MGD Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I usually don't leave reviews unless it's a 5 star or a 1 star. I will like to say this was my second time here ever. First time was when they first opened up, service was mid the first time and even worse this time. I gave this an overall score as 1 star simply because of the service. The food is a 4/5. Although it was good the food was very limited for options. The atmosphere was 3/5. It was okay. At one point the music was blasting my partner couldn't even hear me as a simple question. The service on the other hand. It got 1 star. We got there around 9:15 pm, it was busy due to graduation season which is understandable. There was no wait however so we sat almost immediately, our server seemed in a rush which is totally understandable as it was busy. My partner and I are extremely understanding when it comes to being busy as we have worked in similar positions. At first we felt bad because it seemed our server was 1 person. He came by and took our order. He was super sweet, we can tell he was stressed which was not his fault at all. He took our drink order and then we hadn't seen him for the next 15-20 minutes. Our first round of food came out, we ordered rice paper never got it. And then second round he comes back to take our order. And then our drinks come out. We order 2 alcoholic beverages but they were out of one so we ended up with just 1. It was good. Sweet, I could not taste the alcohol at all, I am someone who will taste the smallest amount. We finally get our sodas and water, our server comes back awhile after, (about 50 minutes since we sat) to take our 3rd and final order as it was last call. We ordered our food and we asked for rice paper once again which our server then informed us that they were out, I'm not entirely sure why he didn't mention this before when we ordered it on our first round but it's fine. we didn't see him once since then. This was about an hour prior to closing. Our food was catching fire due to some seasoning, which the busser (who was super attentive and sweet) came and turned down the fire for us. We accidentally then turned off the fire. Not a single person came to check on us, no refills for soft drinks or water, we didn't get one of our orders of meat from the first round the entire time. We then got the check and was told "no rush". We still had a bunch of food to cook as our fire was super low and we weren't able to get anyone's attention. We finally asked someone to turn it up for us so that we can cook faster and leave. (I personally do not like being the last person in a restaurant, I understand wanting to leave, so we were trying to rush so the staff could get out on time.) We are getting ready to pay. We get the check back and there is a second card in the tab, we only used one card and we were trying to get anyone's attention to tell them that the second card wasn't ours, and the busser (the only person who actually acknowledged us) came over to help us, we let him know the card wasn't ours, he let his manager know. She comes over asking us like we were stupid if we were sure that wasn't our card. And then she said "when I opened the book both cards came out" so not only was that not our card, it was someone else's from prior to our dining. That persons card was charged about $57 before we raised the attention that it wasn't ours. They gave us the bill before even asking us if we were doing okay, offering refills, or asking if we needed anything. Super rude on their behave which is why they got 1 star. The busser (unfortunately I didn't get his name) was the most attentive person in the entire business. I will NOT be back. Go to Gen if you want kbbq, they take care of you and...

2024.08-02/FRI_1940: David was our server. He was really cool. We were on our way to Brent's Deli when the traffic lights were out. We were actually following the Brent's Deli Catering truck when traffic slowed down. We passed MGD and busted a U-turn once traffic stopped and headed over to MGD.

Of course, there was a wait but this was one of the few times we were eating past 7 pm. I got off late from work today. They have a nice system in place and since we were only a party of two, we knew the 30-45 minute wait wouldn't be so bad. We were able to wait in our car. We were called within 15 minutes. They have a large restaurant and the outdoor seating was pretty much equal to the indoor seating. We lucked out and sat at a booth to the right of the bar.

Our server, David, was awesome. He looked "anime" and had tats on his arms. He always had a smile on his face! He was really attentive and never disappeared on us. We started with a draft and a Soju Mule. Oh my word, the Mule was delicious! The Banchans they brought out were macaroni and potato salad, Oi Muchim (Spicy Cucumber Salad) and my favourite, Kimchi.

There's so many side items that come with the AYCE menu! We were primarily there for the meats so this worked out great. We also ordered a side of their radish paper which was so tasty and complimented every type of meat we ordered. They even have Prime Steak and Lobster Tail on the menu! Every penny was worth it for this Korean BBQ! We're so happy we found another great Korean BBQ spot. What for us was the quality of meat and the side of fat they give you to grease the grill. Crazy, we didn't have to change our grill for the whole dinner. Not sure how that was possible being that at other places, it's changed out frequently. We also do not get marinated meats and I believe it was the fact that they give you a piece of fat from the start to oil the grill.

They have so many Banchans, we didn't even make it through the whole list! We did get the Chinese Steamed Egg, Korean Fried Chicken and we forgot to get the salad. That was a good thing because there was no way we would've had room for it. We had Beef Belly, Beef Tongue, Steak, Lobster Tails (limit 1 per person), Beef Brisket and Pork Belly. We also tried the new Marinated Rib Finger that was added to the menu. That item is a definite meat you should try. It's thick pieces of meat but surprisingly, after cooking it, it was as if we had Filet Mignon! ALL of the meats were SUPER tender! The steak was so tender like the Marinated Rib Finger that you can cut it with a fork.

The ice cream was also a delicious treat. For $3, you can get a single serving of ice cream and that, too, was delicious. They have a variety of flavors, too.

For the wonderful customer service and quality of food, we'll be back! 😀

#MGD #MeatGrillDrink #koreanBBQ #northridge #ayce #allyoucaneat ...

MGD knows its audience and plays to its strengths to carve out its niche in the KBBQ scene.

The most unusual item on the menu is the tortilla (ask for the taco kit to get salsa, cilantro, onions, and tortillas all together). Don't forget to grill the tortillas like we did! We appreciated the hefty size of the tortillas, but we think street taco sized tortillas would have been better to match the size of radish or rice paper. The salsa was basic but yummy. The veggies were fresh! While this item might seem blasphemous, the viral TikTok fad of patrons bringing their own tortillas to KBBQ is certainly nothing to scoff at. MGD has realized the opportunity this fad presents and capitalized on it. We hope that MGD can continue to elevate their taco kits to keep me coming back.

MGD certainly isn't all gimmick. They offer high quality meats and other dishes that certainly have their draw. The most unique item with the plainest name was the kimchi fried rice. This rice came on a cast iron plate with a scrambled egg backdrop surrounding the fried rice with a fried egg and furikake on top - unique in presentation and taste.

The brisket and beef belly were by far my favorite meats they offered. We like to mix and match these two meats to get the balance of fattiness and meatiness - both were superb quality and so tender. The pork jowl was firm and al dente. The beef bulgogi was marinated well. The pork belly was sliced thin like bacon and crisped up nicely. The galbi, jumulleok, and MGD steak were not quite as yummy as the belly and brisket but were still of high quality.

The japchae was unexpectedly cut up into small noodles, so it's significantly easier to eat with a spoon for the chopsticks-challenged. The corn cheese came with a Mexican cheese blend. Sides - macaroni salad, really good fish cake, cucumber kimchi, corn potato salad, cabbage kimchi, salad. The rice paper was stacked a few inches high, just how we like it.

MGD makes their tables highly modular by fueling their burners with gas canisters instead of gas lines, so tables can be moved around freely to mix and match parties - this freedom is superb and great for big parties! The seating wasn't crowded at all, so we didn't feel claustrophobic like at some other restaurants. The tables and floors were clean. We also got real plates and silverware, a real bonus it seems in these unprecedented times.

Great outdoor seating, great food. Can't...