Samantha B.
Yelp
Did some research before arriving so we knew we needed to put our names on a waitlist to avoid any long lines. Worked like a charm and our party of 2 was sat immediately upon walking in the door. Our server was fantastic (and it seemed those around us were as well). Each were very knowledgeable and are happy to explain how things run and give recommendations on their favorite dishes. We opted for the five dollar up charge to try both the hot pot and the grill together and I think that is a good deal if you can't decide on one or the other. However, if you need to choose one I say go for the hot pot! Certainly each of our favorite part, we opted for the miso and the Szechuan base (each person gets to choose their own). Both were fantastic and resulted in perfectly flavored and cooked items! I would warn you - the soup base spends most of its time at the table billowing steam right into your face. While this results in a free facial, if your order one of the spicy bases be prepared to have your eyes sting a little if you don't have enough wiggle room to move out of the way.
The selection of items varies a bit wether you get the grill or the hot pot so choosing both unlocks some items that you can throw into either or. Some highlights for me were the spicy beef bulgogi, quail eggs, bok choy, and the udon noodles. All elements were fresh and tasty! But don't let your eyes speak for your stomach - they do warn you that any excess food not eaten will incur an extra charge at the end of the meal. There is a large offering of sauces, appetizers, and dessert at a buffet style bar which you can take as many trips to as you please, but I say avoid the fluff so you can focus on eating the foods brought to your table!
The only reason for four stars and not five can probably be written off as personal preference. First, there is A LOT going on. From the hustle and bustle of guests, servers, carts, etc. making your way around the place takes big city street walking attention and confidence. For ambiance they also play K-pop videos which ads to the noise, apparent in the way servers need to nearly shout so you can hear them. Not the most terrible things and admittedly its a vibe, but if you are an anxious person, it may be a bit overstimulating so that is something to consider. Additionally, our server was truly friendly and great but in a very odd turn of events she often would throw our food onto our grill for us to "speed along the cooking process" I understand you have a two hour limit (which we were not anywhere near) and they aim to get people in and out, but half the fun of Korean BBQ is getting to cook items yourself. Plus, I have a very specific preference on not cooking my red meat too much and by the time she was done shuffling items around the beef I was most excited to try was already far too overdone for what I would have wanted. On top of that, since there were only two of us we were cooking items in smaller portions rather than a whole plate of each item so that we could try things bit by bit to avoid eating an pile of straight beef cheek before moving on to the next thing. Not enough to hamper the entire experience, just a thought!
All in all, I can definitely see myself returning, a fun experience to have with friends!
