Tried Charim today for lunch....
Nice, acceptable food, but nothing really excited me.
For what we got, I considered it quite expensive. Our meal totaled $41.00.
The decor, while nice, doesn't have any Korean inspiration. Very generic. The place was clean; that was nice.
We both got sweet iced tea. Being from the South I consider myself an iced tea connoisseur. This tea was probably pre-sweetened from concentrate. Meh.
We ordered the Korean style pancake appetizer; nice crisping on the edges, good size, tasty...
My wife had the hot pot bimbibap, which she quite liked.
I had the pork katsu... basically a chicken fried pork cutlet, with a brown sauce, served with cold mashed potatoes that had thin sliced  cucumbers mixed in. It was very nicely cooked, with crispy not greasy breading, but wasn't very flavorful. The mashed potatoes were also somewhat bland, although not bad... just bland.
The banchans were fine. We got sliced fish cake, boiled peanuts, radish kimchee, classic kimchee (very good), pickled cucumbers, bean sprouts in sesame oil.
Overall, Charim's food was good, but all in all, if I want "classic" Korean, I will go to Koreana II. Prices are better, food is better, banchans better, and it has a great hole-in-the-wall atmosphere!
Grilled chicken? Check. Flavorful spices? Check. Scallions and other green somethings for functional garnish? Check. Sticky rice (and the option for brown or white)? Check. Slices of onion and peppers? Alright, we've got the main ingredients in Chicken Bulgogi...
You know what we don't have? Fish sauce/oil! This my friends is what I call an ideal meal at a Korean restaurant and one that I've unfortunately not been privy to until trying a meal here at Charim. Whoever said that Charim caters to those unfamiliar with Korean food is right and as that kind of customer, I couldn't be happier about that.
Thank you Charim for labeling everything so well and for having such helpful staff that efficiently give guidance for newbs like me to Korean food. I had a less than positive association with Korean cuisine before my Charim trip because of other visits to places where ingredients weren't listed and I didn't know the soup or noodle dish I ordered was made with fish sauce, which is a flavor I don't want to touch with a ten foot pole.
Chicken Bulgogi is spicy, but if you're not into that go for the beef Bulgogi which is apparently not nearly as hot. I loved the spice of the Chicken Bulgogi, but my taste buds could only handle it tempered with some major amounts of water. It can get severely busy (overflow from invariable waits at Havana Rumba?) on weekend nights so if you're like me and need an ever flowing well of water to help the spice you might find yourself parched.
We just got back from 15 months in Korea and the food here is wonderful! We ate here twice in two days and it just gets better!
The owner is such a friendly, sincere lady and even prepared 'chamchi gimbap' for me even though it's not on the menu! I've been craving these tuna, rice, seaweed rolls since I left Korea and she came to my rescue!
We had a table full of banchan and so many appetizers, I can't name them all, but she makes THE best kimchi! Try the tofu & braised kimchi, the tdeok bokki, and any of the soups and you won't be disappointed! I can't eat wheat/gluten, so I had the bibimbap without the gochujang sauce and it was still flavorful.
She puts a lot of thought and skill into her dishes and is always trying to find local items that she can use in her dishes.
She's the only server at lunch right now, so be patient, but she's so nice and the food is so good that it's worth it!
Call ahead for the gimbap and she'll have them ready for you :)
Charim is a AWESOME! I've been there twice and each time the owner (and chef) has asked our table how everything is throughout the meal, and has also sent the server out while she's preparing our dishes to make sure that we are comfortable with certain spice levels and traditional Korean preparation. Each visit has been very memorable from a foodie stand point, and from a customer service standpoint.
Tonight I had the vegetable and noodle soup for dinner (#1 on the soup entree list), and our table shared the pork and vegetable wontons and the kimchi pancake to start. The soup was WONDERFUL and a very large portion, with enough left over to eat for perhaps 2 lunches this week. 2 of my friends had soup as well, and were super duper pleased. Another friend had the vegetable BimBop and was blown away. But that PANCAKE...Omg. Next time, I'll get the pancake as my meal and perhaps ask for a small portion of soup. I love this place...
Please be a patron! I want them to be around for a long time!
Firstly I was very excited to see a Korean restaurant added inside the 264 beltway. I love Korean food but I'm not willing to drive all the way to Fern Creek or Lyndon to get it.
Secondly I spent about 4 months in Korea some years ago and expect the food to taste authentic. Well Charim certainly knocked it out of the park. I have been to so many so called Korean restaurants whose Yaki Mandu was anything but. Fried won tons and or fried pork dumblings are NOT Yaki Mandu. Charim definitely got it right and delivered a wonderful authentic fried treat.
The bulgogi and pork katsu were both also delicious.
Can't wait to go back!
Fantastic Food!! All of the food is so fresh and delicious. The owner is so friendly and helpful, it is  a small restaurant and she was our waitress too. She talked with us and told us that her passion is to cook healthy, fresh, authentic korean dishes- and they definitely were! Everything we ate was amazing. We asked about vegan options because we have recently started eating a vegan diet  and were able to find a lot of things that could easily be customized (asking for no meat or egg) and would easily be vegan.
I ordered the hot stone bibim bab (lunch portion) and it was so good. The stone was sizzling and the food was great! My wife had the kimchi fried rice and loved it. Â She had never eaten kimchi before, but wanted to try it. We will definitely be going back!
This is fine dining compare to the one waiter and one cook operation at Koreana restaurant, when it comes to decor and service. The food cannot compare to Koreana Korean Restaurant for me. Â I ordered the kim chee fried rice, it was small (about the size of my palm). It was good but not amazing. Â I'm also used to getting at least a dozen side dishes, which is the reason why I love Korean food. Â Charim gave me 3 dishes, with only a couple of pieces. Â The cheapest thing on the menu was the endamame, $5 for a small bowl.
If you want korean food, go to Koreana for a larger menu and lots of side dishes and Soora if you're in the east end. Â The food at Soora is very good but just a bit pricier then Koreana. Â I would give Charim a past.
I brought my family of four into this restaurant around lunch time and it was surprisingly empty. Â However, the place itself looked very clean and modern. Â There was only one waitress (owner/manager?) during the entire time. Â We ordered four different dishes and was surprised by the overall excellence of the food.
We have eaten at a number of different Korean restaurants and this ranks very high for the food alone. Â The waitress was pleasant and seemed fluent in both English and Korean. Â My wife is a harsh critic when it comes to Korean food but she only had positive things to say about all the dishes. Â She sampled at least three of them. Â As for myself, the bibimbop tasted fresh and authentic.
I do wonder how they would handle a crowd when I did not even see help to set or clear a table. Â However, on our particular day, they earned our max rating and helped make our vacation that much better.
Oh so good. Â
Korean food is one of the few areas of restaurant dining that I'm willing to spluge a little bit. Â It isn't a budget cuisine but neither is it all that expensive for the quality and quantity.
Way back when, I lived in Korea and after initially disliking the food, came to love the food instead. Â Then I lived in a few major US cities with large Korean populations and continued to enjoy the food. Â Heck, my father makes homemade kimchi regularly and we did kalbi for Thanksgiving last year.... my standards are high but they are also realistic for where a restaurant is located, but there's a certain taste and style that has to be met anywhere to earn 5 stars.
Decor: very nice, classy but minimalist. Â Not dark inside but not bright like fast food or a cafeteria. Â Nice wooden chairs and tables, plenty of space between tables.
Service: Â Today at least the front of house was a one woman show. Â Only a few tables, we arrived at exactly opening time. Â Very friendly, the waitress (possible owner or manager?) was attentive and happy to chat a bit about the food and such. Â I surprised her quite a bit I think by talking about the food in Korean but it led to some good talk on kimchi making. Â Refills on side dishes and water were prompt.
Food: Â Obviously the most important thing. Â The spicy tofu stew was perfect and just the right serving size. Â Boiling hot and spicy hot both, but not in an overpowering way so the real flavor shined. Â You know its a spicy/hot dish when you take a bite of hot peppered pepper to cool your mouth. Â Bulgogi was tasty and typical, a large serving on a hot platter. Â Spicy pork was also served on a hot platter (like the cast iron type seen for fajitas in Mexican places) and had a nice kick to it.
Side dishes (free refills) included cabbage kimchi, bean sprouts (great crunch), peanuts (yum), cucumbers, smoked green peppers with red pepper paste (spicy sweet goodness) and fish skin (not my thing).
Price: Â Lunch menu is Monday to Friday only, Saturday lunch is dinner prices which makes it a little pricey for lunch. Â But the prices are in line with other Korean restaurants in the area and the lunch prices looked pretty decent. Â Entrees for dinner ranged from about 11 to 18 dollars. Â Dinner entrees for 3 was $44 plus a $10 tip.
I've had Korean food before but have never been to a Authentic Korean Restaurant. My fiancee suggested this place and so, on a night when we were debating over making some frozen Trader Joe's dinner or ordering a pizza, we decide to be more adventurous. It's basically located next to Havana Rumba, which always has a lot of business but Charim was unfortunately empty when we arrived. We were very politely and pleasantly greeted by the owner and she was extremely attentive in a very good way. Another couple did come and go as we ate and she gave them the same attention. We decided on the Grilled Beef Bulgogi and Godeung-uh Jorim (Braised Mackerel) to go with our Banchan. The fish was spicy and perfectly cooked. The bulgogi was savory and just as good as a leftover for breakfast. The portions were a very good size and the prices were fair consider that you could see and taste the freshness of the ingredients.
This would be enough to bring me back and tell friends but after we were finished, the owner came over and started talking to me and my fiancee. All the while I was loading up a leftover container. She noticed that I hadn't gotten all the good meat from the fish and proceeded to help and made sure nothing was left to waste and that I was going home with enough for another meal. She then talked about some of the dishes and where the ingredients came from and what her process and preparation was. She is a very sweet, hard-working and knowledgeable woman. She explained the health benefits of the kimchi, brown rice over white rice, etc.
We then talked about her business, and this is where things got a bit disheartening. She said after a review in the LEO and Courier-Journal right after opening, she had steady business but that it has tapered off. She is working on new ideas to expand into the weekly Farmer's Market across Shelbyville Rd and work on their social media exposure. All the same, she is sticking to her guns and will continue to do things in a traditional way and with high quality ingredients. That's a difficult business model but she seems to not be interesting in cutting any corners.
I can't help but feel I need to do everything in my power to help this woman's business succeed. She and her restaurant are what we should want more of in our communities. Hard-working, honest and creative people and more importantly delicious, traditional and healthy food that is not really offered many places in Louisville. This is an experience that I know I will never have at a corporate restaurant or most other local restaurants. This restaurant is her livelihood, her dream, her passion. I will most certainly be back many times with family and friends along.
I have mixed feelings. Â It's not the best Korean restaurant in town and it's not the worst, but it had it's moments. Â I'm Korean American, so I'm a little biased, but here goes.
The food is good.  Almost as good as moms.  The banchan(side dishes) are delish  and fresh.  The menu selection is not as big as some other restaurants, but what they have works.  They are accommodating to your needs, so if you want to spice it up, say so, believe me they will do it!
If you are a foodie, I can see why it won't satisfy your expectations, but if you are  less sensitive about "execution" and "flavor profiles" you will enjoy Charim.
The down side is the service. Â I have been there for both lunch and dinner. Â You will have to be patient. Â The servers take their time, so use your time wisely. Â They need at least one more server to really make it efficient. Â They do take their time explaining the dishes to a lot of new patrons to Korean food, so I can understand, but they need to be prompt in seating you.
I do like the location. Â Most of the Korean restaurants are by the airport and not very accessible to people in the suburbs. Â This one is in a very good spot in St. Matthews.
This is a good place to try Korean for the first time and it's also good for Koreans like myself who really don't want to cook it at home. Â
Overall, I recommend it, but if you are in a hurry, you may get a little frustrated.
Besides the long wait for our food (despite most of the restaurant being empty), everything was very authentic and well prepared. I had the hot stone Bibimbap and it was hot throughout the entire meal. Everyone at my table was really happy with what they ordered. The atmosphere is nothing special but I'd definitely come here again for a Korean meal.
Review Source:Korean food, I tried them all in Louisville. + around country and in Seoul.
And there is no way this restaurant is 4.5 star.
My expectation is a little high before I came here based on the review. Unfortunately, I can't give it any thing higher than 2* based on the food itself. The only reason it's 3 star is because of good service and ok deco.
Food. Basicly, the concept maybe good, but the execution need much improvement. My friend and I went there for a week day dinner, and we are table 2 in the entire room. NOT A GOOD SIGN. But it's new....so.... The small dishes appetizer are a let down. I would say any korean restaurant in town is equal or better. The (2) main dish we ordered are both left unfinished. It's not that we are not hungry, it's the food is just not that good.......Or shall I say tasteless.
Overall, I will not recommend anyone to try out this new restaurant, and please go for the other ones in town......
A refreshing addition to  the St Matthews restaurant scene. Korean food made from scratch. Entrees include kimchi made in house. The hot stone Bibim bab and Jap-Chae were well seasoned with just the right amount of spiciness. We're heading back soon to try other dishes including a great variety of entree soups! Enjoy!
Review Source:I love, LOVE Korean food. Love. Obsessed.
The first thing I always try and any Korean restaurant is the Bibimbap. I was so disappointed! The hot stone bowl was not hot at all. It made for a very disappointing meal.
I will admit- I only ate lunch. I will give this place another try for dinner. I've heard great things, and that's hard to ignore. Hopefully I can add another star after my next visit!
We've been desperate for good Korean food since leaving Los Angeles for Louisville.
We finally found it. Tonight we ordered the kalbi (short ribs) and spicy pork. Heaven! The kalbi literally melted in your mouth. The spicy pork was delicious as well. And I've never had it in ban chan before, but the boiled (?) peanuts were fantastic.
I can't really add any more than what the other two reviewers said, but Charim exceeded our expectations in both food and service.
Quick Review: healthy, fresh, REAL KOREAN food (meaning authentic flavors using seasonings imported from Korea, nothing prepackaged or with preservatives, and no MSG), all the kimchi and veggie side dishes (banchans) are freshly hand-made by the owner (who is super friendly), some Korean favorites are only available in Louisville at this restaurant, the portion size is pretty big, the interior is clean and simple, and it's conveniently located in St. Matt's (beside havana rumba off of shelbyville rd.)
Longer review:
Having eaten at both the longstanding Korean restaurants in Louisville several times, i eagerly anticipated the opening of a new Korean option. Charim was worthy of this anticipation.
Charim feels like it serves a different customer base than Louisville's other Korean restaurants; the emphasis is on presenting Korean food to an American clientele who may not be familiar with the cuisine, instead of other restaurants that serve mainly Korean clientele. That's not to say that the menu is "Americanized" or the flavors diluted; in fact, Charim tastes closer to real Korean food (to me) than anything else you can find in Louisville. With this focus in mind, the staff is able to explain the different menu items, their ingredients, and the varying spice levels of each dish.
For non-spicy food eaters: the beef bulgogi is well marinated but not overly sweet. Mixed with the sesame flavors, onions, and veggies, and served with rice, it is savory and filling.
For spicy food eaters: the pork and veggie skillet (Jae Yook Bokkum) is a nice medium spice, and the chicken kalbi (Dalk Kalbi) is really spicy (in a good way). both of them say 1-pepper on the menu, but the chicken is definitely spicier than the pork. Having a go to place for Dalk kalbi is awesome, as nobody else serves it in town. i just wish there were an option to cook it at the table like in Korea!
For fans of Korean street food: Charim has DdoekBokKi! i didn't have room for it this time, but I'm definitely trying this next time i go in.
All in all, Charim has tasty, authentic, and fresh Korean food. the owner is very friendly and suggested several things for us to try, the service is prompt, and the price is reasonable considering many ingredients are shipped in from Korea (avg. plate is $12-16). this is BY FAR the best Korean food experience I've had in Louisville, and i will definitely be going back often for that addictive spicy Korean red pepper flavor.
For anybody who is perhaps intimidated to try out a new international cuisine because of a language or cultural difference, i would definitely recommend Charim as an option to try out Korean food. it's a great way to taste real Korean food in a comfortable environment with a helpful, accommodating staff who can communicate to you all the different, great options to try! It's great!
I can say that upon my first visit here, I was not disappointed. Korean restaurants in general tend to be bland and tamed down to fit the American palate and I am happily surprised to say that the owner of this place has revived my hope that authentic Korean has a place here, even in the South.
The interior doesn't fit the bill of most other Korean places I've visited as it is newly renovated and simply decorated. Though it may look dark from the tinted windows, the simple seating and clean decor is inviting once inside.
The menu itself is simple and adds some dishes I've never seen at any other Korean restaurants (notably, budae jjigae) although it does leave some usual suspects off (kalbi jjim, seollung tang).
The dishes that we tried (Charim ddukbokki for appetizers, chicken galbi and pork skillet for the main courses) were all brought out very quickly and with great presentation to boot. With our expectations high, we dug in and the surprises didn't end with the presentation. After having some conversation with the owner, we learned that she is a recent transplant to the area and went through great pains to ensure that the flavors of the food all remained the same as her native country. Having lived in Korea for four years, I can confirm that this is spot on with the flavors and spice levels I've come to expect. That being said, the spicy chicken does not shy away from the description.
All the side dishes are made in house or imported from trusted suppliers to make sure that there are no additives and the flavors speak for themselves. I can't emphasize how much I already love this place and I can't wait to go back to try some of their soups.
Korean has finally arrived in Louisville. Do yourself a favor and try it out.
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