Kobunga Korean Grill, a fast-casual Korean barbecue restaurant, is opening its first brick-and-mortar outlet at the USC Village, a multi-use residential, dining, and shopping complex located adjacent to the University of Southern California's University Park Campus. Funded by Kickstarter, Kobunga aims to make Korean barbecue accessible to the larger population. They recently soft-opened (this Wednesday) and will be having their grand opening this Saturday.
Housed in a small storefront, no seating is available inside the restaurant, although ample outside seating is available. Ordering is done at the counter, and one can wait on the side for their order.
Menu options include a "Build Your Own Plate" option as well as a salad driven option where two types of greens can be paired with a choice of dressing and protein. The Build Your Own Plate option includes a choice of protein (Short Ribs, Bulgogi, Pork Belly, Marinated Chicken, and Soft Tofu), base (brown rice, white rice, kale and perilla salad or mixed greens), and choice of two homemade sides:
- Napa Cabbage Kimchi
- Cucumber Kimchi Pickles
- Honey Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Soy Sauce Pickles
- Pickled Jalepenos
- Korean Cabbage Slaw
- Sauteed Corn
Pricing is on par with other food options in the complex, e.g. in the 10-20 USD category including tax. The protein and bases are solid and are of good quality; some of the roasted options on the sides however, have been not fully cooked, hence having quite hard texture to them. It still is a nice addition to the USC Village, and now complements the currently open Wahlburgers, Casa Barilla, Cava, Baked Bear, Sunlife Organics, Greenleaf, Trejos Tacos, and Rance's Chicago Pizza.
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