Marion S.
Yelp
There was a time when the word "fusion" was a novel concept with restaurants. These days it can be a mixed bag. Sometimes it's a gimmick and other times it's flat out bad...like no one asked for Nordic pupusas? Every now and then though, there are alchemists who get it right...like the Kogi truck before them, Hungry Crowd manages to get the formula right.
Owned and operated by a wonderful Korean family, their Instagram describes themselves as, "California fusion...new age American with a lot of Korean love," and it could not be more true. Hungry Crowd manages to be a diner, bistro, and trattoria...that also serves bibimbap. Come for breakfast, get some eggs benedict. For lunch, have some bulgogi tacos or a nice Cobb salad. On a mild summer evening, enjoy a glass of wine and dinner on their patio with some steak frites or some kind of pasta dish made with kimchi.
When you walk in the place looks clean and sharp. There's a long island bar that's communal seating and the rest of the space is filled out with two and four tops. On a bright sunny day, you're bathed in the light that shines through from Riverside Drive. I haven't come here for dinner yet, but I can only imagine how nice and moody it might be.
Every time I've come here, I was seated fairly quickly and a waiter always checks in to refill drinks or just to check in how you're doing. Their lemonade and cucumber lemonade are refreshing and the drip coffee is cromulent. While the service and ambiance itself earns this place five stars, the food is even more amazing.
For breakfast, get anything with an egg on top. Even if you come in for lunch or breakfast, ask for a fried egg because it will be one of the best cooked eggs you've ever had. I'm not a fan of sunny side up eggs, but here, the well cooked egg and the quality of the eggs they use combine into a work of art. Foodies, if you want that perfect broken, drippy yolk shot, this is the place to go. Eggs Benedict, breakfast burrito, and the loco moco are my go tos in the morning. The loco moco is really special because they use the same seasoning for the bulgogi so it's nice and sweet, paired with the savoriness of cheese, gravy, and rice. The perfect bowl of comfort food on a cold night or a summer morning after you had a little bit too much at a BBQ the night before.
For lunch, I'm not really sure what to get cause when I have been here after they've stopped serving breakfast, I still got breakfasty things. The tacos look like a wonderful option to have...just reading their descriptions on the menu evoke the bright flavors. I recommend getting the spicy pork, on well...anything. It's a meat option for the benedict and if it's good smothered with hollandaise, it's probably good eaten out of a shoe.
For dinner, I can only imagine how good the things they serve are. They have a giant chalkboard full of dinner options, wines, and specials. I guess no one really asked for Korean fusion pastas and raviolis, but yes, I would like to eat that. I do have a coupe frames of reference for how good the dinner can be. If you want some steak frites, come here over an expensive and overrated steak house. The french fries are good and it's just a skirt steak, but it packs the flavor and tenderness of a rib eye. You don't really need the chimichurri, but of course, that is good too. Also their salads are probably good based off the side salads we've gotten with brunch. It's just greens with a simple vinaigrette, but I could eat a bowl of it.
Hungry Crowd is everything you want it to be, but more so, it's that perfect neighborhood spot that everyone goes to and everyone should know.