Ahjae Gookbap - Fort Lee — Restaurant in Fort Lee

Service: 5/5 Food: 4.5/5 Ambiance: 4.5/5

This restaurant, the second location of a beloved spot (with the first being in Palisades), offers a wonderful dining experience. While both locations are great, this one provides more space between tables.

The restaurant is renowned for its raw seafood, particularly the raw marinated crabs, and is also highly recognized for its hot and cold soups. One key difference is the parking: this location has a parking lot, while the Palisades spot relies on street parking.

We ordered the following: ~ 굴전 Gul jeon -- Pan-fried battered oysters 4.5/5 stars The oysters were plump and delicious, but the egg batter was a little overcooked. (I felt they were better on my last visit to the Palisades location.)

~ 号意 百板鱿鱼 Hot Stone Pot -- Marinated squid with vegetables over rice in a hot stone bowl 5/5 stars This dish had a generous amount of squid, and the spice level was hot without being overwhelming.

~ 새우장 Raw Soy Marinated Shrimp -- 5/5 stars These were the highlight of the meal. To make eating them easier, they provide plastic gloves and seaweed paper. You can put a glove on your non-dominant hand and use chopsticks to easily peel the shells. When eaten as a hand roll, the shrimp tastes remarkably like lobster but at a much more affordable price.

For those who love banchan (side dishes), they provided a generous selection, including cucumber salad, bean sprout salad, stir-fried fish cake, and a bonus of Gyeran Mari (rolled omelette).

Every dish we had was a perfect example of pure comfort food. I wish them continued success and have marked this as one of my go-to places for authentic...

Food 4.5/5 Service 5/5 Ambiance 4.5/5

I love their second location and the expanded menu. I remember when they only had three items, and now the menu spans several pages, they've come such a long way. Most of what we tried was a hit too!

We ordered:

Galbijjim: 5/5 This was my absolute favorite! I usually get it at Onga, but I honestly prefer this one here at Ahjae because it’s boneless and they’re very generous with the portion size, and it was incredibly tender. Highly recommend this dish!

LA Galbi: 5/5 My second favorite, and still delicious

Boneless Galbi: 4.5/5 It was decent with good flavor, but I probably won't order it again since it wasn't particularly special.

Seafood Tteokbokki: 4.5/5. The portion was a bit small, but it's perfect as an appetizer. The rice cakes were super chewy and fresh. This was my first time trying it with seafood, and I loved the sauce

Squid & Pork Udon: 3.75/5 I enjoyed the abundance of seafood, but the udon noodles were a bit overcooked for this one

Seafood pancake: 4/5 another dish that I love the abundance of seafood and does have some crispy texture but not a fan of how thick it was

Bulgogi Stone Pot: 3.5/5. This was one of the few dishes I wasn't impressed with. I didn't care for the overly wet rice texture

Steamed Crab: 3/5. This was the most disappointing dish. It tasted a bit fishy and not very fresh, which might be bc it wasn't crab season

I usually come here for the soups, but I finally tried their shareable dishes and loved...

5 Stars – A Must-Visit for Korean Food Lovers!

As a loyal customer of Ahje Gookbob’s original location in Palisades Park, I was so excited to try their new spot in Fort Lee—and it’s everything I hoped for and more.

The seasonal crabs are bursting with flavor and cooked to perfection. Their spicy steamed seafood is absolutely loaded with fresh ingredients and just the right amount of heat. And of course, their signature beef soup remains unbeatable—deep, rich broth with tender beef that hits the spot every time.

What’s great about the Fort Lee location is that they’ve added a bunch of new dishes to the menu. Each one I’ve tried has been a hit, and it’s clear they’re putting just as much heart into this second location as the first. The space is clean, modern, and welcoming, and the staff is always friendly and attentive.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or trying Ahje Gookbob for the first time, make sure to check out the Fort Lee location. It's a fantastic addition to the local food scene, and I’ll definitely be...