BBQ 1 — Restaurant in El Monte

For the money, it's ok. I went for lunch. The ready to eat/sushi buffet was scary in the sense nobody visited it and I discouraged my table from visiting given the food just sat there away from everyone and everything. It's still a bit chaotic. If the owner is reading, you might want to sit people closer to the door to avoid an empty shop appearance. Everyone was sent to sit in the back. The weekend lunch was $40. Given the choice I would go to jjukuu jjukku. Selection here at wow cow is ok for the meat. Didn't have the balls to try their intestines (large or small). Some odd stuff included pop corn chicken, which was decent. Xi lon bao(steam pork dumplings) were average. But it's available. The grill was a straight up gas unit with standard concave/flat non stick iron. Servers changed the cooking surface frequently but you will need to do all the cooking yourself. Ventilation was the ring around the grill. Nothing overhead and it's quiet. Orders for meat came quickly. All the orders were punched into a tablet by the server. Orders for popcorn chicken and the pork dumplings took a few minutes. You get sweet soy sauce thing, saracha mix sauce, and sesame oil as dips. The sides were standard fare macaroni kimchi bean sprouts and seaweed. Nothing special to write more about. The full menu is on their website but weirdly no phone number or address. Google map will have to do. Call to figure out if any discount is available. So call before visiting just in case. It wasn't crowded when I visited on a weekend lunch. I parked at the front door and can't be any closer let's say...

Wow Cow in El Monte has absolutely earned a new regular customer! My recent visit was fantastic from start to finish, and I'm already planning my next trip back.

Let's talk about the main event: the KBBQ. Seriously, the flavor and quality here are outstanding! I was genuinely impressed – the meats were fresh, perfectly marinated, and grilled to delicious perfection. The taste experience was so good, I'd confidently say it rivals our local favorite, TK92. That's high praise, and Wow Cow absolutely delivers.

But great food is only part of the story. Huge shoutout to our servers, Phoebe and Tiko! They were the perfect hosts – incredibly welcoming, friendly, and attentive from the moment we sat down. Their service wasn't just good; it was fast and genuinely warm, making the whole meal feel effortless and enjoyable. They truly enhanced our experience.

And then there's the value: Wow Cow's pricing is incredible! They offer fantastic quality without breaking the bank. Finding out they have a daily happy hour was the cherry on top – even more reason to indulge. Plus, for those of us burning the midnight oil (or just craving late-night BBQ), their late hours are a major win for night owls!

The combination of top-tier KBBQ that stands up to the best, exceptional service (thanks again, Phoebe & Tiko!), incredible value with happy hour, and convenient late hours makes Wow Cow a total winner. It ticks every box.

I will 100% be coming back again very soon – and often! If you're looking for amazing Korean BBQ in El Monte, look no further than Wow Cow. Highly, highly...

As a korean, I would say that this was one of the worst korean bbq I have been. I usually don't leave a review but I paid for premium and paid a good tip. Service was good overall (one of the better ones for KBBQ)but their food really needs attention. This is the first KBBQ place I couldn't finish the food. In fact, I couldn't even eat half of the food.

First of all, I thought this was a charcoal grill and it was clearly not. It was just like any other AYCE kbbq.

We ordered many items, and literally the only item we were able to finish was the wagyu beef. But their wagyu is honestly just regular beef belly. There's nothing special about it.

Pork belly though it looked good, somehow smelled awful when cooked. Something is off.

All other beef, was pretty off putting and especially their premium beef tongue, it was really bad. The tongue is cut so thick you literally can't finish it.

Sushi was interesting. The presentation was impressive but the yellow tail didn't taste fresh. Honestly, after one bite, I was done with their sushi.

Their kimchi soup, while it tasted not bad, DID not taste like anything like kimchi soup. Their steamed egg was really blend.

Overall I was shocked that such place had 4.5 star reviews when food itself was shockingly bad. It made korean food look bad. I'm almost skeptical if the reviews are real here.

Only good thing I can say about this place is that the line is short probably because not many people are returning here. I saw no other Koreans at this place, and I'm...