Babo Jumak

Delicious food, great vibes, but service was a little slow considering the restaraunt wasn't too busy. You do get some tasty sides/apps (banchan) to hold you over though so that's a plus! The hot stone bibimbap was probably one of the best ones I've had in AZ, and I've had a lot! The rice was exceptionally crispy on the bottom and the veggies were fresh. Steam egg was so beautiful I had to take a picture of it. Top notch as well. Overall I really enjoyed my meal, service was friendly, and the decor added a lot of charm to the vibes. Would go again!

Restaurant with funny name - "Babo" means stupid, "Ju," alcohol," and "mak," a place, literally... Food is quite good though. One of very rare Korean restaurant that does the "Kimchi Soup" properly!" I had to come back to have it again two days later! Plenty of ingredients with right amount of tasty, not-too-sweet, spicy broth! Over fermented kimchi and pork belly meat make balanced flavor! Seafood pancake exhibited lingering good flavors as well. I would have given 5 stars except the server on the second visit was rather absent throughout the dinner and didn't say anything about why the appetizer was delayed after the main meal was delivered first and ultimately came way after the msin was done. The attendent during the first visit was however excellent, attentive throughout, courteously checked up on me to ensure I had what I needed.. I shall return when I am in town next time!

Came here while on vacation with my wife and our friends. One of our friends found this spot on TikTok, and I'm so glad she did! First off, the interior is so articulate and tasteful! I love that you have to go through a curtain to get to the bathroom, that's cool! Second off, the service was phenomenal! I can't remember our waitress' name but she was an absolute Rockstar! Super outgoing personality, hilarious and encouraging 👍🏻 Third, the food and drinks! I had never had nor heard of corn silk tea, so I tried it. It's kind of bizarre, but I liked it! It smells like buttered popcorn, and tastes like, well, corn! For our appetizers we got the pork dumplings and the Tteokbokki. The dumplings were good, but the Tteokbokki...Oh my gosh! Literally the best I've ever had! Such wonderful balance of flavors and textures made for the perfect Tteokbokki! And yes, despite being White I've had it more than once 😂 And my entree: Beef Tartare Bibimbop. Oh...my...goodness....I was not ready for how incredible it was, it was mind blowingly good! That sauce that's at the bottom of the bowl is absolutely to die for! And the presentation is worthy of a food magazine, its so colorful! Finally, dessert. We got the fish stuffed with matcha ice cream and red beans. Again, so good!! Kudos to our friend for finding this place 👏

The new renovations are beautiful, and the restaurant feels very clean and homey. The staff are kind and the banchan were all very good. We only got two dishes- the tteokbokki and the squid and pork bulgogi (more than enough for two people). Both dishes came quickly and steaming hot, and the tteokbokki was delicious with great flavor. The squid and pork bulgogi was good but we were very disappointed by how little bulgogi the dish had and felt it was not worth the price. Overall though, we had a good time and would come again to try other dishes.

Finally was able to try out the newly renovated Babo Jumek last night and was pleasantly surprised. The interior is fully renovated and looks very modern with Korean decor. We ordered 5 different dishes for 3 people because we wanted to try a variety of things. They do have a new menu so apologies for forgetting to take a picture of it. Ban Chan was solid. Nice little variety and everything tasted fresh albeit a tad salty. Ban Chan should be refreshing and not making me feel like I need rice to go along with each bite. This carried over to some of the dishes as well. Each dish executed the flavors really well but we wished they went a little lighter on the salt. We also felt like the portions for the meat entrees were a bit light compared to other places. We’re paying $30 for a Galbi entree and while it’s a premium dish, I do expect a little more than 2-3 strips. Despite so, it had good flavor and the right amount of sweetness. I personally would’ve wanted it charred a bit more. The spicy pork was also very tender and had a good spicy flavor that went really well as a ssam. While the seafood jeon had excellent flavor and texture, it a bit too oily and salty. The doen-jang was also extremely salty. I’m also not sure if I liked the chunky bits of onion in every bite. This was almost inedible for us. The yukkaejang and bibim naeng-myun were our favorite dishes. Which isn’t surprising because these did not taste overly salty to us. Overall, we spent a total of $150 including tip for the 3 of us and left full and happy despite a few complaints. I wonder if we could request them to go lighter on the salt next time? That, along with bigger meat portions, would make this a restaurant a 5/5 experience and I wouldn’t have to eat at any other Korean eatery other than Babo Jumak. Side note: Please consider adding Galbi-Jim to your menu! Galbi-Jim served in places such as Dae-Ho in SF or Sun Nuong Dan in Ktown are really popular and doing extremely well. I’d love to see a Korean restaurant in AZ bring this dish into their menu - it’ll blow the restaurant up if executed well!

The food was good as well as the ambiance. We ordered the Short Rib Soup, it’s good and flavorable. We got the Samgyeopsal - Pork Belly and that was delicious! it was tender. The beef tartare was good as well, my only feedback is that when we tried it, there were bits and pieces that were still frozen. The ban ham is good and our server was very attentive of us. Would recommend to go.

Went to celebrate my birthday with friends and family that have never had Korean food and they were blown away! Beef stew was a hit for the friends and the kimchi fried rice hit the spot for me. Thank you 😊

Great food, great service! Definitely coming back here when we're in the Metro Phoenix area again.

Wow, this was my first time coming here and the food was amazing! The service was quick and efficient, and our server was incredibly attentive to everything we needed she kept coming back to refill our banchan sides. I ordered the lunch special of the day, which included a soybean cabbage soup with bulgogi and rice for $17.99. The lunch special is dependent on what the chef makes that day. The bulgolgi was so juicy and tender. My boyfriend got the bulgogi hot stone pot for $15.99. Both dishes were so, so good. I also loved the unlimited banchan sides. The interior of the restaurant was super cute and spacious - modern with a touch of historic Korean aesthetic. The menu had a wide variety of dishes, so I'll definitely be back!

If I could give this place 10 stars I would. Customer service on the phone: 10/10 Service in the restaurant 10/10 Cleanliness 10/10 Food: 10/10 I don't think I can say anything I DIDN'T like about babo jumak! We enjoyed every dish and the service and the place. We will def come back

I've been dying to try Babo Jumak since learning it replaced or renovated from Banchan! The interior is so cozy and spacious, and service was also attentive. The menu is quite varied, which was nice. We ordered several items, and the portions were a good size--definitely a great place to eat family style to try a bit of everything. Overall, the food was tasty and left a good impression. While I don't see myself craving any one of their particular dishes on a random Thursday, it's earned a place in our food outings rotation if I'm craving Korean food in general. Will definitely be back to try more dishes!

I visited a few months ago when the weather was still quite warm. There were several of us who were seated together and while the restaurant was not overly busy, it was quite warm due to the air conditioning not working. We made the best of it and were able to enjoy many different dishes. I arrived a little late, so I didn't place my order with the rest of the group. I was able to enjoy a sampling of the tteokbokki and the japchae. The tteokbokki was nice and warm with a mild amount of spice. The japchae was cooked well but slightly greasy and my personal preference is to have more vegetables in it. The servers were attentive and we had a great time. The decor was simple yet nice. I am glad to know that this restaurant exists and will certainly try it again when I have a craving for Korean and I am too lazy to cook!

I really enjoyed how fresh the vegetables tasted. We ordered the seafood pancake that was full of green onions and veggies. I really like the soup here, but a little sad that they don't include egg in their soondobu. The banchan is my favorite and sometimes it comes with egg and pickled cucumbers. Service is a little slow, especially when they are busy but overall a good place to come with a group of people!

The food was absolutely delicious! The spicy beef bibimbap was not a common dish in Korean restaurants in the valley, and this is definitely worth trying! The beef was ice cold, which went so well with the veggies! The raw egg made the dish more creamy, making it so balanced. The spicy beef soup was one of my favorite too. They put a lot of mushrooms in the soup, and you don't usually get this flavor anywhere else. Love their banchan as well - super fresh and light! With all the decorations , this restaurant really makes you feel like visiting a restaurant in Korea. If you want a real Korean dinning experience, highly recommend!

Great renovations! The space is much cleaner and very spacious! The staff were very kind. We came during weekday lunch and it was empty. Banchan was generally tasty but too salty/flavorful except radish kimchi was too sweet. Got the ox bone soup which was rich but bummer that the meat was overcooked and very tough/dry. Clear noodles were very appetizing. Affordable pricing, better during weekday lunch hours!

I was so excited to try Babo Jumak, new Banchan. Their really remodeled the interior and it was so cool- old style Korean pub/diner feel and they added variety of Korean pancakes! We got to try Ssam bap (bulgogi or pork bulbogi with vegetables and a small soy bean stew). Side dishes were good, but when main came, we were quite disappointed. The portion got smaller than before, and bulgogi was lukewarm and also pretty salty. We might try again with other dishes, but ssam bap was pretty disappointing...

Loved the service and food though please note that their menu is much different than what is showing in Yelp photos. It seems like it may have changed names/ownership and they no longer have the same menu (I had gone for soondubu/tofu soup, but they no longer had it). I tried the soybean soup, seafood pancake, mandu, and hot bibimbap and they were all great. I also loved the amount of complimentary bon chon that they provided. The thing that stood out the most from all this is the freshness of their ingredients. I do not have the best taste for freshness, but it was obvious that they were using good ingredients which made the foods so good I also really loved the traditional Korean decor and table setup.

I was worried at first, because I absolutely loved them before the remodel, but I'm glad to say my worries were for nothing. This place still is amazing, and makes me feel at home. The banchan is always phenomenal as well, so much, that I wish I could take bulk of it home.

Where do I begin here. First of all the decorations are amazing. I felt like walking into a house in Korea. I wanted to take more pictures but I didn't want to be disrespectful to customers who were eating. The service was great. We got our food really fast. The food was delicious. My favorite was the seafood pancake. I highly recommend this restaurant. Best Korean restaurant!

Wow! I have been craving some cold spicy Korean noodles and this place is one of the few that seems to serve it. I ordered takeout, the atmosphere is 10/10! It's so beyond cute, and the staff were so friendly. The food was packaged beautifully and was incredibly tasty. I cant wait to go back and sit down to really enjoy the space.

The service is absolutely wonderful. Price is a bit on the steeper side but they definitely make up for it with the atmosphere of the place. It is very cozy and lower warm lighting. The food is so good. The kimchi stew is so rich and flavorful- sweet, sour, and salty. The free Korean "appetizers" are so good too. The best I've ever had.

It was such a pleasure eating Korean food after really missing it for over a week! This is a 100% Korean-run restaurant with traditional dishes I have not seen in Toronto for a long time. I ordered a saellongtang which I haven't had in years. Spouse said his kimchi-jjigae was better than he gets at home. The panchan was fresh. The service was very pleasant and professional. The kalbi was an add-on and tasted delicious - tender and well-marinated. Only minor criticism is that the salleongtang was fattier than I generally like. The beef was well-cooked but a lot of added extra fat for flavour - some folks like it fattier. I would highly, highly recommend this Korean restaurant. I had a look at the hwae mul pajjeon (seafood pancake) someone ordered and it looked exceptional. They prepare traditional Korean dishes I have not seen in a long time in Toronto. Food is served piping hot.

It's well-suited for a relaxed meal -- whether with family, friends or if you're exploring Korean cuisine as part of your travel & food interests. If you're looking for a Korean restaurant that delivers authentic flavors, a generous menu of classic Korean dishes, and a comfortable setting -- Babo Jumak is highly recommended. I'd give it something like a 5*

The place (formerly known as Ban Chan) was recently renovated and expanded. It looks much more modern inside now! The menu's changed a bit, but most of their popular dishes are still there. We come here whenever we're craving Meat Jun, a Hawaiian-Korean dish that's quite hard to find on the mainland. Everything we ordered was excellent, and the service was attentive. Also love that they stay open late!

Cold noodle good. Banchan real good. Attentiveness of server good. Ambiance good. Wish lights can be lowered.

This was my first time here and it was so good!! I shared 2 dishes (bulgogi and kimchi stew) with my boyfriend and it was the perfect amount of food. Everything was super flavorful. We went with a group of 8 and everyone's dishes came out pretty quick. The server was attentive and always refilled our banchan. We will definitely be back!

Best Korean food I've had outside of K-Town. Didn't want to do the all-you-can-eat thing, so decided to give this place a shot. Staff were great Place was nice and clean Food. Awesome. Made our night! Def coming back.

As someone who has been looking for their go to Korean spot here in Arizona, I have finally found it! Truthfully, I've been disappointed by some of the Korean food here. What I like about Babo Jumak's menu is that it's cozy and nostalgic. All the different jeons! Service can be a little slow, but I would say it's worth the wait. My least favorite part of the meal was the banchan (side dishes), but it's more that they were not made to my tastes. I'm used to the style I grew up with. My group however really enjoyed the banchan. All together, my table ordered the mul naeng myun, rice cake & dumpling soup, beef tartare bibimbap, pork dumplings, and minced meat jeon. Everything was so tasty! I was so happy. I have no complaints about anything. Though I do have some advice about the mul naeng myun: be careful when pouring vinegar into it as their vinegar bottle is a little hard to control the flow of liquid out of. Be mindful that portion sizing is large. Many of the regular dishes are of the size that you may want to share or be prepared to take leftovers home for. We had to take leftovers of everything. I'm looking forward to when I can return again :) I really missed this style of Korean food.

Love the food.. i tried so many korean restaurants but i like this one the most. Their taste so different like once time i traveled to korea

Was pretty disappointed with this place as I was expecting a decent new Korean restaurant. I ordered the beef tartare bibimbap and the meat came out icy. When I bit into it, it was almost like a beef popsicle as it was still hard and not properly thawed. I sent it back to the kitchen and they just sent it back saying it was supposed to be icy. The server was very sweet and did let me order something else instead, which the regular bibimbap was good. Their seafood pancake as well was pretty decent. The interior was nice as well.

The side dishes was delicious. The ambiance is so relaxing. Dinner was delicious. Those who are not accustomed to Korean food recommendations from their servers would be highly appreciated.

Food was fresh, delicious and exceeded my expectations. Definitely a great spot for authentic Korean dishes. The restaurant is also tidy and ambiance is welcoming.

I came here for lunch and they had a lunch special which I quickly pass to try there short rib soup. It was absolutely delicious. 12 on a scale from one to 10. Either way, the restaurant is nicely decorated, and the service was amazing.

What a hidden gem. This is what a home cooked meal feels like! We went with a big group and got to try a lot of dishes on the menu: seafood pancake, naengmyeon, bibim naengmyeon, kimchi tofu soup, tteokbokki, and mixed plate of bulgogi and pork belly. The ban chan was good here of course, living up to its name. Our favorite entrees were the seafood pancake and pork belly! We felt that the bulgogi was a tad bit dry. Overall very solid and authentic Korean restaurant with big hearty portions. Prices were standard but it was worth it for how full we ended up being!

Came back to this spot, and was so happy to see how busy they were. My partner got the Naengmyeon + bulgogi combo (~$18 as of 01/2025) and I got the kimchi stew (~$15). I think for the best bang for your buck, the combo is the way to go. There is a deceptively large amount of noodles in the bowl. However, if you are not a fan of cold, vinegary broths, it'll be best to skip this. I liked the kimchi stew, but felt it was a bit salty, so I couldn't fully savour it. We also got the seafood pancakes, and that was MASSIVE. It was $18 for the entire thing, and it was very yummy. I saw a lot of people order a BBQ wrap set for their tables, so I really want to try that next time.

Wonderful hidden gem!!! Great service, waitress very attentive, and food is amazing! Highly recommended and will come back again.

After reading a Phoenix Times review about this place, we came here tonight after running with Aravaipa. The article reports that you shouldn't order some of your go to Korean dishes here and really give their authentic grandma country cooking a try. We ordered the pork belly and kimchi stew, the steamed cod and acorn jelly salad. The stew was very interesting and the woman who served us brought over a small stove to finish cooking the stew and prior to turning on the stove, cut up the big pieces of fermented cabbage right before our eyes. Soup was fairly sour and tasty. Pork belly was good, but that's not how I like it cooked. I like pork belly caramelized and very very tender. Lots of tofu, so that was great, I love tofu. Steamed cod was also interesting, it was very red when it came to the table and doused in hot pepper sauce. I was able only to eat one piece because a little too spicy for me. My favorite was the acorn jelly salad. I loved it and I will come back just to eat this! It reminds me of a Chinese dish I love, but cannot get out here. This will be excellent when it is so hot outside outside and I'll have the cold buckwheat noodles too when I come back! Overall, a very nice experience and I'll definitely be back to try their other standouts. There was a lot of Korean spoken in the restaurant and I guess it made me really want to visit South Korea at some point to experience the food and culture firsthand.

Very authentic Korean establishment with a varied menu. Had the meat jeon (not common although common in Korea), kimchi stew and mul naengmyeon (cold noodles). All were excellent, especially the cold noodles. Meat jeon was tender and well seasoned. Service was friendly and quick. Would recommend!

One of my go to places for very authentic Korean food. The service was good, and the ambiance is nice with the new remodel! Always worth a visit.

Great authentic Korean spot! I absolutely demolished my kimchi stew - it was so good! My boyfriend loved his bibimbap as well. Good variety of side dishes. Our fave side dish was the soy sauce potatoes of course. Service was good. Plenty of parking. Good amount of seating inside. Their hot pot dishes look great - would love to try those with a bigger group. Overall a solid choice for a casual dinner with friends or family!

Everything is delicious, all dishes including the side dishes are amazing. Very authentic Korean food with great flavors. Service is fast and I even get to meet the chef. Restaurant is nice and cozy, plenty of seating areas. This restaurant opens late till 10:30pm as well. Great place to grab some late night snacks. I will definitely come back again.

They remodeled and WOW!!! Soft contemporary meets traditional Korea. What a beautiful restaurant!!! The food is still DELICIOUS and now the interior matches. The service is still great as well. I am soooo impressed by this restaurant. A+++++++ for everything. This place makes me so proud to be Korean. FINALLY, we have a Korean restaurant in AZ that REPRESENTS!!!

The worst service I've ever received, only one other person in the restaurant. Server came to the table once the entire time, provided refill on banchan and other request to the other party and I was completely ignored. I lost my appetite from the complete disrespect and treatment from this establishment

I've eaten here so often with my friends and alone...what's wrong with eating at a restaurant alone??? nothing of course! meats are really good, and the side dish potatoes are indulgent and the pickled radishes. And I found out theres karaoke rooms? holy cannoli. Portions has been consistent everytime i've gone to eat for dinner. 10/10 WILL be coming back. Adam Nguyen Copyright 2024 - All Rights Reserved.

Hidden gem for Korean food in AZ, ambiance is clean, I could do without the Korean music. Instrumental Korean music would be better. Definitely order the galbi 100% and Kim chee fried rice 100%.

The sides served lives up to the name! We went over for dinner. Got seated quickly! The space has a home kitchen vibe. Simple and feel good. We got Kimche Jigae, Seafood pancake and Bibimbap. The banchan here was a hit. So many variety. Our favorite was shredded Raddish pickle, eggplant, and kimchi! The Kimchi in the stew was too sour for our taste and the broth was very watery! It came with free rice. It had big chunks of pork, but didn't care for the taste of the meat as it did not feel fresh. Next, the seafood pancake was good but bit oily for our taste. The size was huge. Next the Bibimbap was better than the rest. We have had better Korean food, 3 stars for the customer service, portion, and Banchan. Not sure if we will be going back!

We miss Ban Chan! We are just 2 old white folk that still don't know how to use chopsticks. But over the past years we fell in love with Ban Chan... From the service, ambience and of course the food! Staff was always welcoming and they remembered what we liked and always took care of us! We couldn't wait to go back after the renovations/expansion. In fact, we were there the first day they opened back up for their soft opening. We only recognized one of our regular waitresses and the older lady in the kitchen... Our waitress said there weren't new owners but it sure feels like it. She said the menu was just for the soft opening and they would have most all our favorites back in a month or two. Fast forward... Still no chicken dishes! I just don't get it! Our favorites are gone. The side dishes are still yummy but we just don't know what to order with this new menu. We are probably in the minority and creatures of habit... But we miss EVERYTHING about the "old" Ban Chan. I would think of this restaurant as a nice upscale Korean restaurant... Even though it's beautiful inside now and they have fancier utensils and dish-ware... It's missing that charm and authenticity the "old" Ban Chan exuded. I suppose the way to avoid disappointment is to just accept this is a totally new different restaurant... NOT the award winning Ban Chan! Unfortunately, my husband says he won't be back. I could understand expanding the restaurant... But why such a drastic change with the menu?

My new favorite Korean restaurant! Super authentic! We got the Japchae, bulgogi, and meat jun! The ban chan were all really good! I'm a little picky on kimchi - I think the kimchi could be a little more pungent but that's just my preference for kimchi. The japchae was the most delicious restaurant japchae I've ever had!!! The bulgogi was large and the meat jun was really tasty (although not as large of a portion as the bulgogi). The staff were absolutely swamped, but still attentive and friendly which I appreciated! Will definitely be back. I strongly recommend this place for anyone craving Korean food! I'm excited to go back and try more dishes! The overall ambiance is very cozy and comforting - like you're eating at a friend's house.

My go-to Korean restaurant in the valley. Good for two people large groups, I've always had good experiences here after ordering like half the menu at this point.

Ban Chan 2909 S Dobson Rd, Mesa, AZ 85202 I had a lovely lunch date with my scary sister today. It's been such an exciting time for her as her daughter gave birth on July 5th, and she's back from Korea We decided to try out Ban Chan, and although I initially thought there was a change in ownership because the service was horrible. The service from the waitress could have been more welcoming, I might consider trying out Hodori next time for better service I value my hard-earned money too much to not have a positive dining experience, but I still left a generous 20% tip as I appreciate supporting small businesses.

Great food. It seemed authentic because there was item only found here not at other restaurants, like the spicy cold noodle, the ox taul soup. I really like the spicy cold noodle. Very friendly owner. The ox tail soup needs a lot of salt but fyi, shocking news, you actually have to season it yourself! I didn't know it until the end though. Once it was seasoned, it was rather good.

Spicy galbi Jim was really good. Portion size was huge. It'll at least feed two hungry adults. We had leftovers to take home. The rice cakes in this dish was nice surprise too. Although this dish is traditionally sweet, it wasn't overly sweet which was perfect for me. The bibim nengmyun was way too spicy. Looked like they added way too much pepper flakes. Otherwise, it was decent. The side dish was as expected. The best was the cold soy sauce pork. Very tender and delish. Overall, enjoyable lunch. Highly recommend.

Food was delicious! My grandma took all her grandchildren for dinner and we ordered a whole bunch of items on the menu, especially the ones on the wall Service was good. It wasn't that busy for 7pm and we got seated right away. There were 2-3 other tables that were occupied after we had our food out the table Ambiance, it was quiet but for us, we had a baby on our end and he was quite cranky and sleepy lol but overall it was pretty quiet and everyone else talked among themselves The food came out fast too. Next time I will try the rice wine but I couldn't tonight for I had class the next day

Great mom n pop restaurant with super kind staff and tons of seating. Seems pretty family friendly! We ordered the seollongtang-oxbone knee soup, cold noodles with skate fish, and seafood pancake. The ox bone soup was delicious and the most meaty we've ever had it! Usually there are a few thin slices of beef at other places. Here the pieces are thicker and plentiful. I'm not sure if thick pieces are authentic but either way it was good. FYI, it doesn't come salted. They provide salt and pepper so you can adjust to your preference. The ban chan was plentiful and fresh. Delicious! One of them was made in house and we enjoyed it. The cold noodles with skate fish were OK. I think we've concluded we aren't into Korean style cold noodles so we won't get it again, too saucy for us. But doesn't mean we won't return to try other dishes! The skate fish was also really bony and hard to chew. Lastly, the seafood pancake had lots of seafood and green onion! Which was great. Some places don't put enough. It was slightly doughy/undercooked in the center but the sides were nice and crispy at least. Solid spot and we'll return to try other dishes - beats the wait at Hodori which we like but we are impatient lol

Such a great place! I was craving some korean food so badly one day, and although I'm not a person to dine by themself, I had to have my ban chan. I was greeted by the friendly lady up front, and she was super kind! The food is great, the environment is cute. It's almost always packed when I come here, a true testament to this gem of a place.

Ban Chan is a very authentic and traditional Korean restaurant located in Mesa! Our first experience there did not disappoint. You are brought out some small snacks to eat while you wait for your meal, which is a touch I always enjoy at restaurants. Their Kimchi is one of the best I have had! The spicy pork dish was phenomenal and you ate the pork in fresh lettuce leafs, with a few of the on side condiments on top. The Pork Hock (feet) were boiled, and in my opinion, didn't hold enough flavor. However, when some condiments were added the Hock tasted great and was tender. Such a great visit and very affordable!

My go to when I want the best Korean BBQ! The service is great. When I walk In I feel like I'm visiting family! You cam feel the love and pride they have for their craft!