Nora C.
Yelp
J KOGI Ratings: 3.9/5
Food: 4.25/5 - I was craving for some Korean food, so I decided to get dinner with my siblings and his girlfriend at J KOGI. It was one of the few Korean places in the area with relatively good ratings, vibes, and indoor seating. It was a solid selection for Korean food, but service was way too slow. Please see the description of the items we got last night.
- Kimchi Pancake [GET]: This is a thick, savory and spicy kimchi pancake mixed with onions and scallions. It was fried wonderfully with a burnt and crispy outer layer placed on top of a bed of cabbage, but still got the chewy and doughy texture. I like the fermented kimchi, super sour, tangy, and spicy, which added a great acidity to the pancake. It got a good flour to kimchi ratio too, so overall pretty decent pancake they served.
- Dak Tori Chicken Bowl [GET]: This bowl is packed with tasty and deliciousness. The spicy grilled chicken thighs are well-marinated and packed with flavors, but maybe a bit too much seasonings. I had to mix it up with the rice on the bottom really well to balance the saltiness from the chicken. I added a sunny side egg, and it's fried perfectly with a running egg yolk. The toppings were amazing, and they nailed it on their house kimchi, carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, and wood ear mushrooms. My favorite was probably their kimchi, because it was fresh and sour. Be sure to mix everything together and enjoy every bite. Although the it tasted more like a fusion bowl, but it was good and solid. The bowl is tiny making it hard to stir, but it's packed with food.
Ambiance: 3.75/5 - This is supposed to be a dive bar, but it is more of your typical small local Korean restaurant in the area, but with a full cocktail bar. The interior is small with limited seating, dimly-lit with background music too. The ambiance is causal, fun, and cozy. It is not too loud, so a pretty good place to catch up with friends. There's lots of free street parking nearby.
Price: 4/5 - We got the kimchi pancake to share for $9 and they were thick. For entrees, we each got a rice bowl. I got the dak tori chicken rice bowl for $13, and others are around the same price point. The portions are great and huge, and I was definitely full walking out of J KOGI. It was worth it and a steal for the portion size and taste of the food.
Service: 3.5/5 - There was only one staff working there, and the service was really slow. The food probably took over 45 minutes to come out after we finished our kimchi pancake. The entire dinner took us over 2 hours, which was not expected. They really need to hire another person to serve the tables. A place like J KOGI should not take this long to dine in, and I was a bit annoyed by it.
BLUF: Not your authentic Korean restaurant, but got more of a fusion twist to it. If you are craving for Korean in downtown Richmond, then please come support this local place. The rice bowls here are delicious and huge portion sizes, so I definitely recommend it. Got a low key and very chill vibes. I will return one day when I am in the area again, or maybe get take-out because might be faster.