Mr kimchi Korean AYCE BBQ Algonquin — Restaurant in Dundee Township

Background: As a person that grew up in CA - going to AYCE Korean BBQ was just part of life. Since being transplanted to the Algonquin area, this has been one of the lifestyle changes that has been hardest - there are few quality Asian cuisine spots in the area.

The Experience: We went on a Sunday at 5 ish - it was also Mother's Day so we were expecting a crowd. You scan in to be added to a waitlist which is nice because it gives you live updates and you can browse stores in the area until you are called. We were told a 20-30 min wait. The wait ended up being about 20 mins.

Table was set with Korean side dishes and place settings ready to go. Our server, Josh, walked us through the Mr. Kimchi options. We went with option C which had plenty of options and we had kids with us who only want brisket.

The table is LARGE. In most KBBQ restaurants the grill takes up MOST of the space and you get about a foot of space. Not here - the table was easily two feet longer than we are used to. This meant the kids had plenty of room to navigate without knocking drinks over, and adults had room to navigate all the sauces, sides, cooking and getting everybody their food, also without knocking any drinks over.

The Order: brisket - exactly as you would think, on the lean side. thinly sliced pork belly - yum. Teriyaki chicken - tasted good but was white meat and our kids don't like white meat. We asked for the sesame oil and salt and were so glad they had it - we had recently gone to a place in Schaumburg that refused to serve it to us until we asked the manager...but that's a different review.

Sides: spicy tofu soup - light and very mild, it was great for cleaning the pallet and had just a hint of heat, I would have love it to be more spicy, but I understand they have to aim towards the majority. KFC - crisp was perfection but could have used a little more seasoning/salt. We also devoured the fish cakes, kimchi and japchae. If they had Korean spinach, I would have been in HEAVEN.

We had two grill changes which were prompted by another server as well as our server Josh - we never had to ask. Josh and the team were SO attentive, touching base every now and then to check on drink refills, sides refills, additional orders. Anybody need more water? Did the kids need forks? Your Japchae is empty, you want more? Is the fire too high? Is the fire too low?

I seriously haven't had such an attentive team in SO long. I forget what it felt like to WANT to tip.

18% gratuity is included on all bills. This usually bothers me at most places, but not here. We ended up adding more. And they stamp in RED that the gratuity is already included so that there is no misunderstanding.

There's also a ramen bar...which we did not partake in, but it was cool to see. Music was upbeat and festive, overall just a great experience - oh yeah, women's bathroom was clean - which is a PLUS.

Can't...

Absolutely pales in comparison to other Mr. Kimchi locations. We frequent the Niles location, and i can't speak more highly of that one- dont get me wrong. But I found myself apologizing to my friends local to Algonquin after insisting that they have to try it out. Theyd never been, and I doubt they'll ever be willing to come with me to give the place another shot at a different location, it was that bad. Just worlds apart.. the food was all twice frozen and gritty, off color and just not what id come to expect at all. The portions were maybe.. 1/3 or so what would normally be served. The waiter took a solid 20 minutes to come back every time everyone's plates and the grill was empty so we'd all left still hungry on account. And, for real... it youre going to trash talk your customers, at least do it more than 5 feet away from the table and take a few minutes in between sessions to do your job once in a while. Most of the staff would chat about school or other normal life things but there was a girl at the front with way too much makeup and nails long enough to be considered weapons and the one chubby guy(our waiter) that were obsessed with badmouthing every table they interacted with, including our own. They spent 3x more time talking than anything else they were doing. They noticed me hearing them galk about my wife and son- in a highly inappropriate manner- and tried to offer me free ice cream in apology but after the awful experience from pretty much every angle in the first place, we just wanted to leave. You could even tell the other waitstaff were being put off by their negativity and juat not engaging in the same way the two of them were.

If I hadn't been to the Niles location on such a regular basis, I'd have given up on the chain and never come back after this one. Not a single redeeming factor to it.

Then I come on here to see the clearly fake reviews to boost their numbers and hide the bad ones. Dont fall for it. Super lame tactic. They give the other locations a bad name. If youre looking for Korean BBQ, this is not the place to try it- trust me.

To sub.. food was bad, service was awful, and i had to apologize to the people I had recommended the place to for being so wrong about it. Dont come here. It will sour your impression...

We are excited to finally have a Korean restaurant in our area, instead of having to drive to the Schaumburg or Glenview areas. We've been to another Mr. Kimchi on Golf Rd. in Mt. Prospect. The Algonquin location is the newest branch. We got the premium (A) option because my wife loves having the large intestine. The other amazing thing about this location is that it has the Han River Ramen station, which has the same machines that make the ramen as the place on the Han River in Korea! The meat quality was really good, and this is a place we will definitely go to again. Authentic Korean BBQ style dining - they bring you the meat, and you cook it at your table. The only things you don't cook are the appetizers and side dishes. There is a full bar as well, and they have staple Korean beers and soju and Somaek Towers (which is a mix of beer and soju).

We shared the Corn Cheese. She had KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), Han River Ramen, and the Large Intestine. I had Ribeye, LA Galbi, and Pork Jowl.

The kinchi was not very spicy and helps provide a little balance for all the meat.

They also have a couple TVs playing K-Pop music videos, and they play a mix of pop music (both Korean and American), and do a fun birthday song and have you spin a wheel with various prizes, like a gift card or discount, etc. We weren't there for a birthday, but other people were.

If you like Korean BBQ style food, or if you are adventurous and willing to try something new, this is a great place for you to go to.

Mr. Kimchi,...