SEOUL BBQ & SUSHI — Restaurant in Phoenix

I have gone to many Korean BBQ places in the last few years. Many in other states and several here in the city. The are many ways dishes, meats and meals can go awry. It could be a wrong cut of meat or a wrong ingredient on the marinated meats. This is a place I have particularly fallen in love with. I've been coming here for almost over a year now and I cannot have enough of it. At first glance it could seem over-rated, but the meal and experience speaks for itself. When you walk in, you are cordially greeted woth a smile and you are taken to your table. Now something I am absolutely in love with now is the fact that they added their all you can eat menu. You can choose from a couple different options, and the waitresses are always happy to help you. If it is your first time going to a Korean BBQ place, don't be afraid to ask questions and ask what it is you are being served. They are very knowledgeable about what they serve and what to eat with your meals. As a tip, as for Naomy! She will walk you through everything. Everyone that works there will be more than glad to. Let's get to the food. Typically speaking, most BBQ places are good, but what really speaks loudest are 2 things, the variety of traditional dishes and the fact that the meats are PRIME CUT. Nowhere else I have gone offers true prime cut meats. To top it off, the way they process their meats and marinate them are just phenomenal. Two of my all time favorite meats have always been Bulgogi (marinated thin slice ribeye) and Samgyeopsal (pork belly). They way these 2 particular meats are marinated is amazing when you get it onto the grill and into your mouth. The flavors are so full and they take you on an amazing ride and everything always tastes fresh. If you are a meat lover, you cannot miss this opportunity and experience. If you are a sushi lover as I am, you cannot pass up this opportunity either. They have knowledgeable sushi chefs that can create marvelous rolls and combine the most wonderful flavors. The fish they use is always fresh, and the taste proves it. They have many varieties of seafood, salmon, yellowtail, albacore, and even unagi and uni. The sushi I have had here has never left me wanting. With the variety that they have, from traditional sahsimi and nigiri to tempura rolls and and sushi boats. They even have some traditional Korean rolls called Kimbap. These are not necessarily sushi, but another Korean dish. Now you may think that's it, but there have such a great variety of traditional Korean dishes. Now its up to you to experience this as I have. Don't miss out on this true Korean cuisine experience. One last thing, when all is said and done, ask for Sikhye drink. It might not seem like much, but this rice drink is delicious. After you enjoy a really nice meal, this drink will really tie off the full...

First, if you read any of my other reviews, I am half Korean so I am a bit picky/snooty when it comes to Asian food. I don't live here in Phoenix, but my wife, 2 of my adult kids, and oldest granddaughter were coming in for the weekend, and coming to see Metallica. I know there are some good KBBQ restaurants in the area, so that was most definitely on our agenda for the weekend! There aren't many options in ABQ, so whenever we go out of town, Korean is on the menu! An acquaintance recommended that we try a different KBBQ place, so that was what we were planning on doing. So I Googled the restaurant to find it, and see how far it was from our Airbnb. While doing so, I also read the reviews. They weren't bad, biggest complaint was price (too expensive for what you get), then second was that occasionally service was bad, or staff was giving bad vibes. So I searched for another place, and found this one. This place also had a location in Denver, CO which we tried previously. I must say, this is probably the BEST Korean BBQ I have had, outside of L.A.! My mom and my aunt had always made some serious Korean food (my mother had a Korean restaurant years ago when she was still alive). My uncle was in L.A. in Koreatown, so I was lucky enough to vist 2-3 times a year, for MANY years when he was alive. So, I have eaten a TON of KBBQ in my life! I have said before that Seoul KBBQ and Hot Pot in Denver was the best ever, but this one here in Phoenix IS better, and most definitely the best outside of Los Angeles! We met some friends there, and we reserved a private room (9 of us) and even after everything we ordered, it averaged out to be about $70 per person. We also had 2 rolls of Sushi, probably 10 bottles of Soju, and 5 or 6 draught beers as well, they were all at an additional charge, but included in my average per person. Oh, and we DID do the all you can eat option. Service from Dave was on point, even though the place was packed. The owner also came over to say hello, which we thought was pretty cool. Everyone there was very nice, and helpful. Didn't get too many photos, as we were all pretty excited to be there! Our friends had not had this before, so they were not sure of what to order, and how to do it. They all agreed that it was phenomenal, a truly great time and meal. We had Korean ribs (of course!), spicy pork, bulgogi, and spicy chicken. All in all, if you are looking for a good dining experience, don't...

Such a waste of $164.85. I went for AYCE, and the total was $151.80, with tax at $13.05.

My server was a black girl, about 5' foot tall, with her hair tied back and large beaded earrings. The restaurant has a limit of two galbi orders per person, which no other place enforces. On top of that, she wouldn’t let me order more than two meat selections per round, saying my family had to finish what was on the grill before ordering more. The beef tongue could only be ordered once, and they dumped it onto my grill without asking, which was really annoying.

She only came to my table three times, even though I kept ringing the bell for service. She had a rude attitude the entire time, and to make matters worse, I found hair in my shrimp tempura. I ate two pieces of vegetable tempura before noticing the hair, and it made me want to barf. When I told her, she just responded, “OK? So do you want another one?” instead of acknowledging the issue or apologizing. I pointed out the hair, and she just said, “It doesn’t matter,” and walked away with no apology, nothing. After that, she refused to come back to my table, and a white girl server took over. The new server was much kinder and actually explained the meat ordering process properly.

When I left, the black girl server had the audacity to stare at my family and smile, which felt unprofessional. This isn’t my first bad experience here. I’ve been multiple times, and the service is always the same. On my very first visit, I even found a piece of hair embedded in the meat and grill. I’d include the photo, but it’s buried in my gallery.

To make things worse, they automatically add an 18% gratuity for groups of five or more, even if the service is terrible. On top of that, I noticed Steve, the Asian male server in the area, openly flirting with the girls at the table next to mine.

This place seriously needs to train its servers better because none of them seem to care about...