Korean Bar Food at Broccoli Beer
Broccoli Beer first caught our attention by way of its offbeat name. After doing a little digging, we found that it actually had quite good reviews online and seemed to be a popular place for Korean bar food and drinks. We were sold, and decided to pay it a visit on a Friday evening after work!
The restaurant is located between Songjiang Nanjing and Zhongxiao Xinsheng stations in Zhongshan. It turned out to be even more popular than we expected, because when we walked in on a Friday evening and asked for a table for 4, they told us it would be at least 1.5 hours wait! We decided to go somewhere else and make a reservation for next time.
Unfortunately we had a bit of trouble doing so. Nobody was picking up the phone when we tried to call on multiple occasions, so we decided to drop into the restaurant earlier in the day to put our names down in person. The restaurant was open at the time, but we had to wait ages to speak to anybody — and when the hostess finally came over, she skipped right over us to help the group of local girls who were clearly behind us in line! This poor service would continue when we finally sat down for our reservation later that evening.
Though the service wasn’t great, the restaurant/bar itself was pretty cool. The dimly lit interior was bathed in neon light. Empty soju bottles lined the shelves. K-pop blasted from the speakers and flashed across the TV screens. The crowd was young (mostly twenty-something year old women out with friends) and the atmosphere was upbeat.
Broccoli Beer was undoubtedly a fun place to drink some beers and try out a range of foods. Here’s what we ordered:
The Pomegranate Soda ($120) was so extra, but we were there for it. This non-alcoholic drink was fizzy, tasty, and refreshing.
There was a buy-2-get-2 special on large Cass bottles that night, so we jumped on it. Like many Korean restaurants, Broccoli Beer encourages and emphasizes alcohol consumption.
The Korean Fried Chicken ($200) was a big hit with our group. Though it wasn’t the best we’ve had, the sweet and tangy sauce was nice and the skin was crispy. We devoured it with haste.
The Korean French Fries ($130) were really just normal fries covered in ketchup and mustard. We’d been hoping for something with a little more character, but they still made a nice appetizer.
The Steamed Eggs ($190) were basic but made a nice addition to the meal. They were light, fluffy, and agreeable.
The Beef Lettuce Wraps ($250) were loved by everyone in our group. The beef itself tasted incredible, and when placed inside a lettuce shell with a little garlic and Korean ssamjang sauce, the textures and flavours worked wonders. This was universally agreed to be the best dish of the night.
The Seafood Pizza Pancake ($320) is Broccoli Beer’s most popular item, and it came out last because it takes the longest to prepare. Honestly, like the french fries, we were expecting something unique — but this was really just a cheesy pizza with seafood on it. Not to say it wasn’t tasty!
We could barely finish the pizza at the end, as we were all stuffed. It turned out we ordered the right amount for 4 people, and thanks to the drink special and fairly reasonable prices, we only paid around $500 each. Not a bad deal considering we had some tasty food and lots to drink!
Check out their full menu below. We appreciate their “Top 10” page ranking their most popular orders — it really helped us make some calls when we were having trouble deciding what to order!
Upbeat and social restaurant/bar that’s popular with groups of young, hip, Taiwanese. There was K-pop blasting on the speakers and flashing across the TV screens.
Worth it?
Sure — we had a fun time despite the lacklustre service and hit-and-miss food. Thanks to the drink specials and reasonable prices, we didn’t end up paying too much and we really enjoyed some of the dishes!
Would you go back?
It wouldn’t be our first choice, but we also wouldn’t protest going back for a beer and a bite in a fun atmosphere.
Last updated: August 2019
| Broccoli Beer |
| Chinese Name: 韓國餐酒食堂 |
| Hours: Mon - Thurs: 11:30am - 3pm, 5:30pm - 11:30pm Fri: 11:30am - 3pm, 5pm - 12am Sat: 11:30am - 3:30pm, 5pm - 12am Sun: 11:30am - 3:30pm, 5pm - 11:30pm |
| Phone: 02 2523 6878 |
| English Address: 40 Songjiang Road, Zhongshan District |
| Chinese Address: 中山區松江路40號 |
