“Far Eastern” Restaurants in Bakersfield

By Eric Garza

There are many restaurants in the Bakersfield area that caters to most people’s needs. Whether it is enjoying a slice a pizza from a pizza bar, or grubbing on a burger from a burger joint that serves well, Bakersfield has a wide variety of food choices. Bakersfield also has a diverse variety of delicious Asian restaurants (Relax. These restaurants aren’t located entirely on the east side of town.)

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  Photo by Eric Garza. Entrance to Seoul Korean restaurant on Coffee Road

  Seoul Korean Restaurant: Feel like in the Korean mood after listening to PSY’s latest song? Look no further than Seoul Korean restaurant. Located on Coffee Road, just north of the Northwest Promenade shopping center, this Korean restaurant serves the popular Korean dishes such as “bulgogi” and “bibimbap.”

Photo by Eric Garza. Chicken bulgogi (center) and beef bulgogi (upper left)

“Bulgogi” is a type of Korean barbeque that is quite popular among people in the US. You have the choice of beef, chicken, or pork and the dish comes with a bowl of rice and many condiments on the side to satisfy your taste buds including “kimchi.” “Bibimbap” (it might sound funny the first time pronouncing it) is a rice bowl dish that consists of seaweed, soy bean sprouts, an egg, and many vegetables. The exterior of the restaurant might not be so outstanding, but it’s the inside that counts. There is a special seating for parties with about 8 or more people. The seating is like a hybrid of a booth and table. One side has regular table seating’s and the other side is booth seating’s that have extra cushioning and pillows (very comfortable to sit on!).

Photo by Eric Garza. The different kinds of toppings to eat with bulgogi including kimchi and bean sprouts.

• Pho Hut: Pronounced “fuh” like in “fun,” this is a Vietnamese style restaurant that specializes with possibly the most popular Vietnamese dish in town: pho. Pho Hut is located on California Avenue and Lennox Avenue. Pho is a noodle dish that has noodles and is served with chicken or beef. It’s kind of like ramen, but the noodles are more thin and transparent and it has basil bean sprouts and a lemon. The restaurant has a simple atmosphere. Nothing too fancy and nothing too cheap; it is just a nice restaurant to sit in and have a nice lunch and dinner with a couple of friends.

• Sushi Kato: Fun fact: Sushi Kato is the only Japanese sushi restaurant that is still owned by Japanese people. Most sushi bars in town are not owned by Japanese owners. Located at the corner of the John’s Incredible Pizza shopping center, this sushi bar gives a traditional Japanese feel. The best thing about this restaurant is happy hour. Each night (except the weekend) from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sushi Kato slashes their sushi roll prices in half. They have Las Vegas rolls which are California rolls that have tempura and spider rolls. Each sushi order comes with 6 rolls and people typically order another round to fill them up. Sushi Kato’s environment feels like what I believe a Japanese restaurant should be.  They have one teppan grill and have many Japanese-like decorations.