Nak Won Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in Spring Lake

I had only recently reached the decision that if I was going to eat in a depressing place, it ought to be on the sad side of town, so I chose this place, an abandoned restaurant in an abandoned formative downtown center along a course of road that even the townsfolk seem to have forgotten.

Almost as if a habit of the townsfolk I stood in what appeared to be a very thick line of me + 1 other person and looked at the menu for like 10 minutes. Eventually the tiny clerk noticed me and queried "Can I help you"? Good, we're on the right foot. Nice girl, kind enough to make a recommendation straight off the menu for me. I tell her I'm not a fan of Bulgolgi, but what is her favorite? I'd like to try that. Short Ribs, a popular Korean Dish, everybody loves it, so why not me, right?

It's $21. I'm gonna come out and say it, that's a bit expensive, even on the medium sadness side of town. I mean, considering what with the environment and all being what it is, I had anticipated maybe the $8 - $12 range. You don't expect to walk into shop on a deserted street and pay mainstreet view pricing. That's just not how it works. If it's not in perspective already, let me remind you that at this point the only thing I really know about this place is that were it not for Google, I wouldn't even know it existed because every other storefront on the street is made of crusty dried out paint and plywood covered by steel grating. I drove past it 3 times while it was on the map. Include that with the fact that the place is limping along on its last leg, there are 4 people there at about dinner-o'-clock. What I'm getting at is that I'm most certainly on the poor side of town, so I'm at the right place.

One would think that, wouldn't they; after forked over $25. What else is there to think? "I must be at the right place, one of those awesome places that have the greatest food in town, it's expensive, nobody talks about it, like one of those little best-kept secrets that only the townies are supposed to know, right? I've seen plenty of episodes of The Bear. It must be one of those places, just starting out. Eventually my food comes. Mind you, I'm in the restaurant, I have not requested a to go order, but here it comes, my take this and get the hell out box. She must not have understood when I tipped her that I was going to eat there, on the premisis. I want the full serving of depression and I need to stuff my fat face before the loneliness gets inside. If I take it to the hotel to eat alone, it will be too late. I won't be amongst strangers. Oh wait, not it's not coming to me. I have to go get it. Damn. Thanks. I may as well re-assure myself that I'm in the right place as I go self-perform the delivery. Shitty lighting, check. Plastic utensils, check. Styrofoam cups and canned sodas. Check. This must be the right place.

Ah, I know what it is, they do huge portions because that's how they make up for the sadness that has taken over the town. A common solution, eat your way through the depression. No judgement here folks, I get it. You've got to take happiness where you can find it, and sometimes you're in a bind, so you just stuff that old glutton hole up so no sadness can get in. It's a terrible choice, but we're all just surviving right? Fine. It'll be a huge plate of sadness to push out the lonliness and I'll be asleep before I even know what happened, right?

What's this? It looks like we've got a bit of a weight problem. This go away box speaks volumes before I've opened the binder. It's gonna be awesome. You know you can't get everything all in one place all the time, but you sure can try, so it's not the face stuffing feast. Fine, we'll have to make due with what we get in life. I know how depression works, at least this will be delicious.

It wasn't. So now here I am, not asleep, and talking to the general public in the one place that more depressing than an abandoned shop in an abandoned town on a forgotten street chowing with strangers. The empty comfort of...

Our first visit to Nak Won was about 2 weeks ago for lunch. We have ordered rice cake from here multiple times but have not eaten here and wanted to try. For lunch, my mom and husband both ordered the dolsot bibimbap and I ordered the spicy pork. We also ordered the tteokbokki to share. The tteokbokki was pretty good. The sauce was soupier than we were used to but still pretty good. The tteok (rice cake), I think, makes the dish since they make rice cake in house. The dolsot bibimbap was ok for my mom and husband. Nothing to be excited about. They did seem to be a bit stingy with the bibim sauce and only gave what seemed to be a teaspoon or 2 per person. We had to ask for more. In other Korean restaurants, you are offered a bottle for the table so that you could use what you wanted. The bibimbap lacked in flavor and could have used more sesame oil. My order of the spicy pork was disappointing. It was not spicy and the rice it was served with was not cooked well. I also asked to order the lettuce set (which was extra charge) and they were out. I think what was most disappointing was the banchan (side dishes) that was served. We were only served 3 banchan which were ok. In most other Korean restaurants, you are served at least 5. We did order the red bean filled rice donuts and those were probably the best thing we ate.

The service was ok. There were 2 waitstaff that we dealt with. The first was so soft-spoken it was difficult to hear. She was also very slow and seemed confused with the 2 tables that she was waiting on. The second came in after we had placed our order and was great with service. She was quick, pleasant, and efficient.

I don't think we will be back to dine there, only to...

I heard about this place from a friend of mine and decided i would check it out. Before my first visit i wasn't expecting much especially when i saw where the location was, however upon entering the building i was surprised at how neat and accommodating it was. The atmosphere was really enjoyable with the decorations adding a nice addition to the whole experience. In addition to the place itself the food was top-notch. While not only do you get a generous portion size for what your paying for (not forgetting to take in account the sides as being an addition to the meal) everything is also made at an exceptionally reasonable time, as well as being very delectable in regards to the seasonings being used. Moving on to the staff at the establishment, i have noticed a few of the other reviews complaining about various different things they have been encountering. First off i would like to state that the waitresses that i have seen working there have been very friendly and delightful. They are always quick to assist those who need it as well as making sure to check on the guests periodically so as to accommodate accordingly I have never personally had any issues with them myself. Secondly i would like to point out that the waitresses do seem to be more on the younger side meaning this could very well be their first work experience. I think its splendid that the owners of the establishment are giving people the opportunity to gain experience rather than not give individuals a chance. Overall the place looks nice, the staff is friendly and everything is served at a reasonable price, i will definitely be returning...