Rice Kitchen

It was our first try of Rice Kitchen, after good reviews we were in the area, and grab the tofu 4 pieces and the rice bowl. For the price, definitely you'll get value, the portions are big and lots of everything. Flavors were fine, it felt too much from everything, the dressing, the topping. For me, these dishes are unbalanced at all, and could be actually pretty good. Overall, not a bad place, great value for money, and quick service.

Tried their K chicken, Egg, Bulgogi and Spicy Pork. All delicious, packed with protein, good rice:meat ratio, and made quickly. There's an outdoor enclosed patio where you can enjoy their food. Clean, well decorated and bright.

My forever go-to spot for a quick bite in Soho! The chicken gimbap NEVER disappoints. It is so flavorful, delicious, and filling. I would love to try their other items :). There is no indoor seating, but there is outdoor seating in front of the restaurant.

Mushroom kimbap was tasty and filling. It’s quick and easy finger food (great if you’re on the go). There’s no indoor seating but they do have a few seats outside in a covered dining shed.

Recommended for quick bite, grab and go kind of restaurant and seating is located outside. Bulgogi kimbab and tofu bites are top two choices, besides rice bowl

Rice Kitchen in Soho, NYC impresses with its vibrant flavors in their Kimbap and protein-packed rice bowls, perfect for a delicious to-go experience. While it's exclusively for takeout, the speedy service ensures you can savor their fresh offerings on the go, making it a convenient and flavorful choice for busy days in Soho. They also have a few tables outdoors if you want to sit there or eat in the park on the corner corner.

My first time here today for lunch. Received spicy pork kimbap instead of tuna. It must have been someone else’s order I guess. But I still enjoyed it. Portion is pretty small fyi for kimbap. Maybe they could get the name when taking the order to minimize the mix up and give the receipt?

The food was sooooo good and tasty! Good size portions and so tasty! Make sure you try both bowls and Kimbaps!

I was starving and was looking for a quick fix that would satisfy my hunger. Thankfully, I stumbled on this place and decided to check them out. Their menu is straight forward and easy to order from so I ended up getting their kimbap bulgogi and four assorted tofu bites. I was surprised how artistically beautiful their rolls were and it was tightly wrapped and super delicious and very tasty. Which made it easy for me to pop them in my mouth as I took it to go. They don't have seating inside as this place whatever because their food is really good so I'm not going to complain. As for their tofu bites, it was amazing. It hit such a high note and burst with umami flavor. I esp enjoyed the mushroom. Silky and delicious. I definitely recommend this place for sure. If I'm nearby, I would definitely go here again.

The prettiest, flavorful and most generously-packed kimbap ive ever had (just look at the pictures). Perfect spot for a quick bite since it's mostly for takeout--note they do have a covered outdoor seating area if you wanna eat then & there. Service is friendly, food is prepared fairly quickly!

This is a smaller hole-in-the-wall place that we randomly stumbled upon. My order was the Rice Kitchen Bowl with K chicken kimbat, with some kind of garlic aioli sauce on top. It was loaded down with food and was prepared pretty quickly. The workers inside were also very nice. There wasn't a proper inside eating area, but they had a little outside eating area. I was thankful they had it, but my only critique might be just giving it a good clean, dusting, etc. But overall I'd definitely recommend this place.

Came here with a friend because we were craving stuffed tofu skin. This place is super comparable to YUBU in soho. Super refreshing and the perfect bite on the go. I feel like I also have to be in a particular mood to be craving tofu skin, but when I am in one of those moods it hits 10X harder. I would for sure come back because the food is decently priced, fast service, and yummy flavors!

Delicious Traditional Korean Bites. Perfect place for lunch or take outs. Friendly service.

Love coming here for lunch. The kimbap and tofu bites are the best and there is only outdoor seating (great on a nice spring or summer day)

No indoor seating, but there is an outdoor patio! Fast service! I missed kimbap! Loved the bulgogi kimbap & They didn't skimp out on the filling

I had a great bowl of 2 proteins. The pork was ok but the first meat, birogi??? Can't recall. That was delectable. Super filling meal. All really good fresh ingredients. Loved the rice. Loved the noodles. Yum. Would go back.

For the portion, $12 for 4 tofu bites loaded with hearty toppings is pretty reasonable in this economy. However, the flavors and seasonings were very Americanized. If you're looking for authentic Korean yubu, you will be very disappointed (like me). Sorted by personal preference: (1) Bulgogi (2) Mushroom (3) Spicy Pork. Bulgogi tasted average but nothing impressive. The spicy marinated pork here was exactly like Chinese canned spiced pork cubes (五香肉丁) lol... Totally not what I expected from a Korean spot. The chopped mushrooms were very bouncy and well-seasoned. It proves sometimes vegetarian options are much safer than the meat ones lol.

Was looking for a late lunch. This spot fit the bill, after doing a quick search on Yelp. Quick and efficient, though was sorry to learn there are no gluten free options. I brought it home and it was very tasty. The serving was a good size and kept me going without craving dinner that evening. All good.

Small inside, but was able to stop and grab a quick bite to eat. They have an outdoor seating area, which is covered. Everything was delicious and packed with flavors. Definitely recommend a bit of everything!

tofu bites (mushroom, spicy pork, bulgogi, and k chicken): the flavors were soo soo good. each bite was filled with so much flavor from the meat, the wrapping, and the tofu pouch, DELICIOUS $11 for 4! kimbap (bulgogi): very flavorful and had a LOT of filling. other kimbap places would give a lot of rice but i felt that they gave a good amount that it was not overpowering! $13.50 yuja (citron) mint aide: very refreshing but it was kind of warm :/ but complemented well with the food $4 Overall the food was good and a good quick lunch spot. There's only outdoor seating though so might not be ideal for the winter time. The prices are slightly pricey but I would go here again for the tofu bites!!!

If you've been to Yubu, Rice Kitchen offers a different flavor that is still worth checking out! I ordered through their site and picked up in the store. Their site said wait 30+ minutes, but try going early anyways as our food was already waiting for us when we went straight there after ordering. I got the Set of 4 Tofu Bites ($12), which I picked Bulgogi, Spicy Pork, K Chicken, and Mushroom. The Bulgogi was sweet and marinated well, although it wasn't my fave because of the already-sweet tofu skin base. The Spicy Pork was delicious! I love the spicy kick to it, and the meat were plentiful juicy pieces that gave the wraps so much weight. The K Chicken was also spicy, but I wasn't as big a fan of the slightly dry meat. Lastly, the Mushroom was also my fave. I am biased, but mushrooms have a wonderful bouncy texture that went with the rice and tofu skin so well! Different from Yubu, Rice Kitchen lets you really taste the sweetness of the tofu skin here. Plus, I was surprised at how full I was from these 4 small bites. This is the perfect quick lunch/picnic option and I would definitely come again for more!

A to-go spot for Korean food. I got a couple different tofu bites to try out. They had different filling options, I chose mushroom and egg. Price was very fair, and the people were friendly and fast!

Cute little soho place where you can get one or a sampling of little tofu pouches of seasoned rice with various fillings. I just had to try one and asked for a suggestion. The beef bulgogoi is apparently one of the more popular ones so I gave it a try. A nice little portion in the perfect size container complete with chopsticks. I'd come back for a sample set when I'm more hungry. There's a little park let outside to sit in and eat if you want.

There was a line, but it moved quickly. The tofu bites were delicious. I tried K Chicken and Mushroom. I love the flavor of the chicken. The mushroom was cool and refreshing. I would definitely try more flavors next time!

Cute spot for takeout kimbap and rice filled tofu pouch (inari) in SoHo! The space is very small with only outdoor seating. Because the weather was so nice, my friend and I took our order to the west side highway to eat by the water which was perfect. We ordered two kimbap rolls (bulgogi and pork) and two types of rice filled tofu pouches (black sesame tuna and K chicken). I liked the tofu pouches better than the kimbap because the kimbap was a bit on the dry side (the protein was a bit dry). The tofu pouch helped give the rice and protein a bit of moisture which was much better. I liked the k chicken tofu pouch better than the black sesame tuna one. The tuna tasted a bit like Chicken of the Sea tuna with some mayo mixed with ground black sesame seeds. The k chicken was very flavorful and delicious.

$15 for k chicken kimbap including tax and tip. Elegantly packaged. Some of the most perfect kimbap I've ever eaten great for takeout and ready in 5 minutes

I absolutely adore this place. Quick comfort meals that can be enjoyed in their outdoor seating area or on the go. The spicy pork bulgogi kimbap was finely packed with the various vegetables and meats. Rice Kitchen has very reasonable prices and you will be sure to enjoy your meal! I will note that there is no indoor seating, so plan accordingly.

I'm not sure why this place gets such hype - perhaps because of the dearth of Korean food in the area? I had the bulgogi Kimbap ($12.50) and the set of 4 tofu bites ($12 - I picked all except bulgogi; I liked egg the most because it was most simple). I did like all the fillings generally, but most of them were a bit too sweet for my liking. The bigger fault though was the rice. In the kimbap, it's a very thin layer of rice to maximize the filling but it's to the point where it becomes not enough. For the tofu bites, the rice is enough but it's congealed and glued together.

Ordered: Tofu Bite Set of 4 (~$11): rice stuffed in a tofu pouch and topped with classic sauce; 4 flavors: bulgogi, Korean chicken, mushroom, and egg Kimbap - Bulgogi (~$12): rice and vegetables rolled in seaweed with egg, radish, carrot, spinach, burdock root Aya's take: I have a sick obsession with Korean food and more recently these tofu pouches! They're so simple yet so delicious! My favorites were the bulgogi and Korean chicken. What really made these stand out was the classic sauce. It was unbelievably delicious; I wish I had it as a sauce on the side too. The 4 Tofu Bites are honestly enough food and pretty filling on their own but I couldn't resist the Bulgogi. It was all the vibrant colors that got me, if I'm being honest. I love that it's not loaded with rice and the Bulgogi takes up a good 40% of each roll. Delicious flavors, well-made, and quick service. Definitely recommend checking them out if you're in the area.

Small restaurant with no seating. However the type of food they make is very much easy to eat while walking! Service was nice and fast. I tried and chicken tofu bite which was good and surprisingly filling! I would say it's a full 3-4 bites. The tofu is sweet and holds everything together well and the chicken was decent/ sauce was decent too. 3.5/5

Came to pick up lunch on a Monday, and the wait for my food was less than 5 minutes. The menu is basic in terms of offerings but its simplicity is perfect for a quick grab and go while working. The rice bowl was tasty, filling, and right for the price!

Korean comfort food at its best. Stopped by on a weekend afternoon, not that busy probably bc of the cold rainy weather. Food appears made to order and still very prompt. Tried a bit of all the rolls, got a 4 piece combo for I think $12 which was good for a satisfying but maybe not a super heavy meal. Liked all of them, maybe the mushroom was the least favorite of the bunch but I'm more of a carnivore to begin with. Yuzu citrus drink was refreshing, probably better in the spring/summer but worth trying anyways. Small interior, seems to have more tables outside in their covered outside seating setup. Takeout is plenty easy, the rolls were well packaged in a box and held up after a long train ride. Ordering was easy and fast, staff helpful. Definitely recommend as a regular lunch/dinner spot. Will definitely stop by whenever in the area.

Came here for lunch with a group of girlfriends on a Saturday! This place offers a variety of kimbap. I ordered the egg, and as a group we collectively ordered the pork, spicy chicken, and beef kimbap with kimchi to share. Note this place is best served as a takeout spot and not an eat in. They don't have any dining in the restaurant but outdoor covered patio dining. We sat in there and it was fine on a cool day. The kimbap itself is excellent and I would go back to eat more! I really liked the egg for a lighter lunch, the beef was also stellar. Would recommend for lunch and it looks like a lot of other people agreed by the amount of customers they had when we arrived an as we left!

Although there is no where to sit down, I'd definitely recommend giving this spot a try if you're in the area! There are proteins that you can select from to include in what you want whether it be a rice bowl, kimbap, or in tofu skin. I'm a little biased because I love tuna so I really enjoyed the black sesame tuna in tofu skin! The rice bowl was also pretty good as they added vegetables in there too. They are a good portion size too!

(Bulgogi & Korean Chicken Rice Bowl - 85% | B) - Rice Kitchen is a fast-casual take on Korean American food, serving rice bowls with 2 protein choices for around $15. On the surface level, the presentation is appealing and the colors are balanced to make a nutritious meal. However, the seasoning of the food needs to be refined as I found the chicken to completely overpower every single component of the rest of the dish and the pickles to be unacidic. Each component of the dish is cooked nicely, but the delicate balance is missing from the dish to make it next level. In terms of atmosphere, the interior is rather small, but it looks nice! There is rather a long wait at lunch time, so beware.

YUM, such good kimbap! Whenever I need a grab-and-go meal, I always think of kimbap first. Thankfully Rice Kitchen exists in the Soho area, where I can stop in to get a quick, affordable, fast-casual lunch on a busy shopping/errand-running day. Because I was on a time crunch this weekend, I ordered online for pickup so that my food would be ready as soon as I arrived. Not only was it an easy meal but also DELICIOUS! The ingredients are so fresh and just so easy to scarf down. I tried the bulgogi kimbap ($12.50), k chicken kimbap ($12.50), and the tofu bite set ($12). I'm a fan of them all. Between 2 people, this was more than enough food - the tofu bites are quite sizable! Also love that there's the convenience of an outdoor shed to enjoy my quick meal.

I wish I can give this place a better rating, but the wait time was just far too long for what the food is worth. Ordered the Bulgogi kimbap, which is the "sushi" roll version of bulgogi. And the chicken rice bowl. I waited 30 mins for my order, and on a day where there was not really a long line, about 6 people ahead of me. What I later found out was that the kimbap rolls take the longest. I can attest that the food was good, nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary, easily can get these dishes from Korean town. The kimbap was a very filling dish, and the rolls were huge! No sauces or anything, was rather bland. The chicken bowl had a good kick of spicy and a good amount of pickled veggies, which I loved! The most frustrating thing is I found the wait time to be excruciatingly long, inefficient assembly line. There were two guys working the food orders, someone taking the orders and another guy just watching (?). The two guys working to make the food seemed annoyed and there was no coordination between them and was so random. And I saw both of them making a kimbap, clearly they use orders to train staff. Word of advice, especially during lunch hours, perhaps sent aside kimbaps pre made on the same day so the wait time is shorter. 30 mins plus is just not worth the wait for takeout food.

I ordered a bulgogi rice bowl and to be honest, it was just "meh". I was going through the reviews before I went here and since it had 5 stars I had high expectations for this spot. It's a tight, cute space inside, and that's about it for the ambiance. The food came out relatively quick (~10 minutes) and it looked good (as you can see in my photo). The bulgogi was underwhelming and just tasted like bulgogi that was barely seasoned. Some of my greens were actually old and yellow.......not acceptable. The good thing about this bowl was that it filled me up. If you're looking for a simple & underwhelming rice bowl, this is the spot. I wouldn't go back and try something else. The guy that took my order was nice.

Was in Chinatown and wanted to grab a quick bite while making my way up for couple more blocks and found this place on yelp! There's no seating inside, but there is an open space right in front with some tables and seats. it does take a bit of time for your order to come out, but the staff is very friendly. The seasoning of the rice was perfect, but the marinade on the meats on top were a bit too sweet for my personal taste. These are SMALL, and you'll finish each one in like 3-4 bites so if you're hungry, make sure to order a decent amount! Probably one of each flavor so you can get a taste of everything (: Was a little disappointed in the yuzu mint ade b/c there wasn't much ice so the drink never got cold/felt refreshing and felt like it could have had more yuzu flavor ): But it was definitely a good pair with the tofu skin pouches!

Found out about Rice kitchen on my friend's IG story and was determined to check it out during my visit to NYC. It definitely is deserving of the 5-star reviews. So deserving I'm joining the crowd to write one for my own record! My friend and I both got the tofu set ($13) which came with 4 mix-and-match tofu bites. All the flavors I got (spicy chicken, spicy pork, mushroom, and bulgogi beef) were enjoyable. Not only the set was aesthetic, it actually tasted good which made my tummy very happy. Note that there's no indoor seating (you might want to get it to-go during winter time). There's a small outdoor seating area with about 3 small tables when I came. Service was quick, I was in and out in 10 mins. Overall, perfect for a quick lunch & satisfying for the price. Walked it off by shopping around SoHo after. 10/10 would recommend!

loooove the kimbap here - would recommend over the tofu bites! food: got the pork kimbap and four flavors of the tofu pockets - i personally think the kimbap is amazing, there are so many flavors and the texture is great! the tofu pockets were too sweet for my taste

This place deserves claps and 5 stars. I feel like this is the best kimbap I've had in Manhattan and in US. The restaurant does not have dine in space, so it is only for to go. I've only had spicy pork kimbap and it was very moist overall. I recommend this place if you are in Soho area, for simple food option/Korean.

Surprisingly tasty kimbap served in a little takeaway stall in SoHo. Mushroom kimbap was super savory and really stands on its own whether you are a meat eater or a vegetarian. Didn't try the pork or tuna salad but they were also both apparently really good. Everything is well balanced with pickle and vegetable and it was overall really satisfying but light on the palate. Presentation is also reasonably pretty for a little takeaway box and I do appreciate that they do give you the little overstuffed ends while still making it look intentional. Only issue is that it does feel a touch pricy for kimbap but I think it's reasonable considering its location.

LOVE the tofu pockets here! The seasoned rice is so flavorful (and is served warm), the tofu skin is slightly sweet, and the fillings are sooooo yummy. The kimbap is also amazing! I only wish the delicious menu had more options!! Service is also super nice! Food is made to order, so sometimes the wait can be 10+ minutes, but the deliciousness is well worth it.

The server took our order right away, food was good. There are not seats inside but there are outdoor seats. Would come here again!

Great quick grab and go lunch spot in the soho area. I've only tried their tofu pockets, but they have other options like rice bowls and kimbap ad well. The set of 4 is a decent portion, and I really like the spicy chicken and pork flavors. However, I do think the yubu pockets are a little bigger and slightly better. Prices are relatively affordable as well. There's no seating, so it's a takeout only place, but orders generally come out pretty quickly.

I've always shied away from trying Inari sushi, but now I understand the hype ! The tofu skin on inari is very thin, and just functions as a shell for the yummy goodness stuffed inside! I stopped by and was somewhat indecisive with my order since there were also kimbap and rice bowls. I decided to try the inari since they looked amazing. I ordered the 4 for $12 box, since they looked pretty small. 4 was exactly the right amount to fill me to satiety. I sat in their outdoor dining area, bit into the bulgogi one and LOVED IT. There was so much flavor packed into that pocket with rice. All the meat toppings were marinated perfectly, so that the flavor carries all the way through the rice. My favorites were the bulgogi and the spicy pork, although the mushroom and chicken were also good. Definitely a great spot for a healthy, nourishing Korean meal!

Really cute place with yummy food. Pretty busy during lunch hour during the week so maybe expect a wait if you are coming then. Bulgogi Kimbap is really good and I love the Yuka Mint Ade. Everything seems fairly fresh.Definitely come check it out!!

This hole-in-the-wall was great! They make what we call in my family "footballs." They are sweet fried tofu skin pockets filled with rice and other tasty fillings. We had a bulgogi one and a couple k-chicken ones, and everyone enjoyed them.

Pretty average but for the price most people wouldnt be disappointed. Its not somewhere i would visit more than once a month -- if you're gonna spend some money on lunch, increasing your budget slightly would make a noticeable difference My order: bulgogi kimbap + kimchi aioli rice bowl w spicy pork Kimbap: its $12.5 (which is slightly intimidating) but their kimbaps are the biggest ive seen and are actually reasonably filling -- a solid surprisingly flavorful appetizer Rice bowl: $14 for one protein, pretty creamy and a well rounded lunch (carbs, protein, veggies). Its something i would recommend to people who want something reasonably filling at a fairly affordable price Atmosphere: outdoor seating only, good enough for a shaded afternoon meal. Not particularly clean though

This place is sooo yummy but prices are quite high so i have very mixed feelings. The kimbab is hands down my favorite in manhattan We got: - egg kimbab 10/10: best egg kimbab ever!! The egg was so delicious and moist - bulgogi kimbab 7/10: a bit of a letdown from the egg.. the bulgogi was a little dry - spicy pork yubu 9/10: this was very good as well and i'd be interested in getting this as kimbab next time too. - kchicken yubu 8/10: was a little confused about this as yubu/kimbab but the flavors were good. Although the yubu is quite large im not sure it's really worth it over kimbab, i'd probably stick to the kimbab unless you're interested in what yubu chobab is like

Decent place for a Korean spin on inari sushi. It's a bit pricey for what you get in terms of portion size (it's certainly not a full meal unless you order 5-6+), but it was flavorful and you're paying for the novelty. 4/5 food: small bites, but packed with flavor. I did the tofu bite set, which is 4 for $10. You get to select what you like from the menu. I had the bulgogi, k chicken, egg, and mushroom. Wasn't personally a fan of the egg as it was more bland than I would've liked. Mushroom was fine, but the proteins were great. *Note: don't expect to dine in. There's 0 space indoors and, if you're lucky, there's 2-3 small tables outside. Recommended if you're looking for a quick snack to eat on the go.

I was curious about the Gimbap after watching Jinny's kitchen. It's surprisingly filling, well balanced in flavor and refreshing. Also had the tofu bites. The tofu pocket tastes like the Japanese inari so there is sweetness to it. Yummy bulgogi and I was surprised because I'm particular when it comes to tuna but their tuna was so delicious!

So yes here I am with my stories because that's what it is I visited this place my first time 8/13/22 I wasn't too excited because I was like hey whatever listen I had the mushroom tofu bite and I mean the first time the first bite I fell in love so many amazing splashes the moist of the entire bite was too die for it was beyond delicious and it's a vegan option I got a box of 4 to go .... Everyday I crave this guys everyday please try it and now I am back relaxed and it was the same taste fresh delicious and yummy thanks so much the host remembered me which was phenomenal I was so happy because it shows the care they have for their customers and restaurant and I had my same mushroom tofu bites love it

Tried the tofu set and the bulgogi kimbap thru delivery! Thought the serving size was pretty good. The tofu set is way bigger than Yubu that also has it. My fave of the would be the k chicken one! but all were very filling and good. Wish it was warmer though

I knew I had to try this place as soon as I saw they have tofu bites. Their shop is small, but they have set up an outdoor seating area. However, it's small and you most likely won't find a spot during lunch hour. I order 4 tofu bite for pick up and they were delicious! It took about 10-15 minutes for the tofu bites to be ready. It was in a cute paper bag and ready for me when I arrived to pick it up. I was in and out in less than 2 minutes. I tried the spicy pork, bulgogi, and chicken tofu bites. The spicy pork was my favorite by far and the tofu was delicious. However, I didn't think it was spicy at all. The bulgogi and chicken were good as well. But I would still recommend the spicy pork one if you are only getting one. It's also pretty filling and affordable! Tl;dr - fast service, delicious and filling tofu bites! Would recommend the spicy pork tofu bite.

Pretty good spot for picking lunch up! Rice Kitchen is straightforward, simple, and compact - no seating, just takeout. I got the kimbap with bulgogi. It comes in a small box with about ten pieces. When I ordered, they said it'd be a 25-minute wait, which was fine. The food was pretty good, the bulgogi had a decent amount of flavor, and the price-quantity proportion is right, though I do wish the meat amount was more. Overall, I wouldn't return, as the food didn't blow me away, per se, but it was nice to try the once and get something Korean-inspired for lunch!

Excellent! Wish they open up more locations eventually . This is definitely one of those hole in the wall places in NYC that is just amazing