Bop

I didn't realize Korean Food was mainstream until I overheard a table of middle aged ladies (presumably going to the Opera) chatting about the medical benefits of kimchi at Bop. It's not super authentic and it's priced as you would expect for the theater crowd, but it's decent Korean food in Center City and I'm not mad at it.

4 of us split:

-$15 theater special: salad and bulgogi bibimbap- very good and great price!
-KFC wings: delicious and crispy, large portion.
-Kimchi fries: drenched in an odd whiz mix, big potato wedges, pretty spicy!
-Tuna poke with avo and seaweed: meh. Wouldn't order again.
-Kalbi with lettuce wraps (I was personally offended that they offer to serve this with tortilla wraps...): large portion and a bit hard to eat (you have to cut the slabs of meat and chew around the bones) but comes with banchan and kimchi if you ask. Expensive and way too much for one person, so definitely split it. Great flavor!

Authenticity level: all the waiters were white and our waitress complimented our chopstick skills (this is after we had to ask for chopsticks). There were no other Asian people in the restaurant.

I'd still choose Seorabol hands down for authenticity and price, and probably Southgate in Center City, but I'm glad to see Bliss replaced with something decent! Bop on over and check it out!

Can a Philadelphia Eagle (Brent Celek) and the chef of Prime Stache open a delicious Korean inspired restaurant right in the midst of the hustle and bustle on Broad Street? You betcha! You better bop on over to bop!

My husband wanted to take me out on a day date (it's our new thing and I LOVE it!)! "There's a new restaurant that just opened up where Bliss used to be. I want to take you there" he said. I of course won't eat anywhere I haven't cross referenced on Yelp. It turned out I had it bookmarked. Great minds... Well, you know.

We were fans of the location's previous owners, dining there many times. We wondered how a new place would compare in such a prime location. It has to be fairly tasty to do well here. First of all, the the space itself...the renovations were gorgeous and the updated layout, super smart. Much more seating outside to enjoy people watching and views of City Hall. There's a balcony upstairs for private parties I'm assuming. Banquet seating around the edges allowing more people to squeeze in too.

There's and a huge, inviting square bar with two flat screens in the middle for game day. The bartender was super welcoming to anyone and everyone who took a seat. So much so I wondered if he knew them all. The bar looks like a great place to take a load off after a long day.

The new space can fit many more people now and that's a great thing because they're going to need the room for all of the patrons they're going to have stopping by. I think bop is a great fit for this locale and will be around awhile.

The decor was just my style. You are greeted with one single, gorgeous statement orchid as you walk in. Crisp, white subway tiles all around and some oh so trendy air plants and faux skulls with a touch of greenery giving the space a sleek, urban, yet bohemian feel. Loved it all!

Ok, now to the juicy stuff!! Literally.
What did we order you ask? One of everything please.

A complimentary trio of Kimchee was served first. The cabbage was good. Zucchini even better, but the peppers in the middle were just so flavorful! I could've eaten just a whole bowl of those! Spicy!!

Korean fries with spicy ketchup.
Delicious and crispy. Spicy, not overly so. Just a tad tangy. For just $3, I say get a bowl for the table to snack on.

Edamame Ravioli with Kombu broth and truffle oil. (10) 4 large ravioli to an appetizer order. Garnished beautifully with pea shoots and edamame. Soft and subtle, soupy with warm, tasty broth. Worth a shot.

Tempura rock shrimp with chili oil- (12) Just as crispy, perfectly seasoned and mayonnaise-y as the ones at his favorite spot. With that being said, if you've had it elsewhere, skip it here. It's smaller bites than we've seen and it's been done. While yes, it's delish, I say go for something unique to this spot. There are so many options to choose from.

I was so torn between which salad to order. They all honestly sounded so delicious and somewhat inventive. I went with the Chop. It was towering and gorgeous in color. Light yet filling. I had half of it leftover for dinner later. It was crunchy, dressed to perfection and that nice blend of sweet and savory I like so much with the mix Korean pears and roasted peanuts. You can add a protein to any salad for a small additional cost.

The KFC Wings I think stole the show for my husband. We both agreed they were the biggest wings we have ever seen. My guy was so adorable eating them. Gooey, sticky sauce all over his cheeks. Ladies, stay away from these if you're on a first date. :) Spicy, but not too much he said and very crisp because they're double fried. He had some leftover so we brought them to my parents. They both said they were the best wings they've EVER had!

I did notice the man next to us making love to his meal. I just had to ask what he was dining on...The Bulgogi (sliced ribeye Bibimbop) which he said was "outrageous". Perhaps give that a try.

The nachos looked so appealing too. Hello, pickled shishito! Sound so interesting!

Perhaps next time I'll order the Mushroom Bibimbop. It sounds amazing with 4 different types of 'shrooms. Yea baby!

Drinks- Hubby got his watermelon beer and I wanted a Thai Basil Lemonade. Apparently it wasn't ready as they just opened last week. I did notice some alcohol being infused behind the bar, perhaps that's what the waitress meant by not ready....still infusing. I did however love the Philly inspired names of the cocktails. The Rittenhouse, The Philadelphian, and The Ave Of The Arts to name a few. They all looked carefully crafted and desirable.

Our waitress was very much on top of water refills and clearing plates. The food came out in a timely manor, with a smile. Prices were reasonable and portions, generous. We have no complaints at all and will be returning.

Fab Philly Mom says: Go ahead,leave the kids home for this one. There's not a ton on the menu for them and what is, is spicy. Enjoy a date. You deserve it!

Went during lunchtime - the decor is quite nice. It has a tv by the bar area - playing some ESPN. The place wasn't packed, which was a bit concerning.

I ordered the KFC sandwich (Korean fried chicken) with a side of fries (can opt for a fruit salad). The chicken was fried, but it wasn't what I was expecting for a Korean fried chicken (thinking like cafe soho wings). It looked more like a filet of fish sandwich from McDonald's.

Sandwich was okay - not as flavorful as I wanted it to be. Fries were good - crispy but not too much Korean flavor. Just tasted like regular fries. Ok spot - will need to try out their dinner entrees

BOP- Korean inspired goodness. I just finished eating here and as mouth watering as the appetizers sounded and looked on the reviews, I was not satiated enough.
Among the 2 of us we ordered the kimchi fries, cheesesteak egg rolls and the kfc wings. I would say all are above average and typical bar food!
For the entree we shared the chicken sizzle plate and oh my God! It was the best part of the cuisine and the quantity was enough for 2.
BOP is a definite go! I will go back to try the bowls and the drinks.
Service- Usher pleasant and quick
Waiter- knowledgeable and attentive
Decor- Love the simple modern chique!
Location-

I've been wanting to go to this place since then opened because I walk by everyday on my way to work. When I finally went, my general impression is that this is half-failed attempt at something great and just end up being an average experience with a higher price tag.

Also, if you think you are going to a Korean restaurant, you are not really getting a full Korean restaurant experience. They only have a few bibimbap dishes on the menu and that's it. Not even an successful Asian cushion experiment. The menu reads more like an American bar.

We ordered fried calamari and dumplings for small plates. The calamari was good but very small portion. (I guess hence called "small plates"). The dumplings were disappointing because I was expecting boiled ones but they come covered with heavy fried dough.

For entrees, we ordered the bop burger and bulgogi bibimbap. Both are good, but neither was stellar, and didn't feel like living up to their price tags.

The restaurant has this very open layout, a big square dining room with high tables and a bar on one end - not my type of good dining setup to be honest. It feels like it was also trying to be a sports bar and didn't quite get there and just ended up being a weird mix. Service was also good but nothing out of the ordinary.

Anyhow, I think there is a good potential with the idea of Korean + sports American experience but executed poorly.

I like Bop. This restaurant with its open kitchen is right in the center of the Avenue of the Arts. It is a nice laid-back alternative to the higher priced options all around it. And it serves Korean food! Okay maybe it's not the best Korean restaurant in Philly but it's not bad. I enjoyed a Bulgogi Bi Bim Bap recently that was good enough. And I began the meal with a red Caesar salad that had the added good flavor of caramelized anchovies. The waitress was friendly and efficient. And the TVs were turned to the Eagles game with lots of people watching them from the horseshoe bar. After all Bop is partially owned by Eagles tight end Brent Celek.

Tip - If you can show a theatre/concert ticket from that day, Bop offers a $15 two-course menu which has got to be the best bargain in the theatre district. It's good before or after the performance. Check it out!

I had been pretty opposed to going back to Bop due to my negative experience but was finally convinced after months by the fiancee since I went with friends the first time.

The food is better than I remember. The bibimbap was better than I remember but my expectations were far lower this time around. The burger was also cooked properly and the meat is good quality.

Now the bad, of which there were many: service was horrible. Not the worst I've ever had but we looked around for the waitress to order appetizers and it took awhile to track her down. Then we tried to order our entrees and I tried to flag her down about three times and finally gave up. She finally came over on her own in due time.

The dumplings are terrible. Don't order them. They are heavily fried and breaded, not just pan seared like many fried dumpling places. These are literally like chicken wings fried. On top of that, there's barely any meat in them. These are not real fried dumplings. The menu also doesn't state how they are made (steamed or fried) and the Asian community serves steamed as the standard which is how I assumed they would come if it wasn't specified.

The burger, while cooked well, was LOADED was bacon. Like AT LEAST six strips. While I appreciate the quantity, 2 strips of bacon is plenty for me on a burger. Six is overdoing it. I could barely taste the beef as the bacon was too overwhelming. I ended up taking off some bacon in order to enjoy my burger.

We also ordered the calamari which was good but not great. So in conclusion: poor service, mediocre food. I gave it a second chance but I won't be back.

Points for: Bulgogi bibimbap
No points: Service, dumplings, burger. Price point for the quality of food received.

I hate traveling and not finding mouth watering eateries , but you never know until you try right ?

It's hard to enjoy your meal when your service is nothing to brag about. However , we were hungry so you would think the food would satisfy our ravenous appetites . NOPE

The Philly cheesesteak egg rolls were the only table pleaser here and darn, I didn't get a picture . Burnt chargrilled wings, dry bulgogi (tasted like under seasoned ground beef) and was that bimbimbap? *smacks hand on head *

I understand the resturant is korean inspired but they just need to drop that bc it's an insult to Korean flavors and please tell your waitress next time to fill up her customers drinks instead of taking shots with the other customers , I get it you want to be a swanky , elite , hang out spot for that late night crowd ... good luck with that.

This place would be alot better if they actually cared about the customers who come here to eat.

Very disappointed to say the least, i was looking forward to trying this new restaurant in such a great location. A great opportunity for Korean food to make the mainstream. Epic fail.

Overall- no flavor
Personally i will NEVER go back it is was an insult to my stomach.

Decor was clean and streamlined. No hint of Korean food to be found if you at decor. No Korean waitstaff. No Chopsticks on table.

Staff was friendly. Our waitress recommended all of the most American sounding food on menu...cheesesteak egg rolls, nachos, chicken sandwich. We ordered the aforementioned and bulkogi bibimpop, and the bop salad with salmon.

Cheesesteak egg rolls - mediocre. Nothing special

Nachos - wonton wrappers used but way too soggy, no spice, just very vanilla.

Chicken sandwich - battered no taste chicken, thousand island, minuscule amount of pickle kimchee, and cabbage. No flavor.

Bulkogi bibimpop - just ok again. The rice was not crunchy near bowl, soggy, the waitress stirred at table which was a plus, but wasnt initially served with red bean paste.

Bop salad w/ salmon- iceberg lettuce, fishy salmon, ginger dressing with no flavor.

My review is based solely on food and flavor, not authenticity (being that it is Korean inspired restaurant). I ordered through a delivery service, so I also cannot attest to the service.

One of the driving forces for me to try bop was because it replaced Bliss, which I visited once and did not enjoy at all... I digress. I saw bop on Caviar and was intrigued by the KFC wings and decided to try the bop burger because of the review I read on Yelp.

KFC Wings were really good. Super crunchy and flavorful, but a little salty. Seriously, just like a pinch. For some reason, I was expecting a hint of sweetness. However, the sweetness of the sauce that came on the side helped with that.

bop Burger - hands down one of the best burgers I've ever had in the city. The meat was seasoned so well, the toppings were balanced (I saw a review mentioning 6 slices of bacon, and while I wouldn't have hated that at all haha, I had two slices) and the sauce was perfect. I'm a big sauce snob.

Overall, I'd give bop a rating of 4.0/5 based on food alone. I hope to dine in at least once and will update my review then.