Soju Belly — Restaurant in Garden Grove

Let's start with the service. After visiting many soju bars, I have grown accustomed to mediocre customer service. As such, I was pleasantly surprised by the interactions with four different staff members. They were all attentive, quick to help, and courteous from the moment we entered until our leaving. Here's an example: when we received our bill, I noticed they had accidentally omitted the charge for the $16.99 pineapple soju cocktail we ordered. When I brought this up with a staff member, he thanked me for my honesty, gave me a high five, and said it's on the house.

Two more surprises: tables that aren't sticky and a decor that isn't tacky. Anyone who has been to multiple soju bars can probably attest to how poorly customers' tables are cleaned, and how most establishments have Korean posters, peeling and outdated, adoring the venues' walls. Soju Belly's cleanliness and overall atmosphere was highly appreciated.

The drinks themselves were delicious and were delightfully presented. The watermelon soju came in an actual watermelon, and the pineapple soju arrived in a beautifully cut pineapple. Both hollowed fruits were filled to the brim with delicious soju; my significant other pointed out, multiple times, that Soju Belly did not skimp on the alcohol.

The food menu was quite extensive, consisting of a few dozen items ranging from snacks to entrees. The food my friends and I ordered made our taste buds dance. The kimchi fried rice that I enjoyed was seasoned perfectly and was better than many of the Korean restaurants' dishes in San Francisco. Oh, and there was unlimited slightly-salted popcorn while we waited for our food and drinks.

Disclosure: Soju Belly is the first bar of its type that I have visited in Orange County, so I should state I don't have much of a local reference point. That said, I've been to numerous soju bars in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Soju Belly compared...

Our group of 7 came on a Friday night at around 7 pm with no hassle. Was greeted and seated immediately. Service was super quick, and they were friendly! Had low expectations for food as the reviews prior didn’t seem to highlight anything, but man, were we in for a good time! Good value in portions.

Corn Cheese ($10.99) - Just like every other corn cheese out there, can you go wrong with cheese over sweet corn? No. Super yummy! Use the tortilla chips to scoop, and it’s a fun crunchy cheesy time. Spicy Rice Cake ($20.99) - Came on a hot plate, rice cakes with fish cakes smothered with cheese! The surprise was the hard-boiled egg hidden in between the layers of sauce and cheese!I didn’t like tteokbokki coming in, but I left craving it now. Army Stew ($28.99) - The amount of spam and vienna sausages has me going through nostalgia! The broth was to die for, pairing the spoonfuls of ramen and broth with a nice soju shot, which was a game changer for the morning after! Chicken Wings ($24.99) - Came with side radishes and a side slaw. Chicken was crispy and had a good flavor. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Bulgogi Fries ($24.99) - This is a MUST order. The bulgogi was so tender, and the sauce smothered between the fries was yummy! Watermelon Cocktail - ($17.99) ,Pineapple Cocktail - ($17.99) - Both concoctions came and garnered a good 18 shots out of both Both came out pretty icy, so I suggest immediately stirring and letting it sit before serving!

Every other bottle of soju came out to be $12 each. Overall, our Friday night was enjoyable! The food was yummy, and the drinks were great. Would...

Very disappointing. My 2 friends and I came here for dinner on a Monday night, so we ordered our food and drinks after taking a few minutes looking at the menu items. Service was ok, except that the food and drinks were delicious with a generous amount to share. After my friends and I were finished, the bill came out and we all paid including tips as well. However, the male waiter returned back with our money and tips and awkwardly asked us why we tipped less than 10% gratuity because their gratuity should be around 20% or more as told by his manager. On the bill, NOWHERE it says about the gratuity so I was surprised and shocked why they come to our table and expect more. They even overcharged us for an extra bottle of soju when we only ordered 5. I think that's ridiculous. Next time, please add your gratuity at the bottom of the receipt to let others know what you guys expect. Otherwise, you would only offend others if you come up to their table and asked this kind of question by your manager. We only tip the amount by how we want to tip. After this, I don't think my friends and I would ever come back again. UPDATE: I went back to the restaurant yesterday and explained everything to the male server about the extra item on the bill. Luckily, I took a picture of the receipt that night when my friends and I hungout. The manager wasn't there during that time so I had to come back today and they refunded me right away. I changed 1 star to 3 stars now, only because they were very understanding and apologized for the mistake they made, unlike other...