Kimchi Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

My friends and I ate ourselves into a mad stupor here. My party of 3 got here at about 4pm on a Friday. We waited about 10mins before a table was ready for us. After 3pm on weekends they only offer courses B($27) and C($32), so we chose course B. The basic set of kbbq banchan sides are given. All the sides were good except the kimchi and the macaroni salad - they both tasted a bit off. We had a hard time picking which meats to start with so we just went down the menu in order, and so began our animalistic meat fest. We first ate our way through the beef section of the menu along with the baby octopus steamer. The baby octopus was really good, it was flavored with spicy chili paste and had vermicelli & tteokbokki in it. The selection of beef they have is all great especially the bulgolgi. Next came the pork section. The pork selection was all good too, my only gripe is that the ribs took too long to cook through. The miso pork belly was awesome. We started to feel full near the end of the pork section. We especially felt it when we got the pork jowl. It was way too rich and the texture was a bit unappetizing. The restaurant got a huge wave of patrons at around this time (~5:30pm) and there was a small line going out the door. Now onto the last section which was all chicken. We ordered five different plates of chicken and sort of regretted it since we were full by the time they arrived to the table. They charge $10 for every plate you don't finish, so me and the boys buckled down and got to work. The chicken selection was a bit plain. The garlic chicken had no taste really. The sweet and spicy chicken was really good though. It was here where I started getting an insane level of the meat sweats. The heat of the grill, the heat of being absolutely full, and the heat of the crowd made me sweat through my shirt. We had one more plate to finish and it was the chicken bulgolgi. It wasn't as good as the other bulgolgis offered because it didn't get as charred or caramelized as the beef or pork ones. We finally finished up, paid the bill, and left to enter a food coma at our respective hobbles. All in all this place is great. The staff was very attentive and worked really hard to get all the plates out in a timely fashion. I just wish they had more seafood options on the menu. My friend and I weighed ourselves before and after we went to the restaurant and each of us weighed 5lbs heavier. I felt like a big man showing this restaurant the meaning of pure, animalistic gluttony. I highly recommend this place for kbbq. Just remember to wear breathable and stretchy clothes so you can meat your...

The food is incredible. I believe this place is owned by the same people who run/own GEN kbbq, which I frequent, in Oxnard.

Kimchi is very clean, and we'll maintained. The building is small, but because of the proximity of the tables to the kitchen area, service is 5 star I regards to speed. Accuracy is spot on, and all of the servers are very friendly and accommodating. what's more, each table has a call button that informs a waiter to address your table, if need be.

If you're new to korean bbq, I suggest doing a quick Google search on how these reseraunts work, instead of going there and leaving a scathing, idiotic review based on your choice to stay in a place you find "annoying." don't be an idiot and give a well deserving resteraunt a single star based solely on the fact you "didn't know it was all you can eat" - pro-tip: nobody forced you to stay.

yes, it's all you can eat, but it's not buffet style. there is a good sized list of different types of meats, veggies, and even seafood you can order from. you pick a few plates, they kick on the grill, and when it's brought out you cook it in front of you. aside from great flavor, it's also a great experience to share with friends.

one minor precaution: this is not a quiet dinner setting. it's not blatantly loud either, but they play kpop (korean pop music) at a reasonable volume. the setting is more akin to a bar & grill than a traditional "sit down" setting. but, don't let that stop you from trying this place out.

My girlfriend and I, and our friends, frequent kbbq places quite often. Kimchi is no exception, as we go here quite often, the most, considering its also the only place in town. Although, it's well deserved: the food is great, the experience is great, and the service is top notch.

If you still sit on the fence with trepidation, I suggest going there and simply asking your waiter what they suggest. Mention you've never been to kbbq before, and they'll be more than happy to refer you the best starting options and sides. You...

Kimchi Korean BBQ was frankly a disappointment. Despite the relatively high reviews (4.1 as of this review) the food and atmosphere did not reflect it score at all. While the staff and waiters were polite at all times and provided excellent service, nearly all the food we ordered was terrible.

The side dishes they offered was likely the worst I've had at a Korean restaurant with the macaroni salad sickeningly sweet, the kimchi--their namesake--bland, and their seasoned bean sprouts were limp and poorly seasoned. While I could go on about the side dishes, the meat courses were worse. The pork neck (목살) was extremely salty and I was unable to eat more than a couple bites. The bulgogi (불고기) tasted as though it had been left in its marinade for a week. The marinated brisket (차돌배기) was likely the only meat I enjoyed from the selection. The spicy marinated chicken was overly sweet and cloying.

Regarding the rest of the food we ordered, the soybean paste stew (된장찌개) was bland and watery, although the steamed egg (계란찜) wasn't bad. However, the rice, the foundation for Korean cuisine, was likely the biggest insult. There was no fluffy rice to be found here. The rice here was hard, dry and inedible.

At $18 a person for the first selection of foods, it was definitely not worth it and I can't imagine the pricier selections being any diffferent. Perhaps those unfamiliar with KBBQ would enjoy it but anybody that's grown up eating Korean food, I advise them to...