Sole Café

Very pleased with our experience at Sole Café. We ordered the spicy pork bulgolgi, seafood pancake, and tofu japchae. The portions were between reasonable sizes and somewhat on the smaller side, but the flavor of each dish were excellent. We’ll definitely return.

If anyone wants really spicy food. Try this location. I ordered Dduckbokki which is a popular Korean food made from soft rice cake, fish cake, and the sweet red chili sauce. My wife really likes spicy but even she couldn’t finish it. But really good.

Excellent Korean food with a wonderful atmosphere! The ahjummas at this restaurant are like mothers to their customers and the food is worth every penny!

This is a great Korean dive. The food was really good and I got excellent service. The atmosphere was pretty seedy and the prices were relatively low.

The lady serving my table was super sweet. :) The beef was also very delicious. The place is a lot smaller than I thought but the service was awesome.

We came here on a Sunday because Mirror Of Korea was closed for family event. We arrived and it was kind of emptied. There were two ladies working. One was the host and the other was the chef.
It took a while for the lady to get us food, we ordered seafood pancake and Kimchee with pork stew. The food was ok. The space is ok. I thought it was cool to have a big flat screen T.V. incase people want to watch Korean Drama.
Anywho, the lady was nice but I would get Korean food somewhere else. Street parking by the way.

I thought the calamari was excellent. Spicy but not overbearing. The banchan was varied in sauces and veggies. I do not tell people where to eat but I’ll be back again when I’m in St. Paul.

I have no idea how this place has such a high rating, I ordered the #14 on the lunch menu with beef, and I was served a bowl that was 90% rice with some sad little pieces of meat and veggies on the side. In addition to that, the rice touching the bowl got burnt and stuck to the sides and it was so hot I could barely even taste it. If you want tasty Asian food, don’t waste your time here.

I went here for dinner at 5PM on a Tuesday because Mirror of Korea was closed. My kids and I love Korean food so we thought we’d give it a shot because of the high ratings.
Appearance:
Stepping felt like stepping back in time with the wooden chairs, institutional flooring, and a little Korean roof above the bar area. It was clean and «cute» for a lack of better word.
1 Star for that
Service:
One Korean lady serviced the restaurant and she was prompt, polite, cordial, and spoke clearly. I appreciated that.
1 star for service
Quality:
We ordred the Soolongtang (beef brisket soup), Seafood Soon (tofu Soup), and Pork Bulgolgi. The beef soup was gobbled up by the kids with rice. It was ok. The tofu soup had tiny, headless baby shrimps, chopped up squid, 1 green mussel on half shelf, and tons of sliced up onions. Shrimps tasted dirty (because of the dirt still in their spines). Some of the squid was sour (not good news for squid, had to spit it out). Onions were very annoying since I am not generally used to having that much onions in my tofu soup. Generally, the Korean Restaurants I go to (mostly in Southern California and a few in the Twin Cities) do not have onions in them. There was also not an egg in it like typical. OK, so this is what I expect in Tofu soup: clams, salt water shrimp (ok, since we are in Twin Cities, I’m ok with replacing it regular shrimp but it needs to have the shell and head), oyster, an egg cracked in it. Onto the Bulgogi — I regret ordering the pork but this is a restaurant and as such, it should NOT be serving meat that is on the verge of spoilage or spoiled. Unfortunately, that was the case with our dish. Fatty meat that is off and some sour.
0 star for quality
Value:
So for 3 dishes and no drinks, the total came out to be $ 42. I remember this Japanese restaurant we went to a while back where the sushi rolls were half the size of most restaurants (about 1 cm thick for each slice) and a thinly (3mm thick) sliced piece of onion deep fried with batter was considered a piece of vegetable. So this restaurant reminded me of that experience and we never went back to that place again.
0 star for value
So 2 stars total. Generally, I don’t spend this much time writing a review unless it left quite an impression, whether positive or negative. Unfortunately, this place was the latter.

This is not the best place in the Twin Cities. I’ve eaten a lot of Korean food and this place was a disappointment. The place was extremely hot. Service was very slow. Food wasn’t good! For the seafood pancake. Spicy tofu soup. Bimimbop. And bulgogi. Didn’t even finish the bulgogi. Left and got food elsewhere. Don’t go. The place is dirty and poor looking.

Tiny place. Great dinner club. Korean seafood pancake was excellent, crispy, not fishy. Shortribs were excellent. They have this sauce with sesame seeds… soy and fruit, to die for… was on ribs and for dipping. Loved the bulgogi, I had the beef, so tender. Kimche was great! Dinner is served with several sides. Atmosphere was nothing to write home about… Service was excellent!!!

Excellent food, but I felt it was a little overpriced for the portion size and lack of side larger dishes or accompaniment. Loved the tteokbokki and pork bulgogi.

If you’re a broke ass student, don’t try to order a dish from here and expect to save the soul of your dying wallet. I have an itching suspicion that Korean food must use unicorn meat as an ingredient since most of the time I decided to go to a K-​joint, I always end up paying at least $ 20 for a very basic order.
A couple of weeks ago, I was drawn to this place for a quick lunch since I was craving for some good kimchi stew. The order was pretty simple: a stone bowl of soup with fermented cabbage, tofu, and scraps of meat that might’ve been from a scrawny cow. The banchans (side dishes) I got were pretty bare: multiple dishes of no more than 3 – 4 pieces of some vegetables. Oh, and I also got a small bowl of rice. The soup was flavorful but the tofu they used was one of those firm types instead of the super soft kind that usually comes with soondubu. It was a good dish, sure, but it would’ve been better had I just cooked it at home for a fraction of the price I paid for it. For my not-​so-​fancy meal, the price tag turned out to be $ 15 without tips included. Overall, I’d say I had a better experience at Korea near the U of M since their lunch special’s much cheaper and tastier.

REVIEW ON Dol Sot Bi Bim Bom (#14 on lunch menu): Mainly a rice & veggie dish. VERY little meat. I wish that more meat was included in this dish.
REVIEW ON STAFF: The waitress is friendly. I’m waiting to go back to to try the other dishes :)

I didn’t realize that when you got the banchan you’d have to share with the entire table, the portions were also very small for such an expensive price. I paid almost $ 15 for a small bulgogi and didn’t even really get any of the banchan despite ordering another round. I left barely satisfied and had to go to another place on order to feel full, not stuffed, but full. Two of my siblings also ended up getting the bebimbop and were deeply deeply disappointed. It was like a salad the size of a small fist. We were all so confused as we have gone to other good Korean restaurants.

I’ve been to a few pretty good Korean restaurants so my standards are a bit higher when it comes to Korean food. I don’t have much positive things to say about this place, so brace yourself for some complaints.
Prior to going, I went through the comments on Unilocal and was super excited about this place. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a really good Korean restaurant so my hopes were up. The place is a bit run down, which I don’t mind too much. I wasn’t there to judge the interior and exterior design of the place. There aren’t any parking lots which didn’t cause us too much trouble, since we went at a time when there weren’t much traffic. There are some street parking, but I’m not sure what it would be like at busy hours though.
When my husband and I first walked in, the owner (?) greeted us with a, «Why only two?» And of course, she might’ve been just joking and saying that teasingly but her tone somewhat threw us off and it came off as rude. However, we are familiar with the Asian humor so we didn’t take to heart. Sat down and the waitress came to take our order and gave us some recommendations.
The food came and the side dishes were so small! There was literally probably only 3 – 4 pieces of cut up kimchi in one of the plates. They allowed for one refill, but anything additional, we would have to pay for, so we ate the banchans sparingly. The entrees weren’t anything to praise neither. The noodle soup broth was lacking seasoning. The bulgogi didn’t have enough marinade. We ate, paid, and left unsatisfied.

I love the food gems in St. Paul, and Sole Café is one of them. You must know this is a very no-​frills restaurant with an impossibly small restroom. But, you’re not really coming here for your first date with the Duke of Edinburgh (mother may I?), so calm down. No, you’re coming here for a solid Korean meal and maybe, just maybe, get to watch a really good show on their huge TV. Seriously, it felt like I was eating at someone’s house with that giant TV set on the side. They should really consider having karaōke here if they don’t already.
Their ban chan is good, although I will agree with other folks in that the portions are really small, and I think they charge you after the 2^nd refill for $ 5, which is pretty steep in my opinion. Then again, I’m used to $ 11.99 AYCE KBBQs with unlimited ban chan in Koreatown. My friends and I shared seafood pancake, kalbi, and dolsot bibimbap. The seafood pancake was one of the best savory pancakes I’v ever had. It was chockfull of yummy shrimp, scallions, scallops, and other goodies. My mouth is watering thinking about it. Must stop thinking about it.
The kalbi (eeew, Safari’s autocorrecting ‘kalbi’ to ‘kale’. GTFO kale.) and bibimbap were solid dishes, and I particularly liked how sweet and sticky the kalbi was. But, definitely, the highlight of my meal was that seafood pancake. Om nom nom nom nom nom nom.
Nom.

Great food! We had the seafood pancake and dol sol bimbimbap and both was delicious! Highly recommend!

This tiny joint is kinda cute. I felt like I was in someone’s kitchen. In the middle of the restaurant, there’s a super small dance floor with a disco ball light hanging from the ceiling and a TV against the wall playing the news in Korean.
I ordered the dol sot bi bim bop from the lunch menu. It came out looking, and sounding, so impressive. It was sizzling in the hot stone bowl with a pretty egg on top and was smelling delish. However, it was a very sad lunch. The bowl was full of rice and an egg, no veggies. No meat. The menu said it came with meat in it, however I had massive trouble locating it. I would agree, there was probably meat in it. There was about a bite size piece of meat that was ground up into tiny bits that were impossible to see or find. The sauce that came with it was amazing. I loved the sauce and the idea of flavor of my dish, but I left hungry.
The lady was super nice and teased me about how much rice I left behind and then informed me that there’s usually not a lot of meat in bi bim bop… unclear.

I’m so disappointed. I left Sole still hungry.
I was meeting a friend a Mirror of Korea for lunch today because we were both craving some bi bim bop. Turns out they are closed on Tuesdays and Sole is right up the road, so we went.
First of all, the lady who was working was very sweet. However, that doesn’t make up for it. The food came out fast and was very tasty, but there was barely any eat at all in our bi bim bops. And the portions of the kimchee and the other side dishes were TINY. So the meal was mostly rice, with an egg. The sauce was delicious, and everything else tasted good, but there jsut wasn’t much of it. And I didn’t want a giant bowl of fried rice, so I didn’t finish the rice.
Overall very disappointing. I’ve had some delicious amazing bi bim bops, so when I brought it up to her that there wasn’t much beef, she suggested that I should’ve ordered something else instead. Maybe so, but I don’t think I will be coming back.

I just got home from this place and I immediately had to write about it. This place, by far, gave my girlfriend and I the most strange and fun experience we’ve had in a while dining out. We were greeted by a lady who was in the middle of eating. She apologized and quickly seated us.
The décor is nice but if you look closely, the building was renovated to extend another room (the restaurant) and you can tell by the awkward roofing by the bar island and in the restroom. I was confused about the restroom light switch being on the outside so I made the face palming choice to do my business in the dark: P.
When I returned and ordered the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop, I was surprised how quickly the food came out. The Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop came in a scorching stone bowl. The crackling of the rice inside made me instinctively blink furiously out of fear but I summed up my courage to dig in. The food was delicious! The banchan (side dishes) were refreshing and tasty though I wish there was more variety and quantity but luckily you can ask to refill them if you desire. My girlfriend ordered Tofu Jjigae that definitely hit the spot of her Korean cuisine cravings.
Unexpectedly during our meal, the lady came over and said I was eating my meal wrong and proceeded to stir my food for me! Though if I was in a bad mood or something I might have rejected, but I was open to the experience and it made me feel like I was at home again with my mom. It was great.
My only real honest complaints about the place is that the food was a little steep for the quantity of the entrees and that I actually found a little pebble broken from the stone bowl a little too late in my food. Good thing I got a strong jaw.
Overall, Sole Café was a pleasant experience. Though some bumps here and there, I was surprised that there wasn’t someone other then us dining in. If you live on campus at Hamline, you definitely should give this place a try. Despite what you see on the outside, there’s some quality effort inside!

5 words for you: dol sot bi bim bop. It is a hot stone bowl with the traditional bi bim bop in it. Rice, bulgogi, vegetables and all the fixings. I hadn’t had Korean food in so long and once I found this place, a few friends and I went. We all got the same thing and 30 minutes later, I was one happy piggy. It is perfect for a cold winter’s day and it’s a one woman show. I just wish they gave more of the banchan but other than that, amazing!

I love food — my friends and family know this — I’m a huge fan of Korean food… I’d join the fan club if there was one!
Recently, a couple friends wanted to make a lunch trip for Korean food and I had heard about Sole Café — put the two together and you’ve got a date. We piled into a KIa Soul, which ironically is Korean and the name Soul ties nicely to Sole Café; #nailedit. Sole is located right on the busy Snelling Avenue… parking is street only (no private lot).
We arrived around noon and there were a couple people dining; a few college students (right next to Hamline) and a few worker bees (like ourselves!). The décor is unique, a little darker in color tones and I love the big screen showing Korean TV news.
We found seats right in front of the TV, all in Korean BTW, and quickly skimmed through the menu… we were HANGRY! There were 15 options on the lunch menu, anything for $ 8, pretty solid deal if you ask me. I landed on Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop — I’m a huge fan of sliced beef, swimming in yummy sauce, served in a hot stone bowl.
This bad boy was served, HOT, the 3^rd degree burn kind of hot! It was AMAZING, nicely cooked sliced beef, veggies, sticky rice and I of course applied a generous helping of red pepper hot sauce :-) A nice crunch to the veggies, marinated sliced beef, tied with red pepper hot sauce… mixed together in a hot stone bowl.
#koreancomfortfood
Give this place shot, stop by for lunch or dinner, and prep to be amazed!
Note: Accepts Visa/​Mastercard (or cash).

Mirror of Korea was closed due to a family emergency, but me and my friend were set on Korean food so we ended up at Sole Café.
Walking it, it was kind of a hole in a wall, but I loved it, reminded me of a place close to my apartment when I lived in Seoul. There was even Korean TV on and we were greeting by a Korean ajumma. So far so good.
I got the yuekaejang, which is a delicious soup with beer, egg, and various veg, and my friend (who also lived in Korea) got her usual, the japchae. Both were very delicious, but our main qualms were with the banchan (all the tasty side dishes). First of all, you are only allowed one refill on the banchan. Secondly, they seemed to be very chinsy with the banchan to start with. We only got 3 small pieces of cabbage for the kimchi, and there was a cucumber kimchi where we only got 2 slices of cucumer. NO no no. That was unacceptable.
Another issue was the service. We stopped eating and asked for boxes, as she drop boxes she immediately began cleaning everything up. We wanted to snack on our banchan while we chatted away! She was very pushy with getting us out of there. We were one of two tables, the other tables was four ladies who were there before we were, and obviously had no intentions of going anywhere. My friend and I both had leftover rice so we asked if we could have another box. The woman asked why. We told her for the rice, I clearly can’t mix in with my soup, and mixing rice and noodles is a crime to rice. She gave me a box, and told my friend to just put her rice on top of her noodles. Rude.
All in all, tasty food, crappy service, and stingy with the banchan (THE HORROR!) I know other places where they are friendly and give unlimited banchan refills, so i won’t be coming back. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Oh my god. The bibimbap was so good. I love the crispy rice in the stone bowl. The woman running the place made us feel like we were in her home, complete with a big screen tv playing Korean soap operas!
I’ve been so disappointed by Korean food so many times I almost gave up. I love when I find a place with food that tastes home-​cooked. Yum.

I thought I would really enjoy this place because the staff here are super friendly! I also ordered 5 dishes that they recommended.
All of the dishes were either overpowered with spice… to the point where you can’t even taste anything but the peppers. Or they didn’t taste like anything at all…
I was super disappointed… especially because they recommended it.
However, their side dishes are actually pretty good.

After reading Marcos L’s fantastic short story on Sole Café, my boo-​thang and I decided to visit this «beacon of hope» for ramen-​eating and grilled cheese-​snacking Hamline students for dinner. Unfortunately, our experience wasn’t positive.
Once we stepped in, we were greeted by a charming Korean woman who quickly sat us. The server recommended I try her favorite, which is the pork bulgogi. My girlfriend ordered the beef bibimbap. Both dishes came out quickly and crackling hot.
Pork Bulgogi — The pork tasted overcooked and flat. Perhaps the meat could have marinated a bit longer. Sadly, this entrée was the best part of our meal.
Beef Bibimbap — While many people love this dish because of the sizzling stone bowl that browns and textures the jasmine rice, there was a meager helping of meat, vegetables, and even sesame oil. After many tries, I just tasted rice, rice, and more rice.
Garnishes — Like the bibimbap, the variety of standard garnishes were also stingy. Usually at a Korean restaurant, I find maybe seven small trays at my disposal such as pickled bean sprouts, egg curds, meatballs, nuts, radishes, seaweed, and, of course, kimchi. But no, there weren’t that many, and I found none of them that tasty.
I can excuse the Alice in Wonderland inspired bathroom where I had to pee and wash my hands standing in the same spot, because I couldn’t move without punching a large hole through the door with my large shoulders. I can forgive the obnoxious (and seriously deafening) Korean game shows and news channels that shrieked out of the large screen TV. I can even almost disregard the server charging an extra dollar on my credit card without telling me. (*Note: I felt like she tried to hustle me, and I did confront her. She said she added up the price incorrectly. Whether intentional or not, she should have told me before charging me.) However, what I can’t forgive is the straight-​up thievery of $ 30 (without tip) for mediocre (and bland) food.
Yes, I know this cuisine is generally more expensive than others. And yes, I know the Twin Cities do not have a reputation for excellent Korean food. However, I’ve eaten at a handful satisfactory Korean joints in the metro that actually make me want to return, and Sole Café isn’t one of them.