Bulgogi & Kimchi Street Cart

This cart doesn’t seem to exist anymore, at least not at this location.
If someone knows where and when I can try this cart, send me a message (or make an owner comment, if applicable) and I will update or remove this review.

Came here for lunch today. I got the combo short ribs and spicy chicken. I asked for it extra spicy –:). I love spice and I could have used an extra container of the hot sauce.
Huge portion of chicken –cooked perfectly, moist, spicy, tasty.
A few slices of ribs –they were good but compared to the chicken a tad dry –still very tasty –but next time ALL CHICKEN — all the way!
$ 9 for the combo = stuffed = food coma. Great meal for the price. Def going back when i have a Korean food craving… which is often :)

Best ghalbi lunch box in midtown. Service is good and lightning fast. When I didn’t have patient to bin it back to my office I ate it near by park or street.
Highly recommend it.

Delicious bulgogi lunch. $ 8, three minutes (prepared fresh!), and you’re off. Even the side salad is good stuff: romaine; no iceberg here. Genuine, friendly proprietors to boot. That combo gets four stars in my book, even if it is «street food.»

Great little food cart with lots of options. They were quick and friendly, and for those of you who have never tried Korean BBQ, do not be afraid. It’s just basically marinated bbq’d meats. Try it, you’ll like it.
I had the Galbi combo for only $ 8. It came with rice, noodles and veggies along with the Galbi. Great portion too. It was not too small or large. Just right for lunch.

i came here at 8PM only to see the kart NOWHERE IN SIGHT!!! WHERE IS IT!!!
do they leave early???

Really 3.5. Korean food is awesome in the winter. When I worked at BarCap in the summer I discovered this awesome truck
With yummy soups and spicy chicken.
Now I work on the east side and trek over here on occasion. Big plus one of my Korean co-​workers translated the whole menu & got us samples!

This is more like 2 ½ stars. I was craving some Korean food so I decided to check it out.
I ordered the Bibimbap with Bulgogi. It stated it was $ 8 but when I handed a twenty, he gave me back $ 11 in change. I stated that it said $ 8 on the menu to his left but he pointed down below him and said it was $ 9. Was not happy about it but I let it go.
While I was walking, I noticed how light my bag of food was. When I got to the office, the food was presented nicely with all the vegetables. I was sort of annoyed he didn’t put a spoon in my bag. The styrofoam container was one of those thin ones. There was a thin layer of rice, a ridiculously small portion of japchae that was overcooked. And though I ordered bulgogi, he added some kalbi meat because I was irked by the price difference.
The bulgogi was not good. But the kalbi was well done and had a nice smokey flavor. The vegetables were all seasoned nicely. But for 9 frickin’ dollars. I think not! I’d rather hop on a train and go to Woorijip. It was highway robbery. I felt robbed.

Wow. Unilocal really does try and attempt to review EVERYTHING that stands here in the city.
I have been to this cart a few times. Why… I suppose I was near the MoMa and hungry and not wanting a hot dog or other halal food from the other hundreds of carts in the vicinity.
Its not the best, but the fact that its in a little cart in midtown its pretty decent. I have always gotten the ddokbboki because my motto is ‘whenever there is ddokbboki, order it!” its quite good, quite spicy too I must add.
Be sure you grab a bottle of water when you order.
Its decently priced and they make it for you within the five minutes that you are standing there.
I dont think I can ever give street food a great review. Its just there and tempting you.

My first trip here today. I actually caught this by accident. I saw the words BULGOGI on the cart and I was ecstatic!
Wow this is some good bulgogi! And for $ 7 a platter!
I mean this isn’t the same as BBQ-​ing it yourself but heck it’s still good! Plus I love Korean food so this one’s a plus for me since it’s close by to where I work.
I will go back again to try the other platters. :-)

I’ve admired the Bulgogi cart since October as I patiently wait for my gyro, the halal cart over the left of Bulgogi. I admit I was intimadated and didn’t want to offend my gyro man. Today, my gyro man was not at his stand took the initiative to get some Korean.
There was a very friendly Korean man, who asked me what I want with the hugest smile I have seen for a cart guy in January. I had gone with baked shrimp. The wait was short, about 5 minutes. It had costed me $ 7. He added on some hot sauce for me to give it the flavor I desire.
I would go again, although I need to go on a day when my gyro guy isn’t there, otherwise I’m cheating on him in his face. I’m not sure I can do that.

Searching on Unilocal for the Korean BBQ truck I heard about in Jersey City last night, I ended up finding out about this little cart. I’m surprised I’ve never known about this cart before, especially since I’ve done some part time sidework in the area in the past. I decided that to make up for it I’ll have to make the trip for lunch to try it out. Luckily for me, I had the rare and much appreciated 2 hour lunch break today. I jumped on the R train to 49^th street ( Unilocal tried to make me exercise by telling me to get off at 34 street, teehee).
When I got there I found this cart sandwiched between a halal cart and a soup cart. I got there a little before the noontime lunch rush so there was no line and no wait. I kind of hoped that there would have been a line or at least someone ahead of me so I wouldn’t look like the obvious new guy who doesn’t already know his order and has to stand there and stare at the pictures. I even purposely walked right by and scoped out the cart for a bit in hopes that someone would order. Alas I was way too early and nobody from the nearby offices were coming for lunch. Plan B. I pulled up Unilocal and scoured the reviews for recommendations. After a few minutes of reading I finally worked up the courage to order.
I walked up with confidence and suave and demanded a bulgogi box.
(ok so maybe it went more like this)
«h-​h-​hi can I get a uhh. uhh. a bu-​bulgogi box please?
Regular or extra meat?
«uhh. uhh. extra?»
Spicy or regular?
«(low whisper) spicy»
Spicy?
«p-​p-​please.»
Here you are. Thank you!
(snatches bag and runs away)
I ran to the closest seat I could find and popped open my box to find a good amount of rice, salad, japchae and bulgogi. At first it seemed like so little bulgogi but then while I was eating it there seemed to be a never ending amount. I tried eating with the chopsticks they gave me but it was a bit difficult to pick up the rice out of the styrofoam box with them. So after stuffing as much as I could in my mouth I packed it up and ran to the train to head back to school for a fork and spoon.
The bulgogi was very tasty. It was quite good right up until the last piece. It just so happened to be tough and chewy. My teeth almost cracked from the initial bite. The japchae was really really good. I would have preferred a box full of japchae over the rice.
Service at this little cart it great. In the few words I exchanged with the gentleman who runs the cart I felt that he was very nice and courteous. When he handed me my food he had a huge smile on his face and the way he thanked me actually sounded genuine.
$ 7 for a bulgogi box with all the fixins. $ 2 for double the meat. I’d definitely come again to try other things but only if I’m in the area. The trip back and forth on a local train takes too long. Also I just don’t get the satisfaction of grilling my own meat at Korean BBQ. Maybe it’s a guy thing or maybe it’s just me. Who knows, I am an odd one.

These guys must clearly read the Unilocal postings, because all of the negative reviews regarding the food have been fixed.
Cheap cuts of meat? Not any more, it seems. The galbi that I ordered contained meaty cuts of sirloin, marinated in a sweet and soy sauce combo, with charred edges and caramelized goodness.
Small portions? On the contrary. My $ 8 combo platter came with japchae, veggies, salad, meat, and rice.
Too expensive? I am not going to judge, but $ 8 seems about right for the amount of food that you get. It’s definitely better than Café Duke.
Not authentic? Okay, so here’s where the food truck may be lacking (and I’m not even Korean). The flavors aren’t as bold as what you’d find in K-​town, which is on one hand disappointing (hence the 3 stars), but on the other hand, it’s a food truck after all!
As far as food trucks go, this one is a keeper. Still, if a more gourmet player came into town (Kogi, please come to NYC soon (er)!), these guys may be left out in the cold.

They use to suck in food, now they just suck in price…
Went here early in the year when I first heard about them on Midtown Lunch. The Bulgogi at that time was pretty bad. Its softly mashed meat (probably the cheapest cuts) marinated enough to cover the poor quality. But at least it was only $ 6.
If midtown have more options for Korean food, I wouldn’t have to go back, but I did (a few months later). This time the prices have changed. They upped the price by a dollar and you can pay $ 2 more for extra meat. Well, the meat is much better (grilled sirloin cuts, probably), but it was a bit too charred. The $ 2 extra that I paid felt lacking as the meat to rice ratio is about 1:1. I wonder how much meat would they give w/​o the extra $ 2.

My lunch rotation is a artfully crafted masterpiece. If you’re lucky, you might even get to see it in the MoMA one day. It’s not often that I make revisions to this list. Think G20 summit. The Olympic committee. The supreme court justices.
Well, with that thought — I am happy to announce that the B&K cart is the new reigning champion for the Korean spot on my list (over the former bibimbop from café duke). Why? You get a damn good meal out of this. For $ 7, you get a hearty amount of bulgogi over rice, a fresh mixed green salad with carrots, and a large side of japchae noodles. Getting this much variety in your meal box for $ 7 in Manhattan is a treasure chest.
Not enough? Ask for double meat for an extra $ 2. And yes, if the 90 pound Asian girl in front of you ordered double meat, it WOULD be embarrassing if you didn’t.

Lunchtime. Heads down — squinting at an Excel document.
*Ping* IM window opens up
Co-​Worker: «Hey man, wanna head to Hale and Hearty for lunch?»
:roll eyes: (thankfully they can’t see me)
:run through mental list of canned excuses:
(working on a proposal with a 2pm deadline, got a lunch meeting, gonna hit the gym, got a job interview, going to take a sh-​nap, etc)
Chris: «Aww, wish I could! Boss man scheduled a lunch meeting, catch ya next time»
I don’t like to lie to my co-​workers, but I deserve one day to myself. Observe:
Monday: Company Cafeteria
Tuesday: Chipotle
Wednesday: Pret
Thursday: ~Bulgogi & Kimchi day!!!~
Friday: Subway
I’ve tried to educate my hapless peers to the glories of grilled Korean meat on white rice. The slightly salty, slightly sweet and carmelized, tender, not too greasy, strips of galbi are really really good, I tell them. And it comes with japchae, the sweet potato noodle that fills the belly and satisfies the soul. And it comes with salad, so it’s like, healthy!
They feign interest, but a unsubstantiated aversion to street meat keeps them chained to chain restaurants.
No matter, I wait until they’ve got a good head start, and then slink down to the Bulgogi & Kimchi cart for some Korean street meat love.
More Bulgogi & Kimchi Cart Coverage:

I work in the midtown east area but I live in the midtown west. So I usually walk to and from work. I heard about this street cart about a year ago and was meaning to try for months.
So one day, I had this monster craving for Korean food so I went by after work. I was disappointed to find that the place closes early, so dinner was not an option. You know when u can’t have something, you crave it more? That is what happened. One day, the craving got better of me and walked all the way to the cart for some good old Korean food, or so I thought.
Well, I don’t know what to say. The sauce that the meat was marinated in was definitely not the typical Korean stuff. I can say for sure because I know how to make them and make them on and off. The quality of the meat was not so great either, but for a street cart, it was ok. I thought kimchi was included in the meal, but they didn’t give me any (I didn’t know that there weren’t any till I got back to the office). The noodles was not even a close approximation of jaepchae (maybe it wasn’t meant to be). There weren’t any fruit in it either.
If I had gotten the food from a restaurant (even a take-​out only place), I would have given just a star. But since it is a street cart, I am going to give it two stars. Disappointing.

Come lunchtime, all you have to say is «Korean food cart»? and I’m all yours. I think the official name of this place is actually «Bulgogi and Kimchi», per the website emblazoned on the side of the street cart (
). I wandered by one day while searching for lunch, realized I had never seen a Korean food cart and decided to give it a try (after noting the website, so I could check it out back at my desk to see if it was legit. It is, and the owners used to work at some other established Korean BBQ joint in the city). This is the ONLY food cart (ok, one of two, but this was first and the better one) that I’ve tried in the city, and the only one I’ve been to repeatedly… which, given all the street cart food vendor horror stories you hear, definitely is a sign.
I’ve only ever gotten the Galbi (which comes with a side of japchae, kimchi, rice, salad and fruit) but for $ 6 or +$ 2 for double meat, you have yourself a hearty meal. It’s not the same as grilling your own Galbi at a Korean BBQ, but for a $ 6 – 8 lunch I’m a super happy camper. I hear though they recently raised prices by $ 1… though I’ve yet to see for myself. The last time I tried going earlier in the week, I couldn’t find the cart! The owners are super sweet but sometimes a bit elusive… I guess they’re allowed to take an occasional vacation as well. This has happened on a few occasions in the past 6 months. Alas, they should note on their website so I can check before making the trek over for lunch :)

Whoa… Korean food street cart in Midtown??~? Do my eyes deceive me? No, they do not!~!! This food cart has been around for a few months, but I’ve always been hesitant to try it… I wasn’t sure if it were in fact run by Korean people, or some poser…
It’s the real thing! They don’t have many options, but they have the most important ones:
Kalbi Box
Bulgogi Box
Chicken Box
can i punch you in the box?
Bibimbap Box
Bulgogi Udon
Chicken Udon
Kimchi Udon
Bulgogi Sandwich
Chicken Sandwich
All the boxes come with white rice, japchae, lettuce, kimchi and fruit cup… I had the bulgogi box… meat was decent quality and marinated perfectly… rice was soft and yummy… kimchi is actually good too… not cheap kimchi at all… japchae good, chewy. marinated well…
$ 7 for bulgogi box and bottle of water… Can’t beat that!

Amid the caravan of halal meat street carts in the upper 40’s b/​w 6^th and 7^th lies an interesting exception — a Korean Bulgogi cart. I love Korean food so I figured I’d give it a chance.
There appeared to be a line when we got there. And the people ahead of us appeared to be Asian which was a good sign… well, until we realized they were working. They had one person in the cart and four doing stuff outside the cart. A bit of overkill. Who knew there was a Korean Teamster Union that lorded over street carts?
The offerings are bulgogi (Korean BBQ’d beef), Chicken, or Spicy Chicken served with a small salad, rice, kim chi, and a drink all for $ 5!
(update: they now have bibimbop and what they call chicken bulgogi)
I went with the (meat) bulgogi and wasn’t disappointed. The meat was tasty although the portion wasn’t huge. The salad dressing was surprisingly good — tasted ginger-​based. The rice was laughable — it was yellow rice that would’ve been more apropos for a Latin cart. The kim chi was subpar. The hot sauce they provided was strong but added some punch to the beef and rice.
My friend went with the chicken and gave a similar review.
They also have these $ 1bulgogi sandwiches that you’d think would come in like a Chinese bun but instead comes on two mini-​sized pieces of whole wheat bread. Whole wheat? It’s like this cart is a fusion of Korean and North American grab bag. The sandwiches aren’t bad, though. Just make sure to add a healthy amount of the hot sauce.
For now, I’d give it 3 stars for the bulgogi, the value, and the potential. Now if they’d only stock spicy Korean pork and get some real rice, maybe they’ve got something…