Insta: melbfoodie_mark
YT: MelbFoodieMark
** Check them out for more food reviews in Melbourne!
-
A small bustling Korean bunshik joint known for its infamous 'Spicy Cheese Chicken Bulgogi"! It's always busy and tables are crammed closed to each other - hence, don't expect too much in terms of service. However, the food was delicious and affordable so it's worth it overall :) I tried "Spicy Cheese Chicken Bulgogi" several times before in Korea so I didn't expect much when I ordered. Regardless, I really enjoyed well-seasoned chicken drizzled with cheese. It was tender and juicy and the portion was generous enough for you to share with someone else!
It didn't exactly taste like what I had in Korea but overall, dish was decent - big portion & reasonable price. I do personally believe it's hyped up a bit too much but I still think it's worth a visit.
Joanne | Melbournecitay
+4
This is a cheap and cheerful place if you want a no frills Korean meal for lunch / dinner on a weekday.
The sizzling chicken / cheese dish ($17) can be shared among two. The chicken coated with spicy sauce worked really well , especially with melted cheese toppings. It was satisfying but pretty one dimensional if that’s all you order. They also offer a range of $9-$10 bento-like Korean meals which is hearty and filling for the office crowd. Their complimentary kimchi was yum too.
The tteokbokki (braised rice cake) was an okay dish but nothing life changing - i think offer plenty other Korean dishes here and portions are huge! Would come back for a quick meal because service is quick and friendly - what more can you ask for? Takeaway boxes cost $1.
•
Taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ambience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of our all time favourite restaurants, the price is very reasonable and the flavour of the dishes just hit the spot.
Bibimbap for $7.9. Nice food although chicken pieces were hard
This place is now my go-to place for lunch. The $8.9 Lunch Special is so good! The bibimbap and the honey pepper chicken are the best dishes here and the staff are always very polite and kind
CJ Lunch Bar provides great value for money if you are looking for a quick and cheap meal in the CBD.
The chicken bibimbap came in a hot stone pot and had the usual accompanying fresh vegetables. The chicken was tasty and mixing everything together was fun and added lots of nice textures with each mouthful.
The sweet potato noodle bento box was generous in size and tasted delicious albeit slightly oily. The usual side dishes including the all important kimchi were reasonable.
Staff were very friendly and service was efficient. Definitely will be back.
Cheesy chicken was very good and the amount was very generous. All in all very solid restaurant. Would come back next time.
Our table ordered the Yangnyeom Fried Chicken, Cheesy Chicken, and a couple of the $8.90 lunch specials (Honey Pepper Chicken Don and Chicken Bulgogi Don). The lunch specials were cheap but taste was average. The Yangnyeom Fried Chicken was the best, should've ordered more of that instead.
Who would have thought having cheese on top of sizzling chicken ? I reckon they are the best combination 😍😍 Korean chicken bulgogi with cheese on top , melting cheese yuuuummm .
They always busy but you could always get a table really quick. The service is pretty fast , not very roomy tho but it’s quick dinner kinda of place . The price is very affordable and the portion is big
Craving for bimbimbap!!! And yes. CJ lunch bar is wallet friendly and wise portion! :) really filling afterwards. They had bento for all day as well. The rice is cook well, the veggies are fresh! Overall it was a satisfying meal! :)
This place is small but super cosy. It was a rainy night and we decided to go with the army stew (which was huge, enough for 4 person). Their chicken bulgogi with cheese was superb! Not to forget their bibimbap. Their seafood pancake was just okay, too soft for my liking. I wish that it was more crunchy on the edge tho. But overall, the experience was pretty decent, despite the small space. Most likely you'll have to share tables with other people as they don't have much spaces in this restaurant.
Love love love the chilli chicken buldak. Been here many times and that’s always been my go-to meal. It’s decently priced and more than enough for two people to share. It tastes delicious, with each spicy bite leaving you wanting more. My sister and I came here at around 5pm on a Friday evening, just before peak dinner time, so there was plenty of space - but it started getting crowded when we left a little after 6pm. The interior and ambience aren’t all that flash but the staff are efficient, the service is quick and the food is great.
Most of the prices are really good and servings ars shockingly big! I'm really grateful for somewhere like this where there is a good meal that students can afford.
Awesome! Small little place. No frills. It’s like a local Korean restaurant except it’s in the city amongst some expensive cafes and restaurants. Nice and cosy.
We had the beef and chicken bulgogi. Talking about large portions! And reasonably priced. It’s a gem of a place and will definitely be back.
Steven Yuniansyah Suyanto
+5
Really good food with the price you paid. Taste awesome, especially their spicy food. The staff is friendly and fast as well. Will come back here again next time.
😱Lizzie’s first impression: I absolutely can’t rave on more about this place - think quick, easy but yummy . Not fancy at all but it doesn’t need to be when the food is so nice.
🍩Lizzie enjoyed: I loved everything here - it is the best cheap eats in Melbourne I would say. I loved the spicy chicken with cheese on a sizzling plate!! It’s like all you ever wanted. They also do fantastic Tteokbokki which is the Korean rice cakes. The flavours are there and very affordable.
🍅Lizzie did not enjoy: meals that are affordable comes with a cost - the restaurant is nothing fancy at all so don’t expect good five star service.
🥇Lizzie rates overall: a great place for a dirty type Korean food but has the most affordable and flavoursome Korean food.
Lincoln L ► Lincolns Scholarship House
+5
A little Korean restaurant in the heart of Melbourne CBD.
When you choose to dine in, you are given some small titbits to whet your appetite. It comes with kimchi, fishcakes and beanshoots. You are able to get unlimited refills on this. All the better to enjoy your dining experience with
We ordered the Chicken and Cheese Bulgoggi. This is one of CJ Lunch Bar's signature dishes. And how! Mozzarella cheese piled atop of fantastic combination of chicken, cabbage and a splendid sauce. I love this dish and get it every time I come here. It does not disappoint
We also ordered the seafood soup. Opted to have the least spicy flavour available to contrast with the Bulgoggi. In doing so, we were able to fully appreciate the aroma of the broth better and found it much more enjoyable than our previous times when we had chilli included.
CJ Lunch Bar offers delicious food and lunch menus are available for a great price. Highly recommend!
Came by on a Saturday night looking for a place to eat and decided on this restaurant since it looked quite lively. One of the best cheese chicken dishes I’ve ever eaten in a Korean Restaurant and I definitely recommend it. Theres also a Spicy and Non-Spicy option for that dish also. Ambience is great and if you prefer eating outdoors theres also that option.
The only downside is it is quite cramped and once you’re seated and decide to order, you must leave your seat and head to the counter to order.
Been here a few times and never been let down. Big portions and good value. Food is delicious. Will be back to visit again whenever I am in Melbourne :)
Busy little korean cafe / restaurant. I had the spicy chicken and cheese which is reasonably priced and of good quality. tucked in the corner of lane way, but not hard to find.
We took lunch here, and ordered the cold noodles and bibimbab. The food comes very quickly and the portion is big enough for us. The food here tastes yum as well as the side dishes. The service here is nice and friendly as well. Owned by Koreans. The price is reasonable. One issue is that the place is a little bit crowded and noisy.
Such a great Korean spot in the CBD for super affordable lunch sets! Their spicy chicken with cheese is a must order for sure, and their cold noodles are perfect in the summer.
This is our new go-to lunch place in the CBD... such good value for money! The food is delicious and they have the loveliest staff ever. Cannot recommend enough.
Excellent food, proportion, price, fast service, and very kind staff. This is my go to Korean restaurant for lunch with friends in the city.
The chicken cheese bulgogi is a must try, comes out sizzling hot 🔥 and a bit spicy. The rice cakes are really good too!
Lovely, polite staff and very reasonably priced food! This is a good place to come for a cheap meal for a lot of value and the restaurant environment was cozy and small. The sizzling cheese bulgogi is really cool to watch (be mindful that the smoke will make you cough though!) and the meals were a good level of spice ( if you’re not a fan of spicy food, it might be too much) . I look forward to visiting here again for another one of their $10 bento boxes!
Really nice for a cheap lunch while at Uni. Although when someone orders the steaming plate it is a little hard to breath so like that sucks but some better ventilation when they come out would be nice
Really great place for a casual lunch❤️the hot pot is great （but not spicy enough hahahahah I LOVE SPICY FOOD🔥🔥🔥🌶️🌶️🌶️）This is the place where I can have a feel like I am in Korea❤️ At first we were in the outside cuz we didn’t want to wait but then we found it was really cold outside so we asked if we can move inside and the staff were so nice and helpful they just helped us move inside and we really enjoyed our time there 🤣 The staff there are friendly and thr food is typical Korean one❤️Definitely worth trying！
We decided on CJ for a quick late lunch. We arrived at almost 2 and had a 15min wait. It’s a very small and crowded restaurant with a very limited amount of seats, but service is fast and efficient.
We decided to order their infamous cheese chicken bulgogi (non-spicy as one of our friends didn’t eat spice), kimchi jeon, tteokbokki noodle and 2 extra rice between 3 people. It was very well priced especially for the amount of food we got! Although the cheese chicken was non-spicy, it didn’t lack on flavour and still had a nice sweet sauce. The melted cheese on top was heavenly. The kimchi jeon was nice and crispy, thick and generous in size. The tteokbokki was sweet and spicy, and very very saucy.
Overall, I would highly recommend CJ for a quick, cheap and satisfying meal.
It was definitely comfort food. The cheese chicken bulgogi was cut into bite-sized so it was really easy to eat. It had just the right amount of cheese. The tteobokki was a bit too thick, but the fishcake was really good. The sauce was too sweet for my likin. The pajeon tasted pretty good, but it was too thick on some sides, the filling wasn’t spread out evenly. But it was a good place if you’re craving for korean comfort food!
I have been here for many times since my uni study. The food here are nice and the more important thing is the price here are very fair and cheap. You definitely couldn’t find any cheaper Korean restaurant or yummy one in the CBD. They always give out the small dishes including the orange. It was so good to have fruit after eating the spicy and sour food. The cheese chicken was the most popular dish here, but I only ordered rice cake and soup this time for two people. I like the soup, and it’s the best when you mix it with rice. The amount of rice cakes seemed less than before.
Went to eat with my boyfriend and it was an awesome experience. We love the bulgogi beef! Would come back again to try out some other dishes
This quaint Korean eatery in Little Lonsdale will never cease to amaze me with its consistent spicy Korean food. I love their Spicy chicken with melted cheese and Bibimbab!!!
Overall, affordable place to eat at but beware, it's a really tiny place. >:)
CJ Lunch Bar served delicious, flavourful (spicy!) Korean cuisine in the CBD. Their portions were massive, making their meals very reasonably priced and great for sharing. It was very packed inside, so best to have their meals for takeaways.
Cheap, tasty, and surprisingly veggie friendly with staff who are aware of vegetarian needs. I ordered a tofu bibimbap and a veggie dumpling tteokbokki (minus fishcake, plus cheese). Not healthy, not pretty, but so worth the caloric splurge. Also, the rice cakes were very soft compared to what I'm used to, which some might be disappointed by but I saw as a plus. This place gets busy, so be prepared to wait.
One of the best Korean food I have ever had. Cheesy chicken is so good. Almost every table ordered it. I really like the mixed rice. Estimated wait time 20mins
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
I actually think the spicy tofu don/bento is one of the Melbourne’s most affordable and delicious vegetarian dishes. It’s so tasty, filling and has the perfect level of spice (although you can also get it non-spicy if your tolerance is low). I also love the fried chicken with the special CJ sauce. The chicken is crunchy and tender and the sauce is to die for! It’s a really big portion too so you could easily share it with someone and still feel full.
Although I love most of the food at CJ it does require a bit of trial and error to find something you like on the menu - not everything is as delicious and even when you order the same dish two times it can taste pretty different. Basically, the food isn’t always consistent. The other drawback is that the place is pretty small. It generally fills up by 6’ish and gets super loud and crowded. Tables are tiny, dingy and cramped. Finally, depending on what you order it can take a while for food to come out. I’ve had times where groups of people who came in after me have gotten their food before me while I continue to wait and wait and wait. It can be pretty frustrating.
This is a great place to eat Korean food. The portion of each dish is really big, money worthy and has good flavor. The service is also really friendly. I definitely will come back many times to try out all the foods here ^^
Consistently great food with a small price tag. The food here is so cheap and makes for a great lunch date when you’re on a budget. My personal favourites are the cheesy chicken (the smoke is a bit suffocating though), kimchi stew and japchae.
It’s behind Melbourne central station so definitely in walking distance from the station. The place is super cosy and I definitely swear by this place when my friends and I have trouble deciding on where to eat.
Wanted to try this place long time ago, Went there on weekend night, the seat were full, the staff told us to look for another place because the are closing at 9pm, when i looked at the time it was still 8.10pm, so we decided to wait, and well! All the foods were super yummy, big portion, reasonable price... my no.1 korean eating place in Melbourne
性价比五星！食物味道三星半
点了cheese chicken bulgogi和seafood tofu soup，因为这两份菜单上写都是not spicy available. 上菜速度蛮快的，两份米饭免费赠送，一共32aud，份量大到两个人最后没吃完...
cheese chicken bulgogi可能辣的会更好吃，端上来的时候没有融化的马苏里拉cheese盖在上面厚厚一层，鸡肉吃起来有一点微微的腥味，不是特别新鲜的感觉。我想有辣味中和会好很多，也是我们自己点单的问题。
seafood tofu soup一股浓郁的海鲜味精味道，是好喝的，略咸，内脂豆腐料超多，虾仁扇贝也都不错，洋葱给汤带来了额外的甜味。
很多家庭聚餐来这里吃，动辄十来个人。不到六点过来没有等位，吃完的时候门口已经排起了长龙。物美价廉说的就是这家了。服务态度也比朋友那听到的好很多。
I usually order Cheesy Chicken Bulgogi when I go here with my office friend. It comes with a bowl of rice, appetizer (tofu, kimchi and bean sprouts) and 2 slices of orange. For people who do not eat big meals, the chicken is enough for two people so we usually just order another bowl of rice and split the total bill of $20.50 which is a very good deal for 2 people lunch meal. Chicken is sizzling when the staff puts it on the table and the cheese melts. This is one of the best lunch/dinner place for me because if the big serving and food is satisfying.
2 must order menu
Cheese buldak (comes with a bowl of rice)
Tteobokki (get the special one with ramen and egg if this is your first time)
Their kimchi soup is also good.
Most importantly, complimentary fish cake is the best. And free refill a the time!!
Make sure you dont order tok much as their portion is quite big.
For the price, it’s considered cheap and good! Very heavy meal for three people (all girls!). Unlimited free refills for the small side dishes as well.
Always a long queue waiting at the door, but it’s worth it!
Eat_today_diet_tomorrow
+4
This place has been my all time favourite for 3 years. Been going there everyonce in a while and have ordered the same things
- tokboki
- chicken cheese !!!!! MUST TRY
- jab che (korean noodle) with beef
The only thing we dont like about here is the space. They have many tables in little space so sometimes we have to eat too close to other tables
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Had an amazing cheap and filling lunch today. Friend and I decided to stop by CJ lunch bar for a so called "light lunch", I was aware how big the portions are at CJ but I couldn't stop myself from trying there spicy chicken cheese bulgogi.
ordered:
cheese chicken bulgogi $17.5: Served on a sizzling plate, when it arrived since the area was so small and cramped the steam kind suffocated us. There was to much steam it spreaded to the next table making them cough as well, oh fun times. Chicken was covered in a spicy, sweet and savoury sauce topped with cheese and had a few bean sprouts here and there. Super tender chicken, the sauce was spicy but the creaminess of the cheese cut It down. If you would give it about 3-4 mins the pieces of cheese would melt beautifully on top of chicken making it not as awkward to eat . Delicious! This dish also comes with one bowl of rice.
service: It felt very rushed as the place is always crowded, therefore it's very hard to get their attention. Make sure you grab a hold of them to get your refill of kimchi!
for two: $10.25 each
Cheese chicken bulgogi was amazingly delicious! Spicy but addictive! Staff were friendly and attentive. They offer affordable lunch deals. Restaurant itself could use a good clean.
Take your lover, friends and family here for delicious Korean dishes!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Hardware Street is famous of its brunch places and cafes, but make no mistake, CJ lunch bar, which is a Korean restaurant, is also a must-try if you visited that area. During peak hours, you will need to queue in order to eat at this place. Nevertheless, the queue is quick and you will get your place in no time.
They served authentic Korean dishes; the most famous one being the Chicken Cheese Buldak, which is chicken served on a sizzling hotplate with cheese on top.
The other menu that caught my attention is their lunch menu, which is only $7.9! For their lunch menu, you will get rice, salad, meat/dish of your choice, and fried dumpling; that my friend is completely affordable, and the portion is generous.
Panda 🐼🐼🐼:
- Affordable price! Their lunch menu will surely fill up your hungry tummy and it will help you to save some bucks 😊
- Generous portion. Not only for their lunch menu, their main course dish is also a lot and enough for 2 or 3 people.
- Quick service
- Most of the dishes taste good
Pandont ❌❌❌
- Place is quite small and cramped
- When they served the Chicken Cheese Buldak, the smoke that comes from it will filled up the entire room and tends to make you cough. Perhaps a better exhaust system will help? 😊
This is the place to go if you want to try Korean dishes at an affordable price, it is not the best in town, but for its price, you cannot go wrong with this place. Will be back soon to try other dishes!
This is the number one spot for some affordable and best tasting Korean food. I always order the tteokbokki and it always satsifies my taste buds alone. Slight salty, but I love my salty food. The bibimbap had a delightful taste with the mushrooms and vegetables. Service is always quick despite the business. Will come back soon!
When you get a reasonable price with a really good food. It’s so nice!! One of my favourite korean food in Melbourne. If you wanna eat something cheap but nice food, here we go.
pretty good for the price, you wouldn’t go for the ambience or anything but it’s good, filling and cheap korean food that comes out fast! the $7.90 plates are very worth it, especially since they at least come with some veg.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Finally got to try CJ lunch bar with its famous chicken with cheese!! At 6:30pm it was crowded and had to wait around 20mins for seats ~
We ordered Tteokboki & Noodle ($12) and Cheese Chicken Bulgogi ($17.50). Between 2 people this is more than enough.
The good:
- The portion sizes are big and well worth the price: the tteokboki, a “light meal” ($12) is massive and defs not a one person meal
- the chilli sauce in tteokboki is definitely chilli it’s not mild it’s chilli. make sure you read that it’s chilli before u order (unlike us)
- the food itself is good/not bad at all
- side dishes were refilled upon request for free!
- the interior is kept clean efficiently for such a busy restaurant!
Not so good:
- the interior is very small and cramped; dont be surprised if you must share a table with others ~
- the smoke from the Cheese chicken can be suffocating for a little while, everytime it was delivered we all started coughing
- the tteokboki noodle is just toooooo salty after a while :(
Regardless I still enjoyed CJ lunch bar it is the type of place i would come back for, maybe only for max 3 people tho :)
Very cheap and yummy food. Absolutely love the tteokbokki here. Would definitely recommend to everyone looking for some nice Korean lunch. Really cosy atmosphere too
Got the $10 pork bento was amazing, came with green salad, 2 dumplings, kimchi, and a huge serving of rice and pork. Pork was cooked perfect nice and moist, spiciness was just perfect. Time waited probably less than 5 mins definitely one of the best cheap lunch meals I’ve had in the city.
The only con is that it is really stuffy inside so try opt for the outdoor seating
A bit of a hard place to find, walking in from Elizabeth Street but I'd say paid off in the end.
CJ Lunch Bar is somewhat a rival in a sense to Don Don, offering cheap lunch deals at a similar price in Korean cuisine compared to Japanese.
What I had was the typical beef bulgogi don - half the plate of which was beef (probably even more). Super good. The beef itself wasn't too special- it would be quite similar to what you have at normal K BBQs and such, but through sheer value it wins out. Also, a fried dumpling.
If anything, I'd say appearance could be improved - of the dishes and the floor. That way, I think this place would rise from a "we could go" to a "we should go"
Not bad, will go again for cheap eats.
Ramyeon and dumplings in TTEOKBOKKI and BIBIMBAB are super good. We both love it！TTEOKBOKKI is too spicy for me, but it's really good. Remember to come early cuz there are so many people during busy hours.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
A old group of friends catching up over a delicious Korean meal. Boy was it packed with Korean's when we arrived at around 6.30pm which was a good sign of good food. Having a group of 7, we had to wait about 5-10min for the staff to clear a set of tables but it was well worth it. Clean and delicious food combined with a standard soju bomb (beer + soju) made for a content belly. We ended up ordering a mixture of everything and just shared it so we're not entirely sure what it was we had but one thing is for sure, it was all tasty. Ordering is made at the counter, no table service here. Between the 7 of us including all the drinks we had, it was roughly $35.0 each. The cons about this place however are that it is packed like sardines just like it is in Asia and there are no toilets inside but other than that it was very good.
The staff are very friendly and always with a smile, are keen to help you with any questions or requests and they are never too far for service.
If you're going to drive in, just park a street away off the street where there is 2P parking available on Little Lonsdale. Alternatively just park at QV or a secured car park, its just as easy.
We wouldn't mind getting back to CJ's right now actually? Till next time, this is Our Foodie Find!
I order dolsot bibimbap,chicken cheese,japchae and the lunch chicken meal.
Taste/price/serving: i really like the Japchae the flavor of every vegetables is very fresh and the aroma of shitake is the best they put a lot of it tho .Dolsot beef bibimbap is one of the best also but they didnt put gochujang on the rice so you will put according to your taste. Lunch menu for 10$ dollar you will get full even when you saw it cause its big you have rice salad and orange for desert. Chicken with cheese it was ok for me. Overall It was really good i will go back for more.
This is another one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE KOREAN RESTAURANTS!! I love korean food
Food was great for the price! We ordered the cheese chicken bulgogi and the kimchi jjigae. The food came out promptly and was delicious. Seatings were a little cramped as it is a small restaurant but we didn’t mind too much.
A good place to get a cheap meal, highly recommend!
I usually order Cheesy Chicken Bulgogi when I go here with my office friend. It comes with a bowl of rice, the appetizer and a slice of orange. For people who do not eat big meals, the chicken is enough for two people so we usually just order another bowl of rice and split the total bill of $20.50 which is a very good deal for 2people lunch meal. Chicken is sizzling when the staff puts it on the table and the cheese melts.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes