HYEBAN - Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Ellicott City

Whoever does their social media advertising is a magician, because they do a great job of making this mediocre establishment look like a completely different place all together!

Based on the social media advertising, we’ve wanted to check this place out for a long time, did so today. We arrived at 10 after 2 PM, unaware that they close from 3-5 pm and was not advised by the employee that seated us. They even asked us if we’ve been there before, we said this was our first time. On the menu, it says you have 90 minutes, obviously, we received significantly less time than that today.

We started off with the sushi buffet, many options weren’t available even though they say the weekend prices are the same as their dinner price and the dinner options are available. In their social media posts, they show shrimp and mussels on the buffet, they weren’t available and what was still there, had been sitting. The rice was starting to harden, it was very underwhelming. The fried chicken wings were hard and dry, they must have been sitting under the heat lamp for hours.

After trying the sushi buffet, we started to order the Korean barbecue, not very many options and the meat was not as flavorful as other Korean barbecue places in the area.

We prefer to cook our own food, but the workers here continuously were hovering over us and would swoop in and flip the meat as they were walking by after I literally just flipped the meat two seconds before they showed up. As annoying as that was, I tried to be patient and not cause any issues.

At about 2:50 PM, that’s when we were notified that they close from 3-5 pm and we can order our last meat option. We ordered the spicy pork belly, they brought it out, and we started cooking it, several employees started coming from the back, hovering over us, trying to hurry the cooking process, again by flipping the meat right after I just flipped it myself. After back to back hovering from the employees, I just told the server to bring us our check with a grill full of spicy pork belly still cooking.

I paid and when he brought the receipt back for me to sign, he walked away for like two seconds and returned to watch over me to see how much of a tip I was going to leave. I have no problem stating that I left no tip! It is absurd to think that you deserve a tip after charging us $100 for mediocre food and we only received about 50 of the 90 minute time limit.

The other Korean barbecue restaurants in the area are much better options and they don’t close in the middle of the day or seat you without notifying you of the time...

Shockingly surprised to find this gem. I am a snob when eating out. Especially for Korean BBQ because I easily make it at home with a super nice grill. My initial take on Hyeban was that the grill doesn't support good Korean BBQ because I'm a true believer in using cast iron tops (like Shin Chon). But nevertheless, they delivered on a very different level.

The first thing that stood out to me was the level of service. I don't think I've seen such happy Koreans in my life. Typically they are overworked, underpaid, and ultimately unmotivated. If Hyeban is able to keep this level of service, undoubtedly they will win the heart of their customers. I felt like I was at home with my mom taking care of me. I may be partial to the fact that I speak Korean....take my review with a grain of salt.

The meat quality is top notch and the servers carefully maintain the grill. I did not touch the grill once! Typically at other Korean BBQ, I have to either lower the fire or take the meat off because it is burning. Hyeban servers did an exquisite job of ensuring meat is cooked perfectly. Brisket marbling was one of the best I've seen in Maryland. Short ribs were so tender. Pork belly was succulent. They have a secret green sauce that is mind boggling good.

The atmosphere is like I went back in time. The small cubicles are private, spacious, modern, and sleek. Unsure if there is any Korean designed inspiration but I was getting a feeling it may be.

Hyeban proved me wrong. Tools are only as good as the chef utilizes them. I am definitely returning for my...

We finally made it here! We were greeted warmly which really set the tone for a welcoming and enjoyable dining experience. I appreciated the layout of the tables as they were spaced far enough from other diners. The food was amazing and the service was perfect (the staff were welcoming, kind, attentive, and humorous). We wanted to try a little bit of everything so we ordered combo A (loved all the cuts but the marinated short ribs and ribeye steak were delish), jeon gol (a tasty /savory large soup to share and cooked table side) and the pork bossam ( so tender and perfect wrapped in cabbage with spicy radish). They were all on point! I also highly recommend their fried dumplings- they make it in house and it's so good! The variety of side dishes like kimchi and pickled vegetables were also very good. Their kimchi is not fermented but tastes just made- which is one of my favorite ways to eat kimchi! The best part is that they don't use any msg and I knew it right away because I didn't have a bad aftertaste! The balance of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors created a dynamic and satisfying meal!! If you haven't tried it...