Kkoki Korean BBQ Eugene — Restaurant in Eugene

This will be a longer review but the short of it is. You HAVE to try it, this place is AMAZING!!!!

Ok so first things first, don’t rush. You have 2 hours for all you can’t eat courses so pace yourself, enjoy some conversation between courses. Choose one of the 3 tiers: basic, mid, and premium which have various and increasingly delectable proteins. You are granted an endless supply of vegetables feel free to enjoy as much as you'd like. But be forewarned, it’s easy to fill up on vegetables alone, so save some room for the main meal. Something else worth noting is the sides are made fresh daily (Kimchi of course is fermented so it’s as fresh as anything fermented can be. And it’s delicious) The sides vary based on availability and chefs choice. So don’t be alarmed or disappointed if they don’t have the same side dishes the next time you dine at Kkoki. The main dishes are quite naturally phenomenal! The flavours! The spices, the sauces... each one adds to the subtle and sometimes bold artistry of flavorings. I cannot praise Kkoki enough, the care with which the entire restaurant was constructed simply mirrors the care they show each customer. Our waitperson was so very attentive, she took the time to explain how everything worked, and she was always ready to get the next course. She recommend the enjoyable drink Chamisul which is surprising, it doesn't have a bite, but it's 20% alcohol so be wary it can sneak up on you. I was able to enjoy a conversation with the manager who explained more about Korean BBQ, where they get their proteins and much more. He was also very concerned with how our dining experience was and what they could improve on. Honestly I can’t think of anything that would make this a better experience. From the moment I was greeted at the door, and I saw the individual BBQ's built into the tables with a stainless steel vent dropping from the ceiling for each. I knew this was going to be a wonderful experience. I strongly suggest you try Kkoki I can give them nothing less than my highest...

My family and I went there a lot of times. We always went there at least for party of 6-8. We always make a reservation ahead, to make sure we can get in, because we drove for hours. Now, FYI, we live 3hrs away from Eugene, and this is the closest K-Bbq from our place. So yes, we drove 3hrs - one way to get there.

One time, we have party of 6, all adults. They sat us on booth sofa, where it fit comfortably for 4 adults + kids will be ok, but not for 6 adults. Cause you want to be able to move freely while you grills the food, not elbow to elbow. We showed the server how we even can't eat comfortably because the space is so tight and its really elbow to elbow when someone try to raise their hand. The server unhappily offer us to split the table for 3 and 3. They are not busy at all, there's a lot of empty bigger table, and they just can't let us sat together for whatever reason.

The recent one, party of 7 - all adults. They tried to sat us down on table that is good enough for 7 person, since it's a chair that you can move, so we can slightly adjust the space in between. The problem is, it is only one grill for 7 adults. Like seriously, there's a limit time to order a food (90 mins, i believe), limit of 3 plate of protein per round, and there's only 1 grill for all 7 adults. We asks nicely for 2 set grill, and again, they separate us into 2 tables, not together. We went there on Thanksgiving eve, to get together and celebrate, and they separate our table, where they have other bigger table, with 2 grills that they can open for us. And mind you, we called ahead to make a reservation, not walk in. They are not even that busy. The big table not reserved for other party. Its remain empty from when we got there until we finished.

Disappointed. Drove 3hrs one way, can't even sat together and enjoy the food with whole family. I can definitely understand if their bigger table are full, but it is not. I will definitely edit this review if we can get a better experience next time, if we decided to give...

You guys screwed up with the new management changes and pushing your excellent servers out for these unprofessional, impolite, and unaware new servers that don't care for your restaurant. This review is written because I would like to eat here again, but I just can't due to you changing your brisket to premium and horrible service. How dare you move your brisket to premium! You could've kept it on A or B even, but premium? That's ridiculous. This shows me you don't care for your customers and only care for the money, I get you're a business, but that was a despicable decision.

We were close with your old servers and I'm sure your old servers knew the regulars, they even knew what sides we wanted more of and would always replenish everything on time while being friendly and aware of others needs. Since the change we've eaten there three times and are getting desperate for change. The first time to check the change. Horrible service, why would I tip for that? I'd tip 20 to 50 for your old servers one time 100 or 80 I didn't care cuz that's how good they were. Second time was to confirm and sadly it was confirmed also by this time you've moved your brisket to the premium menu, double negative. By this time we understood why the old servers jumped ship as quick as they can. They were so good to us they even invited us to their last days working there. We were unfortunately torn between that and a family emergency. We loved those guys and miss them. The third time was just out of desperation for hope and good food it's just the service leaves a bad aftertaste and strikes your quality.

We're planning to eat here again for the food, but not expecting the good old days. I know it's going to suck, but at least we don't...