Bibim Korean Bistro
Review! Charlotte, North Carolina // Korean restaurant // nourishing & balanced meal options
the ELEVATOR PITCH
So, Bibim had me reeling*.
*which may be dramatizing it a little, but what I’m trying to say is that the assumptions I had going in did not match with reality, in the best way possible
First, my brain expected a fast casual dining experience. But the moment you walk into Bibim, you’re hit with an interior that, at certain angles, almost gives off an elevated omakase dining establishment feel (the kind you may only find in Japan), with their sturdy wooden furniture and beautifully paneled front counter paired with those short ramen-stand-in-Naruto kitchen curtains (comment a 😎 if you know what I’m talking about). The plating game on the appetizers are the stuff of fancy restaurants (pics in the menu section), the tableware has a quality look and a weighty feel, and the wait staff is phenomenal. There came a point where I had to ask myself, did I miss the memo? Is my baggy sweater over a random t-shirt too casual for this? 😆
(but fret not, there were plenty of families & parties, that were wearing everyday attire, if you were genuinely wondering)
The actual dishes add another level of surprise. I’ve had tteokbokki and kimchi jeon at other Korean restaurants before and they all are pretty one-note in flavor. But Chef Andy Im (he brings a New York culinary expertise) has incorporated additions to both of these Korean classics that make me go “oooo!” (i.e., the crispy umami straws on the tteokbokki).
The ‘bap entrées were very generously filled with a variety of organic vegetables and a good amount of your choice meat; as a consumer, this was one of the more wholesome and balanced meals I’ve had when dining out. Overall, everything had a clean taste and sat well in my stomach, a characteristic that can only be explained by the usage of quality ingredients.
Now onto a couple of the menu offerings…
Review on the munchie pictured above:
Tteokbokki: 10/10 presentation, the gochujang is milder than what I’ve had before, but tasteful. I loved the addition of the crispy umami straws that have the texture of cheetos + herbs and sesame seeds that garnished the top of this dish. Also, the fish cakes in here are surprisingly not-too-fishy in the best way possible. The whole dish feels cleaner and more elevated than the usual tteokbokki. (rating: 8.5/10)
Kimchi Jeon: I have always had these served to me in a huge pancake disc that we cut apart with scissors, so the pre-portioned smaller discs were cute but also gave off the impression of “we’re in fine dining here.” Crispy exterior and a soft pancake interior. A lot more batter than kimchi & ”stuff” than I’d prefer. The sauce really added to the kimchi jeon’s overall flavor! (rating: 7/10)
Tteok Fries: the texture of the rice cake feels like a denser mochi doughnut after being fried—imperceptibly crisp on the outside, and chewy on the inside. I like to think of it like the Tteokbokki appetizer but deconstructed and with a sweeter sauce. I prefer the Tteokbokki because the rice cakes just taste a lot better with the gochujang-based sauce and there’s just a lot more going on. (rating: 4/10)
Gimbap: (aka: Kimbap) these are HUGE! Loved the amount of ingredients they included in the gimbap itself, felt good-for-you :) However, the sauce was too mild/siracha-mayo-vibey for me; I would’ve preferred just straight gochujang sauce or something saltier/spicier. These are also quite large, which makes it difficult to eat an entire piece in one bite (which I prefer to do even though some people may consider that dining etiquette faux pas, because I hate finding myself in a shambly deconstructed gimbap mess!). (rating: 8/10)
Korean Corn Dog: (my friend’s order) Didn’t get to actually taste this one, but the cheese didn’t seem as melty-cheese-pully, as some Charlotte foodies made it seem. The breading also looks quite thick, almost as if you’re eating 70% batter. (rating: ??)
Dolsot Bibimbap (with spicy pork): I really enjoyed the amount and variety of veggies in their bibimbap, but when I order a dolsot, I expect the stone bowl to be sizzling my rice the entire time…which this one wasn’t. Probably a quarter into the meal I could hold the bowl like it was a cup of hot chocolate, so sadly, only the very bottom of rice crisped up and not much else. 😔 Therefore, the extra $3.00 (total $18.00) for the dolsot wasn’t 100% worth it for me. (rating: 5.5/10)
👉Spicy Pork: tender and had a good char; the flavor itself didn’t stand apart from the rest of the bibimbap to me (but that’s because I had doused the whole thing in gochujang before thoroughly taking a bite 😆). (rating: 7/10)
Reviews on the munchies pictured above:
Bibimbap (with beef bulgogi): (my friend’s order, but I’m assuming it tastes the same as the Dolsot that I ordered without the stone bowl) I would totally order this next time since the dolsot didn’t add a whole lot (as I stated above), and the contents of the bibimbap was still generous, filling, and nourishing. Possibly the best bibimbap in Charlotte at this time! (rating: 9/10)
Deopbap (with beef bulgogi): order this if you want a meal that’s more meat focused. But I really enjoyed the vegetables in the bibimbap, so will probably be sticking to that order if I’m wanting a ‘bap dish. (rating: 6/10)
👉Beef Bulgogi: was not super flavorful, so while it tasted clean and quality, if you’re craving the typical bulgogi flavor profile, you may be left disappointed (rating: 6.5/10)
Sundubu Jjigae (with beef): (aka: Soondubu Jjigae) they serve it with the egg already cracked into the bowl for you, and with quite a bit of tofu and beef! Not too spicy, so if you are looking for more of a kick, ask for a side of kimchi. Comes with rice and honestly I was impressed with the amount of food. (rating: 8.5/10)
Kimchi Mul Milmyeon: my first time having milmyeon, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it (I ended up drinking all of that broth, which I rarely do with noodle dishes!). Extremely refreshing, yet flavorful. Highly recommend ordering with the kimchi, as it adds a nice dimension of flavor that I would’ve missed otherwise. I shared an order of beef bulgolgi with my friend, it was yummy but may not be worth the $10 extra. (rating: 9/10)
Kimchi Bibim Milmyeon: order this if you want the ice-cold noodle vibe but don’t need a lot of the broth. With the gochujang-based sauce it’s also a lot more spicy, but still manageable! (rating: 9/10)
I did have a brief moment of “negative” reeling** when I saw the menu prices. But that moment quickly got overturned when my friend Rachel pointed out that these prices are quite comparable to other Korean restaurants in Charlotte (i.e., Daebak, PePeRo, Joa Korean), which made me realize that Bibim is (1) actually fairly priced and (2) for what they offer, actually a great deal (I think I’m just not used to how much eating out can cost these days 😅).
**side tangent to explain that I recognize I have baggage. There will probably always be some level of shock that I will feel when I see so many “clean out the fridge, throw it all together, use up all the leftovers” meals (like Chinese cuisine’s fried rice and Korean cuisine’s bibimbap) that are now being sold at $15+ price points in these modern restaurants (talking like the daughter of immigrant parents, I know!). So while $18 for a bibimbap is America’s market price and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, it still hurts my heart just a smidge at the idea of paying to indulge in this dish when I could make it at home (like the way it had originated).
All that said, come here for Korean food that you know is made with great ingredients, and what I would consider as one of the best bang-for-your-buck bibimbaps in Charlotte!
the RÉSUMÉ
address // 14027 Conlan Cir Suite A2, Charlotte, NC 28277
operations // Monday - Friday, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM & 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM; Saturday, 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM; Sunday, CLOSED.
logistics // plenty of parking space in the lot in front of the restaurant (shares a plaza with a lot of other storefronts)
amenities //
2 restrooms
moderate noise
good for groups & very family-friendly
vibes // contemporary casual dining experience (good ambiance with a lower price point than fine dining): looks casual on the outside, but the interior is actually pretty done-up and they offer table service
menu // vegetables used are organic!
beverages ($3.00 - $5.00): sodas, green tea, San Pellegrino, water
appetizers ($6.00 - $14.00): mandoo, chicken gangjeong (fried chicken), kimchi jeon (kimchi pancake) & haemul pajeon (seafood pancake), ojingeo tuigim (deep fried squid), cheese corn dog, tteokbokki, gimmari (crispy seaweed noodle rolls), gimbap (seaweed rice rolls with bulgogi)
sides ($3.00): kimchi, danmooji (pickled radish), steamed rice, daily soup
entrées ($15.00 - $18.00): bibimbap, deopbap, ramen, sundubu
⭐the typical Korean banchan (pickled radishes, kimchi, etc.) is not included with your entrée and must be ordered separately
⭐kids menu available: bulgogi beef/chicken with rice; ramen
desserts ($8.00): yakgwa/hotteok with vanilla ice cream
recs //
appetizers: tteokbokki (the fish cakes in the tteokbokki taste very clean, and not as processed/fishy)
entrees: bibimbap sans dolsot (they are super generous with the vegetable & meat portions; sans the dolsot because the stone bowl doesn’t stay heated very long to crisp up that much of the rice)
site // Bibim Korean Bistro
~ cath!!
That Tteokbokki looks positively devious. I want in.
1000x 😎