Hancook K-BBQ & Tofu Soup — Restaurant in Rockaway

Hoooooo boy! If you come here you are in for a treat!! I found my long lost Korean Grandma & she cooks up a storm for her favorite grand baby in this kitchen!! And I know I'm her favorite! No not really, but at least that's what it feels like! I fell in love with Korean food while in California for work. I was there for almost a year. And have been back for months at a time and always eat plenty in Ktown. I moved my hotel near Ktown and tried as many places as I could. Back on the east coast Korean restaurants can be hit or miss and there are a lot of Kbbq places popping up in jersey and NY. This place has a mother(grandma)/ daughter(mom) duo as owners and chefs. They are putting out some of the best & most authentic Korean food I've had since coming back from Cali.... they are on par with some of the best Korean restaurants period. Don't just get the galbi... although slap yer momma their GALBI IS FIRE!!! ... It's not just a kbbq restaurant, they have so many other entrees.Try some of the other not so familiar traditional dishes, I promise it will be good and some of you will find your new favorite dishes. tip #1 if you ask for the traditional kimchi you will get grandma's special family recipe kimchi. The reason you have to ask for it special is because they make another kimchi that they use for most of the dishes. The difference is that the traditional is fermented a lot longer, it's also spicier, it's tangier and has a much more robust depth of flavor. Because it's spicier & fermented longer the owners felt it might be too much for a typical palette. And it may not be a fit for everyone, but damn is it good! The scallion & seafood pancakes are awesome. The Korean double fried chicken will make you go ....ohhh crap did I just eat all of it? Yes and I loved every bite! Korean fried rice is similar to Chinese fried rice, but lighter, healthier, fresher, more veggies & your choice of meat, if any, that's savory, robust with a hint of sweet. I've had 5 different soups here. They are all fantastic but tip #2 if you eat the soup in the restaurant you get a better experience. First off, inhouse the soup comes in a stone bowl that's screaming hot, the soup is still bubbling a good 5-6 minutes after arriving at the table. You get little accompaniments with the soup. They pack some for take out, but inhouse you get as much as you want, just ask and they will bring you more of everything. They will even transfer the soup to a new hot stone bowl if you take too long eating and you want it piping hot. It's still good as take out, don't get me wrong, it's just a different experience eating in. I've had both and wouldn't hesitate doing either, just depends on the time. The japchae is great, it's got so many flavor profiles bouncing around in your mouth. I'm telling you, grandma in the kitchen is such a sweet woman but she can throw down with the best of them in the kitchen. She is a blessing to your palette! If noodles are your thing, the Ramen is really good, the udon is really good, the japchae is really good, but the k-noodles... the k-noodles? THE K-NOODLES!!!!! If I was poor I would sell my body parts to buy this! I only need one hand to eat anyway!!! No hyperbole. It's really that good. The prices are good. On the same level as most fast casual. The place is small, parking is a little weird and the ambiance is a little too bright, but man is the food great! You will come back & you will bring friends and you will tell other friends they have to try it. It's that...

Just had lunch here and everything was absolutely incredible!! Such a cute little spot.

We were greeted and sat right away, had a delicious tea and some water brought to us. The staff were extremely kind. They were so generous and on top of refills on our tea, water, and banchan.

We ordered the plain Kimbap and japchae as appetizers. Both were amazing! The Kimbap was light and refreshing. The japchae was seasoned perfectly and had a great umami flavor. The kimchi and pickled daikon radish banchan were also delicious and super authentic as well. Really great crispness with just the right amount of acid and spice in both. All the veggies in each of our dishes, were extremely fresh, you can tell they don’t use basic or frozen veggies here.

For entrees, we got the soondubu (tofu soup) with egg and tofu hotpot bibimbap with egg. The bibimbap was so good, filling, but not too heavy. It was so tasty and seasoned so well, plus you can add as much gochujang as you like. We love how the rice gets nice and crispy in the hotpot bibimbap.

There was such complexity of the flavors in the soondubu. The tofu was nice and soft, the veggies complimented the dish perfectly, Seasoned to perfection, every element was on point. The spice level we got was medium and it was perfect for us.

Both dishes were extremely authentic and all the ingredients were super fresh. Each dish we tried brought us right back to Seoul. You can really feel the love that goes into the food here.

Highly recommended this spot! We will be...

I ate dinner on April 7, 2023, at Hancook. I was immediately seated by the owner, Yong. I was brought a menu, tea, and bonchon. I asked for a soju glass and was also quickly given one.

I ordered tteokbokki, kimbap, and bulgogi. Each item came out one after another, freshly made.

The tteokbokki was delicious, and for the $15 price, very substantial in its portion size. It is not too frequently that tteokbokki is on the menu in Korean restaurants in New Jersey, and, when it is, it's usually just a sloppy combination of rice cakes and sauce. This was very well presented and absolutely delicious. Big thumbs up!

The kimbap was absolutely fresh and also fairly large, worth it's pricetag. I had tuna, which was great, and it makes me want to try the other options for lunch in the future.

Finally, the steaming hot bulgogi: cooked to perfection. You really need to order this dish.. words won't do it justice.

I spoke with Yong during my meal, and she discussed how she and her husband had 40+ years of restaurant experience.. it absolutely shows. She was kind and even told me about a new menu item that should be coming soon.. I won't spoil it.. but let's just say I can't wait to go back and try it!

This was my first visit to Hancook, but I am certain that I will be dining here next week and likely once or twice a month. This is a hidden gem that I would highly recommend to anyone who already loves Korean food or who is looking to discover one of the world's...