Do Si Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Kent

We ate here yesterday on the grand opening day (12/9). It was really wonderful overall, with just a few small details I noticed that are yet to be smoothed out. This must be a normal process for any brand new, family-owned restaurant.

When we arrived, we noticed several roped-off Lamborghinis parked in front of the restaurant. We were seated quickly even with the day being quite busy. It took a little while to start getting the sides and then the meat. We did notice that all the employees seemed extremely busy and it’s clear that they are all getting the hang of this process. The staff forgot a few details like turning on our grill and bringing some items, but they quickly did so after another reminder. I believe all the little details will get worked out as this new business continues to figure out the little details.

The chicken thigh was quite thick and a little tricky to make sure it was fully cooked through. I’ve noticed that many other KBBQ places tend to slice any chicken meat really thin, probably to help prevent any eating of undercooked chicken. The flavors of the short ribs and bulgogi were especially delicious. Probably the best of those meats that I’ve had at any KBBQ. The grills did tend to char more quickly than at other places I’ve been, which seems to be from the great amount of delicious marinade and juices in the meats. Just an observation, though I don’t recommend changing anything about the flavoring of those meats!

I agree that the water served tasted weird. Maybe the combination of unfiltered tap water that was sitting in a metal container and then poured into metal cups. The tea was a nice jasmine tea, though I do wish there were other options for tea other than jasmine (a regular green tea or genmai would be lovely).

I would say the only thing we were really disappointed by was that they didn’t allow the all-you-can-eat option advertised on their menu and website. We asked about this and they said it was due to the special event that day (the gathering of the Northwest Lamborghini Club or something like that). Those club members and other family friends who were there did seem to be getting more attention and better service, which I do kind of understand for a new restaurant in an event day. But not having any all-you-can-eat option was disappointing, as this was advertised and then not possible to partake in, and we were excited to try it. I hope it does not become a normal thing to have sudden days where the advertised AYCE option is not available without any notice. So we ordered a small-sized marinated combo, which was delicious, but much more limited on meats we got to try.

We are usually hesitant about all-you-can-eat KBBQs because we’ve noticed the quality of meat is often quite low. However, the meat quality for our combo seemed excellent and the taste was spectacular! We plan to return soon and bring some friends. It looks like reservations are being booked out, so we’ll plan to make a reservation. And I’m hoping to see these little improvements as the restaurant gets more settled and sorts out the little things that can be hard to predict before a restaurant opens. I do believe it’s impossible for prospective restaurant owners to know exactly what to expect until they open their business, and I know that any business has an adjustment period as they get started. But with the incredible start to their business on opening day, I’m hopeful that this great restaurant will...

Short review - Absolutely amazing place, food, and service. All you can eat KBBQ!! Long review -I'm shocked by the less than Five (heck I'll give you four stars)... This has been a great addition to the Kent Hill restaurants. We have been needing something like this on the East Hill and this place is by far amazing. My wife and I have come here at least 8 to 10 times since opening we have always had great service. I have never waited more than 5 minutes if that to do any kind of ordering or to do any kind of drinks. The most wait was a 20-minute wait to be seated because it was on a Friday night and I would expect that or I would hope it would be that busy that I would have to wait- I'd like this place to stay. The dishes have been fabulous, the meats are fantastic. Chicken wings are good. The Japchae is phenomenal!! My wife has a gluten and dairy allergy and it was great to speak with the people initially and talk with them about what she can and can't have and they completely understood. So much so the next time that her and I came back the same server (Po) remembered everything because he himself is allergic to dairy. Now from reading the reviews I know who these people are talking about the "Asian guy with the beard". I apologize to you because I forgot your name but I have spoken to you twice. I have been in during slow times and I have been in during really busy times. I truly believe that people think that the rudeness is really just a manager trying to run a business, get people seated as quickly as possible so that his staff can start to serve you food. He has never personally been rude to myself or my wife or any family member I brought in. He is short on what he says sometimes, however to say rudeness is beyond me. No I don't personally know anyone that works there, nor am I being paid to say any of this stuff. Po, the guy above, and all the younger staff have been great! Attentive to changing out your grill, asking about other sides. I actually prefer to order by the "P" numbers instead of saying the names- they absolutely DO NOT force you to order by that what so ever! Yes they offer you ice cream at the end by saying hey there's free ice cream and it's just one of those little cups that used to get when you were a kid with the wooden spoon but you get a nice little plastic one now. To say that they bribe you for a good reviews with it (someones review here)... really? Seems a little ridiculous! My only four star was for atmosphere- they do have a bunch of TVs on the wall playing Korean dance and pop music stuff which I find very entertaining. They do have two PA style speakers mounted towards the back of the restaurant and they do seem to have like a party sometimes at night because there's laser lights and stuff on the ceilings. I feel like I'm personally missing out on one of these party nights where these laser lights and stuff get turned on and speakers get blasted. I need to figure out how to get on...

Soft opening so they’re working things out but it was still better than I expected.

Staff was adequate but everyone was helpful once they were able to get to us.

You had the same servers bringing out food, taking orders, changing grills, and getting the bill for tables. I’d have a few more hands around for just changing grills and cashing tables out.

OK whatever with above, what about the food? It was great once it got to us. Don’t know if it was the best of the best but it’s good enough for me to come back instead of only going to Federal Way or Lynnwood.

I hope the quality of the meat and side dishes remains consistent. For all you can eat, I was expecting subpar meat but it tasted good enough honestly. The most pleasant thing was the quality of the side dishes but even for the soft opening they provided fresh options.

What did I really dislike other than the wait and staffing expected from a soft opening? There are many flashing lights set up here. It’s cool at first but it can get irritating especially if you’re at a table and you’re sitting where some of the lasers run across your face. If possible, have someone reposition these so they never reach table level? Point them further up on the walls and ceiling just not at people’s faces. Maybe eat here during the day I’m assuming the lasers won’t be on.

They blasted kpop music and had videos going on. Audio level was higher than I’d like. I’d bring it down just a little bit as I could converse with everyone at my table but we had to speak up a little more than normal.

For some reason the water tasted a little off. I’m not sure if the metal cups and containers needed more of a rinsing but whatever the issue is I hope it’s resolved next time. I didn’t bother finishing even a cup of water. Barley, green, or some kind of hot tea would be a nice alternative especially during colder seasons.

Maybe change the water containers out from metal to the typical plastic jugs you see at most kbbq and Korean restaurants.

Seating could’ve been a little better. Most of the tables have one grill for a large party which was great but there were a lot of smaller parties with extra table space.

I would designate some tables to occupy multiple parties with a divider set up then allow priority seating for small groups not interested in cooking themselves and just ordering entrees while still allowing at least a group of 4 to use the remainder of the table for self grilling.

Another thing we noticed was no wet wipes offered or brought to our table. We never asked them but it’s just a small thing we noticed always provided at most Korean restaurants. Not a big deal but hope it’s offered on a regular basis after other bigger logistics are worked out.

Good luck to this place. It’s nice to have a kbbq option for the Kent community and hope they’re here to stay. Hoping to come back and see if the food maintains quality and everything else that needs improvement...