Excuse me? Mukgo Noiza is the name of a new restaurant in Chinatown. It’s a Korean phrase that means “eat and have fun.” The cuisine is described as Asian fusion. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
The Food
The big selection of dishes includes karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken), ramen/wonton/udon soups, gyoza (Chinese dumplings), shishito peppers, seaweed salad, poke, stir fries, salt & pepper wings, fried tofu, kung pao dishes, and miso black cod. We tried garlic edamame ($7), pho tai ($17.95), and the house chow mein ($19.95).
All were excellent. Most impressive, though, was the pho. We try it everywhere and this is the best version we’ve had next to our favorite at Pho Vietnam—minimum cinnamon in the broth and beef served on the side as requested. The chow mein was loaded with beef, chicken, and shrimp.
The Price
As good as the food was, the prices were the main story. With a few exceptions, everything is under $20. But what makes this a play right now is that the restaurant is in a soft-opening phase and food is 30%-off. That’s a big discount. Our bill was $34.06.
The Verdict
We were surprised and impressed by Mukgo Noiza. It looks kinda cartoonish from the street and the name is somewhat intimidating (unless you know what it means), but it’s classy inside. The restaurant has just opened and there’s a lot of competition in Chinatown, so it has to be good, and it is, including the service. With such a vast menu, this is the kind of place that we’d typically go to more than once to try more things before reviewing, but that 30% discount is too good to sit on and we don’t know how long it will last. By the way, this is a karaoke joint in the evenings.
Yes, it was just one visit, but if future experiences are similar, this will be one of our top Chinatown recommendations.