Mokban Korean Bistro — Restaurant in Providence

I’ve been here several times in the last few years when we visit. The reason why I kept visiting is because I had a genuinely good experience with the food.

A lot must’ve changed in the last 2 years because the service was very poor. Though the food came out fairly fast, all the happenings after that were outrageously slow. There weren’t that many patrons in the restaurant as there were a ton of open tables. Though my server was very kind, she was clearly inundated with being the hostess and server. I was a one-person party, I didn’t ask for much.

I was offered dessert and was very excited to try their $9 mango milk ice sorbet. Anyone and everyone who has had this similar dessert, knows that it should be sweet. Unfortunately, the mango fruit itself was VERY sour and not ripe (not ready to be served at all) and the purée and sweet coconut milk were anything but sweet. I gave it a chance by mixing the dessert or digging deeper into the shaved ice but the entire thing was gross and sour. It wasn’t sweet at all.

It was very clear I had but 2 spoonfulls of this dessert but couldn’t eat it anymore because it just did not taste right. My server tried her best and spoke with the manager (over the phone). I thought we would come to a resolution. But on my receipt, I found that it was still charged to me. When I asked my server why I was still being charged for this, she simply answered “that’s what my manager said; because there was nothing wrong with the dessert itself and because it was your own preference, you’ll have to pay for it.” SAY WHAT? I’m never one to demand a refund and most, if not all establishments I’ve been to, will not bat an eye to remove this off the tab, for any customer. They will try their best to keep their patrons happy. I was offered 50% off another dessert - but to be honest, 1) I didn’t want another one, 2) why would I get another item from this place when the manager said they can’t refund me because it was my own preference (of taste)?

Management, everything about that dessert sucked. The least you can do is refund my money for something I did not eat. Why would we be happy with eating a sour dessert? What a shame of an establishment. I scrolled through some comments and low ratings for this place and what I found to be true: management isn’t pro-customer,...

Wonderful experience. The atmosphere and food were both amazing. We had the KFC (Korean fried chicken) as an appetizer. The chicken is perfectly crispy and has a sweet glaze on it. The Pork Rib Kalbi was my main, and the ribs were perfectly tender, the sauce having just the right amount of spice. Apparently the sides (Banchan is the actual term for the small sides I believe) vary depending on the day, but we had spinach, kimchi veggies (I believe it was cucumber), potato salad, creamed corn, purple rice and soup. The potato salad is nothing like the American style, the potatoes are obviously meant to be the star, and not whatever mayo/relish/mustard combo you're used to. It was light and whatever mayo they used, I absolutely prefer. I'm not a fan of creamed corn so I skipped it, but the spinach was good as well. The kimchi veggies were a surprise to me. I've tried kimchi a few times and assumed it wasn't for me, but I enjoyed the veggies. It was soft and a little sweet from the cucumber, but perfect. The soup was amazing, I wish I asked for the name to replicate it at home. The purple rice was good too, my first time trying it.

For drinks we tried a Soju cocktail, blue lemon I believe. Do not let the Soju fool you! It tastes light and refreshing, so much that an American drinker would probably think it was a "weak" drink. But that's the deception of Soju. It sneaks up on you. Our drink tasted like lemonade and the carafe was small so we underestimated it, but we were very nicely buzzed when we left. I've drank Soju before, but never in a cocktail. Very nice experience.

When we initially came in around 5, they were playing hip hop, which I'm more than okay with. Very nice vibe if you're a 20 something, which I am. Lots of Drake, Migos ect. Around dinner, it switched to your standard restaurant music, acoustic pianos and things like that. Very enjoyable, especially with the soft lighting.

All in all, we will definitely be back. Our service was phenomenal, our food was phenomenal, and the pricing was...

K food in Providence? Mokban 목반 (wooden table) is a non-traditional Korean restaurant incorporating some non-traditional ingredients. However, it's not fusion. Each entree is served on an individual mokban accompanied with several side dishes 반찬, which are non-traditional & probably seasonal including chickpeas, edamame (soy beans) out of the pods, marinated broccoli and crunchy burnt rice 누룽지. No kimchi side dish with my entree. Wasn't in the mood for meat so I ordered seafood spicy noodle soup, jjam bbong 짬뽕. Jjam bbong is a Korean Chinese staple comfort food that can be ordered for fast delivery just about anywhere in Korea. It's inexpensive, filling and satisfies the Korean craving for spicy hot soup. Mokban's rendition is traditional yet incredibly delicious, probably the best I've ever eaten. The soup is definitely spicy but the heat has a sophisticated rich delicious flavor. The portion is generous, good combination of seafood & vegetables and al dente noodles. Again, the broth is legit. The flavors were so good that I came back the next night for round 2. Pork belly ssam, tofu/kimchi/spicy pork and sam gye tang (ginger chicken soup) were exquisite. Dessert was no after thought either. Affogato at a K-restaurant? Excellent. Service was courteous and prompt by hard working staff but one server's English was difficult to understand. Interior has an industrial design inside the cavernous loft space. Lounge jazz music, dim mood lighting and well spaced seating indoors and outdoors round out an appetizing experience. Very impressed with the concept, service, quality ingredients, creative menu and refreshing selection of non-traditional banchan. My only negative criticisms: pork belly slices were rather thin and why takeout chopsticks at such a stylish restaurant? Aluminum, stainless steel or better yet copper Korean flatware would've complimented the quality meal. Street parking is limited and can be challenging. Overall, highly recommended. Support your local small businesses &...