Iron Dish Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Charlotte

Iron Dish Korean BBQ - A Culinary Adventure with Peaks and Valleys

My boyfriend and I recently dined at Iron Dish Korean BBQ, looking forward to a night of indulgent grilling and delectable flavors. Our experience was a mix of highs and lows, offering a unique insight into the restaurant’s offerings and ambiance.

Seating and Ambiance

We were pleasantly surprised by the quick seating, especially on a bustling Saturday night. The restaurant’s interior is modern yet cozy, with a blend of traditional Korean decor that sets the mood for a relaxed yet lively dining experience. The atmosphere buzzed with the sound of sizzling meats and the cheerful chatter of diners, adding to the anticipation of our meal.

Service and Initial Impressions

Our server, Rebecca, started off a bit slow, possibly overwhelmed by the busy evening crowd. However, she was courteous and attentive, ensuring our needs were eventually met. As the night progressed, Rebecca picked up the pace, making sure our experience ended on a positive note.

Menu and Ordering Experience

One aspect that left us wanting was the menu system. The reliance on a QR code for ordering, while modern, felt a bit cumbersome for a cuisine as intricate as Korean BBQ. With such an extensive menu, it was challenging to keep track of our choices and quantities without a traditional or digital format like an iPad. The constant need to refer back to a screen disrupted the flow of our dining experience.

The Culinary Experience

Now, onto the most important part—the food. We opted for the premium BBQ package, which promised a variety of high-quality meats. Here’s a breakdown of our experience:

• Beef Brisket: The brisket was fairly average, lacking the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness we were hoping for. • Pork Belly & Thin Pork Belly: These were the stars of the show. Perfectly marbled and juicy, they cooked beautifully, offering a rich, satisfying flavor that kept us coming back for more. • Shaved Wagyu: This was another highlight, with its buttery texture and deep flavor profile. It was a luxurious treat that stood out among the selection. • Tenderloin & Ribeye: Unfortunately, these cuts were a bit disappointing. The tenderloin had a minerally, gamey taste that wasn’t to our liking, and the ribeye lacked the robust flavor we expected. • Shrimp: The shrimp were decent but didn’t leave a lasting impression.

A notable issue was the grill itself. It didn’t get as hot as grills at other Korean BBQ places we’ve visited. This resulted in a longer cooking time, which made it difficult to achieve that perfect charred crust on the meats—a key element of a great BBQ experience.

Surprising Delights and Disappointments

Despite my initial hesitation, my boyfriend convinced me to try the fried pork dumplings. I’m usually not a fan of ordering items that can fill you up quickly, but these dumplings were a revelation. Crispy on the outside and packed with savory goodness inside, they were among the best I’ve ever had. I’m glad he insisted on ordering them!

However, the dessert was a bit of a letdown. I opted for the popsicles, hoping for a refreshing end to the meal, but found them underwhelming. Perhaps the ice cream sandwich would have been a better choice, but that’s a mystery for another visit.

Final Thoughts

Iron Dish Korean BBQ offers a mixed experience with both standout moments and areas for improvement. The quality of certain dishes, like the pork belly and shaved Wagyu, truly shone, while others fell flat. The grill’s temperature and the digital menu system could use some refinement to enhance the overall dining experience.

Despite these inconsistencies, the restaurant has potential, especially if you’re a fan of pork belly or seeking a new KBBQ spot to try. The friendly service and lively atmosphere add to the appeal, making it a place worth considering for a casual night...

BEWARE

Date of service: 04/27/2024

Summary: I would not recommend this kbbq resturant. The food, service, and atmosphere is mediocre for its price point (regular tier $35/person. Premium tier $60). Quality of food and selection of cuts were not on par with other kbbq locations. The service is terrible. Our waiter, Jakob N., grabbed our bowl of food and dumped it on our grill like we were animals. The atmosphere is odd? It's got dimmed lights and smashed beer cans decorating the walls which usually indicates an intimate bar atmosphere. But they were playing Disney music and 90's music??? I went to the restroom and as soon as I entered Star Wars music was playing. It got me thinking that I was at Disney world. What a joke.

Whole story: I went to Irondish looking for a great date night with my wife and brought along my younger sister. Overall, we ended up leaving bitterly and with regret that we came here to eat. When we entered there was a sign indicating that they were short staffed and wait times may be longer than normal. Cool, we weren't in a rush, so we didn't mind waiting. We were seated around 7:45 - 8:00. As soon as were seated we get our drinks and food ordered. Looking at the menu however, there was a regular ($35) and premium ($60) tier list of food. We opted for the regular. Our waiter, Jakob N., seemed like a fine waiter at first. He took our orders when it looked like we were running low, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about him. He never came by to give us refills and never once asked us if we needed anything else. There were multiple times that the heat for our grill was not turned whenever we got a new grill plate on causing our food to get cold. What really made us so upset and bitterly was when, towards the end of our meal, he had the audacity to mumble "Let me help you." And proceeded to dump our nearly full bowl of meat onto the grill like we were pigs eating at this table. He never asked us if he could help nor did he mention about us nearing our time limit. Now hear me out, if this kbbq resturant had waitors/waitresses cooking and serving the food to you, I would not have been so upset and appalled. But the fact that this kbbq resturant is where you cook yourself is what made Jakob's actions intentional and passive aggressive. Indicating that he wanted us to leave and hurry on out so that he could end his Saturday night shift. Promptly after that stunt, he came back with our check and just smiled at us. I looked around and realized that we were his last group of customers and that there were only a few more other parties in the dining room. After that realization I was beyond upset and left promptly. My wife was considerate enough to leave him some kind of tip when he really did not deserve one after that stunt. Not to forget... the atmosphere of this restaurant is off. With dimmed lights and smashed beer cans decorating the wall. It looks like an intimate bar. However, they're playing Disney and 90's music. I was so confused. I went to use the restroom and as soon as I entered I hear the theme song for Star Wars playing. I swear I felt like I was back at Disney World.

Overall, the rating of Irondish gets a 1 because of its awful service, mediocre food, and weird atmosphere. You have to remember you're paying $35 per person for the regular tier. Premium tier is at $60. The expectations of service, food, and the atmosphere is not on par of their pricing. If Irondish wants to survive CLT they gotta look at these reviews and start trying to fix these issues.

Comment if you wanna talk Iron Dish....

Iron Dish had great reviews and we thought we'd give them a try during our visit to Charlotte. We're big fans of this style of restaurant but missed they were AYCE (All You Can Eat) while scanning through our options. While not a deal killer, it usually doesn't bode well. It wasn't crowded at all when we arrived and we were quickly seated at our table.

They bring you a dish with 3 different dipping sauces and have to say their selection of small sides that come with the BBQ was small and meh. Some BBQ places will bring more than a dozen items while I think they had about 4-5.

You have 2 levels of AYCE to choose from, with a few "add-ons" to the basic level should you choose. Like many AYCE places you have limits on how many different meat orders you can have at once (3) and limits to how many of the "premium" options like Wagyu beef or bone-in short ribs you can order in total. The entire table has to choose the same level and the deluxe level was fairly pricey at $60/person.

You can also select from a variety of appetizer/side dishes that differ between the levels. We decided we would go with the premium option and proceeded to start with the more expensive picks we wanted.

Lobster tail was excellent and I would recommend you max out on these small 6-8 oz lobster tails as they cook up well. The tiger shrimp were huge and tasted decent. The wagyu beef was just OK to be honest. It cooks up quickly as it it sliced very thin but it typically isn't marinated so you'll need to season with something. The premium staple of most Korean BBQ is the LA Beef Galbi (marinated beef short rib) and it's what I use to baseline how good one of these places is.

Theirs is good, maybe 6 out of 10. The marinade was delicious, the cut of beef generous, but the problem is that there was so much fat on one of the ribs it was nearly inedible. The other was also fatty. I'll chalk it up to bad luck in getting these particular ribs but we didn't bother ordering more in case they were all that fatty.

The staff was efficient but not overly friendly. The restaurant has a very nice ambiance and it was getting much more crowded as the evening progressed. Plenty of parking at the mall.

Overall I have to give it 3 stars because the food wasn't worth the price and I've been to much, much better Korean BBQ. Probably won't...