Bobby D.
Yelp
My extended family and I visited the Heaven Manna BBQ location in Mira Mesa after I had run one of San Diego's half marathons, but I guess I never wrote a review. Last Friday, my family, my wife's bestie, and I visited the Manna BBQ location in Kearny Mesa and we had a fun time stuffing our faces. We're all fans of Korean BBQ joints and my second experience at a Manna BBQ did not disappoint.
From what I wrote above, it's evident that Manna BBQ is a Korean BBQ chain restaurant group located throughout San Diego. We visited the Kearny Mesa location, which is in the heart of Asian eateries specifically on Convoy Street and Balboa Avenue. It's located at the front of a strip mall that includes Hive Karaoke, Axe Thro Company, Nice 2 Meet U, and Taste of Hong Kong. The restaurant is next to Bank of Hope, a few steps from Boot World, and across the street from 7-11, Cross Street Chicken, and Wienerschnitzel. There's a good amount of parking, but it can fill up real quick. Manna is a very popular KBBQ spot, so I recommend that you arrive during early dinner hour. There's an iPad at the front of the restaurant to place your name on the waitlist. It's a spacious restaurant with televisions on the walls and pictures of the food you're about to consume. I thought the customer service from our waitress and the staff was spot on.
For those who are not familiar with the dining experience of a KBBQ restaurant, you select what type of menu you want to eat from, then the staff will bring out some of the meat and side items from that menu, and then you will cook the raw meat or seafood that is brought out. We are experienced KBBQ patrons and compared to the other KBBQ restaurants we've eaten at, Manna BBQ's prices are reasonable and not as pricey. We decided on the less costly menu because for just under $30 per person, we got a good selection of meats, seafood, and side items. Every KBBQ restaurant brings out complimentary Korean sides such as kimchi, pickled vegetables, and noodles. Please take my advice and don't do what I did. I started eating these sides before my wife started cooking the meats, so I was making myself full before consuming the more expensive meats. Lay off the sides and pace yourself, which I did not do and paid for it later. On the A2 menu, the stars of our meal were the Bulgogi (Marinated Beef), Manna Steak, Jumooluk (Boneless Short Rib), L.A. YangNyum Galbi (Marinated Thin Beef Ribs), Chicken Bulgogi, Pork Dumpling, Gaeranjim (Steamed Egg), and Corn Cheese. Make sure to ask for Fried Rice and White Rice to go with your meal. All of the meats were tender, tasty, and belly busting. The corn cheese was divine and yummy. Last piece of advice, make sure you have someone in your party who can cook or BBQ because my wife made sure our food was cooked to perfection.
The two Heaven Manna BBQ locations I visited were memorable for the delish food and for making me stuffed in a food coma way. Heed my advice of not eating too much of the complimentary sides and pacing yourself, so that you can eat more of the expensive meats, seafood, and sides.