Kum’s Cafe & Arirang

Not having Korean food before visiting this place, I had no idea what to expect. I love trying new foods so I didn’t really even bother to look up what I was about to experience. Coworkers had recommended trying it, so I thought why not?
A great place for lunch during the week. We walked in and were immediately sat. It’s a very open seating area and they share this space with a place next door that I believe serves southern comfort food. It isn’t incre3dibly spacious but that didn’t appear to be a problem as there were only a couple other people here when we visited.
Lunch specials run until 3 (maybe 3:30). The food is brought out on a cart, which confused me at first since there were only two of us. But for each table they also bring out a variety of sides to share amongst yourselves– almost a family style type dining experience.
We tried two different main dishes and I should have written down the names. Mine had pork that was covered in a thick, dark brown sauce that had a good kick to it and seemed to have a chili-​type flavor to it. There were also veggies mixed into this and I ate it over some sticky rice that was brought out. Absolutely loved it and to add to it I put some of the shredded cabbage side on top of it– a nice crunch to go with the soft rice and pork.
The other meal is what I will be getting the next time I’m here. It was a large bowl filled with sprouts, sesame, veggies, some meat, and a fried egg on top. Absolutely wonderful. As soon as this was brought out I knew it’s what I should have gotten. With this I suggest cutting up the egg and mixing it immediately so the yolk will spread throughout the dish. I also put some of the cabbage on this when I tried it.
Now the woman who served us was difficult to understand (very Korean) so I don’t know exactly what the sides were that she brought to us. I tried all of them and each one had something unique about it– all were served cold. The cucumbers and kimchi were my two favorites and both of us used the shredded cabbage on our meals.
With the check, you receive a small bottle that has some sort of rice/​barley based drink mixture. We googled it before trying it since the writing was all in Korean. It has no added sugars and is had after meals to help with digestion. With no idea how it would taste, we went for it. This stuff tasted like sherbet! So good.
I will definitely be back and I’d love to continue trying new things here. The flavors in every bite were wonderful and I can’t wait to see what the next new dish brings.

They have lunch option until 3 pm! The service is quick! Although they do not give much side dishes compare to Koreana, the service definitely make up for it. This is one of my friend favorite place to go. Really cool concept, one side is korean and the other is fried chicken. You pretty much have the best of both world.
P. S. the gps will probably confused you but its right off the highway!

adorable mom and pops restaurant. food is delicious! I ordered their seafood pancake (pajeon) and it was perfectly crispy and flavorful, full of onions and seafood! kimchi jjigae is delicious, temperature hot but not very spicy!

Though I was born African-​American, after eating here I am inquiring about becoming Korean. This place is excellent! I’ve never written a review before, but my stomach made me do it. The seaweed, Kimchi, potatoes, the radish, the chicken in the red sauce, it was all good.

Love this little spot close to the office. One of the guys in our office swears this is the best fried catfish in town. I’ve turned another lady onto the chicken tenders — so good, and definitely the best chicken value. I, personally, go for the Korean. Everything I’ve ever had has been outstanding. Korean is always cooked to order, so the wait is a bit longer than for chicken, but totally worth it. Highly recommend! If you go for dinner, it’s never crowded and they wave to you when you leave — it’s like going to a dear Aunt’s house. :)

Lee’s (our usual Korean pick) was closed for renovations, so we decided to check out Arirang. When you walk in you will notice that it’s a combo Korean place/​chicken restaurant, which was a little confusing, but we were quickly seated. I ordered the Bi bim bap, which was quite good. The selection of little dishes that came with the meal were also good, and about what you’d usually see at a Korean restaurant. Service was great, and very friendly. The food wasn’t as good as Lee’s, but I would definitely recommend it.

I’ve had the Korean and the chicken from here. The staff have always been very friendly and the items that I’ve tried were quite tasty. They have Asian specials of the day Monday through Friday which are great deals and they come with rice and an egg roll.

Autentico!!! Yummy and although not so cosmetically appealing the soups were DELISH and my eating mate confirmed that the food was the REAL DEAL!

My first time here and had chicken in red sauce. Excellent and spicy.
Combine here is fried chicken next door.

This is tied for my favorite Korean place in town. Great atmosphere if you are not a fru fru– very comfortable and relaxed. I really like the huge bowl of seafood soup. The sides are excellent and plentiful. Sometimes Korean lunches leave me feeling still hungry, but not with the sides here. The bbq is good, but I would give a nod to Charim for having a slightly fresher/​cleaner taste.

I stopped in to try the chicken. I had attempted to go to Sweetie Pies, a soul food restaurant just down the road but they were closed. I’m not sure if they’re closed for good but I wanted chicken so I headed off to try this place.
They have many items besides chicken. They seem to offer chicken wraps pulled pork, chili, Asian specialties of the day, etc. But I got what I came for– two piece white meat chicken dinner with 2 sides. I got mashed potatoes and gravy and mac and cheese. The chicken breast was good and seemed fresh but I got a chicken wing that was a very strange grey color and I decided not to eat that. Unfortunately, the mac and cheese had zero cheese flavor and the mashed potatoes, while homemade, had no flavor as well. The honey biscuit was very good. But, overall, I will go to Popeyes next time. I might come back and try the Korean food sometime. But probably nothing else.

I’ve gone to a variety of Korean restaurants around Louisville, and this is still one of my favorite places to go. It’s interesting that it does offer Cajun fried chicken on one side of the restaurant and the other offers the Korean food. All you have to do is ask for the Korean menu and there you have it!
We’ve never been disappointed with the food the multiple times that we’ve gone here. The people working are always nice; they attend to us quickly, and the wait for the food is reasonable and not too long at all. With each meal, they always bring out a lot of side dishes and offer to bring more if it’s not enough; these dishes definitely add to the main course.
This time we ordered the hot Ba Bim Bop and the Gal Bi. The Ba Bim Bop was delicious and sizzling in its pot. This rice dish is always flavorful with meat, various vegetables, egg, and a tasty red sauce that you can put into it. The portion is big, and I normally have to take some of it home with me.
The Gal Bi was mouth-​watering, and it came with grilled meat, lettuce, rice, and another Korean red sauce. With this dish you typically make lettuce wraps and when you eat it, it’s a burst of flavor! It is on the more expensive end, but the amount and savory flavors make up for it. So if you want some yummy Korean food, definitely give this place a try!

This is my favorite Korean food in Louisville. The restaurant is a cajun fried chicken stand that also has a full Korean menu.
The chicken counter is to the right and the dining room is the door on the left. Just grab a seat and some one will ask if you want Korean. Say Yes!
No lunch specials on saturday so it is a little pricier. I always have enough for lunch or breakfast the next day.
The ban chan is different every time I have gone. This last time it included some awesome eggplant and some very firm dried tofu in chili oil. The kim chee is the best. Refills are free. I would be happy just with the sides but the pork bbq in spicy sauce is great. I don’t know what it’s called and the phonetic english next to it didn’t help. I pointed and the owner understood perfectly.
Some of the best Korean I’ve ever had. Right down to the funny fake yogurt shot at the end.

Surprisingly good Korean food is available in the south! My party and I were doing a Mammoth Cave expedition/​Kentucky Bourbon tour and found ourselves in need of sustenance. Thanks to Unilocal,we found this place and it did not disappoint.
It is a family-​style korean restaurant that also sells delicious-​looking Cajun fried chicken that I was tempted to order. The other table of approximately a dozen Koreans of all ages feasted first on a big plate of fried chicken as an appetizer before moving onto their korean dishes.
As for our table, we ordered the seafood pancake as appetizer and several different dishes. My wife tried the Soon tofu. I got the next item in the menu, a dish made of beef soup. The other two in our party got bibimbap (looked great) and a rice-​cake noodle dish. The portions are very generous.
The side-​dishes offered to us were tasty and varied. We had 8 sides brought to us. The other larger group had at least 4 or so sides that I did not recognize, so they have quite a variety of sides available.
This restaurant is better than anything we have here in Columbus OH where I live right now, and is on-​par with the better places in Ktown in LA, where I am originally from. We’ll be sure to swing by again whenever we find ourselves brave enough to venture into the red south.

In town for a trade show. Found this place on Unilocal and was looking for something different. The Koren BBQ is awesome.

Outstanding restaurant and highly recommended! Like others, I was somewhat skeptical of the outside of the restaurant (and albeit, a little confused on which door I should be entering through). On one side is the Korean restaurant — but immediately through an arch, is a Cajun Fried Chicken restaurant.
Being my first time there… I decided — why choose? So, I ate at both. :)
The Korean restaurant offers a huge variety of Korean dishes. From Korean pancakes to Monkfish — there is plenty to choose for both the first timer as well as the veteran. I tried the Korean BBQ which includes around 10 side dishes. The BBQ was quite well prepared, mild, and very excellent for a first time visitor trying Korean food.
And from the Cajun Chicken restaurant side, I ordered the 2 piece white chicken meal w/​Jambalaya and Mashed Potatoes. The chicken was quite excellent. It was crispy, quite hot temperature-​wise, and packed with a lot of flavor.
The only negatives I can throw out: the 2 side dishes (mashed potatoes + jambalaya) were just O.K. I’ve had better… I’ve had worse. I’ll likely try some of the others to see if any of those are a home run.
Bottom line: I DEFINITELY will be going back. The food was excellent, and you can tell that they really care that everything is perfect for your meal. One of the quirkiest and fun places food-​wise I’ve been to in Louisville… period.
5 stars!

Went for a Gim Tong Beef Broth with beef, cow tripe, green onions, and potato noodle on a snowy day and it blew me away again! The seafood pancake this evening rocked !
The elderly owners now know me since I frequent this place so much. The Ajumma doesn’t speak much English but she is so kind and cute and always ready to give my friends and I the side dish refills. I love how she always comes out the door to wave goodbye to us.

Excellent food at great prices!
Just are here with my boyfriend – we got the seafood pancake, he got the hot stone bibimbap and I got the #1 soup (green onions and beef in spicy brother.) The pancake was huge – like a pizza huge – and delicious. The bimbimbap featured a large portion of fresh veggies and good beef in a HOT sizzling stone bowl. My soup was simple but delicious and also huge. I barely put a dent in it.
The pickled veggies are delicious and unlimited. All very fresh, especially the cucumbers.
The restaurant is well lit with a fresh coat of paint, the service was great (motherly Korean woman), and my boyfriend even got a free chicken wing. The only drawback is the location.

I like that the food is good, the owners are friendly/​attentive, the place spacious and clean. The side dishes are plentiful and the owners will bring out more if you ask.
If you’re feeling industrious and adventurous, try the Korean BBQ (Samyeopsal or pork belly if you’re extra adventurous). Choose your meat and grill your own at the table. The grill is easy to use, it comes with rice and several side dishes. A fun way to share dinner with friends. I like the food okay but still prefer the flavors at Koreana.
For those who don’t want to eat Korean food there’s the other option, American foods prepare by Koreans. In the same restaurant, on the other side are fried chicken, side dishes and other American favorites. My husband had the fried chickens, mash potato and other sides. They’re delicious.
I’ve eaten out often enough that I’ve developed certain stereotypes and one of them is that Asians don’t make southern style Fried Chickens and Cajun food. I’m happy that my stereotyping is challenged!

I get the café part but not being Korean I had to look up «Arirang» which seems to be defined as the unofficial Korean national anthem or a mountain pass. Not sure how that applies to a restaurant but the varied lyrics to the anthem are poetic. Here’s one version:
If you leave and forsake me, my own,
Ere three miles you go, lame you’ll have grown.
Wondrous time, happy time – let us delay;
Till night is over, go not away.
Arirang Mount is my Tear-​Falling Hill,
So seeking my love, I cannot stay still.
The brightest of stars stud the sky so blue;
Deep in my bosom burns bitterest rue.
Man’s heart is like water streaming downhill;
Woman’s heart is well water – so deep and still.
Young men’s love is like pinecones seeming sound,
But when the wind blows, they fall to the ground.
Birds in the morning sing simply to eat;
Birds in the evening sing for love sweet.
When man has attained to the age of a score,
The mind of a woman should be his love.
The trees and the flowers will bloom for aye,
But the glories of youth will soon fade away.
Beautiful, romantic stuff.
I stopped in during lunch so I don’t know that I had the experience that some other reviewers had but I recommend asking for the Korean menu as the lunch board is specific to the more American fare they have available, catering to the local factory crowd I suppose (good fried chicken, super crispy and possibly marinated in Korean hot sauce but not super spicy.) They have a daily Asian special, too, which was also very good but I expect my next visit to be far more adventurous, maybe not as adventurous as the writer’s experience above but more scenic by far.