KOOKSOO — Restaurant in Fort Lee

Service: 2.5 Food: 4.5

Went on grand opening after seeing ads all over Instagram (we did try to go the week before on soft opening, but when we called they said it was closed for invites only - then why advertise it online??). There was a couple people waiting but no host/hostess that left us all confused. Eventually a waitress came and told us to write our names and numbers on the wait list. We were 2nd or 3rd on the list and asked how long the wait would be. She said 30 to 60 minutes. So we told her will be back and to call us as we would go to the cafe in the plaza. We came back 20 minutes later to see our name and number crossed off, we checked our phones and no calls or text. Another customer waiting told us they called our name no more than 5 minutes ago. We asked the waitress why we weren't called, she simply responded it shouldn't have happened. No apology. Though she complain to the other waiter that he shouldn't have done that and she did seat us next promptly. We ordered the chicken noodle and beef rib combos with the waiter: he must have been flustered with grand opening because 2 minutes later the came back apologizing he could do two things at once and asked us to repeat the order. We are pretty sure non spicy for the chicken, but it came spicy and the waitress assured us we ordered spicy 🤷‍♂️(she didn't take our order lol). Both dishes were really good and portions were huge. We took the left overs to go and contemplated on asking for the grand opening tote bag, but didn't want to bother them anymore as they seemed to be under prepared and under trained. Hope service improves because the food...

One of the Best places to eat in fort lee hands down. The place reminds of eating in Japan where you order your food at a kiosk and get your ticket. Kind of self service with no tips required which I love. In fact even though it’s self service much better service than some places with full time waiters.

Food is really good. For the price these days you won’t be able to get this much quality and quantity and this is coming from a guy who eats a decent amount. Recommend the JJampong with 2 ribs on it? (Forgot the exact name but price was around $21.95 or sth). Plus the garlic beef set comes with a lot of garlic for garlic lovers. The kimchi on the side is absolutely delicious btw I dunno if it’s homemade but it really hits the spot. But of course the best part is the noodles very chewy slippery and al dente as they say. Texture is like eating a thick round al dente fettucini or skinny udon noodle.

Great versatile place with nice atmosphere for dates students family meetings social gatherings etc. no tip self serve is a big plus and would be the trend for the future in my opinion. It’s also byob and there’s conveniently a liquor store right next to you so go for the whiskey noodle combo or whatever you like lol. Even saw the owner bring wine glasses for those...

Finally checked this place out after about 2 years of hearing about it, and honestly, pretty disappointed.

We started with the Korean Bulgogi appetizer—it wasn’t terrible, but had a weird medicinal taste, almost like it was marinated in something to cover up a smell. I ordered the Stir-Fried Beef with Noodles, and it was the biggest letdown. The noodles and sauce didn’t mix well at all, and it tasted more like Korean jaeyuk with cheese and noodles randomly thrown in—not a combo I’d try again.

Others in my party had the King Ribs Jjamppong, Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup, and Seafood Kalguksu—everyone agreed they were pretty mid.

The whole setup is self-service—you order at a kiosk, pick up your food, and return your own plates. That’s fine, but seeing a tip option on the kiosk was kind of ehh considering there's no service.

Was excited to try this place, but overall it fell flat. Not planning on...