Koki & Vegi

This place takes FOREVER. The food I had was pretty good, but it took a very long time for them to cook because it’s a small food stand. I would recommend trying this food if you’re in the area, but only if you have a lot of time to kill.
It is a nice location right by the entrance to the Brooklyn bridge though!

Blaaaaaaaahhhhhhh = perfect description of this place. It’s the type of place where everything is almost good, but not quite. The wait was 5 minutes too long. The price was a couple dollars too high. And the food was just boring. Anyone who has eaten good Korean food will not say this place serves good Korean food. Also if you order anything with additional meat, be ready for it to be about a tablespoon’s worth of meat (and I’m measuring by the tablespoon because it’s minced up to invite being measured that way).
I couldn’t even finish my food, even though I was hungry/​wanting to stress-​eat. I work nearby so I wanted to like this place, but I won’t go back.

I ate there on Thursday and I am still vomiting and suffering from diarrhea from the overpriced meal. Avoid at all cost.

I was in the area for work and needed to grab a quick bite to eat. I ordered the Triple B (aka Big Bulgogi Burger). It comes with onions, Bulgogi, fried egg and spicy sauce on a bun. It took less than 5 minutes to get my order. The food was fresh and it had good flavor, but I wished it had more meat and was spicier. The menu said it comes with jalapeño, but I didn’t taste it. My order also came with a bag of cheddar sun chips.

I heard about this place on Midtown/​Downtown lunch. I’ve had some great lunch tips from that site, but every now and then you might have a miss. I have never tried kimchi fried rice, but I was eager to see what it was all about. I brought this super pretty girl named Carol with me. She’s Cantonese, and she knows her food. That same day she brought in some sticky rice from home which her Aunt had made. It had mushrooms and chinese sausage in it. It was the bees knees. Still, after eating sticky rice for breakfast that morning, I still felt implored to try some kimchi fried rice. I was a bit disappointed by the fact that the kimchi rice was extremely greasy. Greasy to the point where you could see a puddle of butter/​oil in the bottom of the plastic container. I felt lethargic and weighed down after eating one or two forkfuls, similar to how a lion feels after eating 50 kilos of antelope carcass. Carol ordered the bibimbop, and wasn’t all that impressed. They’re real skimpy with their napkins and Gochujang hot sauce condiment as well. I needed a few napkins to wipe off some of the fugitive rice and Pennzoil or some type of grease which had escaped onto my work pants. I asked for a napkin, and she only gave me one napkin. I ask for additional Gochujang, and I get what appears to be a thimble sized serving of sauce. I wouldn’t really go back here if I’m craving a fried rice dish, maybe if they were a bit more enthusiastic about the food which they are selling. Bottom line is that I didn’t taste any passion in this food, and that is what I look for whenever I try something new for lunch. I’m not knocking it for the sake of knocking it. we paid money for this experience, and I want to be excited about what I am eating, and I dam sure want the other person selling me this experience to be just as passionate describing and selling it to me. Yes that’s right, I look at it more than just being food. With all the competition and the ethnicities which are present, we have many choices to pick from. My advice is to be as passionate about your food and be able to offer anything you can to a customer, whether it’s a story, a friendly gesture, or even a smile. I received neither from Koki & Vegi. The pictures look decent on here, the food is presented nicely, but it just needs to sexed up with fresh produce, and punchy flavors that stand out on your palate.

–awesome location right by Brooklyn bridge
–nice seating area
–loved the kimchi fried rice and ramen noodles with chicken
–very good smoothy
–great price

I had a chance to try out Koki and Vegi on a rainy spring day off in NYC. The hubby and I had just gotten off the City Hall subway and wanted something delicious, warm and fast. The minute we got out of the station, yummy smells drew us to the Koki and Vegi kiosk which is conveniently located right outside the station.
It was freezing out, but the owner offered us some warm tea or coffee while we waited for our food (which is an added and welcome plus for customer service!) We ended up trying a bunch of different things (kimchi fried rice, veggie dumplings, the KB hot dog, and a chicken dish that was new to the menu) — and we weren’t disappointed. Needless to say, we were pretty warmed up and full!
We live in midtown, so I was bummed we don’t really have a place nearby me that serves quick and yummy Korean food, especially during work lunch hours (this place seems pretty good for the working crowd) — I think we’d make the trek again though!

I tried to eat all their menus but only been there 3 times.
They have smoothies and burgers+hotdogs for quick bites and somewhat authentic Korean foods; they have 8 – 10 menus for lunch but each of them are pretty good except bibimbap was little off.
Oh you just gotta spicy ramen noodle on a chilly+windy day. That is the best.

People who haven’t been in awhile should revisit this place. I believe they have revamped their menu significantly since opening, and my food (the spicy ramen) was fantastic for a street vendor. Best ramen I’ve ever had, maybe not. Pretty darn awesome for a kiosk and for $ 4.99 — definitely. I’m excited to go back and see how the rest of the food is. And yes, the owner is extremely friendly. He even offered me a free coffee or tea while I waited for my food because it was so cold outside. That’s good service!

Sadly, I probably won’t be back.
The food is okay and it’s nice to have a Korean place near Chinatown. But for the price and quality, I’d rather just eat in Chinatown or trek up to Ktown. Another reviewer said if the items were $ 1-​$ 2 cheaper, it would be so much better. Very true.
There were some highlights from the meal:
Jap Chae– surprisingly tasty! The salad that’s included is pretty useless and unnecessary.
I sincerely hope they make some changes. My guess is their rent is really high, forcing them to charge those prices. The owner should also smile and be happier when serving/​greeting customers. Make us feel like you WANT to serve us rather than having it feel like we’re distracting you from your newspaper.

Found this little vendor by accident when I was at a 1 Centre Street in Manhattan. The food is Korean barbeque, kimchi and a few other Korean dishes. For street vendor I would give them a four star rating.
The spot that they have is probably too tucked away for them to suceed in the long run, since its at the far end of the 1 Centre plaza next to the off-​ramp from the Brooklyn Bridge. But the vendor is friendly, the food is fresh and good, and by city standards, is cheap for the amount they give you.
Kimchi was good, but not as spicy as some I’ve had. B-​B-​Que was tasty and the mound of rice was enormous.
This little area has a lot of place to sit to eat, and the City seems to have landscaped with plants and flowers, it so if you can ignore the noise of the traffic off the bridge, the area is pleasant for a lunch break.
There is also a mexican vendor which I’ll explore on another day.

This place simply costs $ 2 too much.
That value difference alone has determined my attendance at this lunch place. When you work down here, you pretty much have meager food options if you crave Korean cuisine. This stand neatly fills that niche, and yet its price is just a little higher than it deserves to be.
As an economist, I can say those small dollar differences at the low-​end make huge differences in the amount of business you get (price elasticity of demand, hollaaaa econ-​101). Especially when it’s stationed right beside a value-​conscious Mexican stand that charges $ 2.50 for a beastly taco. In my three months working here, I’ve been to this Koki stand 3 times; if it were $ 2 cheaper, I’d have been here 10+ times by now, easy.
Which is a shame. Koki has thought through a lot of the intricate details. They have very neat presentation on their packing. You get, as advertised, veggies and meat, along with good-​tasting rice. The portions seem proportionate and ample to get you through lunch without also making you food-​coma. As another reviewer pointed out, the owner is friendly; he even remembers me though I only come once/​month. The meat is pretty decent too (I had the jaeyuk dupbap); nothing to write home about, but as I mentioned, it fills that niche for lunch if you’re looking for Korean food.
But at the end of the day, why are you so expensive? Oh, I wish it weren’t so. You have to pay extra for kimchi. And don’t forget to add tax (whereas the Mexican stand it’s included in the price).

When will we decide on a standard spelling for gogi? Kogi? Koki?
We tried the kalbi dup-​bap (marinated beef short ribs over rice) and the bulgogi dup-​bap (marinated BBQ beef over rice), and we found both to be alright. The kalbi actually was pretty great, and it’s appropriate that it was $ 2 more than the bulgogi. The kalbi was well seasoned and well cooked — just the right texture. The bulgogi could have used more flavor; particularly, it could’ve been sweeter. But really, when you eat Korean BBQ, bulgogi is like the ugly little sister with a great personality compared to kalbi. Even at the best Korean restaurant, bulgogi won’t have nearly the flavor or texture as kalbi. So if you’re choosing between bulgogi and kalbi, always choose kalbi!
They don’t offer brown rice, which isn’t such a bad thing, and they charge extra for a side of kimchi, which is kind of a bad thing.
Another questionable choice is the complimentary side of shredded cabbage with either a raspberry vinaigrette or lite honey mustard dressing. What’s up with that? It wasn’t bad, but it just didn’t match.
I’m happy to recommend this place for people who work nearby and want something different to eat for lunch. There are plenty of chairs, tables, benches and shade to accommodate the lunch crowd. As a Korean myself, I’m perfectly happy adding this little kiosk to my rotation. It’s not the best I’ve ever had, and there are some strange elements to the menu, but all in all, it’s alright!

I’m incredibly disappointed about how lackluster this place is. Considering my other venture to it’s neighbor, the thought of having korean bbq outside sounded like such a good idea. What I thought would be a satisfying lunch, however, was ultimately a bad experience.
I feel bad because the owner was so nice. He went out of his way to give me free samples, went through the menu with me, and couldn’t have been a nicer guy. Yet, the food itself didn’t live up to the expectations I have of fast Korean based on prior experience. Of the menu’s six options, I opted for the beef bulgogi, which by itself was pretty good. It’s too bad however that they don’t put enough in the container and hide it between a mess of shredded cabbage and white rice. Also, where was the sauce? The beef and rice were so dry, they could have used some sauce or something to add flavor and heat. The only sauce I tasted was the balsamic vinaigrette (really?) that didn’t add anything to the cabbage salad except ruin the other items in the dish. Kimchi was also an extra dollar (fail) and it was weak (double fail).
I appreciate the idea and the concept, but they need to learn from some other vendors about how to do it right. They have a huge advantage: a fixed park stall with a working kitchen and a hungry workforce at the ready. They need some time to improve the menu, food, and experience. For now, I think I’ll stick to my other solid lunch options in the area.