Dan Moo Ji

3230 Steve Reynolds Blvd., Duluth. 770-814-2310.

Lately, I’ve begun exploring the kinds of Korean restaurants in Duluth that are collectively known as “boon shik.” These casual, modern eateries are snack shops, and they serve the kind of fast food that young adults crave when they want a lot of flavor bang for the buck (or won). Think rice cakes bubbling in thick chile sauce, ramen noodles and gimbap — Korean sushi rolls — stuffed with all kinds of ingredients.

The best-known is Dan Moo Ji, named for the pickled yellow radish that is served alongside gimbap as a palate cleanser. The walls are covered in cartoon cutie-pie animals and brightly colored decal letters, and the song “Let It Go” from the movie “Frozen” plays on an infinite loop. You feel like you’re in a teenage girl’s clubhouse.

The gimbap filled with lots of crunchy vegetables and tuna salad are delicious, the spicy version even more so. You also can get processed cheese slices rolled up inside.

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Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

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