BBQ-K — Restaurant in Melbourne

After having heard so many good things about BBQ-K in Doncaster, saying I was disappointed with the meal and overall experience of my visit would be a huge understatement. I've rarely, if ever, left a negative review for a hospitality establishment but I couldn't let this one slide.

I'll preface the rest of this review by saying it was Mother's day dinner, so they were busy. But I don't think being busy is enough of an excuse for appalling meal we had.

We had a 7pm booking, we arrived on time and our table was ready. Restaurant was bustling and there were a few people waiting at the counter. We sat down, had a look at the menu, and ordered. They brought out the coals and the grill. So far so good.

Based on what we ordered, my guess is that they have specific grilling plates for specific cuts of meat. So when the food started hitting the table (including the bbq meats), the waitress realised it was the wrong plate for the beef tongue, and promptly switched it out (no issues), but then proceeded to dump the plate of beef tongue straight onto the cold plate?!?!?! My mind was boggled. But I gave her the benefit of the doubt, I thought maybe this is how it's supposed to be done and somehow cooking beef tongue from a cold start would be beneficial in the eventual taste/texture. It was not. It boiled in it's own bled out juices and the end result were dry rubbery discs.

As soon as the ox tongue was cooked and either served or pushed to the side, the pork belly was thrown straight on. The grill plate was not that big, which meant that raw pork was now touching cooked meat as well as some mushrooms that had been grilling on the side. Probably unlikely to get food poisoning etc. but still a bad look.

Then came the beef. As mentioned above, particular plates for particular meats. So the waiter kindly switched out for the correct grill plate, and guess what? THE PLATE OF BEEF STRAIGHT ONTO A COLD GRILL AGAIN. A family member commented on my expression and why I looked like I was in pain. I had involuntarily winced when the waiter put the meat on.

Once the food was all cooked and done and while we were still eating, the staff began clearing away our plates. The bill was promptly presented to us at our table and the waitress matter-of-factly stated "we have people waiting for the table".

I wish I had asked for a receipt so I would have physical proof of a timestamp, but we were seated at 7 and were out of there between 8.15 and 8.30. We almost spent longer in the gelato place next door having dessert. I've never had another Korean BBQ experience like it where we've been rushed out so quickly and where meat has been cooked on a cold grill. If we had been told there was a time limit on the table when booking I would have less issues and probably would have just gone elsewhere, but we were not and it didn't seem like there was as tables around us who arrived earlier, stayed seated longer as they continued to order more food.

All in all, we spent just under $240 for 4 of us - which isn't obscenely expensive for Korean BBQ, but given the experience and the staff's utter lack of knowledge when it comes to grilling meat, I can't say I will be visiting again or recommending this establishment to my friends.

Other dishes: Aside from the bbq meats, banchan was decent, the seafood pancake was really good. the beef yukhoe was not properly defrosted(?) so was icy and not pleasant to eat. Budae jjigae was very average. Quality of meats was good but hard to tell when not...

My first Korean BBQ experience!! My partner and I didn’t have a clue how to use the charcoal so the staff helped us make the food which was very nice of them. Next time I definitely want to make our own food now that I saw how it works!

My partner and I went for the Combination Set valued at $95 for 2 people, and tteokbokki valued at $20, with 2 grape juices. If you’re going 2 people I say the Combination Set is very filling, it comes with a lot of sides, 2 rices, and a soup (we had the Kimchi soup). It’s definitely enough as it is.

The tteokbokki was amazing, definitely one of the best I’ve had ever. I like how it was pure rice cakes and nothing else, as I know some places add noodles and stuff to be on the cheap side. I had beef on my tteokbokki and I think it complemented everything very well.

We went for the spicy Kimchi and tteokbokki and it was just the right amount of spice without taking away from the flavour!

We didn’t have any alcohol but if that’s something you’re interested in, their menu definitely has a good variety to offer.

We had the black sesame ice cream for dessert and it was fabulous! It tasted a bit coconut-y too which was lovely. I hadn’t had black sesame ice cream before, now I know it’s definitely one of my favourites. Was very easy to eat. It was $8 and the portion was enough for 2.

The reason I rate it 4 stars and not 5 was sadly they charge for takeaway containers if you have any left overs, which is always so sad for me to see because it makes me think they rather get rid off the food than let a customer take it home. For example I would’ve loved to take some of the tteokbokki home rather than forcing myself to finish it.

Also even though I liked them helping us out with the food, because they did it rushed and all at once then took away the charcoal, our food got very cold and we couldn’t reheat it, and we felt cold too with the heat being gone. I wish they kept the charcoal on the table a bit more, I don’t know why they rushed taking it away as others around us were Taking their time and enjoying the charcoal for longer. I would’ve loved to slow down and enjoy the warmth of the charcoal as we reheated our food.

Nonetheless, we’ll be back again and perhaps bring family over too. This time I look forward to cooking ourselves and maybe try another set of food...

I don’t know what happened to the food standard of this place, I used to love eating bbq at this bbq Doncaster east so much before. Today is a disappointment and I feel like puking after eating from here.

I ordered seafood tofu stew and was dining in store just now from 5.30pm-6.20pm 2th Oct 2025. Towards finishing my soup, I discovered a shiny silvery abrasive piece of fragment in my spoon which was going in my mouth. Luckily I have stopped it before drinking it down.

To my horror, I called for the staff. A young boy staff came to me immediately. I asked him what is this long piece of aluminium looking object (I was in semi-shock then so I didn’t take a picture of this). A female waitress came to me immediately and apologised, she had bought back my soup to the chef and told about this. She came back to me and said that it was piece of scratch sponge mesh for washing the dish. She then offered me a quick solution of 10% off my soup and then offered me a card with more stamps sounding apologetic and thanked me for understanding. There was no offer to make me another fresh bowl of soup for service recovery.

I told her that they really need to be careful because this is food safety and preparation. If this was an older person, it would have been swallowed. Accidentally ingesting sponge wire mesh fragment may not kill but it will irritate a person’s digestive system. At this stage, I left the restaurant after paying and honestly feel bit sick and confused and I can’t help thinking I might have eaten some soap in the process too.

This experience is such a letdown. I can’t give this place 5 star anymore. I will not eat from here for a long time I think. Pictures are proof that I was here eating at this time and showed the card given to me with 3 stamps extra) in this dinner experience by the female waitress. Hope the boss can Investigate this issue and teach staffs preparing food and washing...