Travel Muse Magazine

Dinner and a show is a wonderful way to spend a night with friends. But entertainment and good food in one place can be rare these days. However, Ann Arbor’s Bori Kitchen & Bar attempts to do exactly that by pairing Korean comfort food with an appetizer of karaoke. You can belt out your favorite song and then sit down to some shockingly good kimchi.

Bori is basically brand new, opening in November 2025 downtown A2. They strive to “tell a story” with every dish, one that begins in Seoul and finds its way to Main Street. It is“where friends come to eat, sing, and make memories over bold flavors and craft drinks.” A big feature here is their Korean-style karaoke room. These boreaebangs are a cultural staple in South Korea, first emerging in the early 1990s and quickly becoming popular as an intimate form of entertainment.

I first heard about Bori from TikTok after seeing a review that made it look absolutely delicious– so I knew I had to try it for myself! Bori is the place to go if you’re looking for warm food, cocktails, and a unique, though sometimes loud, environment.

Bori’s specialty meal is the dakgangjeon, a type of Korean-style fried chicken distinguished by its crispy coating and sticky sweet-soy or spice glaze. Modern Korean fried chicken with its crunchy texture and rich flavors evolved relatively recently, starting after the Korean War and into the late 20th century, according to SpiceOddessy.com.

In addition to their signature dakgangjean, I also ordered steak dolslot bi-bimbap and a side of kimchi. The Korean fried chicken was one of the highlights of my meal. It had a perfectly crispy exterior with a tender and juicy interior, and the tangy flavor was incredibly satisfying. It’s safe to say that I did not need a to-go container for this. This dish truly reminded me of comfort food, it was warm and familiar.

The dolslot bi-bimbap comes with rice, seasonal vegetables, friend egg, galbi steak, and marinated bulgogi. While the steak in the bi-bimbap bowl was juicy, it wasn’t particularly memorable and lacked a distinct flavor. However, the bowl as a whole was phenomenal– I am writing this still thinking about all the flavors! The kimchi was exceptional, one of the best I’ve tried in Ann Arbor. It had a vibrant, deep orange and reddish color that exceeded my expectations. 

That being said, walking into the restaurant, the atmosphere was not what I expected, and quite frankly, it was a little bit of a letdown. The space itself feels somewhat cold and sterile. The lighting was harsh with no mood lighting; it made the restaurant have a cafeteria-like feel instead of a cozy one. The walls were mostly bare with minimal decoration, and the space overall lacked personality.

Also lacking – delicious smells welcoming you when you walk in. The restaurant smelled extremely clean, too clean like cleaning products, sadly without strong cooking smells or spices in the air like you’re hoping for when it’s time to eat. This absence made the space feel less inviting and less authentic. Although the environment did not encourage lingering, the food quickly shifted my experience. 

The music choices were great, however– whoever made the playlist deserves a bonus! I left Bori with many new songs on my playlist, including “Gone Away” by The Offsprings. However, the volume was a bit too loud. This would be fine if you went to Bori with friends, but not on a date as I did. It made conversing difficult and added to the somewhat impersonal atmosphere.  

Emotionally, this experience was mixed. The staff was kind and welcoming; however, the environment felt impersonal. The experience reminded me more of fast-casual dining rather than a traditional cultural restaurant. Despite my harsh critiques on the atmosphere of Bori, the quality of the food reshaped my initial impressions and by the end of the night I had already told my friends that we need to come back to Bori for the kimchi, chicken, drinks, and a karaoke shesh. Bori reveals that a lack of ambiance can shape a restaurant’s first impression, but really amazing food can make up for it. It truly is a spot to tell your friends about. Seriously, who doesn’t want to hear their friends sing off-key while eating dinner?