K-DUP BAB RESTAURANT — Restaurant in Laredo

If you scroll down you'll find multiple negative reviews about bad service from the male manager and messed up orders. This, unfortunately, was also my first (and last) experience with K Dup Bab.

I was very excited to come for my birthday with my boyfriend to the only Korean restaurant in Laredo. Korean cuisine is one top my top favorites ever, and I'm moving to Laredo within the next couple months. I had been excited for this visit for over a month.

We were sat right in front of the grill and ordered a bottle of soju, and I flipped over my menu straight to the grill section. When the server saw us looking up after quickly agreeing on what to get, my boyfriend ordered for us, the bulgogi and spicy pork. Apparently these are also bowl items you can order, and that was what we were brought. I thought it was just a miscommunication which happens and is no big deal, right? Wrong.

When i told the waiter "ah I'm sorry, we actually wanted the grill. Could we do that instead?" He immediately became defensive and began insisting "you have to pay for those." This was upsetting because it was not our intended order, and we were being polite while he copped an attitude. He then proceeded to speak in a condescending manner about how he would "discount" by giving us only one grill order instead of two, (as 2 orders per Korean grill is typically customary.) But he continuously insisted we still had to pay for the bowls. He made some weird reactive excuse about how "usually when customers orders soju they know everything already." It didn't make sense but felt passive aggressive.

We then noticed that what they had brought us wasn't even pork and beef... it was chicken and beef. So even if they had clarified correctly and given us the grill, they still would have brought the wrong meat... The meat in the bowl btw was overcooked and far from the best bowl of Korean meat I've ever had, to top it all off. The seasonings were slightly lacking. The grilled meat was a bit better, which is to be expected of actual kbbq, and the banchan hit the Korean food spot but were also far from the best banchan I've ever had... with the attitude of that man I'd have truly expected top 5 star quality. It seems he's just a grumpy old ajushi.

I have family who's Korean and have eaten Korean food around the country and world. The price for the quality here is asinine, and trust me, don't let this place be your final impression of Korean cuisine. There's so much better out there and the prices here are not fair for the quality and service.

Im not sure what was going on but I could also see the staff exchange glances when we paid for our food which indicates toxic management setting a bad example for the employees. We were more polite and respectful than that man. The terrible experience left me crying on my birthday. I had planned to be a regular but now i will never come here again and I will tell others not to come as well.

The only reason we paid is that i really wanted kbbq on my birthday only to have a terribly disappointing experience. It's not right to treat customers that way.

We were also floored by the price of alcohol. DO NOT BUY SOJU here. They charge $20 a bottle. Google soju and you can buy it anywhere else in Laredo for $5-$8. They're being ripoff artists because they know not everyone is fully familiar with...

My wife and I went here today to have a good night out. We went inside the restaurant and asked about the All you can eat menu that they posted on Facebook, and the server confirmed that they do offer that. I’ve had kbbq many times at various kbbq eateries, so when I tell you this places failed miserably, please believe me.

First, the AYCE menu info isn’t posted on their menu they give you but they say you can order whatever you want on the menu, except for seafood and hotpot items. You can’t do kbbq and hotpot at the same time. Totally understandable, minus the seafood part. Prices for their AYCE menu were not posted….but trust me I’ll post it. Keep reading.

Anywho, we order the beef bulgogi. Our server starts setting up our table for the hot grill and it’s a metal bowl, black in color, does not grill meat well.

They bring all these little sides that were okay. Nothing special but standard.

The bulgogi was okay, not that great. We also ordered pork belly. The audacity that they bring out 2 thick slices of pork belly for us to grill, FROZEN solid. Just pulled out of the freezer.

So we let that thaw out and we ordered the Korean short rib (galbi). This meat typically comes marinated and has high marbling, let me tell you, it came unseasoned, and was probably a commodity cut, it was super tough, nothing tender about it.

We also ordered spicy pork belly and that was just okay, really no spicy flavor.

They only offered two sauces that were given on a small sauce holder. They only brought out one sauce tray for my wife and I instead of giving us our own. SMH

Anyways, it’s time to get the check and my wife tells me, “ you don’t wanna see this.” I look at the bill and they charged us $85.00 per person and on top of that they charged us an 18% service fee ($30.00) for ordering off the AYCE menu. It was just the two of us at the table, not 8. Total price was $217.00.

This place won’t be open for long, especially not at these prices. Prices dont match up to the quality. It was our fault for not asking the price of their AYCE menu, and i promise you that will be the last time that I dont ask for the price before ordering anything at any restaurant.

Any other review you see here praising the food of this place has no idea what good Korean food tastes like. This is my service announcement to the city of Laredo, do not waste your money on this...

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 IF I COULD GIVE 6 STARS I WOULD — THIS PLACE CHANGED MY LIFE.

Let me paint you a picture: you walk into this humble-looking Korean BBQ joint, not expecting much. And then BOOM — the owner, a proud Korean man with the aura of a culinary monk and the eyes of someone who’s seen 10,000 perfectly grilled short ribs — floats out of the kitchen like a K-drama sensei.

Before we even tasted the food, he sat with us, told us about the dishes with the kind of pride usually reserved for new fathers and Olympic gold medalists. We followed every single one of his recommendations like they were commandments handed down from the mountaintop. The man could’ve told me to eat the napkin and I’d have trusted the flavor.

Here’s the deal: you can either have them cook for you (which is already a gift from the heavens), OR — and this is where it gets magical — you can grill the meat yourself at your table. Do you know what it's like to wield the power of fire and beef with your own hands? I felt like a carnivorous samurai in a meat dojo.

AND LET ME TELL YOU — the sauces? He marinates them for WEEKS. You can taste the patience. These aren’t sauces, they’re liquid gold aged like fine art. I would bottle it and wear it as cologne if I could.

Halfway through, we were happily chowing down, chopsticks going wild — until the owner reappeared, gently, almost apologetically, like a culinary ghost of correctness. He leaned in and said, “No no, chopsticks are for banchan — the sides. For meat and rice... you use the spoon.” Sir. Thank you. I’ve never felt so corrected yet so spiritually fulfilled in my life.

The food? UNREAL. I’m 89% sure my taste buds ascended to another plane. The kimchi slapped so hard it gave me emotional closure I didn’t know I needed. The bulgogi was so tender I suspect the cow lived a stress-free life of daily spa treatments. I would trade my car for another bite of that galbi.

Final verdict: this place isn’t just a restaurant — it’s a rite of passage. Bring your friends, bring your grandma, bring your ex if you’re trying to win them back. Just GO. I’ve already planned my next three visits. Honestly, if I ever go missing, check here first — I’ll probably be in the back, begging the owner...