Tampopo

Tampopo is one of my favorite inexpensive Korean places (since you really don’t see many inexpensive Korean places in the city). I always get the bibimbop with steak– which in my opinion is their best item. Portions aren’t incredibly large but will definitely fill you up.
The bibimbop costs around $ 10– and be sure to bring cash if your purchase will not be greater than $ 20.
Definitely worth trying out if your are looking for delicious inexpensive Korean food!

This place is in a prime location. It’s in the heart of uni city surrounded by universities, students, professionals, clinics, office buildings etc. You would think the food would be top notch? NOT.
I’ve tried the sushi here a few times, really no frills there.
My most recent and my last time venturing in on my lunch break I decided to have the hand-​drawn chicken teriyaki noodle soup. I don’t think the noodles were boiled all the way, they hurt my stomach so much after consuming them… Just felt like they were sitting on my stomach. The broth was so bland and was definitely missing flavor.
Never again

I want to like Tampopo, but my most recent experience has left me unlikely to return. I came with a group of friends who were visiting town and while they went to order I put our alcohol and chasers down at a table. When I got to the register, the waitress rudely stated that I could not drink the soda I brought since they sell soda. Thus, I politely agreed to purchase one of their sodas.
When I returned to the table, I noticed that our alcohol was gone. We came to the realization that the rude waitress went into our bag and confiscated our alcohol. Upon asking her if she had seen someone take our bottle, she started yelling and accusing us of attempting to sneak alcohol into the restaurant. Apparently there is a rule against hard alcohol (of which we were unaware) but instead of calmly explaining the rule, she convinced us to buy soda and rummaged our things without permission and then yelled at us. This felt extremely unprofessional and her antagonistic behavior was unsettling, especially as she continued to bring our food out.
Finally, I asked if we could return the unopened soda she essentially tricked us into buying. Unsurprisingly, she attempted to justify her behavior and insulted my group. I asked to speak with the manager. She she was a sweetheart and allowed me to return the soda. Upon leaving, the manager thankfully returned our alcohol.
Overall, the experience was harrowing, inappropriate and embarrassing for me and my guests. If not for the nice manager, I think our alcohol would have been gone forever.
Be forewarned– BYO means beer and wine only.

Cheap, casual and fast Japanese/​Korean eatery serving all types of food from ramen to bulgogi to sushi. Great for groups because it’s BYOB and has a wide variety of menu options.
You order and pay in the front (no need to tip) and they bring out the food to you in a bit. I got the bulgogi stone pot special which was just okay. It came with white or brown rice but my bulgogi was also mixed with vermicelli. The curry udon and kimchi fried rice are quite spicy — beware!
Right next to lil pop shop if you’d like to satisfy a desert craving :)

It was delicious! I love the hot stone thing. The sauce mixed with white rice, chicken and beef was so good!

I would go again. I had a craving for ramen and didn’t want to go far. It’s not out of this world but it hit my craving.
I had the Tampopo ramen bowl. The broth was nicely spicy, the noodles delicious. The pork was extremely dry. I liked the hard boiled egg in it.

While this small casual eatery doesn’t serve the most authentic Japanese or Korean dishes, what it does serve is affordable and tasty. It’s clearly most frequented by college students, and its close quarters, square stools, self-​serve water in plastic cups and clean-​up-​after– yourself trays attest to its no-​nonsense approach. That said, it still manages to be a bit classy with the wait staff bringing your order to your table. The inside, while crowded, is clean and colorful.
The stone-​pot bi bim bap was worth the extra $ 2 because the searing hot bowl was great at keeping the food warm for the entirety of my meal. The toppings tasted fresh and the sauce had a mild, but still impressive kick. I did miss the traditional side-​dishes that are often complimentary at more traditional Korean places though.

This is such a solid choice right in the neighborhood when I’m craving some Asian food. Granted, I’m not well-​versed in this cuisine, so I may think more highly of Tampopo than others, but it’s still wonderful.
The Bento box is a go-​to for me, but last night I tried the Kimchi rice bowl for the first time and was glad I did. It has a nice kick to it, but the avocado and sunny side egg help to cool it down. One bowl is more than enough for dinner and probably leftovers. The rice was a little mushy but I didn’t mind too much, and the chicken was perfectly tender.
I love having this place in the neighborhood!

Pentobox is good to try. although the salmon is really small size, but chicken and beef is great amount.
con: all curry spicy…

Spicy CHicken BOWL. Get the spicy chicken bowl!

This is where I go when I don’t feel like cooking or ordering pizzas. Their curry udon is amazing. Bibimbap is good too. Note that they take Visa and Master cards only. I once walked in with a Discover card only and had to go back to grad another card.

Craving Korean food in West Philly leaves you with limited options, and while Tampopo is definitely not the bulgolgi or pandan I really want, it’s a good fix. They do deliver fast throughout West Philadelphia (not just University City) and their food is reliable.
Typically, I get the bibimbap (of course with egg and beef) and kimchi. Both are good versions of the originals– but if you’re truly craving the real deal, make a trip to the real deal.
I think they are a bit overpriced for what they serve but it’s a nice change from heavier food options in the neighborhood.

Tampopo serves average, does-​the-​job, Asian (mostly Korean and Japanese) food. I go to Tampopo relatively often given its proximity to Penn’s campus, but if I didn’t live so close, I probably wouldn’t go.
I usually get the bibimbap with chicken. It’s pretty good, but I feel like it’s missing something. Maybe it’s not quite spicy enough? I’m not sure. I also usually get their dumplings, which are pretty good. I’ve also tried their soba noodle salad, which was surprisingly large, and also tasty.
There isn’t waiter service here, instead, you order ahead, and then take the photo to a table and serve yourself water. This is fine, but the people at the counter are usually pretty rude/​cold. They respond aggressively to questions and in general aren’t very warm. Ambiance as a whole is really just nothing to comment on.
If you’re in the vicinity, you should maybe come here. But there are better food options in the area!

For the kinds of restaurants that occupy 44^th Street, Tampopo is painfully average. The place does not offer anything that you can’t find at Koreana or Chattime closer to campus, and at lower prices.
I ordered a spicy beef bowl here, and was pleasantly surprised by the portions. Unfortunately, the positives ended there. The dish was both too salty and too spicy, and I take spice just fine. Just the mixture of the sodium and spice compounded to pummel my mouth, which was not a pleasant feeling. It didn’t help that there was all of three florets of broccoli, not nearly enough vegetables to balance out the beef and rice.
I rarely venture out to 44^th Street as is for food. Now, outside of Honest Tom’s or Lil Pop Shop next door, I may not be back anytime soon.

Good food
Fresh sushi
Order at counter grab a table quickly because it is crowded wirh Penn kids
Reasonably priced
Lots of choices

I seriously do not understand why my friends always rave about Tampopo. I grew up on Japanese food. And let me tell you, this is not Japanese food. I would give it 2.5 stars.
I have a had a number of dishes at Tampopo because I somehow get dragged there by others. They are all sub-​par. The ramen is probably the worst ramen I have gotten at a restaurant. The curry bowl and chicken katsu bowl are also not that great (they are not terrible though). People seem to love the bibimbap, but I really didn’t care for it.
The main appeal for me of Tampopo is that it is affordable and offers good value. Also, it is right next to Little Pop Shop, so you can pop in there for a nice little dessert.

Awesome soba salad here! My friend ordered the chicken bento box, and I was tempted to eat her meal as well. I’ll definitely be coming here often to try the rest of their menu!

Okay, let’s get a few things straight about Tampopo: you order & pay at the counter. You serve yourself water in a 70s-​style cafeteria cup. You sit on a wooden bench. Your food comes to you on a brown plastic tray. Whoever said this was a «cute date place» has far different expectations than I do… BYOB? No wine glasses. Plastic cups? Abundant. I would say less BYOB and more «if you wanna drink a beer at your bench, no one is gonna stop you…»
That being said, my dolsot bibimbap was really nice. Super hot and hit the spot. There was a nice variety of veggies, and the meat was also of pretty good quality and flavorful. The boyfriend’s spice beef bowl, however, came with rice, beef, and two pieces of raw broccoli. [Don’t worry, I made him a salad when we got home. ;)] Tampopo feels like a good college eats place, if that’s what you’re in the market for, and maybe a good college date place? [Overheard: «So, what do you do when you’re not doing homework?”]

They’re a BYO. They have katsudon — that’s a fried cutlets of your choice of meat over a bowl of rice and warm broth — which to me is like quintessential Asian comfort food for when you’re sick, or even when you’re not. They’re also cheap.
All the same, I can’t think of a single dish here that I really makes me think «Man, I gotta go to Tampopo and get me some _​_​_​_​_​_​.»
I’ve tried their sushi, their katsudon, their ramen. It’s alright, but it lacks a certain flair that I need in my Asian food to keep me coming back. Especially in this town, where we have a respectable Chinatown, Viet town, Cambodia town, and two — yes, two — Korea towns.
Anyway, Tampopo’s alright. If you need some quick food and would like to bring a few bottles of beer to go with it, you can’t really go wrong.

My bf’s go to is his spicy chicken bowl with brown rice $ 7.00. This is A-​OK. They give a lot of chicken, and the meat to rice ratio is amazing. They give you 2 pieces of broccoli. Overall it’s delicious, but for the value. meh. You can make this at home for less than $ 2.00, less than a dollar probably.
Seafood Udon soup $ 7.50 I got this because I was still in pain from my wisdom tooth extraction. This was broth with udon noodles, 1 piece of broccoli and 1 slice of fish cake. Where do you think this is going??? Yup, not worth the value. It tastes the same as any instant noodle udon I’ve gotten from Hmart before (for 1.50). There are no toppings in it to warrent the $ 7.50 price tag. To add 2 pieces of shrimp tempura = $ 11.00 noodle so up. Umm. I can get 2 bowls of phở stacked with meat for that. Imo, the 2 piece shrimp tempura udon should be $ 7.50. That would make them a 4 star for the value…