Urban Seoul 2.0

When it comes to pork belly buns, this place rule over all the other ones. My neph and I came here one Friday for lunch and his belated birthday treat for me. We ordered their tacos and the pork belly buns. OmG, those pork belly buns just melt in your mouth. I think they sear the outside so it’s crunchy and the inside is just oozing with that pork belly goodness. My neph has gone back with his friends and I am due to go back as well. They have UrBun Thursdays and will def come back for that!!!

I have been to this place several times now and the quality of the food and service has improved. Their dishes are light at least some of them, lots of fresh vegetables served with each dish and I love the purple rice.

I would recommend the spicy pork tacos and anything that has the pork belly. These people know how to make their pork belly. It melts in your mouth good.
Went here at 9 pm on a Saturday and it was pretty dead. The service was friendly and fast. The reason I give it 4 stars is coz I think it’s a little over priced.

Fun twist on two very different cuisines. I was skeptical at first but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the food. We ordered the loaded fries and the pork belly tacos. Servings are smaller than I would like but the solution to that is to order more!
Next time I would be more inclined to order tacos rather than getting the loaded fries. As tasty as the fries were, they sure soak up the cheese and become a wet mess. My husband had no problem eating the rest, so it is a personal preference rather than an issue with the food.

Better than the Alton location. Big patio and chairs instead of stools make this spot superior. Big menu selection. Katsu sandwich was pretty good… needed jalapeño. Great fries. Thought the bibimbap was a little bland. There are 20 things on the menu that I’d order.

I ordered the beef sliders and they were too sweet for my liking. The fries were good.

Damn. Urban Seoul is bae. Seriously, and I don’t even use the term bae ever, but it for some reason it felt appropriate to use. I used to go to the original location in Diamond Jamboree, but since one opened up in Irvine Spectrum, we’ve gone there a little more often, just because it’s closer, granted it is, heh, five times larger? Haha, but it’s more convenient. Gone here multiple time with the boyfriend, family and friends. It’s a great place to go eat and their food is always so satisfying.
The Loaded Fries are delicious. I love the combination of spicy pork, the nacho cheese, the cotija cheese, pickled onions… etc. is so good, it is definitely a Korean-​Mexican fusion which I love. The Wagyu Loco Moco Skillet is also a go-​to dish for me. The gravy is so great, the garlic rice, it’s all great. But both of these dishes are pretty heavy and you feel a bit tired after this «comfort» food.
I tried the Urban 3B, bibimbap their way, which was okay… I really wished there was more meat, especially for such a large bowl. But it was mostly fresh vegetables and some rice (which I am not complaining about), but I’d say it was more on the salad side with a topping of meat.
Pork Belly Buns. Scrumptious. I love fatty meats, and this pork belly sure satisfied my love for it. It was so tasty and it melted in my mouth. The dressing and pairing of the pickle was all so great. Pricy though. I’m like done ordering the buns (usually to share) and an entrée, without spending too much more on something else I want.
I’ve tried the Popcorn Chicken (the sauce I’m more excited about), the Japchae is great, and their tacos are also very good.
I also always order their drink of the day. It’s a huge cup, as tall as my face, and they drinks are great. It’s a little less than $ 4, but totally worth it (if you’re not allergic to anything). My boyfriend is allergic to melon (cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon) and they use a lot of those fruits in the drinks. Worth it, sometimes I buy another one for the road, it’s just so refreshing and crisp, especially when most of the food is on the heavier side.
Go to either location. Both are great, and their food is great. The ambience is great and the people are good people too.

Came on Saturday around 1 and there wasn’t a wait, although it seemed pretty busy. Plenty of seating with an outdoor seating area as well. Service was good. You can also make reservations.
Cantaloupe pineapple lemonade – must try, its pretty large, and feel free to use it as a mixer if you order Chamisul (Soju).
Pork Belly sliders– pork belly was a little too overcooked for my liking. Comes on a bun with lettuce, tomato, avocado aioli, kimchi, and onions. Wasn’t bad, but I’d probably wouldn’t order again.
Fried japchae– japchae noodles wrapped in seaweed and fried… these were pretty good and comes in an order of about 6, also comes topped with a spicy sauce and green onions, but your better off asking for the sauce on the side and just dipping it.
Churro a la mode– nothing like what the picture looks like… disappointing, it was just a scoop of ice cream with sliced strawberries and little sticks of churros. Don’t know what happened there.

Came here for lunch today with a few coworkers (at their behest) around noon. The place was pretty empty, which is a plus or minus depending on how you look at it. We ordered the loaded fries to share, then I ordered the Urban 3B (Bibimbap) bowl.
LOADED FRIES ($ 9.50) — Good, especially with the flavor of the spicy pork. The cheese was so-​so, and you feel absolutely horrible about yourself after eating 1 or 2. They’re criss-​cut seasoned fries with cheese, meat, garnishes such as green onion, etc.
BIBIMBAP BOWL W/​GOGI ($ 11.95) — Waaaaaaay disappointing. I was astonished at how little meat there was — same with a coworker’s pork belly bowl. The bowl is basically a few random vegetables, a small-​ish amount of rice, and the absurdly small amount of meat. It’s extremely dry on its own, and myself the the other coworker who ordered a bowl had to douse it in their sweet red sauce so we didn’t feel like gagging on every bite, which was basically dry vegetables and nothing else.
Service was good. The fries were fine, but the main dish absolutely sucked. And for over $ 17 for lunch? No. Just… no.

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/​-: OVERALL RATING : — \
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/​4.0÷5: Venue/​Décor \
\ 4.0÷5: Service /​
/​4.0÷5: Ambiance \
\ 4.0÷5: Food/​Variety /​
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-: — VENUE /​DECOR -: —
Spacious layout with a modern, rustic interior design. Ample seating inside or outside. Definitely great for small to big group gathering. The ambiance is casual, very laid back with a comfortable dining experience. The flat screen TVs plays various sports games & volume is not loud. I like this location much better than their 1^st location on Jamboree.
The only con I have is that the tables of the indoor seating with booth against the wall is lower than average tables. It felt awkward having to bend down lower than normal to get to my food.
-: — SERVICE -: —
Friendly & attentive staff. The times I’ve gone there were no wait. We were warmly greeted by the staff & seated promptly. We gotten up to par service.
-: — FOOD -: —
Food came out in a timely manner & hot. Decent pricing for a good variety of fusion items. For what I’ve been able to try so far the items are full of flavors.
Fried Calamari [3.5/5]
Chicken Stir Fried Udon [4.0/5]
Gogi Sliders [4.5/5]
Grilled Chicken Tacos [4.5/5]
Pork Belly Tacos [5.0/5]
Will definitely be back to try out other menu items!

Eaten at both the Urban Seouls now. This one – the one in the Spectrum – isn’t as good as the one at Diamond Jamboree.
It’s still great food, mind you, just felt like something was missing when compared to the other branch. Service was good, if a little slow to come back and check on us, but at least she was friendly.
As far as the food, I had the Gogi Tacos while my wife enjoyed the Chorizo Kimchi Fried Rice Skillet. And this is where the two Urban Seouls differ. The Gogi Tacos here seemed to be missing some of the punch of the ones I tried at the Diamond Jamboree location and they appeared to have less meat as well. Still really good. My wife was fine with her skillet meal, which was pretty good but a whole lot of the flavors just kind of blended together. We also enjoyed (I more than my fruit-​hating wife) the Cantaloupe Pineapple Mint Lemonade. Super refreshing, but too heavy on the cantaloupe.

If you’re looking a place to have drinks (beer and such) and eat (not exactly healthy, think of bar food). Then here’s a place that’s pretty hip. It is pretty much a fusion with Korean, other Asians, and Mexican.
Elote Skillet — ²⁄₅. This corn is dry. It could have had more sauce or cheese.
Wagyu Loco Moco Skillet — 3.5÷5 I enjoyed the gravy (mushroom gravy) and the meat is nice and tender. Kind of a mix between Hawaiian and Korean bibimbap style. It’s not screaming awesomeness but it wasn’t bad!
Pork Belly Tacos — ⁴⁄₅ Delicious! Definitely even better on Tuesday’s when they’re cheaper!
It’s a a chill place with not your typical food.

Went here with my boyfriend twice during our trip.
**First time:
— Service: I would rate it as satisfactory; could be better; our server wasn’t very attentive to us but she gave us our drinks and took our order right away when we were ready. Food came out not too long after that which was good.
— Food: I ordered the gogi tacos (3) and they were so good!!! I wanted more! My boyfriend got the bimbibap with purple rice and it was good. We also ordered the loaded fries which comes with crisscut fries… delicious!!!
**Second time:
— Service: Our server was great! Greeted us at our table and brought out our water first. When he came back, we ordered drinks. I ordered the Angry Orchard, and my boyfriend wanted one of the drinks that were actually crossed out on the menu. Since they were crossed out, he asked our server anyways if they had any left in stock, and he said they don’t, but actually just got some new drinks (that were not on the menu). He explained them all and my boyfriend ended up getting the Blood Orange.
— Food: I wanted to order the gogi tacos again because I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed, but I also wanted to try something else, so I decided to get the rib-​eye torta. My boyfriend got the wagyu sliders. Both were good, but I think the gogi tacos were better! Next time I come I will order the gogi tacos!!!

Everything I want when I want to indulge.
My bf and I stopped by after a day of walking around Spectrum. He had never been to an Urban Seoul and I knew he’d really like it.
He did.
You just can’t beat the flavors here. Every dish explodes with deliciousness– spicy and sweet, salty and sweet, a combination of all three! Korean cuisine is not one to be boring and Urban Seoul’s fresh twist will undoubtedly light up your life. Their menu is just the right size, just enough variety to choose from; there’s also plenty of shareable plates and full-​sized entrees, depending on the type of meal you’re having.
A fan favorite: the tacos. It costs about $ 9 here for 3 tacos, about $ 2 more than the location in Irvine, but I feel like they’re slightly bigger. We got 3 spicy pork tacos and they were perfect and filling, oily but perfect with the fresh cheese on top –they’re also ground compared to the pork chunks at DJ. Another one that’s easy to please, their loaded/​gogi gravy fries. Plenty of saucy waffle fries, really the best type of fry out there, topped with meat, pickled onions, cheese and green onions. Best to share, but you can eat it all by yourself and be selfish and not share the goodies.
And lastly, their 3B is not bad — we decided on bulgogi but I wished there was just a bit more of it. However, I love bibimbap, and though there was a lack of protein, all the other ingredients make it up for it in variety. One thing that is subpar is the bibimbap sauce; their recipe is a little too thin and on the bland side. There isn’t enough punch for a dish like this, I’d recommend them make the sauce a bit thicker and maybe a bit spicier!
The menu is slightly more expensive here than DJ but you’re also paying for ambience, with all the rustic feels, the succulents, the music. Plenty of seating inside and outside, so this would be the better location to go if you’re with a bigger group. Also, much better and organized service!
Highly recommend this place! Love it.

Urban Seoul 2.0 is a restaurant that is inspired by a mixture of different cultures to serve to us! Total Yum! I’ve went here with a group of friends and we sure did enjoy ourselves. Our server was super attentive and friendly! She gave us really good recommendations! YEE!
***NOTE: They also take reservations!
What we’ve shared:
Loaded Fries — the criss cut fries were super crunchy and yummy! It was topped with cheese sauce, pickled red onions, pickled jalapenos, cotija cheese, green onions, cilantro, and spicy pork! SUPER YUM! Let all of the flavors fill up your mouth! Mmmhm!
Urban 3B — you get to choose your meat and we chose gogi which is marinated sliced beef. This lovely bowl is a bibimbap dish (Korean style)! There is purple rice on the bottom which is topped with shredded romaine lettuce, radish, carrot, friend onions, purple cabbage, friend onions, cucumbers, poached egg, and gogi! YUM!
Chicken Stirred Fried Udon — oh my was this sure tasty! This dish had grilled chicken with mushrooms, onions, sauteed bell peppers, carrots, snap peas, green onions, soy glaze, sunny side up egg, carrots, and udon noodles! I would definitely get this again!
Spicy Pork Torta — this plate is a spicy pork sandwich layered with queso fresco, lettuce, picked red onions, avocado ailoli, bacon refried beans, and picked jalapenos. This was A-​OK. The spicy pork and buns were bit on the dry side.
Overall, Urban Seoul is super yum! I love eating at a place that fuses together different types of food. The best part is that Urban Seoul definitely knows how to mix everything together and to make our tummy feel happy! So make sure to check this place out if you are in the area!
AS ALWAYS, NOM FOR LIFE!

After coming across a photo on ig of their elotes I was sold, I love me some corn!
This is located in Irvine Spectrum right next to Pieology. Upon walking in there’s plenty of seating both inside and out. My best friend and I came here on a Saturday night and it was already poppin! We were seated right away. The restaurant is very cute, lots of wood and very clean. One thing I did notice, idk if it was bc it was kind of busy but the staff took a while for them to clear tables for incoming customers.
Typical to other Asian fusion restaurants, there’s a wide range of dishes on the menu! We got kogi tacos, pork belly buns and the elotes. Only downside is you can’t mix taco flavors with the combo, you can only choose one. The pork belly buns were good, I loved the cucumbers in it! It was just a bit too greasy for me though but the cucumbers made up for it. Lastly, the elotes were okay. They cooked it a bit too long bc the cheese on top was kind of burnt. So it made the corn come out a bit dry, so I was a little disappointed.
Nonetheless, our server was nice and got to us quickly even when they were busy.

So much on the menu I am dying to eat here, best is to come with a group on friends to make this possible!
It was only 3 of us and they weren’t hungry and only got an order of popcorn chicken and I could not pass up on the gogi gravy fries, their version of poutine.
If I see poutine on the menu I have to have it, a very unhealthy current obsession of mine.
This served with waffle fries was really tasty, good gravy, though I do prefer it with short rib, the bulgogi was really sweet my son loved it and said it tastes like teriyaki beef jerkey.
Service was on point, sitting outside lovely and the food came quickly.
Really enjoyed my first trip here and will have to be back for the kimchi fried rice next time!

Did a surprise birthday dinner for my brother-​in-​laws bday here on a Tuesday night and despite the oh so popular taco Tuesday craze, it was far from packed here even with the hard to miss deal they have for tacos. I ordered 1 of each flavor (except tofu) and was very satisfied with everything. If you can’t handle spice though, maybe the taco’s aren’t for you. It had been a long time that I had something that spicy and seriously, it almost kicked my ass (and I can hold my own with spicy) The tacos are so addicting though but the 4 were more than enough honestly.
Service was great as well.

Came here for dinner and was already stumped with how to open their door. Yes, I’m being serious. You can only enter in one of the doors, as the other side of the door is locked yet the «open» sign is on it. Everyone I saw who dined here attempted to open the door that had the «open» sign on it, only to be embarrassed or flummoxed as to why it didn’t open… myself included. What was also weird was that the waitress saw that people were confused and yet they stood there with the menu waiting for the guests to enter through the other door.
Anyways…
Elote Skillet– ³⁄₅ I absolutely love buying elote from a vendor. This is an interesting take on it as it’s not on the cob and the mayo seems to be obsolete from the dish. With that being said, it actually wasn’t half bad. Just squeeze lime all around and enjoy. It is a bit pricey for the portion size. It couldn’t of been more than 2 corns cut up.
Gogi Fries– ³⁄₅ Good crunchy waffle fries that was top with some really salty meat. Too salty for my taste. I ended up eating the fries and sort of brushing the meat to the side.
Baos (Pork belly & Chicken Katsu) — ⁴⁄₅ Pork belly was nice and fatty, generous piece as well. The chicken katsu was good but could of done away with the sweet sauce or just slightly less.
Quite curious about their tacos… looks best to come on Tuesdays for their specials.

IT’S DIFFERENT!
**Yelp 100 CA Challenge 2016 #3**
We were sat right away & this place is definitely way bigger than the other location. The staff was very NICE & attentive & got us everything we needed. The menu is a bit different at this location.
I was SUPER kinda disappointed in the food… it was NOT as tasty as the jamboree location… I was pretty depressed. They were kind enough to take care of the food that I ordered though because it was just not tasty at all even after I tried to fix it.
I don’t think I will be back to this location to be HONEST… maybe a forewarning that it is different than the other location may have eased my disappointment a little bit.
URBAN PORK BUNS $ 8.95 — braised & seared pork belly w/​lettuce, go chujang aioli, cucumber kimchi inside a steamed rice bun. Tasty little buns but not sure if it was worth the price?
ELOTE SKILLET $ 8.50 — they didn’t have mayonase but didn’t tell me… ummm HONESTLY it is not an ELOTE if there is no Mayo… I was extremely confused… it was dry… & the corn was hard. I am also comparing this to the other location which I freaken LOVE it there… it is also 2x the price at this location…
CHORIZO KIMCHI FRIED RICE SKILLET $ 13.95 — this dish looked DERICIOUS & hot sizzles. Chorizo, Bacon, pork belly w/​garlic fried rice, fried onions, sunny side up egg, house hot sauce, kimchi, & pickled red onion served in a hot iron skillet.
PORK BELLY TACOS $ 9.50 — 3 tacos in a serving w/​queso fresco, go chujang aioli, kimchi, dressed lettuce all in a corn tortilla.
GOGI QUESADILLA $ 6.00 — gogi, cheese, corn tortilla served w/​kimchi sour cream. Will have to say these were still pretty good but a little on the dry side.