Lee's Korean Restaurant

I asked the bf what he wanted for dinner last night before he got off of work. He again begged me to see if I could find a Korean bbq place around. I searched the forum posts and found out about Lee's.
I googled it. We got there, and thought wth? It looked so nonassuming. He had actually lived in that area years ago and NEVER even dreamed there was a restaurant in that building. LOL

OMG! I love all of you! We walked in and the place smelled fantastic. We choose to sit in the front room so we could have the bbq, but the back room was packed.

Kim bop and seafood pancake (which was a mistake due to it being HUGE) for appetizers. We loved the red pepper that the lady had us mix with the vinegar and soy. We get kim bop from the Korean restaurants in Radcliff, but had never had a sauce like that. Great stuff! The pancake was good, but not fantastic. Don't get me wrong.....it didn't keep us from eating a good portion of it.

We had beef bul go gi and short ribs for the meats cooked right there at our table. SUPER tender. Huge flavor. Wonderful!!!!!

Now....I love kim chi. The assortment was crazy! I even liked the tofu!! My fav is the turnip. The cucumbers were amazing; they had to have sweet chili paste in them.

We did over order, but didn't mind at all. Had the appetizers, two beers, and the meats. It was only $52 and some change!!!!!!

We will DEFINITELY go back!!!

I remember going there in the late 70s early 80s.....that place has been there at least 30 years. A Louisville institution as far as I'm concerned.

I've been there twice for lunch in the last month or so (after a long hiatus). Its good and inexpensive. I certainly recommend the place. They also have a consistant Asian clentele each time I've gone there.

[Robin Garr]

I've been there twice for lunch in the last month or so (after a long hiatus). Its good and inexpensive. I certainly recommend the place. They also have a consistant Asian clentele each time I've gone there.

James, do you go to Koreana II often? How would you compare the two?

Very good place. One of the first ethnic places I tried a long time back. However, I still can't get the taste for Kim Chi. More for everyone else at the table.

[/quote]James, do you go to Koreana II often? How would you compare the two?[/quote]


Robin,
I had lunch at Koreana II about 2 months ago. It was excellent and they gave me so many dishes (about 9-10!) along with my tofu Bimb bi bop (spell check?) that I was proud of the fact that I finished everything. I think they are both good, but I prefer Lee's ambience (Koreana needs a facelift) and Lee's is more conveniently located.

I go to both Lee's and Koreana and my thoughts are Lee's food taste fresher but Koreana has more and better sides.

Mmm..I LOVE this place!

Try the marinated tofu and the vegetable pancake as appetizers. The hubby and I usually get the Stone Bee Bim Bop for an entree. Just delicious.

I have been to both and prefer Lee's. KOreana has a bigger selection, but I believe Lee's is better.

The majority of customers, at least at dinner, are Asian. I talked to an Asian man hosting a business dinner for a group from Korea. He said that it was the best Korean in Louisville.

This is a debate I have with my husband quite often. In his mind, there is also a third option: Arirang in Middletown. The Middletown location is the new incarnation of the restaurant that used to be in Buechel. In any case, my husband seems to think that there is no one restaurant that stands out overall. Each restaurant has their own specialties. For instance, for any korean barbeque grill dish, he prefers Koreana because of their use of briquettes rather than gas. For the stone pot rice bowl, he prefers Lee's. For the ultra traditional Korean dish, kimchee jigae (kimchee stew), Arirang is best. Arirang and Koreana are tied for best side dishes (banchans). By the way, my husband is a native Korean who moved here from the New York Metro area 12 years ago.

I was at Ariangs when it was in Buechel about 6 times. Pretty good. However, one time I was on the way home and stopped. A young man seated me at 4:45 and brought water. Immediately the owner showed up and said they didn't open until 5 pm. I told him that I would be glad to wait. He told me to get out and wait until 5 pm. It was cold and wet. Like I am going to stand in the cold and wait instead of inside. I got out, got in truck and left.

I won't be in that place again, no matter what the location, unless they change ownership. What a jerk.