CJ Lunch Bar

Hidden off Elizabeth St.
Randomly saw this restaurant while walking, decided to try and I’m happy I did.
Food was tasty and delicious. I got a bibimbap (lunch special I think) on the app and it was just $11!!
I especially loved the seaweed deep fried dumpling. I’ve never had it before. The crunch and chewy texture just works well with the yummy sauce. Will definitely visit again.

Went for dinner at this Korean restaurant with three friends on Friday night. The restaurant closes at 8:30 pm, and we got there at 7:30 pm, so we decided to order just three meals to share between the four of us (plus three bowls of rice) as we thought we might be scarce on time.

It turned out to be just the right amount of food (in fact, three meals left the four of us feeling a bit stuffed). The food was served pretty quickly, too, so we had plenty of time to eat.

We ordered: Cheese Chicken Bulgogi (5/5 stars) (~$25), Yangnyeom Fried Chicken (5/5) (~$20), and some vegetarian dish, whose name I did not catch, but which came with translucent noodles (4/5) ($~20), plus the three bowls of rice. Overall, it cost us $80, which worked out to be a very reasonable $20/each.

A great find! I will definitely visit again. Thank you CJ Lunch Bar.

I found this restaurant on my way to Melbourne Central station. This is a Korean restaurant. The price here is quite cheaper than other places that I know. The serving is big so 2 people can eat 1 dish. We didnt have to wait long for the food. We ordered dumplings tokbokki and fried chicken with a special sauce ( I forgot the name 🤣). The staff said goodbye to us when we left the store. Overall, 10/10. Will definitely come back when Im craving for the tokbokki 🥰

ORDERED:
🐔  Cheese Chicken Bulgogi: Chicken bulgogi topped with cheese and our special spicy sauce on the sizzling plate served with steamed rice ($26.00)
🍜  Boodae Jjigae: Cooked with noodles, ham, sausage, baked bean, cheese, vegetables and seasoning in beef broth ($40.00)
🍚  Rice ($3.00)

There's a cash discount!
I paid $22.80 for my portion.

REVIEW:
🧀  Cheese bulgogi is the BEST dish at CJ lunch bar. Throughout the years, the delicious-ness has retained.
Once the steaming hot plate arrives to your table, mix it a little so the savoury cheese can swim in between the chicken's crevices so it's marinated a little bit more evenly.
Highly recommend this dish!!

The atmosphere is a little worn in. From being an institution for years, the booth seats cushioning has faded in spots, while the tables are certainly scratched up. Nonetheless, it's still a great place to eat. 🏇

Service is friendly, where the staff are happy to top up the sides (banchan) when you request. The banchan sides are typically bean sprouts, kimchi and fishcake so there's a good selection! 🥣

Sizzling Chicken Bulgogi with cheese is so tasty and makes two adults full. Unless you are so hungry, it is a great option for sharing.

Been here a couple times, both times delicious food. The non-spicy chicken bulgogi is my favourite so far, delicious chicken and sauce.
Service is pretty good too, a bit of wait time for food though, since they get a lot of delivery orders.

The place is not that big. Enough to served around 30-40 people correct me if I’m wrong.
But it’s a nice place to eat lunch, a quick stop over to get your empty stomach filled with good food. They served Korean food, and drinks, soju. They are very nice in service. The food is not much pricey as well. I’m guessing they don’t have toilet here. Take away food is available too

This is a Korean gem in a small laneway within the CBD. Stone rice is truly the best in Melbourne. Very authentic Korean little restaurant. Staff are Korean. Lots of variety in the menu. Stone rice is truly cooked in stone. Rice is crispy where stick to the stone. Lots of different veggies in the stone rice. They also serve with complementary soup, side dishes and bibimbap sauce. The flavor is perfect, best for winter definitely. Menu is very effortable as Korean dishes. Staff is very friendly. Can be very busy if visit at peak hours. This restaurant is small, but can suit 1 big group. No reservation allowed. Only only for lunch. Close to public transport and parking.

My usual go-to place for my comfort food whenever im in Melbourne.
Good food with good price.
Is great to see new dishes in their menu too

I went there for dinner and order a few dishes. It was very cheap Korean food in town. Rich in flavour and come with a very big served. The shops looks very regular and no fancy dishes but it really worth your money. They also has a lunch meal deal as well, I regularly had it when I was study around there 😋😋

A cute little restaurant located in a laneway. I remember I used to have this all the time during my uni days and decided to come back and pay this place a visit. The portion did not shrink and taste wise, I think it has gotten a lot better from before! I thoroughly enjoyed the stone pot bibimbap (especially the hard rice at the bottom of the pot). The classic cheesy spicy chicken was good too, although it seems to be a little less spicy from before. Maybe next time I'll request for extra chilli! Other than that, friendly staff, good food, will come back again! P.s. generous servings of side dishes 🤩

The food was amazing. Customer service was amazing as well. Order through the phone and you can either pay from the phone or the counter. It's a tiny place. Have to go there a bit early or there will be a line to wait.

Affordable and reliable Korean food in an unpretentious space. Service is always friendly. I usually get the tteokbokki with noodle and the servings are very generous. It can get really crowded on a busy day as it’s a tiny restaurant which can be a bit uncomfortable.

It's a Korean restaurant that even 30-year-old Koreans acknowledged! I came from Korea to Australia by chance, and I came here by chance because I missed Korean food. But it tasted the same as I ate it in Korea. 😄 Even the boss was so kind that I could have a nice meal👍

Such a hidden gem in Melbourne with one of the best bulgogi that we’ve tried. The staff are so kind and sweet. Definitely going to come back

Absolutely amazing small little restaurant. Cheap delicious korean meals, spicy squid was smokey and perfectly spiced as well as the spicy beef bulgogi. Intire fulfilling bento cost 16 bucks which is a amazing value for uni students. Definitely recommend coming here for a quick lunch or a nice sit down dinner with mates.

Incredibly fresh and flavoursome. Super affordable, would add to the list as one of the CBD’s best cheap eats. Friendly and attentive staff, fantastic overall!

There’s a great variety on the menu compared to other korean restaurants around! There were complimentary drinks and oranges given when they found out we were celebrating a birthday lunch earlier today, the service was great!

One of the best spots in the city for a consistent, affordable feed. Despite the name, they’re also open for dinner and their super high-value bentos are on offer all day. The tofu one includes a super generous serve prepared in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce. On the side, you get rice, salad, kimchi, an orange wedge and even a few mandu. When the weather’s nice, I recommend grabbing a seat outside as the laneway locale tends to be pretty quiet.

The food is delicious and the price is cheap. People's tastes are diverse, but no matter what menu you eat, the taste is so popular that there is no difference in likes or dislikes. I recommend Spicy cheese chicken, Kimchi stew, and spicy pork bento