Mountain Cafe

Came here on a Friday noon because I was having a nasty sore throat and I was trying to find a place that serve porridge and soup and found here.

The parking at the plaza was tight and was a bit hectic but we managed to get a spot.

I ordered via phone for the abalone porridge, ginseng chicken soup and dumpling rice cake soup. All were good and nicely packaged. Please note there is no egg in the porridge when doing take out.

I don't know what more you need to know but this place is pretty solid. I will think of this place in the future when I am in need of some comfort food.

My bf was feeling under the weather after his vaccine and wanted some congee.

Went on Yelp and stumbled upon this place.

I ordered the abalone congee and the rice cake and dumpling soup to go.

The food is delicious! Reminds of home cooking.
The congee is very simple but flavorful. I enjoyed the side dishes as well, was not expecting one to be a hot beef dish.

The food here is perfect for when you're feeling under the weather or just want something comforting. Will definitely be back!

This small restaurant is in the same mall as the infamous Hangari Kalguksu and Sun Nong Dan, but not one to be overlooked! I stopped by because I was intrigued by all the praise for the jangjorim (soy braised beef) banchan and left very satisfied with my whole meal and overall experience.

We got the abalone porridge, samgyetang, and kimchi stew. The abalone porridge comes out with a raw egg in the middle that adds a subtle richness to the dish, making it super satisfying. The samgyetang soup appears to incorporate a decent amount of pine nuts because the delicious nutty flavor permeated the dish. Don't forget to eat the chicken with their dipping salt! If you find the soup to be a bit bland you can always add some of that salt to the soup as well. Mountain cafe is known for the previous two dishes and not so much for their kimchi stew, but I thought it was very nicely done. It comes with tender pork, nicely aged kimchi (very flavorful), tofu, and chewy rice cakes. Delish! FYI, the food comes out piping hot (refer to pics) so definitely take up their offer for an extra bowl to cool down your food!

I normally don't elaborate on banchan but the jangjorim here is great! It comes out warm so the meat is super tender with strong soy flavor. They gave us generous portions of it so we didn't even need to ask for seconds (which I believe they charge extra). The kimchi and pickled radish were also great accompaniments for our dishes.

Overall, I was very happy with my meal! Everything had that homey, delicious taste, portion sizes were very generous, and prices were very reasonable. An all around great value meal! The ladies who took our order were also really friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend this place and will definitely be back again!

Can't believe I've never written a review for mountain cafe. I've been coming here for years! Simple menu, comfort food. Loved both #1&2, the abalone porridge and chicken soup. New location is clean and spacious. Good place to go when I'm feeling a bit under the weather or during a rainy day.

Amazing! I meant to go to their neighbor next door called Sun Nong Dan, but they had a 30 minute wait and we didn't want to wait. We had the sam gae tang (Korean- style chicken soup with ginseng) and their boiled cow and ox foot soup (collagen galore). The soups were both savory and rich in flavor. My el Salvadoran sister loved both soups and enjoyed the novel experience trying the ox foot soup. The service was also on point. I'll be back!

I'm a long time customer to this place. I got their abalone porridge whenever I felt sick because this food is easy on stomach. Also this place makes the best one in town.

Today I found a rusty screw inside the side dish. It didn't look like it was dropped by accident or something. The screw was marinated, the radish that was surrounding the screw had this bizarre blackish color. If I ate it without knowing it I would have busted my teeth and get sick from the contaminated radish. Extremely disappointed to see this.

Now I'm not sure about the cleanness of their food. The owner needs to acknowledge that this is a serious problem. They can get sued for this.

Go to spot for jun bok jook (abalone porridge) and sometimes sam gae tang (chicken soup).

This place has been around for many many years. They moved from 8th street to this current location.

Jun bok jook has not changed over the years. I always crave this when it's rainy or weather gets cold.

Due to covid, parking has been awesome! I always avoided this plaza during prime time as it gets pretty hectic and valet only.

This spot is my go to when I'm feeling under the weather or just in the mood for soothing meal! The top two dishes I get and that are most popular here are the abalone porridge, and sam gye tang (Ginseng Chicken Soup).  

These are two very popular korean dishes, especially for those that are feeling under the weather and the sam gye tang is supposed to be packed with nutrients that promote energy and healing! Honestly, this spot does these dishes perfectly!!

I also LOVE their side dishes, the pickled root thing?? (Honestly no idea still which veggie that is lol) and the marinated beef cubes. Soooo good, especially paired with the two dishes I named above.

Whether you're feeling sick or need something soothing, either of those dishes are amazing and highly recommended. Also, they still taste amazing togoed which has been 90% of the food during 2020!

Tip: I personally loveee eating the sam gye tang by first deboning the chicken and leaving in the broth/rice to make it easier to eat. Add all your toppings such as green onions, salt/pepper, then I add lime and tapatio- its AMAZING!! I learned this from my bf and I can't eat it any other way now.

5/5 highly recommend!!

First of all, there are limited food options early in the morning so found this place on Yelp and was so happy I did. The kimchi stew and porridge are delicious. The beef banchan is so tender and flavorful. The server and I believe perhaps she is the owner is so friendly as well. I recommend coming during down times as the parking lot is shared by many restaurants.

I love this old school spot - the service is so friendly, the banchan super fresh, the soups healthy, and they have this beef stew side dish I grew up eating at home and haven't found anywhere else. They are open for dine in and have some tables outside. Call ahead about their timing cause they haven't updated their hours online and are open a little later again!