Would you like a photo tour of Yogi, a Korean restaurant in Campustown? I’ll show you what’s inside the Green Street restaurant and what I ordered from their large menu.
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
The restaurant is in the heart of Campustown between Sixth and Wright across from Dunkin Donuts and the new Target. Yogi has neither a social media presence nor a website, but you can find Yogi on a few meal delivery apps.
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
Inside the restaurant, it was buzzing with conversation. The decor was quirky and pretty with modern touches. It was busy when I arrived for lunch. There were a lot of Asian students enjoying lunch, and so I knew I was probably in for some very good Korean food.
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
Though the restaurant was busy, there were still open tables available for diners who had just arrived — like me.
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
Yogi has a long dining room with tables tucked along both sides of the walls and a long, straight path to where diners order at the counter.
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
There were several beverage options in a cold case by the register.
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
If you do not want to buy a drink, there is self-serve water available in addition to napkins and small containers for leftovers. I enjoyed some of the free water, but I had to refill my cup mid-way through the meal because of the cup’s size. It is a personal pet peeve — as a hydro-homie — when water cups are small, so I would suggest that it might be worthwhile to purchase a beverage or sit close to the water station if you’re thirsty.
Take a look at the menu. There are many options on the four menus by the register.
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So what did I pick? I ordered Korean sweet and spicy fried chicken, a side of rice, and bulgogi fried rice. Diners are given a device that beeps when the order is ready. The wait was longer than I expected at a little over 20 minutes.
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
The Korean sweet and spicy chicken ($12.99) was awesome. The boneless chicken was cut into nuggets, battered well, fried, and then lightly tossed in a sticky sauce. The breading and shape of each chicken bite was different and unique, a tell-tale sign that these are hand-battered in house. The sweet and spicy chicken was in both big bites and small bites: all hot and crispy with a little sauce. The sauce was sweet and slightly spicy. I love Korean spicy chicken, and this version from Yogi has a really good zing.
The dish did not come with rice, so I ordered a side of steamed white rice ($1).
Photo by Alyssa Buckley.
I also really wanted to try Yogi’s bulgogi fried rice ($10.99), so I ordered it to go but ate some while I was still at the restaurant. The fried rice came with a fried egg on top with a perfect runny yolk, and that impressed me. Usually, fried rice has small egg pieces, but Yogi’s egg in the fried rice was one stellar topping. The rice was delicious — and there was big portion of it. The bulgogi pieces were sliced thin and small, bite-sized meaty delights. The veggies in the rice were sliced carrots, diced white onion, and small broccoli bites, and all were tender crisp.
If you’re in Campustown and want something new to try, Yogi is a great pick. Portions are big, and the flavors are solid.
Yogi
608 E Green St
Champaign
M-Sa 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.+ 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Top image by Alyssa Buckley.
