Kimchi Grandma

125 Koornang Road
Carnagie 3163, VIC
Ph: (03) 9569 2399

Kimchi Grandma in Box Hill used to be quite a regular restaurant that I visited. It was probably my first introduction to Korean food and I thought it was really good. When our office moved location, I found that there was a Kimchi Grandma in Carnegie as well. I went there for lunches with my work mates quite often. It was quite good and was one of our favoured lunch options. However, Kimchi Grandmas started to slowly drop in standards, with the Box Hill one closing, and the Carnegie one not being very good at lunch time. The lunch crowd there started to dwindle and the food tasted quite foul the last few times I went at lunch. The prices were also much higher than other options.

So I wasn't exactly jumping for joy when Kevin decided to organise a dinner there for Jacky's birthday. There's the birthday boy on the left, with Cello next to him. Krystal and Ling are also happily waiting for their food.


We got a variety of dishes to share between us. Entrees of takoyaki, agedashi tofu, seafood pancake and gyozas were ordered. I'm not sure how Korean takoyaki, agedashi tofu and gyozas are? Someone with more knowledge can let me know. To my surprise, all items were ok, nothing special but not terrible.



Mains of the usual Beef Bulgogi, Spicy Chicken, Fried Chicken and Jap Chae were eaten. Again, to my utter relief and surprise, the food was much fresher than the stuff they serve at lunch and was quite good. Nothing really stood out to me and tasted quite run of the mill.



Although I thought the food was only ok, the place was packed out on a Saturday night, and it's quite a large restaurant. The wooden floors and open floor space means that it can get quite loud, but I like that type of vibe. People looked to be enjoying themselves, so that's always a good sign. The service was efficient enough and friendly.


The overall feel of the restaurant, was that things were adequate but not really standing out. There wasn't any food item at all that stuck out to me. I'm glad that the dinner items are fresher and tastier than lunch, but I don't think I would be rushing to go back. The food is just not good enough for me, especially when there are so many other options that are in the same price range and way more delicious. My favourite cheap suburban Korean restaurant is most definitely Kimchi Hut in Glen Waverley. I would definitely recommend you go there instead of Kimchi Grandma.

Overall Rating: 11/20, The food is ok, but definitely many other better options for Korean food.

Scores: 1-9: Unacceptable, don't bother. 10-11: Just OK,some shortcomings. 12: Fair. 13: Getting there. 14: Recommended. 15: Good. 16: Really good. 17: Truly excellent. 18: An outstanding experience. 19-20:Approaching perfection, Victoria's best.