Nak Won Jung Korean Restaurant in McAllen

We went in and were not greeted or asked to sit wherever I walked in waited about a 2 minutes and went to ask where I could sit we had a part of 4 and a toddler I wasnt planning on waiting that long to order it was cramped, no leg space we finally ordered after about 30 minutes we ordered 4 main plates and i got the dumplings for an appetizer the dumplings were very good they gave all kinds of sides for the main dishes the food was very good portions were small the lady that took our order made sure we got all of our food they did forget to add fatty pork in my tofu soup and she took it back and added it not to mention when it came back it was hot i enjoyed the food the sides and Im sure to them its normal attitude and i respect that

This hidden gem truly has character! It is a small establishment that feels like I’m entering the home of a Korean family/friend. It may be crowded and you may have to share a table with other guests. Their food was great. We will keep coming back for more! You have to know what to order when ordering because it can be intimidating with limited pictures to use as a guide.

The food was pretty good, although I felt like the customer service was slightly lacking. I felt like the people could have been a little warmer. The food was good, but I didnt feel welcome. I might come back again but probably to-go.

Went with a friend to try Korean for the first time. When we went in we werent greeted or anything we just stood there didnt know what to do and since I was looking around a buss boy just pointed for us to sit down. We were waiting for 15mins till someone came up to talk to us asking if we had ordered. We ordered a total of 4 things. The food came fast but we didnt get one item that was supposed to be a main meal for one of us. Which ended up being okay since we got full off of the other 3. But when it was time to pay our bill we noticed it was too much for what we had ordered and we realized they were trying to charge us for an item we didnt even get. After we payed we didnt want to leave a tip after this experience but they wouldnt leave and kept pointing to the tip. So to not cause any problems we payed a small tip.Its too bad the experience was awful because the food was good. Overall we wont be returning.

Times are wrong. It says they close at 8:30pm and I arrived by 7pm and they had the doors locked and signed to me from afar that they closed.I really wanted to try this place out since I saw it has good reviews. Drove out 30 minutes for this ):

I loved the food, but the place kinda smells weird

Upon sitting at our tables we were met with a cold hostility from the waitress there. Rather than taking our order, she simply handed her notepad to my sibling and told her to write down the numbers. The waitress leered at us the entirety of our stay. She didn’t wait for us to finish our meal before asking for us to pay. I felt uncomfortable and unwelcome the whole time. Will not be eating here again.

The kindness staff you will find here. For all you BTS fans or Korean Kpop. Come here. The place is filled with posters! The food is good too! My family had three different types of dishes and they were yummy! Also note that the building has changed exterior.

This place is awesome. I ordered #3 Grilled Pork Belly and it was amazing. The best Korean food I have eaten by far. I live an hour away from here and have no issues driving here every week for this experience. The people are friendly and make you feel like family. I have found my go to place for Korean food. I recommend you coming here to eat. You will not regret it.

Beef Bulgogi is my fav. Second is Bibimbop. This has been the best Korean food I’ve tasted in the valley. Very authentic and oh did I mention the kimchi on all the veggies? It’s a “Yes” for me.

Food was good but mostly plain, same with the sides that are served. The only thing that tasted amazing was the kimchi. I’ve tried other Korean bbq places and they’ve had more flavor and a kick in their food, but the place is very cute and price is decent. Would I come back? Maybe not, but that’s my opinion so yeah

The food is good. If you want to try close to the real thing, this is for place. Keep an open mind and try something different.

I really enjoyed the number 2 on the menu with beef. Just a little sweet but very little,with excellent flavor.

We ate there yesterday 8/16/22 They server Real Korean food! Friendly staff. The Dukbokki was the best I have ever had. We will be coming back.

It’s aightEdit update: I realized that I got the number 15. (Salted fermented shrimp bean curd soupbut she gave me the number 14. I mean it’s good. But dam. Sad vibesAnother update: I’ve gone two times after this and I’ve had a better experience every-time. I ordered something else and it was amazing. Highly recommend!! Just gotta know what you like :p

I first found about this place about a good few years ago. Ive been hooked on this place since then. Best korean food around this block, customer service is fantastic, and I always try to come atleast once a week. Always worth it!

Great food and great atmosphere. Owner makes you feel like one of her family.

It is the best Korean food I had! I and My wife went to here almost three time weekly. Grandma is so nice and friendly! The foods are authentic!

BUL-GO-GI is the bestAND they have Kirin Ichiban BeerWould rate 6 Stars if I could

This hole in a wall restaurant is amazing, staff is very friendly.I loved the food, and finished all of it.They give you variety of side dish that Ill definitely be going back again in the futureEDIT: I ordered kimbop here to go last time just before they closed, they were okay to take the order but tha. When I picked it up and got home, it was very small, and felt it was just made without care bc it all fell apart.I really wanted to like this place bc its small mom and pop shop but I felt like that was pretty bad on their part

Best authentic Korean food! Don’t go hungry–the wait for your food can take a while, but it’s definitely worth it. There were a few staff from Yasuke eating there when we went so that tells you something! If you enjoy Korean cuisine, you will want to visit this establishment.

Was gonna leave a cash tip and the older lady that usually serves slapped the receipt paper on the table and pointed to the tip section. She then says “why you no leave tip? you tip.” I had tried to overlook every other time that she would be breathing down my neck, looking to see how much I’d write down for the tip. The food is pretty good, but they’ve been rude as hell in there lately for some reason. Shame that I’m not going back there anymore. Grandma used to serve and she was a lot nicer years ago.

Since it was my first time here I gave 2 stars instead of the 1 star they deserve. I got the bulgogi. They need to do a better job in marinating it. Barely any flavor. The side kimchi was literally made from what appeared to be jalapeño peppers. Yes! Extremely spicy. The rice was good.

Everything was delicious! Very fast service. Its great getting a variety in the valley definitely recommend

Came in today at 7:15 pm. Weirdly taped up sign on door was flashing “Open”, although only the ‘O’ was illuminated. Door said “Pull”. We pulled and even pushed both doors and could see diners inside, yet no one came to open the door for us. Rang the restaurant twice whilst stood outside and no one answered the phone. Incredibly bizarre occurrence and not what you would expect from a restaurant. I’m writing this review whilst seated in the car outside the restaurant and yet no one has opened the door or is answering their phone.

The service was average to inattentive. Got the "ribs" but they were riblettes. They were tasty. Got one of the pork belly dishes- Ummmmm...it was just sliced pork and tasted a little gamey. The sauce was pretty good. The condiments were great. The sushi roll was decent. The bowl with crispy rice at the bottom was pretty good. Overall, Id return if I was in the area.

My husband and I went to this place to experience our first Korean dish ever. I read the reviews so we had to visit. It is a small place with limited tables. There is a total of 6 tables. Some are large to hold a party of 8-10 while others for 4 people. We had to wait when we arrived but not long because we ended up sharing a table with a gentlemen who offered us two seats. We enjoyed his company. My husband ordered the Bulgogi and I ordered Jajangmyeon. We also ordered dumplings. The dumplings were my favorite! My husband’s Bulgogi was good (I had a bite). However, he did not feel completely full when he finished his meal. On the contrary, I couldn’t finish my Jajangmyeon because I got full. They served a lot and on a large bowl. I ended up leaving some. My only gripe with Jajangmyeon is that it needed more meat. Overall, we had a good first time with Korean food. Oh, the waitresses have limited English and want you to order right away (please look at the menu before you arrive). Also, be prepared to see a lot of BTS posters on the wall and Korean news.

Excellent food and service. This is very much a "hole in the wall" type of restaurant with a great family kitchen feel to it. They made room for a party of 8 despite having a crowd already. The food was authentic and delicious. They have plenty of celiac friendly options.

The food was really good. However the experience wasn’t. There’s no servers. Staff don’t speak English. Menu is hard to understand. People are sitted in the same tables. Overall it’s not worth it. It’s better to take food out and be eating at home. The food was pretty good, not the best Korean I’ve had but good.

The worst and uncomfortable service in South Texas!!! My family and I go in, waiting to be seated because there is no sign or waiter to lead us to a table. After a couple minutes meanwhile employees and other customers keep staring at us, we end up sitting on the nearest table we see. After we sit and wait another 15 minutes, someone finally attended us. Awkwardly, we ask for some drinks and immediately the lady tell us we can’t order drinks first and that we need to order food first. Therefore my wife and mother-in-law order first and shockingly the women left without asking me what I wanted to order…she literally left while I was looking through the menu (which was my first time here, I wasn’t sure what I was going to order). We tried getting her attention several times but only ignored us.Interestingly enough, someone of their own culture walked in and immediately the women comes to their aid and asked where they would like sit. The women had the audacity to tell some current costumers that were already eating to move aside so they (the people that walkedcould sit where they wanted. We ended up leaving after that. If you want a day-time nightmare, I recommend going here. Other than that stay away from this place!

This place is my new favorite spot! We came to dine in and were greeted by the sweetest woman ever. She took our orders and our food came out so fast! I had ordered #5 which was the fried squid. Everything was so delicious with all the toppings and rice, definitely recommend!

Went for the first time today and loved the atmosphere! The people are welcoming and cheerful and the food was delicious. Space is pretty limited but Id say its worth the wait. The lady there was super sweet and handed out korean pastries to everyone. I will definitely be returning again and trying more dishes. The pork belly is the best and I highly recommend it.

I loved this place. The people are amazing and the dishes are very authentic, specially for the area. It feels like you are in a Koreantown restaurant out if LA or NY. Very laid back and amazing food.

Left to right: Tteog-bokk-i(rice cakes in hot sauce); Bul-GO-G(Barbequed beef); I asked for this one to be spicy I think 🤔 Sam-Gyeob-Sal(Pork belly, bacon)

4/5 STARS - Judging Ham approved!Walking in, we were immediately greeted by the kindest woman we’ve ever met! When she dropped off our meals, she’d linger for a while and make small talk, complimenting my hair or asking how the meals were. Amazing customer service and the overall vibe felt very homey and comfortable. Korean news media played on the T.V.‘s and the restaurant was not crowded at all (Wednesday around 2-4 PM). I love the 떡볶이 and 반찬 dishes here, super lovely!!!

I ordered the KimBap. Light and filling. The owners are very friendly. Treat you like family which is very different to what I am used to at other restaurants but it isn’t a bad thing. I appreciate the experience. Thank you ladies for the delicious food.

The food was amazing, exactly what we were looking for! I ordered the #3 and my friend got the bulgogi and asked for the hot sauce which is what mine is cooked in I believe. Both dishes were really good, we cant wait to go again next week to try some more!

I am so impressed by their jjajangmyeon. Many places I’ve tried mess up their portions for the sauce- this place perfects it! The squid and banchan (side disheswere fresh and delicious. I would skip the japchae (clear noodlesnext time as the noodles were mostly broken.I travel for work and I’m so happy to come across this small authentic Korean restaurant in McAllen.Ignore the bad reviews, this authentic Korean mom and pop shop deserves more rep!P.S. the grandma who came out to give free moon pies to everyone was so cute. ❤️

Lovely experience. I was there on an off hour at 2:00 pm and got the Bulgogi meal. The rice and banchan were pretty good - especially the cucumber kimchee. Not many Korean restaurants have cucumber kimchee so I was pleasantly surprised. They did have Kalbigui due to how expensive it now costs and I understand. The bulgogi was really good and very tasty. I also tried the mandu and they are store bought so nothing special but good. The order came with 8 pieces and I didn’t expect that either.Very friendly grandma’s working the front that took my order and we chatted for a bit. The restaurant reminds me of an old school Korean restaurant I went to back in the day on the mainland. I couldn’t believe there was this Korean restaurant in this area!! Highly recommend and would come back. Matter of fact I am back now going to try the tteogbokki. I’ll update the review with thoughts and pictures about that.Update: just ate the tteogbokki and gotta say this is pretty much what my grandma makes and dare I say it maybe a little better? Everything was cooked perfectly and soft. None of the vegetables were hard and they were cooked just right. The rice cake was perfect and the dish was overall awesome. The meat added just a good touch without overpowering the dish flavor. I only asked for cucumber kimchee instead of the full banchan since I didn’t want to eat too much. Super super good and would recommend. Spicy level is maybe 5-6 out of 10 for me. You can taste and feel the best without it being overwhelming.

This place never disappoints! Highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a cozy, home cooked, Korean meal. Everything always taste so fresh. The spices and flavor always come through and the staff is very friendly. Ive done my fair share of exploring Korean cuisine, from Dallas to Houston, and this restaurant rivals the high end ones in the bigger cities. And... Its cheap. 12 dollars will leave you loosening your pants!!

The food here is okay, there are plenty of options to try.The Sam-Gyeob-Sal #3( pork bellywas very good, the sauce they used was tasty & the bul-go-gi #2(BBQ beefwas also good.I will say that this place is very casual, we were very disappointed with how the ladies that work here rushed us to order, pay & leave, it was very uncomfortable.For the size of our party they could have brought more sides, overall an okay experience but the fact of how they rushed us to pay and leave ( asking who will pay when we are still eatingwe wont likely come here any time soon and wont recommend it.

Their spicy seafood soft tofu soup was AMAZING! Their banchan was just OK though. Overall great cheap option for lunch!

Authentic Korean cuisine. The cozy and aromatic dining area is so welcoming it feels like home. Other customers are polite with answers for first timers. Every dish is prepared with attention to detail. A great place to visit for any occasion.

Hidden gem here. I was happy to stumble at this restaurant for my daughters 18th birthday. We enjoy ourselves to a treat. Patience is key and worth the wait. Lady was very nice. Cant wait to go back...

Love the flavor and taste of their dishes, the Jab-chae, BulGoGi, Kim-bop and Pork Belly bacon is a must try!!!

If you blink, you might miss this place. Its ticked away in the back of a nearly dead strip mall. Dont let that fool you though. A bit of a wait to get the food, but I promise its worth the wait. This is some of the best Korean food Ive had to date. Prepared hot with temp and spice to match. I wouldnt have it any other way.

My favorite Korean restaurant in McAllen. The service is amazing and the Korean ladies are really nice. The food is really good too. They make my favorite samgyeopsal! The restaurant is not high end or anything, but it feels cozy. Highly recommended it.

Great food and hospitality, make you feel like hone. Lady boss is 78 year- old but looks like younger than her age. Being in this area for 52 yesrs. Also gave us some fruit, vegetables from her friends farm.

Everybody’s experience could be different and this one is mine. I love coming here, the environment is always good and welcoming. The owner always nice and gives you the best customer service. She sits down and talks to you. She treats us really nice and puts a speaker on out tables and plays music for us. I love coming here and the plates are really full filing

Very friendly staff!! Fantastic food, beautiful decor!Also very fast service! Served sizzling hot Complements to the chefI got the #3 pork belly with bacon and it was fantastic!!! A bit on the spicy and, was served with a Korean take on sticky rice and was simply marvelous, if youre a fan of Korean food, youll love this place