Baekjeong NYC — Restaurant in New York

I've been here 4 or 5 times at this point, with my latest visit (detailed below) being my first visit in almost 6 years. A lot has changed.

6 years ago, people crowded the sidewalk in the middle of winter to wait for a table. The restaurant itself every time was absolutely packed, and the staff would give a loud, boisterous greeting when you walked in. Today, on a breezy summer evening, there was no wait, a lot of empty tables, and no energetic greeting.

If you don't eat USDA prime beef often, you might enjoy this place. For those who eat prime beef a lot or eat a lot of Korean BBQ at this price point, you'll be disappointed. We had the thinly sliced brisket, wagyu short rib, and Iberico pork collar. Despite picking the most expensive meats (aside from the brisket), nothing wowed us. The brisket was on the dryer side (though to their credit, was not the driest brisket I've had). The (American) wagyu short rib seemed to be exactly the same quality as the American wagyu you can get at H-Mart--in fact, both use the same supplier (SRF/Snake River Farms). The worst offense was the Iberico pork collar, which had a strong old pork smell which carried over to the taste. I had to overpower it with either the picked radish or the salads.

In addition, the cooking technique of our particular server came across as pretty average and not as proficient as I remember 6 years ago. Back then, meat would be arranged and grilled in tidy rows and the temperature would be controlled up or down as needed. Today, the meat was just mixed together into a pile after cutting, and the heat was always on high--even after the food was "done", which led to dry meat, so we had to pull them off the steel plate. I say "done" in quotes because our server would actually leave the food more undercooked than other BBQ places I've been to--I guess to account for the fact that the heat would be left on high... But I'm not going to eat it undercooked, so why not just finish cooking and then drop the heat to low to keep it warm? I don't need the meat to be burning hot when I eat it.

The banchan was good, but not so good to overshadow the meat. Plus, you don't usually go to BBQ for the banchan.

Before tip, we paid about $190, which for the quality, makes this place a hard sell.

(The LA locations are still super good, and I've been to one in...

I was having a drink at Sarabeth when i decided to call a friend. He just so happened to be 5 blocks away at a Korean BBQ place. I was with 2 other friends and we all decided to go check this place out. As we neared the place, there was a distinct appearance. It is bright and inviting located almost on the corner of 5th ave and 32th st. There must have been 25 people waiting to get in. The place has huge windiws and all you can see is happy faces talking and eating inside. This place is so popular that there can be up to a 2 hour wait to get a seat. When we were seated, we had a fantastic waitress named Mika who took reallly good care of us. We did not have to order anything. She ordered for us and let me tell you, without looking at the menu, she was on point!!! I cannot explain to you the quality of the meats they have here. You have to go yourself and sample. They use prime meat to prep and so delicious. Now, i have been to quite a few Korean BBQ before and i can safely say, this place beats them all. Everyone is friendly! Even Jay the bartender is a friendly guy. They hired the right staff for this place. Mika added food to our hooded BBQ suction. They have eggs, cooking, and slightly cheesed corn, and meat cooking at the same time. Just look at the pictures i put up. Mika timed the turning of the meats perfectly as if she had an internal alarm built into her brain. I cannot tell you exactly what we had, i do know we had the pork bellies on the grill after the 1st course of grilled beef. You also get all the accoutrements of K-Town BBQ. One note, the suction from the hood does not allow the place to reek of food...they must have a serious hood to keep it that way. We ordered the Beef and Pork combo, the small on....next time i will order the large!!!

The bar is quite tiny but they have the top shelf stuff like Yamazaki 12 yo Japanese whisky and Patron, and that is where Jay the bartender is stationed. They have draft beer which is a good ale and cold!!

Upstairs is another dining area and they have 2 private rooms with LED TVs for presentations. They place is well spaced and even the bathrooms have good space and not cramped. Of you can go early or really late to find room or if you can wait like alot of people do to eat here...it is worth the wait. Even better of you have Mika as...

I was excited to try this place after visiting the Flushing location. Since it's in the heart of the city, I thought good Korean BBQ would be so much more convenient. I first tried out this place during its soft open on a Monday night at around 11pm. The place was nearly empty which was great. The service was wonderful and the staff were all so polite. We had ordered the small beef combo for $59.99. A $10 price hike from the Flushing location, but expected since it's in the heart of KTown. Overall the meat was delicious and the stew was good. The meat was definitely better quality than other establishments in the block.

I returned back 4 more times and the experience just got worse each time. The service was horrific. I understand they are busy, but the older woman hostess was plain rude. She completely ignored me when I asked to put my name down. When another customer got her attention, she miraculously paid attention and put the customer's name down while still ignoring my party. It wasn't until the manager stepped in that I got my party on the list. The hostess on the second floor was very rude also. I politely asked not to sit by the door because cold air was constantly blowing in. I told her I would wait for the next table because several tables were clearing up. She instead gave me an attitude and attempted to argue with me. I've worked in the hospitality industry and it's customer service rule 101 not to argue with your customer. Maybe she was young and perhaps it was her lack of training, but she was plain rude.

Overall the restaurant serves good food, but if you're not a celebrity chef than don't expect star treatment. Also, since their opening, their combos have been hiked up an additional $10. Quite a hefty markup, but a good way to capitalize on the...