*updated review to 5 stars, since we returned months later and the menu has made some great improvements- protein added to bibimbop and I had a mayo fried chicken bowl that was delicious! Thank you Bewon owners for being so open to customer feedback
We live locally and have always loved coming to BeWon since we moved here a year ago. We were excited they were getting a remodel, and showed up to the soft opening. The staff and service is new but very friendly. However we were very disappointed to see the menu is completely changed, and isn’t the warm inviting home-ey dishes as it was before. We ordered the bimibop which was fine, except it’s nearly $15 and has no proteins/meat or option to add meat. Hoping the new staff makes some adjustments to the menu, because we loved this place so much and want it to continue to thrive!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lee Essie
I have tried all Korean restaurants in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, but none of them met my expectations. I, a Korean born picky eater acknowledges Bewon provides authentic Korean dish. The quality of their Beef Short Rib soup and BiBimBop are superb. Some might say they don't give a lot of free banchans (side dishes), but I prefer good quality main dish (like chunky amount of Kalbi, various kinds of veggies on Bibimbop). I also like a Kiosk menu on each table. I think that is another way to keep price low! Smart! I hope they gradually add more choices to their menus.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matt belliuan
WHEN I ENTERED, IT TOOK ME WHOLE 40 MINUTES UNTILL I GET A CUP OF WATER. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED, ONE RANDOM OLD LADY WAITRESS WAS ON PHONE ALL THE TIME! OFC SHE WAS CALLING RIGHT FRONT OF THE RESTROOM, AND NOT CARING THE TABLES, WHEN SHE ENDED HER PHONE CALL, SHE WALKED TOWARD ONE TABLE AND STARTED TO SPEAK CHINESE FOR WHOLE 5 MINUTES. WHEN THIS HAPPENED, I DID NOT KNOW WHERE TO SEAT. AFTER THE HORRIBLE SERVICE, I WAITED FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES UNTILL IVE GOT MY FOOD, AND OFC WHEN I REQUIRED HER FOR WATER WHEN FOOD CAME OUT, THEN FINAL I GOT A SIP OF LIQUID. HONESTLY FOOD WAS GOOD, I CANNOT JUDGE THAT. BUT THE SERVICE WAS SO BAD. I MIGHT GET TAKE OUT NEXT TIME BUT NOT GOING TO SEAT INSIDE THERE EVER AGAIN!!!!!!
+ all another waitress were nice... but not this one
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Santiato mizuco
This place is so bad. DO NOT come to this place. I went here on Wednesday night, and there was one lady serving. She was talking to one customer table all the time, she did not even gave me water! Also, I was asking for more napkin to her, but she acted like she was not able to hear me, and ignored me!!! Even though, she was right front of me!! Which made my birthday horrible. I am not going to come back!!!!!!!!
Lastly, I am a person who does not post any review to any places,but I think I should share this horrible place to people.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Nancy Chen
Heard that ownership changed, and very evidently so. They used to have plenty of side dishes and a soup (as banchan). Their bulgogi was the best I’d ever had. Now we get carefully rationed three half-slices of pickled cucumbers and soupy bulgogi. I also miss their purple rice! A lot of cost reduction practices are clearly taking place but it feels like a completely different restaurant now. They should’ve changed the name of the restaurant so it wouldn’t mislead returning customers. I miss the old “Bewon”
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 5
Mingqiao Zhang
The owner has changed. It used to be a cozy grandma grandpa kitchen though the new owner keeps the name but everything changed. The old atmosphere was impressive and used to make me and my husband felt like we have adopted Korean grandparents which even though we moved out of state we still went back to visit, have a meal, get that energy and live goes on. I love the old homey settings and how they use the pot to serve galbi tang. I miss kimchi samgyupsal😭 We drove 6 hrs in total and saw a totally different place only the name was the same, it was really shocking…..We went here over 20 times when we were still in the town, and this is the third time we drove from other state to get the food. It’s sad to see the cold fast food settings. Tbh for that short menu you really don’t need a pad for each table cuz that thing mounted on a tiny table is really annoying. We waited over 30min for the food, have no idea why it took so long for just some simple dishes and the restaurant was not even busy.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Hanzhe Yin
Me and my wife was long time customer of this place when it was previously owned by the original owner. After we moved to different state we will still drive hours back and enjoy the food and memories. Since it’s sold to new owner everything changed and apparently new owner don’t care about the business at all, just go check others reviews. For the rating I would recommend before but not anymore. Feed sad when I come in and see the screen and everything, not longer same place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
Jason C
Visited few times under new ownership, prior to that, haven't been to Bewon in over 20 years lol...
New owner changed the menu, a lot less items then before, banchan is down to 3 items and they serve the food on a tray. The trays take up a lot of space, if you order two items, it takes up the entire table space... if you order a shareable item, you need to rearrange your tray.
First, credit to the new owner for updating the interior. It's more brighter then before, new tables and chairs. Everything has been simplified, from the menu to ordering from the table and while you can't pay using the kiosk, you can pay by scanning the QR code after you get your check.
As for the food, I've tried the chicken mayo bowl, spicy pork, yukgaejang, bulgogi and sweet & spicy chicken. Out of these, spicy pork was my favorite. Was it the best I had, no, I had better, but it was decent and it hit the spot.
The yukgaejang was too salty, could have used more meat and veggies. The chicken could been fried twice before being served, it lacked that crunchiness that I was expecting.
It's two person operations, so service can be bit slow. Not sure about the weekdays, but on the weekends, they have additional staff to help out.
I prefer the old style of service, where the side items are brought to your table, along with your main dish, etc. I know, change is hard, should be used to their new system, it's how it's done at most places in Korea now.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Scott Family
This is our second time coming to Bewon since the new ownership, and just as before, we had a wonderful experience! The first thing we noticed upon entering was the clean and bright atmosphere. With the new renovations and quiet music, my husband described it as calm, minimalist, and peaceful. We were warmly greeted by staff who are some of the kindest you'll meet.
My husband ordered the bibimbap with beef. I ordered the soon tofu jjigae. We ordered soy garlic chicken and japchae with tofu for our young kids. My children are sometimes unwilling to try new foods, but to our delight, they devoured the chicken and japchae with tofu and kept asking for more. I had to try some and agreed that it was very delicious! The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The japchae with tofu was flavorful!
My husband enjoyed his bibimbap. I didn't try it, but I remember how tender and flavorful the beef was from our last visit, plus the veggies tasted freshly prepared. I don't know how to cook Korean food myself (though my mom was a Korean chef) and the soon tofu jjigae was so comforting and tasted like home.
After visiting Bewon, I decided to read what others were saying and was surprised by some of the negative reviews on here. I think a lot of negative reviewers are forgetting that this restaurant is just starting out and there is a new chef so there are bound to be some changes.
One reviewer complained about the digital menus taking up space, but we appreciated how it made ordering easier, especially with young children. For example, at one point our kids wanted extra drinks in the middle of our meal, and it was so easy to put in that order right then and there. No flagging down staff, no long wait. The same reviewer said that they don't give you a bottle of gochujang sauce but since covid we found that a lot of restaurants serve sauces in individual cups (cleaner and more sanitary than those sticky shared bottles). Besides, why is it hard to simply ask for more gochujang? I'm sure the staff would be more than happy to bring it to you.
Speaking of wait time, everything came out quickly, even though the restaurant was busy. From the counter, you can partially see what's going on behind the scenes, and both times we visited, we noticed the chef was hard at work, preparing and cooking food fresh to order, and he does it so skillfully and quickly (so no, the food is not simply reheated and assembled as one reviewer speculated).
Someone gave 1 star for having to order from a digital menu and not being offered anything to drink but water, but how is that a fair review? There are paper menus available at Bewon if you prefer (which I sometimes prefer, too). Not being offered anything to drink but water? I wonder if they were expecting free tea, but that's something complimentary and shouldn't be expected. Or perhaps the person missed the entire drinks section on the menu? They offer sweet rice punch, cinnamon punch, Milkis (which my kids were big fans of), and soft drinks.
Anyhow, I hope people will give Bewon a try. Just as the former owners had their own bumps along the way when they first started out, they became a beloved restaurant over the years. From what we've experienced so far with the new ownership of Bewon, it is very promising, and we wish good luck and much success to Bewon's new restaurant chef and staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Moon Ho Kang
I was able to taste authentic Galbitang and Yukgaejang, just like the ones you can find at a professional restaurant in Korea.
I just went here for the first time since the old owner retired, and, man, it's SUCH a bummer now. They have these fugly digital menus (and which stay on the entire time you eat and take up part of the table and it just ruins the vibe), and the (dolsot) bibimbap now *barely* crisps up the rice. And they don't even give you a bottle of gochujang sauce! You get a tiny plastic cup of it and have to ask for more (which is just more plastic waste). Super wasteful and stingy. The banchan aren't as tasty anymore either - the kimchi was fine/the same, but the other two were disappointing. They also changed some of the veggies that are in the bibimbap, which is fine but I preferred the old preparation. (I also think they raised the prices, but I'm not 100% positive on that)
The only two positive changes I noticed were the switch to metal utensils, which is great, and they now give you a carafe of water instead of having to wait for someone to come refill your cup.
Overall a huge plummet in quality and enjoyment. The old Bewon was a 6/5 experience, and this new experience is the pits. 2/5, and I wonder if that's being too generous. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor, and now I don't see myself ever going back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Debbie Romero
Bought by new owners do not like the service of having to order from a machine not offered anything to drink but water
Maxwell Berkowitz
Seems to have gone downhill under new ownership
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Tyler Hicks
always found Bewon to be a pretty reliable mom and pop korean spot, but the food has been downgraded pretty severely with the new ownership. The dol sot bi bim bop was barely even hot, with unmarinated and bland vegetables, flavorless tofu, and really sad probably reheated strips of fried egg. Seafood pancake was bland and mushy with extremely rubbery unseasoned seafood. No crispiness or carmelization to be found. Side dishes were really basic and bland. Tasted like a lot of corners were being cut. Soy and bibimbop sauces were rationed in plastic ramakins. the staff was polite and attentive, but the food arrived so quickly that you know there wasn't a whole lot going on in the kitchen other than reheating and assembly. bit of a bummer, as it used to be an above average spot.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
CC
The restaurant itself is very clean, the food came out quickly, but sadly it did not have very much flavor and it seemed a lot of it was not fresh or was reheated. The food did not reflect the price, in my opinion. I am pescatarian though so maybe the meat dishes are better. There are so many other Korean spots in Ann Arbor, but I wanted to check out this one because I had never been before. Sadly I don’t think I will come back.
*updated review to 5 stars, since we returned months later and the menu has made some great improvements- protein added to bibimbop and I had a mayo fried chicken bowl that was delicious! Thank you Bewon owners for being so open to customer feedback
We live locally and have always loved coming to BeWon since we moved here a year ago. We were excited they were getting a remodel, and showed up to the soft opening. The staff and service is new but very friendly. However we were very disappointed to see the menu is completely changed, and isn’t the warm inviting home-ey dishes as it was before. We ordered the bimibop which was fine, except it’s nearly $15 and has no proteins/meat or option to add meat. Hoping the new staff makes some adjustments to the menu, because we loved this place so much and want it to continue to thrive!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have tried all Korean restaurants in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, but none of them met my expectations. I, a Korean born picky eater acknowledges Bewon provides authentic Korean dish. The quality of their Beef Short Rib soup and BiBimBop are superb. Some might say they don't give a lot of free banchans (side dishes), but I prefer good quality main dish (like chunky amount of Kalbi, various kinds of veggies on Bibimbop).
I also like a Kiosk menu on each table. I think that is another way to keep price low! Smart!
I hope they gradually add more choices to their menus.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
WHEN I ENTERED, IT TOOK ME WHOLE 40 MINUTES UNTILL I GET A CUP OF WATER. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED, ONE RANDOM OLD LADY WAITRESS WAS ON PHONE ALL THE TIME! OFC SHE WAS CALLING RIGHT FRONT OF THE RESTROOM, AND NOT CARING THE TABLES, WHEN SHE ENDED HER PHONE CALL, SHE WALKED TOWARD ONE TABLE AND STARTED TO SPEAK CHINESE FOR WHOLE 5 MINUTES. WHEN THIS HAPPENED, I DID NOT KNOW WHERE TO SEAT. AFTER THE HORRIBLE SERVICE, I WAITED FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES UNTILL IVE GOT MY FOOD, AND OFC WHEN I REQUIRED HER FOR WATER WHEN FOOD CAME OUT, THEN FINAL I GOT A SIP OF LIQUID. HONESTLY FOOD WAS GOOD, I CANNOT JUDGE THAT. BUT THE SERVICE WAS SO BAD. I MIGHT GET TAKE OUT NEXT TIME BUT NOT GOING TO SEAT INSIDE THERE EVER AGAIN!!!!!!
+ all another waitress were nice... but not this one
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
This place is so bad. DO NOT come to this place. I went here on Wednesday night, and there was one lady serving. She was talking to one customer table all the time, she did not even gave me water! Also, I was asking for more napkin to her, but she acted like she was not able to hear me, and ignored me!!! Even though, she was right front of me!! Which made my birthday horrible. I am not going to come back!!!!!!!!
Lastly, I am a person who does not post any review to any places,but I think I should share this horrible place to people.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Heard that ownership changed, and very evidently so. They used to have plenty of side dishes and a soup (as banchan). Their bulgogi was the best I’d ever had. Now we get carefully rationed three half-slices of pickled cucumbers and soupy bulgogi. I also miss their purple rice! A lot of cost reduction practices are clearly taking place but it feels like a completely different restaurant now. They should’ve changed the name of the restaurant so it wouldn’t mislead returning customers. I miss the old “Bewon”
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 5
The owner has changed. It used to be a cozy grandma grandpa kitchen though the new owner keeps the name but everything changed. The old atmosphere was impressive and used to make me and my husband felt like we have adopted Korean grandparents which even though we moved out of state we still went back to visit, have a meal, get that energy and live goes on. I love the old homey settings and how they use the pot to serve galbi tang. I miss kimchi samgyupsal😭 We drove 6 hrs in total and saw a totally different place only the name was the same, it was really shocking…..We went here over 20 times when we were still in the town, and this is the third time we drove from other state to get the food. It’s sad to see the cold fast food settings. Tbh for that short menu you really don’t need a pad for each table cuz that thing mounted on a tiny table is really annoying. We waited over 30min for the food, have no idea why it took so long for just some simple dishes and the restaurant was not even busy.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Me and my wife was long time customer of this place when it was previously owned by the original owner. After we moved to different state we will still drive hours back and enjoy the food and memories. Since it’s sold to new owner everything changed and apparently new owner don’t care about the business at all, just go check others reviews. For the rating I would recommend before but not anymore. Feed sad when I come in and see the screen and everything, not longer same place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
Visited few times under new ownership, prior to that, haven't been to Bewon in over 20 years lol...
New owner changed the menu, a lot less items then before, banchan is down to 3 items and they serve the food on a tray. The trays take up a lot of space, if you order two items, it takes up the entire table space... if you order a shareable item, you need to rearrange your tray.
First, credit to the new owner for updating the interior. It's more brighter then before, new tables and chairs. Everything has been simplified, from the menu to ordering from the table and while you can't pay using the kiosk, you can pay by scanning the QR code after you get your check.
As for the food, I've tried the chicken mayo bowl, spicy pork, yukgaejang, bulgogi and sweet & spicy chicken. Out of these, spicy pork was my favorite. Was it the best I had, no, I had better, but it was decent and it hit the spot.
The yukgaejang was too salty, could have used more meat and veggies. The chicken could been fried twice before being served, it lacked that crunchiness that I was expecting.
It's two person operations, so service can be bit slow. Not sure about the weekdays, but on the weekends, they have additional staff to help out.
I prefer the old style of service, where the side items are brought to your table, along with your main dish, etc. I know, change is hard, should be used to their new system, it's how it's done at most places in Korea now.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
This is our second time coming to Bewon since the new ownership, and just as before, we had a wonderful experience! The first thing we noticed upon entering was the clean and bright atmosphere. With the new renovations and quiet music, my husband described it as calm, minimalist, and peaceful. We were warmly greeted by staff who are some of the kindest you'll meet.
My husband ordered the bibimbap with beef. I ordered the soon tofu jjigae. We ordered soy garlic chicken and japchae with tofu for our young kids. My children are sometimes unwilling to try new foods, but to our delight, they devoured the chicken and japchae with tofu and kept asking for more. I had to try some and agreed that it was very delicious! The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The japchae with tofu was flavorful!
My husband enjoyed his bibimbap. I didn't try it, but I remember how tender and flavorful the beef was from our last visit, plus the veggies tasted freshly prepared. I don't know how to cook Korean food myself (though my mom was a Korean chef) and the soon tofu jjigae was so comforting and tasted like home.
After visiting Bewon, I decided to read what others were saying and was surprised by some of the negative reviews on here. I think a lot of negative reviewers are forgetting that this restaurant is just starting out and there is a new chef so there are bound to be some changes.
One reviewer complained about the digital menus taking up space, but we appreciated how it made ordering easier, especially with young children. For example, at one point our kids wanted extra drinks in the middle of our meal, and it was so easy to put in that order right then and there. No flagging down staff, no long wait. The same reviewer said that they don't give you a bottle of gochujang sauce but since covid we found that a lot of restaurants serve sauces in individual cups (cleaner and more sanitary than those sticky shared bottles). Besides, why is it hard to simply ask for more gochujang? I'm sure the staff would be more than happy to bring it to you.
Speaking of wait time, everything came out quickly, even though the restaurant was busy. From the counter, you can partially see what's going on behind the scenes, and both times we visited, we noticed the chef was hard at work, preparing and cooking food fresh to order, and he does it so skillfully and quickly (so no, the food is not simply reheated and assembled as one reviewer speculated).
Someone gave 1 star for having to order from a digital menu and not being offered anything to drink but water, but how is that a fair review? There are paper menus available at Bewon if you prefer (which I sometimes prefer, too). Not being offered anything to drink but water? I wonder if they were expecting free tea, but that's something complimentary and shouldn't be expected. Or perhaps the person missed the entire drinks section on the menu? They offer sweet rice punch, cinnamon punch, Milkis (which my kids were big fans of), and soft drinks.
Anyhow, I hope people will give Bewon a try. Just as the former owners had their own bumps along the way when they first started out, they became a beloved restaurant over the years. From what we've experienced so far with the new ownership of Bewon, it is very promising, and we wish good luck and much success to Bewon's new restaurant chef and staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was able to taste authentic Galbitang and Yukgaejang, just like the ones you can find at a professional restaurant in Korea.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I just went here for the first time since the old owner retired, and, man, it's SUCH a bummer now. They have these fugly digital menus (and which stay on the entire time you eat and take up part of the table and it just ruins the vibe), and the (dolsot) bibimbap now *barely* crisps up the rice. And they don't even give you a bottle of gochujang sauce! You get a tiny plastic cup of it and have to ask for more (which is just more plastic waste). Super wasteful and stingy. The banchan aren't as tasty anymore either - the kimchi was fine/the same, but the other two were disappointing. They also changed some of the veggies that are in the bibimbap, which is fine but I preferred the old preparation. (I also think they raised the prices, but I'm not 100% positive on that)
The only two positive changes I noticed were the switch to metal utensils, which is great, and they now give you a carafe of water instead of having to wait for someone to come refill your cup.
Overall a huge plummet in quality and enjoyment. The old Bewon was a 6/5 experience, and this new experience is the pits. 2/5, and I wonder if that's being too generous. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor, and now I don't see myself ever going back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Bought by new owners do not like the service of having to order from a machine not offered anything to drink but water
Seems to have gone downhill under new ownership
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
always found Bewon to be a pretty reliable mom and pop korean spot, but the food has been downgraded pretty severely with the new ownership. The dol sot bi bim bop was barely even hot, with unmarinated and bland vegetables, flavorless tofu, and really sad probably reheated strips of fried egg. Seafood pancake was bland and mushy with extremely rubbery unseasoned seafood. No crispiness or carmelization to be found. Side dishes were really basic and bland. Tasted like a lot of corners were being cut. Soy and bibimbop sauces were rationed in plastic ramakins. the staff was polite and attentive, but the food arrived so quickly that you know there wasn't a whole lot going on in the kitchen other than reheating and assembly. bit of a bummer, as it used to be an above average spot.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
The restaurant itself is very clean, the food came out quickly, but sadly it did not have very much flavor and it seemed a lot of it was not fresh or was reheated. The food did not reflect the price, in my opinion. I am pescatarian though so maybe the meat dishes are better. There are so many other Korean spots in Ann Arbor, but I wanted to check out this one because I had never been before. Sadly I don’t think I will come back.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 2
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