New Seoul Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in Madison

New Seoul Restaurant is hand's down my favorite Korean eatery.

During my first visit, it wasn't love at first sight as things got off to a tentative start. Unclear if the restaurant provided table service, I ordered at the counter, paid for my meal and then colonized a table in the completely empty dining area. The cashier indicated my food would be ready in ten minutes, but I barely had time to remove my coat and get settled in when he arrived with a brown paper bag bulging with the contents of my lunch order. Sheepishly, I mentioned I wanted to dine, and without hesitation, the host immediately brought out a plate, glass of water and silverware (he must have sensed my trepidation of exposing my utter ineptitude using chopsticks). For the rest of the meal, the impeccably polite gentleman who fulfilled all of the front of house duties made sure my first experience at New Seoul was fantastic. As the dining room started to fill with lunch patrons, he continually scanned the dining room, checking for completion of a course, empty dishes to whisk away and beverage glasses in need of refill.

With its bright yellow walls adorned with Asian artwork, the restaurant provides a cheerful venue to consume a meal. The interior is tidy and well maintained, with uniform dark brown tables and chairs. The restaurant gets a fair amount natural light from windows on two of the four walls in the dining area.

Because of the confusion over my order type, I did not receive the complimentary banchan appetizer plate that was supplied to the other patrons who elected to dine at the restaurant. I did receive a lavish portion of the delightfully crisp, homemade kimchi that provided plenty of comforting warmth to accompany its bright clean flavors.

Speaking of warmth, my entrée, the spicy pork bokum, which consisted of marinated pork, sautéed onions and green onion, created a mini heat wave during my late January visit. The dish was the perfect marriage of robust pork flavor and soulful Asian seasoning. While this dish is not for the timid, I enjoyed the heat this dish generated by the Gochujang after the first couple of bites. (Side note: Props to the host for delivering an extra napkin to dab off the beads of sweat forming on my forehead.) Though the dish was a touch greasy, the meat was well-trimmed and expertly prepared, featuring well-developed flavors. For a mere $7.99, the dish was a tremendous value, considering the generous portion size. While there are a number of intriguing options on the lunch menu, I sense that allure of the comforting pork bokum too hard to overcome.

During my visit, the dining room never exceed 30% capacity, which is a shame, given the quality and value of the food. During my stay, I did notice that New Seoul enjoys a brisk carryout trade over the lunch hour. I'm still mourning the 2014 closure of American Latina Mexican Restaurant located in the same strip mall - I'd hate to see New Seoul suffer...

This restaurant has one of the most horrible customer service ever! Me and a bunch of my friends went to eat there on Friday night at like 6 ish and when we got there we had to wait 10 min before we could order food because the owner lady was too busy having a conversation with a customer who she clearly knew and came after us. I have to constantly try to get her attention by raising my hand to signal that I was ready to order. After we got our food, my tofu soup was extremely watered down and flavorless. One of my friends tried to get a water refill but again, she failed to notice us because she was having a conversation with another lady. When we left, I told the man that I didn't need the change back so it could be used for other customers who had forgotten to bring spare change and he slams the register and said "I don't need a 2 cent tip" and he continued by saying in the most condescending voice "you know about the tip right?". Never in my life have I had a owner of the restaurant ask me if I know about tipping. We did not receive the proper service for me to give a good tip nor was it just for him to request a tip. My friend ended up leaving a $10 tip on the table because that was all we had. I will never come back to this place ever again. To anyone looking for friendly customer service and good Korean food go to Sol's on the square, they have one of the most authentic Korean...

I came into here, because, after watching the show Squid Game, I had a fascination for Korean food and Culture. The restaurant is not incredibly fancy, but as far as restaurants in this area it is my favorite. The service, I would say, is genuine. They have their own life and they don't pry into yours. The owner treats those with respect who respect his restaurant, as far as I can tell. Sometimes they are friendly, sometimes they are private.

As far as food goes, I very much enjoyed some of my selections. I tried the Kimbap first, and it was delicious. Can't say I had much conscious thought about why it was. I had a chicken fried rice next. I was not impressed by the quality of the chicken. I believe some of the menu items are hit or miss. This could have to do with the time of week and rotation of produce and meat. Other than that fried rice, the other entree I've ordered here has been very delicious, fresh, albeit the sauce was sweet (I'm not complaining too much about this one as a typical American). I think I had some kind of fried chicken with veg and a sauce over it, which was very enjoyable.

If you're in this area and try this restaurant, I'd...