Clarissa C.
Yelp
One of the only AYCE Korean BBQ spots in Stockton (relatively new!), equipped with salad/sauce/banchan bar! I was pleasantly surprised on the quality of everything with 6 friends on a Sun night.
Price: 3 tiers to choose from, with more expensive including all things from previous menus (pick before being seated). Adults $24.95 lunch / $36.95 "delux" dinner / $49.95 "premium". Premium menu includes some extra meats such as prime steak, marinated short ribs (bone in), beef tongue. [We opted for "delux"]. Note does not include drinks-- $2.50 canned sodas, other drinks such as soju
*Kids under 40in eat free, 40-50in half off
*automatic 16% gratuity if 6+ party.
Location/Parking: In Marina Center in Lincoln Village area of Stockton. Restaurant is in the outside corner (behind the large Starbucks sign) and getting to the parking lot is a bit unusual with weird one-car width openings to get there...but decent amount of parking
Wait/Atmosphere: Outside doesn't look like much, but I was surprised by how many booths and tables there were inside! At least 3-4 side rooms with TVs showing KPOP. You put your name down on iPad inside. Really didn't take that long to sit; they can seat you early if your large party is not here but your 2h maximum seating time starts when seated. Came around 6pm on a Sunday with plenty of booths open--just had to wait a few minutes for table set-up. Choose your menu tier before being seated by hostess.
Menu/Ordering: They will provide a designated QR code on a slip of paper so that everyone can scan the same code and order everything within your menu tier they want (separate phones ok, still go to the same tab. Nice for individually scrolling/ordering separate beverages and apps!).
Banchan/Salad bar: Loveeeeeed the banchan bar. Had all the sauces (brisket, jalapeno, seasonings) you could mix and match. Lettuce wraps, white rice, kimchi, raw onion to grill, salad all up for you to grab and go. (Note they didnt have rice paper wraps when I went though...) Enjoyed having a station to grab extra plates and utensils for the table (for cooked meat once cooked, etc). Staples were solid--napa cabbage kimchi was not too spicy, pickled radish slices were perfect for palate cleansing. Also contained hot food including a pretty decent and fresh japchae, fried korean chicken. Also egg rolls, fried rice if that floats your boat. Saw them keeping the bar clean regularly as well.
Meats: Pretty good! Came out in large portions and everything was pretty dang tasty. Brisket was abundant and textbook (fatty but thin, good for crisping on the grill). Marinated boneless shortrib was tender, flavorful, and came with a solid marinade, just slightly fatty for flavor (note bone-in not available unless premium menu). Bulgogi was pretty good and easy to cook. Pork belly was ok.
Sides: Fried dumplings were nice and crispy coming out. I LOVED having my cheesy ramen rather than white rice to accompany my kbbq (note its a quite large bowl, probz 2 packs). They also have cheesy corn you can warm up in the little ramekin on the grill. only item I didn't care too much for was the kimchi pancake (not really crispy, a bit soggy; did not want to fill up on it)
Service: Pretty quick--never had to wait much for menu items after ordering on phone. Was able to flag down waiters to change the grill, get waters, etc. They didn't rush us to leave, which was nice since no one was waiting. They also have a robot server for some orders too on top of real humans hehe
TLDR: Would definitely come back for a good time! Korean bbq spot is a great addition to the Stockton area so I don't have to drive out anymore. Comparable to the ones in Sacramento in terms of price and menu offerings. Obviously not as cheap as the Gen KBBQ chain, but definitely better quality. Love having a banchan bar, large party friendly!