Zip Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Tustin

(Updated Review 8/25/2024) Zip has return their “All You Can Eat” menu! Quality of meat was great! Their Ribeye Steak and Beef Tonge seemed to be of prime quality with good marbling and no signs of gristle.

Our server was able to provide a side of beef fat to help cook our meats, which was very helpful.

At the end of the meal my significant other and I were also provided ice cream which was a nice addition. At $38/person we thought ZIP’s AYCE and good quality meats was well worth the trip. We’ll definitely be coming back! Thank you too for the great service!

(Review 4/24/2024) Used to be my favorite “All you can eat” restaurant near Irvine but starting this week they switched to à la cart. A meal for two cost an extra $20-30 but no substantial increase in meat quality. Side dishes are a bit better, and the poached egg is a nice addition but not worth the price increase moving away from all you can eat.

I’d much rather ownership increase the per-person price of all you can eat rather than switching to à la cart. The total cost is just too much now, and I’d rather find a different restaurant that offers all you can eat.

If Zip switches back to “All you can eat” style, I’ll definitely go back to eating there often again. It was one of my favorite kbbq places...

New to Korean BBQ - food was okay the side dishes taste great no guidance or recommendations really given. Make sure to track your time because they do not notify you and will charge you Standard even if you selected the lunch special and only got meats from that section it was disappointing to notify them that we had no idea of the situation and asked for clarity on how things work and not getting answer. No fountain drinks available a can of coke is $3. There are other Korean BBQs out there to try! If this is reviewed by management - I suggest investing in staff training after all they represent you and the business and there is a lack of communication and understanding maybe not to those familiar with the restaurant or Korean BBQ but for new comers it really was not a great experience. I walked out of there not knowing if the host tracks the time or if the customer is suppose to track the time for the lunch "special" Also when does it start when they sit you down, when you place your first item order??? It was not even explained why we got upcharged to avoid in the future! I did not have an issue with paying if I did something incorrect but some clarity would of been the least Humberto could of done. Mind you, I asked after paying full price...

I went in with high expectations, given how close it was to home and all the 5 star reviews. I also understand that reviews are entirely subjective and for some this place might be a 5 star, but for myself and my husband, it was….not very good kbbq. Nice service, friendly, attentive staff, decent sides, but the meat didn’t taste quite right. No issues like being out of date or rancid, it just didn’t taste as high quality as the places up in the Korean district in Garden Grove. I tried the brisket, tongue, and beef bulgogi, and none of them were outstanding. Maybe I’ve become picky after trying as many places as we have, but my husband has tried more, over a longer period of time than I have and he said there was too much fat on the Kalbi. I was inclined to agree. However one rates fresh, flavor-filled meat, this place just didn’t quite hit on all cylinders. Decent, but not phenomenal. And for a $34.95 dinner menu as small as this one, it felt a little like being taken advantage of. (I completely understand inflation, but a nearly $10 difference between lunch and dinner and the dinner menu being that small? 🤔) If you want quality kbbq, I’m sad to say you need to trek on up to Garden Grove. I wish this place the best of luck in sourcing quality meat...