BAB Korean Bistro Malden

Just ok. We tried this place because it was local and didn't want to drive into the city. Not sure if we will return. As a tofu stew lover, I was pretty disappointed. As mentioned in another review, the stew (sundubu) was just hot/spicy with truly no other flavors. The bulgogi was better with some flavoring but definitely had better - would probably re-order if we return. Seafood pancake was ok - crispy but where was the seafood?? Minimal seating but does what it needs to. Friendly staff.

We came here for lunch on a Saturday. Only one other customer, but a lot of takeouts. We went for four different kinds of dishes, noodles with pork belly sauce, seafood noodle soup, chicken fried rice and Tofu soup. All very decent.

The tteokbokki was terrible – it had a weird sour rice smell, no fragrance, no real spice, and the broth was just bland and awful. Absolutely no flavor except random heat. The fried rice? Honestly, I can cook way better myself at home. Don’t waste your money here. Never coming back!

Vegetarians and Vegans beware. They put beef extract into all their vegetables. The menu does NOT specify this. They don't make food to order so you can't get anything made without it unless you want glass noodles with soy sauce apparently. I can say it was at least quiet inside and to her credit the server was able to at least tell us when we asked.

I ordered the veggie bimibap, for take out and it was delicious with fresh tasting vegetables and a jammy fried egg 🍳 I especially loved the mushrooms, and the side of pickles and kimchi. Rice portion was quite large so this dish could easily be shared between two people. Will definitely come back again! :)

Good Korean food. Five to six tables. St parking or lot nearby. The portions are good here. Tried a few dishes all good. The stone bibimbap was great. Jjajang noodles barely had meat though. Good side dishes banchan. Service was good too. Could use nicer atmosphere and bathrooms.

Very affordable, exceptionally delicious, hugely generous portions. We got the kimchi jiggae (7.7/10) and the spicy pork bibimbap (9.4/10). Writing this review with a happy belly

Tasty Korean food with lots of choices in Malden. Highly recommend the spicy kimchi fried rice and the jajangmyeon 😋 The male staff who served us was super friendly and attentive

Was in the area and in the mood for dolsot bibimbap and it sated my cravings. Tried it with short rib (galbi) this time and it was tasty, I love how hot the food stays and crisps up the rice just right. Galbi itself was pretty good, a touch chewy, decent flavor but not worth the extra cost in my opinion. Banchan was alright, the kimchi was very liquidy and spattered on my shirt and was on the extra sour side. Service was fast and polite and the space was clean. Would return for more dolsot in the future.

Probably the best Korean takeout I have had in the city so far. My favorite dish was either the Gallo Bibim Bap or the Shrimp Japchae. The Rose tteok bokki was good but I should have gotten cheese on top which is my fault. The Ganjang chicken was also insanely crispy and juicy and so amazing. It was a small spot so definitely best for takeout. The man behind the counter was kind and ensured my order was correct before I left which was great.

This is a decent spot to get jjajangmyeon and jjampong. The food was decently priced with filling portions- the half size of the tangsuyuk came with more than I expected! I liked that the restaurant gave side dishes- some places don't automatically give you them. There was a decent amount of seafood in the broth, and I liked the spice level. My main complaint is that I felt there should be more sauce for the jjajangmyeon, as the noodles were barely covered after we mixed it. Overall, this is a solid place with a lot of different options. It's a casual spot with a lot of people ordering takeout, and the workers are very friendly as well. I would definitely come back!

Got this for takeout and I was satisfied . We ordered these items most favorite to least: 1) haemul pa jeon (5/5 good texture, taste, and sauce) 2) jokbal (5/5 large portion and texture is awesome if you like cartiledge) 3) bibimbap (4/5 solid, but nothings stood out. Refreshing!) 4) fried rice ( 4/5 tasty to mix with the other good dishes) 5) tteobokki (4/5 good cheeses and flavor; I'm just not a big tteobokki person) 6) tangsu yuk (3/5 ate it kind of cold so not as satisfying and pork was a little dry). Sauce that comes with makes it kind of better 7) chicken bulgogi (3/5, it was dry... not sure which chicken dish though but it was solely chicken Overall, I ate a ton of food and went into a food coma. Food came fast and was solid to have for a family gathering. We ordered a lot at once so it is a plus that they got everything we ordered correctly! It can be complicated with so many items.

I grabbed take out from here before - and have eaten here probably 3 times. Every time I eat here, I noticed that the side dishes don't taste as fresh. While it never bothered me enough to say anything I will say something this time. This time I ordered the yukgaejang which is a spicy soup with glass noodles, veggies, and meat. after an hour being done eating, my stomach, didn't feel good. A time prior to that I got a tofu stew to take home and my dad had pointed out that the tofu looked old. I really was so excited for a Korean spot to open up in Malden when I should've been more aware of the quality of food was being served.

Decided to finally give this place a try after passing by the place more than 10 times! I was concerned of the parking at first but then realized that there is a big parking lot beside the line of business and restaurants on that area (that solves my parking concerns) Came here with my hubs kids all first time for us. I got the soulongtang (ox bone soup) beef fried rice and the jajjang. Food came pretty quick, reasonable time I would say. The server is pretty friendly as well. They were also nice to give some dumplings on the house, that was such a nice surprise for a first time costumer. The space of the place inside was not as big, they prolly have like 4 tables and seats around 4 people. Would love to come back next time and try some of the other dishes

Got food poisoning from this place - seafood is not fresh. Tofu looked rubbery and watery.

I would say the food is 4/5 but the service is 5/5 so I'm going to round up. This is classic Korean comfort food that's fast and casual. It's not the best but it's a good standard for when you're in the mood or craving it. Their bimbimbap is priced a bit higher but they get the scorched rice done right when you get the Dolsot. Staff was very attentive and considerate so I'm being generous with my review. Main cons would be the lack of variety in the banchan and the flavors of certain dishes could be more rich.

I am a fan of the Brookline location so when I was in Malden running an errand, I decided to check out this location. The bulgogi beef is good. Mandus were tasty but the filling is on the salty side. I will be back to make sure the spicy pork bulgogi is up to par. While Brookline is a full service restaurant, this space is a former roast beef / pizza type place with about 6 tables of self-seating.

My favorite Korean restaurant. I am a regular here, and I really love the customer service here too. Sweet young girl who works here knows me by name :)

One of the first places I have ever been to in Boston and it did not disappoint. This is a really great spot for affordable and delicious Korean food. I have had a lot of korean bulgogi and japchae in my time, but I admit this place is in my top. The portions are huge, prices are great, and the service is excellent. I had an order of the bulgogi and there was so much meat. The other plates I tried were good as well. I will 100% be back very often probably to grab a bite to eat as this place is so fast and food so flavorful. Highly recommend!

BAB Korean Bistro is located at 205 Centre Street in Malden, MA. The restaurant serves up fast food Korean dishes with cafeteria style seating. If you prefer an elevated dine-in experience, the restaurant has another location located at 1374 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA. The Malden restaurant is located on a strip and there is a huge shared parking lot for the restaurant and businesses on the street. There is no need to worry about finding parking. My favorite dish is the Pork Tangsu Yuk, thin strips of fried pork with a sweet and sour sauce. There is fried onion, wood ear mushroom, broccoli and red bell peppers for an added pop of colors. The half size is plenty of food for sharing. The seafood pancake is also a dish to share if dining in. The LA Galbi is very tender and my kids love eating this. They also love the black bean noodles, Jjajang Myeon. I recommend the cold noodles during the summer time. The cold naengmyeon noodles is served in an icy slush broth with sliced cucumber, asian apple, an egg for garnishment. You can order this with or without a spicy sauce. The noodles are chewy and the waiter will cut the noodles for you after bringing it to the table. We have only tried the spicy pork stone rice bowls, Spicy Pork Dolsot Bibim Bab, which was very good. My first few visits, the tofu soups broth had been bland when they first opened, but had become more flavorful during later visits. My favorite being the seafood tofu soup. My husband prefers the kimchi tofu soup. Two dishes I was highly disappointed in was the jokbal and the Samgyupsal. Both were so dry. Their Korean fried wings and drumsticks in the sweet soy sauce was tasty and the batter was crispy, however, the chicken was also dried out. I probably wouldn't order these three dishes until they work out quality control. You can ask for free refills of side dishes and there are three, kimchi, broccoli, and yellow pickled daikon. There is plenty of drinks to try. Perhaps the most intriguing was the Korean sweet rice drink. The tables fit at most four people. I don't recommend for group larger than four. Even with a group of four, the seating is very tight. There can be a wait time on some nights even for this fast food joint. I definitely recommend this restaurant for quick take out Korean food. After ordering takeout and many dine in experiences, I can say that consistency is an issue from time to time. If you enjoyed their Malden location, you should try their Brookline location for a dine in experience. Their Brookline location also has outdoor seating during the summer time.

Nice accommodation for takeout even though we ordered late. Food was generously portioned and good, except for the S5. Seollung Tang Soup (has absolutely no taste). Wish there were more side dishes.

My friend and I got the tteokbokki with cheese which had a good amount of flavor and spice. I appreciated the whole egg in there. Pretty windy today so I was craving soup. I got the seollung tang which came with a hefty bowl of rice. It was pretty bland even with additional salt, and I only got like 4/5 small pieces of beef brisket. It was manageable with some kimchi and rice. I wouldn't recommend it unless you really are craving something plain lol. My friend said the beef bibimbap was pretty good, and the sauce with the egg yolk complimented the rice. There was a good assortment of fresh veggies, and decent size of beef. The food came out fairly quick and were pretty big portions. Good place if you are really hungry! I enjoyed the service, and it gave cafeteria vibes. I would definitely come back to try the other foods though.

Food was pretty good, the best thing I had was the Korean fried chicken, it's very light and the sauce is amazing. The only downside is I wish you could just get wings instead of the other pieces that come with it. The sides were ok, place is pretty small, not the best setting for a nice night out, mostly takeout. Service was excellent

Grear food and nice service bibimbab w/o dolsot: portion was big, veggies were fresh, gochujang was sweet more than being spicy. suntofu: great portion and right amount of seasoning

Just found out this placed opened recently! I'm surprised they did not put up a grand opening sign or anything. Also, if you see a wait-list on Yelp that says they have a long wait time, it's not true. We saw that the wait was like 144 minutes but decided to check it out and although there were people there, we did not have to wait at all. Ordered the seafood sundubu, although I debated on that or the Sam Gye Tang. While waiting for the food, they gave us some banchans. The kimchi was pretty sour, some people like it, but was a bit too sour for me. The broccoli one was my favorite. They also had some radish slices. When the sundubu came, I thought it was going to be super expensive, but it wasn't too bad. It came with a fair amount of seafood; some squid, baby shrimps and a mussel. It tasted pretty pretty good; not the best sundubu I've had, but if it was seasoned a bit more, it would've been great! I will definitely come back to try some of their other menu items. Look forward to trying their Jokbal, Sam Gye Tang and maybe some galbi. There's not a lot of Korean food options, so I'm very glad BAB opened up.

Quality Korean food spot in Malden! I got the seafood soodubu jigae which is basically just hot stew/soup. This is definitely a great comfort meal for a rainy and cold day! Lots of veggies, lots of seafood, and lots of flavor! There is a lil bit of everything. Great service and I enjoyed the complementary side dishes! Super yum and refreshing! The inside is a little small with only 5 tables so it's good for small parties or eating a meal by yourself :) Overall, I had a great first time experience here! Definitely come check it ou

Ordered take out from here for the first time. Got the Spicy pork Bibimbap and the JJaJang Myeon. Both very good sized portions and delicious. Also came with a little container with some side fixings. Definitely good quality Korean food! The service was fast despite being how busy they were.

I ordered yangnyum (spicy and sweet sourced) and ganjang (soy sourced) chicken. Sources are greatly flavored but chicken itself smelled rancid. It would have been very old, not fresh at all.

We ordered the vegetable bibimbap, and yangnyeum fried chicken for delivery. Both were fresh and delicious. Crispy chicken, perfectly cooked egg, tasty vegetables. I was surprised the quality held up so well with delivery. They even provided banchan. We will be ordering again - and hopefully dining in soon too.

Food was great, the fries rice was a little basic but pairs well with the ttebokki sauce for enhancement. Seafood noodles were extraordinary with the amount of seafood given. The kimchi tastes amazing as part of the side. Restaurants not really sit down friendly, seating for 4 is tightly packed in a small booth like seat. Best for 2-3 people

The food is okay. I've been here a couple times and have gotten pork bulgolgi, japchae and bokkeum bap. It's some of the better Korean I've had but far from the best I've had. I lived in South Korea for some time, so I do have high standards. I will probably go here again if I can't find anywhere else. The service is great!

Clean and good service but the short rib plate was chewy and tough. Rice was dry and bland. Probably will not return.

I can't believe this place has less than 5 stars - this is not only my favorite Korean restaurant (that made me fall in love with Korean food), but my favorite overall restaurant in Malden. I've been here several times for lunch, and have NEVER been disappointed! Portions are generously large and packaged nicely for to-go orders, the menu has diverse options (including lots of vegetarian dishes), and the flavors are unbelievable. The *bibimbap* is out of this world - each topping is packed with flavor, and the kimchi and pickled radish side is so fresh and bright. The *japchae* is delicious as well, with a fresh variety of veggies. The *tteokbokki* blew me away - the sauce is so rich and flavorful, and the ricecakes are chewy and tasty. Today, I tried the *kimchijeon* (delicious kimchi + green onion pancake) and the *Haemul Dwenjang Jjigae* (hearty dumpling soup that's perfect for colder weather). The owner is incredibly kind - I ran into him outside the Brookline location and he took the time to walk me through the menu in detail to provide specific recommendations. All of the staff are very welcoming; they provide great recommendations and explanations when you ask questions, and service is quick, professional, and above-and-beyond friendly. I couldn't have higher praise for this place - I hope they open more locations!

We ordered takeout last Friday and it was great! We got the Tteok Bokki with cheese, spicy pork Bibim Bab, and steamed Mandu. The Tteok Bokki was spicy and had a nice combination of noodles along with a variety of veggies, all in a tasty sauce. The spicy pork in the Bibim Bab had a really nice flavor and the dish also came with a spicy sauce that went well with the rice, carrots, zucchini and mushrooms. And the steamed Mandu had a good amount of filling and came with a very flavorful dipping sauce. Overall very happy!

Since I had the divine pleasure of experiencing "Bi Bim Bap" way out at Woo Jung near Acton, MA, (which pretty much changed my life) I have been searching high & low for a comparable dish closer by. All my efforts have failed - until now. Finally there is a place. Bab Korean. I won't say it's as good as the Korean Mecca known as Woo Jung, but it's close. There are many Korean joints that proclaim to make good Korean food - they lie. I have tried them all up and down the north shore and they are average at best (in comparison to Woo Jung of course). But this place, this place is good. And it was beyond satisfaction. So if you looking for a solid Korean food restaurant in the north shore - this is it.

We had lunch at BAB for the first time this past weekend and was excited to see the addition to Malden's food scene and albeit korean food as this is one of our favorites! We tried the following: - Galbi Tang - good portion size of beef short ribs and daikon radish and green spring onions - comforting and perfect simple dish. - Tteok Bokki with cheese - very good tteok bokki and we have had many tteok bokki around the Boston area - Spicy Kimchi Jigae - more on the sour side and was very good also. The place is small as it has about 6 or so old school pizza shop booths and there is no public restrooms (due to COVID or so) which is a bit inconvenient. I would probably return here for a quick bite or grab takeout instead. The menu is vast so I'm excited to come back to try their other dishes!

I tried BAB for the first time today since it is the only restaurant in my vicinity that serves tteok bokki. I went in right when it opened to order the T3 tteok bokki with cheese to go. First impressions: quick and friendly service (the guy thanked me for visiting when I walked in) and very clean. The tteok bokki was really, really good (I am not Korean though) and the portion size was perfect/did not disappoint. BAB, if you're reading this, thanks(!) and have you thought about adding Korean hot dogs to your menu? Just an idea, since I love that Korean hot dog + tteok bokki combo.

Good soon tofu soup, LA Galbi on the sweet side but very tender. Fast service. Would definitely come back again

This restaurant is OK considering the lack of Korean options in the area. You'll pay a lot for "ok" food, but it will scratch the itch for Korean if you have it. One thing I really don't get is why they put Bell Pepper in tteokbokki. Its very overpowering. It will still hit the spot if you're craving it, but you'll be slapped with bell pepper on first bite. I much prefer without it- bell pepper is not spicy and just has a weird flavor. I've gotten so many things - Kimchi jjigea, bokkum bap, jjajangmyeon, kkanppunggi, neangmyun, samgyupsal - each thing is about 75% of the way there. Something is always slightly off. The stew - not enough pork, jjajang m - bland, kkanppungi - batter tastes weird, samgyupsal - dry AF. They're also stingy with rice and sauces. My fav thing is kimchi bokkumbap.

I have ordered from B.A.P. three times. The first two orders were of tangsuyuk and jajangmyun, which I do have to say tasted much better than Bukgyung. I do wish they had an option to order a smaller size of the tangsuyuk, but this is pretty standard for this dish. I have also ordered the bibimbap, mandu, and fried chicken. The bimbap does come with a wide assortment to namul (vegetables), which I really appreciated! The beef could be cut down to a smaller size so it would be able to mix with the other toppings better. The rice itself was pretty hard and you can tell is a pretty cheap variety. Bad rice is a pretty big disappointment. The fried chicken was nowhere near as good as the chain B.B.Q Chicken, which I do admit is a pretty high bar to set as a standard. The coating was hard and not crispy. I think the recipe for the coating could be vastly improved. What really got me was the mandu. They say on the menu that the mandu is handmade. I can tell you that it is absolutely not. What they've tried to pass off as handmade is really Bibigo's beef bulgogi mandu which I currently have in my freezer. $6 for 4 frozen mandu is a total scam. I would strongly recommend that B.A.P. takes the "handmade" off the menu or the really start making their own. I understand why this might be a huge undertaking given all the work involved in making it. My suggestion is that if you're looking for a quick bite and willing to spend more than the food is worth, B.A.P. might be okay. Just don't expect mind-blowing food.

You won't find rice cakes with cheese everywhere, and if you haven't had the PLEASURE, I highly recommend it. Everything was great and 2 apps and 2 mains was entirely too much food for myself and my partner.

10 out of 10 would NOT recommend. Samgyeopsal was dry to the point it was torture to eat. Didn't come with lettuce even when I asked when I ordered to make sure. Cold noodles came with broth that might as well have been water. Beyond disappointed. Restaurant was small and stuffy.

Service was fine, and server was very nice. Food was just poor quality and not worth the price. The beef in their Naengmyun and their grilled pork belly just did not taste fresh.

Delicious foods and great portion! They listened to my dietary needs (which can be hard to find a restaurant that does it perfectly!!). Must try the Jjampong, jjangmyun, and tangsu yuk! Honestly, I can't go wrong with the rest of the menu, though!

As good as, if not better than, Korean in Cambridge, Bab has some amazing Korean Food. We had the Jopchae, Bebimbop, Beef Bulgogi, and Scallion Pancakes. All of them were fantastic served hot, and served quickly. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. If you get a chance, try the little can of pear juice. It's deliciously sweet. They'll do table service, take out, or delivery. They had the most delightful greeting to everyone that entered when we dined-in last week, though they were pretty busy when we picked up a take out order today and we didn't get a Disney-style greeting on entrance. Seating is basic diner style hard seats that can accommodate four max, and you better like the people you're with! All tableware was reusable, so we felt good (environmentally). We did take out today and everything appears to be compostable, recyclable, or biodegradable. Amazing food and highly recommended.

Had the vegetarian japchae and Budae jigae. Both were absolutely delicious and the owner was so thoughtful. Would definitely eat here again.

Finally tried BAB, literally around the corner on this crappy rainy weekend . We got the fried chicken , scallion pancakes , budae jigae and bimipab. Delivery was fast and everything was so fresh ! Big portions and so good ! The scallion pancake was a little soft but you can just crisp it up in your air fryer . Very happy tummy with leftovers to boot .

I visited BAB in Malden and they knocked my socks off with amazing top notch food! I got spicy pork Bibim Bap and it was so good I returned the very next day to try Japchae! Both meals were top notch and their customer service was second to none. So happy they came to Malden!

This place has ok Korean food (for MA area) if you're craving it. I will say the potato corn dog was NOT worth it. It is half the size of a regular corn dog for the same price. They are small and only filled with mozzarella cheese, NO hot dog. Disappointing to be honest so won't be getting that again... Kongdog in Somerville is 1000x better for corn dogs so I wouldn't waste your money here for them. Other options are worth a try.

Food is great (but I miss paper menus), it's an old roast beef mostly takeout place without public restrooms and I'm unsure if they serve alcohol or not. Not a place you are necessarily going for a fine dining experience, but again the food is excellent. Vegetarian options are available and here is a nice little spread of sides, brocolli, kimchin and pickled diakon to start. Good variety in the menu and now I gotta get back there to try other stuff. Hot stone bowl was pretty cool and food appeared fresh and was super tasty. Friendly staff and resaonable prices.

I am SO sad. I wanted to love this. I was so excited. I ordered so many dishes. They were all sort of like the real deal but maybe semi-homemade??? Not sure.

Exceeded expectations. A small storefront with a staff that goes out of their way to provide great food and service. The fried chicken was awesome, and the japche was very tasty. Definitely will return.

I was looking for Korean food near where I visited and glad I tried BAB! JJAMBBONG was decent, Beef hotpot bibimbob was so delicious with fresh and varied veggies inside. Soontofu was just okay, but still delicious. Definitely will revisit for jjambbong soon! Also It's a bonus star when they serve you kids utensils and highchair ready!