Dong Hae II Korean Grill & Sushi — Restaurant in Arden Hills

I hate leaving low star reviews but when you leave questioning in your head, the bill you paid for your dining experience, was it worth it? Definitely not one I can find support thru the service but you're charged that 18% gratuity anyway. My wife and 2 young kids, ages 4 and 7, were excited to dine here for the first time, especially with the opportunity to order off the Korean and Japanese menu for the all you can eat. I can't deny that the food was mediocre, but I had to overlook that aspect and try to value the experience. After we selected our food items, a server brought us our waters, with no straws. Full size adult cups for our kids and no straws? Maybe they haven't took into consideration that kids are clumsy and will spill the cups of water on themselves when they pick the cups up. I then asked the server/ owner (older lady...no offense) as she was setting the small side dishes down (kimchi, fish cake,, broccoli, etc.) on the table if I could order the Plum Flavored Soju, she said yes. 3 minutes she comes back with bad news that they were out of plum, but had Peach. We understood and substituted as we had no choice. She then starts eying me, I don't mind being carded at all, but was rude as she said she needed to check my ID before she open the Soju. After I give her my ID, she slams the soju bottle on the table and walked away, I thought she said she was going to open it. The food runner gentleman was the only person we saw during our dine in until I had to flag the host to get our bill. All you can eat with no plates removed off the table, no new sheet menu provided to keep out experience somewhat positive, our water was never filled until we were looking to have someone bring our bill, and no extra napkins provided for us in case we needee clean up our kid's mess or them. Lastly, why they would charge $20 for a 4 and 7 year old to participate in the all you can eat when kids don't normally consume more than one plate unless it was a buffet. So 2 adults and 2 kids, the bill was over $160 dollars. They charge a 4% covid fee when "using a credit card", then add that fee to your subtotal, which then obviously is taxed, Then add in the forced 18% gratuity with no service provided to support it. This was the most expensive bill we've had eating out as a family of 4, anywhere. Even our (example) Texas Roadhouse bills (under $90) was no where near the amount we paid here at Donghae II...

Myself, my wife, and my sister-in-law ate here today, though notably it wasn't our original plan - we had planned to meet up and eat at a different East Asian restaurant, only to find that the place in question was closed between the end of their lunch hour and the beginning of their dinner period... which we were right betwixt. We discussed other options, with Dong Hae II being seemingly the closest to our original destination (both in cuisine and in terms of distance).

I was immediately impressed with the service - it's easy to be attentive when there aren't many tables eating, and I counted only ourselves and two other tables, but the server managed something more impressive; his knowledge of the menu was without fault, and he did not "hover" around us.

The food was similarly priced as other comparable menus, but I felt like it was significantly higher quality. No dedicated vegetarian menu but our server was good at explaining what could and couldn't be prepared in a vegetarian manner; I got a wonderful Tofu Yakisoba and my wife got a Rainbow Salmon Roll, and we got edamame and quite a bit of Tamago Nigiri (which I originally ordered for myself but after my wife tried it, she was enamoured). My sister-in-law got a fancy tofu rice bowl, but I am not sure if I recall the name correctly and I didn't get any pictures unfortunately. She loved it, that's the important part.

My wife also has SEVERE Misphonia to the sounds made by Styrofoam, but our server went the extra mile and found us to go boxes made of plastic just for her comfort, which was very appreciated.

I wasn't thinking about pictures at the restaurant table, but I took some of the fresh leftovers - Yakisoba, Rainbow Roll, Edamame, Tamago Nigiri.

Overall glad that our initial choice didn't pan out - Dong Hae II turned out to be a great experience, easily as good or better than the...

Servers were very nice and pleasant but the location is currently heavily understaffed. We did the All You Can Eat dinner. Overall, food was 4/5 stars. We sat at the table for about 15 minutes before our order was taken, and cups of water were received. Additional 40 minutes passed before first plates of appetizers were received. We had to ask for water refills. The table was not cleared of empty plates so it just stacked at the end. You can see other tables having the same wait and food issue. Nonetheless, the servers did try their best to keep up and there were only 2 servers visible for both the bbq section and non-bbq section.

Great dishes: *Spicy squid stir-fry-delicious but not much squid (a lot of onions-medium portion) *spicy pork stir-fry-tender and flavorful (medium portion) *Grilled Mackeral-crispy skin, moist, deliciously seasoned (feeds 3-4 people) *Vegetable gyoza-crispy, flavorful filling (preferred over pork gyoza (qty4) *Soft tofu stew-very well seasoned and perfect single portion *Sashimi-sliced nicely and thick and was fresh *California Roll & Dragon Roll-Very well rolled & generously filled *Chicken Wings-Cooked perfectly and remained juicy (4qty) *Squid salad-Refreshing and seasoned well (small portion) *Seaweed salad-Refreshing (small portion) *Sizzling bibimbap-very tasty and plentiful for four

Below average dishes: *Miso Soup-Overly salty so didn't finish at all *Jjampong-Underseasoned, large portion, plentiful seafood & vegetables *Tteokbokki Stir-fry- some of the rice cakes were still cold *Kimbap-Seasoned, okay, but dry

Banchan side dishes were good, but we only received 4. The kimchi was fresh and crisp; the seasoned soybean dish was excellent! Soy Radish was crispy and tangy. The Fishcake dish was delicious.

*4% SURCHARGE WILL BE ON YOUR BILL WHICH IS NOT INFORMED TO CUSTOMERS *18% GRATUITY...