The blackboard at Kosmo Deli
|
Kosmo -- download vcard
Hours: 10am-7pm weekdays; 9am-4pm Saturdays; 11am-4pm Sundays |
Kosmo is a lunch counter located in Kerrytown, owned by Don Kwon, who took over the business in January of 2001 from previous owner Henry Park who was known as a human institution to all who knew Kerrytown. Don's mother still works there with him supervising on all the homemade sauces and marinades. Kosmo is affordable, delicious, unique, and one of the best places downtown for an easy lunch and early dinner.
Menu
Kosmo's menu is a very clever and homey mix of drawings, printed signs, and photos. Don is a photo nut and a lover of the fisheye lens. Many of his photographs of dishes and patrons are simply fantastic. The menu includes American and Korean dishes, such as:
- Hot Dogs
- Grilled Cheese
- BLT
- Hamburger & Cheeseburger
- Kosmo Burger (double burger on an onion roll with cheese, made with meat from Knight's Market)
- Breakfast Plate, including 2 eggs, meat, and toast, served only the weekends
- Breakfast Sandwich
- Fried Rice (including Evan's Fried Rice, which features a hamburger patty)
- Bi Bim Bop, with bulgogi (marinated beef), chicken teriyaki, or tofu, your choice of white or brown rice, and the option to choose 4 out of the 8 following veggies as toppings: carrots, broccoli, cucumber, bean sprouts, baby spinach, shiitake mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, pickled daikon, kimchi, onion, and zucchini. Note: The first four toppings are the original ones.
- Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich or Plate
- Bogie (bulgogi plus hoagie), a delicious marinated beef sandwich with cheese, peppers, and mushrooms, like a Korean cheesesteak
- Home made, wonderfully gingery Egg Rolls. Not your average egg roll!
- French Fries
- Twigim, battered fried vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, green peppers, onions, and green beans, delicious
...and more. The staff is extremely friendly and know most regulars by name, and the relaxed, cordial atmosphere is really the heart of Kerrytown.
Don has expanded into the space formerly occupied by Kav's Cafe, so Kosmo is now about twice as big as it used to be. One thing to know about Kosmo is that it can be packed on Market Days (Wednesday and Saturday Mornings), and is especially jammed during Community High School's lunch hour, from 11:45-12:30. (Actually, the lunch period is from 11:20-12:05, but there's probably a lot of spillover) Also, there is an "adult rush."
Reviews
Kosmo offers an array of interesting fusion dishes that I don't think ever graced a Steve's Lunch menu (um, hot dog wrapped in bacon topped with kimchi?). This is a diner, so the quality of beef is good but not the great melt in your mouth stuff you'll find at more expensive Korean restaurants. This shouldn't deter you from ordering their tasty bulgogi, however. Plus, the sauce that comes with it is fantastic. Plus plus: cheap cheap! (4 star)
