K-Town Korean BBQ

My first korean bbq experience. Service was quick and friendly. Our server checked with us several times to see if we were happy. We had the $ 24.99/person All you can eat bbq. Generous portions. We ordered meat twice. Would love to have taken home our leftover meat, but I get it. It was a fun experience for a beginner! Meat was tasty and fresh. No escaping that smoke from the grill though. I would go back for sure!

Good all you can eat Korean bbq. I found the portion sizes to be a little weird. I went once with one friend and once with a group. Of four and we were limited to the same amount of meat each time we ordered, which I thought was strange. I liked the pineapple and miso pork belly. Service was just ok.

Almost Korean food. Sure you get full. The sides where ok and kept coming when you ask. But if anyone knows Korean food well this place misses the flavor. The worst was all the people waiting for a table where standing at my table watching my party eating and pointing. WTF? Skip this unless you you just want to pig out. Almost K Town food missed it by a mile.

Finally I got to try this place after months of hearing about it. I came for lunch on President’s day. All the low ratings seem to bash the service but my experience was neutral. We were properly greeted and the restaurant was 75% full when I got there. Had to wait about 10 minutes to get seated and service was fairly prompt. This place got packed fast and service was good considering. I think they can use an extra server or two but we didn’t have to wait very long for service and food. My water was continuously filled.
I decided on the $ 20 AYCE selection since the only difference is $ 5 more for kalbi. You still get a very good selection of protein and veggies and there wasn’t anything I was disappointed about. The side dishes are slightly better in quality than a lot of other places around town and the also have small selection of beer and soju. The meat quality and marinade are good and they keep an eye on your grill to change it out when it’s caked with carbon.
In summary, $ 20 gets you a great, fresh, quality, fulfilling meal with tons of variety in less time than you’d spend at a place where you pay more and walk away feeling hungry or just unsatisfied. Only drawback is the food induced coma (or other sickness) you feel after a gluttonous event.

So those comparing this place to LA’s Korean BBQ, uhhh… it’s not LA and what you’re comparing $ 30 to their $ 20 isn’t the same (as well as different quality of cuts and options)…
So now that that awkward moment has passed.
I come here about twice a month since it’s been open… Seth takes great care of me and Chris the owner always stops by to say hello.
The $ 20 selection is great for the AYCE and if you know how to cook the meats you’re golden, and if not, just ask the servers, they’ll help you out. Yes music is typically loud with Kpop but its what do you expect? Some lightly played orchestra music? Yall came in with sweat pants and a Tshirt you pulled out the dirty clothes hamper, don’t expect a fine dining experience with a romantic setting here. Get some pineapple soju and enjoy good food with entertaining kpop dancing and crazy hairstyles.
Service:
They do what they can, especially with it being new and people not really knowing how Korean BBQ AYCE work, they have to spend extra time answering questions and explaining their menu… if it’s your 1^st time going to check it out, try going Mon-​Thursday and not on the weekend when its packed. Otherwise service for me has always been great, greeted with a friendly smile from the staff, they’re typically on top of orders and get the job done.
Yes it would be awesome if they had lettuce for wraps and a few more sauce choices but even without those I still enjoy coming here. ENJOY!

Omg we are in love. Great quick service. Excellent quality. My hubby says «give them all the stars!» if you are into Korean BBQ protein happiness — come here!!!

Before I unleash the harshly honest review that this establishment deserves, I will say that the side dishes had above average quality for a KBBQ place.
The customer service here is one of the WORST I have ever received.
Our waiter was a tall slim (hispanic?) young man with edgy hair and earrings. In order to maintain any kind of success as a restaurant, I would recommend placing him elsewhere where he does not serve customers.
–I ordered from the vegetarian menu. I asked him what an item was (that was more than half of the menu) and he didn’t know what it was. He showed no initiative to ask until after almost a minute of awkward silence did I ask him to go find out. Then he comes back and tells me that those items are not available. (half the vegetarian menu, I’ll have you).
–One of my items was an order of tomatoes. The tomatoes never showed up. About 10 minutes later, I asked him what happened. He said «oh well we ran out». Never did he apologize for never mentioning to me that half of my order would not be showing up.
–The rest of our party ordered chicken. He brought pork instead. Never noticed his mistake. Never apologized.
–While replacing the grill tray, he lit the flames were they burst up from the grill and almost scorched my boyfriend’s sleeve. Again, no apology. No remorse.
–On top of ALL of this, he had a very bad attitude and was annoyed every time we politely (although very annoyed with him) asked for something.
This place was decently clean. They have a «club-​esque» atmosphere with Kpop music videos playing in the background (standard). I ordered pineapples and they were the worst pineapples I’ve ever had. They were so ripe that they could almost not be bitten through. They also didn’t provide rice papers — (is this common in Portland?). The meat quality was good according to the rest of our group. However, food just doesn’t taste good when you’re being treated like scum.
I would never return here.
If this establishment was in a more prominently Asian area, they would be out of business faster than you can blink.

Very loud Korean (c)rap music blaring, terrible service and expensive.
The food was ok at best
I would not come back

3.5 stars
So after hearing both good and bad reviews for this place from friends and family, I decided to finally venture out and check out this joint, yo! I went with two friends and yes, everyone at the table had to select the same AYCE (All You Can Eat) option. $ 20 gets you the Korean BBQ basics like short ribs, thinly sliced beef, teriyaki chicken, etc. $ 25 gets you the basics plus a few other goodies like three layered pork belly and intestines (I don’t eat that stuff but there’s that option for all you intestine fiends!). $ 30 gets you basics, extra protein goodies plus seafood. We all decided to opt for the $ 25 deal to see how things would go. Each deal also comes with vegetarian options like eggplant kalbi (try it), oyster mushrooms, rice cakes, etc.
Each time the waiter comes to the table to take a new order, you can select up to four options. You finish the four options (or nearly finish) and the waiter pops up again to see what you want for you next four options. We got away with selecting four proteins and a couple vegetarian options at a time because we were finishing the portions so quickly (portions are average but we were fast grillers AND eaters nomnomnom!).
Aside from the protein and veggie options, your table comes equipped with about six Korean side dishes (kimchee, stir fried bean sprouts, fishcakes, etc.). There is also a large bowl of fresh salad greens to share in case you feel like all the meat is turning you and your friends into a full time carnivores. The refills as well as the rice, is free. But come on, let’s be smart here; rice fills you up quickly so your focus is better set on eating as much protein as you can.
Service can be slow when it’s crowded but I felt like our waiter was doing the best he can. There also came a point where he started taking our «refill» orders without a notepad and did so for a couple other tables — we found his memory to be amazing.
The owner, Chris came out to switch our grill pan towards the end (you get a two hour limit), which was really nice of him. He explained that he wanted to bring some LA vibes to Portland with the Korean BBQ idea and we told him that he certainly delivered.
The food itself wasn’t amazing but it was okay. The marinade that they used made us VERY thirsty — I think we went through 4 – 5 pitchers of their tap water. Overall, it’s a good place in a very unlikely location.

Great selection of meats and vegetables to grill. Korean BBQ was sorely missed in the PDX area until now. Miss the BBQ from nor Cal and Hawaii.
Missing lettuce for wraps and need more sauces. No issues with changing grill plates multiple times.
Great atmosphere and lighting.

At the restaurant as I’m typing this review. So far I’m a big fan however the service is pretty slow, the meats are great and the ambiance provides an interesting feel. So far it’s great!

Went in at 5:30 on a Sunday with a party of 8. Glad we got there early after reading past reviews, the place got to be packed! We went for the $ 24.99 AYCE and 2 orders of potstickers. Best meat choices were short ribs, boneless short ribs and the spicy pork! We actually ordered the spicy pork all 3 rounds of meat. Chicken was meh.
Friendly attentive service even though they were slammed. Only negatives I had were no wine and it got kinda smoky at our table. I feel like the vent could’ve been stronger. Will definitely be back

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this AYCE Korean bbq place was. I just moved here from koreatown, Los Angeles and feared I wouldn’t find anything comparable.
Don’t be intimidated by the rules. It’s common courtesy and knowledge for most AYCE restaurants.
Overall, selection was great and servers were attentive. Will be coming back!

Finally an AYCE Korean bbq in Portland. Don’t go with the same expectation you would have for LA or Tacoma Krn restaurant. Korean restaurants here are rookies compared to the restaurants in the above mentioned cities.
I’ve been here for 3 separate occasions for dinner and went right around 5pm (tip, go early to avoid a long wait time, esp. if you’re going with a large group and there is ample parking). The place is clean, fun ambience, great for large parties, choice of meat are good to decent (bulgogi is always the safest choice), good selection of beer (Ninkasi) and the servers are friendly and accommodating.
I would come here again with a large party and of course early!

The location tempted us to give this place a try as good Korean food in SE Portland is hard to find.
The reviews about customer service made us a little nervous but it turned out pretty good. We were seated quickly, got water and tea and refills of our kimchee quickly as well.
We did not do the all you can eat, and had a couple of orders meat cooked instead. The meat was well seasoned and cooked well. We will definitely be back since it’s near by.

I had the experience of having their $ 19.99 All You Can Eat (AYCE) and it was great!
They have a vast variety of unlimited Korean appetizer dishes and starter salad. And their quality of meat was great! Especially their Galbi (marinated beef ribs), Bulgogi (marinated beef), and Thick Pork Belly! My top 3!
On top of that they have great service and a comfortable environment for large parties or smaller parties too! Great place to hang :)

Despite my frequent dining out habits, this was my first experience at AYCE Korean BBQ. And typically, I’m too cheap to fork over so much for any one meal. But the timing was right and my friend really wanted to check this place out. Perhaps she set her expectations too high, as she thought it was just ‘OK.’ I went in with an open mind (other than feeling like I wasn’t sure I’d care to spend so much). I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
The staff might seem too attentive, with frequent but subtle interruptions of «how is everything?» «Is everything OK?» «Need anything else?» But I see now, this is more to ensure a constant stream of things to eat and cook while perhaps increasing our chances of getting us to order more than we can finish (since the penalty for wasting meat is an additional $ 10 tacked onto your bill). Nothing doing. We ate everything we ordered and were still able to exit upright and satisfied.

First time writing a review with a HUGE belly.
SO DARN GOOD and I’m very satisfied with my meal and the services tonight!
Before writing a bunch of good stuff about this restaurant, may I ask why the heck people are so picky– silly– unknowledgeable for giving them a lot of 1 star review? I’m not trying to protect their reputation because they are already successful as a business but your reviews are just unpleasant to read. If you are full functional potential of reading and speaking ENGLISH, you wouldn’t have given them 1 star for the RULES– which are so clear right at the entrance. And if you are too picky to go to the restaurant to have a peaceful meal, just cook at home.
Make sure you read the rules on the BIG BLACK board before you decide what to have here. They do have couple options for group to choose:
At $ 19.99 for meat lovers and vegetarian (basic ones)
Upgrade $ 5 more, you get the Korean short ribs which are totally worth to try (its name is KOREAN BBQ RIBS people!). On the menu there will be specific list contains which items will come with that packages.
* The same group MUST order the same packages (I might not bring friends who are vegetarian here) so the vegetarian might need to pay extra $ 5 even though they can’t have meat (bummer!)
*The *$ 30 one has everything $ 24.99 has included sea-​food which is understandable.
You eat as much as you want but make-​sure not to ask for a lot without ability eating all of it (there is $ 10 extra cost if you can’t finish a certain amount of food).
Some reviews provide fault information about the quality of the food.
The brisket was cut very thin to make it easier for grilling and they don’t put any sauces or marinated on the meat, then how come the quality is bad? The meat was just pure (nothing added on it) and tastes extra fresh to me.
Came on Thursday night and it seemed crowed so expect to wait for a while since they give 2 hour for every group to eat. Music was cool and loud.
**Services were outstanding. They are super friendly and helpful which the ways they are supposed to be. Always provide clear information for customers, not giving «you eat too much» looks at customers and always ask if the customers are still hungry so they can provide more food. Great job!

Yes, this is Portland’s first ALL YOU CAN EAT (AYCE) Korean BBQ restaurant, so starve yourself during the day and do all the ab stretches you can to make room for all of the beef, chicken, pork, intestines, and veggies you can handle in one sitting! I’ve been here twice now and both times had a very decent experience:
They have 3 different AYCE options for dinner/​weekends/​holidays (regular weekdays are cheaper):
— $ 19.99: a dozen meats (the best of which were marinated beef, thin beef brisket, spicy chicken & pork, pork bugolgi, and spicy or miso pork belly)+ a dozen veggies including eggplant, portabello, king oyster mushroom, sweet potato, sweet pumpkin, pineapple, green onion, rice cake
— $ 24.99: all of the above + LA Marinated Beef Rib + Marinated Boneless Galbi
— $ 29.99: all the above + seafood
* Vegan AYCE is $ 19.99 (includes teriyaki & spicy seitan, meatless meatball, and meatless sausages + veggies)
* Kids age 5 – 11 are ~$ 11 – 15 depending on the AYCE option chosen
* There is a $ 10 charge if a significant amount of meat is wasted, so be careful not to order too much. They do allow small or half orders of meats/​veggies if you just want to try a little.
Pluses:
+ Both times we had decent servers: friendly and mostly attentive (they offered to change out the grill without us asking).
+ Respectable selection of meat even at the cheapest ($ 20) price point
+ New/​clean grills that work perfectly, and you can control the temperature at the table
+ Big tables/​booths big enough for up to ~12 people
+ complementary tea & several TVs on the wall playing K-​pop videos
+ The price is fair — I’ve heard lots of people rave about SoCal AYCE BBQ being as cheap as $ 10/​person, but all the reputable places I’ve found down there looked to be similarly priced to K-​town, and given the costs of meat, overhead, employees, $ 20 seems pretty reasonable.
Minuses:
— Sometimes it took a while (up to 10 minutes) to flag down our server because he was busy helping/​cleaning other tables. It’s wasn’t an eternity, but it’s in both of our interests to get us full and out so the next group can sit down. It would be nice if they had a call button like most other Korean restaurants to help them get service when it’s needed, and not waste time checking in when it’s not.
— They don’t have the thin pickled radish/​daikon or rice paper for making your own meat/​veggie wraps (seems to be a standard item at most AYCE Korean BBQ places I’ve been.
— I wasn’t impressed with the banchan, but then again I don’t expect them to waste money on really great quality/​selection when most people won’t even eat/​appreciate it because they’re stuffing themselves with meat.

Whoa Portland finally got an actual All You Can Eat (AYCE) korean bbq joint! Freaking awesome.
Three price points:
1. $ 19.95 — A few meat cuts, nothing much
2. $ 25 — all meats except I think one premium option but you get ALL THE MEATS
3. $ 30 — everything abouve but with seafood. but seriously… why would you come here for the seafood…
We did the $ 25 option. The meats were all pretty decent. Look, if you are expecting Los Angeles K-​Town style of Korean BBQ you will be sorely dissapointed. But if you are looking for some sembelance of the AYCE meat party, or never actually been to one of these, it was so sattisfyingly awesome.
The Brisket wasn’t great, the Galbi actually was great, and the prime rib meat was delicious. They had two kinds of pork, think cut and thick. Both were actually surprisingly good. The sides were all pretty good.
So to recap
1. The yogur soju is really sweet. I’m not sure I would order it again
2. The beer tours are the way to go
3. Service is slow as hell. Makes no sense since the more customers you get in the more money you make. It’s not like people will eat more if you serve them faster, they just get more full, fall into a food coma and go home and sleep…
4. Service was friendly and super nice though…
5. Portions are tiny. Each order of Galbi was one piece. It’s AYCE so not complaining, but really I sorta am.
6. Try all the meats. Some of them are just so on point. Some others aren’t, until you realize this is Portland, and there isn’t any truly super special Korean BBQ place at all.
For the price point you are paying, especially where you are located, this joint is trully 5 star.