Cupbop - Korean BBQ in a Cup — Restaurant in Meridian

I had high hopes when I saw a quick version of “Korean BBQ," but the experience was quite different from what I expected. I had placed my order online ahead of time and arrived at the store 25 minutes past ordering at the designated pickup time indicated by the online system.

It was my first visit, and the atmosphere was surprisingly chain-like, cold, echoey, and corporate, not quite reflecting the vibe I expected. It might work for some, but I can’t imagine myself ever wanting to dine-in there. I recognize that maybe I’m not the target demographic.

The setup reminded me of places like Subway, where ingredients are pre-made and stored in bins, with staff scooping them into bowls upon order. I guess I was anticipating more cooking, grilling, sautéing, etc involved, and a slightly fresher feel. I’m thinking this place isn’t sure if it’s BBQ or a fast/quick place to get something resembling bibimbap.

The place was completely empty when I arrived, and the person at the counter seemed flustered when I mentioned my online order pickup. They hadn't started preparing it, despite the app indicating it was ready. After a wait, during which my spouse and toddler were waiting impatiently in the car, they eventually started cooking more vegetables as they didn't have enough on hand.

It wasn’t that long of a wait and I like to be understanding. But when our food finally arrived, there was no apology from the staff. I understand they must be still learning customer service skills, but it left me with an odd vibe.

We ordered a veggie bowl and doochi. The portion sizes were disappointing; the $12 veggie bowl didn't even fill the container. The ingredients were haphazardly piled on top of each other rather than arranged around the bowl for easy blending. This left some of the ingredients at the bottom untouched by the sauce and you had to do a lot of digging that made a mess everywhere. They loaded the dish with a spicy sauces on top, which was tasty at first, but quickly overpowering. It's like when something starts off good but gets old very fast because it’s so strong, lacking variety and subtlety in flavor. The overwhelming saltiness and savoriness of the sauce dominated, which made it feel like you're eating a bowl of sauce with little else to balance or complement the dish's overall flavor profile. The veggie selection was also sparse and seemed like cheap frozen varieties from the grocery store—just broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. These are the cheapest veggies you can buy at the store. This is a Korean BBQ so it’s disappointing there’s not more diverse options that you would find in a typical bowl like cucumber, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, bean sprouts, onions, or scallions. It would have been cool to have an egg option as well.

As for the doochi with tofu, it was extremely bland. The tofu lacked any coating or flavor, and the sauce accompanying it was similarly dull. The amount of tofu compared to rice and noodles was just under satisfying. There was at least 3/4 of a cup of rice and noodles to eat after all the tofu was gone and nothing to pair it with.

Overall, the experience left much to be desired, from the service mishap to the food quality and portion sizes.

I’m sure the meat dishes are...

I ordered ahead, especially coming from the far side of Kuna. After receiving a text confirmation, i headed over. I picked a later time than suggested, bc I was coming from so far. I prepayed, and even tipped. When I arrived (almost 10 minutes after the posted order pick up time), I was ignored, in place of other customers who had arrived to order food. I explained that I was there just for pick up, and it was already paid... However, one of the young gals there, proceeded to tell me they just got my order??! Obviously this was Not true - as 3 of the 5 dinners were sitting on the counter. I showed the young gal my text with the confirmation text of my order, at 5:30. She went on to scold Me in front of all the customers, instead of simply apologizing, and getting my order done. The girl that Did get my oder done, was very polite. Too bad the one on the line wasn't. So, 45 minutes after my order was placed, they got mine together. The meal was sub-par, for them. We generally enjoy their food. However, today's was not good. What a waste of time, money, and energy. That girl on the line has curly long brown hair. I didn't get her name, but I did suggest to her that she stop making excuses for something the customer cannot do anything about. Who ever she is, she is Not an asset to the Restaurant. I'm sure someone else would love her job, and treat the customers with kindness and respect. She doesn't seem to realize the customer makes the business. Good luck with that one. Very disappointed with the...

Not a place to eat if you know and like real Korean food. You might like it if Panda Express is something you enjoy.

This was my first time and the service was great, but I couldn't finish the food because it was unappetizing.

Pros: friendly service, clean, quick, they have a few Korean soft drinks (I recommend Milkis original)

Cons: as other reviewers mention, the sauces are weird, not Korean flavors at all (definitely get them on the side). The protein options are bland, probably because it's designed to be eaten with their sauces, but again, the sauces don't taste good (not Korean, anyway). It seems they have 3 main sauces that they combine in different ratios to deliver spice level (1-10). They have a mayo, sweet syrup (soy sauce based?), and red pepper spicy sauce. As you can see from the photo, the higher on the spicy scale you go the greater amount of the red sauce they put in.

I tried the beef bulgogi (no flavor), spicy pork (not good, but better than the beef), ugly and rock chicken (strange dough balls with maybe some chicken inside), and mandoo (deep fried with simple cabbage filling that reminded me of American Chinese fast food egg rolls). None of this would be recognized as Korean food in Korea.

Maybe these flavors hit the right notes for some people, but if you enjoy spice and bold tastes, you'll want to pass on this. Hope this...