In July, we reported that the former MexiCali space was rumored to become a Korean restaurant. Turns out that rumor was true—U-Town, a Korean food and sushi joint, opened its doors last week at 110 S. 40th Street.
When West Philly Local visited U-Town yesterday, the bustling new restaurant was nearly packed and the air was filled with eager chatter. Considering the decor, U-Town is far removed from the former Mexican joint. The walls are painted in a relaxing sea foam green bordered by a soft mustard yellow color, and the tables are made of a dark red wood. The bar/register area, stationed at the back of the small space, is made of stark, smooth white material, breaking up the pastel palette.
Scanning the takeout menu, U-Town’s cuisine promises to be an exciting blend of different styles. There are Korean staples like soon doo boo (a hot and spicy stew offered with beef, tofu, seafood or mushroom), dup bap (a steamed rice dish offered with seafood, shrimp or squid), bibim bap (a warm mixed rice dish topped with hot pepper paste and served with vegetables, seafood, poor, chicken or beef), and deok boki (a spicy stewed rice cake combination). U-Town also offers a variety of dumpling and tempura dishes and taco, fish and chicken combinations, and Asian style tacos in chicken, bulgogi and kimchi forms.
U-Town’s owner, who goes by the name of Ocean, was curt when asked for more information on his restaurant. According to the owner, it was a busy time of day (around 6 p.m.) for him and he didn’t have time to talk. He only offered that U-Town opened last week and seemed bothered when asked further questions, abruptly turning away without conclusion after receiving our business card.
What we do know, however, is that U-Town does not have a credit card processing machine, but it is working on installing one according to a note on the wall when you first walk in. As for hours, the restaurant is opened Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
–Annamarya Scaccia
September 6th, 2013 at 1:31 pm
Well, that attitude DEFINITELY makes me want to wade through the sea of Penn kids to eat there.
I’ll give it a shot, though. Maybe it’ll be like Han Dynasty… lousy owner attitude, but great food.
September 6th, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Who tries to interview a brand new restaurant owner in peak dinner hours?
September 6th, 2013 at 3:41 pm
I agree with “lo”, bad timing on this website’s part. Try contacting the owner and setting up a time and perhaps you’ll get a better interview.
September 6th, 2013 at 5:22 pm
no need to spend half the article bashing the owner because you don’t understand when peak hours are and how stressful it is opening a new restaurant.
September 6th, 2013 at 5:26 pm
Yeah, I’m with Io on this one. Never just show up opening week during dinner service. Journalism 101 right there.
September 6th, 2013 at 6:06 pm
Thanks for the feedback. I completely agree that timing could have been more appropriate; however, when I called during off-peak hours, I was told to call after 5 p.m. to speak to the owner because that was the time he was coming into the restaurant. That was unfortunately coupled with my own schedule constraints.
October 15th, 2013 at 1:17 pm
I don’t think you needed to reply to these “critiques” at all. Your review seems fairly balanced, and you only related your experience with the owner, who probably should have been more courteous to a reviewer.
September 6th, 2013 at 6:23 pm
ANOTHER Asian spot?? I’ll pass….wish a more modern Mexican spot had opened…that’s the one cuisine that’s seriously missing in this neighborhood….
September 6th, 2013 at 6:42 pm
Hail Kimche!!
September 7th, 2013 at 9:32 am
This review is more about the owner of the restaurant. Okay, we get it, the author does not like the owner and the treatment she received. I don’t care. I want to know about the food and service. I don’t need to know the owner or his history (except if he’s done some vile act of crime or hatred), just about the food and service. In the absence of a story, don’t fill up the space with useless info (like mentioning long-gone Mexicali too many times and that the owner is curt).
September 7th, 2013 at 9:42 am
After reading her comment, it seems the author still doesn’t still to “get it”. I do appreciate the relevant information that was provided, so thank you for that. However, as a reader of a restaurant information/review article, I am not interested if the owner wasn’t particularly polite to the reporter, and was curt, turning away to attend to his business, etc. Given the situation, I really don’t blame him one bit. I think the article should have stuck to relevant information regarding the food/service via whatever sources available.
September 7th, 2013 at 12:28 pm
>>> “I am not interested if the owner wasn’t particularly polite to the reporter”
Would you be interested if the owner wasn’t particularly polite to you?
September 8th, 2013 at 8:04 am
My family loves Korean food, so we were excited to try U-Town. We had no problems with the service. The food, on the other hand, was mediocre. We might give them another chance in six months or so, let them settle in.
October 15th, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Am I missing something here? There were 4 paragraphs of description of the restaurant, the food options, the décor, the hours and payment options, and one paragraph about the owner, and all of a sudden that’s “half the article”? Mexicali is mentioned twice, in the context of “This is a new space, look what they’ve done”, and that’s a criticism? Seems like trolling from the restaurant staff if I have ever seen trolling (and I’ve been on the internet since 1996)
Personally, I AM interested in how the owner treats his clients. Maybe that’s the American in me, but hey, that’s the country where I was born. If I am paying your inflated costs to cover the high University City rent for food I could probably get at a food truck, I would like some courtesy from the wait staff and ownership. And if I am writing a review of a restaurant, one of the most likely-to-go-broke business ventures possible, I DEFINITELY want some courtesy from the owner.