Kimchi’s Korean Cafe — Restaurant in Houston

I’ve got to get this off my chest before the spell wears off. Before today I had never tasted Korean food. Shh, What can I say? I grew up on American cheeseburgers and beef stroganoff from a freaking box. The word kimchi was always mysterious to me so after squinting up at the menu because I forgot my glasses (and with some help from the young woman who then proceeded to expertly cook the dish right in front of me) I chose to try the Mixed Rice bowl with pork. It’s always thrilling to watch the food prepared for you and today was no exception. The aromas that began to fill the room as she fried the rice and vegetables with practiced flicks of the wrist had my mouth watering more than Donald Trump’s at a race riot. The meal was cooked with such speed I stood around like a dope expecting more preparations to be made and a cool feeling of relief washed over me after I realized- no, she’s done. It’s all mine. I took it to go because I like my meals in front of the tv like any good American. Check out my pic, the portion was YUUUUGE and I had eaten already shortly before so I was concerned I wouldn’t finish/would it reheat well for later, blah blah blah- WRONG! Guys, I’m also happy I took it home because I straight up devoured that meal. Like, I was making animal noises and grunting, I couldn’t get enough. The flavors work so well together and genuinely left me feeling as though I’d just foolishly eaten an offering to the gods. Next time I’ll try something different because shouldn’t we all? But holy cow! If you’re unsure of what to get- you get the mixed rice bowl. The pork is a dope choice of protein. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go look up Korean recipes...

I'm not saying it's the BEST Korean food. I'm not even saying it's the most authentic Korean.

What I'm saying is it's 4 minutes from my job. It's not a McDonald's or a Taco Bell. And it's pretty darn good (compared to other restaurants in the area) - for the price.

I've only had quick service Korean food at H-Mart, and I think H-mart's is a tad bit better. The prices here are reasonable, most things being around $8. I'm always at a loss whenever dealing with authentically Asian people... so this is how my conversation went when I ordered:

me: "I don't know which one to get between the bulgogi and the bibimbap" woman: "Totally different." me: "Does the bulgogi have a lot more meat?" woman: "Uh, yes, of course." me: looking like an idiot, and very ashamed for looking so Asian and not knowing

The food was quick and pretty tasty. My favorite part of the bulgogi are the little burnt fatty ends wriggles like a little piggy. The kim chi tasted very young - not sour, not spicy, and pretty salty, therefore, I really didn't care for it. Their little side salad is pretty tasty though.

For anyone complaining about portion size, remember this... Just because a place resides in Texas does not mean it has to offer piles'o'meat, giant salads that swim in a pool of dressing, or a serving of rice that could feed a whole Asian family for a week. I was satisfied with the portions and even left most of my rice to die on the table. Kimchi's is a great option for lunch if you're working in the area... Now if they would just get some better kimchi! I mean, that is their name...

A small restaurant hidden behind a strip mall serving delicious Korean food. Staff greeted me warmly once I stepped into the restaurant.

I had the K-dumplings, kimchi-jjigae, stone pot spicy pork bibimbap, and bulgogi gimbap. The k-dumplings were pre-packaged frozen dumplings. I was expecting homemade dumplings like the one I ate in South Korea. Despite the dumplings were served piping hot, and the exterior was crispy and dark, the meat inside wasn’t warm. The kimchi-jjigae was spicy, sour, and served extremely hot. There were pieces of firm tofu, some slices of pork, and lots of kimchi in the stew. Super yummy! The restaurant served two kinds of bibimbap. One is in a stone pot while the other is in a regular bowl. I prefer the stone pot version because firstly, the food would remain hot after 20mins. Secondly, I like to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to get crispy rice. The bibimbap was so so good. All the ingredients were seasoned well, and the pork was tender and spicy. I love it. The bulgogi gimbap was packaged in front of the order station where you can grab-and-go. I absolutely love the gimbap. It was tightly wrapped, and everything was seasoned well.

I would go back for the gimbap, jjigae, and stone...