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 couldn’t be sat because the kitchen closed in 10 minutes..
They said they still haven’t 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, I’d 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
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Rich Bertram
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 they’re open till 9. Didn’t 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 wouldn’t recommend that for the allergy. Yikes. So I ordered beef bulgogi and my sister ordered tofu stew. We didn’t even get our food and our waitress was pressuring us to pay for our dinner dropped off the bill at 8:15. It’s 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 I’ve ever had. Normally and Korean restaurants I’ve 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 didn’t 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 didn’t 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 don’t take anything off. I understand this but my sisters didn’t 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 don’t 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).
I absolutely loved this experience. My wife and I came here the other night, because we'd thought to give this a try. To my surprise we enjoyed ourselves and will definitely be back! Our server, which was the young lady with pink bangs She was so professinal and very attentive. The wings she recommended to us were absolutely delicious and worth the buy. To anyone who is having mixed thoughts and opinions, just do it (like NIKE) LOL, I promise you won't be disappointed;and make sure to ask for the young woman with the pink bangs, she is the person to go to! 10 outta 10 recommend and will definitely be coming back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Teneasa Cunningham
In town visiting relatives anda friend suggested Maru Korean Bistro, and boy were they right! Our server, a petite young lady with pink bangs and a sweet demeanor, was very instrumental in helping us choose items on the menu. She was patient and very professional, something that is becoming harder to find in the way of hospitality in restaurants today. She was attentive and patient, which goes a long way! Her recommendation of the spicy wings were so good and was cooked and season to perfection! We will be back, and we're going to make sure we'll get the same waitress again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Chicken
Marco Briceno
As soon as we walked in, something felt a little off. The bar was bare and we didn't see many people working there. For most of our time there, we only saw our waitress working and she was covering a half full restaurant which made her run too thin and not pay enough attention to her tables. For example, we rarely had water, our appetizer came after our main dishes, and half of our dishes did not come until after half of our table was done eating. When we asked the waitress to stop the other plates from coming since we just wanted to leave, she instructed us that she couldn't since the food was already getting made. I felt that this was something they should have owned and removed it from the bill given we did not want the food at that time.
A few of us went to the bathrooms while there and they were some of the worst we have seen. Worse than public bathrooms by a highway. They smelled and must not have been cleaned in weeks if not longer.
Their management needs to do better by their staff and by their patrons. The food was amazing and I would highly recommend it but maybe as a takeout option.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
Medina_Prime
The Girl with The pink bangs was super nice and friendly. Would love to have her again if i came back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Thomas Busciglio
First of all, let me say that this place seems like a waste, because the food is actually good! But the rest is a disaster... An abandoned bar and counter welcomes you. Restrooms are very dirty (see photos if you feel like it). Service is deplorable. They did not even have a single spoon available when we asked for one... And dont even think of paying cash: they dont have any change to give you. We were told to wait 15 min before we could get a table, though half of the restaurant was empty.
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 couldn’t be sat because the kitchen closed in 10 minutes..
They said they still haven’t 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, I’d 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
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 they’re open till 9. Didn’t 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 wouldn’t recommend that for the allergy. Yikes. So I ordered beef bulgogi and my sister ordered tofu stew. We didn’t even get our food and our waitress was pressuring us to pay for our dinner dropped off the bill at 8:15. It’s 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 I’ve ever had. Normally and Korean restaurants I’ve 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 didn’t 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 didn’t 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 don’t take anything off. I understand this but my sisters didn’t 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 don’t 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
Restaurantji Recommends
I absolutely loved this experience. My wife and I came here the other night, because we'd thought to give this a try. To my surprise we enjoyed ourselves and will definitely be back! Our server, which was the young lady with pink bangs She was so professinal and very attentive. The wings she recommended to us were absolutely delicious and worth the buy. To anyone who is having mixed thoughts and opinions, just do it (like NIKE) LOL, I promise you won't be disappointed;and make sure to ask for the young woman with the pink bangs, she is the person to go to! 10 outta 10 recommend and will definitely be coming back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
In town visiting relatives anda friend suggested Maru Korean Bistro, and boy were they right! Our server, a petite young lady with pink bangs and a sweet demeanor, was very instrumental in helping us choose items on the menu. She was patient and very professional, something that is becoming harder to find in the way of hospitality in restaurants today. She was attentive and patient, which goes a long way! Her recommendation of the spicy wings were so good and was cooked and season to perfection! We will be back, and we're going to make sure we'll get the same waitress again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Chicken
As soon as we walked in, something felt a little off. The bar was bare and we didn't see many people working there. For most of our time there, we only saw our waitress working and she was covering a half full restaurant which made her run too thin and not pay enough attention to her tables. For example, we rarely had water, our appetizer came after our main dishes, and half of our dishes did not come until after half of our table was done eating. When we asked the waitress to stop the other plates from coming since we just wanted to leave, she instructed us that she couldn't since the food was already getting made. I felt that this was something they should have owned and removed it from the bill given we did not want the food at that time.
A few of us went to the bathrooms while there and they were some of the worst we have seen. Worse than public bathrooms by a highway. They smelled and must not have been cleaned in weeks if not longer.
Their management needs to do better by their staff and by their patrons. The food was amazing and I would highly recommend it but maybe as a takeout option.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
The Girl with The pink bangs was super nice and friendly. Would love to have her again if i came back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
First of all, let me say that this place seems like a waste, because the food is actually good! But the rest is a disaster... An abandoned bar and counter welcomes you. Restrooms are very dirty (see photos if you feel like it). Service is deplorable. They did not even have a single spoon available when we asked for one... And dont even think of paying cash: they dont have any change to give you. We were told to wait 15 min before we could get a table, though half of the restaurant was empty.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
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