BORI - Spring Branch — Restaurant in Houston

I used to love this place and it was my go to restaurant until today. I ordered bulgogi bento and they accidentally gave me bulgogi with soup which is also their lunch menu. Like I said I used to take out food there often, I realized it was not the dish I used to get. Since I already got to my place and did not want a trip back to the restaurant, I just decided to have it. However, I realized they actually charged me for bento which is dollar more expensive. Then I had to say something because I even got the food I did not ordered but they charged me for more expensive one. It’s just a dollar I know, but I wanted to let them know so called. The staff said the price sounds right (that’s because there’s only a dollar difference) but I knew they charged me more because I did my own calculation. Plus, all he said about the situation was just excusing themselves not apologizing at all. The staff was like, oh we just changed our lunch menu and now that’s our new bulgogi, the chef was not really sure what he was cooking (I was like, what....?????). Not professional at all. If they changed what they used to have and just changed the food not the name together, they need to explain there’s a change. Nope, they did not when I ordered. And the food itself was so bad I cannot even believe it was from Bori, which I believed it was a premium restaurant specialized in korean bbq. The clear noodle came separately but it was so undercooked, and the soup bulgogi was just so bad. No quality at all! If it was from a food court or something I would just forget about it but this is not acceptable. Not worth $14. Last but not least, when I got there to pick up my food I had to wait for about ten minutes to pay. They just gave me the food and forgot to charge me so I had to ask a passing staff and let him know I needed to pay for the food. The staff who brought me the food was very kind though. Overall, horrible experience and never paying myself to get...

Beautiful. Fantastic. Delicious.

From all of the Korean BBQ restaurants I've been to, this is by far my favorite now. There is plenty of parking. Complimentary. They have their own lot and it's very spacious. Reservation only at this time, and meats are 15% off now, but only for a limited time only. The grills use wood chips to enhance the flavors, the ventilation is stronger, where you won't smell like bbq after dinner. The servers bring you complimentary unlimited bonchons aka sides and guess what? They cook all your meats!! Vy took wonderful care of us. My family and I love bon chons and we ran her a little heavy. But she cooked everything very well, asked us for our preference and was diligent and polite. She always refilled our waters and took our plates in a timely manner. I ordered the following:

Japchae Fried dumplings Seafood pancake Beef combo Marinated short rib Bori prime cut Ribeye

Unfortunately, I wanted to order more but they ran out of all pork and many beef choices.

The japchae was good. I did wish it had more flavor, but it was a good starter. I liked how the vegetables weren't overcooked and the noodles were soft and chewy.

The fried dumplings were handmade and homemade. You can absolutely tell. I liked it. I wish there was a spicy sauce to pair it with but that's alright!

Seafood pancake had a good amount of seafood. Almost each bite had protein. Perfect with the sauce and it was good shareable size for 4.

Meats were great. You can absolutely tell that they choose the best cuts. Most of my meats were so tender and none were cooked burnt. Vy did a great job maintaining our tables and the others as it got extremely hectic.

Overall, the ambiance is a fancier than other Houston kbbq restaurants, clean, and had a modern feel to it. Eclectic, sheek, and comforting. I would definitely recommend those who are looking for a new kbbq spot. Prices are a bit more steep but quality...

We came here for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon for our first time. The restaurant is nice and clean, we were greeted and seated by the hostess to our table.

We ordered the Korean seafood pancake for the appetizer, which was delicious. It had a nice crisp to it and thicker than other Korean pancakes we've tried. 5/5 for the pancakes.

The Bulgogi Stone Pot was super disappointing. The meat wasn't flavorful and tough, and the sauce they bring you to mix in is not the usual Korean Gochijang flavor, but more of a Hoisin sweet sauce flavor that definitely did not match well with the rice, meat and vegetables. 2/5 for the Stone Pot entrée.

The soup that they bring you with your dish was lukewarm. When we asked them to either heat it up or bring us a new bowl, they brought us back a new hot soup, but in a smaller portion bowl than before. What's up with that? Soup was mid also, not flavorful, and meat inside was bland and chewy. 3/5

Our waitress wasn't very friendly, she never smiled or really checked up on us, we had to wave down 3 different waiters and waitresses to refill our drinks and bring us more of the extremely small side portions they bring you with your orders. All the other waiters and waitresses were pleasant except our waitress. Service was 2/5.

We loved the Seafood pancake so much that we ordered another to-go. I understand that this is a steakhouse, but we were considering trying out the steaks for a dinner dining evening and gave the lunch menu a shot. If I'm spending $100 for lunch for 3 people, I expect the food to taste better.

3 lunch entrées and 2 appetizers plus tip came out to $96.44. I should have tipped less for the service, total vibe killer. I wouldn't come out of my way to visit this spot again, but if I'm in the area, I might order the Seafood pancake and pick up to-go so I don't have to see the stone...