 2 jajangmyun. I arrived a short 15 minutes later and they greeted me as soon as I walked in the door. It wasn’t very busy(9pm on a tuesday) but I liked the atmosphere and décor. The guys behind the counter were very friendly and made lots of jokes. When we sat down to eat, my brother was very surprised at how authentic the food was and we both wolfed down our meals. He even said it was some of the best he’d had! The prices were reasonable and the service was great. I’ll definitely be back to try the rest of their menu.
Anh L.
Classificação do local: 2 Houston, TX
This was originally Soju Restaurant, but under new management it’s Sojubang and it’s only fair to make them a new Unilocal page and let them start anew with different reviews that reflect their new concept, menu, and service. Just from the parking lot, I could see all the different changes that were done inside. I saw a lot of Christmas lights décor and semi-closed/private tables. Just as I was observing everything, I felt a bit of pressure on my left foot and when I looked down I was startled to see a rat running across. It was huge! It had to be at least 7 – 9 inches! This was a big factor in my experience because it took me off guard and made me feel unsettled, but my review is not contingent upon this event. Just be careful! Inside, it looks cozy and very clean. It has a warming touch to it. The side dishes were small, but you get limitless refills. There was fried spaghetti décor on the table that we munched on before we got our food and it was a bit salty, but crunchy. DEEPFRIEDDUMPLINGS The dumplings were nothing special. They were typical dumplings, but it wasn’t worth the money. It wasn’t expensive, but you could go elsewhere and get some better tasting dumplings for a cheaper price. There wasn’t really a crisp exterior, but the inside tasted fresh, but it didn’t have much flavor. It was mostly bland. The sauce on the side added some saltiness, but the dumplings could’ve used more seasoning. STIRFRIEDSPICYPORK This dish reminded of a Chinese stir fried dish. It wasn’t spicy, but it was flavorful. I really liked the fresh crisp veggies on the side. It added a nice earthy taste to the sweet and savory pork. I ate it with some white rice and it was nice and meaty. BOODAECHIGAE– spicy soup with kimchi, spam, sausages, and noodles The soup wasn’t spicy, but it was a nice thick consistency and the broth was nice and flavorful. I burned myself trying to get some things out of the pot and the bowl that they gave us weren’t really thick and got hot real quick when I placed some soup into it. Other places I’ve been to had thicker bowls and would only get warm, not scorching hot. Besides this, the sausages and spam were meaty and tasted real nice with the fermented kimchi. Overall, the experience was decent. Service was attentive, but that was a given because we were the only occupants there. The food was average. What took me by surprise was that they didn’t have kimchi soup. What?! How can you be a Korean establishment and not have kimchi soup? They also didn’t have pork belly! The things that I love most they didn’t have. They did say that they were still working on their menu; so who knows what changes they’ll make. I probably won’t be visiting any time soon, but I’ll come back in a few months to see if they add anything to their menu, but from what I see they have decent food, but there are plenty of Korean restaurants in this area that deliver better. So for now, I won’t be adding them to my go-to places, but I won’t turn them down all together.
Julia B.
Classificação do local: 4 Humble, TX
Under new management totally different from before but in a good way the owner is very kind food was very good. going back soon
Tom N.
Classificação do local: 5 Houston, TX
I come here for the Korean fried chicken. Just be sure to give them a heads up about 20 minutes ahead of time. The waitress is helpful and friendly also.
Melvina Z.
Classificação do local: 4 Hearne, TX
I like the fried chicken wings. It was awesome.
Mai N.
Classificação do local: 2 Houston, TX
Not sure if it was just the dishes I had, but the food was mediocre at best. At the recommendation of a friend, we ordered the seafood pancake, fried chicken, and sweet and sour pork. The seafood pancake was the only dish I actually enjoyed. It has big seafood pieces(I mostly noticed squid) and lots of yummy onions/veggies fried into a pancake. The fried chicken was plain and greasy. The only thing that salvaged it was the dipping sauce that was a nice mix of sweet and mildly spicy. The sweet and sour pork was actually fried thin pork slices in a sauce that was neither sweet nor sour. Seemed odd to me to have something fried covered in a sauce because it makes the fried food soggy. The side dishes were as expected, I did like their potatoes. We also tried the mango soju which was good but really sweet and sugary. The service was decent. But the prices aren’t cheap so when the food is only okay, I don’t see a reason to return. It is open late though so I guess that’s a plus.
Tanya N.
Classificação do local: 4 Westside, TX
Came here for the first time not too long ago, maybe a couple of days ago. I’m not sure what we ordered but the chicken wings were a hit and it was a large order enough for 4 – 5 people! Has nuts on it so be careful of allergies! We ordered this dish that I do not know the name of, but it consisted of ramen, dumplings, fried noodles wrapped in seaweed, fish cakes, and rice cakes. Had a side of soju and my meal was completed this meal was more than enough for 4 people! Service was decent as well!
V E.
Classificação do local: 4 Katy, TX
Good food, drinks, and atmosphere. A little pricey and not the absolute best I’ve ever had but it’s a great place.
Diana H.
Classificação do local: 4 Houston, TX
My go-to Korean place. It’s a hit or miss so I’m being very generous with that 4 star. It’s like your little hole in the wall place. They have normal seating inside and a smoking/night time kinda section. The night time section is pretty hot… They need to bump the ac up. I don’t care for the décor inside… It looks cheap but it’s not going to stop be from going! Towards the night, kimbap is always gone! I know they can make more but they just choose to say no. Quite annoying… They don’t have Korean BBQ… Very disappointing. You would expect that everywhere. Sometimes the workers are rude and don’t give you all the side dishes they have. Quite upsetting cause you expect at least 4 at a Korean place… Their fried chicken is soooo good!!! The portion is large too. Probably could feed 2 people very well. This place was where I was introduced to rrabokki/ddukbokki(hope I spelled it right). I loveeee it. Mainly rice cake, fish cake, and ramen in this red sauce. Not a diet friendly meal at all. You can’t just eat this item alone. I like dipping my kimbap in there when I get s chance to order both of them. The most recent time I went, I got the donkatsu. It was wayyy too sweet… My friends thought it was nasty too… I needed a spicy sauce to offset the sweetness or I might have not been able to eat it. Would I come back? Yes! Always
Olivia D.
Classificação do local: 3 Houston, TX
The only reason I come here is for their soju and because it opens late nights. Sam gyeop sal(#24 pork belly) & bu dae chi gae(#52 ramen) isn’t bad but I have my preferences. All the side dishes are basically drenched in kimchi sauce. Basically, the food only satisfies my Korean cravings when I’m drinking. Lol.
Willy N.
Classificação do local: 4 Houston, TX
Soju is a great spot for late night drinks and snacks since they close at 2 am every day. I came here with a friend the other night. We had the mango soju, strawberry soju, and the fried squid. The drinks were actually pretty tasty with just the right amount of alcohol. The squid was also pretty good too, and it came with a large portion. The side dishes came in a wide variety, and were quickly refilled. Overall, the restaurant is a great spot for late night adventures. The service is also really attentive here. I will definitely be coming back in the future!
Patty C.
Classificação do local: 3 Houston, TX
Don’t get me wrong, I still love this place. The last few visits have been disappointing. The wonderful purple rice that is served with the jae yook dupbab has been replaced with plain white rice. I was shorted banchan on another visit. The seafood pancake I ordered on my last visit was disappointing. It contained only squid and octopus and as far as seafood goes, not much of either were even present. I do overall continue to enjoy my meals here, and with a menu this extensive, I still have a long way to go. Do yourself a favor and order the octopus dolsot bibimbap. It is a beautiful dish, and the crisp bits of rice that were still cooking in the stone bowl are the perfect treat.
Dotheprettygirl R.
Classificação do local: 4 Houston, TX
Surprisingly this place is good. I love Korean food. The spicy pork bone is delicious.
Caroline N.
Classificação do local: 4 Houston, TX
This is a Soju bar(for drinking and snacks with it mainly). So it’s not going to have the quality of a restaurant like other korean places. They specialize in more junk korean foods and snacks. Like their Kim bap(stop serving after 8pm), casseroles, fried chicken, stir fried pork skin, soon dae, etc is on point. Some is actually better than restaurants like their pork bone casserole with potato. And certain foods like pork skin can’t be found at typical korean restaurants. That being said, they also offer galbi and other restaurant dishes for people who just want meat. It’s not going to be amazing because it’s not their specialty. As I mentioned in my tips, the servers and owner doesn’t speak English well. So sometimes they seem rude, but after I came a couple times, I realized it’s the language barrier. Be patient and just let them know what you want and they will help you gladly. They get super busy around 8pm and after(Soju bar). Oh and their side dishes are average but sometimes they switch it up and it’s actually good. However, their radish is different than the typical ones. I think they add rice wine to it.
Jeannie K.
Classificação do local: 4 Houston, TX
Clean, bright, large space, especially for looking like an enlarged trailer — and great jjajangmyun!
Sarah P.
Classificação do local: 3 Houston, TX
Aub Gu Jung, also known as Soju Korean Restaurant, is great for 2 things: 1. Spicy Rice Cakes(ddukbokki or rabokki) 2. Soju and beer Spicy Rice Cakes with Ramen Noodles(Rabokki)(4⁄5) — My absolute favorite in Houston. I wouldn’t say that I am necessarily a fan of Aub Gu Jung, but this is my go-to place when I am in dire need for some hot and spicy rice cakes. I’ve tried multiple things on the menu and the«rabokki» is what always keeps me returning to this place. Be sure to order a side of «keemarin» LOL I don’t know how else to spell it out. It is so bomb with the rice cake sauce. I’ve been here so many times and never had a bad experience. The food is always out pretty timely, and servers are nice and accommodating. I’d give it a four stars if I could, but some of the other menu items were mediocre. If I wanted to truly satisfy my craving for Korean food, I’d go elsewhere. or eat at home :)
Jenny K.
Classificação do local: 1 El Paso, TX
Who the F runs out asking for their tip of EXACTLY20%? The server here does LOL. This guy literally ran outside, stopped my group and I and let us know his tip was short by a certain amount. I was so shocked. As a server, he didn’t come to our table ONCE until we went to the counter ourselves to ask for some service. We didn’t get the service we wanted but still left a good 15% tip but evidently we were short 5% according to the server. Wow. this place was once my to go place but not anymore. They’ve bumped up prices on just about everything by double. Terrible.
Becky K.
Classificação do local: 2 Houston, TX
I’m sorry. I have no idea why this place has 4 stars. I think it’s because I come here for the food, but most people would come to this kind of place to drink soju and eat later at night(it’s open pretty late)??? Anyway, I’ve been here several times, mostly with Korean friends. We ordered many different things over the last few years, including Donkatsu, Jjajangmyun, Ddukbokgi, etc. etc. And ALL of them were mediocre or worse. Literally the ONLY thing I feel is safe to order here is the Gamjatang, and it’s DELICIOUS. Lots of bone and pork meat, perfectly peppery broth and when you take it to go, they give you plenty of banchan and rice. It could be enough for two meals! I keep trying to give it the benefit of the doubt, but the food just keeps disappointing. Sorry Aub Gu Jung. You’re my just-gamjatang place from now on.
Douglas V.
Classificação do local: 4 Houston, TX
Aub Gu Jung Kim Bab, also known as «Soju Korean Restaurant» on Unilocal lol. Still not sure why they have two postings of their restaurant on Unilocal.Either way, Aub Gu Jung has a nice variety of Korean food on their menu. After you are seated & given water they bring out a several side dishes before you order anything which is nice because sometimes I only come with a group to drink & there’s something to snack on. Food wise, Aub Gu Jung is okay. Nothing is that is out of the ordinary or sets it above the rest. Bad? No. Extraordinary? Not really. Would I come here for just a meal? Not really. Aub Gu Jung does its job for what it is, a soju bar. It’s the sort of restaurant I’d go to with a group of friends to have a few drinks, have some food and talk. If that’s what you’re looking for, yes then Aub Gu Jung is perfect for you which is the reasoning behind my 4 star rating. You can order a bottle of soju with a side of yogurt to mix with your soju, which is my favorite thing to drink there. Or you can get beer and premixed soju. Cheers!
Ryan T.
Classificação do local: 5 Houston, TX
I don’t eat Korean food quite often, but I joined my brother and his girlfriend here for dinner one night. I want to say it was pretty good! I ordered the Bibimbab without the hot stone and I didn’t expect a lot to be packed into one huge bowl. It looked like a mixing bowl to compare in size. I had so much to eat where I couldn’t finish it. One thing that stands out here is the unlimited sides. You can load up on sides if you choose. I’d say it wouldn’t hurt to eat as many sides as you want lol. The prices of each item are decent. The avg prices I saw were around $ 10. Service is great and attentive. You wouldn’t have to wait long for any requests and the restaurant is clean and tidy. The staff are very friendly and nice too. They greet you as you enter and leave.
Monique P.
Classificação do local: 4 Houston, TX
Great, home style Korean cooking, available to you from 8am-2am. I don’t know how they do it. Doesn’t matter what time in the day I go, I always see the owners, an older Korean couple, here. You walk in, they greet you, and you sit at a table. Their menu is really extensive, but they have descriptions of everything in English. There is a non smoking section and a smoking section. I usually order the ramyun(ramen), the fried chicken(they give you a huge plate of chicken with pickled radish and coleslaw), or the samgyupsal(pork belly). For the samgyupsal, you get a sizzling plate of pork belly, rice, side dishes, and a spicy soup. Most of their dishes can be shared between two people– they give you that much. The people here are always courteous and polite, and the restaurant is always bright, clean, and welcoming. There is always a Korean drama playing on TV so if you don’t want to talk to your dinner buddy, you can watch some riveting story unfold. The smoking section can get a bit loud and rowdy sometimes, so that might disturb your meal. Also, if you are a big fan of soju, they also serve yogurt soju– which is very refreshing, tart, sweet, and of course, gotta have that alcohol. I can always depend on Soju Restaurant for a good Korean meal.
Lou C.
Classificação do local: 3 Houston, TX
I was so glad to find Soju restaurant still open after everyone else’s closed at 11 pm. The restaurant has 2 dining areas: bigger tables in the converted patio area, because I can see they used outdoor tower heater; and smaller tables in area appear to be a permanent building. I was sitting in the smaller area, because the other room has people smoking. The tables looked refurbished with tiles on the tabletop. I think this is because most of foods are served with metal bowls and they could be really hot. This way, they won’t burn. Very smart! I spotted something interesting on the menu — dough flakes soup. I regretted that seaweed flavored soup was tasteless. The noodles & seafood(mussel, shrimps and octopus) were bland and they didn’t taste like they belong in there. It took them a long while for this soup and I can see why. The noodles were hand-knead dough and cooked as they were sliced into boiling water. Unfortunately, they were cooked uneven and I almost gagged on a couple of pieces. I never had boiled potato in a soup before, there were 2 big chunks. I would come back to try other dishes.
Hanh N.
Classificação do local: 3
a lot of different flavors of soju. I like the strawberry one and it’s not sweet which I like because I’m not much of a sweet drinker. Get the chicken wings w/the sauce on the side– it’s not as messy and stays crispier. Love the seafood pancake!!! as well as the octopus seafood salad. The ramen soup is HUGE… like enough for 4 people to share and it’s good! Get it.