Seoul Garden

Located at 5318 W. Market Street in Greensboro, Seoul Garden offers authentic Korean cuisine with pan-Asian flourishes. The menu includes soups, rice bowls, noodle dishes, and shared entrees. Lunch and drink specials are available.

Tucked amid a slew of other West Market businesses, Seoul Garden is quite easy to miss. The building is nondescript on both the outside (there’s signage, but nothing memorable about it) and within (the dark wood on white walls is classy albeit familiar). Indeed, the only thing that initially stands out about the establishment is the fact that it is Korean; there aren’t many in Greensboro.

Once the menu reaches your hands, however, everything changes. Seoul Garden has something for the newcomer and the Korean aficionado alike. Dishes range from simple, tried-and-true (udon and ishiyaki) to enchantingly complex (table-prepared gol dishes that combine everything under the sun). Our server recommended the bulgogi, so we tried one with beef and one with spicy pork.

Like any reputable Korean restaurant, Seoul Garden offers an assortment of banchan (side dishes). The kimchi and vegetable dishes were tasty, but a Waldorf salad-like concoction was perplexing. The bulgogi came as advertised, which is to say spicy (they can tone it down upon request) and sizzling hot. Throw in some complimentary miso and a sweet cinnamon iced tea dessert and you’re looking at quite a bit of food for the money ($9.99). It’s worth noting, however, that prices increase sharply among the more intricate shared dishes (including a reservation-only multi-course $100 halibut sashimi).

Staff at Seoul Garden are polite, but the service leans toward slow. This is not much of a problem from a hunger standpoint – the side dishes can tide you over until the bulk of your food arrives – but be sure that you plan for a leisurely meal.  Crowding was not an issue during our visit.

Don remains the more convenient option for a quality rice bowl, but with so many eye-catching options left unexplored, Seoul Garden begs for a return visit. This time, we’ll know exactly where to find it.

8/10