MinGa Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in Chapel Hill

Summary: It's impossible to reconcile the multiple excellent reviews of this place with what we experienced last night, which was three different dishes and banchan (the small sides served at the beginning) that all tasted like the chef flavored them with a bottle of what I'd imagine would be labeled "nasty sauce."

Details: A friend, my girlfriend, and I showed up around 9PM on Saturday, 5/2 and were promptly seated. The server didn't seem like he could care any less, but I know that's more a cultural difference, and so I wasn't phased. The restaurant looked nice on the inside, and the menus were colorful, with plenty of good looking pictures of the menu items, which were fairly extensive.

The first thing you'll notice is that the prices are quite high (e.g. 15$ for a, albeit reportedly large, seafood pancake), but, not yet having tasted the food, I wasn't alarmed. I was excited to hear they had soju (like a Korean vodka), but I wasn't willing to pay 15$ per bottle. Anyway, if anything, the higher food prices biased me into thinking the food would be very good. Silly, silly me...

Now, for the ordering... I got the spicy beef cold noodles, a dish I've eaten and enjoyed many times. Unobservant as usual, I failed to notice what the other two ordered, but they were also both noodle dishes. Unlike other Korean restaurants I've been to, this one doesn't bring out the banchan until right before the entrees, so if you're expecting to snack before your meal, forget about that. Also unlike other Korean restaurants I've been to, this one serves you banchan that's barely edible, so if you're expecting to enjoy your snack, forget about that as well.

The standout star of this parade of unpalatable little disasters was the kimchi. Kimchi is normally sour from the fermentation process (though not all kimchi is fermented), and spicy from red pepper powder. At any rate, kimchi is flavorful. The cabbage "kimchi" here was sorta dried out and almost completely flavorless, with just a hint of the "nasty sauce" I mentioned in the summary. None of the various sides tasted quite right, from the cucumber to the radish. I'm not sure how it's possible to screw up such simple things, but they managed.

OK, here come the entrees. Everything looks fine, but a couple bites into my cold noodles, I come to a terrible realization. Everything tastes the same, and that taste is nothingness with a hint of nasty. From the kimchi to the beef in my noodle dish, there's that same pervasive, almost unsettling, lack of flavor. How is it possible? I try the other two entrees, and they're the same. They look so different. I honestly don't understand it. Korean food is amazingly flavorful... contrasting yet balanced flavors are a motif in Korean cooking... I love Korean food. This place is a travesty!

Aftermath: Though I felt ashamed, I sent my entree back. I've never done that before. The charge was removed from our bill without incident immediately after I told our waiter that, yes, I have had this dish before. Not sure what would have happened if I would have said no to that question. In solidarity with the world's hungry, my two companions finished their meals, though they clearly did not enjoy them.

Retrospective: As I asked above, how is this possible? How could a highly reviewed restaurant send such terrible food out from the kitchen? All I can figure is that at some point, the restaurant employed a talented chef, and maybe he left and was replaced with a person categorically inept in the art of cooking. I suppose I'll never know what really happened last night, but at least I can make sure it never happens again, at...

I’ve had positive experiences at Minga so I brought my mom here for dinner on her birthday last night. Unfortunately, we did not have a good time. While the food was good, the service was not. We felt very rushed and could tell that the staff really wanted us to leave ASAP. I used to work in the restaurant industry so I understand the frustration of dealing with customers within the last hour of business. However, we arrived well over an hour before closing and even had our order ready as soon as our waitress greeted us at the table. Additionally, there is still a level of professionalism that you should uphold for customer service in general.

Something else that made the experience negative is when I inquired about a dessert that I ordered before. I will give the waitress the benefit of the doubt because she is new but a staff whom I believe is the owner made it seem as if the dish did not exist and even suggested that I ordered it from another restaurant. He suggested this even after I showed a photo of the dessert! If you were to look at the photo, you can tell it was at Minga. I thought this was odd and made me feel as if they simply did not want to make the dish for us.

We asked for boxes to go and received our dessert by 8:30 (which they did have all along). While my mom and I were eating our dessert, one of staff brought the bill and asked if we were ready to pay. I felt that this was extremely rude because we were actively eating. A little later another staff whom I believe is the owner prompted us to pay again and even hovered a bit by the table. When I didn’t acknowledge him (again we were actively eating), he placed the bill on the table and said “no rush” which I definitely didn’t believe since at this point he had already shut off the open sign. It was 8:45 when we left. (I should mention that the restaurant closes at 9). We felt very unwelcome during our whole dining experience. I’m doubly disappointed because it was my mom’s birthday and I really wanted her to have a good experience.

I will likely not return for a while if not at all. It’s really a shame because the food is good. It’s the only reason I gave two stars instead of one. Good food, however, does not make up for poor service. My advice to the staff is to be more respectful to customers and not make them feel...

We had such a nice time there. Our server was very sweet, and the food was extremely authentic.

I was a private English tutor to Korean ESL students. South Korea is a really interesting country, and Korean food is some of the best tasting healthy food in the world. My students' families often shared meals with me, and taught me about Korean culture, at times taking me for authentic Korean food. I soaked up Korean culture like a sponge. Over time a few things about which restaurants were authentic and which weren't became clear.

First, and foremost, if there are no customers speaking Korean in a Korean restaurant, it is Americanized.

Second, if at least half the staff doesn't speak Korean, it's Americanized. This is because one perk of working in restaurants is that work meals are often included during shifts. If there isn't a long table, or several tables put together where the staff eats together, sharing main dishes all together (all with their own plates), usually between 2-4 in the afternoon, the restaurant is Americanized. Korean nationals missing home want familiar food, and conversation, just like we might if we went to Korea; inauthentic food, and struggling to speak English does not hit the spot.

While most Koreans prefer to sit at low tables on the floor while eating at home, or in restaurants, I must confess to feeling a little relieved that there is no floor seating. Also, Koreans tend not to drink beverages, even water, during their meals due to the fact that most meals contain a soup and many vegetables; I was gratified that there are beverages available. I loved Min Ga, and should I find myself in the Raleigh-Durham area again, will absolutely return. Very good Korean food, in a very enjoyable atmosphere, with pleasant servers. I found it delightful, and I felt nostalgic for my...