Koreana

My college roommate was Korean, so I've acquired somewhat of a palette for the cuisine. And this is definitely better than some of the crummier joints she took me to. Actually, in fact, it's a great experience - especially if you've never tried Korean food before. If you come right at dinner rush the service might be a bit on the slow side. more

What lousy service! This was a dinner to celebrate my parents 45th wedding anniversary and I am sure that they will have great (sic) memories! Some highlights of the low quality of service: 1. Waitress came over 15 minutes after we were seated and was in a great rush to get our orders 2. Waitress was so clumsy that she kept pushing dishes on our table such that cups of sake spilled over on the table. No offer to replenish our loss 3.She forgot to bring us any rice along with the other sides. We had to ask three times for rice to be served with our barbecue- I thought that was a staple part of our meal 4. Waitress told us that she would work on the barbecue but never showed up so we had to do all of this ourselves 5. Even at the end, she showed up with the check for another table, I was thoroughly disgusted at this point because it took her 15 minutes to figure her mistake and bring us the correct check I did speak with the Manager on duty and they did apologize, but I have a sneaky feeling that this was not the first time and probably not the last that they have heard such comments and so they have developed a really thick skin as a result. Pros: Meat quality Cons: Clumsy incompetent waitress more

For example, you get very thin slices of Kalbi wrapped around some detached rib bone. Elsewhere, the slices are much thicker and often still attached to the rib bone. I'd say about the half the amount elsewhere. If you're dressed casually, they put you out of sight even though the place is empty. Unfortunately, not many Korean restaurants around. They need a competition. Pros: food tastes decent Cons: meager amount more

I'm a Korean. In multiple occasions, I was so terrifed by their demeanor in treating customers. Recently, when I made a reservation for 16 people, I was asked to make sure to have everybody by the time I reserved for. Even when we're sitting and filling the seats half-way on the day, they kept asking me if the others are coming. More appalling experience came to my Japanese friends very recently. When more than 10 of the guests were sitting, the guests were asked how much time they will spend for their dinner. After 2 hours (estimated by the guests) they were asked to leave because the time was up! Pros: atmosphere, location Cons: bad management in treating customers, food is just OK, expensive more

I've eaten at Koreana once -- a week night -- relatively early (7:30 PM). It was just OK, really. Our server was not knowledgeable about entrees or the wine menu and I didn't find the food to be that great. I don't think I'll be going back. Pros: Well Lit Cons: Food/Service more

This one-star rating is due to the management of Koreana, not the food and waitstaff which is usually fine. I have been going there for over a year both eating in and getting takeout, and during a recent trip I did both, adding in a 20% tip for my meal but no tip for the takeout portion. I just saw that they charged my credit card extra to give themselves a tip on the takeout portion despite what I wrote on the receipt! I have witnessed the management being very stingy and rude to customers in the past (refusing service to customers who were 2 minutes past the lunch cutoff, giving a customer a hard time about requesting a small extra side of kimchee on a $60 order), but this is my first personally disturbing experience at Koreana and I won't be returning there. That is unfortunate because the food is pretty good but the management is not very customer friendly. I'm fine if they tell me they expect 20% tips on takeout because at least I will know, but tacking it on against my wishes is not appropriate. more

Reliably delicious Korean food + the strongest Margarita I've maybe ever had = delicious. more

Reliably delicious Korean food + the strongest Margarita I've maybe ever had = delicious. more

it was just alright... more

it was just alright... more

The experience was absolutely horrible. I will never go back. The food is medicore, borderline terrible depending on what you order. The hostess gives attitude and lacks all decency or manners. She constantly rolled her eyes. The service is nonexistent. There are other Korean restaurants in Boston who at least attempt to make the service better. Pros: None. Cons: Service, Food. more

We went to Koreana over the weekend and had an amazing experience. The food was oh so tasty & fresh, the waitresses were extremely helpful (we had 2 waitresses checking on us the whole time), and the ambience was very comfortable. We ordered the BBQ dishes & although we had no idea how to fix them or what to do with all of the sides we were given, the waitresses helped us out, explained each side & made very good suggestions. I'd highly recommend giving it a try! Pros: great food, friendly & helpful waitstaff Cons: a little pricey more

I've eaten here several times and have always enjoyed the food. The service has always been so-so. But I recently had bad service so I only tipped 10% instead of the usual 15-20%, and the manager and waitresses came out to my table and intimidated me into giving more money. I'm of Indian descent and I think that motivated them to start explaining to me how tipping works and why I was supposed to give them more. It was the worst and most embarassing experience I've ever had at a restaurant. Go for the food, but beware of the staff who I dare say have no etiquette (they aren't supposed to look at the tip while I'm still sitting at my table or bring back the check and tell me I'm ignorant and need to give them more money) and may even be insensitive to different ethnicities. more

We were happy with our korean dishes - the standard Kimchee chige and Chapjae (noodle stir fry). However, the sushi was not at all fresh - I couldn't even stomach it. And, the pieces were all shaped funny like they were leftover random slices, not prime cuts, which was irritating. However, unlike the former review, we had a very pleasant and attentive waitress so we didn't tell her how bad the sushi was. I've always been skeptical of places serving both Korean & sushi - whether one staff can do both well, and Koreana proved that they should just stick to basic Korean fare. Pros: Kimchee chige Cons: Bits of fish trying to pass for sushi more

I am korean, so I know what i'm talking about. I don't know what restaurant everyone else went to but Koreana is definitely not the best in Boston. The food here is typically Americanized, portions are small, and the side dishes rarely fresh. There is no way you can even pretend that its like mom makes. Its also very expensive even for korean food. The only good things they do here are kimchee tchigae and sushi. And i only reccommend that if you're going to call ahead for take out. The service at the restaurant is HORRIBLE no matter what time of day you go, weekend or weekday. They are elitest or something. Whenever i go with a mixed group we see our waitress only to take our order and bring us our check. I've been there many times with a mixed group of friends only to be snubbed the entire evening. The last time i went was the last straw, it wasn't a busy night there were 4 servers and 4 or 5 people in the restaurant total. Me and my friends were ignored pretty much the whole meal where the 2 korean guys right next to us had 2 different servers checking on them every couple minutes. Needless to say the whole experience was garbage. I will never go to Koreana again and everyone save yourself the trouble and don't even try it. If you want good korean go to Buk Kyoung in Union Square Somerville. Not the Allston branch. The Somerville one. This is the best food quality and price around. Pros: its a neatly decorated restaurant Cons: service is horrible more

There is always a large crowd waiting outside to eat at Koreana so I had to find out for myself what the fuss was about. It was my first time dining there and was nervous about lack of familiarity w/ the food and possible language barrier between the waiter and my party. Our waitress was very helpful, and fluent in English. She recommended the BBQ style meals which we absolutely loved. My partner ordered #43 and I ordered #39, dont recall the name but essentially it was beef marinated in Korean sauce and cut up into bite size portions. The idea was to grill the meat in the built in grill on our table. It was a fun dining experience and my meal was incredibly tasty! There were at least 7 different sides that came with the meal, definitely more than enough food for two. At the end of the meal we were served complimentary cold soup which consisted of cinnamon and ginger flavors. I plan on going back with another group of friends, it was a unique dining experience. Pros: Different from restaurants in Boston, helpful staff, ideal if you want to try something different Cons: not enough options on dessert menu? more

I've been here several times now and tried a different dish every time. Yesterday, my friend and I had the lunch specials which were absolutely fantastic. I had bulgogi and my freind went for galbi. Both were wonderful and we were blown away - mm, just so yummy and what an excellent value for $8-9!. I love their delicious japchae (Korean-style chopsui), crispy buchim (pancakes) and excellent sushi/sashimi too. Service was prompt and attentive and the place has a comfortable, chic ambience. Price isn't dirt cheap but is average compared to other Asian restaurants in the area. All in all, an excellent value and worth the wait even. Pros: Quality food, Good service, Clean Cons: May have to wait, Reservation for 4+ more

Had the Korean BBQ and the bimbimbap here and I found both very good. The BBQ is a good deal, with lots of accompanying traditional side dishes. I liked their spicy kimchee a lot. They have OB beer here, which is fun to have with your meal. Service was also above average, as it was prompt and the waitress helped out with the BBQ. more

I passed by for a quick lunch on a Saturday. It's really a very stylish restaurant. It's quite spacious with big dark wood table. Each table has barbecue stove. It also has a sushi bar. The menu has a lot of Korean and Japanese items. The price was average, most entrees are between $12 and $20. Food was authentic, but I am not crazy about the green tea in a tea bag. The service was good. At the end, they gave me a complementary dessert drink. It was a good experience, and I will go back. Pros: Stylish, Good Service, Good food more

I've been to various Korean BBQ places in Boston and the re-vamped Koreana is by far the best among them. They give you a lot of meat, all deliciously marinated and you can cook it however you like it. What I like the most is the complimentary dessert (sweet rice soup) that comes after the meal, it really freshens you up! The ambience is very easy, nice jazzy movie and dim light, oh, and NOT smokey at all! Pros: lotsa yummy meat, late hours on weekend, nice ambience Cons: parking not that easy more