BaekGa — Restaurant in Denver

Baek Ga recently moved from a ghost kitchen to an actual restaurant and I am here for it. Nestled in its new prime location at the Lowry Town Center, this new restaurant has replaced the old Qdoba store and has made its presence known.

Walking in we really didn't know what to expect because not much has been posted online about it yet, so we came in with an open mind. This inside is very elegantly designed and even my 4 year old made the comment "fancy." It reminded my husband and I of a few up scale restaurants that we've been to in Korea. Though the overall size of the restaurant is small, they did well to not overcrowd the dining area, overall making it a more intimate dining experience. It was noted that they even had a coat rack in the back corner of the restaurant which surprised us. It is an open kitchen that can easily be seen from most areas of the restaurant but oddly enough, it still works very well with the atmosphere that they have going on. Currently their outdoor area is not furnished so we don't know if they plan on having outdoor seating as an option. However, I do feel like they should consider it as their popularity rises.

Our server, who we believe may have been the owner or manager was impeccable. He took the time to go over the menu with not just us, but every single table. He was attentive to our needs and was doing a great job at multitasking between guests. He was also quick to attend to our refills of water as well as the banchan. Upon serving the food, he made sure to explain the dishes and sides and advised us that the sides that came with the main dishes may rotate or change. He made excellent recommendations and was honest with us about the amount of food portions and what he would recommend for a party of 3.

Now for the best part, the food. We ordered the gangjung (Korean fried chicken), bulgogi kimpab and the pork belly main dish. The portions are decent in size and initially we didn't believe we were going to be full by the end of our meal. Boy were we wrong about that! We eat a lot and we left completely full and satisfied. We enjoyed every single dish down the sides and banchan. My 4 year old loved the fried chicken more than anything. The kimchi was probably some of the more authentic kimchi that we've had here in Colorado. Now looking at the menu, the price felt a little bit more pricier than most restaurants and my husband and I were debating the actual "worth" of it all. But our overall consensus was that the quality of food was worth the price. As someone who frequents AYCE KBBQ spots, yes, you can absolutely taste the difference in quality of meat.

Final Notes: Baek Ga is probably one of the better Korean restaurants outside of Korea. As hard as we tried to find something to dislike, we really couldn't. This place has definitely earned a top tier rating in my list.

That being said: Food 10/10 Service 10/10 Ambiance 10/10 Cleanliness...

I'm so glad to find a good Korean place closer to Denver than deep into Aurora or way out in Westminster!

The banchan (assorted appetizers) had a nice spread, including a bucket of ssam (red leaf lettuce) for making lettuce wraps. The only miss was the black beans, which came topped with sesame seeds and seemed a bit under seasoned and undercooked to me. I was hoping for kkakdugi (pickled radish cubes), but it wasn't on the day's banchon.

I usually go for tteokbakki (fish cake tubes), but I haven't seen the rice version in Denver. I'm happy I tried it. The fried tteokmeyon were fantastic, with a mildly spicy gochujang sauce, garnished with crushed peanuts.

The bulgogi (marinated grilled meat) was cooked in the kitchen and served on a hot cast iron plate with mixed onions. It was quite good, though I prefer it kbbq style, cooked at your table with whole garlic cloves. There were three cooked at your table options, including a stew, but we didn't get to try them this time. Next visit, I guess.

The japchae (glass noodles) were really good, topped with thin noodle-like slices of fried egg. Perfect consistency, with a very mild sauce.

Speaking of sauces, the sauce tray was great. Salt and sesame oil, a "ssam sauce" with a mild bite, and a thin soy based sauce with sesame seeds. All three were delicious, if a bit smaller of a serving than I needed.

Service was friendly, but the owner (I think?) got a bit flustered trying to keep up. A number of tables came in at the same time and he got a bit weeded taking orders and running food. If they're consistently as busy as they were tonight, they might need to add a food runner for dinner rush to keep things moving. The kitchen was pumping out a lot of food, so they definitely seem to have the capacity in the back of the house.

All in all, it's a charming little place with really good Korean food. There's so much on the menu I'd like to try I'll definitely be back multiple times. Best Korean I've had since I...

The man who served us (I'm guessing he's the owner?) could have earned this 5-star review on his service alone, but Baekga matched that exceptional service with equally outstanding food.

From the moment we walked in, we felt immediately welcome with every staff member greeting us individually with a warm and genuine demeanor. After a few minutes of exploring the menu, the server/owner(?) asked if it was our first time and offered some recommendations. For context, we had already made some decisions at this point but we said yes. He did so in such a non-pushy yet confident/charismatic way that within 30 seconds, he was able to build enough customer trust that we decided to go with this suggestion. I still remember exactly what he said about the dish to make us try it, but I'll let him give you his schpiel when you try this place out!

What we ordered: Spring Onion Pancake (Jeon): Lived up to the great recommendation and was perfectly prepared. Bulgogi Main Dish: Comes with side dishes and is enough food for 2 people. Well seasoned, flavorful taste. While I could have done with a lower ratio of onions to meat, the overall dish was fantastic. The lettuce it came with was incredibly fresh and enjoyable to eat, and the abundance of banchan provided a variety of hot and cold items to try.

We left sufficiently full and nourished, thanks to the high-quality food and generous portion sizes. We even remarked how we usually like to treat ourselves to a fun meal to end a long week but often end up disappointed--this was not the case here. Even if it's a slightly far drive for us, I can't wait to come back and try everything else on the menu.

I'm not typically one to write reviews, but I have never felt more compelled to write a 5 star review. The server/owner(?) deeply understands entrepreneurship, loves the food they make, and knows how to give customers a first experience...