3.5 stars. Â
I've been here numerous times for lunch and for the late night dinners that are 10 bucks/person because I honestly like being able to eat as-much-stuff-your-face spicy pork as possible. Â I like to eat the white rice with the sesame oil, salt and the spicy pork together. Â I also add garlic to the grill while it's cooking to give it some flavor. Â
You get to cook it yourself too because if you allow the servers to finally get to your table then your meats will be burnt. Â They kind of give you looks if they see you cooking it but hey, WHY ARE YOU OVER THERE GIVING ME A LOOK instead of OVER HERE COOKING MAHHH SPICY PORK??? Â
Regardless, the spicy pork is pretty good. Â I wouldn't touch the sushi though. Â I've tried it and it doesn't taste that fresh or good but...come on it's a Korean Buffet but a Japanese one. Â
In addition, I didn't like the soft serve because it tasted grity. You know when it has that "sandy" taste on your tongue? Â That means the machine probably isn't washed daily. Â
All in all, I'd still come back to cook my own spicy pork and munch on all the side dishes!!!
While on my continuing adventure to find the best value buffet, we decided to try out Il Mee. In general, Korean buffets tend to be expensive, but Il Mee was more reasonable priced. Yelp had 3 stars with a fair number of reviews so it has got to be reasonably good. Â Right? Unfortunately, to my dismay, it did not live up to expectations. The Korean BBQ was tasty and was the high point. The sushi was just ok. There was only one buffet table for the rest of the offerings, which included some fried foods and other foods that were not very interesting. Surprisingly, the usual indication that an ethnic restaurant is good when the clientele consists mainly of people from the corresponding ethnic group, did not hold true in this case. Well, the search continues..
Review Source:I don't know, man. I want to love this place.
My friend introduced me to Il Mee in December raving about their deal after 10 PM; I was a Korean BBQ virgin and the bulgogi tasted amazing to me, so amazing that now my friend and I go every two weeks. This bimonthly tradition may be nipped in the bud, however, since I just began to pay attention to how unsanitary the buffet is. The raw meats are right next to the lettuce... And the tongs are noticeably dirty. Sometimes the tongs fall into the meat and you have to pick it out. Not sure if getting violently sick is worth the bargain.
... But it's a good deal! LOL!
And don't go here for the service either. If the place is packed, good luck on getting someone to pay attention to the meat cooking at your table. Eventually my friend just took a pair of the tongs from the buffet and used it for our meat.
Considering the fact that the only three places in Annandale/Fairfax that I frequent are Breeze, this place, and Bon Chon, I'm assuming that there exists a place with more sanitary conditions, better service, and a competitive all-you-can-eat price.
If you expected mind blowing food here, lol @ you
It's pretty much what you expect from any buffet--lots of food, nothing memorable except the food baby.
So I guess what I'm saying is if you like quantity over quality for your money, this isn't a bad place to go.... after all it is a buffet.
The late night BBQ deal is alright, cause let's be honest how many of you eat late night expecting to get foodgasms.
Disclaimer: The following statements are only for the half price all-you-can-eat Korean bbq buffet that starts at 10 PM. Forgive me if food/service during the normal eating hours at Il Mee is better.
1) Meat selection is limited, and that is being extremely generous.
2) The quality of the meats is poor.
3) Side dishes were limited.
4) The quality of the side dishes is poor.
5) Service is limited.
6) The quality of the service is poor.
I'm assuming that the above six points are true only because they offer the half price deal. They really ought to cancel this standing deal and focus on quality. Curb your expectations, Yelpers.
1 star for quality and variety as buffet. All food had absolutely no flavor and poor seasoning. It's amazing how they manage to have no single dish that was OK for average Korean food standard.
Even sushi/maki rolls were not good and very slowly refilled.
If you are alone and can eat a lot of meat, you can try this place. Otherwise, I suggest you go other place and get a few proper Korean dish to share or do BBQ.
It's waste of money.
Only reason I give 2 star is because it does offer unlimited meat as it advertises.
You can't beat AYCE Korean BBQ for 12.95 after 10pm. It's a great deal for a late night meal. The selection of meats is decent from bulgogi, sliced chicken, sliced pork, pork belly, spicy pork, and a few others I believe. They have a good selection of pickled side dishes, bean sprouts, etc. If you come right around 10pm you'll also get to partake in what's left of the regular buffet foods as well. Â The service is decent as there were only a few servers running around helping grill the meats for all the tables. It's been a while since I've eaten here during the day, but nevertheless, the late night deal is still a steal.
Review Source:The bbq meat is great. Someone cooks the bbq meat (whatever you pick from the bar) for you. So the service is great.
Other food (hot bar, sushi) is adequate. That's typical for a buffet restaurant.
I will come back again, definitely!
It is a great restaurant to go if you are hungry for Korean BBQ.
My review will be based off the only times I will ever go to il mee, and that is for the late night buffet. Take advantage of all the banchan, especially the never ending mounds of Kim Chi. They have all the main BBQ meats you'll need, but stay away from the chicken (it can get very dry and not as appetizing as the bulgolgi, galbi, or sam gyup sal (Pork Belly). Top reasons for going here:
- All you can eat Korean BBQ and you never have to ask them to refill your sauces for the sam gyup sal and bulgolgi.
- People watching: of course the late night rush involves all the after club goers, and its fun to see wasted kids become magically rejuvenated with some pork belly.
- THE ICE CREAM MACHINE!!!!
- Quality is very good, not great, but definitely worth your money if you have the appetite for it.
I was a little surprised at the reviews this restaurant got. But after looking at the reviews I found that a lot of them were complaining because they came in during dinner when it is exceptionally busy, a bit expensive and the food may be winding down. I can't speak for those people but I absolutely loved my LUNCH experience.
First off you can't beat $14 for all you can eat Korean bbq at lunch. The dinner price at $20 is a little too pricey but the lunch price is perfect. I thought I got pretty good service, whenever I would get korean bbq the ladies would heat up my grill and start cooking.
Food-wise I have never been to a buffet with Korean bbq made fresh so this was pretty cool. They have all sorts of cuts of meat like your traditional kalbi, bulgogi, (beef) as well as pork and chicken....spicy and not spicy. They also have various kim chi. In addition they have an assortment of sushi and some other entrees as well.
Considering the value of the lunch price and things that can be eaten on it it is great. It's a great lunch and why not go.
Let me first start off by saying I've been to Il Mee several times in the past and I loved the food. Opened late, good selection of meat and service was relatively good. After going last night, I have a whole new view on Il Mee (story time)
The selection of meat for late night was still good so no complaints there. However service was shit. Plain and simple. I can understand them not coming over and checking on our party often because it was a busy night but around 1am the staff started rushing us to pay because they were closing the kitchen. Half of our party had left early but we were told they left without paying. We paid for the people that didn't pay and as we were tipping, the lady is leaning in, looking at the amount of tip we give her. She yelled at us thinking we were tipping less than 15% but in actuality we were in the process of writing a tip of more than 18%. How rude!!
As we walked out, the other half of our party calls and said they, in fact, did pay so the lady charged us twice. When I went back in to tell her, she had the audacity to say she can't find the proof of them paying. Â When we gave her manager the last 4 digits of the card and the receipt number, she was dead silent. After all innecessary trouble we ended up getting a refund but I would never go back to Il Mee again.
Bad service, rushed dining, increased prices, AND double charging? Â Uhh no thank you..see you never, Il Mee.
Take my review with a grain of salt because I'm cheap and a buffet aficionado. It was decent just pretty standard and a lot more than I want to pay, at least as far as weekends dinner prices go. They do have everything you need but I find korshi or todai more interesting and unique with better quality.
Review Source:There's a lot of diverse food to get but let's be honest, if you get anything other than the Korean BBQ meat you're wasting your time. Most of their other stuff is subpar, but their BBQ meat is on point.
The service is pretty quick despite how busy they get! They manage cooking all the meat you bring your table, including cutting it into easy-to-manage pieces. Just like mom used to do it when you were little!
The price is reasonable--$27 if I remember correctly.
Great place, I highly recommend you try it at least once--just remember, focus on the BBQ meat.
I've been here a number of times for lunch and I have never been disappointed. Â What's not to like about lots of different kinds of meat that get cooked on a grill in the middle of your table. Â Did I mention you can go back and get more meat too? Â I am on the Paleo diet, so I like meat and vegetables. Â This place is a smorgasbord! Â The lunch buffet is only 14.95. Â They also have sushi and cooked appetizers and salads. Â Others have criticized the sushi. Â I look at it like, I don't think I will get the best sushi at a BBQ buffet, but it's decent, about what I would expect. Â I come mostly for the meat being cooked at the table. Â Sushi is kind of a cheat on the Paleo diet anyway, so you didn't hear me mention that I've had some (shhhh).
Review Source:Wow, there sure is a whole lot of Il Mee hateration going on here...
Look - what you see is what you get @ Il Mee. Â The place isn't luxuriously decorated, nor does it have any pretense of being fancy-schmancy. Â But you're not coming for that, right? Â You're there for the food. Â And let's be honest, when you go to a Korean BBQ buffet, why are you wasting a lot of stomach space with sushi and appetizers? Â We all know the main attraction is...DUH THE KOREAN BBQ. Â -__-
I mainly come here for dinner, though never later than 8:30 PM. Â And at just over $20 for all you can eat, that is pretty darn affordable...espesh when you consider their main competitor (Hee Been) is close to $30. Â I've never had anything but warm and friendly family/mom-and-pop type service from everyone there, and if you go semi-regularly they will actually remember you and be even more nice! Â It's not like other Korean BBQ restaurants where they try to shuttle you in and out as soon as possible like an assembly line to make room for other customers.
That being said, the quality of the BBQ'd meats is what you'd normally find at a buffet. Â You have to kind of dig through the trays to get the best cuts of meat, but when you do the galbi is good, the bulgogi is great, and the spicy pork is TO DIE FOR. Â I have also been very pleasantly surprised by all of the different types of kimchi served (they're all yummy), as well as all of the other vegetables/banchan offered at the buffet. Â And then of course, they have the soft serve machine with mini-cookies to finish things off. Â Done and done. Â ^_^
For 12 bucks after 10pm, hands down best bang for the bucks.  It will turn any meat lovers into vegetarians.  Buckets and buckets of raw meat simmering in their own flesh waiting to be consumed.  Your excitement will be severely diminished after you found out how badly the meats are marinated.  I think these people purposely make the meats taste like cardboard...  Anyway, my over consumption  led me to become a vegetarian for the next 10 days.  Thanks.
Review Source:Went for lunch and was very happy with it. Â This was my first visit to a Korean restaurant in VA, and it was better than any of the places in Maryland that I've been to. Â Lunch ends at 3:00 and they gave us a warning to get more food. Â They actually seemed concerned that we didn't get enough to eat. Â I liked that.
Review Source:First time here. Pretty good spot! They have a mediocre selection of sushi, which for a Korean buffet was disappointing. However some of the other buffet items were good (particularly the crab patty thing), and the meat /beef that is cooked at the table was very good.
Would go again, but only for lunch because of the reasonable price.
DO NOT eat here between 900 and 1000PM! Dinner Buffet is 25.00 for COLD inedible scraps, and no sushi. This is the hour between closing and switching to the late-night menu. It was such an outstanding rip off that I nearly called the police!
I WILL NEVER RETURN. Â I can't believe they were willing to justify their offering of inedible food on the buffet by saying, "I told you that we were about to close." Â Okay, since you are NOT closed, then the food should at least be edible and warm. Â I could understand limited portions or limited selections--but I can't believe they charged me full price for food we could not eat! Â Okay, you know how breaded shrimp gets when the shrimp has dried up inside the breading? Â The hard dehydrated look and taste? Â That is how most of the buffet was. Â The waitress was noticeably upset because she said, "I told you!" So she proceeded to BURN our Kalbi until it was too black and dry to eat. Â
The meat was not seasoned or marinated. Â And worse, the raw shrimp on the buffet was taken straight out of the water - undressed at all. Â There was the head, the eyes, shell, and poop shoot there - all on there on my plate. Â I lived in Korea for 3 years, so I could possibly stomach it, but for that price, they should be able to at least prep the shrimp for the grill. Â So sad...
After much pleading, they decided to charge some of my guests the reduced late night price. Â If this were only about money - that would be one thing. Â BUT, I brought my hungry family in who were visiting to experience Korean Kalbi, I was embarrassed, highly disappointed, and broke after leaving this dump. Â
I gave this place a shot twice--but now I won't even take a free meal if they offered!
This buffet is really good, especially for the price.
They have a a section of different raw meats that you can get and cook at a grill at your table. The meat seemed like pretty good quality especially for AYCE and was pretty delicious. They also have a limited sushi roll section which was decent. Plus they have a selection of different Korean dishes like Jap chae, Korean pancakes, etc. Â Overall, a good selection of delicious foods at a great price.
Their soft serve ice cream was pretty good too! It was supposedly vanilla but seemed yummier than other places.
The restaurant seemed a bit hot for the summertime but may be because of the grills at the tables.
As I mentioned before, my dad is a Buffet Don (he can out eat anybody...this was most recently proven when he won the Pho Eating Champion contest at VietFest last week coming in at 1:39 seconds...I am so proud) so eating at buffets is as normal as going to church for me. I've been to a lot of buffets before but Il Mee is my favorite. Â There is nothing fancy or special about it but it always does the trick. Â
Since I am Asian and can spot a good deal without my contacts, eyes closed and with my hands tied behind my back my favorite time to go is after 10 pm (you can usually spot me in line at 9:58 peering hungrily through a foggy window) when they slash their prices to $10.95 per person. Unfortunately, this price does not include the hot bar or sushi that is served at lunch or dinner but I'm a girl who can appreciate her grilled meat so that is a-okay with me. My favorite way to eat bulgogi or kalbi is to put some rice in a lettuce wrap, add some meat on top, roll it up and then dip it in the sea salt/sesame oil mixture and then follow it with a kim chi chaser. Delicious! Â And since it's a buffet, I Â repeat this procedure until my heart is content. Â
Unfortunately, or fortunately the vents aren't too great here so you will leave smelling strongly of Korean BBQ when you leave. My boyfriend rather likes the parfum of roasted meat so it's actually a win-win for me.
Il Mee for President!
I don't usually have high expectations for Asian buffet spots- but I was pleased with my 3 experiences at Il Mee.
I love how they have private party rooms to accommodate large filipino families such as mine. =) Â Place is always packed, but I have never had a complaint about the service since my many finishes dishes are almost already cleared by the time i return with yet another full plate.
The bathrooms are also clean. I know that this might seem a little odd to notice, but you never know what kind of quality of hygiene these buffet places might be serving up! Clean bathrooms = clean kitchen. Win and win.
I wish their sushi selection was larger and more fresh, but I can't expect TOO much for sushi-buffet, and their shining star is definitely their broad korean meat selection.
I'll return for their private seating, their reasonable prices, korean meats and clean bathrooms =P
Let me just start off by saying I LOVE the selection of foods there. I usually eat sushi til my food is done then pig out on bulgogi or whatever else we threw on there.
However:
- The pricing is SO NOT moderate. It's EXPENSIVE (For dinner) 20-25 bucks per person?! Are you kidding me?
- You try to avoid the expensive pricing, and then there's no food! I went there with a friend one night ready to pig out, must have been like 9 (So mind you I still paid dinner price 1 hour before they switched) and there was no sushi, there was no rice, no --- I don't know what else, but the whole ONE side of the bar that wasn't meat was missing. Sushi bar was done with upset me. The whole place doesn't close til 2am and they stop making sushi at like 8-9. The freakin dude was right there and he didn't want to make me or anyone else more sushi? BS!
- Like I said we were there at 9, but we pretty much had the same selection of food the people had when it was 10. AT 10, the waitress pretty much tossed us the check and said we HAD to pay now. Excuse me? Do you see me eating here? How rude are you? And none the less for the both of us we still had to pay 40-50 bucks for the lack of food. Totally unacceptable.
I'm totally always up for going back when they have ALL the food on the bar. But it better be a weekday and before 3pm cause then they only charge 13.95 per person. Â Tch, what about us people who DON'T wake up before noon? Ugh, just thinking about this place makes me hungry and upsets me.
I went here again this past weekend, and again what a great deal. I believe their prices might got even cheaper at $12.95 all you can eat after 10pm.
Also while it might be "the meat left after dinner", they did run out of the spicy pork and beef brisket, but refilled it. I thought that they wouldn't if it was true leftovers, but that was a nice touch since we left around 1am.
The sides were good with a wide variety as always. I would say the meat was average, some better than others. Spicy pork and beef brisket were way better than the bugolgi or chicken in my opinion.
Overall, decent places but I would rate it 4 stars if the service or quality of the meats improved.
3.5 stars. For my first korean bbq experience; I was really happy with it. The bbq is the main draw and that is what gets all the credit. The rest of the buffet was a bit of variety of sushi and other Asian food. It wasn't as hot (temperature) as I would've liked it to have been. One favorite was beef stuffed grilled zucchini. Yum.
For the meats, I was the biggest fan of the marinaded beef, bulgogi and spicy pork. It was a little fatty but everything had great flavor and she added extra garlic on the table grill for us too. I love garlic, so that sold me instantly. This was great for groups who don't mind sharing everything and trying something new.
Service was friendly and they treated us like family. The restaurant is huge so if you go with a group on a weeknight (like we did) you won't have any problems getting a table!
Most importantly, my friends and I saw cockroaches there.
I think this place is over-hyped; my mom could cook better food than they serve there. Their selection is very sparse and their service is horrible. The waitresses rarely come over to cook the meat or refill your drinks, and the service gets even worse if you don't speak Korean. Â Also, almost every time I've gone, they ran out of rice. There are much better Korean buffets just down the street (they also have the late night all-you-can-eat), so I would recommend going there instead.
During high school, my friends and I found Il Mee and just kept coming back. Â The food is okay; there are other places where you can get way better Korean barbecue. Â However, all-you-can-eat dinner here is only $20 plus tax and tip which includes all of the meats. Â Maybe I just haven't explored enough Korean barbecue options in the DMV, but I don't know of anywhere else that has a meat buffet. Â They have the usual animals: pork, beef (bulgogi, kalbi), chicken, and some seafood options. Â You literally can just take a plate and pile it up with raw meat. How is that not awesome? Â Some people may not think this is sanitary, but I've eaten here at least 15 times and never gotten sick.
Once you meander back to your table with your plate of meat, someone will come over to start your burner and cook the meat. Â It isn't hard to cook it yourself, though. Â For the buffet, they also have fried rice, lo mein, dumplings, egg rolls, tempura, fresh fruit, soft serve, etc. Â Just eat a ton so it's worth the money. Â They will charge you if you leave a bunch of food behind, so watch out for that. Â
While Il Mee is not the best or most authentic Korean barbecue, I still love it. Â My favorite Korean barbecue place closed probably 10 years ago, and I'm more likely to come here with my friends than anywhere else. Â If my parents are paying, then we would definitely go to a nicer place. Â Also a plus: I've never had to wait for a table here.
Really didn't like the food when I came here last night with a big group. The bbq meats were mediocre at best, and buffet options were rather limited. One big highlight goes to the buttery mussels, which were quite delicious. We were seated one flight of stairs down from the main level and nowhere near the doors, but the temperature was uncomfortably low. Some people had to hover their hands above the grill because it was really cold, and we couldn't take off our jackets.
Furthermore, $25+ ($23.95 for the dinner buffet on a Friday plus tax) was way too much for what you get, especially considering the location (this is NOT DC!). It was my friend's birthday and she got a small cake with chocolate frosting, a glass of red wine, and a dinner gift certificate for one person. Seems like Il Mee is pretty generous when treating their customers on their birthdays!
Finally, I wish they had sauces on the table for dipping the meats. They were quite bland, and tasted a bit stale. Perhaps the owner should consider using fresher meats (especially for the prices they're charging).
Overall: more like a 2.5 (I'm wavering between a two and three star review).
I've lived in this area for many years, been to Annandale countless times, HEARD about Il Mee for forever, and just now finally tried it. I'm guaranteeing it was the way it was hyped up to me for all these years, but I have to say Il Mee is waaaay overrated.
We came on a weekday evening. The first thing I noticed was the interior. Il Mee could really use a facelift, as it is incredibly dingy and run-down. The food at the buffet looked really sad, but I went ahead and gave it a shot. Unfortunately, the food that I happened to try was all lukewarm or cold, like it had been sitting out for awhile. I tried a few things, but it isn't worth it to list out. I was also a little bummed about the sushi. They didn't have labels to let you know what type of sushi it was, which is really silly for a buffet. Since I am only able to eat certain things and I really didn't want to take a gamble, I had to skip the sushi. Honestly, I'd just skip any other part of the buffet other than the meats anyway.
The meat was just great (and frankly, the only redeeming bit of the evening). Who doesn't love all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ!? The samkyupsal (pork belly) was delicious. Plus the staff did cook our meat for us, which was nice.
I may return to Il Mee again, but not anytime soon.
Can we just set something straight here? This is a KOREAN establishment. That being said, I'm really surprised by the number of reviewers who were surprised at the lack-luster sushi/sashimi. I don't go into Ruth's Chris and expect amazing seafood (although it is passable). Why anyone would pull over here and think "Hmmm...I think I'm going to have sushi tonight!" is absolutely beyond me. It's a Korean restaurant, not Makoto.
That being said, you get what you pay for. I *highly* recommend coming late at night, so you can take advantage of their late night buffet (10 PM - 2 AM). Came here Friday night, and was pleasantly surprised. Bulgogi was pretty good - not too sweet. Fatty pork was ok. Spicy pork was super, super good. I recommend taking the sliced garlic that they have and roasting it on the grill with whatever meat is on there. It gets nice and caramelized in the meat without burning. Basically, all of the meat (I didn't have the chicken - too bland) we had was pretty good. Nothing wildly amazing, but I feel like the main part of eating here is the experience. There's something primal about cooking your food at your table, in front of you. The banchan was pretty good - it was limited, given the hour that we were eating, but good! I've had better kimchi, but I've certainly had worse too.
The only thing that kept this place from 4 stars was the service. I realize that I came late (11:30 PM), but the place was lively. We were seated, and then never saw a waitress/busboy again (until the meat went on the grill - see below). We had to ask for boricha 4 separate times, simply because whoever we would ask would forget.
Also, if the servers think that you don't know what you're doing (which basically means if you're not Korean), they will meddle with your food with tongs that they used at other tables. They'll flip it, cut it, and serve it to you. This is unnecessary and in my opinion, a bit unsanitary. It's not hard to cook the meat by yourself, and serve it to yourself. I wish I could make this clear to them. I saw them leaving other diners (Korean) alone, while constantly messing with our/other's food (non-Korean). Kind of annoying.
***KEEP IN MIND - THEY CHARGE YOUR PARTY FOR UNUSED/WASTED MEAT/FOOD. DON'T TAKE HEAPING PORTIONS - TAKE LITTLE ONES, AND THEN GO BACK IF YOU WANT MORE TO AVOID BEING CHARGED***
Basically, a pretty good all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ buffet. Just don't expect good sushi.
it's not too shabby for an AYCE KBBQ with various hot dishes, banchan, Korean-style sushi rolls, and dessert. the variety of foods (not just the grilled meats and squid) is pretty great. There's the various rices (purple rice, regular rice & pumpkin porridge), rice cakes, fried fish, tempura shrimp, pajung, eggy frittered zucchini, to even honeyed sweet potatoes (my favorite!!). The buffet tables here are pretty clean.
We didn't have to cook our own meats, as I guess the staff just assumed we couldn't and took over the cooking for us. As a result, that left us more time to talk and eat everything else available here. Â The meats here aren't top shelf, but it's not too shabby and it's eat as much as you can stuff your face. So can't really complain too much. Â
I probably shouldn't have eaten lunch prior to coming here for dinner... but, I'll be more prepped for the next time!
First let me clarify something to the 1 and 2 star reviews...
People; Sushi is Japanese not Korean!!! Do not expect bomb sushi at a Korean BBQ buffet That's like going to a steakhouse and bitching about the croutons at the salad bar.
We came here late on night because I was famished after my flight.
The late night buffet was a steal at $12.95. The spread was pretty limited but you had the essentials:
kim chee
bean sprouts
Bulgogi
Spicy Pork
Fatty Korean Bacon
Purple rice
I was pleasantly surprised that they had all of the accouterments that you would expect at a Korean BBQ back in the motherland that I honestly didn't expect to see especially at a midnight buffet.
Salt and Sesame Oil
Spicy Miso
Garlic
Lettuce
At midnight its just enough of what you need at the right price.
I love korean bbq so the idea of unlimited korean bbq makes my taste buds tingle. This place is probably the first krn bbq buffet I been to and I can tell you that I probably never left disappointed. Well maybe I lied, I do get disappointed when I go here and I don't have enough of an appetite to eat everything that I want. There's regular korean dishes, sushi/sashimi, all types of raw meat and seafood, and I always end my meal with the rice drink. Â I didn't give it 5 stars because in the end a korean buffet is like most other korean buffets. Nothing really stands out about this place. Â
Like others have mentioned before me, after 10pm they do meat buffet only for a much cheaper price. I forgot how much but this place is also a great place for a late night meal.
I had a great time finally visiting Il Mee last night! We got there shortly after 10, so they still had some of their regular dinner items out. From what I could see, their dinner buffet looks pretty amazing.
Because the last time I had AYCE KBBQ we had to fight for our food, I rushed at the buffet and just grabbed a bunch of samgyupsul (pork belly) and then I got a bunch of lettuce and banchan things. I later realized there was no need for rush because we were among the first late night patrons. Oh, okay then. XD
We grabbed what was left of the dinner items, and I thought that it was okay. (I mostly had a lot of teriyaki chicken, and it wasn't my favorite.) I also grabbed some spicy vegetable soup, which was fine.
There was a lot of meat at our table... I remember being really panicky, so I grabbed a LOT of ssamjang and sesame oil, not realizing that other people at my table had also gotten some. 'sall good! The service here was better than my trip to Heebeen, but Heebeen only had Boxer working that evening. (If you like Starcraft, you KNOW who Boxer is. He looks like him. XD) The waitress would come by every now and then to turn and cut our meat for us, which was quite nice.
The food was very very tasty. Banchan items were yummy and the meat was really good also. They had chicken, which always perplexes me when I go to KBBQ because... chicken isn't really regular fare from what I see. I'm not used to it at all, and didn't really care much for it. But the bulgogi and the samgyupsul and the spicy pork and everything was pretty fantastic. I had so much food and left with a satisfying food baby. I had some vanilla ice cream, but it had gotten to really be more of a vanilla milkshake. Still tasty though!
All in all, I'm glad I finally go to visit Il Mee! A lot of people told me not to have really high expectations for the place, and I didn't, so I really enjoyed myself here. Of course, I am always pleasantly surprised by how nice Annandale waitstaff is compared to my cranky ladies at Shin Chon.
One star is being generous......
Went here a few days ago for lunch. I'm not a big fan of Korean Buffets to begin with but this one was just awful. The meat was sort of rough and not very good, I could tell it was very poor quality beef. Additionally, I didn't think the way they were storing it in the buffet was very sanitary. I saw some people returning their uncooked beef to the buffet and the staff didn't seem to mind - yuck.
Their other items were less than desirable too. The sushi and sashimi were both awful. For the price I really expected more. No thanks, I won't be back.
Steer clear of this one folks!
This review is exclusively for the bathrooms at Ilmee at its Annandale location. Â
I am a big believer that if the bathroom of a restaurant is decent, the kitchen of the restaurant is also decent in terms of sanitary conditions. Â I stand by my words - my culinary experiences albeit shorter and less in-depth than others have proven me that restaurants that keep their bathrooms clean and tidy have higher senses of customer service and usually (not always) produce decent offerings.
When I walked into Ilmee this past Sunday, I unfortunately had to take a potty break. Â Isn't it funny - I had a feeling that Ilmee wouldn't have the world class bathroom. Â When I walked in, the expectations were beyond belief.
- Clogged toilet
- Lack of toilet paper
- Malfunctioning faucet
- No soap
- Wet floor
- Trash cans over capacity
The worst possible bathroom condition ever. Â I assume that the servers and the cooks and the cook helpers do not have special bathrooms that they use that differ widely in sanitary conditions. Â
Would you like to eat here ever again? Â
I've filed my formal complaint with the Fairfax County Health Department. Â We shall see what comes out of it.
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