Gangnam Ave Korean BBQ - AYCE — Restaurant in Rancho Cordova

Tastes like Korea - and that's a good thing!

Nice thing about this place is you can come here by yourself. A lot of all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ places don't allow that. It's great if you're traveling alone on business and have an itch for some great Korean BBQ.

It wasn't terribly busy so I was immediately seated. The typical Korean side dish spread was put out as I sat down. You have a place mat menu listingappetizers and all the meat and rice options, all numbered to make it easy. You can choose 3 meats to start. You can choose an appetizer or two, and some type of rice or noodles. I didn't do any appetizers as the typical sides were all I wanted.

They have two main options. Option A is everything on the menu for $27.95 and includes some prime meats and noodles. Option B is everything but 4 items ... it was 2 prime meats and 2 types of noodles. Items not included in option B are clearly marked. Spicier dishes are marked too. Truth be told, I ordered what I normally would get in Korea and I didn't miss the option A items at all. Save yourself the difference.

It's all you can eat, so have at it! They brought out generous portions of meat. If by yourself, you may want to ask for smaller portions of your want to sample more. There's supposedly a $10 charge for any leftover meat. I did the beef bulgogi, galbi beef, and spicy pork. All were wonderful! Meats were well-marinated and seasoned. Food (both meat and sides) tasted like what I had in Korea.

As it is Korean BBQ, you have to grill that meat yourself. You get tongs and scissors. As I only had chopsticks, be sure to cut the meat into smaller pieces before you cook it. The marinades tend to stick to the grill after cooking, but fortunately the staff came around often to change the grill tops.

Soft drinks are all bottled/canned beverages, so no refills. There's is no bar, but they serve mostly Korean alcohol - soju and, surprisingly, Hite beer. That was the first time I've seen Hite outside Korea. They have a few Japanese brews and small selection of wine . They also had a selection of Korean ice cream. It's 1 per person and costs $1, with a box above the freezer to collect the money. Definitely Korean flavors, as they had some Americans wouldn't normally eat, such as green tea, red bean, and even corn! Yes, corn ice cream!

Staff was great. They were very nice and attentive. They kept my water full and periodically checked if I wanted more food or needed the grill top changed. They worked more as a team so everyone had checked up on me at some point.

Decor was modern and casual with colored lighting and music playing. Didn't feel cramped at all. Kitchen are was open and visible from the dining room. Place was very clean.

The website is simple but accurate.

Overall, I was very happy with my meal and enjoyed my time there. I like eating at local places when I travel and this was a great one. Service and did were great. I'll be back next time...

Love this place. With so many Korean BBQ spots popping up around town, there's a lot of competition, and this place is one of the best. The family and I came here for my birthday dinner in early September, and I was glad we did.

It was kind of difficult (more so than expected) searching around town to make a reservation for a family of four for dinner that same night. I called OZ, and their wait time was going to be too long. I also contacted a Teppanyaki place in Folsom, but the employee was so rude to me on the phone, that I just hung up on her. Then, I remembered this place. My wife and I came here on our anniversary a couple of years prior, and really enjoyed ourselves. The highlight of the meal being the little octopuses, which were more addictive than nicotine . Anyway, We were went down there and put our names on the list. It would be about 45 minutes. We would get a text when they were ready for us. With two young children, 45 minutes can seem like an eternity, but we just waited in the car, played tic tac toe, and watched YouTube videos. Not the worst way to spend 45 minutes.

Anyway, our table opened up right when they said it would. Our server was really nice, and was super quick to respond whenever we needed something. We decided to go hard on the all you can eat option. They have two, one of which excluded certain items, but we went for the more expensive one. Birthday's and "cheap" usually don't go together.

The food was delicious, we eventually got the hang of the cooking our food on the hotplate, and stuffed ourselves until we felt like sumo wrestlers. Our kids loved the food, and seemed to really enjoy themselves, just as we did. the whole atmosphere was really relaxed and friendly, which can't exactly be taken for granted these days.

While OZ is still the most well known and visible option in town for Korean BBQ, and a solid one at that, Gangnam Ave is a great choice, too. The prices and quality of the food are reasonable and comparable to other Korean BBQ spots, but I would say the customer service is a little better. Definitely worth checking out, especially if your in the mood for something fun...

'22/1 1st review/customer: -- Large freestanding building at front of large parking lot of older strip mall. Plenty of semi-close parking. -- This location keeps pretty busy (2-seater tables to larger groups accommodated), so recommend making a reservation (online or at kiosk when walk in are only 2 options), lest be prepared for 45+ minute wait. -- Interestingly, though 100% tables occupied this evening visit, one with hearing aids would be able to hear at the table ok--as table convos stayed localized and no loud music piped in. -- Pretty much one price for all-can-eat (everyone at table has to order slightly higher price point--which includes several more meat options--IF any person at the table wants that). Otherwise, there is only one other slightly lower all-can-eat price (handful of menu items excluded from choices). Also, NO leftover takeout, so bring your appetite--and, be aware that too much food left behind will incur an additional charge. -- Rice & noodles bowls brought out upon request. -- This cook-it-yourself-at-the-table restaurant style leans towards pleasing heavy meat eaters (i.e. few vegetable options)...and, those who don't mind 1.) cooking their own food (think tending a back yard BBQ that's plunk center of the table), 2) collectively grazing a few dishes at a time, and 3) steady interruption by wait staff inquiring if the table is ready for another menu item choice or change of grill plate (that the meats stick to). -- With above said, be prepared to hang out a few hours as work way through cooking, eating, cooking some more,...