Lloyd Sim
Google
This is our first time at this place, even though we’ve seen it many times since the Totem Lake Mall was renovated and transformed into what it is today (RIP old 24 Hour Fitness lol). We’ve been to several AYCE KBBQ restaurants in the Greater Seattle Area, including Lynnwood, Seattle, Auburn, and Federal Way, as well as in Los Angeles/Bay Area, California, and Las Vegas Chinatown Area. This place is pretty much on par with some of the good ones we’ve tried at those locations.
For the price of $48 per person, the meat (specifically beef, pork, and seafood selections) is generous and plentiful to choose from. The steaks were huge too! There’s also a $55 option, but those are more premium and offer a wider variety of selections. For a group of four, the $48 was good for us.
The side dishes are also AYCE and are plentiful. Unlike other locations, they don’t just offer typical Korean side dishes (e.g. kimchi, seaweed, salad, etc.) They have a variety of other options like different kinds of fries, fried rice, fried chicken, and many more that are almost a meal themselves tbh.
As far as service goes, it was by far the best we’ve had at any AYCE KBBQ. We didn’t just have one server tending to us; there were two of them, and they were incredibly efficient. They quickly changed out our grill, checked in on us to take more orders, cleaned our table, refilled our drinks, and more. This was especially noticeable when the restaurant got extremely busy. They never forgot us and were both dedicated to their tasks. This was a huge plus compared to many other AYCE KBBQ servers who get frantic and forget about their customers.
Our only gripe is the atmosphere though since it’s really loud and echoey here more than other AYCE KBBQ we’ve tried. However, it is what it is as they need to keep the place well ventilated. Another thing, and maybe it’s just me but unsure if they have A/C as it was pretty warm when we came.
Overall, highly recommend this AYCE KBBQ. We will definitely come back!