Seoul K-Restaurant — Restaurant in Pooler

My friend and I found Seoul looking for a nearby Korean restaurant in Pooler using Drive. When we were seated, I looked at the one page menu and didn't see my goto choice of bibimbap. So we took a chance, ordered grilled spicy marinated pork as a safe choice and SoonTofu with Seafood soup as a more daring choice.

It was the best Korean food we've ever had.

The menu has three main types of items: appetizers, soups and stews, and grilled meat. Soups and stews are either one person bowls or 2 person hotpots.

I didn't see any vegetarian or vegan items on the menu and suspect that people eschewing meat should probably look elsewhere or telephone first. The scallion pancakes may be prepared as vegetarian and the side dishes as well but that's all I saw.

The grilled pork came on a platter with a single serving bowl of steamed rice accompanied by four side dishes: kimchi, scallion pancake, mashed potatoes, pickled radish. The SoonTofu soup was served with a single serving bowl of rice.

While there was plenty of red in the sauces, nothing was spicy hot. Our server said it was medium hotness but my friend and I thought it closer to mild.

The kimchi and the pickled radish was so good, we asked for a second dish of those.

We had no leftovers other than a couple of bites of mashed potatoes and left feeling full.

Interestingly, the eating utensils were a pair of metal chopsticks and a long handled spoon. I expect a fork may be had if your chopstick skills are poor.

The restaurant was clean and neat and a bit austere with no tvs showing K-pop singers. The restrooms were clean. The parking was good sized, an area in front of the door.

The restaurant itself was rectangular with three columns of tables across the width and four rows of tables down the length. We were there late Saturday afternoon (4 ish) and it wasn't crowded, but there were people coming in to...

My First Korean Cuisine Experience – Unfortunately Disappointing

This was my very first introduction to Korean cuisine, and I was genuinely excited to try something new. I’ve always been curious about the bold flavors, and I absolutely love kimchi — so my expectations were high.

Unfortunately, the experience at this restaurant left me disappointed.

First of all, I found the prices extremely inflated. Paying $25 for just of basic fried chicken and $20 for a huge, undercooked omelet felt unreasonable. For those prices, I was expecting something much more refined or flavorful. Instead, the dishes lacked depth, and nothing stood out. I left feeling like I spent $50 for a meal that wasn’t worth even half of that.

On the positive side, the restaurant itself was very clean, which I truly appreciate. However, there was a very intense smell inside the restaurant — the kind that clings to your clothes and hair. We walked out feeling like we had been marinated ourselves. It was overwhelming and honestly unpleasant.

Another factor that influenced our experience was the service. We seemed to be the only non-Korean guests that night, and my husband — who has spent time in Korea and knows what authentic Korean food should taste like — also felt that the quality didn’t match the price. In restaurants where most customers are native to the cuisine, it usually speaks to authenticity, so perhaps we simply ordered the wrong items or visited on an off day.

Still, it was disheartening to walk away from our first Korean dining experience with such a...

Two of us stopped in for late lunch. Small location right next to ATT. Since there isn't a large sign, it is easy to miss. Mostly soups and stews with some shareable meat dishes. Shared the #4 Combo (beef tofu soup and plate of marinated pork) and side of rice. First off, great customer service. We were greeted and promptly seated. They brought out four bonchon dishes (mash potato salad, napa kimchi, large cuts radish kimchi, korean pancake). The kimchi was good. The potato salad was mashed, which textually was different, but tasted . The pancake was good, but left me wanting just a little sesame oil-soy sauce with green onions to dip it in.

The soup came with an egg to drop in. Flavor was good, not spicy (Although you can request more spice). Lots of tofu. The marinated pork was just right. Wasn't drowning in spicy sauce, but had just the right amount. The rice came out in the small metal bowls traditionally seen in Korean restaurants.

All around 5 stars. We will be back. As the weather gets colder, this is the perfect place to warm up or just enjoy traditional...