BAB Korean Food & BBQ — Restaurant in Hamilton

— Response to the Owner — I placed the order on the 16th of February, and I came in on the 18th of February to get the refund initially. Today when I came in, I asked you to refund the money for an order I didn’t receive because you were closed but failed to update Google or your delivery partners. I also said if you don’t believe I was here on the 18th please check your security cameras to which you obviously refused. It seems easy to run a business when you’re stealing money and not providing the service.

— Initial Review — TLDR; don’t waste your time or money here. Very unhelpful staff and management. There are better Korean restaurants in the city…

On February 16th, 2025 at around 4pm. I placed an order at Bab Korean Restaurant in Barton St E in Hamilton for pick up. The order was for 4 items totaling CAD $67.80 (after tax). I arrived at the store to find that they had closed early or been closed due to snow. On Google and delivery websites, they were listed as open. I did not receive my order. I went into the store in February 18th, 2025 to claim my refund as the restaurants name was the one on credit card statement. They told me that I had to contact DoorDash. I contacted DoorDash and they said I needed to the to store. To save this back and forth, I decided to contact my credit card company and try a chargeback. Today is April 25th, and I received a notice from my credit card company stating that DoorDash had sent proof that I had received my order, in the documents provided the order times are completely different. I contacted DoorDash once again, and they said because it’s been so long and it was a pickup order, the refund needs to be issued by the store. I go to the store and when I asked to speak to the manager (same guy who turned me away the first time) the girl refuses to let me speak to him. After I explain the situation again, and seem to be getting no where with the clerk, I ask to speak to the manager once more, she says “he doesn’t speak English”, I respond “you can translate for him”, she says “I don’t speak Korean”… but I can hear them conversing behind the curtain that separates the counter and the kitchen. The manager finally comes out and insist I “cancel” the order, call DoorDash. Basically anything to leave. I say “your name is in my credit card statement, you have the money” he then says “this is from February” laughs and walks away. Looking to just get my money back for this. Nothing more...

This restaurant presents a frustrating paradox of exceptional food undermined by unacceptable environmental and hygiene problems.

The Positives (Food & Value): Where this establishment truly shines is on the plate. The food is delicious, offering a wide variety of options that cater to different tastes. The flavors are authentic and well-executed. Furthermore, the pricing is reasonable, offering great value for the quality and quantity of the food served. Based on the culinary experience alone, this would easily be a 4-star review.

The Severe Negatives (Ambiance, Hygiene, & Safety): Unfortunately, the dining experience was severely compromised by several critical issues that cannot be ignored.

Overpowering Unpleasant Odor: Upon entering, we were sitting close to the kitchen and washroom. We were greeted by a persistent and foul odor that permeated. The smell was unmistakably that of a poorly maintained restroom. My suspicions were confirmed when I visited the facility, which was found to be notoriously dirty and the clear source of the offensive smell. This is a fundamental hygiene failure.

Kitchen Smoke Breach: Throughout our meal, the distinct smell of cigarette smoke periodically wafted into the dining room, seemingly from the kitchen area. It was apparent that kitchen staff were taking smoke breaks, likely near a back door or vent, and the smell carried directly into the restaurant. This is highly unprofessional and a major violation of kitchen hygiene standards.

Unsafe Location: The restaurant is located in an area that feels decidedly unsafe, especially after dark. I was driving there evening but can’t imagine to walk there. I would strongly advise against walking to or from this location in the evening.

Conclusion: While the food itself is good-tier and the prices are great, I cannot in good conscience recommend this restaurant. The combination of the nauseating restroom odor, the intrusion of cigarette smoke, and the concerns about personal safety in the area completely ruined our appetite and overall experience. It's a true shame, as the kitchen clearly has talent. However, until management addresses these severe operational and cleanliness issues, I will not...

Our BBQ Experience

My girlfriend and I tried the BBQ here and boy was that a huge disappointment. Ordered a LA Kalbi and YangnNyeomGui. I’ll start with the most concerning thing, the portion size. We were expecting 9 strips of the LA Kalbi (as shown in the deceiving picture), but instead were given 2 strips (might I say relatively thin strips at that) despite it saying 9 pcs. Even if it was by bone, there were only 6 pieces. We ended up asking about this to the server, at which he gave a puzzled look as if he didn’t know how many pieces we should be getting. In the end, we were given one more strip, but even then, for $32, it was definitely not worth it. As for the YangnNyeomGui, there were 4 pieces; what, yet again, felt was lacking for $37. The portion size was so small (especially for the price) that I actually ended up going to Church’s Chicken down the street to eat a 3 piece meal. I personally would not have minded spending $80 on a good quality meal even if there wasn’t much quantity, but even then, the flavour was nothing to write home about.

Now, onto service. I don’t know if they were understaffed or something, but it was complete utter chaos (I say this as it wasn’t only our table that was having problems). While the servers were nice enough, we had to ask for things multiple times before we got it (we didn’t even get the lettuce in the end actually but honestly, there wasn’t enough meat to eat it with anyway). I don’t know if we were supposed to get refills on side dishes, but we didn’t get that either. Although the meat didn’t actually take too long to come, they never gave us the tong and scissors to cook it with until we asked twice, so the only thing eating till that point was our eyes. We also ordered a side of rice to eat with the beef, but had to ask multiple times for that too before we got it; so once again, the only thing eating was our eyes, only this time, the food was cooked. Same story for the soup, only came after asking. Ironically, the only thing that came on time was the bill.

While I can’t speak much for their non BBQ menu, I can definitely say that their BBQ leaves much...