I know that you’ve waited over a month for this follow-up post on Korean food in Leipzig so let’s jump right in.
The family and I went to Meet Freude in the Südvorstadt neighborhood of Leipzig. This part of town is a quick Strassenbahn ride or ten-minute walk from the city center. With universities in close proximity, it has a fun vibe and this stretch of the Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse (aka the “Karli”) boasts a long row of specialty food shops and restaurants such as vegetarian, Italian, Spanish, and Indian.
The entrance to Meet Freude in Leipzig. PHOTO: Jane
When we first drove by Meet Freude, we weren’t quite sure what to make of it. As mentioned in my previous post, it was a cafe and had a tiny menu. With interior colors of light green and white, this place was cute. Little trees and hearts here and there along with two large stuffed animals sitting in the Ikea high chairs waiting for us as we walked in, it reminded us of a cafe that could be in the university quarter of a Korean city.
We were all offered cinnamon tea upon arrival – not very traditional, but neither are we. As two main sells on the food menu were Bibimbap and Kalbi, that’s what we ordered. We were not disappointed.
The Bibimbap had fresh and well seasoned vegetables – a good variety of about eight. Served with a simple miso soup, my California Korean kids were content.
These Korean kids came all the way from California searching for good Bibimbap in Leipzig. PHOTO: Jane
The Kalbi was also well marinated. Kalbi is short ribs marinated similarly to Bulgogi (soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic). I always say that if I was ever allowed to pick my last meal on this earth, it would be Kalbi. It is the perfect combination of sweet, salty and fat. They got it right here. We also loved that it was served with lightly fried tofu, salad and rice with red beans. The baby ate a lot of it too.
Our Kalbi dinner at Meet Freude in Leipzig. PHOTO: Jane
We chatted with the friendly owner and a waitress. We learned that there were about 500 Koreans in Leipzig including foreign students and Korean Germans. We were surprised, expecting the total population to be closer to 50 and our family of five’s visit boosting the numbers by 10%.
Meet Freude got our whole family’s thumbs up, giving us hope for improved Korean food for all of the German Bundesländer.
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