GANGNAM KOREAN STEAKHOUSE — Restaurant in Indianapolis

We stopped in for lunch, because Google still lists this location as Harmony Steak house ( Gangnam is a sister brand of Harmony). New Korean BBQ to try ? Sign me up !! The restaurant itself is trendily decorated with lots of ambient lighting , nice looking things etc. Plenty of parking as well. Service was spot on ! We were greeted as soon as we walked in , and all of the staff were pleasant to talk to. Our server explained the simple process ( ordering is done via tablet, very handy ), and was very knowledgeable about the different foods, as one of party was unfamiliar with Korean food in general. Food service was quick and efficient. The overall quality of the food was great ( with a few caveats) , everything was fresh and delicious !! The snack bar was sufficient, and plenty of Jangs were available to choose from, plus ingredients to make your own if you have a personal desire, but the offerings of Banchan were minimal at best. You basically had Kimchi, pickled carrot and daikon radish, spicy pickled cucumber, some peppered crab things that were super small, and a few other minor things like " beef jerky", and that was about it. And the Banchan available was as americanized as it could be. The kimchi was flavorful enough, but lacked any real substance from fish sauce,garlic or anything else to make it really go zing, and had absolutely no heat to it. It was the Mayonnaise of Kimchi in every way. Same with the pickled radish and carrot.... good enough , but somehow lacking. You guessed it, same with the spicy pickled cucumber.... good enough, but no zing. I was hoping for a more traditional offering in terms of options and flavor, and less boring white American cant handle flavor.

The same applies to the available meat offerings.... several beef options, several chicken options, several pork options...... all perfectly good, but boring in the overly dependable way. Seasoning on everything was fine, but still fell into the " straight from a bottle " flavor camp. Nothing wrong with it , but if you have ever made your own Korean BBQ seasonings and sauces, you will know what I mean. My only hard critique of the meats was the way they were cut. thin is good, but it was like cooking meat scraps, not meat intended for Korean BBQ. my guess is it was just roughly chopped into small pieces, which actually made it a little bit hard to cook because the little pieces would try and fall through the grill. Again, not world ending, but not ideal either.

So where does that leave everything?? Aside from small critiques, I thought it was very good as did everyone else. Some things were not what I prefer but they weren't bad. I would absolutely come back, gladly. The overall experience was fun, tasty and different for a lot of people who have never been to Korean BBQ. Pricing was not bad either...... lunch pricing was 20 dollars per person, dinner was around 30, and premium ( all the fancy meats like abalone, Wagyu beef , etc ) was...

Arrived fashionably hungry for a party of one a little after 7 PM on a Friday (8/1/25). Waited about 8 minutes to be seated, just enough time to take in the vibe and commit to ordering irresponsibly.

Ventilation is excellent. Smell test score: 1.5 out of 5. You’ll walk out with only the faintest aroma of grilled meat, easily masked with cologne or deodorizing spray.

Now for the star of the show: the meat. Beautifully sliced, well-marbled, and portioned generously. Top 3 cuts: Kalbi short ribs (juicy, savory, perfection) Sliced beef belly (rich and fatty in the best way) beef bulgolgi (a classic done right)

Least favorite? The sliced pork. Not bad, but a little too dry compared to the others.

Grills here are electric. While I’m usually a charcoal purist, this one brought the heat and delivered a proper sear. No sad steamed meats here (looking at you induction grills)

Wu, my server, was fantastic. Friendly, attentive, and offered to help with the grilling. I declined, but appreciated the offer. Ordering is done through a tablet, which also lets you call a server if needed. Very efficient, especially when things get mildly busy.

Timing was on point. I placed my food order first, then used the next 10 minutes to mix my sauces and nibble on the snack bar (kimchi, popcorn chicken, etc.). Grilling began right as the first meats arrived. My hotpot broth came five minutes after that. Within 12 minutes, everything I ordered had hit the table. No idle time, which is rare and wonderful.

Pro tip for groups: order in waves instead of all at once to help the kitchen and avoid table chaos.

Now, let’s talk banchan (Korean sides). While the kimchi was genuinely solid, I did miss the variety you usually find at more traditional Korean restaurants. No pickled radish, japchae, fish cake, or other usual suspects. I understand those aren’t the main show, but I’d love to see a few more classic sides in the rotation. It would really round out the experience. (Minus 1 star, so sorry)

The hotpot was a great addition. I stuck with the original broth. It worked perfectly for cooking leafy greens, some extra meats, and a final batch of ramen noodles. That broth, after absorbing all the ingredients, had the depth and comfort I needed to close out the meal.

Dessert was light. I chose fruit from the snack bar instead of soft serve. A rare moment of discipline.

Cost Breakdown for One Person: • Dinner base: $30 • Hotpot add-on: $5 • Jasmine tea: $3 Total: $50 ( tax +tip)

Gangdam Steakhouse is just in its second week, but already firing on all cylinders. Excellent service, clean space, and great energy. I’ll be back for sure.

This place is officially in the KBBQ rotation. As for your competitor up the street… better...

We went for the premium Bbq meat option, no hot pot. I was pretty bummed there was no window showing the meats we’d be getting. I was suspect of how “Prime these all you can eat steaks could be. First question I asked the server was if they were out of anything, especially any of the premium meats(Filet mignon, “Prime” ribeye “US wagyu(mystery cut), etc. and was told they are not out of anything.

I go to order on the tablet and I’m looking for the filet mignon that is clearly listed on the paper menu. He said they don’t have it, it was replaced by “marbled beef”. I asked what cut that is, because that isn’t a cut in America, just a term used to describe beef that has marbling lol. He couldn’t really answer the question. The seafood was underwhelming. Especially the salmon, it was gross and clearly frozen, low quality. Most of the steaks had a weird, thick clear liquid(not water) on top when delivered raw. No clue what that was about.

The only meat that was really good, flavorful, and tender was the beef short rib. The “Ribeyes” were genuinely depressing. Saddest looking ribeyes I’ve ever seen. Zero marbling, no spinalis. I assume they are like the ribeyes you’d get at those tents on the side of the road that have 20 ribeyes for $40. The “prime” they list their beef as is clearly a misleading label as these are definitely NOT USDA prime graded cuts of beef 😂 If they are USDA graded, they have a meat supplier in major kahoots with a USDA inspector. I’ll include photos of the ribeyes they serve and a prime graded ribeye from Walmart to compare.

All in all, the experience was decent at best. I enjoyed grilling my own meat at dinner for me and the girlfriend. But I was very let down with the quality of the beef they label as “prime”, as well as the seafood, and pork belly. The octopus was awful and rubbery. The premium cuts couldn’t be more far from premium. Having filet on the menu but not actually carrying it was really annoying but I’m sure it would have been crappy filets too. If you care about high quality, well marbled beef this won’t be for you.

My girlfriend told me how bad the ladies restrooms were. One stall had Saran Wrap over the toilet, and told me how a kitchen worker came in after her and rushed into the open stall since she seemed to know the other stall had Saran wrap. The other stalls had a trash can up on the toilet and water or urine...