Korean Express

I’ve only been here once and unfortunately that is enough for me. I went inside after work around 4, there was plenty of seating so that’s a plus. However I didn’t order to sot in, but to take out. The person at the register was on her phone until I got her attention as I was looking around for athe prices. I ordered bulgolgi bibimbap hot. I was waiting around 20 minutes for my order when I finally asked about it, they had it just packed and sitting there. I got home and opened it up and started mixing it up.
The food:
My rice was burned!!! How do you burn white rice?! Especially in a bibimbap. They must’ve forgotten it under the «hot stone» or however you cook it I’m unsure. The vegetables that topped it was definitely not fresh but wilting at the ends. The prepackaged kimchi containers were also soggy and not worth even eating. However the bulgolgi was good and so was the miso soup that came with it… I just wished I didn’t spend 14.50 $ on the order. I’m giving it 2 stars because I didn’t die, and the food was edible. What a shame, this is one of the only Korean spots in the area. I used to work near Korea town 32^nd and 5^th and loved how fresh the bibimbap was.
What a huge let down… I wouldn’t even be mad if the chef said I’m sorry I burned the rice, you’ll have to wait a little longer… but instead was shrugged off, ignored and packaged anyway. What a shame.

Looks like a dive. Food was actually really good. The Bimbimbap was fresh and tasty. No banchan really, but miso soup came with the meal.

Yummy, yummy, yummy! The service is fast and the food is good. Is it the most authentic Korean dining experience? Absolutely not, but I don’t believe it’s meant to be. This is s great little spot for a tasty meal when you’re frolicking on the Upper East Side. My friend and I stopped in on a Sunday afternoon because it was kinda late for brunch and we were craving something more exotic.
She ordered Chicken Jab-​Chae and I got the Hot Stone Squid Bibimbap. Both of our dishes were delicious and came out within minutes. My bibimbap was spicy without burning my tongue and the chicken and noodles were sweet without being overly sweet. We left feeling happy and full. I will definitely be going back when I’m in the neighborhood. I had to take a star off because the bathroom was a bit of a disaster – needs more care and maintenance. Also, I was surprised there were waitresses who took your order because the restaurant is set up more like a take-​out spot than an actual sit-​down restaurant.

Places an order on Seamless. They called and said they can’t deliver because the delivery guy has to walk. Hum I thought that’s what delivery is all about. I asked if they were closed and she said they are opened.
Seamless is 99% delivery so this does not make sense to me. Given it’s showing outside. Don’t people order seamless especially when it’s snowing or raining?

I work near this area and when I’m craving Korean, I can quickly step in and step out.
It’s a bit tiny, but their food is authentic. Their customer service sucks though. Most waitresses are very unfriendly.

I stumbled across this place after taking care of some business at Hunter College. I was seated immediately and ordered the spicy ramen soup. It was very spicy and super delicious. Seriously, it was a party in my mouth. The accompaniments were quite tasty too– I love a spread of pickled goodness.
The diners were a range of folk, including some Asian grandmothers tearing some dishes up. I wondered what they were having, though I was good with my choice. I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, but it is definitely an option when I’m back in the area.

I want to like Korean Express– I really do. It’s the only Korean food close to where I live on the UES. This is my second time here. The first time, I ordered for take out. I ordered the lunch special, which is such a steal. For under $ 10, you get 2 protein sides and a carb. I chose Korean Beef Stew and Spicy Pork with kimchi fried rice. Way spicier than I expected, and very oily, but very good.
The second time, we dined in for lunch. Service was fine. The restaurant was relatively empty when we went at 12, but by the time we left around 1, the place was packed. We ordered one lunch special and a seafood pajeon (korean pancake) to share between 2 people. For the lunch special, we chose the Korean Beef Stew and Teriyaki Chicken with Jap Chae (glass noodles) as the carbs. The list of lunch special sides you can choose from is not very extensive. Our food arrived very quickly, which is great. The lunch special tasted alright, and for under $ 10, I would say it’s a pretty good value. But watch out for the Seafood Pajeon– oh my gosh. Right when our server brought the pancake, we were hit with a strong smell of seafood– and not the good type of seafood smell. It was very fishy. Not rotten. Just very fishy. The pancake didn’t look right, either. It was very thick and when we broke off a chunk, we saw that the insides were still gloopy-​looking. It didn’t look fully cooked, and much to my dismay, didn’t taste fully cooked either. The seafood items inside the pancake seemed to be fully cooked, at least, but the smell and the taste were just unpleasant. I asked our server to bring the pancake back to the kitchen and cook it for a bit longer. When it came back, it definitely looked much better. But upon tearing a piece off again, it still looked wrong inside. The taste was still offensive. And I was still disappointed.
I’m disappointed that Korean Express won’t be my go-​to Korean restaurant in the area. The dishes are much too Americanized and don’t taste authentic. Most dishes are not bad. They’re just not authentic. But whatever you do, do not order the Seafood Pajeon.

I usually go to «Korean Express» if I’m in mood for some hot Asian… foods. It was a beginning of fall, but the summer hot and humid weather was still jiggling around in the air. I walked in Korean Express with thoughts of spicy Kimchee Stew and the moment I was about to seat down, I realized the AC wasn’t even on. It was too unpleasant without AC, so we left.
But I came back here few times over the fall and winter, the food and service is just «good» for the price you pay. Service is great as always, but sometimes the waiters got caught up talking among themselves and we actually have to shout for waiter. Besides that, I highly recommend you guys to take advantage of their lunch special menu, the price is reasonable for the food at that moment.
Side note: this is actually an Asian thing that most Asians do at Asian restaurants, if you ever order any foods and there’s a left over sauce or soup base after you finish eating, order a bowl of white rice and mix the rice with the left over sauce or soup and with left over side dishes like a kimchi and radish. It’s a win-​win. You welcome!

«In and out, my kind of style»
If you want true authentic Korean food, this may not be the place for you. However, if you want something good, cheap, and fast the pull up a chair.
For a Korean lunch spot there is a good variety of food on their menu. There is a 2 «entrée» with a side for 10 bucks lunch special. I had the spicy chicken and Korean beef stew and the food was good buuuutttt the portions were a little small. Maybe, I was really hungry.
This place is decent enough for a taste for Korean food but it you are a super Korean food expert then you would be better off going to K town or Flushing.

Solid place for Korean food. I don’t know why it’s called Korean Express when the food doesn’t come out fast…
Other than the name they have a wide variety of korean food, I had the ramen and the bulgogi stew before which both warmed my insides during 30 degree weather. Especially since it is close by to Hunter, they will be seeing me frequently when I am craving it.
Their kimchi and pickled radish side dishes are really good! (They also give out soup to some customers but I haven’t gotten any…)
The service is great, quick to refill water, quick to refill our side dishes if it’s empty. Will be returning as been wanting to try their japchae.

Korean food this haphazard and stingy w/​ingredients is not acceptable in NYC. Order anything w/​seafood in the title and expect 5% seafood — and within that 5% mostly bits of mussel and tiny shrimp, maybe a morsel of squid. Worst case is the bland, mushy, almost seafood-​less seafood pajeon (pancake). Japchae also comes overcooked and the ramen is sometimes mushy enough to melt. Korean food is not that hard to screw up. This place is struggling w/​the basics. Two stars for the Yook Gae Jang, the only decent dish here.
Korean Express, if you’re reading this: as the only Korean joint within your delivery zone you have an opportunity here. Please cook as if you cared and are proud of the intrinsic deliciousness of Korean cuisine.

We have been coming here for lunch and dinner do years. It’s the best place to get decent Korean food in UES.

Very tasty, and not too expensive. They have great lunch specials. Looks a little bit kitchy from the outside, but amazing flavors. I highly recommend the kimchi fried rice with spicy pork on top!
Atmosphere isn’t too great, so definitely plan on either getting delivery or picking up food from here to go.

I had passed this place many times and had not tried it until today. The service was great. They were friendly. The décor simple as can be. They have a lunch special $ 9.95 you can chose 2 items with rice, jaechae or salad. Wow what a deal. I picked the korean beef stew and the tofu in scallion sauce with salad and my friend ordered the spicy pork and the korean beef stew with jaechae. We enjoyed the meal. It was very flavorful and filling. Definitely ordering delivery soon.

I gave 4 star to jab chae.
Tofu stew is so so. Overall is 3.5 star:)
One of the few Korean restaurants in UES, can’t be too serious, a good spot for stop by when craving for Korean taste.
Service is fast and good.

Unlimited kimchi !
I come here for spicy seafood udon. It’s good not too salty which is good.
Servers are quick and nice ! Me likey !!!
I definitely come back here !
Totally recommended !!!

A bit disappointed in the amount of food that I got here. Ordered food for pick-​up and specified a time an hour an half away. I was a bit worried as they set a text saying the food was ready for pick-​up 20 mins in, and an hour earlier than my scheduled pick up time. However, when I got there at the scheduled time, they were just packing my food which was still warm.
The location is great, super close to the lexington ave/​59^th street train station. I asked for an extra kimchi and the cashier guy was rude about it but the owner (?) was super nice and put an extra one for me — apparently they typically charge $ 1 for it.
I ordered the bulgogi (beef) bibimbap which comes with a small miso soup. I also got the spicy tuna kimbap (korean sushi). Once I got home, I found that there was very little of the bibimbap ingredients. And the spicy tuna kimbap had a large proportion of rice. However, otherwise, both tasted pretty good considering comparable take-​out korean places. And the price, at least for the bibimbap was reasonable.
One reason for the 4 stars over 3 was that the kimchi tasted absolutely fantastic! just like how my mom makes it at home.

Super basic lunch spot where you can grab and go or just sit down for a quick meal.
I had the $ 9.95 Lunch Special– Spicy Pork and Bulgogi with Jap-​Che– it wasn’t Woorjip quality (pork was tender but bulgogi was dry) but you get a ton of food! My GF and I sat down for lunch and the service was fast and friendly!

I don’t always need to be blown away by the food I eat; nor do I always look for complex layers of flavor in every morsel I ingest. On the other hand, I almost never eat merely for sustenance; I seek to enjoy what I eat. Every now and again, I just need a tasty, fulfilling meal, and that is when Korean Express consistently fits the bill.
Korean Express does not purport to impress; it aims to satisfy, which it does with tasty food, reasonable portions for a reasonable price, and courteous service (Soo Hyun is a very amiable server; she is solicitous without being obtrusive).
The kimchi fried rice is topped with an over-​easy egg, and is offered with a choice of chicken, shrimp, bulgogi, or pork. I have tried it with chicken and with bulgogi, and have always enjoyed it. The runny eggyolk lends additional texture and flavor to the pleasant pungency of the kimchi fried rice.
I have also enjoyed the various curries with rice, the kimbap (Korean cousin to sushi), and bibimbap. The bulgogi and kalbi are sometimes fattier than what I care for, but overall, the food here is perfectly satisfactory.

Authentic Korean food? Yes. Best I ever had? No.
Like a fast food Korean take out joint and decently priced. Food was pretty good so far, and love that it’s so close by.
Got the bulgogi bibimbap and it was tasty — the gochujang was diluted with something, which made it perfect for me as it cuts down on the spiciness. For $ 12, the meal included soup and a couple of ban chans. Will come back when I need to get my Korean fix.