Café Yuni

Café Yuni is a cute, small little hole in a wall. It’s off the main street of Wickenden, across from a church (?) and you’d never know if you weren’t looking for it. It’s very tiny with few tables, so it’s perfect for you and your three friends, but probably no more than that.
Their menu is simple, and if you’re looking for some quick Korean/​Japanese food, then this does it. I’ve had the Salmon Bi Bim Bap several times, and it always just hits the spot.
Furthermore– it’s BYOB. Campus Fine Wines is just around the corner! ;)

Since moving to the East Coast, I’ve been in withdrawal of good Korean and Japanese food. Most of the Japanese places I’ve found in Rhode Island have been overpriced and at times, inedible. Korean restaurants are almost nonexistent.
This is why I’m so grateful that Café Yuni exists. Their sushi is fresh, their bimbap is delicious, their prices are reasonable, they are open late, and the space itself is a delight. Of all the Asian restaurants I’ve been to in RI, this place comes the closest in terms of quality and service to the places I used to frequent in Southern California.
My two tiny complaints are these: not enough spiciness (though this seems to be a RI thing) and the ice tea is some sort of Lipton syrupy abomination (which also seems to be a RI thing).

While it is a tiny restaurant, the food here is fabulous. I love the bulgogki and the bi bim bab. it is nice to have a local Korean restaurant just down the street. The staff is always friendly and eager to recommend.

Café Yuni is a small Korean-​Japanese restaurant hidden off the corner of Wickenden street.
Food is decent home-​cooked style Korean food and a variety of Japanese dishes, average in some places, but above average for Providence probably. Prices are on the higher side for smaller portions and relatively «normal» food.
Food ³⁄₅
Price Quantity Ratio ²⁄₅
Price Quality Ratio ³⁄₅ (Considering the area we are in)
Service is fairly good. The manager/​owner/​waitress is a nice older lady. She graciously asked the chef whether or not they could make jap chae for me when I noticed it was not on the menu. The space is very small, but it has a somewhat charming appeal because its so secluded.
Ambience 3.5÷5
Service 3.5÷5
Overall: ³⁄₅
I probably would not come often to Café Yuni. Sun & Moon is a drive away, and their food and prices are better. Still, I would recommend Café Yuni for a nice quiet but small meal.

I’m definitely not an expert on Korean food, but I went with my Korean friend and she definitely supported what I suspected about our meal. It was tasty and cute, but most of the dishes could be easily made at home (and the prices are a little high considering that).
We went for dinner and the place was completely empty when we arrived, so no problems with the limited seating space! I liked that the menu had both Japanese and Korean options! We started off with a couple of sushi rolls, which were decent, though not the best. (If you’re mainly looking for sushi in the area, definitely hit up one of the Japanese restaurants on Wickenden instead!)
For the entrée, I got the Salmon Tar Tar Bi Bim Bab and my friend got a spicy tofu soup. My friend’s dish was good, though a little boring and bland, despite the spiciness. I really liked mine, though it was pretty basic for $ 11. I didn’t actually like the little mushy bits of salmon (that did not taste very fresh), so I would suggest getting the Bi Bim Bab with something else (chicken, beef, tofu, whatever).
Also, this is kind of a side-​note, but the music they were playing was SUPER annoying! It was classical, but it was kind of loud and not soothing at all (it sounded like an orchestra was performing at our table for the entire meal!). I swear I usually don’t care at all what music restaurants play as long as I can hear conversation at my table, but this was awful for some reason! Half-​way through the meal I realized I was shoveling down my food and kind of anxious to finish the meal and leave, and then I realized it was because of the crazy violins screaming in the background! I thought maybe I was going crazy, but I mentioned it to my friend and she said she had just been feeling the same thing! Not to mention the baseball game on the flat screen was also going at the same time… gahhhh!
ANYWAY, besides the music, the place was cute: really really small, and almost felt like eating in someone’s dining room! The service was good, pretty quick and attentive. Overall, Café Yuni s a little over-​priced for what you get, but tasty in general. I probably won’t be back (my friend says she likes Solomans better, which I have yet to try), but it was enjoyable enough. It would probably benefit from some nearby Korean-​food competition, which is lacking.

Recently reopened, thank goodness! We were quite dispirited to see the «Closed for Renovation» and «For Rent» signs appear in January 2007, and quite happy to see that they returned a few months ago!
This is right off Wickenden Street, but it’s not obvious if you don’t know where it is. It’s essentially around the corner from the Coffee Exchange, facing Adler’s Hardware.
There are very few tables in this place though, so it’s not an option for groups larger than 4. The food, however, is really good. You can get your sushi fix with the apps, and indulge your Korean tastes with the entrée. The service is good, perhaps because the place is so small they can’t avoid you.