Koreana Rittenhouse Square — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I WOULD GIVE NEGATIVE STARS IF POSSIBLE

The staff turned a special Korean day of solemn remembrance and love of a deceased father and filled it with anger and resentment in the face of their simple lack of humanity by refusing to serve simple food that was already on their menu to honor a deceased parent, the most important ceremony in Korea.

I called Koreana Rittenhouse Square to ask for bibimbap, which they serve with hot sauce in a container on the side. I asked if they could replace the side container with soy sauce, which is used instead in the Korean ritual to honor deceased parents on their death anniversary - today is my father’s 9th death anniversary.

The first person I spoke to said she could do this. When I asked if they could give me the rice cakes from the ddeokbokki without cooking it, so I could also offer the rice cakes for the ceremony, she said they can’t - apparently it is not cooked fresh, but it is premixed and cooked before the restaurant even receives their food shipments - you should stay away from any restaurant that does this - this frozen precooked dish is something you can buy in the frozen section of Trader Joe’s, and it tastes the same as what they told me they serve. The woman, initially very helpful and fully understanding the food and ritual I was describing, fully spoke Korean and knew exactly what I was asking for. But then she gave the phone to a man, also with a thick Korean accent, though he pretended he was not Korean. Unlike the woman, he said he had no idea what I was talking about. Why did the woman who knew all the foods I asked about give the phone to a man who said he had no idea what I was asking for? He kept saying he did not recognize any of the foods were I mentioned, even though they were on his menu.

It is important to know that all Koreans know how important this ritual is to honor our deceased parents. For Koreans, this is the most important event of the year. Still, he pretended not to know. This is analogous to saying, “You want to buy white rice, which we serve here, to honor your dead father? I’m sorry, I don’t know what ‘white rice’ or ‘honor’ mean. I can’t help you. Call back later.”

I explained they did not have to change how they made the bibimbap at all, and I would simply add the soy sauce myself, but he refused to sell me the bibimbap as it was already on their menu.

They were simply heartless. Something so SIMPLE. The conversation was bizarre.

When the man said he was not Korean, despite his extremely heavy Korean accent, he refused to say where he was from. I told him I could speak to him in Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish, as well as Korean and English. He paused, then said he did not want to say where he was from, but I should call back later, though he never explained what would be any different at a later time, since I was asking for a dish already on their menu, which the woman had already told me she could sell me. If he was that uncomfortable with my request for whatever reason, he could have recommended another place, as all Korean restaurants serve bibimbap. But he offered nothing. No help. No compassion. No apology. No humanity.

Please realize the kind of people who operate this restaurant. They refused to sell me food already on their menu once they realized it was to honor my...

I came to know and love Koreana from its University City location. My first shot at Koreana in Rittenhouse (a take out order) showed consistency between locations.

I managed to sneak in right before the noon rush. Actually, I got in around 1210, but a line formed nearly immediately after I ordered. They offer a great deal on a few lunch specials and also have lunch 'boxes' as well. I decided to go straight for the Beef Bulgogi lunch box.

The lunch box is sort of a sampler, as it comes with rice, salad, a pair of dumplings, and a few slices (3) of kimbap. Mine also came with a small miso soup, however, I didn't see that included on the menu (not complaining). I could live without the salad, however, everything else was great. The beef bulgogi was delish and included just the right amount of seasoning. The dumplings had a good deal of meat. My only complaint on the kimbap was that there wasn't enough. And at about $12, the price point felt right.

I didn't wait too long for my order to be boxed up and delivered. I can see the wait time being a bit long if you go at true peak time. While they do have the option to eat-in, seating is a bit limited. Net, really good Korean food. I'll be back and am happy to have another...

Don't order through GrubHub. Both the website and the restaurant screwed me over royally for a tiny order that I ended up never getting. It wasn't even before closing time as I ordered this on a Friday at 7:48 PM. It was supposed to arrive 30-40 minutes later. The arrival time got pushed back not once, not twice, but SIX SEPARATE TIMES to the point where I couldn't even get my order. I tried calling the restaurant at 9:02 PM and no one answered. They don't close until 9:30 PM.... This order was split between two drivers where one lied about the status of my order and got assigned elsewhere and the other got to the restaurant at 9:42 PM when they were already closed. If they had just told me in the first place there was an issue regarding my order instead of lying, I would have no problems and move on. But, this is disappointing considering I heard such great things about this place and was looking forward...