Soju

So amazing! Made it for the "happy hour" from 5:00pm-6:00pm and didn't realize, so that was a pleasant surprise! Half off beer (got the west coast IPA, yummy), and $10 soju bottles (yogurt flavor was 10/10). Got the kimchi fried rice with chicken. SO good. So much food, I had a whole meal leftover. Place gets so so busy. We came right when they opened and every seat was taken within 20 minutes. Great service and great vibe.

Everything about this place just screamed "OK". We showed up without reservations and were told we had to wait 45 minutes for a table for 2. Right after we showed up a party of 4 without reservations was seated immediately. There was another couple waiting and we discussed taking the next 4 seater and eating together. But then the host was able to figure out how to take the table apart so we can have our table for 2. So a bit to be desired in the host realm. Next, we got our drinks. They were also "OK". I had a drink with a tea in it that was just far to dry to be enjoyed. My wife had a drink that was served in a spam tin. It was better but still just "Ok". The food I was most disappointed in. After reading the hype of the place I expected a lot more. For starters we had the Nori fries and beef gimbap. The fries were much like potatoe patch fries but with a bit of seasoning. They did seem like fresh cut fries but not much flavor from the seasoning. The gimbap had really dry seaweed and it was generally not enjoyable. For entrees, I had the BBQ combination. All of the meats were dry and not well prepared and the bbq sauces tasted fine but nothing special. My wife had the bibimbap. Just nothing in it was prepared in an amazing way. The Gochujang was to spicey for me and I tend to enjoy the heat. If it was a $30 dollar meal I think i would have been happy. But for an expensive spot i would expect the quality to be a bit higher. The ambiance was decent for a date night. But there are some weird rules. Like ordering drinks from the host.

Saw this place listed on multiple top restaurants of Pittsburgh lists so had to finally check it out. They're walk-in only so depending on the time you go, be prepared for a bit of a wait. We came by on a Friday night and our wait was a little over an hour, but luckily there are shops along the street to check out and even a brewery nearby so you can get a drink beforehand. The restaurant itself is pretty small and intimate hence the long wait, they have a small bar as well. The host was the same guy who was our waiter and he was great, a genuinely friendly guy. Wonderful service overall and the food came out pretty quickly. Interestingly, the food came out all together - appetizers and mains. I thought it was a little weird they didn't space it out more. They don't have just soju cocktails on their menu, like I expected. They have beers, wines, and cocktails with different liquors. I ordered the Makgeolli's First Date as my cocktail. It was nicely spiced from the nutmeg. It was good but I'd probably get something else next time. We started with the killer tofu. Big portion, great for a group. It was too much for just 2 people so we took home leftovers. We also got the Korean "poutine" with chicken katsu. This came as a big bowl of fries in gravy and topped with a piece of chicken katsu. Dairy-free! I enjoyed this, it's also a good dish for sharing. A bit heavy though. The chicken was tasty and crispy. There's a huge portion of fries, also enough to take home leftovers. Next, we got the Korean BBQ combination. We liked being able to try three of their different meats - kalbi, bulgogi and pork but we wished there was more meat on the plate. Compared to the other two dishes, we felt the portion was small, especially for the amount of rice in the center. About two slices of eat meat on the plate. The kalbi was the best of the bunch. The meal also came with a couple side dishes of cucumbers and some kimchi. Good meal overall, I'd definitely come back again!

My relatives wanted Korean BBQ so we took her family to Soju, a Korean-American Restaurant in Pittsburgh. A few of their walls have artwork for sale. We had a 5:30pm reservation so our party of 9 shared 3 Bottles of $10 Soju - Yogurt, Peach and Ginger. Being a large party, we had to pre-select our meal ahead of time, which consisted of two appetizers, one rice dish, and one meat dish. We basically had three of each dish to share amongst our party. For the first course, we selected the Killer Tofu and Beef Gimbap. The Killer Tofu consisted of pineapple glazed crispy tofu topped with sesame and scallion. The Beef Gimbap consisted of beef, carrots, pickled radish, spinach, cucumber, korean egg. It reminded me of a Japanese Futomaki. For the second course, we selected the Bibimbap, which was served in a stone pot filled with rice, fried egg, sauteed vegetables, pickled cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, spinach, and mushroom. Due to pepper sensitivities, we requested all the spicy items to be on the side but somehow it was still spicy. I was surprised that there wasn't any crispy rice at the bottom of the bowl. For the third course, we selected BBQ Combo, which consisted of Dwaejibulgogi, Kalbi, Bulgogi, and served with Rice & three types of Banchan (pickled cucumbers, kimchi, kimchi radish). I wish they had non-spicy Banchan options like pickled radish, braised potatoes, fish cakes, and watercress). Not sure if the restaurant serves dessert, but we weren't offered a dessert menu. It would be cool to end the meal on a sweet note with a yogurt drink or sweet rice punch!

My first visit to Soju. I sat at the bar. I had the Purple Rain & the Saenggang Bae cocktails. Both light & refreshing drinks. The bartender was friendly & attentive. She said the Soju Punch is there most popular cocktail. Soju is a Korean rice liquor & you can get it by the shot or bottle. They also have wine & beer & cava. Menu looks delish. I had the poke bowl & ordered 1/2 sweet & 1/2 spicy. It actually wasn't spicy at all, but has a lot of tuna poke so I enjoyed it. The girl next to me got the tofu which looked amazing. I'd definitely come back. Parking can be tough on Penn Ave. Meters are enforced until 6pm. This place gets crowded & is small in size.

It's been too long since I've been to Soju so we stopped by for dinner earlier this week. The space is on the smaller side but cozy with a handful of tables and a few seats at the bar. We ordered a few things and our food came out pretty quickly. The chewy tteokbokki is always a favorite of mine and the tofu was so flavorful and a huge portion. The kalbi was juicy and perfectly seasoned and the Soju punch was refreshing. While the dishes are definitely Korean American versus authentic Korean, everything was still delicious and worth a try!

Updated: 3. Not worth price. Feels more american-korean than korean-american if ya get it. Small & cozy. Decent food.

Soju is a Korean-American restaurant and full-bar. They serve dinner in a no-reservation dining room as well as through takeout and delivery. Their menu lists foods such as nori French fries, tofu, beef gimbap, tuna gimbap, chicken katsu, Korean fried chicken, kimchi fried rice, poke, and pineapple salmon. Prices are reasonable.Through the Insider Eats website, I ordered four of Soju's entrees for delivery. The cooks promptly prepared my foods. I am definitely no expert on Korean foods, so my ratings are based solely on my personal tastebuds. I thought that the "Kimchijeon" (pancake with kimchi and mung beans) and the "3 Cheese Tteokbokki" (a stir-fried rice-cake dish with hard-boiled eggs) tasted OK. I greatly enjoyed the flavors of the "Korean BBQ Combo Platter" (Bulgogi beef fillet, Kalbi beef ribs, and Dwaejibulgogi pork with rice) and the "BiBimBap" (rice with spinach, bean sprouts, mushrooms, spicy cucumber, and an egg).

Hands down the best chicken katsu in the city (and maybe anywhere) I ALWAYS get the bulgogi & finally got to try the kimchi fried rice with chicken and it was FANTASTIC. I have been here about 6-7 times now and I never plan on stopping.Service and atmosphere are amazing, small, and quaint! So be sure to get there early to grab a seat! Fills up fast and they do not take reservations.

Me and my husband drive from canton ohio a few times a year JUST to eat here! I've spent time in Korea and my daughter lived there, we really enjoy Korea food. There are 2 authentic Korean run restaurants in Cleveland we frequent, but prefer Soju. Everthing on the menu is absolutely delicious and creatively done. The vibe is fun, prices and service are good, people nice for sure, wall art questionable :)