We were in town for my high school reunion and came across Sizzlin Gogi, thanks to Yelp! Â It is awesome! We popped in for a late lunch and although we're very adventurous eaters, we'd never been to Korean BBQ. Â The restaurant is in the old Baker's Square location and it has not changed from the outside. but when you walk in, it's hugely improved. I honestly couldn't believe I was in Santa Maria. The interior feels super urban and edgy. Each table has it's own grill and hood and they have a glass wine room. they must have spent some dough on that renovation!
Our server, Robert (I think!!), was super sweet and advised and educated us. As per his recommendation, we did the 'all you can eat' lunch. I typically stay away from that type of food lot ordering but Robert said it was the best way to taste a variety of items. We let him choose for us and we truly enjoyed everything but the ribeye and short ribs were our faves. The overall experience was fantastic. Awesome to see diversity in my home town. Highly recommend! :)
Go with friends, drink a lot of soju, and eat some of the great food.
I went in not expecting much since my last Korean BBQ experience was horrifying, but SizzlinGogi was amazingly clean with great service and even better food. Â Everything from the drinks to the meat and soups were outstanding. Â I am looking forward to visiting again!
We come here about once a month from San Luis Obispo. Â It is really good and reminds me of the nicer restaurants in MyongDong. Â The food is good and the portions are very generous. Â
We do not order the cook at the table stuff because our kids are too young to appreciate it. Â So we order off the menu. Â They have a good selection. Â It is a restaurant that makes Korean food very approachable.
After a long day at Pismo and ATV'ing, our group of 14 enjoyed the Korean BBQ all you can eat dinner in the private room. Â The place was very clean and the food was pretty descent for a non-Korean town. Â Prop to our waitress Samantha or Amanda? for being very professional, helpful and cheerful. Â We lost count of the times she walked back and forth to get us a bit of everything until we were done with our meal. Â Never seen a stress or "I'm tired of you asking for ..." attitude on her face through out dinner. Â Great job!
Review Source:I went out to Santa Maria for work, and I brought the family. We needed to find a place to eat and I yelped this place! Great find! I don't frequent Korean BBQ very often since our favorite one was in Las Vegas, but I have to honestly say this place was better! The food was incredible! The service was equally just as good, and if I'm back in the area again we will definitely make an effort to eat there again! Great find in the middle of no where, at least to us.
Review Source:Alert! Alert! Â There is an actual Korean BBQ on the Central Coast north of Santa Barbara! Â This has to be one of the swankiest restaurants in the area! Â The interior was ultra sleek and uber modern. Â The food was delicious. Â The waiters did a great job of explaining everything that was on the menu and treated us like royalty. Â We got a complimentary shot of vodka. Â And discounted pricing for mentions of Facebook or tags on Yelp - always a nice touch. Â Dress up or dress down - all are welcome. Â
I recommend you start out unspiced and go to spicy. Â We tried some non-spicy things after eating spicy and it just wasn't as good. Â You can't go wrong with the bulgogi, and I know it sounds gross, but the pork jowls were delicious. Â You also can't go wrong with the all-you-can-eat which allows you to try everything - you can get half orders. Â Since everything cooks on a grill right in front of you, you know you're going to have to shower when you get home. Â LOL. Â It's part of the experience! Â If you don't know how to use chopsticks or have an injury that makes it difficult like I do, they will bring forks or chopstick trainers. Â The only caveat is that the dubstep all the cool kids are listening to in 2013 might annoy the olds, perhaps they are a little less hip at lunch?. Â People are driving down from San Luis Obispo just to try this place. Â Oh, yes, they also proudly carry a wide variety of Central Coast wines. Â Amazing what you can do with an old Baker's square. Â Come hungry and bring friends.
My first five star rating! Â Don't second guess coming here! Superb service. Fresh food. Â Side dishes are scrumptious. Especially the fish cake! Modern decor. Â Modern music adds to the decor. All you can eat lunch for under $20 and dinner under $25. Â No cheap ingredients. Â All food was premium. Beef, chicken , pork belly . Â Order the Soju with lemon drink mix. 3 bottles for the price of 2! Korean pancakes are surprisingly tasty. Â Eat them hot as someone mentioned. Â Dipping sauces unlike any other. Salad is fresh and marinated. Â Stayed for 3 hours! Didn't even realize it. Worth every penny and then some. Can't wait to come back through town. Lol
Review Source:All you can eat kbbq in SLO area? hell yeah :D
This one is a bit of a drive if you're from SLO, since it's in santa maria. But worth it if you're really craving for some kbbq! So this review is only for their AYCE kbbq.
First off, this place is swanky! The decor was very modern and they have a huge glass wine vault right at the entrance. The waiting area was really nice with comfy seats and plenty of room.Their bathrooms were a little weird because the sinks were outside of the bathroom.
FOOD:
They do have a lunch and dinner option, with lunch being cheaper than dinner. It's about $20 for lunch and $24 for dinner and this is for the cheaper option because they have different options, if you pay more you get more. But in my opinion the cheapest option is enough to satisfy :)
It does come with Banchan! but not that much of a variety... which is a bummer. But surprisingly enough, you can get tofu soup, it comes included with the meal! It taste like one those spicy korean instant noodle soup.
I definitely love their bulgogi and beef brisket, they were my favoritee :) their bulgogi was really flavorful and tender. I tried their intestines and i thought it was too chewy and bland. Â They also have kimchee pancake too but it lacks flavor.
SERVICE:
Their service is on point. They always made sure you have everything and they change your grills so that it never gets too gross.
There are a lot of caveats due to the nature of the game, this takes the rating higher but this is important because we are lucky to have AYCE KBBQ here in Santa Maria.
First, location wise the place is in a lame spot on Broadway but hey what can you do about that? They actually did a decent job with the decor, as the place looks really nice inside (gets a bit cold) but really beautiful interior. The outside is colorful at night, definitely an eyesore IMHO but attracts interest for sure. Plenty of parking.
The service is incredible, I wouldn't say people in Santa Maria are huge KBBQ eaters and neither am I so the servers do an excellent job of breaking down what it is you are being served and how it might taste. They also have great facility with handling or not handling the grill, which is great as opposed to LA where they often just take over because you are making a fool of yourself.
Quality is excellent, I think the food is amazing and I love it. There are limitations if you're comparing the experience to some of the LA market restaurants but SG has more than enough choices for meat.
$$$ is a bit high but again, this is Santa Maria not LA. You are paying for novelty, you are paying to give something different a chance. Kudos to the people who brought Santa Maria a taste of Korean BBQ, I hope to continue to come here.
Also, great for date nights ;)
The only all Korean BBQ in the Central Coast. Compared to Korean BBQ in Restaurants in K-Town in LA it is pretty close but not quite. Make sure you get the All you can eat instead of the Combo choices which is 12 oz per person, which you think is a lot but not really. You will be craving for more after finishing it. I would recommend the rib eye, the premium beef, chicken bulgogi and the spicy chicken. They are all delicious. The decor and atmosphere is spot on. A really nice place to enjoy dinner with friends or family!
Review Source:Not too many "all you can eat" korean bbq places around San Luis Obispo, so I had to make the drive down to see what the hype was about. Â While not disappointing, there was something a bit lacking. Â The food was good; however, the service could be better. Â It seemed like they didn't embrace the idea of all you can eat and I felt like my table was being overlooked intentionally because we were about to order more food than they thought possible. Â Unsure if I got my moneys worth because by the time my second round of food came around, food from the first round had digested and I was already full. Â Definitely worth a try.
Review Source:This place was awesome the first three times we visited, right after it opened. We were busy for a few months, though, and now some of their best dishes are off the menu (the duk mandu guk was wonderful). I am guessing that many of the changes are meant to suit local tastes and prevent waste, but the meat quality has declined as the quantity has increases, the banchan were not as numerous or good, and the kimchi is now very sweet and bland.
I'm so bummed. We will give it one more try.
Just had take out from the SizzlinGogi restaurant on Broadway. This was the first time I ever had Kimchee and actually... it was pretty good! We had Bulgogi which was basically chopped and grilled steak with onions as our entrée. I would give that about a 6 where 10 is the best. I thought that the meat tasted sort of bland and more steamed than what I would think of as grilled. I think I would have preferred that the steak be cut into strips rather than chopped - that might have allowed for medium doneness rather than well done and probably would have allowed the meat to retain a more beefy flavor.  That having been said, I don't have much experience with Korean food, so perhaps this is just the way it was supposed to be cooked...
The sides I would give a 10. All very good. There was a macaroni salad that I loved. Â Most of the time when I order a mac salad it is WAY too sweet and has WAY too much mayo or mustard or both. Â This was very mild. Â Very light on the mayo so you could taste the actual pasta and the celery. Â Then there were the bean sprouts with sesame seeds. Â Again very subtle. Â Loved it. Â Marinated cucumbers, light with a little bit of spice! Â Yummy! Â The fermented cabbage was just okay. Â Not bad though! Â There were also some peanuts... Â They tasted sort of raw and just okay. Â I'm not sure that if I had to CHOOSE a side dish, that I'd bother with those.
I thought the prices were high for the area. But I would go back for the atmosphere and the unique flavors. Â Service was nice, too, but I did notice that the staff sort of does get pushy about cooking the food for you. Â While we were waiting for our takeout, I watched the waitress deliver food to a table and put ALL of it on the grill at once, not really allowing the guests to cook as they wanted to eat it, which forced them to monitor the food and eat it before it got cold. Â No one loves to be rushed through a meal, especially one that costs 20 bucks or more. Â My advice? Â Put the platter on the table and walk away, staff! Â If your only concern is turning over the table, you are losing out on an extra order or two of sides or dessert or drinks. Â Trust me. Â I won't stay if I feel rushed.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is really fun. It would be awesome for a group of friends or family. But be prepared to spend some money - it is not inexpensive.
I would recommend this place to all of my friends. Â I've read the other reviews. Â I cannot speak to how it compares to the Korean BBQ's in LA, but it is a welcome change of pace for my neck of the woods!
After hearing that there was going to be AYCE KBBQ in the Central Coast, I had to try it.
Upon entering, the first thing I noticed was their enormous glass locker filled up to the ceiling with wine. Very impressive but very odd considering the normal KBBQ atmosphere I'm more accustomed to. The rest of the interior is modern and fancy.
I ordered the AYCE Option A which included bulgolgi, beef brisket, pork belly, spicy tofu stew (wait what!?), chicken, intestines, and a few other items. The meat they gave us was really good. They were juicy and tender to the point of not forcing me to drink water after every round.
I must say that the service was amazing. Compared to other AYCE KBBQ restaurants  in Northern and Southern California I have been to, this one has to be the best. The waitresses who did the rounds constantly made sure we had fresh plates, meat and sides on the table, and I noticed that my cup of tea was never empty.
The biggest thing holding me back from giving them 5 stars is the price. Total plus a reasonable size tip amounts up to almost $30. Almost 3 times more than what I'm used to.
Overall, I had a nice experience. The food, service, and setting was better than average.
Only AYCE KBBQ on the Central Coast. It's only decent in comparison to all the other KBBQ places in LA but it's the best option if you are really craving it.
The place is really clean! There's a lot of seating and a special section for a large private party. The interior and decor are surprisingly really nice and modern looking, quite comparable to many of the LA restaurants. They also have a huge wine vault right at the entrance and a very comfortable waiting area indoors!!
They offer 3 different AYCE combos with the least expensive at $20 for lunch and $23 for dinner. This includes all that you really need: brisket, bulgogi, chicken, pork belly, kalbi(pork ribs), intenstines, abdomen, spicy tofu stew, and steamed egg soup. With $5~$10 more, the other two options offer a few different items in addition to the first combo (black tiger shrimp..)
Flavorwise, everything was able to temporarily satisfy my cravings...
-- Brisket had a smokey taste with a minimal amount of flavor =(
-- Bulgogi cooked really weird, they ended up forming into huge chunks of meatloaf but otherwise had a good amount of flavor.
-- Kalbi was also interesting looking, they brought them out in big weird blocks partially cooked?/marinated. Also very flavorful once cooked and eaten.
-- Banchan/side dishes are teeny tiny portions =( I wish they gave bigger portions at once because with any party 4+, you'd have to frequently ask them to refill them.
-- Kimchi pancake was very interesting and just okay. It had more of a fluffy pancake texture and barely any kimchi bits in it.
Service was wonderful. The servers were really friendly and VERY attentive! They refilled our drinks often without us having to ask. Also changed our grills every few rounds or so.
Not the best Korean BBQ Ive had.... but the only one on the Central Coast! It may not be the best, but it sure satisfies my craving for endless platters of meat with little sides (banchan).
As soon as you walk in, you see the décor is pretty nice with their wine on display and a comfy waiting area if you're not fortunate enough to be seated immediately. As soon as you sit down, feel free to take a look at their menu, but you cant really beat their all-you-can-eat for $22/person. If you do go with that, start picking out your meat from the menu and they'll bring it right over. This is where they get their 4th star in my rating... their service (in my 3 visits there) has been top-notch. They're attentive and will make sure you don't go hungry... they'll replace your grill with a clean one once it starts getting caked with charred fat... and they'll even offer to get the cooking started for you.
Honestly, I cant really find anything to complain about. Ive yet to be here for happy hour, though I've heard its a good deal. If you come here with the mindset of "hey, im friggen starving but I don't want to do a buffet, yet I want options and lots of food/meat" then come here! As for me, I'll come here post-workout and get my protein fix in! Don't expect the finest cuts of aged steaks and such, and you'll leave quite satisfied. And if you are satisfied with your visit, don't forget to beat the drum on your way out!
Being from LA and Korean, I'd consider myself somewhat of a KBBQ snob but I have to be a bit nice since this is probably the only KBBQ restaurant in pretty much all of Central Coast...
On that note, I probably wouldn't have come here but my friend just finished college forever so I decided to treat him out. We drove from SLO and got here around 4:30 on a Tuesday so we were pretty much the only ones in the restaurant. The street sign is really really ugly but oh well. When you walk inside, you can tell there was definitely a good amount of effort was put into decor, which I appreciated. There was also a wine vault/room on the right as soon as you walked in which was very impressive looking. We were seated very promptly and there was only one waitress working, probably because it wasn't dinner rush yet.
We ordered the Option A AYCE (all you can eat) so we got a choice of:
-Beef Brisket (Chadol)
-Marinated Thinly Sliced Beef (Bulgogi)
-Pork Belly (Samgyupsal)
-Spicy Pork Belly (Maeun Samgypsal)
-Marinated Pork Ribs (Dwaeji Galbi)
-Spicy Chicken (Maeun Dakgogi)
-Chicken Bulgogi (Dak Bulgogi)
-Large Intestine (Daechang)
-Abdomen (I don't think this is the appropriate translation but I can't think of anything better. It's some other part of the intestines.) (Makchang)
-Small Intestine (Gopchang)
-Steamed Egg (Gaeran Jjim)
-Spicy Tofu Stew (Sundubu Jjigae)
-Bean Curd Stew (Dwenjang Jjigae)
For a couple of extra bucks you could get a slightly wider variety but we weren't really feeling up to it. You get a ton of banchan/side dishes/whatever: I counted 12! They were all pretty good. They also gave us kimchi pancakes. They were really good! Just eat them before they get cold 'cause they're not really that good anymore. We wanted to try every order and we almost did except all the intestine stuff, the spicy chicken, and the bean curd stew.
The brisket, which is usually my favorite, was alright. It would come out still relatively frozen and they were pretty thin. Still good though. The bulgogi was a little bland for my taste but my mom's is just the best. :) The chicken stuff was alright but real KBBQ consumers don't get chicken! I have to say I think SizzlinGogi does the best with pork. The belly was thick and pretty good but some had a ton of cartilage which some people like, but I don't. The pork ribs were probably my favorite. The steamed egg was seasoned well. Slightly salty but not overly so. The tofu stew was okay. It wasn't really spicy and a bit watery (it's more a soup than a stew) but there was a ton of beef and tofu in it.
The service was awesome. Our waitress always made sure everything was filled. It was probably relatively easy since we were pretty much the only ones but she made conversation and stuff which was nice. When dinner rush happened, two more waitresses clocked in and were still super sweet and made sure every side dish, cup of tea, whatever was full. 20% for you guys! Admittedly, all the waitresses were white and I'm just used to ordering KBBQ in Korean so ordering in English was weird but it's Central Coast. I understand.
Overall, if this place was in LA, it probably wouldn't survive or be somewhat lower tier. It's pretty pricy (Option A is $19.95 for lunch and $22.95 for dinner) but if you check in on Yelp, you get $3 off the dinner price for a person so hopefully everyone has Yelp. Still pricy though for what I'm used to getting in the city for the relatively limited variety. However, since it's probably the only one in about a 100 mile radius, it gets some passes.
Good job SizzlinGogi. I won't be back any time soon, but I'll be back.
Best KBBQ you can get in the area.
Food: All you can eat BBQ - the food was decent, but it doesn't compare to anything you can get in K-Town.
Service: I came at an odd hour and was the only customer there with a friend. They provided us with fast service and always checked up to see if we needed refills or another round of meat.
There was a different atmosphere from most KBBQ places i've been to. Music consisted of mainly dubstep and electronica. The place was quite fancy with a clean look and nice restrooms.
The pricing was a bit high, but it's expected since Korean food is almost non-existent in the Central Coast.
In the end... it was worth the trip!
I came here last month with a friend and boy do we love or Kbbq. We opted for the A AYCE option knowing full well that as girls, there was no way we were going to get our money's worth. We wanted to try a variety of things, so AYCE it was!
I want to start by saying that we came during late lunch so it wasn't terribly busy. We waited a minute or two before being seated. Service was friendly and attentive. We were first greeted with a large variety of side dishes. I've never seen a kbqq restaurant serve so many before! Even the best kbbq restaurants in KTown don't serve as many. The kim chi didn't really stand out to me, which was a shame, but it was nice to have a large variety of things to snack on while waiting. We tried the following:
Beef Brisket: Pretty standard. Meat quality was okay. Some pieces were just straight up fat.
Bulgogi: Definitely the highlight meat. Well marinated and flavorful.
Marinated Pork Ribs: There weren't actually any ribs - just large cuts of pork. It was good, but I prefer beef galbi.
Steamed Egg: Lacked flavor - kind of tasted like they just added water to the egg and didn't season it at all.
Although on the pricier side, considering my options in Santa Barbara, I'd come back to SizzlinGogi - it sure beats iGrill in SB and isn't nearly as far as k-town. A-ok for Santa Maria and if you're craving kbbq. I think next time I'll order a-la carte and just get bulgogi ;)
Went here earlier today for lunch. Â I love korean bbq and drove from SLO just to try this place. Â Pretty standard format--a grill at the table, you pick your protein, and cook the food yourself. Â
Food:
I am a bit of a Kbbq snob and I grew up eating at some of the best places in the Bay Area. Â I found the meats under flavored. Â I did enjoy the spicy pork belly and bulgogi. Â I also liked the banchan (small side dishes) selection. Â I ordered the soondoboo as well and found that it was not spicy enough for me.
Service and overall experience:
The servers are attentive and checked on my table often. Â I didn't like being told that I should finish all of my meat first before we ordered more. Â The reason that this bothered me is because I want my meat to start cooking while I am eating it. Â I don't really want to finish all of the meat then wait another 10 minutes for it to cook on the grill. Â I understand they don't want to waste food but it irked me quite a bit to be reminded twice by two different servers. Â It is an "all you can eat", the restaurant should assume the customers came ready to eat.. a lot.
I would recommend going here if you have never had kbbq.
What an EXPERIENCE! We went to the hip new eatery with a group of friend and were there for Three Hours!
You have such a great time cooking your own food on the grill at your table and enjoying all of the different dipping sauces they provide.  What they say feeds two will  really food four.
Enjoy this place for a special occasion or date night. This is something you probably wouldnt find in Santa Maria. Glad they brought this new experience to our area!
Wife and I brought our (almost) 3 year old son and were really taken back by modern vibe and upscale feel for the place. Â We felt slightly under-dressed and unprepared but noticed that the general feel of the Gogi was a broad spectrum of folks, young and old; suited up and casual. Â It was intimate but a fun, light hearted experience that's supported by a very welcoming cast of servers and hosts/hostesses. Â
We ordered the all you can eat (B) menu which encompasses a total of 17 meats/stews to choose from (A-13, B, 4). Â My wife shy's away from the more 'exotic' types of things so we kept it fairly streamline with the "Marinated Thinly Sliced Beef" and "Rib Eye" but also had the Premium cut beef, Brisket, marinated chicken bulgogi, and spicy soft tofu stew. Â Rib eye and marinated beef were two of our favorites but taste is subjective so take it for what you will!
Items I hope to try ASAP would have to be the pork belly - spicy and non spicy, short ribs, marinated and not marinated and of course, black tiger shrimp. Â
Highly recommend this place. Â Very impressed.
Seriously Folks????
I am reading these reviews and know that these folks have NOT been to a real Korean BBQ ... This place is a 10 on a scale of 100.
I live in Santa Maria and I am always excited about a new place. We went the first week this opened up for business and it was mediocre at Extremely HIGH prices ...
So now after months n business they started running all you can eat specials because there was no one dining here ... Parking lot was always empty.
So the all you can eat is now only a little overpriced but it is not all you can eat as it turns out ... they slow the service down so badly that you finally get up and leave .... stop by Taco Bell to grab a couple tacos to fill you up on the way home.
They have now had my two strikes I'll not ever go back ...
It's shame because I LOVE Korean BBQ ... so I will wait for trips to LA to eat the real thing .... for 1/3 the price ....
My friend introduced me to this restaurant a few months ago, and I am glad he did, it's a great place to eat!
Both times I've eaten here, I ordered the all-you-can-eat special; where you get to choose your meat and get a variety of exciting side dishes. I only eat chicken, and I've enjoyed the Spicy Chicken and Chicken Bolgogi. They are both delicious meats! The side dishes are exciting and unique, which allows you to broaden your food horizons. Sadly, I never remember the names of side dishes I like best, but there are more than a few on my favorite list!
One of the big draws to enjoying a meal here is being able to cook your meat on the tables built in grill! Every table has a small grill that you use to grill up your chosen meat entrees, which puts a new twist on eating out! The atmosphere of the restaurant is unique as its food; the décor is modern, and the music is interesting (not really my genre). The service is excellent; one of the waitresses (Sarah) that recently served us was very friendly and prompt in helping us, which is always a plus! She explained all the dishes well (despite my frequent questions). Â
For a fun, and memorable night out, I'd recommend visiting SizzlinGogi!
I feel like I'm becoming a regular here lol I came in just a few days ago and the service was excellent. I think partly because some of my friends knew them and they were able to interact with us more than just customer & server and treated us like their friends. Even if that wasn't the case, they paid close attention to our needs.
This time around my friends and I had gotten course B with a few more selection and higher quality of meats. Everything was DELICIOUS. We started getting the hang of how to order/when to ask and as long as you  know exactly what you want ahead of time right when your current meat is near done, they'll start bringing what you ask for. They keep a menu of the meats at the table but you have to make sure to have it handy to know what your next plate will be.
You basically just need to know what you want and they'll give it to you. With that said, though, DO NOT forget to tip. We had those poor girls coming back and forth from our table to the back getting everything we asked for.. from different meats, different side dishes, more rice, filling up our beverages, etc. Plus, these ladies that were helping us were very knowledgeable of the meats, which ones need to be cooked a bit more, flavors, etc. I described a side dish as "the noodly like, somewhat sweet, cucumber, salad thing" and she knew EXACTLY what I was talking about lol I wish I had remembered their names because they both gave great service.
Flavor of everything is wonderful! There are some cuts of meat that require some sort of dipping sauce but the sauces are just icing on a cake. The Spicy Tofu Soup is DELICIOUS! It's big chunks of firm tofu with bits of meat in it and with the right amout of chili powder. The Bean Curd Soup is a bit an acquire tastes. The bean is fermented so it reminds me of "Bagoong" a Filipino fermeneted fish sauce lol The also bring in this pancake/tofu/cheese item, which I really enjoy. They might have different side dishes on certain days but they're good to have to cleanse your palette after eating a bunch of meat. There's a variety of side dishes, so don't be afraid to try them all.
They tend to bring the brisket first because it's light and it's the fastest to cook. It doesn't have much flavor on its own but if you don't know what you want or can't wait to start eating, the brisket is a good choice. The short ribs are my favorite. Part of the meat is still on the bone, which gives it a little more flavor. Then the spicey pork belly! We also tried pork jowel (jaw) and it was surprisingly good. Not too much flavor but it was more delicate and not chewy or fatty. We also tried the intestine. They precook this, so it doesn't have to stay on the grill too long. They also add green onions to it to make it more aesthetically pleasing. I'm a textural picky person, so it wasn't my favorite but I was surprised that it wasn't bad at all.
Then there's dessert! They offer vanilla, plum wine, and red bean ice cream. Plum wine is a sweet floral like tastes and red bean is not as sweet but I can eat it all day everyday, even after loads of meat! The price is pricier than what I'm use to but when you think about it, the way we eat, we get our money's worth lol
This restaurant is the B.O.M.B.
Korean BBQ is generally delicious so in order for them to stand out it depends on (but not limited to): the quality and cuts of meat used, the price, options, sauce, and if you can remember what the food tasted like afterwards (because most of the time we just say it tasted, you know, like Korean BBQ), and lastly, ambiance!
QUALITY OF MEATS - excellent. We started with the brisket and then moved on to the pork belly, where the fat just simmered and became almost like the fat on bacon: crunchy. That's just fabulous because there is nothing grosser than flabby fat that does NOT melt in your mouth. The brisket was also think and very flavorful. Spicy chicken bulgogi was a little reminiscent of teriyaki, but because you get so many options, you can't really complain. And teriyaki is not bad at all. Short ribs were FREAKING awesome. My husband's mouth freaked out. Not chewy, tender pieces of meat that came off the bone rather easily.
PRICE - at first I thought it was kind of spendy but as the delicious dishes started coming out of the kitchen I realized it was really well worth it! The customer service is SUPERIOR Â - there were 2 people waiting on us and both were extremely non intrusive yet attentive.
OPTIONS - way more than your belly will ever need, with a variety of meat even for the Option number 1. There is beef, pork, chicken, some internal stuff I don't personally eat, and 2 types of soup. BY THE WAY, the spicy soup still leaves me drooling.
SAUCE - the dipping sauce is light, slightly tart, and just sweet enough. I liked how they gave us a small portion so we didn't go overboard dipping everything. This way, I can still remember the taste of the meat afterwards, which is what's really important.
AMBIANCE - fancy! Normally Korean BBQ joints are very fancy looking, but you have to admit it's kind of expensive, so eating in a nice looking restaurant helps justify the cost. The wine cellar is crazy - it reminds of me Purple in downtown Seattle, where it's encased in glass and hold hundreds (if not thousands) of bottles of wine.
BOTTOM LINE - If you live in Santa Maria, you must go there. Just look at the reviews! We DIDN'T and we're so glad we went!
Just finished our second dinner here since they've opened. We had our first dinner here the second week they were open. Both times we left full and happy. While there were a few growing pains during our first visit the food was great and the service was attentive and nice. Our first meal was close to $100 for 2. While I wasn't expecting that after eating at a few Korean BBQ places in Southern California with much lower prices I still wasn't too upset with the cost. They gave us tons of interesting food and nice cuts of meat.
With the addition of the all-you-can-eat menu they have made the menu a lot more reasonable than with just the dinners alone. We came out just as happy for $60. I think that was a great move for this place. It changed it from a restaurant I can enjoy once or twice a year to the kind of place I can justify on any date night.
They obviously spent a lot of time and money on the update of the place. They took a restaurant that was in dire need of love and turned it into a classy, fun place to go. This effort alone is at least worth rewarding with a stop to try their place. Along with the good food and nice people running the show it might just turn into a place you visit regularly.
It's always nice to have additional diversity in SM.
I'll cut to the chase. This place is on point. AYCE. Check. Soju. Check. Hite. Check. Game over.
Peter, the manager is great and very friendly. Robert who most served our table of 13, was on point and it's refreshing to see a young guy like him being on top of his game!
Good job, I'll be back. No need for me to roll all the way to K-Town anymore!
Had our office Christmas lunch here. Â We were warmly received. Â On arrival, I noted the expansive glass encased wine vault. Â A very attractive waiting area. Â We were placed in a semi private area with 5 table sets for 4to 6 diners. Â Each table set had a flush BBQ on a granite surface. Â We ordered the 19.95 all you can eat. Â We choose the brisket, spicy chicken and pork strip (thick bacon). Â Other of our tables made other choices or ordered more meats. Â Around the grill, 10 small dishes with sides and each diner had a sauces plate and steamed rice. Â the sauces and condiments were replenished. Â
The choice of three meats for four people offered a lot of food. Â We couldn't eat it all. Â But somehow the others at my table enjoyed a choice of green tea, wine berry or red bean ice cream.
We all enjoyed the food, service and atmosphere. Â I am telling all my friends that we now have a great new addition to the variety of restaurants in our area. Â I rate this a repeat and a winner.
Nothing fancy about this place other than being clean and big. If you have eaten to a korean bbq place elsewhere you will know what I am talking about.
Their "All you can eat" selections are subpar, limited but good. You can only have one meat at a time, at least that's what had happened to us. Between  my wife and I, we had 6 sets of meat, 1 bulgogi, 2 spicy pork, 3 brisket and the banchan. We could have  more but what happened was after our 2nd set all of a sudden they changed our grill, nothing wrong with it because I am not a first timer. Do you know how long does it take for the new grill to warm up, at least. Nice old trick btw.
We were on our 5th set of meat and we  know that they know our meat is almost gone, it is damn obvious as they walked pass by you, and our grill is empty. No one even asked if we want more meat, and by the time we are out of meat they were nowhere to be found. Literally after 5 minutes you will see them starting to appear. So my wife asked for 1 more set of  meat, we could have more but I was disappointed already. It takes awhile to cook you know. Nothing wrong with asking unless you wanted to save those meat = $$. We were not fully satisfied at all. Also, if  you order for the next same set you will notice that the amount is less.
So, if you are a big eater like us, be ready for it. Have a plan, tell them what you want on your next set at a certain time until you stop asking for it, at least that's what I would do when we come to this place again.
I recommend this place if you are craving for it, they are the only one we have in Santa Barbara County, otherwise drive to LA.
I had never eaten at a Korean barbecue restaurant before, so we decided to give this a try when they first opened. Â All I can say is come hungry! Â We started out with drinks; I got one of the soju cocktails and my fiance got a Hite (which, by the way, is his new favorite Asian beer).
We got the combo with brisket, short ribs, and chicken. Â All of the sides and sauces were delicious! Â I wasn't sure what to make of the kimchi, but I was willing to try it. Â We opted to get the bibimbap instead of plain rice. Â What a treat that was! Â I could have been satisfied with eating that as a meal. Â We were there at the restaurant for quite some time (almost 2 hours), but everything was so great we didn't mind. Â Our waitress was awesome, the owner came by our table to chat with us, the decor is beautiful... We love this place.
Now that they have a lunch menu, I have been trying to talk my co-workers into going there. Â It's a little bit more expensive than some of our other lunch options, but I would rather go here than some of our other regular weekday spots.
I REALLY REALLY REALLY LIKE THIS PLACE
I visited my friend in SLO and we decided (along with her Chinese club friends) to check out this new Korean BBQ place. I was super stoked- I haven't had all you can eat Korean BBQ in a SUPER long time... I was in need of some well marinated, thinly sliced pieces of meat :D
The ambiance is super nice here. You walk in and on your right, you see this little closet where they keep a million bottles of wine! That must be what alcoholic heaven is like :D The place is really well ventilated, too. And I like that they have a nice waiting area for people!
The service was really great (I seriously can't stress how great it was, they were super friendly and fast), the food was GREAT, and god everything just kind of rocked. We ordered the brisket, bulgogi, pork kalbi, chicken, and large intestine. Honestly, I enjoyed everything. I've never had intestine before, and I can't say I'm the biggest fan, but I am glad I tried it :D (about ten hours after I ate it, I joked to my friend that I had intestine in my intestines!!).
A couple Chinese club members and I ordered martinis, and they were super good :) I got a pomegranate soju martini. AWESOMEEEE
I want to come back here forever!!! I'll put on 40 lbs a week, but it'll be worth it!!
FINALLY a great Korean place in town! Â This place has only been open for a few months but it's already a huge hit. Â The bibimbap is SO DELICIOUS! Â
We also had a lot of fun w/ the grill. Â The banchan was good but I'd love to see some spinach added. Â Their japchae was good too, although I tend to prefer that as a cold side dish. Â That's just me, tho. Â They talked me into the steamed egg and it was very nice.
I've eaten at Korean grills before where the price is very high for the small amount of food you get. Â That's not the case here so be careful not to order too much. Â You get a lot for the price!
The decor is absolutely beautiful and chic. Â The service has always been great. Â Really, a wonderful dining experience.
I've eaten here many times since it's been opened and I have complaints about NOTHING. The servers are helpful, friendly & knowledgeable in their recommendations, the food is amazing, and the atmosphere is incredible.
I've eaten the L.A. Galbi short ribs entree, the Nakji Dolsot Bibimbap ( which is spicy calamari on top of a hot stone bowl full of cabbage, Korean mint leaves and rice) yumm, Yukgaejang ( a spicy beef and leek soup) (also known as a great hang over soup!) double yumm :) . Cooking on the grill at the center of your table is fun experience, you get to cook what meat you want how you want it. With all of the banchans the mixture of all of the food is incredible. All of their appetizers are hand made and delicious, AND last but not least you cannot go wrong with a bottle of SOJU to share with friends or family. If you want something a little more mellow, the Plum Soju Cocktail is heavenly :) Â
This place is awesome for all ages for date night, birthdays, a night out with friends, or even if you want to stop by for lunch. You can't get this well rounded experience with Korean food anywhere nearby, so I definitely recommend taking advantage of this great restaurant.
First impressions: The place is clean and the hostess is very friendly... well, as friendly as a Korean BBQ gets to a party of 1 I suppose.
My server (Cheyanne) arrived promptly and was also very friendly; and instead of assuming that the "white guy" didn't know what he was doing, she politely asked and then left me to my own devices. I ordered, she brought me my food with a smile. Perfect 5 stars for her. (and a 25% tip). My next impression was that the combos looked great. Just about the time I settled on a Combo 3, i read that there is a minimum of 2 people to order combos. I was not pleased at that point. But, life goes on and I picked other dishes instead.
I enjoyed my Dak Kkochi very much. It was cooked perfectly: tender, juicy, just the right amount of spices and meat-to-veggie ratio. 5 stars for it.
My "sizzling bulgogi" arrives soon after. (I can't help it, if they name a restaraunt after a dish that is on their menu, why wouldn't I try it?). My server leaves the tray of deliciously seasoned meats and vegetables while another server sets my Banchan down and begins the condescending "white guy" talk about them until my wonderful server shush'ed her. Can Cheyanne get a sixth star?
No sooner do I pick up the tongs than I am bum-rushed by the manager who promptly snatches them from my hand and begins futzing with my food, adjusting the grill, etc. GRRRRR. I hate it when people are rude and racist (obviously a white guy doesn't know ANYTHING about Korean BBQ and will just screw it up, right?). A couple minutes later, I again pick up the tongs to turn the meats and am bum-rushed again in the same rude manner by the manager who again snatches the tongs and takes the fun out of my meal... Overbearing much? I thought about standing up and walking out at this point.
So, I bet you're wondering... "How was the food?"
Well, that was a mixed bag.
The sizzling bulgogi itself was wonderful.
Some of the banchan was good. Notably the fried tofu and soybean dip.
Some of it was terrible. The kimchi tasted like rotting cabbage (I know, I know... that's the point, right? Well... there's kimchi... and then there's rotten cabbage covered in tabasco...).
Ratings:
The food - 4.0/5.0 (bad kimchi at a korean bbq is just plain wrong)
The atmosphere - 5.0/5.0 (well lit grills, aesthetics are great and very clean)
The server "Cheyanne W" - 6.0/5.0 (thank you for some wonderful service)
The 'manager' - Â -5.0/5.0 (you aren't that good at cooking the food and you're pretty much a dick overall)
The price - A little high for Korean bbq... $32.33 plus tip for a single meal. $3 for an iced tea! Yowza   3.0/5.0
Overall, I liked the place. If I could be spared the "white-guy" treatment by management, i would definitely go back. I don't think that's possible after reading other Yelpers' reviews though.
SO, because of the manager, 3.0/5.0. Sad that such a nice meal had to be ruined by such a rude person. :(
Run down:
Atmosphere was great! Meat was very good. Â Kimchi pancakes were dry, slightly overcooked. Â Bibimbap and soft tofu soup seemed lacking (perhaps in true authenticity and spice). Â Egg appetizer was good. Â Banchan (several small appetizer-like dishes) could use work--I would have preferred radish or cucumber kimchi instead of broccoli sprinkled with tofu. Â
Service was attentive, but one other reviewer mentioned "overbearing". I agree as the manager tried to do a bit too much for us (adjusting our grill heat) while we stated we were already familiar with the process.
I'd go back for the meat and give this new place another try. Â They are my only KBBQ fix in miles.
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