10 Butchers Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Sunnyvale

10 Butchers is a Korean bbq experience unlike any other that you've tried thus far (I promise you). This is not an AYCE establishment; however, the quality of their meet and their top-notch service certainly make up for the inability to order as much meet as you like (well I mean you can technically, but you're paying for each plate).

10 Butchers offers a variety of beef cuts and two pork options for those looking for some variety. They also offer a range of appetizer and entree options for those of you looking to round out your meal a bit (and of course you will get a variety of side dishes that can be refilled on request). The price point is a bit steep, but in my opinion, you pay for not only the quality of the meat, but also the service. As a once-in-a-while treat, I think the price is well worth it for the food and overall experience.

My party pf 8 dined here for dinner on a Sunday night. Given our large party size we made sure to make a reservation; however, I was unsuccessful in doing so via their online system. We instead called them the Monday before to make our reservation, which worked out nicely. 10 Butchers is definitely popular, so if you want to avoid a long wait time, definitely make a reservation in advance (also keep in mind they won't seat you until your entire party has arrived). Given the size of our group, we were split up into 2 tables of 4 adjacent to each other - not the most ideal for facilitating discussions amongst everyone, but it did work out for us.

My table ordered four cuts in total: (1) prime rib eye, (2) A5 wagyu brisket, (3) beef tongue, and (4) pork belly. We also added on a rice cake soup to our meal. In my opinion, the best part of 10 Butchers is the service - their staff will expertly cook and rest all your meats for you. Given the price and high-quality of all of their meats, the last thing I would want to do is to ruin it all with my amateur kbbq cooking technique, so it was a nice change to have an expert cook it for us. Of all the meats, I would say the brisket was probably my favorite given the melt-in-your-mouth texture and flavors of the cut, but that's not to say the others weren't astounding as well. The rice cake soup paired nicely with all the meat, providing us a lighter component to break up all the heaviness of the meal. Last, but not least, they served us a complimentary strawberry soft serve that was sweet, tart, and refreshing - a perfect way to end.

If you're looking for a high-quality Korean BBQ experience (with the bonus of the meats being cooked for you), then you should definitely give 10...

High quality and delicious. It's definitely on the expensive side (about $100 per person for a full meal) but I think the quality justifies the price. 10 Butchers is a la carte, meaning you order off a menu and you receive various cuts of meat at a set price.

Some of the basic cuts like brisket or pork belly is around $30. The more fancy cuts like short rib are around $60-$100. Each order of meat can feed two individuals. This was our order for a party of 2 and it was more than enough food for the both of us (we had leftovers)

-- US Wagyu Brisket: a simple starter to any KBBQ meal! The quality is fantastic and the meat was very tender -- Pork Belly: really good as well but I'm personally more of a beef fan. -- Salt Base Marinated Prime Bone In Short Rib: amazing, one of the best KBBQ meats I've ever had. It was so tender and marinated in a delicious sauce. Our KBBQ server cooked it to perfection! This cut of meat is a must-get. -- Yookhweh Bibimbap: includes beef tartare! I haven't really seen bibimbap served with raw meat before and I liked it. Note that they will not let you bring this bibimbap home if you don't finish it, because of the raw meat.

All the side dishes (banchan) were delicious and I loved the radish/ginger side soup as a palate cleanser when I got tired of eating so much greasy meat. Side dishes are free refills - just ask! The pickled onions were a great accompaniment to the KBBQ meats. I also tried one of their cocktails and it was really well made! They did not skimp on the liquor.

Service is efficient! The space is large with many tables. Diners can eat at a table for 1.5 hours. My partner and I arrived at 6PM with no reservation Friday night. We were told the wait would be an hour but a table freed up while we were sitting in the waiting area so our total wait time was only 25min. If you plan on eating here, I recommend making an online reservation 3 days in advance.

My only complaint about 10 Butchers is that their waiting area indoors is quite small. They let you order drinks while waiting but you cannot drink it at the bar (why do they have bar seats out then?) you have to drink it in the waiting area, which usually means standing while drinking if...

Last weekend, I invited my girlfriend--who's half Korean and had just spent a month in Seoul--to check out this restaurant with me. I'd never been before, but I'd heard from others that the meat quality was excellent.

Making a reservation was a bit tricky. You can't simply pick a time online--you have to fill out your name, contact information, party size, date, and preferred time, then wait for them to confirm or deny your request. I asked for 12:15 for two, but they accepted us at 12:30. It's an unusual system that might help them manage tables efficiently, but it's a bit of a hassle for customers.

When we arrived, the restaurant was moderately busy--not packed--and the noise level was comfortable. The vibe is modern, simple, and clean. I'd visited Chungdam a couple of months earlier and found their atmosphere more upscale, though the meat quality at both places is comparable. The premium galbi here might be about $5-$10 less.

We ordered the tofu soup and seafood pancake to start. My friend said the pancake reminded her of a quiche--it was thicker than she preferred, and I agreed. The seafood tofu soup, however, was delicious, and the banchan that came with the meal was all very good. That said, I still prefer Chungdam's banchan flavors and offerings more--they tasted more authentic similar to those in Seoul.

We also ordered lettuce wraps for our meat (an additional charge) and settled on the galbi and pork belly. Both were delicious. Overall, the food was solid, but it was the company that made the experience great. We didn't try any of the drinks because my friend doesn't drink alcohol.

Our server was very attentive--grilling and cutting our meats, pouring the tofu soup, and plating the seafood pancake for us individually. That level of service isn't always standard at other Korean BBQ spots, and the price reflects that extra care.

Parking was easy at lunchtime, with free lot parking and available street spaces. I can imagine it being more difficult at dinner, but we may have just...