Great new place for us! A couple of suggestions: be just a little more detailed about various menu options. We went to the official website, but still unclear about a couple of things. For example, the sauce options. Me and a friend both got pork and tofu Combo Bop at spicy level 10, but he got sauce on the side and i got mine "sloppy." I thought sloppy just meant maybe extra sauce, but it turns out it means there is some other red and very tart sauce on it. I didn't like the flavor of it, because the vinegar taste overpowered the lovely sweet, smokiness of the pork.
Level 10 was perfect, nothing crazy but nicely spicy. The tofu was incredible! Nice and crispy on the outside and creamy soft on the inside. The noodles are very tasty and next time I'll get them alone instead of with rice.
The level 7.5 and 8 for some chicken bowls didn't seem very different from each other, sauce-wise. Our order arrived with 2 side cups of sauces: a sort of hot wing style orange liquid and a Sriracha mayo. We have no idea who's dishes they were meant for, so, again, we'd really appreciate more clarity -- especially since this is Doordash and we aren't there to ask questions ourselves.
Perhaps if they opened up the "special requests" option in the app, it might help? We could say, for example, "please no tangy red chili sauce." If not, at least take a marker and put a number on the sauce that matches the bowl.
(UPDATE: now I've taken a look around the internet regarding sauce and one site says the spiciness levels are achieved by mixing different amounts of chili, mayo and sauce. So, i guess they're a little customized, but i still don't get why two level 10s of the same proteins tasted so different from each other. There needs to be some consistency so that we know how to order. And if level 10 means i have to commit to that sour red chili, then I'd rather go less spicy to avoid that. It isn't made clear that your spiciness level could affect the flavor so profoundly, and that makes me unsure of how exactly I should order in the future. I 100% preferred the taste of my friend's pork, but the only differences were he asked for sauce on the side and i asked for mine sloppy). Perhaps some basic cayenne pepper would work better for increasing the spice level without turning your dish into an entirely different dish than if you'd ordered it less spicy. And everyone loves some spicy mayo -- why not give us the option of getting some on the side, regardless of our spicy level?
The KDawg were great, but they didn't have toppings like you see in the photos. We got two to share: one regular breading and "half & half," which, again, we had no idea what that meant. It turned out to be half cheese and half wiener -- we assumed, but it would've been nice to be sure before ordering. Then we got a cornflake breaded cheese dog, which was magically crispy and the one we will order from now on.
The Kimchi is mild enough for ferment beginners to try and it was really good.
Our favorite Korean place closed a couple years ago (Young Vin Express) and it was devastating! We have been looking for authentic bulgogi for a long time, but it's been difficult. The pork option here at Cupbop is very tasty (without that tangy red sauce), although it doesn't compare to the bulgogi at Young Vin -- however, this isn't a knock on Cupbop, as I'm sure even they'd agree that a family cooked recipe is hard to match. I just mention this so people don't use that as a comparison to judge this by.
Cupbop is a fabulous option that still stands out against the usual fast-food burgers & pizza choices, and I wish they stayed open later. Our family LOVES more cultural diversity in our food choices, so we will continue to support them in hopes that they do well and locals keep getting more and more open about what we eat. Hoping to order again with different options so we can settle on the best way to order!
