Dianne and I both love Korean Cuisine and we seek it out whenever we are visiting large cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Dallas.  If you know where some great Korean food can be found around Oklahoma, leave us a comment on our Taste Oklahoma Blog.

Soju and Sushi at Tulsa’s Korean Garden

Dianne's food review from 3-31-2005
Tom (my husband) and I both enjoy Korean Cuisine, but for different reasons. Korean food offers more meat than many Asian styles, so it works well on my low carb diet. I find the food spicy and adventurous and I learn something new every time I go out for a Korean meal. Tom spent a year in Korea, where he developed more of a taste for the Soju (the local drink) than the cuisine. I think he humors my love of Sushi for the occasional chance to enjoy this unusual beverage again.

Around 41st and Mingo in Tulsa, Oklahoma you will find one of my favorite restaurants, the Korean Garden. It features a huge menu with several sections including Soju, BBQ, Sushi and Sashimi.

Soju

Soju is an alcoholic drink distilled from rice, yams or tapioca and has a 24% alcohol percentage. The taste is much like watered down vodka and it is traditionally served straight. Surprisingly, Soju is the leading distilled spirits category in the world, selling over 200 million cases annually.

Korean BBQ

This is where you cook your own food at the table over a large broiler that is housed inside each table. You choose an item, the waiter brings out a pot, and the party begins. This is priced per meal and has a minimum limit of 3 people, but like all Korean food includes a healthy amount of side dishes.

Sushi

Often thought of as simply raw fish, sushi is actually served in or on rice, commonly housed in a dried, sliced seaweed wrap called: nori. The fish and rice arrive nestled against a veggie or two and served with a bright green dollop of wasabi (a type of horseradish…punishingly hot) on the side. Sushi, which actually means flavored rice, was originally designed to keep fish from going bad. The dried fish would be placed between two pieces of vinegar rice, the nori was added later to keep the rice from sticking to your fingers…how’s that for finger food evolution.

Sashimi

This is the dish most people imagine sushi to be. Served alone, (no rice) these small raw fish steaks are commonly accompanied by Daikon (white radish). I don’t eat rice, so I enjoy this over sushi, but boy will it ever freak out the unsuspecting dinner guest. This is definitely not what you want to start with when introducing yourself to oriental cuisine.

Regular Dinner Entrees

I have visited The Korean Garden on several occasions and have never had the same dish twice (appetizers don’t count, I enjoy kimbap despite the rice), but I have yet to try even a quarter of what they have to offer.

Pork Bulgogi

I love this stuff! This is marinated tender pork served in a spicy red oriental chili sauce mixed with onions and peppers much like a fajita. It is a great meat dish with a spicy flavor all it’s own.

Chicken Bulgogi

This is another of my favorites, spicy chicken mixed with broccoli and onions. The red chili sauce is spicy, but I can’t get enough of it!

Bulgogi

This is where it all started; thin tender slices of marinated top sirloin mixed with onions and served on a hot plate. This is not spicy at all, but very tender and juicy, I recommend this for any beginner to Korean cuisine.

The Side Dishes

This is the fun part! There are always bunches of side dishes served with any Korean food and they sometimes vary by availability. Although some things may change, others remain a constant. Kimchi, for example, will be present for every meal as will bean sprouts and dried radish. Kimchi is a Korean word for ‘pickled vegetable’. However, unless it is followed by the name of the vegetable (i.e. kimchi radish), kimchi refers to a spicy pickled cabbage served cold.

The staff at The Korean Garden is very friendly and eager to help you have a good time. The service is great and they were happy to help answer all of my questions when I needed help deciding what to order.

If you don’t know what Korean foods you want to try first, I suggest visiting on Friday afternoons. They have a small buffet with a nice variety of main courses. It is the only place in Tulsa where you can try all three bulgogies at once for around six dollars.

If you are looking for wonderful authentic Korean cuisine at a reasonable price, this is the place for you. The Korean Garden offers a wide variety of exotic pleasures to experience, from Kimbap to Sushi.

Don't forget to visit the Korean Food Market right next door whenever you visit The Korean Garden in Tulsa.  They have a selection of Ramen that will blow your mind.  My favorite: the Jja Jang Myun flavored noodles.

FYI - Korean food is popular throughout the world. It traditionally includes more meat than most Asian cuisines.

Korean Food in Tulsa 

Korean Garden
12773 E 41st St
Tulsa, OK 74146
(918) 627-9292

Suki Unique Dining
(Not just Korean food)
7828 E. 71st St.
Tulsa Oklahoma
(918) 307-8008
Hours: Sun.-Sat. 11am-2:30pm; 5pm-10pm

Oklahoma City Korean Food Restaurants

Bon Jom Korean Restaurant
(405) 672-6060
4428 Se 44th St
Oklahoma City, OK 73135

Seoul Garden Korean Restaurant
(405) 732-3055
6012 Se 15th St
Oklahoma City, OK 73110

Sharon Garden Korean Rest
(405) 523-2121
1400 Nw 23rd St
Oklahoma City, OK 73106

Korean B-Won Restaurant
4517 S. Sunnylane Rd.
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 670-1170

Did you know that for decades Oklahoma law has considered beer a food and wine an alcoholic beverage?

Japanese Pickles or Tsukemono can be easily made at home in hours with one of these handy Asian Pickle Presses.

More Tsukemono goodies here

The Oklahoma Food Coop

 Oklahoma Food Coop.
The Oklahoma Food Cooperative offers members a cross between a farmers' market, a grocery store and Amazon.com. 

Holy Cows And Hog Heaven: The Food Buyer's Guide To Farm Friendly Food

Oklahoma Area Outdoors Book Bargains!

A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to the Ozarks,

Oklahoma Sportfishing: A Complete Sportsman's Guide (Backcountry Guides)

The Best Of Fishing, Hunting, Camping, And Boating In Missouri

Do you love cheese?  Check out this Oklahoma site loaded with great information on cheese storage, cheese samplers and making your own cheese.