Dokebi

199 Grand St., Brooklyn, NY

7.5

map & more

Neighborhood
Brooklyn
Williamsburg

Cuisine
Korean

Nearby
Knitting Factory
Music Hall of Williamsburg

718-782-1424

Official Website

By Andrew Steinthal
December 7, 2010

One of the most popular questions we get from people is where exactly our restaurant intel comes from. Well, besides obviously paying close attention to openings, buzz and eater.com, we listen to our friends. We’ve got a certain contingent of homies who swear by Dokebi, a hipster Korean bar and restaurant in the warm heart of Williamsburg. If it wasn’t for Peter Gaston who runs Spin.com, I doubt we’d have wound up here.

You don’t hear much about Dokebi. It’s located on a pretty desolate block in the ‘burg, tucked away just far enough to keep this place off the general radar. Well, it’s time to blow this place up a bit. There aren’t many places in Brooklyn to get down on Korean food and, come to think of it, there really aren’t that many great taco joints around these parts either. Throw in the fact that it’s a really solid bar with good beers on tap and quality tunes on the playlist (Whitest Boy Alive, Talking Heads, Hot Chip, Fleetwood Mac) and we’re talking about a perfect place to hang out, Infatuation style.

While Dokebi isn’t as authentic as a K-Town favorite like Kunjip, if the name of your game is comfort, than you’ve come to the right place. You come for three things: ridiculous Korean BBQ tacos, Bibimbahp in a hot stone bowl and the extremely Chronic Brunch that’ll take good care of your hangover, as it did mine this past weekend. By the way, recovering from a bar crawl bender that doesn’t end till 4am isn’t as easy at 30 as it was at 25. It may be time to implement a self imposed 2am curfew. Or not.

Food Rundown:

Tacos
First and foremost, we need to talk tacos. $3.50 for a monster taco? All day baby. Food trucks like Korilla have recently brought the Korean taco into the limelight, and Dokebi’s deserve some serious shine. Overall, these tacos are well thought out, crafted and executed as they pack in all kinds of flavor and aren’t a total mess to eat (see photographic evidence). The corn tortillas are heavily loaded with delicious, sautéed meats that ooze spicy Korean BBQ sauce. The hands down favorite is the Short Rib Taco, with close runners up being the Spicy Pork and Giant Oyster Mushroom as well.

Bibimbahp
OK, so this Bibimbahp is absolutely incredible. I’ve been thinking about it ever since the first time we shared that special moment together, and can’t wait until the next time we do it all over again. It’s essentially a Korean stir fry with vegetables, fried egg and chili sauce and a choice of topping over rice that you mash up yourself. Make sure you get it in the hot stone bowl, that’s key. Also, if you’re going with a meat, get beef instead of pork or chicken – way more flavor. Also, the tofu is really good too.

Hot Stone Pork & Grits
This is where the whole hangover curing, ridiculously comforting Chronic Brunch kicks into full gear. Braised Berkshire pork belly set over a bed of Anson Mills’ organic grits with a sunny-side-up egg and country gravy served in a sizzling stone bowl. Sounds awful, right? Maybe if you hang with PETA. This dish will set you straight, we promise. Check it out.

Pajeon Scallion Pancake
Standard veggie pancake, definitely get it with kimchee – Solid, but nothing crazy. We weren’t ballsy enough to try the fish pancake, but maybe you are.

Udon Noodle Soup
A very tasty noodle soup with thick rice noodles in a fish and veggie broth. this wouldn’t be our first choice here, but it’s definitely a good option on a cold day.

Yookgaejang
We’re learning that stews are a big component of Korean cooking, and so far, we haven’t had much luck in finding one that knocks our socks off the same way the Bibimbahp does. This beef brisket stew in a red broth sounds way better on paper than it actually plays out. My main issue is the fact that I’m not sure how to eat it. Chop sticks don’t seem to work in a thin soup. Help.