YUBU SoHo — Restaurant in New York

TLDR: Tasty renditions of yubuchobap and lattes. On the pricey side, but a great spot for an on the go snack.

Vibe: 3/5. As many quick takeaway spots in NYC, this place is tiny. We visited around lunch time on a Wednesday and the entire storefront was filled with patrons. The interior of the building does not seem to be air conditioned (or not very well), so it's suggested to view the menu online outside and then make your way into the restaurant when ready to order. There are a few tables inside available for dining in, however with the aforementioned lack of AC, I recommend enjoying your order elsewhere.

Service: 3/5. The staff at Yubu consisted of 2 people during our visit, one manning the counter and one in the small open air kitchen. The person manning the counter was, to be put nicely, blunt. Perhaps it was an off day, but the whole process of ordering and picking up our order seemed rushed, as if we were inconveniencing the restaurant with our businesses. I understand the lunch rush can be hectic, but it doesn't cost anything to be friendly.

Food: 3/5. Yubu does make some tasty stuff! During our lunch visit, we ordered a 4 pack of yubuchobap consisting of the torched salmon, pork jaeyook, tuna mayo and beef bulgogi. All 4 were delicious in their own rite, but the torched salmon had the most flavor complexity from the added torching. The portions are OK in size, with each yubuchobap being 2ish bites. At $3.25 a piece, Yubu offers a great snack option from time and time again. On the latte side, the strawberry matcha latte we ordered was also exceptional. The fresh strawberry pairs well with the delicate matcha that was dripped down the walls of the cup's interior. At $7 for a large, pricing seems to be on par with any other specialty latte in Manhattan. Overall, Yubu offers customers a nice midday snack option for those craving something different from the normal offerings. Is this worth an out of the way special visit? No,...

Went to pick up because the store wasn’t doing delivery today (rain was pretty bad so understandable . Dropped my drink right out the store, didn’t even make it five steps away. I turn back around to ask for another drink and instead of any sympathy of any kind the first thing out of the cashiers mouth was “I can give you a small. Not the one you just got.” As I paid for a large. It didn’t make sense to me that she would redo the drink for me but reduce the size I got without offering a refund or anything especially when I paid for a large. I tried to explain this but she continued to argue with me and basically said that it was my fault for dropping it not hers. I never said, implied or tried to make her responsible for it, I was just confused that if you were going to do it, why couldn’t it be the original size I paid for. She told me because I “dropped it outside of the store not inside because then we’d be liable”

As someone who has been eating here repeatedly for almost a month, I thought I’d receive more empathy. Especially since they live to use my videos for Instagram content. When she did make my drink for me she said “next time I’ll put the drink in a bag fir you so it’s safer”

Why couldn’t that be done the first time? And where is the random sympathy coming from now that I took the drink? It just feels very off putting to be treated in such a gaslighting way when I wanna do is enjoy my food. I don’t care how good something is food wise if I can’t even get what I want due to terrible hospitality. Loyalty and integrity over everything.

——————— UPDATE 8/3/23: I was able to get a refund thanks...

Yubu is a small East Village Korean eatery that packs big flavors into small portable bites. the interior is superclean and neat. a menu of "yubuchochap" (fried tofu pockets stuff with rice and topped with savory ingredients) is clearly displayed. there's no indoor dining here, just a few tables outside (sidewalk) and there are a good amount of public places within walking distance like Tompkins Square Park. most people do takeout from the look of it.

i got two yubus: the pork jaeyook and the spicy tuna. the pork jaeyook is awesome--seasoned perfectly cooked pork in a rice-fried tofu cradle made for a delicious and savory picnic-style eat that is perfect to sate hunger vibes without weighing you down. the spiciness / heat also didn't overwhelm the other flavors. this is a must try. i thought the spicy tuna was just okay. i think everything about it tasted fine. i should have looked at the menu picture closer as i thought the tuna was going to be like sushi grade raw tuna but it was cooked flaked tuna. again it was fine and it gives me an excuse to try more of the menu next time like the beef bulgogi!

Yubu also has a menu of soft drinks that include some Korean beverages as well.

the staff here are kind and friendly. tip them well. they threw in a small bag of Haribo Goldbear (gummi bears) with my...