Little Kim

Very much on the expensive side for what it is, but love the flavors that are being put together here. Build your own bowl ends up kinda like bibimbap but without a hot stone, also they forgot my fried egg and ended up making it later and also giving me free fried chickpeas which were incredible. The gochujang sauce is so good

Cute casual lunch spot with yummy food. We got the tofu bowl and fried tofu sandwich and they were both really good! A tad on the pricy side for lunch, but it’s worth it for the quality of the food. Very fresh and flavorful. It is a vegetarian menu, and most if not all can be made vegan.

I was very impressed by the variety of flavor and texture combinations in the food. It felt like a party in my mouth! It seems so simple but the rice they use was also amazing! I love that there are so many clearly labeled vegan and gluten free options even though this is a vegetarian restaurant. I would love to visit again when I’m in the area. A little pricey but the food was really good.

I had the crumbled tofu rice bowl and my husband had the shroom avo bowl, and both were amazing! They were flavors and combinations we didn't have before but they went together perfectly. We thought the portions are generous and both of us had enough for 2 meals which is even better. And the Staff was spot-on answering our questions RE spicy-ness of the menu items. We'll be back for sure! Highly recommend!

Amazing food, always. Highly recommend paneer sandwich and tofu salad. Delish!

The Korean fried chicken sandwich was tasty (although not as spicy as I hoped for), but the bun was too small to contain the ingredients, so the whole thing fell apart, and could not be rescued easily with the provided chopsticks. Ginger soda was quite sweet, and overpriced.

Seems like they are still working this place out, which is understandable as I think they are new. I had Jjajangbap and it's like they haven't figured out the portions. It had the largest portion of bean paste I have ever seen -- like I was feeding a family -- then about 1/4 of the large plate had rice. The taste was good but I think no one would be able to eat this plate as an entree. Also, I thought "grab and go" on the sign would mean there were things you could grab pre-made and go. But it is not like that, you order just like a sit down restaurant, which is what this seems to be. Staff was very nice. Charming place to sit outside. Pricey.

Great flavors! Had the fries, all dipping sauces were incredible, tempeh w black bean sauce, and the crumbled tofu bowl. Will be back to try the rest of the menu because everything was fresh and flavorful!

작은 접시에 담긴 큰 행복. jageun jeopsie damgin keun haengbok. "Big happiness on a little plate." That phrase perfectly captures my experience at Little Kim. Nestled on North 5th Ave with its bright yellow awning, this spot delivers bold Korean flavors in a cozy, approachable way. We ordered the cold noodle bowl (refreshing and full of flavor) and a do-it-yourself bowl, which was both fun and delicious. On the side we shared cucumber mash, kimchee, and chickpeas--each small dish bringing its own personality and depth to the meal. Portions may look "little" at first, but every bite packs so much satisfaction that you leave feeling happy and full without being weighed down. The vibe is casual, with a welcoming patio that feels tucked away even though you're right in the heart of Kerrytown. It's the kind of place where you can linger with friends or stop by for a quick but memorable lunch. Service is warm, prices are reasonable, and everything tastes like it came from a kitchen that genuinely cares. Ann Arbor has plenty of dining options, but Little Kim lives up to its name--it may be "little," but the happiness it serves is truly big.

There's a lot to love about Little Kim, but like all younger siblings it can be hard to escape the shadow of the firstborn. But these two places are different, and they should be treated as such. Little Kim is more casual, less expensive (which is not to be confused with cheap), and drumroll.... not exclusively Korean. The quick, counter service, luncheonette draws influences from Indian, Japan, and China in addition to Korea. And I might argue with the dish Egg in Purgatory, it's also drawing from Italian influences. And with sandwiches on sliced Farm bread from Zingerman's Bakehouse, one could argue other European influences too. Oh yeah, and one of my favorite dishes has a spicy tahini dressing, so also middle eastern maybe? It gets confusing. The food is all tasty. It looks beautiful, as does the physical space. The staff is friendly and accommodating, as one would expect from any place under the Zingerman's umbrella. I've been a few times, and the one dish that in my mind stands head and shoulders above the rest is the humble Crunchy Sesame Salad. It's $7 and has no leafy greens. Instead there's shredded red cabbage, chunks of celery, and shaved fennel. The dressing is a creamy and spicy tahini, which is balanced with a scattering of sweet and chewy golden raisins, with a sprinkling of sesame seeds for bit more toasty oomph. Seriously, I could eat this every day. The fried tofu is delightful, albeit in a different style from the fried tofu at Big Kim across the alleyway. While the fried tofu works well in the bowls, I've found the sandwiches to be just a little lacking. For me, it's the bread. Now I love the Farm Bread from Zingerman's Bakehouse. But it has never felt like a good fit for these really flavorful and beautiful sandwiches. It's just a bit too dry and stiff. Perhaps if it was grilled or pressed, we might be having a different conversation. As long as we're doing a cross cultural creative cuisine, I think some kind of Indian Pav would be lovely! Dare to dream. Fried chickpeas are magnificent. Even better than the french fries. The real trick to enjoying a meal at Little Kim is to go with a group and share. The fries are huge. While the chickpeas are smaller, they are denser and one order can be shared by several folks. The Egg in Purgatory is loved by so many folks, but also it's not for me. Maybe it's because I've had some great traditional eggs in purgatory and plenty of Shakshuka. While I love chickpeas, I find them out of place in this dish. I'm also still left scratching my head as to why the default is just one egg on this enormous plate of tomatoes and beans. That said, I've also enjoyed the chilled tofu noodle bowl and the Jjajangbap. And I'm looking forward to returning and trying the hot tofu rice bowl and the seaweed roll. Plus Little Kim is pretty darn new. I expect the menu will be evolving as the seasons chance, and I'm expecting more delicious items to emerge from the kitchen and additional personal favorites that rise to the level of that fantastic sesame salad. What a delightful way to eat your veggies and enjoy some of chef Ji Hye's flavors when you didn't have the foresight to make a reservation next door.

Surprising amounts of umami, great textures, and very filling At 1:30pm on a sunday, Little Kim wasn't too busy so my gf and I decided to try it. We typically eat some kind of meat protein with meals, sometimes sweetgreen or chipotle if we want to eat healthy, but usually we shy away from vegetarian since most veg places don't fill in the meaty protein gap with fatty umami flavor or texture Little Kim proved that notion wrong The tofu bowl had this nutty and creamy tahini that balanced well with the acidic pickled daikon and the perfectly blanched broccolini. The toppings of fried chickpeas also provide this oily crunch in between bites of rice and egg as if I was eating chili crunch with my breakfast The fried tofu sandwich has this surprisingly spicy (but just a bit) chipotle mayo that pairs strangely well with seaweed mayo? My gf thought there might have been tuna or fish in it and it took us a minute to realize it utilized the umami from seaweed and it almost emulated like a fried fish sandwhich Also want to mention that the yuzu soda was perfectly sweet (typically it's over sweetened) I was so happy with my meal but when our server came and asked us to leave a survey it had me thinking about what I also didn't like about Little Kims First was the bread on the tofu sandwich. As much as I enjoy a zingermans pastrami, the bread shows to be very bland and stale here. There were perfect amounts of balance in the ingredients but the bread is overwhelmingly big in comparison and overshadows how much work went into everything in between. It has no flavor and the crust almost cuts into your gums if you bite it the wrong way. I would have much rather eaten this with a bun or a roll but it almost felt silly that the sandwich was served with zingermans bread and a dill pickle because it just didn't pair well to me Second the seating is pretty cramped inside. The seats and tables are aligned in a way that you have to squeeze through if other people are at the end of your table or at the next. Also the metal chairs are a little strange especially because mine was unbalanced and tipped anytime I would lean in for a bite Lastly, even though I enjoy all the available asian drinks and items, it was a bit distracting when I was coming up to the register to figure out what I wanted to eat. I get that it kind of emulates zingermans in that way of having other things available to purchase but the aesthetic of the shop feels like it wants to be a bit more minimalist Don't get me wrong though, I still loved lunch here and will be coming back a lot. I rarely leave reviews but because I was asked, it seems like this place wants to continue to improve and I hope this makes it to someone there who takes it into consideration I've avoided Miss Kim for a while because of how overly hyped and packed it seems to always be, but maybe I'll put a reservation sometime now that I've enjoyed this spot

Wow. Where do I even begin?! Every single thing we had from Little Kim was incredible. Soooo much flavor in every dish! Even my non-vegetarian family members loved their dishes so much. The fried tofu sandwich is amazing, 10/10 I wouldn't change a single thing. And their fried chickpeas are too, I couldn't have loved them more. I could make the fried chickpeas an entire meal, they're that good! They're perfectly crispy and seasoned. Their fries are really great too! My brother loved the chilled tofu noodles too- he added egg on top and said it was perfect. I can't wait to explore more of their menu. The staff were extremely nice and welcoming and it was very clean and well organized inside. There is a small parking lot that we were able to get a spot in, too, which was really nice. Overall 10/10 experience which made me so excited to come back to try more.

Little Kim is Miss Kim's vegetarian fast casual concept! You order at the counter and you get a number for your table & they bring your food. In true ZCOB fashion, the staff couldn't be more friendly. Honestly so nice and helpful. I was oogling at all the Korean snacks they had like Turtle Chips (yum!), mint herbal candy, whale shaped squid chips (?). I had the Jajjangbap (Korean Chinese Black Bean Sauce Over Rice, Brinery Tempeh, Zucchini - $15) I also added an egg for extra $. It was a plenty big portion that I ate half for lunch the next day. I thought it was pretty unique as I've only had jajjang NOODLES. With rice is different but I was into it. This version is super pungent and flavorful. Love it. I also didn't even realize there was tempeh in it! I also ordered the fries because I wanted to try the sauces: *Seaweed sauce - worth a try but I think would be better as a sandwich sauce! *ssamjang mayo - OBSESSED - my favorite. kinda funky from what ssamjang is (fermented) *curry mayo - I mean can't really go wrong. The only thing is that I like steak fries and these were super thin but not crispy enough. It was a HUGE portion so I took it home and airfried it to perfection! I'll be back when they have kimbap on the regular!! I'm so looking forward to being able to have this at a place on the regular. FYI there's some outdoor seating in the front & back courtyard. Otherwise, it's communal tables.

Tasty fast Korean food. This is a fantastic place for a quick healthy lunch. The service was fast, the flavors were good, and we got to sit outside and enjoy the sun. There isn't a lot of space inside so Im not sure how this will be in the winter. The food was tasty, but didnt blow me away. I would come back for lunch.

It's hard to do a good vegetarian only place, and little Kim accomplishes this! The meals were flavorful. Would recommend the paneer and tomato sandwich, the addition of curry paste added a great flavor. Would want the tofu bowl to have a little more spice. The service was quick, however the space itself is a little cramped. Additionally, it was fairly expensive

Great concept and excited about this more grab and go casual option alongside Miss Kim! Stopped in for a to go order on a weekday, lunchtime. The menu is varied and everything sounds pretty yummy. For my first time, I got the fried tofu sandwich, and when prompted "would you like fries?", added those to my order as well. The sandwich was yummy! Super filling. Great option but I wouldn't say mind-blowingly phenomenal necessarily. I hear the thing to try next is the Mushroom Avocado bowl, and that that dish is really standout. The sandwich was so filling that I didn't really have any room left for the fries :D, which was a sizeable portion. The dip/sauce options here are SO fun. So many to try! Wait was around 15-20min, which works well for a lunch break from work.

I really enjoyed my quick lunch here. It's a grab and go addition to the main restaurant next door. It's in an area where there are several restaurants and shops but some communal seating outside. The inside was nearly empty but the rest of our group chose other places so we split up which was sad. It was very loud inside though nearly empty as it is all hard surfaces. The food was fine but we ate quickly to join the rest of our group outside where chairs and seating was scarce. The rice bowl was a little spicier than I had expected but the rest of the ingredients were fine. The purple rice was delicious. It's really just a take out space or to eat quickly and leave. They were processing a lot of orders. Next time I'd like to try their main restaurant next door with others who want to sit and enjoy the food. It just wasn't that sort of day. Specify when you want less of certain parts. It did hold up well for leftovers though so taking the rest to our just home was a good idea. Another lunch was easy to have it.

Always incredible food and service. A really reliable place for a quality meal. So many great options and have never been disappointed.

The fries, by themselves, are quite good. But the sauces they have to dip the fries in are really different and something else! I didn't think I'd like the matcha seaweed mayo, but I was wrong. I really liked it! What a strange combo that turned out to be a favorite. This is a good place for a quick bite. They have ample outdoor seating, and indoor seating if you want that. It is a bit hard to find if you don't know the area.

I was very excited to try Little Kim. The food did not disappoint but the price of the bowls is certainly high for what you get. For a quick service restaurant paying $17+ for a mushroom and avocado bowl is too much.

The staff is extremely well tried, gracious, attentive. The food is a unique fusion of Korean with other cultures and food traditions. I always feel as though I am sampling a successful experiment by a gifted chef. Kim is the best, Miss Kims is the best in A2.

the tofu sandwich was good but quite small considering a price of $17. Photos of the sandwich in ads make it appear to be much more sizable.