Red Flags to Look Out for at a Korean BBQ Restaurant

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• The restaurant feels like a nightclub
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• The team behind Michelin-recognized Liu’s Cafe opens an ode to modern Korean favorites
• Follow Hormel Foods
• How much has Korean food across the country actually changed in the years since your last book came out?
• Food recalls reach highest level since the pandemic. Undeclared allergens are the biggest reason for the rise

YoonCy is where affordability meets kalbi short ribs with the most blessed kiss. This is the go-to joint for simple Korean barbeque that brings tradition to traditional fast food orders. Although attached to the Kapahulu Shopping Center, YoonCy has a very authentic Korean aunt and uncle local galbi restaurant.

The restaurant feels like a nightclub

While the restaurant has had its doors open since April 1, it will reopen Tuesday, April 16, after a one-day pause on April 15. Going forward, Lasung will be open seven days a week and will eventually sell frozen cutlets to prepare at home. Sign up for our email to enjoy Los Angeles without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush).

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Run by the same team behind Park’s, KTeam BBQ takes over the space that once held Ong Ga Nae, which quietly closed last year. The star of the show, however, is the thinly sliced frozen pork belly, a cut popular in South Korea. Paired with supplemental myeonglan paste (pollack roe) or the classic trio of spicy soybean paste, garlic and jalapeño, each lettuce or perilla-wrapped bite will transport you to Seoul. This popular Korean barbecue restaurant is one of the only places in town that uses smokeless charcoal grills to power their grilling experience. Meats range from prime kalbi short ribs to ribeye bulgogi – all grilled table-side and paired with banchan. Handam offers various all-you-can-eat options that proves to be a great value for diners.

The team behind Michelin-recognized Liu’s Cafe opens an ode to modern Korean favorites

Newbies to Korean cuisine or Korean cooking tend to overload their lettuce and dip their ssam into too many of the Korean barbecue sauces, but this can destroy the taste and the experience. As for grilling the meat, only offer to cook and serve others if you know what you are doing. Just once or twice is okay, and if it’s already cooked and you’d like to keep it warm, carefully place it on the side on your grill. When you're at a restaurant in Korea, ring the bell for service if you’re too shy to yell “jeogiyo,” though sometimes servers get too busy to mind the pings and neglect your table until someone yells for them. Oh, and it is totally okay to ask for more ban chan and to have your grill pan changed if it starts charring.

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As for pork, get sliced pork belly that isn’t cured or smoked; either fresh or frozen will work. In other words, bacon is not samgyupsal, even though it is the exact same cut of the animal. As for chicken, for easier grilling, it is recommended to choose boneless cuts when doing at-home KBBQ. This radish salad pairs well with bibimbap (mixed rice with meat and assorted vegetables), and it adds a slightly sweet and peppery flavor to your meat. Whether you go for beef or pork, these are a slightly pricier option than samgyeopsal. Just keep in mind that you’re paying for a thicker slab of meat with a rich, delicious flavor and the typical Korean marinade.

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Gen Korean BBQ House Opens in NYC at Union Square - Eater NY

Gen Korean BBQ House Opens in NYC at Union Square.

Posted: Thu, 05 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Obviously the most famous drink on this list, soju is a clear liquid usually in a green bottle, made from rice and grains. While most say it has a ‘clean’ taste like vodka, I believe it is a bit sweeter and less powerful than vodka, which makes it a great base for a variety of soju cocktails. A generous amount of this oil enhances the taste of your meat, especially if you add salt & pepper to the mix. As for the other, that’s known as jin ganjang, which is chemically processed to make the flavor of soybeans and wheat stronger.

How much has Korean food across the country actually changed in the years since your last book came out?

In addition to meat, the restaurant employs masters of naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) and gomtang (beef bone soup, milky white from a long simmer) with decades of experience. Chickens are prepped each morning and grilled right on the table over charcoal, tightly trapping all their juices inside. Go for the pristine salt-grilled version if you really want to taste the quality of the chicken, or try the sauce-covered version for some heat. The chicken gizzards and hearts are also delicacies, though they’re only available in limited quantities. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a chance to try the grilled chicken neck, a tender showstopper with just the right amount of fat. To make this savory dish, sirloin, rib-eye, or brisket beef are most traditional, though any marinated cut could work.

"There are some restaurants where you walk in, and it just doesn't seem like a barbecue restaurant," Kim said. "Flashing strobe lights and that type of stuff, clearly that model is successful, and to each their own. But, for me, that would be a red flag." Kim is now the senior director of culinary operations for Baekjeong, a Korean barbecue restaurant with seven locations in California and Washington — and an eighth opening this summer in Los Angeles' famed Koreatown neighborhood.

No matter what grill you use for your Korean BBQ party, you’ll want to keep a window open because things will get smoky. Additionally, grilling can cause oil splashes onto adjacent items; thus, it would be prudent to cover those objects with a tablecloth or remove them before beginning to grill. In the U.S., Korean grocers such as H-Mart carry these types of meats.

This is a crunchy Korean side dish that isn’t spicy and is a great option for those who cannot tolerate the heat. Although, personally, I feel that this seasoned bean sprout dish is best served with gochugaru to add a little kick and flavor to your meat. Mostly seen in KBBQ places during fall, this side dish adds a sweet, juicy, and somewhat peppery taste to your meat. In Korea it’s seen as a refreshing treat to reset your palate after eating too much meat.

Beautifully marbled meat cuts and entrancing searing won’t fail to transport your entire being to the meat heavens, and that’s not just some obscure slang for welcomed cholesterol. Affordability and bona fide Korean BBQ flavor make a delicious rendezvous at Yummy Korean BBQ. The restaurant doesn’t have the aesthetic flair we’ve come to enjoy at other Korean spots, but on-point mains with perfect banchan titillates the palate. Gen Korean BBQ House, a Korean barbecue restaurant with 30 locations across California, Nevada, and Arizona, has appeared in Union Square. The full-service, all-you-can-eat menu (for around $30) is located at 150 E. 14th Street, near Third Avenue, formerly the longtime home of 5 Napkin Burger.

"We've spent so much time sourcing quality meat; we want to ensure you're eating the meat when it's perfectly cooked," he said. "People wait a long time to get into our dining room because we're embraced by the community so strongly, so we don't want you to have to wait and then pay for your meal — and also have to cook it." Gen Korean BBQ House offers a premium dining experience without forgetting the communal objective of Korean BBQ eating. My sated excitement is convinced that you’ll be pleased with both menu and restaurant manner. Founded by Korean immigrant Micky Kim in Annandale, Virginia in 2007, this Asiatown restaurant is best-known for its menu of affordable grilled meats. Located in Diho Square, the restaurant has a colorful and kitschy interior and blasts K-Pop on the speakers.

This longstanding Korean barbecue joint serves up meaty classics like bulgogi, galbi, and samgyeopsal (three-layered pork belly), made to be shared table-wide. Order the kimchi jigae stew or kimchi pajeon, and keep it all to yourself. Dishes like bulgogi date back centuries, while depictions show noblemen gathering outdoors in the 18th century to grill meat over an open fire while drinking and reciting poetry.

Finish with instant fried rice, which servers stir-fry with leftover meat and side dishes in front of your eyes. For beef, opt for the sirloin, short ribs, chuck eye, and finger short ribs. But if you’re gunning for bulgogi, make sure that your home grill is compatible for cooking this delicate slice (like a griddle surface or a grill pan). You'll also need to prepare your marinade ahead of time, to flavor the meat overnight. This popular Korean BBQ meat blends boneless & diced chicken in gochujang mixed with an assortment of vegetables (mostly cabbage), tteokbokki, and noodles. In Korea most restaurants, like Yoogane Dakgalbi, have circular pans that can hold tons of melted cheese on top once you're done with just the marinated meat.

There aren’t any gimmicks at Nam-Yeongdon, but customers wait patiently for hours to sample an ensemble of prime-quality pork grilled over charcoal and paired with flights of house-made banchan. The space has been serving pork and noodles since 1982, but it experienced a boom in popularity after owner Jung Jaebum rebranded his late father’s business in 2017. The wait always stretches into hours, proving the basics, done right, still command a crowd. While most of the menu is focused on the different cutlets, Lasung also offers a full lineup of side dishes to accompany the meal.