SURA KOREAN BBQ (Boston) — Restaurant in Medford

Extremely Disappointing Experience — Sura Has Gone Downhill

I’ve been a loyal customer at Sura Korean BBQ for over a year, but after last night’s visit, I won’t be coming back. The restaurant recently changed its entire model without informing its customers, and not for the better. It’s no longer a full-service Korean BBQ restaurant, but instead operates like a self-serve buffet. What was once a lively, well-run spot is now a chaotic and poorly managed disappointment.

When we arrived, we were surprised to be seated immediately, a stark contrast to the usual long wait times. It became clear why. Instead of servers bringing the meats and sides to your table, you're now expected to serve yourself from a buffet that offers limited selections of meat, rice, and pre-cooked dishes. This wasn’t what we expected or what we came for.

The quality of service has plummeted as well. We constantly had to flag down staff just to get water refills and have dirty plates removed. On top of that, one of the staff members was rude, scolding us to “put the meat on the grill immediately” or risk burning the grill. There are far more respectful ways to communicate that.

The final straw was the surprise 20% service charge added to our bill for a party of five, something we were never informed of when we sat down. When we asked the server to explain, he claimed it was their policy but failed to show us where this was written. After some discussion, he reluctantly removed the charge, but not before guilt-tripping us by saying, “We only get paid $3 an hour, so I hope you’ll take care of the servers.”

Frankly, this guilt trip was unprofessional and inappropriate. This is no longer a full-service restaurant, so expecting a 20% tip is absurd. At most, buffet-style service warrants a 10% tip — not 20%. The servers now do significantly less than they did under the previous model, yet they expect the same gratuity. It’s a cash grab, plain and simple.

Before this change, we happily left generous tips because the service matched the price and experience. Now, you’re expected to do half the work yourself while still paying inflated tips and service charges. It’s insulting to long-term customers who have supported this business.

All of us left extremely disappointed and have agreed we won’t return to Sura Korean BBQ unless they revert to their original full-service model. If you’re looking for a traditional Korean BBQ experience with great service, this isn’t the place anymore. Sura lost several loyal customers last night, and we’ll be taking our business elsewhere.

If you’re considering dining here, save your money and go to a place that actually values...

I can honestly say that the Food tasted great… But!...the service on the other hand was something I wish to forget very quickly. No servers checked on our table the entire 1 hour+ meal period. We always had to flag them down. I asked one of the servers, Alex, for a refill on kimchee… he said OK… 7-8 minutes go by… Alex is walking around the restaurant but no refill… then I ask him again.. he says “Oh, yeah, I will get it for you.”…. another 5-6 minutes go by nothing… So I ask him again… he says “we are under-staffed… and the kimchee has to be made.” WHAAAAAA??? Kimchee has to be MADE??? Are you serious dude? The fermented kimchee was made weeks ago! Are you kidding me Alex??? Then I ask another young lady server for the kimchee… 30 seconds later she gave us a heaping portion of kimchee… 30 seconds is all it took her to get it… So now, I learned by then asking for extra napkins might be another congressional battle so, I went up to the bar to get some napkins myself… but then I saw the restaurant manager… this is where it took a lunch experience from being disappointing to downright horrifying. I tried to give the manager a constructive feedback by letting him know the sub-par service we have received… no checking on our table… Alex not knowing what kimchee is, etc. he literally rips my head off and tells me… “WE ARE UNDERSTAFFED SO WE CANNOT DO ANYTHING MORE!!! WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM ME RIGHT NOW???” Ouch… Sorry that I tried to give some constructive feedback… Then the nice young lady server from earlier came over and tried to diffuse the situation. The manager just walks away and let's the server handle the situation!!! But she was an absolute sweet heart… so as I returned to my table, the manager was near my table already and tells my wife “Your husband is crazy!” Then he goes on a Crazy Rant in front of all customers yelling at me how everybody is too busy!!! OMG!!! I have a video capturing the rant but I cannot post it so I am posting some of the pictures of the manager yelling in the dining room floor in the way he behaved towards me… (if you want to see the video, reply to this post) It was absolutely a horrifying experience… Let’s start at 4 stars for the food taste… then a +1 star for the nice young server lady… but a -1 star for the clueless Alex… then -5 stars for the manager… that means I should give a -1 star but I can’t so I am simply giving this place a 1 star… You make the judgement as to if you should be treated this way paying $30 per person!! I would spend my hard earned money somewhere else where they understand...

I have never written a review for any business before, but my last visit to Sura was so disappointing that I feel the need to express my frustrations. Sura used to be my absolute favorite restaurant, to the point that I would go out to eat there on (at least) a monthly basis. They recently did a complete change and now operate as a buffet (however, you can still order certain entrees and meats besides the buffet through a QR code).

The food has declined significantly in quality. Normally, the dumplings would be very hot when they would be delivered to the table. Now, because you can only get them from the buffet, they are cold and stale. The same can be said of a few other items I picked (deep-fried vegetables, deep-fried mushrooms, chicken drumsticks, etc.). This is alarming, as the station is advertised as having “hot appetizers”. The portions are much smaller, as well; my husband ordered cold noodles, and the bowl was significantly tinier than previous visits. The dish was also missing ice and was not as cold as it should have been.

The service has been negatively impacted by this change. Although the servers have always been extremely kind and attentive, the new business model resulted in an overly-complicated ordering process that now needs to be explained and less frequent grill changes and check-ins. This is not the fault of the employees; they are still all very wonderful, the change has just unnecessarily complicated what used to be an easy process. Additionally, it resulted in long lines at the buffet station and crowding in certain areas of the restaurant (which I can only imagine is frustrating for the people sitting right next to these areas). We also did not have any empty plates cleared from our table throughout the entire dinner.

The change is confusing for all patrons. There was a table near us that sat and waited for about fifteen minutes before they were even approached by an employee to explain the new ordering process. The change was a complete surprise to many people, including myself, especially since it seems the website still has not been updated.

Finally, and this is a tiny complaint, but they no longer offer bowls for rice. ):

I am deeply disappointed that my favorite restaurant has changed for the worse, and unfortunately, I will be looking for a new...