CJ Lunch Bar

It was the first dinner I had after arriving in the city on the last day of my trip to Melbourne, and as someone who works in the same industry as a cook, I was very disappointed with the quality of the food. The chicken tasted like low quality fried chicken, not real Korean chicken. The chicken may have been fried at a low temperature and in old oil, but some of the fried chicken was not cooked properly to the extent that it felt like dough on the inside. Of course, it tasted like old oil. The seasoning was so salty that I filled my stomach with water. I was really disappointed with the tteokbokki. I can guarantee that it must have been leftover tteokbokki from the day before, or it must have been made by adding a few new tteokbokki to what was already cooked for lunch. I don't know how long the rice cake had been, but it was almost black because I had eaten enough of the seasoning, and it was too much compared to the few new rice cakes. Today I had diarrhea five times and I still feel really bad. I'm so angry that I paid for this, but I have a schedule, so I leave without even thinking about it properly. The boss who saw this must have thought, “Oh my gosh. ” Fortunately, the staff were really friendly.

The day after I ate, I had an upset stomach for several days. My stomach upset was so severe that it was difficult to work.
The tteokbokki was too salty and the color was very dark, as if the rice cake was old. The chicken was very salty and it wasn't really Korean chicken. Of all the things I ordered, the most edible was the rice. I never want to eat here again. When I really think about it, I get angry because I feel like it’s a waste of money.

The price matched the service so that’s fine.

But the fried chicken was only marble size chicken with so much batter to make it look normal size. Intentionally deceptive to use less chicken or just low quality. Either way, not good.

Sorry to say but this place has become so bad I had to report so the standards improve (hopefully) the bento box was beyond awful. Pork had too much sauce. And the dumpling they originally gave me was frozen. I went here 4 years ago and it was so good. Must have changed owners. I've been to Korea and this place would be shut down so quickly if this is the food they served.

Super good food and service was pretty quick as well. Quantity was large and they do a cheap lunch special!

One of the best spots in the city for a consistent, affordable feed. Despite the name, they’re also open for dinner and their super high-value bentos are on offer all day. The tofu one includes a super generous serve prepared in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce. On the side, you get rice, salad, kimchi, an orange wedge and even a few mandu. When the weather’s nice, I recommend grabbing a seat outside as the laneway locale tends to be pretty quiet.

Food was served very quickly and still tasted relatively fresh.
Nice and quite part of the lane.

Absolutely amazing small little restaurant. Cheap delicious korean meals, spicy squid was smokey and perfectly spiced as well as the spicy beef bulgogi. Intire fulfilling bento cost 16 bucks which is a amazing value for uni students. Definitely recommend coming here for a quick lunch or a nice sit down dinner with mates.

Terrible service! The place was absolutely empty when we went in. We sat for almost 20 minutes but the 2 waitress didn’t bother to take our orders. They instead entertained 2 other customers who walked in to take out orders and other orders coming through online.

Taste: 5/5
Portions: medium
Price: $-$$

The beef bulgogi don is to die for.

What happened to the lunch menu

Sizzling plates still look good but cheapest meal is now ~$16, good days are gone + a lot of fabricated one off reviews recently.

Great quality food at very reasonable price. Had the cheese chicken bulgogi which was top notch! The staff were very friendly as well. Will definitely visit again!

Love the cheesy chicken bulgogi! Service still can improve, is a small littler restaurant but kinda hard to call the waitress. But overall pretty good.recommended.

The spicy marinated beef and chicken bulgogi meal is up there for the most delicious food I've ever eaten.

Great casual korean spot for great hearty korean food.have to at least come here once in your life!

A little stuffy so you might come out smelling like a walking bulgogi dish but nothing beats their pork bulgogi topped with melted cheese!

One of the best homemake korean gourmet food in CBD.
Price is definitely reasonable for its freshness quality and portion.

Always come here
for a quick meal when I can even takeaway during pandemic and dine in after reopened
love to support this Good family business in such crucial moment
highly recommended!

This is classic cheap and cheerful Korean food. The kimchi stew and bulgogi unfortunately didn’t have a lot of meat it in, it was mostly just the stew.

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.
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Good value, slightly above average taste, lunch deal are excellent, the only things that makes 4 star, just the dining space/area. Too squishy. Overall im satisfied.