Pepero Korean Market and Restaurant

Good, authentic feeling Korean. I’m not familiar with this type of food. Came in expecting a lot more spice and flavor, but everything was mild. The veggies were fresh and delicious. The rice was sticky and good. The meat was basic. Our waiter was wonderful. We enjoyed walking around the store after dinner.

Ok I admit, I was a bit hesitant to try Pepero HOWEVER I was absolutely blown away by the food and experience! I can’t wait to go back. Every bite was flavorful, delicious, and authentic. The service was very friendly and this is by far some of the most authentic Korean / asian food you can get anywhere in the Charlotte area. I highly recommend checking this place out!

Nice cozy family run Korean restaurant and grocery store. Don’t let its unassuming appearance from the outside fool you. The restaurant was busy for a lunch on a Thursday. Service was quick and attentive. We tried the seafood pancake, a pork dish, a beef dish and the rice cakes. The seafood pancake was incredible and the pork had the right amount of spice. Very reasonably priced as well. Highly recommend and will be back! The grocery store area is expansive and features a wide assortment of Korean food, beauty, and cooking products; including Korean ingredients such as crushed red pepper powder and potato starch in large sizes. This is truly a hidden gem in the Matthews area and highly recommend to anyone who loves Korean food or is curious to try it.

Probably the BEST authentic Korean food in all of Charlotte. Reasonable prices, comprehensive menu, unpretentious atmosphere, fast service. I always order BiBimBap or the Grilled Mackerel w/seafood soup. Of course, you get the wonderful side dishes and rice included. Nice little grocery store as well. It never disappoints and I drive from Lake Norman for this food!!!!!!!!!

The best seafood pancake I’ve ever eaten. Not soggy at all, but crispy and there’s a decent amount of seafood in it. The kimchi stew is pretty sour, you can’t drink it alone, you need to pair it with rice. The tteokboki isn’t spicy at all, very mild.

So we went out looking for an original Korean mom and pops and we found it. It’s nothing fancy and its little restaurant is part of a small Korean market However not being Korean at all, I walked in with my family and the service was kind, happy, sincere and warm. My daughter knows two Korean words and she put them to practice and they made her feel like the smartest girl in the world, so sweet. The food is fresh but the seafood is frozen package seafood . Other than that, we’ll be coming back often.

If you enjoy Korean food, this hole in the wall restaurant inside an Asian market place is a perfect hidden gem in Matthews. The main entries to side dishes are all delicious. We frequently return we like it so much and recommend the bul-go-gi for two and seafood pancake.

I absolutely love this place!!!! My favorite Korean restaurant in North Carolina. They have the most delicious food. Everything I’ve ever ordered. I’ve loved it always taste like comfort good and delicious with the sweetest lady that works there. I always love to order the Bossam

Pepero is hands down the best Korean restaurant in Charlotte! It's a bit of a hole-in-the-wall spot, and while the atmosphere may leave a little to be desired, the food more than makes up for it. The flavors here are absolutely unbeatable. I highly recommend the Stir Fry Spicy Squid--it's perfectly cooked, packed with heat and bold flavors that keep you coming back for more. If you're a fan of authentic Korean cuisine and don't mind a simple setting, Pepero is a must-visit. The food speaks for itself, and it's well worth the trip!

Best Korean food in Charlotte. Kimchi pancake 10/10. Cold noodles I didn't like but my friend raved (I'm personally not a fan of cold foods). Spicy squid over rice soooo good. But then short ribs omg 100000/10

Heck ya to this airbrush Korean restaurant. It was all Koreans when we walked in, so I know it had to be good! Great service and good came out piping hot. I asked for more banchans and she refilled them generously! They'd a market attached and had all the basics for a delicious Korean meal, including snacks and drinks!

Authentic delicious Korean food! Service was amazing and our book club enjoyed our dinner here. Fair warning I wouldn't recommend if you are vegetarian or don't eat red meat as most of their menu options are pork/beef.

Impulsively tried the Korean restaurant in the back of the store. The food was amazing. I had a bowl of spicy beef soup. It's called. Yookgaejang It was full of flavored ice beef wonderful soup. I really enjoyed it. Have a recommend this place.

Always fresh, always delicious! We love this place time and time again. The service is always friendly and quick, and the cute little tables/booths are cozy to enjoy your meal.

I was looking for a Korean restaurant, not Asian fusion, and was pleased to find PePeRo. The grocery store and restaurant entrance is on the side of the building, not facing Monroe Rd. I enjoyed the spicy beef & vegetable soup (yukgaejang). My soup was served with a healthy portion of rice and four side dishes (banchan). The food is simple and delicious. Service is limited and efficient.

Authentic Korean food. No alterations to plates to keep authentic also. The picture speak for it self. It was truly delicious. I had the beef broth rib soup, it comes with glass noodle inside and scrambled egg. The north is delicious. I tried the pork and it was. so So good! I recommend . The soup also comes with white rice and it is big enough to share. I had it for lunch and diner. The ambience is original; and it's a super market with a restaurant in the back. Almost like a hidden jam. Service is fast and friendly.

This is a pretty good, authentic spot. Those that are both grocery store and restaurant. Went for the restaurant and was very very tasty, filling and good. Bought some Asian snacks in the grocery store on my way out. Only con is that it closes quite early! So plan ahead!

Pepero is my favorite restaurant of all time. The food is delicious, the staff are very kind, and the restaurant itself is quaint and cute. I love Pepero and even though I'm moving from Charlotte this won't be my last time visiting. P.S. I'd highly recommend Woo Guh Ji Galbi Tang and Kimchi jjigae with 2 extra rice.

I personally really loved it and I'm usually not the biggest fan of Korean food. We got the sea food pancake and it was awesome

Embarking on a Korean culinary adventure led us to this hidden gem - a delightful blend of restaurant and grocery store magic! Picture this: a cozy hole-in-the-wall that you might miss if not for the culinary compass guiding you in. Navigating the entrance was an adventure of its own, but fear not, a friendly gentleman served as our culinary guide. Once inside, the vibe was like stepping into a friend's home - intimate, warm, and filled with the tantalizing aroma of authentic Korean delights. Now, the menu stared back at us with an array of tempting choices. With a party of three, we decided to keep it sane and not order the entire kitchen. We kicked things off with Yaki Mandoo - a taste bud teaser that left us craving more. Our ambitious attempt at Steamed Mandoo hit a roadblock (they were out!), but that's a reason to return, right? For the main act, we summoned the flavor gods with Gai bi, Bul go gi, and the mighty Kimchi Jji Gae. Cue the side dish parade - kimchi, rice, soybean sprouts, spicy cucumber salad, and spicy radish salad. Each dish was a culinary masterpiece, painting a vibrant picture of Korean authenticity on our palates. Let's talk service - exceptional is an understatement. The staff danced the service tango, making us feel like VIPs on a Korean flavor escapade. Needless to say, a return journey is on the horizon. If you're yearning for a taste of authentic Korean bliss, this place is your ticket to flavor town. Get ready to embark on a culinary voyage you won't soon forget!

Quaint restaurant attached to a (Korean goods) grocery store. The smells pulled us in for lunch as we were browsing in the store. We were not disappointed. Ordered hot pot (crunchy rice!)- is like a bib bim bop but continually cooking. Was fun to see a wide range of folks enjoying Korean food- one older southern gentleman I'd imagine meeting at a local diner was there with his buddy joking with the waitress about the spice of his lunch burning on the way in..."and on the way out"... Good service, good food, small restaurant. We came at the end of a lunch shift.

The food was yummy! I just moved from Vienna, VA and craving Korean food. It was very satisfying!

My favorite favorite Korean place. This place is number one. It's a hole in the wall place, it's inside a grocery store but it's so so delicious. The price is so worth it compare to other places. I love all the little side dishes. I eat everything. The service is good. They are very fast. Never had a bad experience here and love making the drive for it even though it's far.

It's all about expectations. If you are looking for fine dining.....this is not your place. We came on a Sat night and the place was busier than I expected. We got a table no problem We ordered Dolsot Bibimbap ($13) and it was fine. The amount of beef bulgolgi was very small. I'd rather they offer more options (spicy pork or chicken) and provide more meat and charge more. Also got the seafood pancake ($10) and my bride seemed to really enjoy it. The sides were okay....my bride thought the pickeled vegetables were the best. Typically at a Korean restaurant the sides come immediately, but they came with the meal here. No alcohol. Service was good.

Love this hole-in-the-wall! It is a grocery mainly with a small area set aside for dining. It is no frills. Craving some bi bim bob, I came here with some friends. Ample seating. We started with some veggie buns which were large and delicious. Our bi bim bob was sizzling when it arrived to our table and our waitress was even able to accommodate us by making sure our eggs were well done (which isn't the traditional way, but just how we needed them cooked in this instance). Our food was served with a variety of kimchi. There are some sauces to choose from, the red sauce had a nice kick to it. Great friendly service. There is a bell at your table that you ring if you need anything. Seemed to draw in a nice local crowd. I've never been near Korea, but this place seems about as authentic as you can get in Charlotte, NC!

Hands-down best Korean restaurant in Charlotte that serves traditional dishes. Nothing fusion about this place. Good home-cooked Korean food. Prices are very good. Highly recommend.

The food is amazing. The restaurant is small. Not fancy. I recommend you try this place. Lots of options for gluten and dairy free eaters. Entrees are a size for two people to share.

Excellent I always go to eat Korean dishes, service was good she was very polite, Ambiance is a family restaurant don't spect fancy place but is just right for what the do yummy foods!

Always enjoy a meal here. The service is always friendly. We ate the steamed mandoo, very flavorful filling, Woo guh ji gal bi tang (spicy beef short rib soup), so good and bursting with flavor. Nice spice factor, not too over powering. Gal bi tang (beef broth soup with short ribs). Hubby had this and enjoyed it. Baby girl had the Udon and this is her favorite place for it besides homemade. Bansang (banchan)was pretty good also. I didn't care for the cucumber kimchi but the Napa cabbage kimchi was pretty good. I'm a very picky kimchee eater. No one makes kimchi like my momma. We've been here before and will continue to go, for sure.

PePeRo is fantastic. My wife and I live in Providence so we're only about a 15 minute drive from the restaurant and it's been on our list for a while to try since we enjoy finding and visiting these hole in the wall type places. PePeRo did not disappoint in the slightest. It's located in the back of a grocery store and there were about 8 tables in a room that probably sat 40-50 people at one time. We went on a Sunday evening with a couple friends around 7 PM so we were able to snag a table easily. The ordering process was pretty simple! We grabbed a table, the lady came around with menus and water, and we pressed the button on the wall when we were ready to order and did so when we needed something throughout the meal! We didn't get TOO adventurous on this particular visit. We went with appetizers of yakimandoo, steamed mandoo, and ddukbokgi. The ddukbokgi was my absolute favorite since i'm a huge fan of rice noodles. The sauce they had the noodles and veggies in was super flavorful - so much that I was dipping other things into it as well. The Yakimandoo was very crunchy and came with another dipping sauce that was great. The steamed mandoo was pretty big but the filling was delicous. We got bulgogi beef and pork to split with our friends and both were inhaled by the table. The beef bulgogi probably could have been a little more saucy like the pork bulgogi but it was all still 5 out of 5. We'll be sure to expand a little bit outside of the norm next time we come, and we will definitely be back soon!

This place is a true hidden gem. The food is outstanding. The service is amazing. The prices were affordable. Worth the 1 1/2 hour drive we made to get here. Will definitely be back.

PSA My friend ate here and her food had broken black pieces of cement in it. Instead of remaking the food and apologizing, they took the bad food and served it in a new bowl. Then came out and told my friend that's how they eat in in Korea so what's your problem. Then turned to my Asian gf and spoke in Korean saying it must be nice to be married to a white guy, and your kids are half n half. Chef continued to humiliate my friend in Korean , screaming at her in front of everyone else. The chef is racist and downright should never cook another meal to the public again. She is crazy and needs to be FIRED. I will never again support this gross racist restaurant....... thanks for the crunchy plaster food and your screaming humiliating comments. Great entertainment too.

Don't waste your time or money going anywhere else but here! If you want some great, flavorful, authentic, no frills, uncle, auntie, momma, daddy, grandma, grandpa is in the kitchen cooking, head to PePeRo. Don't let the diveyness of it deter you. Yes it's in a Korean Grocery Store and is a shows some age but that's a good sign. And when you're done eating or when you're waiting you can shop and bring some great eats to take home. If you're lucky you will get there at the right time to get some kimbap/gimbap to take home. It goes fast. So get some of that and grab a large jar of Kimchi on your way out. I've had the tteokbokki, seafood pancake, seafood tofu stew, dolsot bibimbap, spicy squid with rice, Soondae Soup, Fried Mandu, Gal bi tang, galbi and the kimchi pancake to name a few things. EVERYTHING is good, great or amazing. If you're a first timer and want to play it on the safer side go for the tteobokki, seafood tofu stew, galbi and mandu. And if you want to be adventurous try something you've never heard of before and are even a little afraid to try and then work your way through the menu. It's such a great place to get delicious eats and then browse the grocery store and adventure through the aisle to explore even more and expand your culinary horizons. They don't have an extensive beverage or dessert menu but you can head to the grocery store while you wait for your food and you can purchase something and bring it back to your table. Oh, and another thing I like is that there is a bell you ring whenever you'd like your friendly waiter or waitress to come to your table. The tables fill up quickly when they open but they turn them over at a great pace as well. Bring your appetite, your grocery bags and an empty belly ready to be filled with goodness and then go home and sleep like a baby. That is all!

Authentic Korea food Great prices Fast and friendly service I will be back on my next trip to charlotte

I was looking for Yukaejang soup in the Charlotte/ Rock Hill area, and found this restaurant, an 'attached to the store' type of restaurant- which Ive always found to be the best kinds. So glad I came. Highly recommend.

Attached to a market. Home cooked meal taste. Excellent. This place is a gem. Place was packed... and a line was developing. Service was quick and efficient

SO...I introduced this place as THE most authentic Korean restaurant in Charlotte to a Korean friend that's fairly new to the area. I basically raved about the foods here...despite it being a "hole-in-the-wall" kind of a joint. Well, I can't believe I'm actually going to say this, but the foods that we had today just weren't that great. In fact, they were barely good...bordering bad??? I was beyond disappointed with their Jjajangmyun and Tangsuyuk especially...given that those were the twin items that I loved in the past. Tangsuyuk was still good (but not AS good as they used to be?)...but the Jjajangmyun was just plain bad. Never thought I'd say this of a Korean dish, but it tasted SO DAMN BLAND. The Black Bean sauce barely had any flavor to it at all...plus, they were all soupy! Where were the chunky parts to this dish?!? Basically, we both ate less than half of our bowls. We also ordered the Fried Mandoo and Tteokbokki as sides...and they were just OK at most. Even the complimentary side dishes. We used to get at least 5-6...today, there were just TWO small side dishes (the Yellow Takuan Raddish and Kimchi). BTW, the Kimchi tasted awful as well. OMG?!? Honestly, I'm stumped. Do they have a new cook? Were they out of an ingredient or two?? Was it just an off day??? Ahhh...forgot! Maybe it's the aftermath of Covid???? I've been to Pepero many, many times in the past 2 decades, and I've NEVER had such bad Jjajangmyun, Tteokbokki, and even crappy side dishes! I was nearly shocked at how bad the foods were today. Seriously, what happened?!? As bad as this Jjajangmyun was today, I honestly don't know if I'm ever going to order this dish here again...I've lost faith! I'm just hoping that today was a fluke because this is a restaurant that I turn to regularly for its authenticity. If this is the new norm in their quality of foods, I'm beyond sad. Based on the quality of the foods we had here today, I can't rate higher than 2. In fact, based on just the Jjajangmyun and the 2 measly side dishes, I'd rate today a 1, but I'm a tad partial from my history here. All I can say is that I truly hope things get back up to speed, and that I'm able to upgrade the ratings on my next trip here. Fingers crossed! :\ PS**Luckily, the take-home foods from Pepero store turned out to be good...especially the Kimchi Pancake, so I've revised the review back up to at least 3 stars (but I still stand by today's assessment of the bland Jjajangmyun as no better than 1)

A hidden gem. You literally would not know this is a restaurant if you were driving by, but there is some great authentic Korean food here. We started with the steamed buns, which are amazing; piping hot, fresh and a great balance of doughy goodness mixed with vegetables. Then ordered the Bibmbap, which arrives sizzling in a cast iron bowl like a Korean fajita. The ingredients are fresh, and the kimchi and hot sauce paired perfectly together. It was so good I forgot to take pictures of everything after the buns arrived. This will definitely be added to the rotation!

October 2022. What's goooood yelpstafam. We hit up Pepero, which is directly attached to a small Asian grocery store, for some dinner noms and that shii was fire. We did a family style din and just shared a bunch of dishes. We started off with a hotpot thing, I forgot the name but it was really good - the broth was a good spice and had lots of stuff in it. The seafood pancake was good too - think of an crispyish, fluffy omelette with seafood, definitely would get this one again. Beef Bulgogi was okay in my opinion, but the spicy pork Bulgogi was very good. I think the texture of the pork was better - it was more firm and put together compared to the beef's, which was a little more stringy but it was still good nonetheless. The seafood soonduboo (soft tofu soup) was very good as well. Very much warmed our stomachs. Our server was attentive and quick as well. Will definitely be coming back here!

This was an amazing hole in the wall restaurant attached to a little grocery store. The food was authentic, quick to arrive and absolutely delicious. We got the mandu appetizer, udon soup and soft tofu seafood soup. I cant fault anything, and really just can't wait to go back. Definitely grab some mochis from the grocery store on your way out :)

The best Korean restaurant in the area. The beef bulgolgi and mandoo are a must. We tried the bussam for the first time and it was delicious. The service is always friendly and fast, they are very accommodating.

Oh my gosh...! So good ! I love the food especially the beef and the soup is so good whether spicy or really spicy..! Also a really cool food mart . I've tried the ice cream near the front register . Tasty.. will definitely try out different meals and buy some staples ..

One of the best authentic Korean restaurants in Charlotte! It took me a while to check it out because I was on the other side of town, but now I've moved closer and it has become a staple. It was my partner's first time trying Korean and he absolutely loved the bulgogi. They give such good serving sizes as well.

1 star for the terrible service. 1. We waited for our water for about 15 minutes, while other tables get their water very quickly. 2. While taking our order, the waitress, an ajumma, rudely pointed at my Discover card and told me the restaurant does not accept it. I put several cards on the table, including a Visa card which they accept. Was she thinking that I am going to run away without paying? That's ridiculous. 3. We normally tipped 15%-18% for party of 2. But today we were angry and tipped 12%. After I wrote down the amount and signed, the waitress picked up the merchant copy and stared at it as if she was doing the math right in front of us. I doubt whether she would dare to do that in front of other tables.

Charlotte's Korean food scene is almost non-existent. I consistently heard that this place was the best place to come for Korean food in the area, so we finally made the trek to Matthews to check it out. Covid-19: you can order and pay online on their website. Our food was ready pretty quickly when we got there. We got a Seafood Pancake , Ddukbokgi , Jab Chae , and BiBim Naengmyun . The takeout came with bonchon too. These were all things I hadn't tried before and I loved them all. I think the Ddukbokgi was my favorite. I loved the texture. The Jab Chae was a little sweet and I loved the glass noodles. The Seafood Pancake was not at all fishy and very flavorful. The BiBim Naengmyun was good, but it was probably my least favorite. I've now realized that we ate it wrong though. Our takeout came with a partially frozen broth. It was packed with the bonchon so we thought it was a side. I now realize that I was part of this dish. The styrofoam container wouldn't have been the best to pour broth into either, so this could be a little logistically challenging with takeout. Overall, we loved our entire meal. We had leftovers and it was very reasonably priced. I definitely recommend checking out this hidden gem!

Authentic Korean dishes for such an affordable price! Definitely recommend the Pork Bulgogi with rice.

This place is a hidden gem, it doesn't look like much from the outside but their food and store are out of this world. I had bibimbap with tofu instead of the meat and we also ordered a side of seafood pancakes. All the sauces and extra sides that come with your meal are extremely delicious. After dinner we shopped in the Korean store and bought som Soju and they had all kinds of different flavors, it was hard to pick but I ended up getting the peach flavor. Sooo good! Next time you are in the Matthews area, make that your stop!

This will be my last visit here. I came here and sat for 1.5 hours. 30 minutes to eat and an hour just waiting for my ONE togo order. We never got checked on once. There was a total of like 4 tables there. Only time we saw our server was when she took our order, dropped off our food and dropped off our check. I am a server myself so I understand. I paid my bill and left some extra for tip (obviously not as much as I normally do due to lack of service). As we're walking to the car, she comes running after us saying that we didn't tip her enough and needed to give her more. I have never been to a restaurant that chases you down for MORE tip. Definitely my last time here, food isn't good enough for me to overtip on service that I did not get. (This was from a year ago that I accidentally posted on another account.)

Great food, the taste was excellent and fresh. Glad I took a chance and visited. Service was decent.

Portions are generous. Wait time is long but worth it. Hidden gem and best Korean food in Charlotte.

I love places that are considered "hole in the walls" and PePeRo is no exception. The restaurant is actually inside of a grocery store (or is it a grocery store inside of a restaurant?) Either way I'm glad I checked it out because everything I tried was delicious! The seafood soup, the mackerel, even the rice were piping hot and perfectly cooked and seasoned. You also get complimentary bon chon to eat along with your meal. They were busy so the service was a bit slow, but don't let that deter you from trying them out. Make sure you do some grocery shopping as well. They have taiyaki ice cream, an assortment of packaged noodles and even home goods.

I can't recommend this place more. Authentic Korean food with great flavor and great spice. The banchan could use some work but otherwise pretty much anything on the menu I hear is solid I tried the spicy pork over rice. Was on the spicier side for me but delicious! I am coming back here again for sure :)

Traveling for work and my sister that lives in Charlotte recommended we go to Pepero. The restaurant is inside a Korean supermarket, there's not that many tables so it does fill up fast. It was cold that night so I ordered the soft tofu soup with seafood. It was very flavorful on its own, perfect to be mixed in with the rice it comes with. The banchan were excellent! My sister and her spouse both went for bimbimbap which they said it's awesome- they always get it. For appetizer we got the steamed mandoo which came out piping hot and delicious. Had enough of the soup for another meal. Service was good and accommodating. Will return if in the Charlotte area in the future!

Amazing! Super authentic. I had the dol sot bibimbop. The hot bowl made the rice so chewy and crispy. Can't stop thinking about how good it was!

Been going to pepero for years now and they never disappoint ! You can feel the authenticity as soon as you turn into the parking lot! I love it. Never change! The food is absolutely amazing you can really tell someone's Korean grandma is in there putting in that work! Their tteokboki is to die for! Service is straight forward and simple and works smoothly! Will continue to come here for years and years to come!

So disappointed. wait time for food was too long. Side dishes were minuscule. I ordered the dolsot bibimbap and there was little to no beef. They charged gratuity on a table of five. the decor was not pleasing either. not the best korean place.

Hello! It is sad to write this because my family have been coming to Pepero for 10+ years. My dad would always order the Galbi Tang to-go so I wanted to order that for him. When I got the order, the waitress gave me just the soup and nothing else. I usually don't know what goes with it but I do know that it comes with a box that has side dishes so I asked her why I didn't get any side dishes and she says you have to pay for it. I said but doesn't the galbi tang usually come with side dishes? And she says oh I thought you ordered dumpling soup. When she realized I ordered the galbi tang, only then did she give me the box of side dishes. When I got home my dad asked me where was the noodles and the rice that went with it? That is when I realized she didn't give us any of the rice and noodles either. I went back the next day to see if they can give us some credit for my money back but the only thing she said was oh she's new. And even if she did give me some rice and noodles, we wouldn't have anything to eat it with anymore. I just feel cheated and disappointed that they didn't offer a free appetizer or some discount as we always frequent the place and we always tell our friends to eat here. As a restaurant owner's daughter, that is NOT how you treat your regular customers.