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Canal Street (J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6)
Grand St (B, D)
Canal-Church Sts (A, C, E)
"To my non-Korean-American folks: if you want to go out on a date and show him/her that you're cultural and worldly and progressive, just…" read more »
This place used to be your run of the mill Chinese bakery. Boy, did they clean up! The ambiance and decor deserves four stars! But the food is just okay for the price.
Nice place to catch up with friends.
Lunch Boxes for $8!!
Spicy pork lunch box was great yesterday and in the past the shortribs lunch box was also good!
Love Korean food and the hot sauce!
Good Korean food right at the edge of Chinatown/SoHo. Jup She used to be known as Li Hua but has been revamped with a more Korean name, modern furnishings, and a trendier atmosphere. The service is excellent, the place is clean, spacious, and large windows provide plenty of street views while you eat. This is also a great place to watch a movie with no volume as they always have something on.
This place is now Jup She and it is lovely in there. We had great food and great service.
Li Hua is a lovely Korean restaurant nestled just north of Chinatown within the nowhere realm of… Read more »
In Chinatown, but Korean food, and I must say it's really good!
It's also pretty spacious so it's great for groups, and I would highly recommend if you're in the area looking for a great korean bbq, or kimchee tofu stew, wheat noodles with fried veggies and pork! Yum!
I'm a fan! :)
Wow. Yelp really let me down on this one!
I worked down the street from Li Hua about 3/4 years ago and I really didn't like it.
I am again in this neighborhood, a complete void of korean food. And out of desperation (hungover and reeeallly wanting jigae or soondubu) I called and ordered for pick up. Well first I checked out yelp and there were lots of positive reviews of the soondubu.
It was not good. I would not eat from here unless I was absolutely desperate for korean food (which I pretty much was but I won't make this mistake again).
Really, no good.
Obviously this place can't compete with the Korean restaurants in koreatown and flushing but hey, i still love it. Whenever I'm craving Korean food [which is quite often lol] but can't make it to ktown, i just come here to get my fix of korean food. Its certainly better than most of the restaurants you usually see in chinatown. Hm..i've tried their rice cakes, hot stone, kimchi fried rice, seafood pancake, japchae, and etc and like i said, cant compare to ktown and flushing, but im satisfied nonetheless.
Would you like to pay $40 for 5 steamed dumplings and some burnt spicy rice?
This is basically what happened to me last night at Li Hua, on snowy Grand Street.
My friend and I split the Shrimp Mandoo, i.e. steamed shrimp dumplings, the Bulgogi Hot Stone Bibimbap, as explained in the menu "sliced beef and vegetables over rice in a hot stone bowl" and the Seafood Hot Stone Bibimbap, a promised feast of "spicy seafood and vegetables over rice in a hot stone bowl".
Well, there was no sliced beef in the Bulgogi.
I was only able to track down two suspicious lumps of ground meat.
As for the other ingredients, lonely mushrooms and zucchini, sliced so thin that I could see through them, lay scattered in a mass of rice.
The same tragedy seemed to affect the seafood dish.
Dull chill-out music was playing in the background.
Leaning casually against the wall, the busboy was listening to our conversation. And that was the icing on the cake.
This restaurant used to be called LI HUA. I've been to that and Jup She and the food is pretty much the same. I enjoyed the service last night as we were not rushed out. The galbi (short ribs) was very flavourful. The bulgogi on the other hand looked very unappetizing but was good. If I was craving korean food and am downtown, this place serves decent korean food. We left around 8:30 PM but there were still many empty tables.
It looks like this place was taken over by new management is June or so, renovation and all. The food is pretty authentic and the decor is pleasant. We especially liked the side dishes, hot jigaes and jae yook bokum. Definitely the fried dumplings over the steamed. Probably more affordable than k- town and less hectic - ie better service- cleaner- and nestled between china town and little Italy it is a great change of pace for the area! We will definitely go again when we visit NYC!
Sometimes you just get a craving for some korean and you are just way too lazy to get out of the apt or even go uptown to ktown.
The alternative is ordering in! Thank you seamlessweb for having a korean joint to help me survive my vegetating weekends.
This place is neither cheap nor stellar. But, it helps get me my fix of korean and I can make it last for a few meals.
Usually I go for the follwoing
1) kimchi jjigae (fermented radish soup) @ $9
2) seafood pajun (pancake with scallions & seafood) @ $12
3) jae yook bokk keum (spicy pork with veggies) @ 14
My boyfriend and I came here and were the only ones, which was nice because the workers dimmed the lights for us and made it seem extra romantic. :)
What I ordered was decent and I like the special sauce that they give you to dip in. I don't remember exactly what the name was but it came in a sizzling pot with rice, kim chi, and beef. The special hot sauce made it up. I wouldn't mind coming back here again for the same plate.
I work near Korea Town so you would think I wouldn't need to venture to Chinatown for Korean food. But sometimes you need Korean food and you can't get all the way to the 30's.
The special ramen with mandoo (dumplings) is perfect on a cold day and their hot stone bibimbap is very good.
One odd thing on my first visit there - I ordered hot tea and the waiter brought me a cup of cold water and teabag. He promptly brought me hot water when I mentioned it ... but weird.
I'll be back since it's handy and the food was good.
A cold snowy January evening after a long Lucky Star bus ride, my friends and I wandered the streets of NYC looking for hot, delicious food. Li Hua was our shelter from the storm. Everything was good - the kimchi jjiggae was the standout, boiling hot and rich with pork, tofu and rice cake. The soup with noodles and pork dumplings was good as well, but the pork dumplings were a bit too soft to hold together in the soup, and I've had better back home in Boston. Bimbimbap is not something that I enjoy personally, but my friends were very satisfied with it.
For a freezing cold night, nothing could have been better and I was aglow with kimchi and happiness. If you're in the neighborhood and want something inexpensive (and not Italian) and are a little wary of going into an unknown (and un-Yelped) restaurant in Chinatown, this is a sweet little gem to come upon.
I have never been here before but I have always ordered food from here before. Since K-Town doesn't deliver to my area, I opted for Li Hua to get my Korean fix.
A lot of people recommends the LA Galbi - it's good but my only complaint, I wish they would remove the small bone.
I like to get their ramen too!
Sure it's not as great as K-Town, but if you're around the area, this place seem sufficient and it's still good!
They are so busy during lunch time that we usually have to wait an hour before we get our food!
TIP: Always order early!
I give this 4 stars bc its in the vicinity of my work place and it satisfies my soon-du-boo cravings (tofu stew). Again, if you want great Korean go to 32nd/ 35th St and Broadway. This review is only based for a workweek lunch.
My coworkers (Korean and non-Korean) and I always order seafood or kimchee soon-du-boo-- like at least once a week. It's $10 each including tip. Delivery is fast. and they give 3 varieties of banchans.
We've been to J Marc in Tribeca, and although it was good, we felt that it was too expensive for lunch, at least $15. Li Hua does it right!
We wandered from SoHo down towards the Financial District, feeling hungry and poor. We were thinking of Nyonya, but time was of the essence, so we stopped at Jup She. I'd never noticed it before, and certainly didn't expect to stumble onto Korean food there.
It was early, and the place was mostly empty, but the few people who were eating in the blandly chic but not uninviting dining room seemed to be enjoying themselves. We did, too.
Don't go expecting wood-coal barbeque (this is basically a bibimbap/stew/noodle joint), but my yook-gae-jang (spicy beef soup with clear noodles) was delicious, and my companion's mild codfish stew was simple, very fresh, and full of seafood and vegetables. The kimchee assortment included some nice fresh daikon and that sort of half sour cucumber that I love, and a decent seaweed salad, alongside kimchee which was a little wetter and pastier than I prefer it, but still good.
The only disappointment was the house salad (mixed greens meant iceberg and not quite ripe tomato, maybe?) - the lettuce was fresh enough, but the salad was very average.
Prices are in line with the nicer 32nd st places (i.e. $11-$14 bibimbap, $8-$10 stews and noodles) and portions are well worth it.
Jup She doesn't have the homey allure (or staggeringly low prices) of my favorite Chinatown pho place, for example, but to satisfy my yook-gae-jang jones, it's nice to know that I can now hop on the JMZ and be in the middle of some bright red peppery goodness in minutes.
Thanks to yelp, I fulfilled my immense craving for NY Korean food tonight.
Solid star earnings here, this place is praised in some NY publications as well.
Reasonable prices, not a bbq place, but they serve ample portions:
~$16 for plate of bulgogi. It's not a fatty variety, I am impressed by the meat quality. Sides are scant however, only bean sprout, some pickled zucchini, and kimchi.
Servers did not come around to refill banchan. I won't hold this against them because we did arrive as the kitchen was closing.
Spicy kimchi bibimbap: ~$14. Excellent. Kojujan is superb, rice at bottom is cooked so well it's crisp and caked together, makes it easy to peel it off and stuff it in your mouth.
I asked for my egg to be cracked w/just the white portion. They accomodated, and that is appreciated.
Wish they offered more banchan. Flavor is great here, and it is a worthwhile place to visit.
the unluckies were ravenous after a long day of walking around and christmas shopping. we were aiming for chinese food but got sequestered by our hunger and enjoyment of korean food. my son admired the decor. i found it to be austere which was magnified by the lack of heat and the fact that we had yet to thaw out after walking around for hours. we noticed 2 space heaters so i am assuming they were having heat issues.
the food we ordered was reasonably good. i had special ramen and that warmed me up just fine thank you! the pork dumpling in the soup offended my finer sensibilities so i placed it in exile on a plate. i ordered a seafood mandoo that was spicy and good mr. unlucky seemed reasonably pleased with his order of hot stone bibimbop, we emerged sated. i have had better korean food- but this one is good in a pinch.
Just went to this place earlier this evening with a couple friends. Not a great place, just OK.
Service was average, perhaps the wait staff didn't want to be overbearing since we were 1 of 2 parties in the place at 6:30pm (which can be a sign depending on how you look at it.) Traditional pre meal snacks were served, kimchi among others. Not as many as Tofu House but were tasty.
Two of us had the chicken bibimbap served in a super hot stone bowl. Portion seemed a tad small but accompanying red pepper paste/sauce was excellent and complimented the dish well. Chicken was good but nothing memorable. Bulgogi had plenty of beef but again was a tad small and didn't have very many noodles. Summed up by my friend "I've had better". Lacking that stand out flavor, the dish was good but nothing to write home about. No dessert was even offered, I'm sure they had it but our waitress simply didn't even offer it, we just sat there for 25-30 minutes after everything was cleared in front of us before we had to ask for the check. Plenty of opportunity to see if we wanted anything else.
In the end everything was just OK. I would go back if I was in the neighborhood but if I was deciding between a group on a Korean place to have dinner, I would either try a new place or go to the Tofu House before coming back.
I've never went to a Korean place that offered so little banchan! (appetizers served on a small plate) They only have - bean sprouts, kimchi, and something else.
Went at 12:30pm on a saturday - there was no one eating except us. left at 1:15pm - still no one.
Sure this place is kind of "hidden". Sandwiched between main chInatown and soho. Also, their restaurant is designed discreetly - encompassing a older building instead of erecting a newer facade.
Food was decent, definitely worth a try. However, my CHAP CHAE was not worth 9 dollars considering the amount of onions i had(alot - like half a medium onion)and the amount of cellophane noodles i had(very little, like one small batch) The BEEF however was nicely shredded, though not the freshest beef, was plentiful(in ratio) I've ate better at K-town and Flushing's Northern Blvd.
My girlfriend had the HOT STONE BI BIM BAP and it was nicely made but very bland and/or tasteless. *****If you want your egg to be cracked when served, ask when ordering. The rice was made nicely - it was crusty but not burnt - just the way it is suppose to be. Sides were decent and when mixed with red paste sauce - very edible. I prefer this over the Chap Chae. I believe 12.95(not sure)
If you are in Chinatown and need Korean food, definitely come here - being the only one in the whole vicinity. However, if you want great Korean food - head to Ktown/Flushing.
Nice decor and setting, modern tables/chairs, modern look. Good customer service(even though we were only ones, lol)
This place needs some love! The food is so pleasing and inexpensive, and the staff so very sweet. The beef bulgogi here has yet to be surpassed by any version I've had in K-Town. The chap-chae (sweet potato cellophane noodles) and variety of bibimbab are also yummy.
The decor is minimalist and pretty. And the restaurant sits on a corner, with wrap-around windows, so there's nice natural light during the day.
I've been there about four times in the last year but would go every week if it were in my neighborhood. Sadly the place never seems to fill up even at peak dining hours. Give it a try!
Ok, I know I gave this place 3 stars, but this rating is based on overall food AND value. You know, it's not bad. The food is pretty decent and they cook it for you so that you don't have to smell like BBQ and if you live in chinatown, it is QUITE convenient... BUT... compared to its K-town counterparts, you're better off making that trip to K-town. I usually get the kalbi or the bulgogi. You can't go wrong with those.
Like past reviewers have said, the small app dishes are quite sad in comparison to K-town and guys will definitely complain about not being full. On the other hand.. I had no idea that they delivered! I'm gonna have to give them props for that. But yes, overall food and value - just 3 stars. In addition, I don't know about anyone else here... but I've never seen a wait here.
Ciesse is right, their decor is minimalist and there's plenty of natural light (see photos I posted). I was there last August on a weekend and it didn't fill up, to my surprise. The music is chill in the background FYI.
The food we ordered was absolutely delish (also see photos) but I was disappointed in the small number of banchan (small plates) provided, as well as the ones provided (personal preference). Our server (Susie) was quick and friendly.
Li Hua is particularly interesting since it's one of the few (only?) Korean dining establishments I know of within walking distance of Chinatown. Recommended for what it is, where it is!
IN PLACE UPDATE 23 September 2009 Li Hua is now Jup She, and different visually and menu-wise, so my review doesn't really apply anymore...
I've ordered from this place twice already and cannot complain. I've had their lunch box, which was delicious, and their bibimbop, which I think is better served at the restaurant than on the go because it should be served fresh off the hot stone bowl.
Yummy Korean restaurant in the Garment District. Cheap and tasty is how I would discribe this place. The restaurant is nice and clean.
A friend who lives in the neighborhood took us here for a late night dinner.
Their slogan says it all "Hi-tech kitchen but the cooking is proudly traditional, taste just like grandma's". With tagline like this, there's no need for me to add any additional comment.
Happy eating.
Went with my coworkers to lunch today and had a pretty terrible experience. First, yes the banchan is sad, but honestly, I don't expect anything really good outside of K-town. What I did expect, was my food to come in a timely fashion and the food to actually taste good. Neither of those expectations were met. We ordered pretty basic stuff, two different types of bibimbap, a ddook bhook ghi, chap chae, and a seafood pancake. It took them almost 40 minutes to get our food out, and it appeared to be prompted mostly by our telling them that if the food didn't come out soon we would have to leave since our lunch hour would be over. And the restaurant was nowhere near busy, there were only two other tables that had people at them. Now on to the food. They forgot to put the beef in our bibimbap, which is just sort of bizarre. I've never had that happen before. The seafood pancake had almost no seafood. Chap chae was actually pretty decent. The portions were pretty small in general, though I guess that is relative.
I would have given this place one star, but the decor is actually pretty nice and the serving people were decent and friendly. However, I don't think there's any reason for me (or anybody else) to come to this restaurant ever again.
un-korean
un-happy
un-gry
This underrated Korean joint is certainly a breath of fresh air from a Chinese/Italian infested (in a good way...) neighborhood and probably the only Korean eatery in the area. The food is good, reasonably priced and is vegetarian friendly but lacking in a good non-alcoholic drink selection (soda and green tea on the menu from what I can remember) although they do have beer and sake if you fancy some.
Come during the evening hours for added effects.
I tried Li Hua on a blistery cold winter day. I figured something hot and spicy was a good way to thaw myself out. I noticed that the menu covers the full range of bibimbob, that delicious rice in a hot stone pot with various toppings. I often order this dish in Korean restaurants, as I'm a huge fan of the crusty, chewy rice that forms at the bottom of the pot. But today I was craving a hot soup or stew, so I went for the soon doobu, soft tofu in a spicy broth, with kimchi (or you can choose seafood or beef). The waiter brought over 3 small dishes of banchan, which I have to say were the weakest and stingiest of all I've had here in NYC. There was the obligatory kimchi, plus a slightly sweet potato salad, and a little dish of pickled cucumbers. Neither of these looked or tasted all that fresh, and it seemed like a half-assed effort on the part of this restaurant. The banchan I've eaten in the K-town spots have all been a million times better, and usually more interesting and more generous.
Anyway, the soon doobu was pretty good. It arrived about 5 minutes after I placed my order, and was literally boiling hot. It was good and spicy too, just what I was looking for to clear my sinuses and warm me from the inside out.
I'm not sure I'll go back to Li Hua, even though my lunch was ok. I just think there are better places to satisfy my kimchi craving in the city.
Sounds Chinese, tastes Korean... I always have the hot stone bimbimbop so I'm no connoisseur, but on the whole it's pretty good. If you're looking for real Korean food, head to Ktown. I like to cook my own meat and leave smelling like a grill.
Tasty Korean staples at reasonable prices. The small plates were tasty. The decor is tastefully modern, and the restaurant is quite clean. Li Hua serves the best Korean I've had outside K-Town.
You can get a much better deal for your buck with K-Town restaurants, but it's a good substitute if you don't feel like trekking to midtown and you're down here, though, as the food is pretty authentic and tasty. Boo to their pitiful banchan selection, though. Their nakji bokkeum was the perfect spiciness and a nice large portion. Bokkeum bap is good... but it's not something you can really mess up anyway. I'd say save your money and head up to the smattering of Korean restaurants up near 32nd St.
Li Hua has an $8 lunch box special (11:30 - 3:00) which includes your choice of entree meat, salad, a large container of steamed rice, two appetizers, kimchi, and another side dish. It's a pretty big meal for a lunch, but it's pretty good. The Jae-yook Box, with heavily spiced pork, is very satisfying. They also serve a wide variety of Korean dishes, if you're looking for a sit-down meal.
It's a great place to relax and eat in the midst of a busy chinatown. I've been here few times and enjoyed my stay not just because of the food, but because of it's quiet atmosphere and there's no waiter rushing you to order food so they could serve the next customer, which happens often when you eat in chinatown restaurants. Not a lot of people know that it's a korean place coz the outside doesn't look like a restaurant, but as always the good stuff are usually harder to find. The price is not expensive comparing to K-town, and it's not bad at all too. Definitely a place to hangout and eat comfortably in chinatown.
Although menu's not as extensive as K-town restaurants food tastes as good, a real authentic Korean that is. Wait staff were slow and seems lost at times but overall it's satisfactory. I just wish they had a little more 'panchan' like K-town.
I love this place. I thinks maybe I had a little bit too much authenticity in Korea-town, and now I'm back to bibimbop and ramen here -- and I LOVE it. Ah, nothing better on a cold winter day than some spicy ramen here. The restaurant is modern and clean, and I've only had good service. Can't wait to go back. Yum.
I always go for the Tofu Hot Stone Bibimhab and aside from burning my tongue I have no complaints! This place is great for lunch but although I've never seen it packed, it does take a while to get your food--so just plan ahead!
i went back here again and they have Hofbrauhaus bier (!!!) and the dumplings i complained about last time, which my friend really wanted to try, were better. easy to get to and polite, efficient service.
i just ate here for the first time. i'm not a huge korean restaurant visitor
because from what i…
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It is the best Korean food I've ever had. We were greeted by steaming, hot green tea in a glass tumbler. The atmosphere is light with many windows to see outside on the street. The restaurant isn't usually crowded. There are candles on the tables and there is a romantic vibe. The wait staff is incredibly nice! We started with the Kimchee tofu (steamed tofu with seasoned kimchee) which was really amazing. For main dishes, I had the Hot Stone bibimbab (variety of vegetables, served over rice in a hot stone bowl with red pepper paste) and my boyfriend had the Vegetable Bokkum noodles (stir-fried noodles with assorted vegetables). Mine came in a very hot stone bowl that kept the dish STEAMING (and sizzling) hot while I ate it. They do buy 2 Sapporo and get one free but we didn't make it... on the way out the waitress asked for my boyfriend's name so he could have it the next time he came in. We returned about a month later and GOT THE SAPPORO! The cost was low. $54 for two with tax and tip.
Drink special.
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