Bibim-Bar

This restaurant is in East Village which makes it a great location if you want to go out in this area following dinner. We had a large group so we got and order of pork Goyza, Shrimp Goyza, Shumai, and a Seafood pancake for appetizers. I really enjoyed the seafood pancake, and if I go back, I will definitely order this dish again. Not only was this large enough to share among our group of six but the seafood that was inside the pancake was fresh and the pieces of squid were very tender/​delicious! I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Shumai (8 per order) because they were tiny and kind of bland. However, I did enjoy both types of Goyza.
For entrees I had the marinated Beef Ribeye Dolsot Bibim Bap which was great! The rice was crispy and the beef and veggies were very flavorful! One of my friends ordered the spicy pork Bulgogi which she said was EXTREMELY spicy. Another person got marinated short ribs which looked good but looked like there were a lot of bones, and another person got the marinated beef ribeye which was delicious!
As for the ambiance, the décor is ok, and they have a TV at the bar the plays k-​pop the entire night. I didn’t mind it, but I know some of the people in our group didn’t really enjoy the music. Also, it was a little drafty where we were sitting due to the large glass windows in the back of the restaurant.
Regarding service, we at when it wasn’t that busy, but there was only one waitress. She was very nice, but a little slow with everything. At the same time, I know that I’m a little impatient so maybe for most people she would have been a good waitress? Either way, despite the service, I really enjoyed eating here.
Service (B), Food (A-​), Overall (B+)

Not a bad place at all, although you’re going to need to know where this is to actually be able to find it and eat at. Bibim-​Bar is located behind a ramen restaurant, the front is the usual ramen bar but when you walk to the back, it’s a whole new vibe. Chic and modern with dim lights and a big screen TV with Korean songs playing in the background.
The night was slow, not a lot of people know about this place hence the lack of customers. The waitress was attentive and served my boyfriend and I quite well. We had the Teok-​Bokee, rice cake in spicy sauce; Japchae, stir-​fried sweet potato noodles with vegetables and beef; and Marinated Beef Rib Eye Dolsot Bibim Bap, assorted vegetables over steamed rice in a hot stone pot. All the dishes were delicious and filling.
This is definitely one of those whole in the wall places that you need to find and search for, it’s worth a visit. The Japchae was my favorite of all and the big flat screen just made the meal more worthwhile.

Not too much to say here. Fantastic service. Great food. Decent prices. We had our food in our faces in less then 10 minutes. Super hot though, i burnt my mouth (as usual with soup) but thats not their fault.
They do not have much for munchies, though i dont think a place like this normally would.
Id definitely go back on cold days.

Very cute name (‘n slightly witty) and friendly servers, but the ramen was just plain terrible.
I asked them if they could make it spicy, but they did not. The soup base tasted like it was from mee yuk guk (the seaweed type soup), which gave it a fishy smell and taste (ick). The pork was hard, the half egg was good, but other than that… the ramen was below average.

It’s fun reading super passionate Koreans complaining viciously about how the food here doesn’t meet their exact specifications. Since I’m Chinese, I don’t really have any vivid memories of mama’s bibimbap or the nightmarkets of Seoul, so I found the place to be quite good.
Service was super prompt and polite. We received our banchan immediately with free refills on the ones we wanted more of. Kimchi jeon was flavorful and crispy on the edges. Ribeye bibimbap was portioned well, egg was cooked perfectly, and it was altogether very satisfying.
Ok, so I may have added an extra half star because I love the name so much. I’m a sucker for food puns.

Food was alright (quality for the most part matches the price), but the service was great. It may have been the fact we were one of two tables in the back and there was only one server, but that one server was prompt and definitely on her A-​game. I never once had to ask her for more water, she always made sure there was a filled jug available on the table. I also went with the group of 5 and we each paid with credit card (I always feel guilty doing that but I have a horrible habit of not carrying enough cash). There were no «minimum charges» for credit card and she politely accepted our tedious method of payment.
I ordered the spicy ramen with a pork bun on the side. The ramen was decent, but definitely not as good at ippudo or toto. The pork bun hit the spot, and I would definitely order it again.
All in all I would not recommend going to great lengths to come to this place. However if you are with a few buddies and just want a chill place for some ramen, this place fits the bill.

I have walked by this place hundreds of times, but didn’t stop in until a co-​worker advised it was one of her favorite Korean restaurants outside of K-​town. I walked down the hall, bypassing the ramen shop out front to find a dimly lit, very cozy restaurant. I had already decided to just take my order back to my apt, but was still invited to sit at the bar and presented a cup of warm tea while I waited for my dish to be prepared. Craving a few extra carbs, I ordered the Dolsot Bibim Bop unsure of how the stone pot would be replaced for a takeout order. The waitress assured me it would be hot, even without the stone pot. Although the aluminum foil substitute obviously wasn’t going to give the rice the crispiness, I was pleasantly surprised when I got home and unpacked the bibim bop, cup of miso, and a few side dishes (banchan) and began to dig in. Although hidden behind a very casual ramen spot, Bibim-​Bar would make for a good date spot or small group dinner.

Had dinner here last night with a group of people. Great place for a large table. Excellent ramen and pork buns! The service is great and the atmosphere is clean and sophisticated. All this, and their prices are VERY reasonable. Definitely worth a trip if Momofuku is full.

You can’t fool me. I’m korean. I know good bi bim bop when I eat it and this isn’t it. Here are the list of random thoughts about bi bim bar:
1. Lack of ingredients: throwing some spouts and spinach and cheap bul gogi doesn’t make it bi bim bop. It sounds like a meal that I eat when i have no money and those are the only things left in my fridge
2. Egg: Good bi bim bop has sunny side eggs. Not overly fried eggs that doesn’t even look like a professional made it.
3. Rice: Too much damn rice.
4. Thuck Bok yee: tastes like thuck and ggo choo jaang. Did a 5 year old make this?
Just had a thought… The food here tastes like what you get a Woorijip in ktown. except getting thuck bok yee and 2 bi bim bops doesn’t cost $ 35.
If you want good korean food, goto Boka.

Well priced, some interesting appetizer options, but I’ve had way better. We both got the bimimbap and there was hardly any meat in the dish. We shared the sweet potato noodles which were by far the highlight of the meal. I love that happy hour lasts till 8pm… or maybe its always 50% off, just like those 50% off sushi places that give me the creeps. Cool wall art made of rope handles. Won’t be back, but for a one time stop by its fine/​maybe worth a try.

I love Bibim Bar! It’s like this korean gem in the midst of the EV madness!
we used to have to trek out to Flushing or Koreatown (blech) to get our bibimbap or bulgogi cravings satiated, however! Right around the corner, and kind of obscurly located behind the Japanese noodle place, is BiBim Bar! Wahooo!
We always get the bulgogi, which sits juicily on a nice bed of greens, and dolsot bibim bap (hot stone mixed rice) usually get it with beef or pork. It’s moderately priced, considering most Koreanfood places in Manhattan are ridiculously overpriced.
The service is sometimes questionable, but maybe that’s because we stop in late on a off day, or maybe not, I don’t know. It’s usually friendly but sometimes we feel like we’re interrupting the owners/​workers from hanging out…
We love getting our food with the ban chon (side dishes) and a bottle of Chamisil soju or Bek Se Ju and just hang out and eat.
The space is cool, it’s dim and clean. They have a back area with a sky light (almost like a greenhouse) it’s just a long section with a big table that is probably used during the day I assume.
The inside area we sit at consists of a walled couch with I think like 10 – 12 tables. We sit at the bar, right in front of the alcohol! Haha! It’s like this granite top counter space/​bar. It’s very cute. And I like sitting on the stool chairs, so I can swing my legs as I gorge on yummy korean food :)
Prices again, are moderate, I think we usually spend about $ 30/​pp but that’s also cause we drink bottle or two of soju and beer.
This place is a gem, check it out! They are open pretty late night too! ENjoy! :)

I looked up this place online since I wanted to do Korean food but did not want to head up to 32^nd Street in order to get some.
The restaurant is in the back of Ramen Setagaya but it looks like they might be owned by the same owners.
The restaurant is very modern and chic, however, because of the small space, the restaurant gave off a very homey and comforting atmosphere. It is also very nice that they have an «outdoor» seating, which is outdoor but also protected by a light overhead covering.
The staff here are very very nice. They are very very accommodating. I really like the service. They were attentative but not to a point where they are constantly hovering over you while you eat.
The food was okay. For the Soon Don Boh (Tofu soup), it was not as good as the one from Seoul Garden in Ktown. The dolsot bimibop was actually really good and had a bit of a twist from the authentic Korean kind. The pandan was also very unique because it had marinaded eggplants (which I really loved). I would go back again just for the bimibop and also because of the location (I don’t want to always have to go to 32^nd St for bimibop).

A little hide out in the East Village.
The place was so quiet and peaceful, I’d like to keep it that way.
So I wont tell more…
Except maybe the food was OK.

Sometimes, it’s really hard to be Korean-​American.
Especially if you are a Unilocaler.
I am somewhat proud of being Korean, which means that sometimes I feel that I should not be giving Korean businesses a bad rating. Perhaps it is because of my upbringing.
My mom used to say that I should, «always support Korean families and allow their businesses thrive no matter what,» which made sense because Michigan has smaller communities of Koreans and networking was kind of important.
But I am also an American, which means that I believe in freedom (of speech), liberty, justice, and the right to bear arms.
(Weapon of choice: potato gun fueled by hairspray.)
Anyways, the point of all this is, the food was not great here. If at any time while eating I start to think, «man, I’m a bad cook and I could have made this at home better,» I know that I am not a fan of their food.
I started off with some BBQ pork and BBQ beef buns, which was a lot like drinking a bottle of cheap barbecue sauce. I consider any food terrible if I can’t get a handle of what it actually would taste like, because it is over smothered with some strong sauce.
The bibimbop wasn’t too horrible, and it was nice that it came in a sizzling stone bowl, but it sure was lacking; the picture of the bibimbop on the menu had more ingredients than the ingredients that were in my dish, which was also very anticlimactic. Same goes for the Soontobu stew.
The service was alright for only one person waiting the tables, and it was a crowded day. But the interior of this place is very clean and nice in their presentation. I really liked their wood and rope wall décor, and the glass ceilings.
But oh, what a heartbreak. Considering that I know what good Korean food is, I had a hard time accepting what I was given to me, and I know that they can do better.

This Bar restaurant is hidden behind Ramen Setagaya so you might have walked by many times without even realizing it.
This Korean restaurant is intimate and not crowded. The waitress was friendly and quick. We ordered bibimbop and soontobu for dinner.
Food is decent. It is not the best tofu stew I have but It is alright. Bibimbop here was flavorful and has plenty of toppings.
I think this is pretty good in East Village but of course not as good as BCD or Kun Kip in Ktown.
They do have a full bar serving alcohol.

As I’m not a huge fan of Ramen Setagaya, I didn’t find it hard to pass up when I breezed past it to try out Bibim-​Bar.
The space is nicely decorated and modern. Simple clean lines and I think the place would be pretty cool at night if it turned into more of a bar/​lounge.
I decided to try out this place on a rainy day and was craving some Korean food. I thought, «If this place is called Bibim-​bar, their Bibimbap should be pretty good!»
Well it wasn’t all that great… at all.
I really wanted to like this place, since it didn’t seem to get as much attention as Setagaya. (I go for the underdogs.) But I just couldn’t get over my disappointment with the dish.
The server was nice and friendly, but it took FOREVER to get my food– and I was 1 of 2 customers in the whole place!
So overall, this is a witty-​less and lackluster review because this place zapped any cleverness I had in my bibimbap-​craving brain with their lackluster BBB.

Wah wah wah, poor babies can’t get the Ultimate Bibim-​bap…
I suggest you go somewhere other than the back of a ramen shop to find it.
ANYWAY…
I thought this place was great, and I am pretty picky when it comes to Korean. Maybe I went in not expecting much, but sometimes you benefit from that. Since I started Unilocaling I realized what a horrible food snob I am, and am trying to change my ways.
Anyway, Bibim-​Bar clearly put a lot of effort into their space. They’re going for a modern look, but it’s kind of trendy, to the point that its tacky now and I feel like I’m in one of the lounges I would frequent in college. The fact that its pretty much always empty makes it a pretty intimate place to eat.
We ordered the Japchae appetizer ($ 6) and the dolset bimbim-​bap (beef, $ 12). We also decided on a small, $ 12.00 bottle of soju. I figured this was more of a novelty spot where we wouldn’t get much in the way of banchan, so the complimentary plate of kimchi was a welcome surprise, along with some meh miso soup. i don’t know what kind of kimchi a previous reviewer got, but ours was zesty, spicy and perfectly crunchy.
When the japchae arrived we were very pleasantly surprised. Japchae isn’t usually served in the largest portion, but this «appetizer» was enough to fill me up– and it was delicious! The bibim-​bop was nothing to scream about, but it was more than edible and tasted very earthy. The crust from the bottom added an interesting texture and the hot sauce, while nothing impressive, made it a bit more interesting.
The piece de resistance was definitely the complimentary Yuzu Sojutini that the adorable waitresses served us. After that we were definitely a little more than tipsy. I thank them for making what would have been a drizzly, unpleasant commute a rosy faced pilgrimage back to the crib to… have fun. ;-)
Our bill came to about $ 32.00, which I think was a total steal. I recommend this place to anyone who wants to down the soju and get some decent Korean eats while they’re at it!

Bad bibim-​bop, bad.
_​_​_​_​_​

I went for lunch today. My friend was waiting for me outside and puzzling…
«Do you want to try.?»
«Ramen?» I said.
«No!»
We were standing at Ramen Setagaya. We had to look hard to find their entrance. The clear glass doors of Setagaya and Bibim-​Bar door next to it did not help to find the entrance. The glass panel of walls from Setagaya did not help either. Once entered, it opened up and welcome light came down from the sky light. We sat at the corner of the bar where natural light was glowing and the dark leather-​like barstool has nice foam cushioning. I fet comfortable.
I asked for Citron tea that Renee C. recommended. Tea cup was very cute. It has a lit (see my photo). Initially I thought it was too sweet but I really enjoyed the sliced bitter-​sweet lemon peels at the end. Then, I thought I could make this easy with lemon marmalade and add hot water! It might come out like it. I would definitely try. I did also like my charming waiter. I spoke what I knew of Korean and she taught me some Korean.
We had Bulgogi Bibimbop in the very hot stone pot. The square cut small Daikon and few sliced red cabbage soup (?) was light and delicate. I loved it! Their version Kimichi was light and fresh… healthy??? There were boxes of sprouts were growing behind me. The Kimichi was not spicy nor garlicky unfortunately. Their approach maybe simply healthy Americanized Korean (?). Even their version of Gochujang (chili pepper paste) was not traditional hot sauce. It was too mild for my liking and didn’t even help mixing with other ingredients. It was definitely lacking salt for me. But if you are healthy conscious, this might be the place (choose veggie Bibimbop instead). I liked the raw egg mixing into the sizzling hot pot with other ingredients but the rice didn’t stuck to the bowl and crisp up on the bottom and feeling of missing the texture that should coming from a hot stone pot…

Bibim-Bar’s location made it a little difficult to find. When I went inside, the atmosphere was clean and relaxing but the restaurant was empty (a total contrast to the grimy but packed Setagaya Ramen in front). Only one other person showed up, but I was nearly finished by then. As I had previously mentioned, I don’t like empty. Empty isn’t fun.
I ordered the bulgogi bibimbap with brown rice. Since I had never had a stone pot bibimbap before, I decided to go with that option. It came with an appetizer of boring miso soup (which I didn’t drink to save room for the bibimbap) and a bowl of radish and carrot kimchi which was floating in a bright pink liquid. Seriously, look at my photo. The funky color didn’t affect the taste; it was just regular kimchi.
When the waitress brought my bibimbap she warned me that it was extremely hot. She was beyond right. That bibimbap scalded my tongue like it had never been scalded before, and the searing burn continued even after I had left the restaurant. The intense heat left me unable to taste anything, save for the kimchi and the bulgogi. I wish there was more bulgogi; it was good and there wasn’t enough of it.
The brown rice was actually red rice; being heated in the stone pot toasted it and made it crispy on the bottom, which created an interesting texture. The vegetables were fresh; I wish I could have tasted them.
I will give this place one more chance. Next time I’m going for the regular bibimbap. I’m not going to pay extra to sustain oral injuries.