While readers always enjoy reading a negative review, I prefer not to write them. Luckily, today, I get to write about a restaurant that I just love, love, love. It’s no secret, I like Asian food and I particularly love Korean food. I am not aware of a Korean restaurant on the west side, and I feel sorry that westsiders cannot easily access delicious Korean food, just another reason to not live over there. We have an abundance of Korean restaurants on the east side, and I recently discovered the tiny restaurant in the back of Grace Market Food and Grocery.

I love soondubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) and while they all have similar flavor profiles at all of the Korean restaurants that I have been to, Grace Market Food and Grocery serves it in a way that I just love. Grace Market Food and Grocery serves their food old school cafeteria style and there’s something just very distinctly Korean about it. You order at the counter, they call your order at the counter, you pick up your order on a cafeteria tray, everything from metal utensils to tiny Styrofoam water cups is self-serve, and you are expected to bus your table yourself. It was a little more work, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

While my soup contained less seafood than what I would find at Hot Stone Grill, I still enjoyed its spicy and warming flavor with the texture contrast of soft tofu and bits of onion. All Korean restaurants also serve traditional banchan (sides to help keep your taste buds interested), and I would say that these sides probably have the best flavor of the ones that I have had.

The best part of having a tiny restaurant in the back of a grocery store? If you really love something, you can buy all the ingredients to make it yourself or the prepared foods to take home.

Grace Market Food and Grocery
1030 S Oliver St, Wichita, KS 67218
316-260-3111
Monday-Friday 10:00AM-7:30PM
Sunday 1:00PM-6:00PM