MARU Downtown — Restaurant in Charlottesville

My family tried this place out on the recommendation of one of my friends. I wasn’t expecting very much, as most Korean restaurants that are located in the middle of nowhere tend to be very lacking. Yeah, I was wrong.

Before entering, you’re greeted with a chalkboard sign with their open times and any specials they may have. When you walk in the restaurant, you can expect to be surprised. It doesn’t feel like a Korean restaurant at all. You get a nice hipster/brunch vibe that’s very comforting.

The restaurant has an “open kitchen” concept. You can see everything that’s happening. I stood and watched the chefs cook, and they didn’t say anything. I’m sure as long as you’re aware of the waiters/waitresses and don’t get in their way, they should be ok with you watching them cook for a bit.

The walls on one side had wooden boards nailed on to it in all different colors. I thought it was just pallet wood so I asked if they just took pallet wood and put it on the wall. They said that it was reclaimed from an old barn. What’s special about barn wood is that it’s baked. After they get it wet, they bake it, and wet it, and bake it again. Just ask them and they’ll tell you. The tables also. Ask them about the tables. It was very interesting to hear about the tables. So much attention to detail went into creating this restaurant that unless you know what you’re looking at, it’s hard to appreciate all the time and effort that it took to bring it all together.

Food was excellent. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of the food because I was so hungry and didn’t even remember to take pictures. I assure you, it was good. Try the kimchi pancakes (kimchi jun), dolsot bibimbap (preferably on colder days), and chicken wing appetizers. Also, get the fries. It’s weird telling people to get fries at a Korean restaurant, but it comes with a gochujang aioli that gives it just enough kick to not completely overpower anything but also supplement the taste.

If you’re on the fence about going and say “idk if this will taste like mom’s”. It won’t. If you go in with that expectation, you won’t like it at all. No restaurant can capture how your mom makes your food. However this restaurant has a very good take on it. Just go try it. It’ll...

Maru Restaurant has undeniably the worst customer service I have ever experienced and they don't care. I have been here on two separate occasions and it was equally terrible. The only thing I actually enjoyed was the food. Their beef bulgogi was good but the korean fried chicken was not flavorful at all. It's like they take chicken they fried prior and just roll it around in sauce briefly before serving, not allowing anything to actually marinate.

Now to the customer service, the first time I came here, I made a reservation and came with a guest. We were sent to the back, where we found no one else sitting but us. Meanwhile, there were available seats in the front of the restaurant. When we asked why we were not seated in the front of the restaurant, but rather at the back next to the bathroom, we were told people had already reserved the front seats. This was not true, as nobody, in the 1.5 hour span we spent there had been seated at those tables. In fact, I wanted my guest to be able to sit in front because it was their first time in the city and they were older and the seats in the front had pillows on them. On top of that, being that it is the first time my guest had tried some of these foods, she didn't realize the egg in her bibimbap would not be fully cooked. So when she asked if it could be fully fried, the lady (Asian, older/taller) literally took the egg out of her plate after being served already, rolled her eyes, started talking under her breath, and literally stormed away to go fry it when she could've easily just made a new egg and brought it on the side. Who knows what she did with it at that point so my guest felt unsafe to eat it and didn't.

The second time I came here, I came alone to pickup an order. No one greeted me, I just had to stand in front long enough for someone to recognize me and this was not a packed night. Right after I paid on the little handheld machine, the server walked away from me. She didn't hand me my order, no thank you, nothing. She just took the machine and walked away, I had to go through the orders sitting there to find mine.

Ultimately, the quality of food here is not worth the sheer disregard and disrespect you have...

I've been to Maru twice now, to review their Kimchi Fried Rice and also their Fried Udon with Spicy Pork and Vegetables.

So far, I think this restaurant is A-OK. With the Kimchi Fried Rice, every bite tasted like Kimchi that you can get at any Asian market. The portion was larger than your average rice dish, but towards the end the monotony of the flavor and the strong Kimchi taste started to get boring.

The Fried Udon with Spicy Pork was better, I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. The pork was the best part -- it was cooked perfectly, had good flavor, and clear grill marks. The noodles and vegetables also provided a good balance. My problem with it is the same as the Kimchi rice -- after a while, the flavor profiles became indistinct because of the sauce and every bite tasted basically the same.

My overall impression is that Maru is going for flavor, but ends up over-flavoring or not using enough different flavors to keep the taste buds interested. The portions, even for the lunch menu which I ordered from twice, are good and more than enough to fill you up. Lunch will cost you about $10, while dinner is $12-15. A comment about the service -- probably because it is a new restaurant, but some of the waiters didn't seem to know what was on the menu/in certain dishes. Also, the service was a bit rough -- I was asked multiple times if everything was OK in situations that didn't need to be which disrupted the eating experience. The location is tight and limited, and the kitchen is right next to the tables which is a nice touch. However, if it's busy I would expect the tables to fill up fast and stay filled. The food came quickly -- 5-10 minutes. Overall, it's not the best Korean food I've had by a long shot, but it is worth going to satisfy your craving if you want a large portion.

I'll be going back to try other dishes, perhaps to hit on a "specialty." Though with Kimchi fried rice and fried Udon with spicy pork already under my belt, my expectations are that I'll come up the same again.

If you made it to the end here -- thanks...