Koriya — Restaurant in Springfield

Firstly, this restaurant has my respect and they operate with dignity and customer care. I just didn't like anything that I ordered. It was fresh, and I'm not saying it was disgusting.

For me, I do not like what I had: Spicy pork bulgogi bowl: the spicy flavor was as intended but felt unbalanced by anything to cut the bitterness of those ingredients, and the heat builds very quickly. Ultimately, I've had better, and greatly more satisfying spicy pork bowls. Chicken teriyaki bowl: the flavor of char and unsalted chicken put me off from the first bite. Its like I can taste the cooking surface, and then the teriyaki sauce is on top of that. I did not feel that this flagship item was doing any justice to this tradition. This comes with every combo lunch box, so I really thought they'd deliver. Gyoza: they taste good and are cooked well, but why soy sauce? I've had gyoza from so many places and they serve it with a different sauce that has sesame seeds on top. So, it just doesn't complement these gyoza whatsoever.

Springfield is my home, but since coming here I've realized that chinese food has southern fried chicken tenders, and nothing tastes quite like it should. It's important that restaurants represent dishes accurately, and in their best possible form. I've lived in bigger cities, and I know what we're headed towards with our restaurants, and if we take these food traditions seriously then we'll have great Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese food. If Denver can produce great Korean food then Springfield can too. Maybe someone should go see what it's like by traveling to SF, NYC, Seattle, or Denver to taste what restaurants serve.

Koriya, I really believe in you, but I did...

This was a wonderful dinner spot for my wife and me on a night when we didn't have much time. The place is off the main roads in Springfield, which was great for less traffic. Walking in, the restaurant looks great. There is great looking, bright menu above the counter. You order at the register, pay, then find a seat, and they bring the food to your table. The employees were pleasant and fast. There is a back patio with some outdoor seating.

The food was great. I got the spicy shrimp ramen, and my wife got the beef bulgogi. Both dishes were hot and fresh. My wife thought the bulgogi was great. Koriya is one of the few places I've found in Springfield that sells ramen dishes, so I was excited to try it. The ramen was cooked perfectly. There was actually a lot more in the dish than just ramen and shrimp: a couple more types of seafood, hard-boiled eggs, and some bean sprouts. While I'm not an expert on authentic Asian food, I think the dish tasted more authentic than the more "Americanized" dishes you get elsewhere. I'm not used to a lot of seafood, so to my taste, the dish was more "fishy" tasting than I expected, but I don't mind - if I'm getting an authentic flavor.

Overall, our short visit was very pleasant, and we enjoyed the food. I want to go back and try the other...

Update for 2025: My husband and I came in on a cold January night for a warm dinner and this place was so busy. Most tables were full, there were four people in front of us, five people behind us, and the phone kept ringing. The elder group of three ordering at the counter required additional time, had a lot of questions, and were not in any hurry. Ashton was AMAZING at answering their questions, he stayed positive and respectful, and he never let the long line fluster him.

Dinner took a little longer to come out than usual but there wasn't any sacrifice to the quality. In addition to running food to the tables, he was also helping to bus, checked on patrons more than once, and even offered to bring me a to go box when he saw me slowing down.

It's a drive across Springfield for us to come here which can be difficult to make yourself want to do in the dead of winter, but that's really the perfect time to come! Another amazing experience. Thank you, Ashton ☺️

Original 2024 review:

Dinner with my parents tonight was my 3rd visit here. Everyone was so nice and the food was delicious. I had a hot stone bowl with mixed rice, tofu, fried egg, and kochi sauce. It came with a side miso and I washed it down with a beer. I took home leftovers and left feeling...