- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Ajumma
Category: Restaurants Korean Korean [Edit]
3121 St. Paul StBaltimore, MD 21218
Neighborhood: Charles Village
(410) 235-4429
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
21 reviews for Ajumma
21 reviews in English
-
Review from Rebecca G.
Baltimore City, MD
1/18/2012
Ajumma is the Korean restaurant that replaced CC Carryout in Charles Village. It offers the same friendly, super quick takeout, and has a menu that I actually like a bit better than CC's. The option of a chicken bulgogi is welcome - a less fatty, stringy choice, with just as much spice. The portions are huge, the prices are low, and the onions are nicely cooked to just the right balance of crunch and flavor.
-
Review from Joseph K.
More a 3.5
Don't think of this like a sit down korean restaurant like Nakwon, san soo kab san, jong gak, or a krn bbq place. This is a semi fast food version of a korean/japance style restaurant. You don't get sides or anything like that.
I'm pretty sure their owners are the same as the previous CC carry out, and the food is similar. I know because it tasted pretty much the same this time around.
The reason I don't like it that much is because they don't marinade most of the meat. When I watch them cook the chicken bulgogi, sukiyaki, beef sukiyaki, etc...essentially they bring out a fresh piece of chicken or beef that's not marinaded and then cook it in onions, veggies and add seasoning on the grill. The grill probably has a good amount of flavor on its own throughout the day.
I'm not saying this isn't bad, but krn bulgogi that my mom makes and I know how to make..or most krn meats for that matter are marinaded to allow those flavors to penetrate the meat.
The food is still fairly flavorful because it cooks in the oil, spices, onions, veggies but it's missing that edge that makes this place good for me.
Most of the food is fairly oily. They give you lots of rice, so you'll get full. Most of the dishes come with veggies (not a whole lot for some ..sometimes just onions for bulgogi) but you will get full. IT doesn't get much better with each bite. but it's definitely decent food.
I haven't had the krn soups (dumpling rice cake soup, soon doo boo(spicy tofu soup)) but i'm sure those would be good ...the main cash register lady (owner I believe) is very nice. She has formed some good customer relations with many students so that's nice to see. I have a feeling their soups would be good because those are really hard to mess up.
I'd go back to try more of those things.
Any of the dishes with meat, though...just don't hit the spot. They also don't give you that much meat especially in the sukiyakis. They'll break down the meat as they cook it, so you don't end up with good chunks usually. Probably about 3oz of meat per serving.
I believe it's overpriced too. I wish they had like a 5 or 6$ standard meal with meat, half of the rice they give and veggies.
If they lowered the price like $1.50 on everything i'd be a happy camper.
With the prices they have (8.50-11 ish) i'd rather go to a san soo kab san or jong gak. -
Review from M M.
Washington, DC
5/15/2012
Greasy, inelegant but does the job. I ordered the bulgogi, which was a mound of white onions with some marinated beef scattered on top a plate of white rice. I was surprised the dish was void of any other vegetables. The meat was marinated well and tasted good, but the overall meal it tastes like cheap, late-night takeout Chinese food that is usually only good when hungover. The rice soaks up most the oil from the meat and makes it taste extra heavy, but good. This meal would be better if they threw in some vegetables to give it some variety and better taste.
I do like that the owners are actually Korean (I saw two older Korean women working).
At $8-10 I think it's expensive for what you get. I would not return. -
Review from Kojo B.
Baltimore, MD
2/20/2012
I will profess to say that I don't have a wealth of experience when it comes to Korean food. However, I stopped by this establishment since its a stone throw from my apartment. I ordered the beef bulgogi spicy it was decent not too bad, a couple of friends ordered the chicken bulgogi and shrimp steak dish, they said it was decent. All in all to get a quick inexpensive, and plentiful bite give it a whirl. On my next trip there I will try the pork bulgogi.
-
Review from Dan A.
Was in the area so swung by Ajumma to grab a bite to eat. This place used to be C&C's Carryout and a Bagel place way back in the day. Ajumma is an improvement over those previous restaurants.
The staff was very friendly. Since I was by myself, I did some people watching while eating... Unlike many other Korean restaurants, the staff was friendly to Koreans and non-Koreans alike. Additionally, the cashier spoke English pretty well.
I first ordered yukgaejang, a spicy Korean soup that has shredded beef. Unfortunately, I was informed they didn't have it today. But they did have pho (which was not on the menu).
Wasn't in a pho mood so I ordered a chicken bulgogi. The food came out fairly quickly. The dish was slightly spicy (not as much as I was expecting) and somewhat sweet at the same time. The onions were cooked perfectly -- they were caramelized and sweet but still retained their texture. It was a little greasy though.... I'd have preferred if they didn't use as much oil. Not sure why some people are complaining the food isn't "authentic" though... It may not be the best quality, but it's still certainly Korean food.
Anyways, back to the food. Though the portions looked somewhat small on the plate... it's actually quite filling. No complaints there.
To me, it gets a solid 3.5 stars... but i'll round it up to 4 stars. -
Review from J C.
Baltimore, MD
A true hidden gem in Baltimore!
A welcome change from family-style sit-down overpriced Korean restaurants, Ajumma delivers on good taste and generous portions. As far as casual dining Korean goes, there is no better place in Baltimore as far as I'm concerned. The pork bulgogi was perfectly cooked, but I have noticed that the spice level varies from "meh" to "I'm about to drink a gallon of milk". The bibimbab was refreshing as it was tasty. The noodles were okay, kind of reminiscent of a lo mein dish. Entrees in the $8-9 range, with generous portions (albeit of rice).
A great place to introduce your friends to bread-and-butter Korean cuisine, esp. bulgogi. As mentioned before, I can confirm their excellent service to both Korean and non-Koreans. The original ajumma (which means auntie or middle-aged woman) is quite cheerful as she is attentive. I would definitely come here before a night of partying (then head to Nak Won at the end of the night for kalbi) -
Review from Holly N.
Baltimore, MD
7/29/2011
Food was piping hot and ready within a couple minutes of ordering and it was so very satisfying for a study night. The chicken bugogi and veggie stir-fried noodles are awesome. Flavor was excellent! The onions on the bugogi are perfectly caramelized.
I was surprised to see how much oil they put on it when they were cooking it (seemed like A LOT) but it was delicious so I can't complain. The fried pot stickers were average at best though. Not worth ordering and you don't get many for the price.
The staff are very friendly and warm. Great for a casual weeknight or your average craving for stir fry. -
Review from Kim C.
Baltimore, MD
1/13/2012
Always fresh, friendly, well priced and good for takeout! And how can I pass up the Restaurant's "auntie" reference to recall good food from my childhood.
-
Review from Lucy X.
11/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was SO looking forward to this place, considering their bulgogi meal looks similar to that of DC's Bulgogi Cart of which unfortunately I have not had the chance to visit yet.
But boyyy, did I have a terrible experience here! Well everything seemed good...until we actually got our order (not to mention the slow service and confusing method of calling out orders). My boyfriend went to pick it up and when he brought it back, he told me that they apparently forgot to add spicy to my order. One of the lady workers ran up behind him, told me that she was sorry (didn't seem very sincere though), and said that I could just use some of the Sriracha hot sauce. Okay, if it was my Nth, heck even my second, time eating here, I'd probably be like sure why the heck not. But it was my first time, and I wanted to actually try what I had specifically ordered, the beef bulgogi-SPICY. Like first of all, how could YOU mess up my order, and then have the audacity to tell ME to substitute?! In any decency, they shouldn't have even given me the wrong order in the first place. So I couldn't have it and shortly afterwards, went up to the front counter and very nicely asked if they could redo my order. Again, the dude told me to just use Sriracha sauce...what
So after some rather forced awkwardly polite exchanges, he finally gave up and apologized for messing up my order. A few minutes later, he personally brought my order to our table. I opened it, and immediately saw that something was off about my spicy beef bulgogi compared to my boyfriend's spicy chicken bulgogi. It looked like there was an overabundance of spicy sauce, and also less meat than what should have been there. So I kind of just gave up at this point, but soon to find out how really disgusting it was. The beef AND rice were both DRENCHED in the spicy oil sauce. I felt like I was eating spicy oil rice, since the scatters of bulgogi pieces were hardly tastable.
I figured what they had probably done was dump my previous order (bulgogi AND rice) and just recooked it with spicy sauce. As opposed to the correct way which would've been cooking just the bulgogi and spicy sauce together, then putting it on top of the steamed white rice. I mean, if they were just going to recook my old order (which, not to mention, how unsanitary it is considering all of the orders are cooked on one large surface), the LEAST they could have done was TRY to pick out just the bulgogi...but no. The only good part of this whole meal was the egg, which is hard to mess up anyway.
Overall, a highly disappointing, unsatisfactory meal and experience. I will probably never come back again...Bulgogi Cart where art thou? :) -
Review from Cindy Z.
Baltimore, MD
12/24/2010 ROTD 8/27/2011
SO. AWESOME.
You have no idea how terrible it is for a little Asian girl like me to be away from good Asian food for months at a time. Hopkins doesn't serve decent Asian food, and the Chinese carry out in Baltimore is a joke. Ajumma rose to the challenge.
I love love love their bugogi and bibimbap. They even sell aloe drink! It was like homecoming for me, even though I'm not Korean. The lady who owns this place is so cute and friendly. It's a real pity they don't accept J-cash.
I'll be back, again and again.Listed in: Charles Village
-
Review from Krystyn P.
Miami, FL
10/22/2011
I'm a big fan of Korean food - especially bulgogi. It was refreshing to go to a order-up counter. Prices were good and the bulgogi was excellent as well. I definitely would recommend the steamed dumplings as well. It was like they put jap chae in a bun and it was quite the tasty combo. Only downside is that parking was a bit hard to find. Will definitely be back!
-
Review from Michael L.
Lake Oswego, OR
7/17/2011
It's pretty decent food for the distance that you have to go to get it. The korean food here was good enough for me. The only things that I really got here were the bulgogi dishes and some of the soups as well. I only like the spicy ones so I got those everytime I was there and I was not disappointed with the food.
It's not 100 percent authentic, but it is good. Really a place that's geared for Hopkins students. -
Review from Jacqueline W.
Baltimore, MD
11/17/2011
I heard rave reviews about Ajumma so in between classes I went here for dinner. The menu wasn't huge but had a good assortment of Asian cuisine. I opted for the shrimp fried noodles for $8.99. It wasnt the price that bothered me as much as the wait time. I waited 20+ minutes for a styrofoam box full of noodles. My friend who ordered right before me got the chicken fried noodles and her food came out 5 minutes earlier. There aren't many options in the area, but I would take my money and time elsewhere.
-
Review from Justin L.
11/2/2010 5 Check-ins Here
Cozily situated on the corner of 32nd and St. Paul, i've walked by Ajumma's cute black and red awning many times but for whatever reason have procrastinated on actually visiting (possibly because of the other, rather sketchy looking Asian take out places located nearby).
As a previous reviewer said, the place is run by a really friendly family of Koreans. The service was quick and polite.
I ordered the beef bulgogi, which was served piping hot with onions on a bed of freshly steamed white rice. It was quite good; not necessarily the most authentic (it's more of a fast food/take-out styled place), but prepared well. The menu is a little strange...there are some Korean staples like the bulgogi, some dishes with kimchi, and...chicken fingers? Kind of out of place.
Prices are okay. They're a little higher than i'd like for take out Asian (8 bucks for the bulgogi, which was a fairly large portion), but still reasonable.
The place is really clean and has ample indoor seating with some outdoor tables.
I did find it awkward that they only had chopsticks. For the amount of non-Asian customers that this place probably gets, why are there no plastic forks for the chopstick-challenged...? -
Review from Not A.
Baltimore, MD
10/8/2011
This is a great bolgogi joint. The menu is sparse but they do what they do extremely well. The fried dumplings taste fresh, made that morning, not bought frozen from a supplier. I cannot speak to any of their other foods because I have not made it past their excellent spicy beef bulgogi yet. The bulgogi is vegan and vegetarian friendly, but there are not many other options for herbivores.
-
Review from Jon W.
Washington, DC
4/9/2010
Apparently this was formally C&C Carryout. I'm new to the area so I didn't know that. However, I do like the new open air, modern design. Its simple menu mostly consisting of Korean food is also good too. As always, if you see Asians outnumbering non-Asians in an Asian restaurant, that is a good sign. The fact that many asians from nearby JHU come here seems to validate this.
As to the food, it is pretty good. The bulgogi is definitely not the best I've eaten, but is fairly good, esp. for a more fast food style place. The curry chicken is nice and flavorful, albeit also not the best I've had either. Basically, it seems, Ajumma has solid Korean food offerings run by what seems to be a really nice group of Koreans.
The decor is nice as well (and apparently, a vast improvement over what it was like as C&C). The prices are alright. They could be a little better, but it's definitely not terrible (though if they did lower the price a little more, I would definitely eat there most days on my lunch break).
All in all, a nice semi-hole in the wall Korean joint with nearly authentic Korean food. -
Review from JONATHAN A.
9/10/2011 1 photo
The service was quick and nice. The food was excellent. The bulgogi was wonderful and the chicken and noodles was a great. Will come back again.
-
Review from Aileen H.
Baltimore, MD
7/23/2011
Fast service. Generous portions. Curry rice is flavorful.
-
Review from Gaz H.
5/2/2011
Clean, tasty, cheap and cheerful. The bulgogi, the chicken bulgogi (not what you would expect - spicy and red), and the sukiyaki all hit the spot. Friendly, cheerful service. Fast preparation on an open grill visbile from the dining area.
-
Review from J G.
Baltimore, MD
7/18/2010
Great spicy chicken bulgogi!!
-
Review from David H.
Baltimore, MD
10/10/2010
I was going to C&C carryout fairly often before the name and proprietors changed, and although I was initially sad to see it go, when I finally came to the new establishment, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the place had actually improved. There are quite a few Korean dishes on the menu, and I have yet to try one I haven't liked. To be fair, there are other establishments a bit south of here that have better Korean food, but they are also significantly pricier. For a place that is inexpensive, tasty, and has fast and friendly service, Ajumma really can't be beat.
