Very good and tasty food, although I wish they would pay closer attention to trimming more of the fat off the beef bulgogi. The sweet and sour dumplings were great. They have a big four-way split tv screen. This place would be perfect for a KPop Demon Hunters watch party. š
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Bulgogi
Ethan
The food is amazing! I love their Japchae
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Tiongco
Food was okay. Very quiet evening. A/C wasn't working and they had fans.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Dean Segal
A big disappointment following high hopes. Izumi, the Japanese restaurant occupying this classic beautiful building previously was one of our favorites, and had the best sushi (in addition to many other dishes) in the region. Went in around dinner time and there was only one other table of customers though a few more got seated while there. Our dishes were alright, nothing memorable, but my wifeās tofu entree was a bit hot without much other flavor. We asked if there would be some included side dishes like kimchi, etc., (naturally expected at a Korean place). The waitress explained that normally, there are several included gratis, but that they had ārun outā, but that for $3.00, we could purchase a side of kimchi. I shrugged and said OK, add it onto the meal. A 2nd order added another $3.00 which did surprise me. At the end of the meal, I expressed our thoughts on this - why add for kimchi when normally, meals include several side dishes free? She agreed that it was strange but that she was TOLD by the owners to do this. I asked her to tell the owner that a customer thought this was bad hospitality and worse, it was petty, and that this all but assured we would never return. She sympathized and apologized, but I could tell that she wouldnāt out of fear of ticking off the owners. This is not how to build a following and we realized this, the food, an a little bit of a creepy atmosphere might be part of the reason for so many empty tables.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Matt Coyne
Great experience. Food, music, atmosphere was all excellent, would recommend
J. Peck
Amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leo
I highly recommend Maru Korean Bistro for their food, especially if you are looking for an authentic taste. The food has always been excellent each time I have come here no matter what I order, including the side dish, or during times I order takeout (though it seems the side dish is not included in those orders).
The parking is also extremely convenient for the area, as most places only have street parking but Maru has its own lot which is often mostly empty. Since the place is not particularly popular, you pretty much always have convenient parking and are seated immediately.
The exterior is not particularly appealing, and I feel that the restaurant does not do a good job of drawing people in. As other reviews have mentioned, the bathrooms are not clean, and there are few staff. Regardless, the service has always been good enough the times I've gone, and I would recommend going for just the food as it makes up for everything else.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Emily Romeril
Really disappointed in our experience.
We arrived at 8:15pm and were told we couldnāt be sat because the kitchen closed in 10 minutes..
They said they still havenāt taken orders for the two other tables that were there.
I asked if we could stay since we knew what we wanted to order right away & the waitress begrudgingly agreed.
The energy was extremely negative, the staff were completely unwelcoming & the food was just okay.
Unless you want to feel like a burden, Iād go somewhere else for Korean food.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Rafael Meraz
Food was very good, service was great too. Server with pink highlights was super friendly and was always checking on the table.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Gabriel Lucas
Went to this place last night, food was good, service was timely. The server with pink hair was friendly and checked up on our table. Would recommend
Probably the worst service I've ever had. Had to go to bar and interrupt servers conversation with coworker to get anything. Not once did she come to the table voluntarily to ask if we wanted drinks, appetizers, or dinner. Figured out why service was so bad at the end when we got hit with an automatically included 20% tip. Lived in Korea for a year and loved it but I would never go back to this place again. I was so excited to find a good Korean restaurant after moving to Milwaukee from Seattle. Wish I had read the reviews BEFORE I went. Also only one or two other customers so place was dead - no reason for such terrible service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
quilla banks
We had a very good time. The food was great. And the wings....YUMMY. I hope to go back soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jayna Marie
First of all, I ate here maybe 3 years ago and enjoyed my food. I came here thinking it would be the same experience. Much has changed. We walked in at quarter to 7 and the waitress kept telling us the kitchen closed at 8:15. On their website it says theyāre open till 9. Didnāt think too much of it we sat down and I told the waitress of my food allergies and how I wanted the bibimbap bowl. She told me that everything is premade and she wouldnāt recommend that for the allergy. Yikes. So I ordered beef bulgogi and my sister ordered tofu stew. We didnāt even get our food and our waitress was pressuring us to pay for our dinner dropped off the bill at 8:15. Itās a little pushy considering the fact that they were open for another hour. We got our food and the beef bulgogi was flavorless fatty and probably some of the worst Iāve ever had. Normally and Korean restaurants Iāve dinned at they bring you all the toppings like kimchi and such. When I asked for it I was charged $3 for it! I remember last time I came they gave it to you weird. Anyways my sisters tofu stew tasted off spoiled tofu and absolutely no flavor from the soup besides the sour tofu. she didnāt want to eat it. We brought it to our waitress attention that it tasted off she ignored us walked away. When it came time to paying I kindly asked her what we should do about the tofu since I felt bad for sending it back but I didnāt want my sister to get food poisoning it tasted very off. She finally hesitated and then took it to the kitchen. She said they have a policy they donāt take anything off. I understand this but my sisters didnāt even eat two bites it was definitely not fresh. I could hear the chef yell at her and she took it off. Anyways next day later I got food poisoning terrible stomach pain from beef bulgogi. This place is poorly ran and has bad management of their restaurant. The fact I could hear the boss/chef yell at her in front of the customers is very unprofessional. The up chargers will impact your restaurant compared to the other restaurants nearby that sell similar food and donāt do this.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
sevda.
I went to Maru Saturday night. The waitress with pink highlights greeted me with a smile & got me seated. She constantly checked up on my table and poured drinks frequently. She informed me that unfortunately they don't provide change on cash payments. Thad a wonderful experience with my dinner here at Maru and would love to come back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joshua Steinberg (Lizardman301)
Had a great time here. Good food and great service from our server (girl with the pink bangs).
Very good and tasty food, although I wish they would pay closer attention to trimming more of the fat off the beef bulgogi. The sweet and sour dumplings were great. They have a big four-way split tv screen. This place would be perfect for a KPop Demon Hunters watch party. š
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Bulgogi
The food is amazing! I love their Japchae
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was okay. Very quiet evening. A/C wasn't working and they had fans.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
A big disappointment following high hopes. Izumi, the Japanese restaurant occupying this classic beautiful building previously was one of our favorites, and had the best sushi (in addition to many other dishes) in the region. Went in around dinner time and there was only one other table of customers though a few more got seated while there. Our dishes were alright, nothing memorable, but my wifeās tofu entree was a bit hot without much other flavor. We asked if there would be some included side dishes like kimchi, etc., (naturally expected at a Korean place). The waitress explained that normally, there are several included gratis, but that they had ārun outā, but that for $3.00, we could purchase a side of kimchi. I shrugged and said OK, add it onto the meal. A 2nd order added another $3.00 which did surprise me. At the end of the meal, I expressed our thoughts on this - why add for kimchi when normally, meals include several side dishes free? She agreed that it was strange but that she was TOLD by the owners to do this. I asked her to tell the owner that a customer thought this was bad hospitality and worse, it was petty, and that this all but assured we would never return. She sympathized and apologized, but I could tell that she wouldnāt out of fear of ticking off the owners. This is not how to build a following and we realized this, the food, an a little bit of a creepy atmosphere might be part of the reason for so many empty tables.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Great experience. Food, music, atmosphere was all excellent, would recommend
Amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I highly recommend Maru Korean Bistro for their food, especially if you are looking for an authentic taste. The food has always been excellent each time I have come here no matter what I order, including the side dish, or during times I order takeout (though it seems the side dish is not included in those orders).
The parking is also extremely convenient for the area, as most places only have street parking but Maru has its own lot which is often mostly empty. Since the place is not particularly popular, you pretty much always have convenient parking and are seated immediately.
The exterior is not particularly appealing, and I feel that the restaurant does not do a good job of drawing people in. As other reviews have mentioned, the bathrooms are not clean, and there are few staff. Regardless, the service has always been good enough the times I've gone, and I would recommend going for just the food as it makes up for everything else.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Really disappointed in our experience.
We arrived at 8:15pm and were told we couldnāt be sat because the kitchen closed in 10 minutes..
They said they still havenāt taken orders for the two other tables that were there.
I asked if we could stay since we knew what we wanted to order right away & the waitress begrudgingly agreed.
The energy was extremely negative, the staff were completely unwelcoming & the food was just okay.
Unless you want to feel like a burden, Iād go somewhere else for Korean food.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Food was very good, service was great too. Server with pink highlights was super friendly and was always checking on the table.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Went to this place last night, food was good, service was timely. The server with pink hair was friendly and checked up on our table. Would recommend
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Probably the worst service I've ever had. Had to go to bar and interrupt servers conversation with coworker to get anything. Not once did she come to the table voluntarily to ask if we wanted drinks, appetizers, or dinner. Figured out why service was so bad at the end when we got hit with an automatically included 20% tip. Lived in Korea for a year and loved it but I would never go back to this place again. I was so excited to find a good Korean restaurant after moving to Milwaukee from Seattle. Wish I had read the reviews BEFORE I went. Also only one or two other customers so place was dead - no reason for such terrible service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
We had a very good time. The food was great. And the wings....YUMMY. I hope to go back soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First of all, I ate here maybe 3 years ago and enjoyed my food. I came here thinking it would be the same experience. Much has changed. We walked in at quarter to 7 and the waitress kept telling us the kitchen closed at 8:15. On their website it says theyāre open till 9. Didnāt think too much of it we sat down and I told the waitress of my food allergies and how I wanted the bibimbap bowl. She told me that everything is premade and she wouldnāt recommend that for the allergy. Yikes. So I ordered beef bulgogi and my sister ordered tofu stew. We didnāt even get our food and our waitress was pressuring us to pay for our dinner dropped off the bill at 8:15. Itās a little pushy considering the fact that they were open for another hour. We got our food and the beef bulgogi was flavorless fatty and probably some of the worst Iāve ever had. Normally and Korean restaurants Iāve dinned at they bring you all the toppings like kimchi and such. When I asked for it I was charged $3 for it! I remember last time I came they gave it to you weird. Anyways my sisters tofu stew tasted off spoiled tofu and absolutely no flavor from the soup besides the sour tofu. she didnāt want to eat it. We brought it to our waitress attention that it tasted off she ignored us walked away. When it came time to paying I kindly asked her what we should do about the tofu since I felt bad for sending it back but I didnāt want my sister to get food poisoning it tasted very off. She finally hesitated and then took it to the kitchen. She said they have a policy they donāt take anything off. I understand this but my sisters didnāt even eat two bites it was definitely not fresh. I could hear the chef yell at her and she took it off. Anyways next day later I got food poisoning terrible stomach pain from beef bulgogi. This place is poorly ran and has bad management of their restaurant. The fact I could hear the boss/chef yell at her in front of the customers is very unprofessional. The up chargers will impact your restaurant compared to the other restaurants nearby that sell similar food and donāt do this.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
I went to Maru Saturday night. The waitress with pink highlights greeted me with a smile & got me seated. She constantly checked up on my table and poured drinks frequently. She informed me that unfortunately they don't provide change on cash payments. Thad a wonderful experience with my dinner here at Maru and would love to come back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a great time here. Good food and great service from our server (girl with the pink bangs).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
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