The attitude of server is really poor!!! We've been waited for like 1 hour to get our food. We ordered kimchi with pork belly meat is cold without meat. The older server is yelled at us. Loyal advice, never visit this restaurant if you don't want to waste your time and get yelled at. read more

I had one of the lunch box specials. It had little bit of everything. I really enjoyed it and the staff was very attentive and nice. I would eat there again. read more

My gf told me about this place and I wanted to satisfy my craving for black bean curd noodles and this is the only place that has it in the area. Yeah i get it, its madison and not alot of korean restaurants, but i ordered the black bean noodles, which is priced at 13.99 which is ridiculous. In LA, they give more portions and its 5 dollars. The noodles were ok, nothing amazing but i had a craving for it. My gf ordered the potato soup which was ok as well (but a large portion). Service was alright for a sunday afternoon before the packers game. They have 3 tvs that were all on the same channel. Im from LA where theres korean restuarants everywhere so im pretty bias. Also extra rice costs more when normally, korean resturants give you an extra bowl for free then if you want a third serving, they charge. Also, i was thirsty and ran out of water and started munching on the ice loudly to cue that i wanted more water but the server never came to refill or ask if we needed anything else. I am Korean but I wore sunglasses and a hat to remain anonymous as it was my first time and didnt want special treatment for my review. Authentic korean places always give great service as they want you to come back and remain a customer. Once again, food was ok, not bad, but way overpriced for some dishes. Overall 3/5. read more

5 Star Korean BBQ?!! Talk about false advertisement. If I could give this place 0 stars I would. I'm not the one to leave yelp reviews but I feel like patrons should know before choosing to eat at this place. By far the worst restaurant experience I've had in my life. I wanted to take some of my out of town Korean family to a Korean restaurant and honestly wasn't expecting much from this place being in Wisconsin but when you're sitting at a table and haven't been greeted for 25min and not given any water or menus I knew I was in for a treat. The restaurant wasn't that packed but while walking to our table we over heard the servers speaking in Korean that they just recently re-opened and had first day servers on the floor for service. We really wanted to give them a benefit of the doubt. When we were finally able to order off the menu we wanted to start with some soju or makgeoli but they were conveniently all out of it. So we decided to go with a round of heinekens instead. We figured it'd be best if we order some food at this time so we went with chadolbaegi and ribeye. The male server turned on the stoves and left to place the order. 5 minutes into it one of the grills started to smoke and we noticed it wasn't that clean and had oil still on it which caused the smoke. We asked them if they could change the grill plate but he said that the foil on top would suffice. We noticed at this time a couple that was seated two tables away from us had the same issue of lack of service. After 25min of not being greeted they vehemently put on their coats and walked away. The server walked by them while this was happening and never once acknowledged them or apologized for the lack of service. He came to drop off their sorry excuse of what looked like half eaten Ban Chan, but decided it would be better to leave the tray on top of an empty table next to us. So on my own accord I walked over and placed everything on our table. Already being irritated about our 1hr wait we finally got our meat to cook. On first glance we noticed that it was the wrong cut of meat and he added samgyupsal to it as well. We told him that the chadolbaegi wasn't chadolbaegi because it lacked marbleization on it. It was thinly sliced bulgogi meat. I live out in LA so I've had my fair share of it in k-town. The server thought nothing of it and took away the samgyupsal and left to get our ribeye. When he dropped off our "ribeye" we told him that it was the exact same meat as his so called "chadolbaegi" but it was just a thicker cut of it. We knew we had to take the same cue as the aforementioned couple and asked for our bill. When we received it and saw we were charged for everything even though we barely touched anything we became livid. Many of the patrons in the restaurant noticed us walking out and looked like they were going to follow suit. One of the other servers were very apologetic about everything and told us the owner lived in Chicago and confirmed that the servers were in fact new. But even if they get their shit together, which I highly doubt, I would never recommend this place to any of my friends let alone my worst enemy. I am truly embarrassed that Non-Koreans have to experience this and hopefully know that this should not meet any expectations of our culture. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. read more

I have only been here once but I will definitely come back. The restaurant has its own big parking lot and right by the corner so it is very convenient. The staffs are overly friendly and sometimes she insisted on what I should order, which I found a little bit annoying because I wanted to have a little bit privacy and control over what I am going to eat lol. But the food was quality which convinced me to give this a 3 star. It was very homey and priced decently. I love the chicken soup with sesame leaf. The broth was very flavorful. All other soups looked amazing on the menu too. read more

Ok I'm just going to start by saying that my husband and I have lived in Korea and absolutely Fell this n love with Korean food! Living in the Midwest however makes finding GOOD TRUE Korean food is pretty hard this place is legit! We walking in the door and instantly felt like we were back in Korea! The broken English the smells all of it was absolutely delightful for us! The only down side is the parking is crap! We have an SUV and that tiny little parking lot was not very fun but the food got an A+ in our book!!! The soup delish! The bbq DELISH!! The pickled radish MY FAV!! It was seriously all perfect!!!!! read more

The most authentic Korean food that I have found in Madison! While the other restaurants are very good, this one tastes like my Korean mother is in the kitchen. Luscious Kalbi , terrifiic Jab Jae, and soul satisfying Soon du bu Jigae are just a few of the highlights. Will go (and have gone) again and again. read more

I didn't even order. The place was dirty. I was amazed at how cheaply put together it was. Yet even the least expensive appetizer was $13. Very little vegan/vegetarian options. I was so astonished that I just walked out embarrassed. read more

I would rather eat cup ramen noodles. Some shady crap going on in here. The korean waitress made my husband go to the atm to get cash because she couldn't void a payment she closed as cash she said. Doesn't make any sense. They can't void anything because the owner doesn't live in Madison? I will never go back because the food was terrible too. read more

SUCKS. This place sucks af. It states that it opens till 10pm but when we came in at around 8:50pm. They told us it is cash only. After we ordered, we saw a few Korean students paying with cards. They have the credit card machine but they made us to pay with cash. The service, horrible. There was not enough rice for everyone after 8:30pm. No more side dishes, no full menu available. Please, guys, don't ever try this place. It is a waste of money and your time read more

We used to visit this place ALL the time, however we will NOT be back. The past two times we've requested a few of the plates done without an ingredient and they say no problem, then the item comes with what we asked it NOT to have. When we call them back to tell them the order was wrong, they argue. We brought our last order back after driving 20 min home only to have them argue with us face to face until they opened the food and said "oh". Said they were sorry, re made it and then charged us Twice that day for 2 separate amounts. (Unauthorized) When we saw our bank statement and tried to rectify the situation, they were argumentative and downright rude so we are reporting them. They hardly know how to use their credit card machine. Buyer beware! read more

**** Please read before going!! My boyfriend and I are visiting Madison for friends and decided to come to a Korean BBQ joint because we all love it. We decided on trying this place because some friends referred it to us. We went on a Thursday night and we got seated at a regular table and asked the server if sitting at a grilling table was okay. She responded with attitude saying they "had no meat." Then turned to my boyfriend and I, said a very curt "sorry" and proceeded to push past us. So confused, we sat down. We were looking over the menu and as she was bringing iced water, I asked if they served hot tea and again, she responded with a negative and poor attitude with "no. We don't serve that." And it's hard to explain how rude her demeanor was but it instantly turned me off after her first. But I decided to ignore it and started to order, it was a slow night but she stuck to our table as we were still deciding and got noticeably annoyed that we were debating on options. We were finally ordering and my friend asked if they had brown rice. The waitress didn't even look up from her pad of paper and waved in my friend's face signaling a "no." So that was it for us, we were baffled. The order went in but we got up and said we were leaving. We all left in pretty bad spirits because we were so excited to try out a new KBBQ place. But this place is NOT the restaurant to be at. I swear, she looked like she was ready to spit in our food. Just don't. read more

*sigh* this place.....where to begin? I went here a few nights ago with some friends and had a disaster of an experience. The first hint was when i was walking in (a little after 7PM), I noticed the sign said 'closed'. I knew my friends were in there waiting for me, so I walked in and found their table. Once I sat down, my friends promptly told me how the waiter was turning everyone who walked in down and saying something about 'not having enough food'. There were only about 3 other tables with people and the every other table was empty. We waited for about 15 minutes before the 'server' came over to take our order. He struggled really hard to take our orders. He didn't know the menu, he asked us to repeat our orders several times, and subsequently wrote our order on 4-5 Post-it notes and stuck them to the wall. At the same time I ordered something I couldn't pronounce so I used the numbering system they provide on the menu. He promptly told me that he didn't know the menu so I attempted to say the name at which point he told me that he 'wasn't Korean'. Okay? Not sure why that matters to be honest because you are the server at the restaurant and should be familiar with the dishes offered and their names. But whatever, moving on. As we waited for our meal, we continued to watch the server turn down customers. Our food came out, was haphazardly placed on the table. One of my friends orders was completely wrong. In addition the server forgot to bring rice out for the dishes and the 'sides' you ask? Oh he just placed them on another table and forgot about them. So we had to go get the side dishes ourselves. The rice came out about 15 minutes later. Most my friends did not enjoy their meals. I got some kimchi and pork dish which I thought was tasty, but I tried some other dishes and they were pretty 'meh'. Too sweet, not warm enough, etc etc. Anyways we finish our meal and are closing out this restaurant at 8PM. We asked to split the check (we had asked in the beginning and thought that's what the Post-It notes were for) and he told us that it was 'too hard' to do it at the table and to come up to the cash register and tell him what we ordered. This experience took 10 freaking minutes. Several people repeated their orders and he just couldn't figure out how to ring them up. It was a mess. In the end, my husband and I ended up paying a suspiciously high bill and just gave up. So overall, avoid this place or order take-out if you can. Regardless, it's overpriced and poorly run. The food is mediocre at best. read more

The authentic-but-mediocre food might have earned three stars on its own, but the appalling customer service makes this the worst restaurant experience I have had during my six years living in Madison. We arrived around 8pm on a Friday to a nearly full restaurant--of the 12ish tables in the restaurant, two of them were empty but hadn't yet been bussed. We waited about ten minutes near the cash register by the door before asking someone behind the counter if there would be a wait--about ten minutes, she said--and proceeding to grab our own menus from a stack piled up on a nearby chair. We perused the menus for another twenty minutes before asking to be seated for a second time, at which point another group had arrived behind us and the woman who helped us before actually began bussing the tables. Unfortunately, she got distracted midway through, so it was another ten minutes before we were seated and half an hour more before she returned to take our order. At this point, it was past 9pm. She took our order, promised the food would come out quickly, and disappeared for another twenty minutes. The next time she checked on our table, it was to tell us that they were out of the bibimbap, which all three people in our party had ordered. She took our new orders and returned again about ten minutes later to tell us they were also out of the dumplings, which we had ordered more than half an hour before. When we finally got our food, it was nearing 10pm. That's more than an hour and a half to be seated, order, and be served. It might have been authentic Korean, but it was greasy and my bul go ki beef was nowhere near worth the wait. read more

Great lunch deal for a reasonable price! I popped in while my car was getting worked on across the street and was so glad I did. The lunch box options were awesome. I got the beef bulgogi. It was ready super fast and included tons of food. The bulgogi was tasty as were the sides that are included. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

They now have the BBQ section open and this place rocks! Also recently got their liquor license. It's better staffed now and running smoothly. Food has always been outstanding and authentic (just got back from Seoul) from the beginning. At least one of the cooks used to work at San Soo Gab Sun in Chicago which is maybe the best Korean restaurant in the Midwest. I recommend the Ojingo Bokkum, the Kimchi Jun (pancake), Beef Kalbi, or the BBQ meats with the plentiful banchun. By far most authentic Korean food in Madison, not even close. The Dengjon Chigae (soup) is also outstanding. read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The reviews about service scared me, so my group of 5 showed up at 6pm. The place was empty and we were seated right away. I got the galbi (thank you, Yelpers!) and my friends got jjigae and two plates of meat for KBBQ. It's overpriced but I really enjoyed the galbi. And the appetizers (banchan) were all good. My dish was voted the fan favorite. At the checkout, the server told me the galbi is marinated with 6 different fruits. It was so tender. Yum! Service was fine. Phew. I had to ask for more water from time to time but overall, okay. read more

So as someone who's lived close to Koreatown for four years, I LOVE Korean BBQ. I was starting to lose hope that I'd have any kbbq in Madison, but I heard about this place from a friend. If you're expecting LA level KBBQ prices and taste you may need to adjust your expectations. This isn't the best Korean BBQ I've had (or the cheapest) but it's the midwest. If you're looking for some delicious, authentic Korean food then you'll enjoy this place. The place is run by Koreans, has a large menu (ranging from bibimbap, hot and cold soups, Korean barbecue, etc) and has great service. I came here on a Saturday night with a group of about 20 people and we immediately got served. This is a great place to go in a group (the tables for KBBQ are 4-6 people each but there are tons of tables). If you're looking to eat tons of meat expect to pay about $20/person. We were a group of four and ordered 4 meat dishes and were completely stuffed. Each plate of meat comes with a serving of rice and Korean appetizers (fish cakes, kimchi, etc.). Definitely, come with an appetite! Also for those who have never had Korean BBQ and are hesitant, three of the people I ate with had never eaten it before and LOVED IT. So it's definitely for everyone. Just make sure to ask the waiter about the spiciness level of each dish. The service was also wonderful- the woman was incredibly attentive and friendly. Would 100% come back and recommend this place to others! They take credit card and will split your bill if you come in a large group too. read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Tip #1 for everyone who plans on eating here: Be patient. If you're starving and need food now then maybe this isn't the place for you. This place is a real ma and pa shop and their staff is very very small. We saw 2 cooks and 2 waitresses. Came here on a Friday night so it was busy. I did notice that there was a couple who yelled at the waitress and left because they had to wait too long for their dishes so I was concerned at first. Once we were seated we received water right away but it did take some time for the waitress to come back to take our order but hey, it was a busy night and they did their best to get to every table. When you're sitting in the restaurant you literally see everything. You see the waitresses running back and forth to get everything done, you see the kitchen and how hard to cooks are working to get everyone's order out. Be patient. They're doing what they can to get to their customers. Once we ordered it took about 20 minutes to get our food out and it all didn't come out at once, which we didn't mind. The food is absolutely outstanding and everything is made absolutely fresh and hot. I don't want to bash other Korean restaurants (since they're all not bad) but this was by far my favorite and definitely worth the wait. The waitresses didn't necessarily check on us or asked how things were tasting but they made sure our drinks and side dishes were always full. I know there are a good chunk of negative reviews based on the service but once I was there I understood why service was slow. Its fresh, it's real, and it's pretty darn good. read more

Way over priced for its quality. Are they stingy on Airconditioning? last two visits included a challenge of eating while smelling other sweaty customers while sharing couple fans in the dining hall. Grilled Mackerel tasted meh and oozed white gooey fats from being frozen too long. Meats weren't of nice quality for the cut either. Too many items on menu were just not executed properly. read more

I was nervous about some of the reviews but was thrilled to find they're totally baseless. I'm from out of town and was happy to find an awesome, authentic Korean restaurant. We had the duk gook and the jam ppong and both were fantastic. Just as good as dishes I've had in Seoul. Haven't had stocks this flavorful from a restaurant in a long time! We had excellent service. Local korean restaurants with korean owners shouldn't suffer due to perhaps some miscommunication with patrons or old white people not knowing what Korean food is supposed taste like. Highly recommend this spot. read more

Wow... not being from madison and have been traveling the US for the past 2 months I have tried many korean restaurants.. Me being a native newyorker this hands down beats all of the korean restaurants i have been to so far!! what can i say this spot is amazing.. talk about home cooking.. speechless.. im honestly suprised this place isnt packed with people.. the food and sevice was delicious!! The dduk man doo guk was as good if not better then my moms cooking.. (dont tell her) lols the kalbi and bulgogi was definitely as traditional as it can get .. wow i am beyond speechless.. if you want to have a try or enjoy yourself some traditional korean food this is the place!! This place definitely is under the radar which is great but i need to spread the love. I brought a few friends with me to eat here and they are beyond satisfied.. the side dishes were how they were suppose to be free of charge which is what made me happy lols. Belly is full and happy thank you 5star korean bbq for the delicious food! read more

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Food was ok, but service was poor. The waitress misheard us and came out with the wrong order, but insisted that we were the ones that made the mistake. She refused to get our orders right and in the end we had to pay for something we didn't want. We had to repeatedly ask for water refills, everything was slow. Granted, there was only one (or maybe two) waitress for the whole restaurant, but if you're so understaffed please at least be courteous to customers. read more

Don't let the one-star yelp reviews dissuade you or you'll regretfully miss out on this gem. I've been to several Korean and Korean-fusion restaurants around Madison and this place is the most authentic in my opinion. In terms of the decor, it's not the greatest, but hey, I'm there for the food! We ordered the kimchi jjigae, pork bulgogi, and beef bulgogi (banchan is served as well). The food came out pippin' hot. Both bulgogi dishes were packed with flavor! Though I do think the kimchi jjigae could have used a bit more tweaking of flavor. Overall, still not disappointed. The service is quite good and our waitress was so incredibly nice. She reminded me of my mom! A reviewer further down wished that this was an LA joint...which makes no sense because we're in MADISON. And as someone who has been had Korean food in both Los Angeles and Chicago...this place is still a home run. read more

Best Korean food in Wisconsin hands down. It was almost as good as when I was actually in country. I loved the fact that they had duk boki. Look forward to coming here whenever I'm in Madison. read more

Me and 4 others friends ate there Sunday. Our first time there. Menu little confusing for not really know what we wanted. The server was really helpful with explaining the menu. We all were very happy with the service. The food your get is a large amount. We look forward to going back again. read more

I am giving this restaurant 5 stars for the food. FINALLLY, some decent Korean food in Madison. Yes, do give yourself a LOT of time when going to eat here. This is NOT one of those quick lunch places. We were lucky and went during a random weekday and we only stayed 1 hour in the restaurant. Be prepared to wait and make sure you have good company with you. You know you're at a legit Asian place when the food is great, the wait is long, and the service sucks. We ordered the Ddukboki which was spicy and good. The pork bulgogi lunch box was bigger than we had expected. They replenished our side dishes and our waitress kept us updated on my soup. I order Soondoo boo (soft tofu soup) which was excellent!! Prices are decent. Don't waste your time at those fusion places, this place is legit Korean. read more

Amazing food!! Definitely a hidden gem. I don't like the fact that you can't order the lunch portion to go and that the full portions are a bit pricey, however it's worth it! read more

I have eaten at Korean restaurants all over Madison since living there between 2008-2012. I can confidently say this is the best Madison has had yet. Very authentic up and down the menu, even the way the takeout is packaged with all the sides reminds me of Korea. Restaurants at this corner seem to come but I sure hope this one stays for the long haul. read more

The Five Star Korean BBQ is open and serving food. Stopped by to check it out since they said they would open soon and sure enough was able to get lunch. Delicious. read more

The lunch spicy pork bento box was excellent! Surprised at the large quantity but pleased.

Worst korean bbq I've ever been to: - Not all you can eat - Flies were everywhere - Waitress consistently pestering us, putting things on the bbq and cooking it for us even though it was mentioned we wanted to do it ourself and kept on coming back on top of that, she served us the food on our bbq without asking if we wanted it or if it's to the desired "doneness" we liked. - Appetizers were just okay - Limited options for things to bbq - Very expensive for the quantity of food $20 per option - Quality of the food is mediocre - Sauces for dipping the bbq was mediocre - They also took the check/tipping receipt while we were still at the table!? I never plan to come back here, I love korean bbq, but this place was horrid. read more

I came here with a party of 8, and as we got there they said they ran out of food.. ON A FRIDAY NIGHT!! A day before graduation! A worker came out and said they were out of food and as we were walking out the door, the owner comes out and says they are out of food and is SUPER TIRED cause they are busy. WTH?? They are a restaurant. They should know that it's going to be busy on a Friday night and should be prepared for it. Never again will I go back. read more

Not bad for Korean food in the Midwest, coming from an area with a large Korean community. The service was admittedly hectic because they were short staffed, but the food was hot and flavorful, and reminded me of home. Will be going again for comfort food and authenticity. The ban chan was the star of the meal, with refills and tastiness aplenty. read more

This place is great. Good food, lots of food, like a bowl feeds a family. The people that work there cracked us up. Only problem, I can't go back for at least a week. That is how long it's going to take to eat the leftovers for lunch and supper. read more

The food is excellent, but the service is so-so. The lunch bento box is really worth it.

I came here last week, and enjoyed a delightful dinner. But tonight when I came back for more, they were closed!!! We came close to 8pm on a Saturday. However, their posted hours on their door were until 10pm, and when I looked online they said they are open until 8:30pm. Folks were still eating and ordering inside, but the door was locked, and there was no response when we called or when we knocked. The open sign was still on. How disappointing!!! read more

Ordered today for the first time. Really impressed. The egg rolls, crab rangoon and our dinners were delicious! The shrimp was perfect in each dinner. Tender, juicy and wonderful flavor! And, the prices were very reasonable. Loved it! read more

Lunch here is super cheap and amazingly filling! I went in the other day to get the bulgogi lunch box (under $10), and I was absolutely impressed by the ample variety of sides and large portions of bulgogi and rice that I got served in a bento-like dish. The sides included a cabbage salad topped with a tangy dressing, mandoo (fried dumpling), kimchi, and delicately sweet cucumber pickles (I could eat these all day). In the main dish sections of the box were a generous helping of well-marinaded bulgogi and a big scoop of rice (albeit slightly dry). The bulgogi was perfectly salted and delightfully sweet. Bonus - the beef had no annoying gristle! I honestly expected to chew and grind through it seeing as how it was under $10, but every bite was tender. My lunchmate, on the other hand, had the spicy pork lunch box, and, oh my god, I hope you can tell I loved the bulgogi, but get this: next time, I'll order the spicy pork. It was that good. It wasn't too spicy (so if you love spicy, ask them if they can make it hotter), but, like the bulgogi, the pork was perfectly salted and tender. The difference is that the sauce had that red pepper flavor that I so adore. For the appetizer which showed up a little bit after the boxes, we got the kimchi pancake. I. Love. This. Pancake. If you're not familiar with kimchi pancakes, it's not a risen hot cake you get at a diner. The batter is usually a liquidy combination of water, chopped kimchi and extra kimchi juice, flour, and corn starch which is then panfried to achieve a lightly crisp outer layer and soft inner layer. Guys, their kimchi pancake reminded me of my Korean friends' cooking but EVEN BETTER. If you thought I loved the spicy pork lunch box, well, I could marry their kimchi pancake. I definitely will be back here again. And if you're there and hear someone whispering sweet nothings to her kimchi pancake, well, that's probably me. read more

delicious hole in the wall Korean food. atmosphere could be more inviting but I won't complain when the food is superb. took a bit for our waitress to come to the table but I think she may have been the owner or manager, she checked on us a lot and sat and chatted with me and my friend who both happen to be half Korean. She poured over my daughter and I've frankly haven't seen my four year old eat that good in awhile! although I've read some bad reviews I will return as soon as possible and bring my family as well. hoping the best for this establishment & I urge anybody to at least give it a try :) read more