Jang C.
Yelp
ARI Korean BBQ & The Cakeshop is a Korean BBQ place that has a cakeshop attached to it, just like the name implies.
The cakeshop could be a separate review. But it sells all sorts of goodies other than pastries. They have the wine salt and the sauces they give you for the BBQ for sale. They also have homemade dumplings and dry-aged wagyu steaks as well. Pretty cool.
The Korean BBQ part is a big area with lots of gas grills. They don't have an obvious ventilation system, but you don't leave with any smells. The place feels a bit upscale.
They are one of the few KBBQ places that sells Wagyu. You have plenty to choose from Feasts, AYCE, and a la carte.
They have cheaper pricing during "Happy Hour," which is 4-6 PM, not including holidays.
If you can eat a whole cow by yourself and want to stuff yourself silly inducing meat sweats, do the Wagyu AYCE. They have so much variety:
Pork belly, Ddukbokki, corn Cheese, chicken bulgogi, lemon pepper chicken, la galbi, chicken katsu, garlic butter shrimp, wagyu brisket, japchae, fried rice, garlic porkbelly, marinated boneless rib, Seoul ramen, soup, pork bulgogi, cajun porkbelly, and wagyu bulgogi.
That's a lot of options. Trust me, you'll feel like Mr. Creosote if you attempt to eat all the options.
Every option is high quality. For example, their LA galbi was top notch LA Galbi. The marinate was great. There were no bone chips (unlike other, cheaper places), and the meat was so tender and juicy.
I think the only thing you should avoid is the Seoul Ramen. It's basically instant ramen (maybe taken up a notch). But the other dishes are winners.
My favorite from the AYCE was their wagyu bulgogi. Their marinate combined with the juicy, fatty, delicious wagyu beef made it an unbelievable combo. The fat from the wagyu made it unctuous and delicious.
I've also tried their Jeju Feast. It's not an AYCE, but they give you a lot of samples of meat to try. It was nice but not a lot of food compared to the AYCE. It is slightly cheaper than the Wagyu AYCE, but for the best bang for your buck, I suggest fasting the whole day, saving a bit more money, and splurging on the Wagyu AYCE.
They have excellent service here. Like with other Korean BBQs, the servers do all the cooking for you at the table. Don't get too antsy and do things yourself. Let the meat cook and have the servers do their jobs. Maybe if they're too busy, you might have to take ownership of the flipping of meats, but they are good about cooking it well.
Everytime I come here, I enjoy myself. My wallet becomes lighter, but as long as the food is worth it, it's a nice treat.