Koco Bell Express — Restaurant in Boise

I heard that Koco Bell relocated to a new location in my area. Being clear across town from their old location, this joint is now down the road from me! I had to come try it out!

Waking in, the first thing I noticed was how bright it is. The lighting and the colors on the wall make the place light up. It did just open so there's empty fridges and display cases that are empty. Hopefully they will be filled with goodies soon. There are quite a few tables for seating so that's nice. You got K pop music playing on a big screen in the background, which is fun. The one thing that rubbed me wrong was the smell. It does have a funny chemical smell to the place. I hope with time the smell will fade. It's very unpleasant.

I stalked their menu previous to coming in and I really wanted to try the toast but it's unavailable today. So for lunch I grabbed the BBQ box with beef bulgogi with a spice level of 1. I'm quite impressed with the amount of food you get! It also comes with a side of kimchi and radish. The bulgogi was mixed with bean sprouts and clear noodles. Under all that was steamed white rice. The beef was tender and the spice level was good! Hot enough to eat with a happy tingle from the heat in your mouth. I do wish there was a little more saltiness to the bulgogi. I did feel like it could have used a little more seasoning. I'll probably add a little soy sauce when I get home so no biggie. The kimchi and radish was a great addition to the bite. It's great they give it as part of the meal. I know other Korean joints charge you for it.

The gal who took my order was nice. I was the only one eating here so she checked on me and couple times and did her own thing. The chef also came out to ask how things are. Such sweet people! If you're looking for a good Korean type meal with some K pop in the background, Koco Bell...

I’ve been going to Kocobell for years and it is hands down my favorite restaurant! The food is amazing. I’ve tried a lot of different korean food and restaurants: Kocobell is definitely the best! Their Tteokbokki is my favorite and I haven’t found anything like it! But I have also loved everything that I have tried! Their Korean Corn Dogs are to die for and their kimbap is the perfect crunch that I look for! I love the bulgogi kimbap the most! They have a wide array of drinks and snacks as well! But, all that aside, the people who run this restaurant are another huge reason why I continue to come back. Chef Steve is super friendly and so authentically a person who is passionate about sharing their food and culture. I’ve always felt welcome at Kocobell and being able to see them grow has been amazing! I’m so happy for them and I can’t wait to see how things will go in the future! The new location is super big as well as welcoming and fun with their decorations. Not to mention this location is closer to my house so I will definitely be going even more! Thank you so much Kocobell for always feeding me well and making me feel welcome!! Please support them, they...

We were excited to try their Korean corn dogs but were super disappointed in what we got.

The food: The potatoes looked and tasted like they were freezer burnt. One of the corn dogs was completely cold in the middle, the cheese was near frozen. Overall the taste was not good at all.

The restaurant: It looked like they just moved in an hour prior. There was stuff everywhere, on nearly every table. It didn’t look put together or inviting whatsoever. I’ve actually never walked in to a restaurant or any place of business that looked like this.

The service: The woman who took our order was very kind and helpful. The man who was there cooking was walking around coughing on everything and we were immediately grossed out. We didn’t feel good about our purchase as we were leaving.

Overall, our visit was completely unsatisfactory and we won’t be back, nor do we recommend anyone to eat here.

Update in regards to the owners response: Quite the unprofessional reply to honest criticism. The review isn’t meant to be cruel, just our truth on the experience we had. The food wasn’t good, period. The fact that you are gaslighting your customers speaks volumes of...