U-Town
U-Town
Samsun Jambong
Sept 2023 Menu 2/5
Sept 2023 Menu 5/5
Sept 2023 Menu 1/5
Sept 2023 Menu 3/5
a bowl of soup and bowls of rice
japchae bap, complimentary banchan (side dishes), and jjamppong
Menu
jjamppong and japchae bap
1. Jangban Jjajang
Sept 2023 Menu 4/5
Jjolmyun
36. Budae Jigae
Budae Jigae
Galbi
2. La Galbi Combo
Food here sucks! 0/10 The tempura and dumpling tastes terrible Check says mandatory tip, RIDICULOUS Only accept two cards Poor service
12. Kimchi Jjigae
19. Seafood Soon Doo Boo
jjamppong and complimentary danmuji (pickled radish)
3. Mushroom Soon Doo Boo (vegetarian)
Justine J.
Aug 6, 2024
I kinda have a bone to pick with this place. I used to always get their sundubu no vegetables (easier to eat for me)... so just broth and soft tofu for take out. It's supposed to come with egg, but they never give it to me. One time I asked for a little bit of extra rice and they were trying to charge me extra two bucks (I said no). Oh and I always tip too for take out. So no vegetables (per my request) and they intentionally leave out egg... you can't give me a break on extra half a scoop of rice? Last I checked eggs are waaaayyyyy more expensive than white rice. JHC I feel like Oliver Twist over here. Then one day my friend and I decided to dine in. I ordered sundubu and asked if I can just have some radish in the stew instead of all their other vegetables and they said they'd charge extra. Of course out of principle I said no... I just have a hard time understanding how someone can be so unaccomodating. But hey, at least they gave me an egg this time as advertised on their menu.This place is a joke. We asked for iced water, and they only serve tepid because they don't have ice. If we want cold drinks we have to pay. Not everyone wants Milkis so this place can go pound the sand.
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Mia M.
Sep 30, 2023
UTown is by far the best Korean food in UCity. Their items are all very reasonably priced, banchan is free (expected, I know, but some Korean places in Philly charge for it!!!), and everything is delicious. The wide variety of vegetarian options makes it easy to bring any group here, and menu items are marked as spicy or not spicy. I have a low spice tolerance but got a soon doo boo anyways, and the spice was not at all overwhelming.U Town is a popular spot for penn students especially on Friday and Saturday nights, so be prepared to wait ~20 minutes if they're busy. Service is fast once you're inside, so I would say it's worth the wait.
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Justina A.
Jan 2, 2024
The samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup) is solid here!!! Huge portion! My boyfriend and I got takeout and the samgyetang alone came in two large cylindrical containers. One had the jujube, chicken, ginger, and rice in it with broth and the second had extra broth. It was enough to feed us both (with leftover broth)! The soup tasted clean and homey. I just wish U-Town had better banchan options.
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Jacqueline T.
Mar 30, 2023
U-Town is a hit or miss; they have an expansive menu, and some items are tasty enough to satisfy your cravings for a particular Korean dish.The service is friendly, but unfortunately, some classic dishes, namely their soondubu jjigae and tteokbokki, are so poorly made and not at all an accurate reflection of authentic Korean food.The good:1. JjamppongIf you want a warm seafood noodle soup, their jjamppong did hit the spot. You can adjust the spice level so that the seafood flavors of the soup can stand out a little more. The saltiness of the soup still overpowered the seafood flavor, but the variety of seafood (shrimp, mussel, octopus) was yummy. Their jjamppong is served in a large bowl, with complimentary danmuji (sweet pickled radish). 2. JapchaeThe japchae (glass noodles with vegetables) were al dente and surprisingly good. They were sweet, but in a way that pleasantly complimented the flavor of the stir-fried vegetables. The decent: 1. Galbitang Served with glass noodles, a bit of complimentary kimchi, and meat on the bone. The broth is refreshing when you are craving this particular dish.2. BibimbapRice, meat, vegetables, and egg, mixed with sauce in a sizzling stone pot. This has a bit of everything and was as expected, but nothing in particular stood out.The reasons I took off 2 stars:1. Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes)Love yourself and do not under ANY circumstances order their tteokbokki. I'm not sure this is possible, but U-Town somehow made it SO ridiculously spicy, yet without any other flavor, so all you get is pain. Tteokbokki is a classic Korean street food that should have hints of umami and seafood flavor in the sauce, but unfortunately UTown's version was only spicy and lacked even sweet or savory flavors.2. Kimchi jjigae3. Soondubu jjigaeKimchi jjigae and soondubu (soft tofu) jjigae classic Korean stews, yet UTown's versions were so sparse in ingredients and watery that I even reordered the dishes twice, thinking it must have been a fluke. Alas, they have consistently been watery and bland, and stingy with the amounts of kimchi and meat and onion in the soup. Over half is just water.The convenient location is what makes many college students visit, but students and natives alike agree there are far better Korean restaurants in Philadelphia.
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Jessica S.
Aug 29, 2022
I have such an emotional attachment to this place because its where my parents and i ate my move in day frosh yr. I love coming here for meals and most stuff i order has been great. Today got jjolmyun which was wonderful and rlly spicy. Always a staple for me
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May F.
Dec 12, 2023
Loved the food! Some dishes better than others and it gets pretty packed in there but overall lovely environment and staff! I enjoyed the bimi bap and hot stone pot dishes!
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Sophie W.
Jan 28, 2023
I came here for lunch and had the tofu soup ($13). It's decent. I wish the soup had more flavor and salt, but I think it is as close to homey Korean food as you can get in University City. You can get the essentials here and have daikon and kimchi.
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Joshy K.
Aug 11, 2023
This review hurts to write because I the food here is decent! But the reason why I'm leaving a negative review is because the Galbi-Tang I got for takeout wasn't sealed properly. So the soup spilled onto the bag, causing a rip with everything falling out. When I called asking if it could be replaced, they replied that after I picked it up it no longer became their responsibility. That's disappointing for me.. what's $20 to a restaurant for something that they were responsible for? Is money that important? They've lost a loyal customer, with a pretty big Korean network in Philly. Can't say I'll recommend them to my friends anymore after this. Hopefully y'all don't go through the same thing!
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Ayla G.
Oct 7, 2023
Delicious. Ordered crispy pork rice and deokboki. I asked for both super mild spicy, and they delivered! Not too spicy but still flavorful. Great textures, great service. The pork crispy rice was especially good. Very clean restaurant, light, respectful chatter. Not too loud or too quiet. Decently busy around dinner time but still some available tables.
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Jason L.
Jul 19, 2024
Food here is terrible, service really badThey only accept two cards, and there is a mandatory tip??0/10
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