Babo Jumak

The 38 Best Restaurants in Phoenix | Eater Phoenix

"Irene Woo has been running Korean restaurants since the ’70s — including an early Koreatown spot in Los Angeles — and her Mesa restaurant, open since 2014, is an extension of that legacy. Ban Chan is no-frills and family-run, with a menu that hits hard across the board. Dumpling soup arrives in a steel bowl hot enough to fog up your glasses. Slabs of galbi and pork belly hit the grill with a sizzling hiss. The sticky-sweet yangnyeom chicken caramelizes right on the cast iron plate. Naengmyeon, those cold, chewy noodles in an icy broth, feels essential once the temperature in Arizona hits triple digits. Woo’s version of baechu kimchi is lightly fermented and crisp, and the meat jun — thin beef dipped in egg batter and fried — might be the most addictive dish in the room. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t need hype, just a hungry crowd that knows exactly where to go. Best for: A crash course in Korean comfort food from someone who’s been doing it longer than you’ve been alive." - McConnell Quinn