Cafe Seoul

This is one of my favorite places here in Eugene and something I'll definitely miss once I graduate in a few months.  If you can get past the owner's gruff service, you'll find he's actually very nice if he's not being swamped by the number of international students who eat here.  Best of all, the food is great!  Sometimes at off hours, you can meet the chef, who is the owner's wife.  I have tried everything from their Bulgogi, Galbitang, Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap, Dukboki, to dishes whose names I cannot pronounce.  One of my favorites is a stir-fried dish of pork belly, kimchi, and tofu which was recommended to me.  Yes, so I come to this place for the food....not necessarily for service or atmosphere.

The main reason, I did not give this place a 5 is because, sometimes it's hard to get the extra side dishes/refills.  I feel that that should be standard (at least for a Korean restaurant) if the place is "as good as it gets".

I was really looking forward to a belated birthday celebration with my family here. I researched our options for Korean food in Eugene and even walked past a few of them to see what they looked like before picking Cafe Seoul. It's menu looked the most authentic (I spent several weeks in South Korea last year and was eager to share Korean food with my family) and I had heard from a few Korean acquaintances that it was the best in town.

We showed up on a Friday night and it was somewhat busy with students. Almost everyone seemed to be Korean. Anyway, my dad and grandparents got there first and had saved a table for us. When I arrived with the rest of the family, they came out and said they had told the owner (or manager?) that a group of 11 was coming, and he said he couldn't serve them, even though a group of Koreans that large had just been seated. I'm not sure if he was discriminating against us or just didn't want a large group.

We ended up going down the road to Cafe Ari Rang, and the couple who served us there were so friendly and helpful.

Anyway, I might go back to Cafe Seoul with a smaller group. I really wanted to try out their food.

Wonderful food. My Korean friend says it's possibly one of the best on the West Coast. The place is always brimming with Korean exchange students, which is a good sign. Their authentic soups are simply amazing, beautiful presentations, and the lunch specials are fun for a quick fix. The cashier/busser is an odd man, but I'm trying to win him over. Compliment him on the fish cakes, and you're good to go.