HamaHippo Korean Kitchen

This place is amazing. Korean food that is heavenly and an extremely friendly and attentive staff! Love this place. Do yourself a solid and head to this awesome restaurant ?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Tofu soup

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I am a first-generation Korean who visits Korea often. This place has become our go-to spot for Korean food (my husband who is 5th generation Californian).
- Tasty: Even my picky 80 years old uncle loves their food.
- Fresh ingredients: No frozen, no old ingredients
- They don't cut corners. For instance, one of favorite Korean dishes is stir-fried squid (calamari), which HamaHippo makes exceptionally well (try it with noodles if you can take gluten) - tasty and generous with the portion of squid. They close on Sunday but I needed to go out for a dinner, so I went to my former go-to Korean restaurant and ordered the same dish. Most of the dish was noodle with very little, not-well thawed squid. After visiting my former go-to Korean restaurant, I appreciate the food quality of HamaHippo even more. Another example, when you order Bibimbap, you will get variety of fresh, generous portion of vegetables.
- Super reasonable prices, especially considering how fresh the ingredients are.

Vegetarian options: I am a pescatarian. The owner says they can make any dish vegetarian-friendly, even vegan. For example, in my case, when I ordered Bibim Naeng Myun in a hot day, I asked if it was vegetarian. They usually use beef broth for the sauce but accommodated my dietary choice by bringing the beef broth separately, which my friend enjoyed. The dish was delicious.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Ban Chan, 2 - Seafood PA Jun, 16 - Bibim Naeng Myun, 9 - Tofu -Bibimbap, Tofu Dolsot Bibimbap, 4 - K F C

Wife and I continued our recent pattern of doing a medical thing and then looking to chow down. What a delight that we've found this place right next to St. Jude-Providence in Fullerton. We came in at a perfectly acceptable linner time of 4 PM, ordered 3 entrée items, and walked out with a $72 bill, tips & taxes included.

First, the banchan. We were served 6 different kinds of banchan. The mashed pumpkin was the real star. (I think it was made from Kabocha pumpkin.) I could eat that thing all day. But we had to stop at a single re-up to preserve our modesty. There were also the fish cake, seaweed, bean sprouts, kimchee, and turnips. They all ranged from decent to very good. But when they eaten next to the pumpkin, well, it just hardly seems fair!

Then enters the entrées. We ordered the Dolsot Bimbimbap, Japchae, and a Gomtang. The Bimbimgap is one of the best I've ever had. I think part of the secret of its taste is that HamaHippo uses a slight lower and wider hot stone pot. It gave higher ratio of heating volume to food volume, or Q/grams of food for you science and engineering type. Also, the seasoning was quite well done. Both the Japchaeand Gomtang were decent. Then again, it hardly seems fair to review them when that 5-star stone pot of goodness is just 15 inches away.

Wow. What a lucky find. This place is so good that we wouldn't mind driving 25 miles just to come here and eat.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Went in waited about 40 minutes for them to hring out water. I swear 40 minutes. To bring water. I called someone over to order and she says hold on. Like tf another 20 minutes pass by. One whole hour all we got was water. Didnt even get to order. Horrible service.

Service: 1

The food was neat and every single thing was delicious. There were a lot of people there and they kindly checked to see if there were any side dishes that were missing and refilled them.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

I wish I did dine in but did to go. They package it up beautifully and food is perfect to have at home

Everything was top notch and I'll be going back. They got something good going on with their kfc

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, - Galbi Tang, Ban Chan

Not impressive at all compare to the ratings received, nothing special and they either changed owner or changed menu too.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

Very bad service. We waited 45min for food and they didn’t even come single time us apologies for the delay

Food: 1

Service: 1

Had to write a review immediately after eating!! The food is incredible, you can’t miss out on this place. Just go!! Get the soy glaze wings.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Friendly service, clean, food was delicious. We come here weekly. The tofu soup is very tasty and the chicken is probably the best that we’ve had. Short rib soup is great.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

delicious Korean food & great service. will definitely come back again!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I had an absolutely delightful dining experience at Mama Hippo, a Korean restaurant that completely won me over with its culinary authenticity and warm hospitality. The standout dish for me was definitely the galbi, which was exceptionally tender and fresh, melting perfectly with each bite. The banchan selection was a pleasant surprise, offering a different variety each day I visited, always fresh and flavorful, enhancing the overall meal.

The soondubu jjigae deserves special mention for its exquisite taste. It was wonderfully hearty and comforting, with just the right amount of spice and silkiness in the tofu that it was hard not to crave more. What added to the charm of Mama Hippo was the cleanliness of the place, including a welcoming and well-maintained entrance that set a positive tone right from the start.

The staff, particularly the ladies serving, were incredibly friendly and welcoming, making the dining experience feel more like a meal at a friend's home rather than a restaurant. They were attentive without being intrusive, ensuring that every part of the meal was enjoyable.

If you're looking for authentic Korean cuisine served in a friendly atmosphere, Mama Hippo is a must-visit. It's a place where the food and the people leave you with a warm heart and a satisfied palate.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I was very impressed by their soy glazed fried chicken and side dishes (banchan).

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious food. my new favorite comfort food is the scallion pancake and tofu bibim bap. ?

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: 9 - Tofu -Bibimbap