Dae Jang Keum Korean BBQ

Good Food, just really hot inside. The AC was not cool enough. We felt rushed and the Waitress made a mistake and never apologized and just wasnt friendly.

They weren’t the nicest servers, but the food was absolutely delicious! The stars went down for service. They were not very busy but the servers, which there were a number of, but they weren’t attentive at all, even though it was a relatively slow lunch hour. However, 5 stars for the food. Delicious!

Sadly my last trip was underwhelming on every level.
Food: The white rice that I am accustomed to has been changed to include grains of black rice. This also goes for the two rolls included in the bento box. While the flavor is not bad, I did not like it. The pork in this lunch special was not very tasty, mix that in with the rubbery texture and small bones left in and it is a bad selection on my part and bad combination on theirs.
Stars = 3
Service: After our order was taken we were an afterthought. No water refills and they forgot to bring out the banchan (side dishes). A lady arrived with our orders and realized this so she hurriedly made her way back to the kitchen and brought out the small dishes. We then had to flag someone else down a few minutes later when we completely tapped out of water.
Stars = 2
Cleanliness: It has definitely gone down a few notches. Let me just say, something landed on my friends lap and it was not a cricket.
Stars = 1

Their food is good when it gets to you. This is the 2^nd time this has happened: wait 5 – 10 minutes for someone to come take your order, followed by waiting for 30 minutes for food to arrive. It’s easy to see when other patrons are prioritized above you. I’d rather spend my $ elsewhere.

I’ve heard great things about this place and I finally got to try it. It turns out the rumor is real, food here is pretty darn good. I came here with five people and we ordered a 3 person combination which was a perfect amount for us because most of us are girls.
There were three different kinds of meat: beef brisket, rib eye, and beef with a little touch of sesame oil. The beef brisket and rib eye were the stars of the night. The last one, not so much. Nevertheless, the quality of the meat is very decent. We also ordered a seafood pancake on the side and that was very good as well. The side dishes were ok, I’ve been to places with more varieties but this is not bad for a bbq place.
Overall, really like the protein here, can’t believe I haven’t tried this place earlier. Will be coming back!

Always can rely on djk to serve the best bbq, side dishes, and soups! Our family comes here all the time for special occasions.

First, I was impressed that they have many side dishes and they taste awesome. Their Ttukbaegi Bulgogi has a lot of meat for the portion (slightly sweet though), but I love it

After many years of talking about it, I finally made my way to the Convoy area to sample some Korean BBQ. After doing a comparison of the different options, we went with the non-​AYCE option.
I was with a group of 3 others, so we decided to order 3 different types of meat; beef brisket, bulgogi, and short ribs. Before that, we ordered the steamed dumplings. They were pretty tasty. I sampled a few of the sides (Kimchi, cucumber, bean sprouts, dried shrimp), which were OK. Some I liked better than others, but none really stood out. I’ve never been a big fan of Kimchi, so this was not unexpected. None of us were big fans of the sweet potato cold noodles.
Our server came by to put the brisket on the charcoal grill. It cooked in less than 5 minutes. It was a bit fatty, but nothing too extreme. The dipping sauces helped compliment the meat, as it wasn’t marinated like the bulgogi and short ribs were.
The bulgogi came out next and was delicious. The marinade was slightly sweet, but not overpowering. The short ribs came next and were melt in your mouth good! I was wishing we had ordered some more. No problem, as this just left a more room for dessert later on in the evening.
In a sea of Convoy area Asian restaurants, this was definitely a winner!

I will say that the food is really good here, however my overall experience was just ok. We arrived for lunch on a Sunday afternoon around 2pm and were seated immediately, however no server showed up probably for 10 minutes or so. We didn’t want to grill meats ourselves because we didn’t want to smell like charcoal, so we opted to order food at a regular non-​grill table. But since we did that, it was confusing as to whether we could order the meats or not. And did we have to order a minimum of 2 orders still, even if we weren’t grilling it ourselves? We couldn’t figure out the menu rules.
So we kept ringing the little button for service and eventually someone came and we asked about the meats. They said we could order just 1 and they would cook it for us. That was nice. We ended up ordering a spicy pork, a tofu stew, and the bibimbap, all of which were delicious. It ended up being around $ 46, which isn’t too bad for the amount of food you get, which is A LOT. The little side dishes are plentiful as well.

This place is absolutely great!
That was my first experience in a Korean BBQ, and I have to say it overachieved my expectations. From the start, when you get there, you can smell the good and comfy BBQ smell, as well as seeing how people are getting served.
When our time came, I was super excited to try everything and there was really nothing I didn’t like. Good portions, good sauces, good flavors and really good experience overall. Recommended plus!

I gave this place a 5 stars because this place is like no other! Coming from someone who went to South Korea this place hit pretty close to what they have over seas. So much that they don’t have an all you can eat menu either. Regardless, the food here is incredible! The charcoal grill really makes a difference versus the gas grill that is more commonly found in other kbbq restaurants.
We ended up getting combo D, where it comes with 3 different meats and a bottle of Soju. Brisket and two beef entrees. The brisket is and always will be a favorite of mine and it was my favorite out of all 3. I forgot what the other two meats were but they were really good and one of our pieces came with the meat still on the bone. That piece was definitely worth having. We should of asked if we could of substitute one of the meats with pork belly, since we subbed out the Soju with soda since it was early in the morning.
Loved the service here as well. They have the button that you can press to call the server. Our server in particular was very nice and sparked up a conversation with us. She would cook for us from time to time, all the while she was correcting my little Korean I knew. I really enjoyed our small Korean conversations.
Bathrooms were nice and clean. And I don’t know if you care or not but their toilet paper were of quality instead of the cheap stuff you find.
Overall, I would love to come back here and enjoy some kbbq where the vibe and food made me feel like I was back in South Korea.

I may be a little harsh on Korean restaurants since my 5 star review bar is set from Korea town L. A, but I’d give this place 3.5 stars if I could. Three key things for me in a Korean restaurant is 1. Side dishes 2. portions 3. meat quality.
Side dishes are pretty on point here. You always get a good variety and they’re generous with refilling when you run out. Portions are also decent, with 2 orders it’s plenty for me and my husband. (Mind you, my husband eats 2X a normal person’s portion). 3. Meat quality is also decent for brisket (Chadol), which is what we always order. They cut a little too thick sometimes which gets too chewy, but hey more meat can’t be bad for BBQ right?
A little disappointed that BBQ orders don’t come with some kind of soup, since this is probably an extra $ 1 raw cost for them and a huge perk for customers! While this has been our go-​to spot, I think I’m ready to find a new one. While BBQ is good, the rest of their menu such as bibimbap, kimchi soup, nang myun (terrible don’t order this here) is mediocre at best.
You should never expect much of service when you go to Korean joints, but this place is a little better than average. They tend to you often and cook your meat, though not in the friendliest of manners. Oh well that’s reflected in the tip so perfectly fine with me :)

I was staying nearby for business and this restaurant wasjust minutes from my hotel the Courtyard by Marriott. Parking was no issue since it’s located in a tiny strip center with a few other eatery’s and a fish market.
Since they have a minimum two order entrée to grill at the table — I selected the beef short ribs which they cooked in the back and takes about 10 minutes to prepare. The friendly waitress brought me a salad, then a large selection of Banchan and purple rice. The Banchan was not overly spicy or salty which was just the way I enjoy and when the beef short ribs arrived. The beef was piled high on a bed of cooked brown onions sliced into bite sized pieces, tender and lean. The quality was superior then those $ 20.00 AYCE joints.
The only con was there was no spicy tofu soup which would have been a good way to finish the meal.

We were looking for a Korean place to eat as my wife was craving for cold noodle and kalbi. We found this place open at 5pm on a Friday, so decided to drop in.
The food was actually pretty decent. I had ordered kalbitang, which was very tasty with good flavoring and generous portion of beef. The cold noodle was pretty good as well.
The service was a bit lacking. There were several servers around, but it was like they didn’t want to be there. no smiles, no automatic refills… I would increase my rating to 4-​stars if they can fix the services.

When we come here we always sit on the non BBQ side. Love ordering the spicy pork and beef ribs! Food is excellent! One thing I don’t like is how they have a minimum of two for the cook your own BBQ.

What amazes me about this place when I dined here is the fact they use CHARCOAL when cooking korean barbecue. Most of the places I’ve been to, uses mostly an electric grill or propane. (However, my opinion is somewhat skewed because I don’t frequent at kbbq spots). We had the rib eye and the bulgogi beef. It was mouthwatering and seeing the kbbq cook in front of me hightened the experience. The amount of meat they provided was perfect. I like going to restaurants where they give you portions that is just right where you don’t need to take home food or hungry for more. Let’s say you don’t know how to grill, they’d be happy to assist you and they frequently check up on you making sure you don’t burn the meat. I’d like to give a shout out to fellow Unilocal elite, Marlon T, for the recommendation. I’d definitely come back here and highly recommend this spot for kbbq in San Diego.

CHARCOAL. KOREAN. BBQ. Enough said!
There’s just something to be said about grilling meats on charcoal. Tastes a lot better than cooking with gas.

A local San Diego-​ian brought me here for dinner when I was visiting for work. He told me it was his favourite Korean BBQ place and I can see why! For one, the charcoal grill was such an awesome experience and really elevated the experience and taste for me. I have had Korean BBQ dozens of times, and this was the best I’ve ever had. We ordered beef brisket (Chadolbaegee 16.99), pork belly (Samkypsal 16.99) and beef short rib (Yangnyumgalbi 23.99). We also ordered a cold spicy seafood noodle dish. My favourite was definitely the short rib, which you cook on a metal grill which results in the best caramelization. The other two are cooked on a round plate/​pan thing that is sloped towards the middle to drain the fat. They will cook the meat for you, but we opted to do it ourselves.
Some of the nice touches:
— Plate of nicely dressed salad to start
— Doorbells for calling the servers at each table
— Good variety of banchan
— Pitcher of ice cold water at the table (essential for Korean BBQ)
— Large basket of roasted peanuts at the door (be warned, you people with peanut allergies)
— Cinnamon dessert drink at the end of your meal
— Several dipping sauces
They also serve these thinly sliced of radish rectangles to wrap your meat with which is new to me. I kind of wished they had lettuce wraps as an option, with the raw garlic slices– that would be a nice option.
I can’t stop thinking about the meal that I ate that night. I was stuffed to the brim and so happy and satisfied. It was the perfect evening: great friends + fantastic food = happy me.

The Unilocal warning before you do a post asks you if you are an employee or owner. Trust me, I wish I was an employee so I can eat here everyday!
This is the only place in San Diego that still uses actual charcoal. This makes a huge difference in flavor, only thing is you smell like meat when you leave. Worth it! We got our usual Combo C which feeds 4 adults to their gills. It comes with 5 different types of meat and the quality is awesome. The meat is so tender including the samgepsal (pork). It also includes a stew and soju. Definitely our favorite place when we visit San Diego! Let the pictures do the talking!

Made a left on Convoy and walked into Korea. 25¢ coffee machine, huge clay pot barrel of peanuts and the décor is so not America. Yes please! Even if I’m under the illusion of being briefly transported to a far and exotic destination. My vibe shifts into a happy tune. The tables have the grill your own option and K-​Pop has me grooving in my seat. Ok let’s order #1 Bibim bap. Lots of sides and veggies. More meat would’ve been good. Just ok and average. Workers were nicer than other places on Convoy.

AMAZING quality! It’s not cheap but the meat quality is noticeably better than the other Korean BBQ restaurants in Convoy. The parking situation isn’t very great on a Friday night we had to park a couple blocks away and walk but at least there was no wait when we got there. The restaurant itself is huge — there’s nice private booths to accommodate large groups. The service was so friendly and were very attentive to us the entire time by changing the grill and cooking the meat for us.
We ordered Combination D ($ 70) which comes with brisket, beef cubes, marinated short ribs, soy bean paste soup, salad, rice, and a bottle of soju since there was no AYCE option. It was a good deal since individually two meats alone come out to almost the same price.
There were many banchan variety — my favorite was the fish cake and seaweed although I’ve had better banchan elsewhere. The brisket was my favorite meat — soo fatty and tender and perfect when dipped in that sesame sauce, salt and pepper combo. I thought the beef cubes were solid. And the short ribs were incredible — the marinade was so flavorful. I think that cooking with coal made a difference.
Overall the place is definitely pricier than Manna or any of the AYCE places around but it’s well worth it for a special occasion given how high quality the meat is.