Soonheene & Twozone Chicken

I had stopped by when they had their grand opening in 2021, but didn't get to order since they were out of what I wanted. They were set up as a pick up and to-go spot, and given the very small parking lot to jostle for a spot, I didn't return until my friend suggested catching up at Soonheene for dinner.

They now have several tables for dine in and I was super happy to see that they used bowls and plates for your order if you dine in (though they use disposable utensils when bringing you your order). They also have a self-service area for iced water and iced barley tea and they use metal cups! Yay!

I came on a weekday at 6 pm and there was a lull as there was no wait. As it got closer to 6:30 pm - 7 pm, all the tables filled up! Lots of orders coming in for pick-up though, so if you don't want to wait for a table, order to go.

Since it's my first time here, I got almost everything, haha! The order included:

* shrimp mung bean pancake ($14.99)
* #15 combo of rose tteokbokki and mayak gimbap ($23.99)
* oden fish cake soup ($9.99)
* 5 pc wings soy garlic ($8.99)
* diet coke with Yelp check-in

If not for the Yelp check-in offer, I would've placed the order on their self-service kiosk.

Luckily, since we beat the rush, the food came out at a consistent pace. I had really wanted the mayak gimbap and the fish cake soup but since there was no combo for both, price-wise it made sense to do the combo with the rose tteokbokki. And it is heavenly to get all three! The mayak gimbap comes with a dipping sauce, but it's just as good if not better to dip it in the tteokbokki. If you don't want the usual spice of regular tteokbokki, the rose tteokbokki has been my go-to instead as it has the hint of spice without the usual burn. Soonheene's tteokbokki had very generous amounts of fish cake and sausage suporting the rice cakes, so it's my favorite iteration of this dish thus far. The oden fish cake soup came with three skewers of fish cake and fish cake tofu in a bowl of hot yummy soup and that was pretty solid.

I've never had anything like the mung bean pancake and it was good to have a protein in it for additional texture and flavor. It's best eaten when hot and crisp, otherwise, it's a bit dense the next day. The soy garlic wings were crisp and hot and full of flavor.

Obviously, the order was enough for two people to get a variety of options, but that did leave no room for some sides nor dessert. Maybe some gimmari and taiyaki next time!

Good food, meh prices

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Always super clean and welcoming. They have the best gimbap. Freshly made, not too much rice. The Oden and broth is really good, and I love their tteokboki.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food is good but what kind of restaurant doesn't allow customers to use their restroom, it is because the kitchen connects with the restroom or the workers there are illegals ? That's why they do not let us in? I'm a concerned customer.

Very disappointed. The fried chicken were dried and less in quantity, way less delicious then couple month ago. Increased in price but reduced in quality. Used to be my favorite place, won’t come back again.

If you have a craving for Korean Street Food that’s also Gordon Ramsey @gordongram approved, then look no further than Soonheene in the SGV. They first opened in Seoul in 1994, but have been in Arcadia, California, since 2021🫶🏼

You really do get to know a culture/country through their street food, and I find Korean food to be so rich in their layers of flavors, seasonings and taste🇰🇷

Fun Fact: I graduated from AHS🤭🦚

We had: 🥞Kimchi Mung Bean, 🥩BBQ Beef, 🦐Shrimp Fried Rice, 🍘Mayak Gimbap, 🍗Soy Garlic (10 piece wing), 🍜Spicy Cold Noodle, 🥛Sweet Rice Drink

Soonheheene has amazing food! Every dish I’ve tried has been delicious, and the flavors are always on point. The restaurant has a cozy, welcoming atmosphere that makes it a great spot for a meal. However, I was a bit disappointed to find out they no longer make taiyaki. It was one of my favorites, and I always looked forward to it! I still love the food here, but I hope they bring back the taiyaki sometime soon.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Mayak Gimbap, Spicy Ramen, Honey Butter Chicken Wings

Excellent service!! However, I ordered the meat ball and it was terrible ?
The seasoning was very off, and it tastes like dog food.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Pork Meat Ball Pancakes

Delicious! Nice spot to chill and eat good food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Mayak Gimbap, Kimchi Mung Bean Pancake

Deliciously fried chicken yum ??

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I went to pick up my phone order at 11:50 on June 25th, and the young female waiter seemed to be in a particularly bad mood as she packed the food, so I thought it was because I didn't have any spoons or chopsticks after arriving at the car, so I went in and gestured to her to give me a spoon. But there was no response, so I brought out my own spoon and chopsticks. I didn't know that customers had to put their own spoons and chopsticks into the submitted food. It's quite unpleasant.

Simply put, they are ripping off their customers with unbelievably inflated prices. Service has been deteriorating recently as well. Wouldn't be surprised if this place is closed soon.
They are being overcharged while selling snacks. They aren't that friendly these days...and the taste of the fish cake (oden soup) was the worst. If you don't lower the price, it will go out of business soon.

SOONHEENE is a very famous place in South Korea.I was so excited that I ordered most of the menu and everything was delicious! In particular, the mung bean pancake, rose tteokbokki, and donkatsu are fantastic. All the staff were friendly and provided good service as well ?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food here is phenomenal ?. The fried chicken is a must try/get. They're really crispy and each bite leaves you salivating for more. The doppokkki is tasty however it is not spicy as one might think it would be. Its got lots of other ingredients that aren't usually incorporated in this type of dish: fish cake, sausages, bacon, etc.Self service restaurant and you have to clean up after yourself.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Mayak Gimbap, Rose Tteokbokki, Wings 20pcs -1 Flavor-Sauce Mixed

slow burner sauce, had a lot of korean dishes that I've never seen like gimmari. It's self

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 3