Review: Koreana Restaurant, photos

Service: Outstanding, the owner himself came out to talk and help us pick out food. The waitress was speedy, and very friendly.
Food: I have never had Korean before, but it is now my new favorite asian food! The fried rice is pretty good, and slightly different from the standard. My husband lived in Korea for 3 years, and said the food is as good as the food in Korea. My husband raves about it, and now no longer wants to go out for sushi so much as Korean. The bebop is a great. The hot tea is brewed from hops, and is realllly good!
Decor: Impressive, these guys reinvest into their location

Get away from the same old Japanese or Chinese and give these guys a shot!

536 South Reynolds Road
Toledo, OH 43615-6312
(419) 535-6666

Over all - 5 stars in my book! We plan on going back, and taking friends there!

<-This is the fried rice, my favorite in town. It has a mild crunch, not from under cooking but from the seasoning.

<- amazing TEA!

created by OhioKimono on Jan 02, 2011 at 05:42:39 pm
updated by OhioKimono on Jan 02, 2011 at 05:58:08 pm Food Comments: 28

source versions 2 people liked this

Comments ... #

Good job! where are they?

posted by nana on Jan 02, 2011 at 05:51:57 pm #

536 South Reynolds Road
Toledo, OH 43615-6312
(419) 535-6666

posted by OhioKimono on Jan 02, 2011 at 05:57:36 pm #

Do they do the 'grill' in the middle of the table, too? Did they serve family style? Many Korean restaurants do both...

posted by MaggieThurber on Jan 02, 2011 at 08:48:06 pm #

maggie, they have small tabletop gas grills for some product, and a roll-up-to-the-table electric grill for the fattier items like pork. we love koreana! heres one of our posts on the place from about a year ago:

http://enjoyingtoledo.com/2010/01/korea-na-or-koreana/

posted by upso on Jan 02, 2011 at 09:19:46 pm #

OhioKimono: I think my daughter might have waited on you. She has been working at Koreana for a few mnonths now, and I know she was working today. Early 20s, brown hair, kind of tall (5'9"-ish)?

posted by historymike on Jan 02, 2011 at 09:27:11 pm # 1 person liked this

History - that was her! she was a great waitress!

Maggie - they do NOT grill on the tables, however they do serve family style.

posted by OhioKimono on Jan 03, 2011 at 12:31:18 am #

They do bring up grills to your table for things like pork belly, etc.

posted by toledolen_ on Jan 03, 2011 at 12:56:05 am #

OhioKimono, they definitely DO bring grills depending on what you order. :)

thanks for sharing the pictures! he has done a great job of building out the interior. the owner did all of the construction himself!

posted by upso on Jan 03, 2011 at 09:31:39 am #

I agree on this review. The food is great here. The owner usually comes to our table and talks to us every time. The first time we went, we'd never been to a korean restaurant, so we had him select our appetizers and entrees....amazing! Also, he threw in a free dessert because it was our first visit. I love all the kim chee and array of other veggies in the little bowls for the entire table.

posted by lrink on Jan 05, 2011 at 02:02:59 pm #

@historymike - will you ask your daughter if it would be suitable for a vegetarian?

posted by tlm0000 on Jan 06, 2011 at 12:14:42 pm #

Can't wait to try it!

posted by Foodie on Jan 06, 2011 at 02:07:08 pm #

Ug, just looking at the photos of the fried rice makes me hungry!

TLM - I am certain that there are vegetarian options. Tried the fried rice without meat, or egss (if your vegan). If you go in and ask for help, they will most certainly help you out, they are super friendly and knowledable.

posted by OhioKimono on Jan 06, 2011 at 03:13:22 pm #

What is this place near on South Reynolds?? I can't place where it is.

posted by RockChick on Jan 06, 2011 at 09:16:13 pm #

It is located in a little strip mall, there is an asian grocery right by it. There is another strip mall across the street.

posted by OhioKimono on Jan 06, 2011 at 10:50:13 pm #

Is the strip club still next door?

posted by SensorG on Jan 06, 2011 at 11:18:19 pm #

I dont think so.

posted by OhioKimono on Jan 06, 2011 at 11:23:16 pm #

Thanks O.K. :)

posted by tlm0000 on Jan 07, 2011 at 12:17:15 pm #

Surprised Foodie hasn't been there already!

posted by toledolen_ on Jan 07, 2011 at 12:34:39 pm #

"Surprised Foodie hasn't been there already!"

- Now I feel like a trail blazer!

I can't wait for someone else to try this place and chime in on their experience.

posted by OhioKimono on Jan 07, 2011 at 03:11:04 pm #

My turn! We had supper there the other night. Everything we ordered was great. The beef dish had very tender, high-quality meat and wonderful seasonings. The side dishes (kimchee, black beans, broccoli, and 3 more) were served family style.

There's a lot on the menu; we'll definitely be back. It was fun to watch other parties with their tabletop grills; the roasting meat aroma really added to the atmosphere.

Thank you for bringing this intriguing new restaurant choice to our attention. Anyone who has stayed away from Chinese restaurants because of allergies would enjoy visiting Korea Na -- no MSG.

Afterwards, we stopped in at the Asian grocery next door. They have some exotic ice creams, a great (and CHEAP) selection of cooking oils, seasonings, and herbs. You can even buy the special roasted barley tea there (served at Korean Na, just $1 for a huge pot).

For the record, there is a "gentleman's club" a few doors down, but it's a quiet parking lot.

posted by viola on Jan 07, 2011 at 03:58:14 pm # 2 people liked this

I served in S. Korea 50 years ago with the USAF and didn't care much for their food.

posted by flinty on Jan 07, 2011 at 04:33:01 pm #

flinty - my dad was in the army, was draughted after his senoir year at Central 1949. Was injured pretty bad just at the end of the war. He was at Hamburger Hill for most of the time. I would have to look up the division but it was the one they sent into every God awful battle.

posted by Molsonator on Jan 07, 2011 at 04:43:53 pm #

Viola - rock on! I'm glad you enjoyed the place as much as we did!

Did you like/try the tea? What did you think? I'm a bit of a tea snob, and really enjoyed the tea.

posted by OhioKimono on Jan 07, 2011 at 04:53:32 pm #

I did like the tea. I've been looking for a nice, roasty substitute for coffee, and my favorite blend (no longer available) had roasted barley as a primary ingredient. So having a pot at the restaurant was like visiting an old friend.

The health food stores in town have $18 jars of powdered coffee substitute, while the Asian store has a half-pound bag of roasted barley for $5.

I had my supper leftovers for breakfast today. IMHO, the best breakfast in the world is cold fish on country bread with mayo and fresh herbs! But it's not for everyone ....

posted by viola on Jan 07, 2011 at 05:09:07 pm # 1 person liked this

My favorite leftovers were the fried rice the next morning >.>

I love asian leftovers for breakfast too!

It's great you likes the tea. There is a green tea similar in style and taste you might want to check out. It's very cheap at the local asian markets...$3 a bag: genmai cha.

http://www.adagio.com/green/genmai_cha.html - this is very cheap tea, dont get suckered into the high prices of drinking tea when you buy it.

posted by OhioKimono on Jan 07, 2011 at 05:29:20 pm #

Thanks for the tip. I can't wait to go back for the fried rice next time -- good job on the photos.

posted by viola on Jan 08, 2011 at 07:00:35 pm #

Maybe we'll go there for the Chinese New Year (Feb. 3), the year of the rabbit!

posted by viola on Jan 09, 2011 at 03:41:05 pm #

FYI
they've moved into a killer new location
and are worth checking out

http://www.yelp.com/biz/koreana-toledo#hrid:WIH6VVcxKaO5oRF0fox7oA

posted by upso on Apr 20, 2013 at 11:49:34 pm #

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