Daniel B.
Yelp
The folks behind 678 in Duluth, one of the best Korean BBQ restaurants in metro Atlanta, opened up a sister restaurant, 770, in Suwanee last month (May 2016). For us in-town folks, this place is far, but it's good. It's just as good as 678, though some of the servers claim 770 is better. Like 678, 770 uses charcoal-fired grills at every table. Charcoal + high quality meats = excellent Korean BBQ.
We had a very enjoyable dinner here, but there were some issues (mainly service) which I chalk up to the restaurant being new. If they get everything down pat like 678 has, then 770 would get 5 stars in my book. Based on our experience, they're sitting at a solid 4.
The restaurant is located in a corner strip mall just off I-85 exit 111 (Suwanee) on the same side of the highway as Umaido and Super H Mart. 770's dining room is newer, cleaner, and more spacious than 678's dining room. They have a combination of open tables and large booths, all great for groups. There's ample seating for waiting customers and they even have a playroom with a TV and toys for kids.
Business hours are 11am to 11pm, daily.
We visited late on a Saturday night and, like 678, there was a wait. We were handed one of those light-up pagers to let us know when our table was ready (which only took about 15-20 minutes).
Like most Korean BBQ restaurants, you will leave this place smelling like cooked meat. Despite being new, the ventilation was not great during our visit. It was warm and smokey, just like 678. I was sweating. If you want to eat Korean BBQ in a cooler, more well ventilated environment, go to Breakers in Duluth. However, I do think the warm and smokey environment here is worth it. The food is good.
There are 11 beef options ($21.99-27.99 each), 8 pork options ($15.99-24.99 each), and 2 chicken options ($19.99 each). They also have 2 unlimited options and 4 combos. Unfortunately, the unlimited options are pork only.
The unlimited options are:
* 770 Unlimited ($29.99) - pork belly, spicy pork belly, pork skin, pork neck, seasoned short ribs
* ??? Unlimited ($34.99) - same items as above + seared pork belly (and yes, they label this option with question marks)
The combos are:
* Combo A ($89.99) - pork
* Combo B ($109.99) - beef
* Combo C ($129.99) - beef and shrimp
* Combo S ($129.99) - beef, pork, and chicken
Our group of 4 ordered Combo B. Combo B comes with 6 beef items: beef brisket, rib eye steak, prime rib, seasoned rib fingers, seasoned galbi (short ribs), and hand-rubbed seasoned steak. Everything was mouthwateringly delicious! I didn't have a single favorite meat because I thought they were all terrific. Tender, juicy, and flavorful. The brisket was fatty, but that was fine. The fat is what makes it taste good. The galbi was served raw on the bone and our server cut the pieces off the bone using scissors before cooking them.
Like 678, the outside edges of 770's charcoal grills are filled with kimchi, spicy pickled bean sprouts, corn cheese, and egg. These are cooked simultaneously with the BBQ.
Condiments included fermented soybean paste, salt & pepper, and chopped jalapenos and daikon radish in a vinegar sauce. Normally, the salt & pepper come with sesame oil, but ours didn't come with any. I had to ask for the oil. I love eating Korean BBQ with the oil and salt/pepper mix even though I know it's not good for me.
Banchan (side dishes) included slices of white daikon, some sort of chilled daikon soup (with a light, vinegary broth), sausage stew, spicy tofu, salad, scallions with purple radish, spicy pickled radish, and spicy radish noodles. It's a lot of food.
For 4 people, I thought Combo B was sufficient. I probably could've eaten one more plate of meat, but it's better that I didn't.
I liked our servers, Eric, David, and Jae. Jae remembered me from 678. He's the man. Eric was our primary server. He and his trainee David did a nice job cooking our food. Eric used to work at The Stone Grill and was fun to talk to. David accidentally spilled ice all over one of my friends. It was funny. Glad it wasn't food or drink! That would've sucked.
We had to wait a long time for the charcoal to come out. I don't know what the hold-up was. We sat for a good 10+ minutes with our banchan and platter of raw beef while we waited for the flames. It was a big tease. We were happy once the meats started cooking. To make it up to us, the staff gave us free drinks.
Note: 770 also has lunch specials from 11am to 3pm. These are non-BBQ Korean dishes like bibimbap (mixed rice), soups and stews, and noodles. Most of these are $10.99 or less.
In summary, 770 is pretty much another location of 678, which means outstanding Korean BBQ. Now if they'd only open one of these places *inside* the perimeter. Maybe they'd call it... 404?!