At this point it’s no secret the suburbs of Denver host some of the best ethnic restaurants in town. But there are so many of them, it’s hard to start without a savvy guide who knows the area. Enter Kim and Vinny Nguyen, an aunt and nephew duo who not only love a good meal, but always share it family style.
This time, we headed to Paik’s Noodle in Aurora, owned by Korea’s original celebrity chef.
Why We Went Here
The owner of Paik’s Noodle is none other than Jong Won Paik, also referred to as Baek Jong-won. While the name might not sound familiar here in Colorado, the chef is a South Korean television star, hosting Baek Jong-won’s Top 3 Chef King, Baek Jong-won’s Food Truck, Baek Jong-won’s Alley Restaurant, and his own original series Baek Spirit, which he produced in 2021 with Netflix. He also was half of the host judge team for the 2024 Netflix cooking series, Culinary Class Wars.
Arguably, Paik is Korea’s most famous chef. He also founded Born Korea in 1994, a group with 26 restaurant franchises and around 1,300 branches in the country. In the United States the chef opened a Paik’s Noodle in 12 states, with multiple locations in Texas, California, and Illinois.
With all that pedigree, we were certainly interested in what Paik’s Noodle in Aurora was all about. So we entered the casual restaurant, which looked a lot like a fast food joint complete with glowing red accents, bright fluorescent light, and simple wooden booths, tables, and chairs painted in red and black. The server handed us each an apron to wear to keep our clothes neat, and we dived in.
The Food at Paik’s Noodle
In general, the menu at Paik’s Noodle features classic Korean comfort foods with a nod to Chinese culture as well. There’s a full list of jjamppong, a noodle soup with vegetables and spiced with gochugaru. It’s often served spicy, though you can get a mild beef version here, as well as traditional seafood, tofu, and a meat combo. There’s also jajangmyeon, a type of chewy noodle tossed in a rich and savory black bean sauce.
On the rice side, find Chinese-style fried rice with chicken, vegetable, or shrimp. Or, try the jajang bap, which is served with the same black bean sauce found on the aforementioned noodles.
Shrimp, or saeu, is also a popular ingredient, and Paik’s serves it fried with hot pepper sauce, mayonnaise cream sauce, or spicy chili sauce. Also on the fried side, the kkanpunggi is chicken with chili sauce, and tangsuyuk is either chicken or pork tossed in a sweet and sour sauce. There are two types of fried chicken wings to start with too, each heavy with a sweet or spicy Asian sauce.
Overall the menu is meant to share, and dishes prove hearty. You also get an individual dish of pickled vegetables and a bit of sweet sauce to use throughout the meal. All the food has a warm, comforting aspect to it too, making it particularly nice when it’s gloomy outside.
Don’t Miss This Paik’s Noodle Specialty
Make sure to try the jaengban jajang, a Korean-Chinese noodle dish that stands out from anything you’ll find in town. To make jaengban jajang, the noodles get parboiled and then stir-fried in a wok with the black bean sauce. It comes in a heaping pile on the plate. The overall taste sensation toggles between slightly sweet and deep umami notes, with a hint of smoke. Inside the $19.95 item, which could easily feed two diners with nothing else ordered, you’ll find plump shrimp and fresh vegetables cooked with the sauce.
A Bit on Jong Won Paik’s Recent Lawsuit
The Korea Times reported on an ingredient breach involving one of the chef’s food products. Paik Jong-won’s Baekseok Doenjang. It’s made in Korea and doesn’t affect the Aurora restaurant, but here’s a bit from the article talking about the case. Read the full article here.
“According to the ingredient label on “Paik Jong-won’s Baekseok Doenjang,” produced at Theborn Korea’s Baekseok factory, the product contains modified Chinese-style meju doenjang (soybean paste), soybeans from the U.S., Canada and Australia, and flour from the U.S. and Australia. Despite being advertised as “made with domestic ingredients,” the product includes several imported components.
The core issue lies in the factory’s location. The facility at 359-71 Yeoktap-ri, Oga-myeon, Yesan, South Chungcheong Province, is situated within an agricultural promotion zone. Under current law, only facilities processing domestically produced agricultural and marine products are allowed to operate in such zones.”
Visit Paik’s Noodle 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., seven days a week. 12101 E. Iliff Ave., Aurora, paiksnoodleaurora.com
