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I don't know a thing about Korean food, I've never had it before, my review is probably TOTALLY INVALID. Except not really, because I think that if I enjoyed my visit, that's what matters. Yes? Yes? Yes?
I wanna rave about the "healthy combo" which provides loads of noms for under $10. And it's not horrible for me, apparently! It's a pretty presentation, and there was a lot to eat. I love plates with variety on them, it's so much more exciting. I got what I believe was called the "tidbits combo", it include chicken and shrimp on sticks (ignore my inability to recall the actual names, please) and also included a choice of hot and sour or miso soup, salad, rice, fried goodies, and steamed veggies with a couple sauces. It was all very good! And I even took about half of it home. For a healthy combo, I was impressed with the portion size.
The staff didn't do a whole lot of talking, but sometimes it's better that way.
Bonus points for those freaky fish! The teal one with the outrageous snout was my favorite. It was darting around like mad. Could lead to a future shoplifting/kidnapping.
Chocho's is ok.
Pro: the "healthy combos" are a great deal. It comes with choice of meat, rice, salad, veggie, dumpling and shumai.
Con:
-I went on a Friday night and the place was packed. But there was only one server - so the service was a bit slow and I didn't think she was friendly.
-2 out of the 5 cups of water we got were dirty.
-for some reason, none of their noodle soup comes with chicken, so I had to order a chicken combo rice dinner instead.
I probably won'tt be back. The ramen places are better.
I take-out from here all the time. Best scallion pancakes, crispy and chewy and tastiest home-cooked-tasting sundubu chigae...also the food comes with a set of veggie jiangpan ala athentic Korean eatery style rarely seen in Boston.
Chocho's "healthy combos" are $9.95 and packed with food: a main dish (salmon, teryiki chicken, chicken katsu, etc.), rice, salad, veggies, soup, shumai, dumplings. Great!
The service was a little impersonal but relatively speedy. I feel like this place really put some thought into the decor, versus some of the other venues on this "Asian food" lane.
The chicken katsu sauce tasted a bit like BBQ sauce - different than the curry-like sauce that usually comes with katsu. The shumai was surprisingly tasty!
You know, I didn't notice the fish tank. Where was it??
I didn't expect Porter Exchange to be the slice of Asian heaven it was. I was tempted to go to the other "Food Stalls" but my dining partner and I decided to stick with the original plan of Korean, and went to Chocho's. The dining area is cute -several handfuls of little tables, and we made it right before the rush so we were able to find seats in no time. The lady behind the counter looked tired/stressed, but she obligingly got us menus, and took our orders.
I've been eating "healthy" all week (i.e. salads and other green things), so decided to splurge my diet points on pork katsu. Mmmm... love, absolutely LOVE katsu. My dining companion decided on the bibimbap, and we also got an order of kimchee. You have to order kimchee separately? But why? Why doesn't it come with the ban chan? Oh wait... there is no ban chan. But wait... WHY NOT??
My bento box type meal came with a cute little salad, some gyoza/shumai, steamed veggies with a weird peanut sauce on it, and my pork katsu. Who doesn't love some fried pork cutlet? I loved that I was able to order brown rice with my meal, and it came in a pleasant scoop. Mmm... lets dig into this katsu. Except wait... why doesn't it give? Why do I have to forcibly rip into it with my teeth rather than have it delicately have that *crisp* as I bite into it? And umm... katsu sauce? Where is the katsu sauce?? Dear lord... is that... ketchup?
Oh... disappointing. SO disappointing. I appreciated the ginger dressing on my salad, but Korean style would've been with 1000 island. You know it. And the essence of the katsu is the katsu sauce! My katsu was missing its essence. I was saddened.
My general meal was... 2 stars. Boo. But I give Chocho's 3 since I love that there's Korean represented in this slice of Japan. And it was an okay meal - nothing terribly wrong. It was just... missing the loving. And I need some loving with my meal.
My brother is one of my favorite people to try a new (and sometimes daring) restaurant with and after I dragged him to Japonaise Bakery, it seemed only fitting to try one of the cute little restaurants in the Porter Exchange building.
We chose ChoCho's because a) a mesmerizing fish tank, and b) everything the other people were eating looked awesome. I think we made an excellent choice too. His teriyaki chicken was mild but peppery, which was a really nice flavor. The 'meal' managed to be both oversized and adorable and included dumplings, shumai, salad, and veggies.
I ordered the Bi Bim Bap and I was quite happy. It made me feel healthily full but not stuffed. I didn't like every one of the 8 vegetables, but I was pleased with the proportions and the flavor of the beef. I especially loved the Korean spicy sauce that came with it. I could dip pretty much anything in that.
Service was good and my water glass stayed full. Korean food makes me happy and therefore, so does ChoCho's.
I tried their okdol bibimbob couple weeks ago. It was awful!
all the vegetables weren't fresh and rice was too dry...
Yum! Chocho's is one of my favorite spots, and within the Porter Exchange circuit it has the most and best options for vegetarians. Plus you get to space out to the crazy looking fish in the HUGE fish tank while you wait... pweetty feeshes!
The menu has tons of options, from udon soups to tempura plates to tofu stew. I think their scallion pancakes are the best on the planet-- they have red and green peppers, zucchini, and summer squash in them!! So fried and greasy. So delicious! The udon soups are huge and come in a bunch of varieties, my favorite being the greasy veggie tempura. And speaking of tempura, try a tempura combination box. You'll end up with a ton of tempura (try the shrimp, it's amazing), rice, salad, steamed veggies, dumplings, and soup, all for about $10.
Best of all, this is the one spot in Porter Exchange (other than Blue Fin, which I don't even think counts) that really feels like a restaurant. Rather than just plop you down at a cafeteria table in the middle of a hallway, this place has a real ambiance about it that sets it apart. And the food rocks.
Basically, just go here when you are not on a diet and want to treat yourself to a grease fest. Sure, they have healthy options on their menu, but who cares?
Chocho's offers some Japanese dishes and some Pad Thai but I've decided you can't go wrong when you order a legitimate Korean dish. I'm obsessed with dumpling soup with those clear potato noodles lately. The broth is extremely mild, but just so satisfying. I like Koreana's version with rice cakes and beef, but Chocho's offers this soup in a semi-vegetarian way (veggie dumplings in lieu of pork) and there are double the amount of dumplings floating in the oversized bowl.
Chocho's is also one of the only places in the Porter Exchange where you can get a FULL cheap meal without having to share you table with slurpy strangers. Tip your waitresses well! They help prep your food, seat you, serve you, and manage to keep a smile on their faces!
I'm patting myself on the back on this one. Oh yes, I congratulate myself often when it comes to picking the right eatery. I got the child-friendly box checked, check on the affordability, and big checkmark next to the accessible parking. Although the ambience of the Porter Exchange is much like a throwback shopping mail, Chocho's does a good job of making its little corner of the court quite lovely with a fish tank and stylishly mod lighting. The menu is really user-friendly if you've never had Korean food before, but they have a lot of authentic favorites and the veggie mandoo-gook, with a little kimchee thrown in for flavor - is (gasp) nearly as good as my mother-in-law's. I was really pleased with how affordable the lunch menu was. We still received excellent service and large portion sizes (e.g. a mountain of edamame for under $3) and I still felt like we paid regular food court prices. There is parking in the back of the Exchange ($1 for the first hour, not bad) as well as metered parking all around. Sincere kam-sahm-nee-dahs to the good people of Chochos.
You can tell how a restaurant take care of their food by looking how well they take care of their fish tank. Beautiful fish tank! Very well maintained.
When they bring your tofu soup, they even tell you to crack the egg into the soup. Most Korean restaurant expect that you already know the procedure. They don't have chicken Udon noodle soup, but they put into my vege soup just for me. Great Service! Two Thumbs up! 4 stars for service and 3 stars for the food and 5 stars for taking care of their fish.
This is the restaurant I visit the most frequently when I'm in Porter Exchange. For some reason, it is the only Korean restaurant amidst 5 other Japanese restaurants. Their Soon Du Bu is my all time favourite. Those are especially satisfying in the winter. The appetizers that come with certain dishes are also wonderful. This is probably not a good place to get take out though, since their dishes are best eaten on location.
I love the "healthy combo" meals at Chocho. For something like $8, you get a main dish (before I went pescetarian, I liked the teriyaki chicken and the spicy chicken), brown rice, salad, veggies, soup (I like the miso), and a steamed dumpling and shumai. It's a total feast and really affordable. I haven't really tried their other stuff, but I felt so virtuous ordering the healthy combos that I didn't regret eating out instead of cooking, so that gives Chocho 4 stars in my book!
An asian eatery with a name which sounds vaguely like the spanish word for va-jay is OK by me! Located in the Porter Exhange, I have been here on occasion for their lunchbox specials. Comes with rice, salad, soup, and an entre item of your fancy. Cheap, perfect, and fills you up. I always come in craving sushi, but end up getting the chicken teriyaki box because it is just that good. It's also a good place if you want to do take away as I sometimes do after getting gussied down the street at Judy Jetsons.
Totally a casual dining experience, but is more segmented off than a lot of the other places in the Exchange building. -gasp- you even get REAL chairs and REAL tables. I recommend sitting near the fish tank because they really have some beautiful specimens(who says specimens) of clown fish, lion fish, and my favorite...the puffer fish. The puffer fish is my favorite because it is just this bumbly little smiley face that can tear $hit up if need be. The best is when you are sitting there and the employees feed the fish..sup underwater social dynamics in progress.
I note this place especially because it appears desolate at times. But don't let that fool you. The food is good, I promise. BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
/readingrainbow.
It's a little odd that this Korean stand is tucked away in Porter Exchange where you can find a plethora of Japanese food and stores, but if you ever get a chance, you should try some food here! It is a great place to get some bibimbap or kimchi pajon when you're not up for a trip to Koreana (or up for cooking.)
Tip: If you eat at Chochos, try their Korean food!!! The only time I've heard complaints is when people order Japanese food at Chochos. When people complain about this, I always ask them why they ordered Japanese food at a Korean food stand when there are awesome Japanese food stands right next door specializing in certain dishes.
I really enjoy this little gem in the middle of Porter Exchange. Whenever I am looking for a hot, bubbling, spicy soondubu chigae (soft tofu stew), I always seem to end up here. My favorite is the pork soondubu chigae.
Over the past year or so, they have expanded their menu to include non-Korean items, such as udon and pad thai. I've tried them all and they are all pretty tasty. Their specialty, however, are the Korean soondubu chigae's and their yook gae jang's (spicy shredded beef soup). They are salty, spicy, and delightful. Their broth is a beef base, and you can really taste the varying levels of richness in the background of the stews. I've tried so many times to duplicate their chigae at home, but with little success, so I end up coming back again and again.
Get to know the owners! They are extremely friendly and helpful and love to see familiar faces.
CHoCHo is a regular lunch place for me. ( I also had a big birthday party there several years back....the iItaians who came didn't know what to do with the chopsticks or the food!) Most often I get the salmon combo without sauce on the fish, all dressings on the side, no added salt, on anything, brown rice, and miso. They do it for me and I love them for it.. I often get a 'jones' for their soon dubu & go for the vegetable version which has big chunks of broccoli cauliflower and carrots. The seafood version always disappoints. They know me there and treat me kindly. A great place. BTW: I used to look at the fish tank but have been there so many times I don't notice it anymore.
A bit og gossip: One day I was there for lunch sitting next to a rather famous Cambridge author. I overheard her say whenever she's down in the dumps she Googles herself. Well, I guess that's less expensive than a massage or beer!
The bulgogi made me _very_ sick, and my roommate's friend has had the same problem with their bulgogi... twice.
The Galbi/Kalbi didn't seem to send anyone else into fetal-position spasms, though.
Their combination platters are just great, although I would recommend splitting one with a friend if you're not a big eater! The assortment of things you get with the combo is definitely fun-- I enjoyed the little dumplings the most, but also really liked the veggies with a bit of peanut sauce.
The spicy chicken I ordered wasn't spicy, and I probably should have ordered Korean food, but I wasn't really in the mood. My boy ordered the chicken teriyaki and it was quite tasty.
Since I'm fascinated by things pretty easily, I also enjoyed sitting right next to their amazing aquarium.
Only been here once, and the meal was good in general but . . . strange. Is it normal for kim chi pancakes to have bell peppers in them? The impression I got is Asian fusion-y, from looking at their menu, the decor, and the actual meal. If you and your fellow eaters are somewhat adventurous but can't decide between Japanese, Korean, and Thai, this would be a good choice. But not so much if you're missing your Korean mother's cooking. Oh, and our service was good, if kind of distant.
I've been here twice. What I do like about this restaurant is the fish tank. I sat next to it the two times that I went there.
The first time I went there, I ordered one of the chicken combo lunch box meals. The meat was pretty good, but the rice was too dry. The salad and its dressing was awesome and it was my favourite, aside from the meat.
The second time I went, I tried the Ok Dol Bibim Bap. Again, the rice was dry and there was too much of it. I would prefer it to have more meat and eggs, but I felt like I was just eating a huge bowl of rice that smelled pretty good, but tasted bland.
I'm with Liz K on this. I have gotten sick from eating here before. It kicks in right about the time when you're walking out of Porter Exchange and you start to feel like your stomach is cramping, only to give way to diarrhea within the hour.
Other than that, the presentation is fabulous, and when you order a dinner set, it comes with a great many little side items -- salad, pickled veggies, little dumpling things (although the dumplings taste like they are frozen food).
Like another reviewer said, though, their food is bland for korean food. The flavor is a little off, starting from the miso soup they give you that seems to have red bell pepper slices in it. The spicy tofu soup (which is like a Korean art form) didn't taste at all like the other authentic tofu soup places I've been to. Kind of watery and not spicy enough.
None of this is worth the ass sputtering.
This place has the best soon dubu chigae (soft tofu stew) I've had in the area. The seafood one seems to be the most flavorful. Order this, and you will get a nice little salad (simply dressed with oil, soy sauce, and pepper), four dishes of banchan (side dishes that the server has always been happy to refill--seems to normally be two kinds of kimchi, roasted&salted seaweed, and marinated fish cake), and most importantly, a raw egg (the other Korean places I've been to have actually omitted this important element!). This egg is to be cracked into the bubbling chigae as the heat is sufficient to cook the egg. Stir the egg a bit, but not too much, please, so that in a few minutes you will be able to spoon up from the depths beautiful baubles of perfectly set, creamy yolk that will rival the herd of silky tofu in textural delightfulness.
The seafood soon dubu chigae also contains a mussel, some small scallops, and a headed prawn. I am spooked by the tiny boiled black eyes--the chigae I ate very recently came with two of the prawns so I quickly removed the heads and arranged pieces of lettuce over them (perhaps even spookier to think of dreamless, forever-awake eyes beneath pale green pillowcases?).
I can't speak to any of the other dishes. The people who work here are really sweet. It's a low-key kind of place, and that's fine with me because I normally just come here by myself when I'm having a huge craving, ready to sweat.
I've only been to Chocho's once in all my time of going to the Porter Exchange, and frankly, it's nothing to be really impressed by. Their beef dishes are mediocre and the service is average. Although their lunchbox specials are cheap, you're better off grabbing something at the surrounding restaurants, like Cafe Mami or Tampopo.
A great little Korean restaurant among the Japanese eateries (and the sushi place Blue Fin) in Porter Exchange, Chocho's is a very pleasant spot for lunch. I would give it five stars if it were a couple dollars cheaper, but that's just me:)
Their Korean food is very, very good and plentiful. The lunch boxes are in the Japanese tradition and rather average (remember that it's a Korean place) but you have to try their soon tofu, which seems to be their specialty. It's a spicy tofu stew (spiciness is leveled to order) that comes in several varieties, combining one or several of seafood, beef, kimchi (spicy Korean pickle), etc. Very tasty, and filling! It also comes with a raw egg (!) that you can mix in yourself, and with three or four delicious little side dishes which reminded me of Korean BBQ at Koreana (Prospect St, Cambridge).
Another good thing about this place is that they care about offering healthy food. For example you get to choose between white rice and brown rice.
I also like the setup of the place, which feels more like a cozy little neighborhood restaurant than like an eatery in a mall (which it actually is).
It's not bad for a quick bite to eat if you're in the mood for Korean.. but personally I'd rather go into Blue Fin to grab something to eat.... I mainly go to Porter Exchange just for good quality and quick/cheap japanese food so I hardly ever eat here unless all the other places are packed...
I think this place is more healthy than good. The miso soup is really weak. The bi bim bap needs more oil. A bit expensive.
The food is over-priced and the bi bim bap needs a lot of work. Though the staff is friendly...the food is not.
I could eat here everyday... Well, if I had enough cash. Everything is tasty and amazing!!! My favourite is the hot pot!
Two words: healthy box. Run, don't walk. Spicy chicken, teriyaki chicken, whatever (I'd avoid the salmon though--it's not much fish). The healthy box is like a bento box w/o sushi, and everything in it is delicious (except maybe the weird half-steamed carrots with peanut sauce). Do it. Its $10 you won't regret spending.
Plus, the ladies who own the joint are really nice. And they deliver now, from http://foodler.com and campus food. Word up!
kimchi and fried and rice. fried calamari for under $5? wha?!!!
mi amigo's bulgogi was good. i've had a pretty good bi bim bap here, but mostly i like for things to be easy. and eating here is easy.
food was unremarkable, but i was blown away by the convenience. and for me that pushes a 3 star joint to a 4.
I like this place. The owners are friendly and they remember me, my family, friends, and who I was eating with when. (Of course, same for everyone- I am not that special.) It's so good to see them do well! They are always busy nowadays, so you have to go before 8pm.
I get sun dobu- which is super healthy. I find their most other dishes too sweet for me. I also love their scallion pancakes!
I have been going to Chocho's since they opened.
Absolutely delicious!!! Bento boxes & soft tofu stew all day!!! I'm totally hooked on the soon du bu stew with the great side dishes. They make their own kim chi. Yum!! Service is prompt and a variety of patrons come and enjoy the terrific Korean food. Haven't tried their non-Korean food yet though.
It's not bad for a fast food place tucked away in the Porter Exchange mall. I would stick to their boxed lunch/dinner because they fill you up for a reasonable price. Avoid the hot and sour soup and just choose the miso soup when they ask. I tried the Mixed Soon Duboo soup and was disappointed. It had one shrimp, one calm, and about three pieces of beef in the soup and was mostly tofu. Their Ok Dol Bibimbap was really good and filling though. The flavors aren't really all too authentic and I didn't feel that things were spicy enough but it's fast and cheap. Prices are generally under $10 for an entree.
Okay, so I did my research on Yelp beforehand and decided to take a risk and eat at this place. Bad choice. I got the SoonDooBoo and the day after, my stomach started hurting. Maybe it was the raw egg, or the SoonDooBoo itself, but either way, my tummy hated me for the next few days. Lesson learned. -_-;
Great Korean food for good prices. The bi bim bap is one of the best in town! Great side dishes. This, Buk Kyung li and Suiyashi in chinatown are the best authentic Korean places. Located in porter exchange and the only place there that accepts credit card!.
The only Korean restaurant in the mall. It's very good and they will even make things very mild for you if you're afraid of Korean food for its spiciness. Definitely try their Korean tofu soup. Very flavourful with lots of seafood.
If you're looking for a place to fulfill your Korean Food desire, i would recommend ChoChos. Located in Porter Exchange they're the only Korean place among 6 Japanese restaurants. They make an amazing SoonTofu and their lunch boxes are amazing with an extremely large portion.
Good good Korean food. Chocho's located right in porter exchange and it has awesome kalbi. I recommend anyone to go here.
When I first started frequenting the Japanese eateries in Porter Exchange a few years back, I couldn't help but notice that EVERY eatery always had a line up of people waiting for their chance to eat.... that is except the space occupied by a Korean eatery. That place was always empty. I never knew why, but I avoided it. As my wife would say with respect to Chinatown, avoid the restaurants where there are no crowds, the Chinese know. So that's what I did. Then a year or two ago (can't remember exactly), the space underwent a pretty major renovation, cleaning up the space and making it nice and modern. I have no idea if it was the same owners or new owners, but this is when I knew it to become "ChoCho's" and I finally decided to try it. What a pleasant surprise. The food was excellent (for an eatery), the staff was always pleasant, and the prices extremely good. But I always worried about that place because everytime I went, they were never full. However, I've continued to patronize there and I'm happy to report that they are usually busy.
Neighborhood: Allston/Brighton
Category: Korean
Somerville, MA
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Porter Square
Category: Japanese
Medford, MA
Category: Korean
Neighborhood: Allston/Brighton
Category: Korean
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