This is a family-run establishment(the best kind!). We were a bit confused about whether the restaurant was Korean or Chinese, since they serve both Korean food and Northern Chinese food(what we were interested in). We had the skewers, which were good, but slightly more expensive than those that you get off the street, but you have a lot more options to order from– such as gizzard and hearts, along with the usual Lamb Skewers. The dumplings were so-so, but homemade. As we were eating we saw them rolling out the dough and everyone was lending a hand to the dumpling-making. Pretty good food overall.
Cat J.
Place rating: 5 Flushing, NY
Il Bok Restaurant serves local, rustic, and simple Korean food from the 1940’s that were retained by North Koreans, escaped to China, and immigrated to the US. Along the way, some Chinese culinary practices and techniques married with the Korean food to produce it. This is a real Korean-Chinese fusion restaurant at its best. I have come here frequently with my family for its awesome food and cheap prices. Case in point: we ordered 1. wang mandoo(kimchee dumplings), 2. kimchee jiggae(kimchee stew), 3. red bean dumplings, 4. home-made tofu, and 5. marinated pork. These five orders also came with the standard rice, japchae, and barley water. These were not measly portions. We’re talking dumplings the size of baseballs, and a steaming plate of tofu the size of a computer paper that you cut into a square. The dumplings were flavorful, with so much fluffy dough and contents. They didn’t taste too dry or too moist. The tofu is served extremely fresh, resulting in a softer taste and texture that I liked immensely. I loved the marinated pork as well; it was fattening but oh-so-divine. The jiggae was okay in comparison to the rest of the orders. Definitely get the dumplings(any of them) and the marinated pork if you don’t mind raising your fat and cholestoral intake. With the five huge orders, rice, and japchae, we ate more than it was worth. The price? $ 54. Oh, and we also received free complimentary fried dumplings as part of their service. Like their other foods, the dumplings were top-notch. So if you order enough food for your party, you can get free dumplings as a bonus. Yay! With guests in mind, this is a place where you want to let loose and eat, talk, and laugh. This would be a restaurant to show others about local Korean/Korean-Chinese food that not many people know about. However, this is not an intimate-gathering sort of place, so avoid this if you want to get to know someone or want a heart-to-heart. More family and group-oriented, so keep that in mind if you want to make a trip to awesome Il Bok!
