Soonsoo Kitchen — Restaurant in West Lafayette

I heard there was a new Korean restaurant that open in West Lafayette area so I stopped by with my girlfriend. We were disappointed they only had 5 menus open, but the food was tasty and there was no problem with it.

The store was also set up nicely with many seating options and kpop playing the background.

The reason I am leaving a 3-star review is because the service was not the best. I am aware it is a self-serve restaurant with kiosk and that part was fine with me. The front-of-house guy was nice in terms of service. But the lady who I am assuming is the owner or manager was not creating a welcoming as she was frequently yelling at either FOH member or the kitchen, making the atmosphere chill.

When the FOH guy was eating she came up to him and made him clean the dish cart 💀. We did not mind the FOH guy eating during shift (or break) as there were no new guest coming in but the lady really made a deal out of it which made some people including me uncomfortable and looked up several times to see what was going on. justice for the guy bruh

I understand that it is a self service restaurant with no servers, but just hope she was more kind to her own staff members and to the guests and at least greeting the customers when making eye contact them in the...

Although new, I can say that Soonsoo Kitchen has the best Korean food in the entire West Lafayette/Lafayette area.

The atmosphere is pleasant, there is a bar area for those of you who want to focus on drinks rather than food, and there are rooms reservable for group dinners, meetings, parties, etc.

The Dombe Guksu (돔베국수) is a dish served hot with a rich, non-spicy soup base poured over buckwheat noodles and pork slices. The serving size is very generous for this dish.

The Galbi Jjim (갈비찜) is a dish served with beef short ribs that are broiled. The meat is very tender and delicious, and it serves two per order. It is a little spicy, but you can request it be milder.

The Tteokbokki (떡볶이) is a traditional Korean dish with spicy sauce mixed with rice cakes, fish cakes, and veggies. It is a little spicy, but it is a pleasant spice that quickly gets overpowered by a well-rounded sweet and spicy note.

The Galbi Tang (갈비탕) is a mild, non-spicy soup that is made with beef short ribs. It is a very delicious soup and is suitable for those who cannot easily tolerate spicy foods.

The Bossam combo (보쌈정식) is a dish served with a side of Kimchi soup, rice, and sliced pork belly broiled to infuse a mellow and pleasant taste of pork while removing...

Very pricey for the quality of food (it’s meh) and service (there is none) provided. There will be no second visit for us given the unethical vibe overall.

Does it provide an exceptional quality of food? No. Does it provide a quality service or an experience? No. Is the price competitive? No.

But the most disappointing was how this business (almost unethically) exploits the US tipping culture to trick customers; most customers would tip when ordering and eventually question themselves as they walk out the door. Because you would've done everything from start to finish, except for, duh, cooking.

What’s worse, I highly doubt that the business owners did not anticipate it. It’s a short-sighted trick and terrible long-term. They also seem to be buying the reviews with the promotion, why not try to focus on the essence? Honest business owners would never do...