There was 5 of us total. We did menu C. The selection was great. I was really surprised to have to order all the sides a la carte when most places bring you a few to start. The service was not great every time we ordered they would send someone new in and each time it felt very passive aggressive. The first round we were told we could only order 4 meats per round however the second guy said we could order as many as we like. Most places do it 2 meats per person. All in all the experience was mid. read more

The lunch time ayce bbq is pretty good. 26 for the quality is pretty decent. If someone wants to get cheap kbbq, I would probably go here. read more

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This is our go to kbbq spot. Way better than manna! The service is great, quick, and workers are nice! The meat is also good quality and they have the best corn cheese I've had at a kbbq spot. The grills are also good quality and don't get messed up as fast as other kbbq places I've been to. read more

Came in today for two bbq buffet $37.99 per person. Good quality meat but the portion is small. I'm not sure if we will go back. The next table also for two people were served more meat than us! I might give it another try??? Meat on plate was so small for an 8 y/o size not even for two adult people. hmmmm... I paid $101 including tips for 2 people. Meat was small! Kind of ruin your momentum in ordering more meat expecting 'more but the served small quantity and small portion of meat then cooking and ordering again etc... I will just try other place.... Not very good experience. I should have taken picture of their small meat for 2 adult customers. read more

Buga Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

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We have been to Buga a few times but just recently we had late lunch here and I don't think I ever gave a review. We did the AYCE and I have to say the quality of the meats was nicer. The restaurant was busy but we did not have to wait and they have parking. All pluses in my book. They are attentive and friendly too. My husband and I have 3 things we like to get (beef brisket, beef bulgogi and marinated beef belly) so we get the least expensive option. Again, with that, the meat is better than in some places. The restaurant itself also seems cleaner too. We ordered a few sides but mostly just go for the meat. I would certainly return! read more

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They did some upgrades and this place is great. Food, service and atmosphere great this just might be my go to for AYCE Korean BBQ our servers were super friendly good job on changes made. read more

Buga Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

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One of the best KBBQ in San Diego. Great selection of meats. Their galbi was so well seasoned and delish. Love the beef belly and beef tongue. Make sure to make a reservation coz it can become so busy esp during weekends. They also have a private room for a good size party. Parking can be tough and it's adjacent to a motel where you can park there as well. read more

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Came here for dinner last night for our family date night. Walked in with no reservations. Tables were huge size which I appreciated. I hate dining at restaurants where you don't have enough room for all the banchan and meats. We were seated by our sweet server who gave us recommendations of which meat to try first. She quickly realized we loved all their marinated meat. We had multiple servers as they have to work in unison. There were times though where we had to ask for banchan refills. She brought us our banchan and we dived right into it before the meat even came. Huge fan of their Japchae noodles - so fresh and delicious. Love love their Eomuk Bokkeum (Stir-fried Fish Cake). I could eat a big bowl of this by itself. My daughter tasted it for the first time and she said it was weird. Then took another bite and said "hmmm weird" but kept eating more lol! Safe to say she loves it. And the pickled radish was so refreshing. Radish was thinly sliced and had a nice crunch to it. The cheese corn wasn't as tasty as I was hoping. The corn was a tad bit over cooked. Would definitely be back again. read more

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Actually a pretty decent sized bento for a reasonable price. Hard to find stuff like that nowadays. I enjoyed it overall for something I got to go. read more

We celebrated my Birthday 2 weeks ago here . It didn't disappoint. This is AYCE KBBQ place and they have 3 choices to choose from for the set of meat you wanted with its corresponding price. We chose the $38 per person which is the middle price. The meats were served fresh and the service was fast. We went on a weeknight and to see the place filled with people would mean it's a good KBBQ place. Our favorite side dish was their creamed corn- because it's not too cheesy and not too sweet. The Galbi was our favorite meat- well seasoned and really tasty. read more

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We came here for dinner tonight for the first time. We enjoyed most of the things we ordered. Our favorites were the beef bulgogi, marinated top blade steak, and the beef brisket. The fried gyoza and kimchi fried rice were good side dishes. The service was a bit slow from the waiters, but it felt like management was checking in on tables consistently. read more

Buga Korean BBQ - Kimchi fried rice - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

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was not a fan of the AYCE. i got menu B, which included meats on menu C. the meat quality just was not good, and the marinades were also of poor quality. meat was super chewy and fatty. marinades tasted like the ones you get from the grocery store. at that point, i would rather get the kbbq meats at zion! service was also just ok. i did not like that the amount of meat they gave per dish for 2 people was so much. kinda defeated the point of ayce for me because i couldn't try other meats due to how much i got from my first 2 selections lol. overall, this place was a miss for me but i did see some people ordering from the non-ayce menu so maybe that is better? read more

Food was yummy and the brisket was superb. Overall a nice place with nice people and good food. read more

Buga Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

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I did AYCE menu A Which included menu b and C and let me tell you this place exceeded all my expectations with meat quality to cutover service. I got here at like 5 pm, and the parking lot was packed! We also got seated immediately. The restaurant was so lively and I could hear the kpop on the speakers. Must order the rib eye, rib finger meat and beef galbi. I feel like I ate every meat option on the menu, and nothing disappointed me at all. This is now my number 1 kbbq spot! I will always come here and their lunch menu is only $27.99! read more

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Sometimes it's good sometimes not good. The atmosphere is boring but I like to order the spicy soup.

Came here on a friday for lunch, good amount of parking and was seated immediately. We opted for the $30 ayce, there was also a $35 and $41. i liked that they had different options for the budget. We mainly got brisket, bulgogi, and pork belly. The brisket was ok, but really thin and not super flavorful, and the garlic pork belly was good, but the bulgogi was the best. So flavorful! Enjoyed the sides as well. The daikon was a bit strong in vinegar, but loved the kimchi. Overall, good spot, service a little slow but it was only one person serving it seemed and she was very nice. Next time, I would probably upgrade to the $35 as it comes with short rib which looked good. read more

Buga Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

Attended an event earlier this week with about 35 people. From an attendee perspective I thought it went well. We had a two hour block of AYCE Korean BBQ and the servers were on top of it immediately. The meats and banchans (sides) were prompt. I thought service and food were excellent. I've been to this restaurant several times but not for AYCE BBQ and I would definitely keep coming for both. We were served Plan C and I felt we received our money's worth. Banchan selections were plentiful with a wide variety read more

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Tried this place as an alternative to the places I've been to in Kearny Mesa. Was a 1st and last time. Unfortunately thought the meat cuts seemed of lesser quality than what ive been used to elsewhere and everything else from the ambiance to the service have been better elsewhere. This place was by no means "bad", I just wouldn't eat here again personally when there are other options that ive had better experiences at. read more

If I could, I'd give this place 10 stars out of 5!!! By far among one of the best KBBQ places we've been to! Service was efficient, marinated meats were seasoned well & balanced (not too strong, too salty etc), and asking for extra banchan was never a problem with staff. Usually AYCE means something has to be sorely lacking; in our first experience dining in, we didn't really observe any deficiencies at all (and would rather not find lol). You guys need to teach the Kbbq establishments in Chicago/suburbs a thing or three about service and food quality!! We will def be back again read more

Buga Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

I had Buga several times three years ago and came back again for the first time since with my family. We were lucky enough to snag a room for our large party, although I definitely advise others to make a reservation! The quality of meat at Buga has since gone up and I enjoyed how tender and flavorful the meats were. Our server was very attentive and nice too! read more

Buga Korean BBQ - B-4 combo - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

I'm writing this review because I want the owner to stop using MSG. The food is good here and very authentic but I feel deathly ill with a headache EVERYTIME I eat here. Its been 3 times now. The day after eating here I am ALWAYS sick in bed. 4 extra strength Tylenol won't even help. After this third time I'm done. I will never go back. I know it's the MSG because this happens anytime I go to an Asian restaurant that uses MSG. I'm a very healthy person that never gets sick. I never even got Covid!! BUT I am very sensitive to MSG. Another reason I'm giving this place a bad review is because when I walked in, it was pretty empty. 1 booth was taken. I stood at the reception desk for several minutes while the waitress was on her phone. She knew I was there. And yet she kept texting someone. After getting tired of waiting, I went and sat myself. That's when she finally got off her phone !! If the restaurant is empty, you would think the waitress would greet a customer coming in right away. I have to assume the restaurant was empty because people don't feel well after they eat there. Please stop using MSG. It is a neurotoxin and very bad for the brain and body. I'm Korean and I was born in Korea. Unfortunately, it's hard to find Kim Chee and Korean food without MSG . Eating here literally destroyed the next day of my life. I was sick in bed the whole day. read more

The food was good and it was reasonably priced. The service could be better. After the first course, my drink was empty and there was nothing left for my guest and I to cook. It took another several minutes for our server to notice that we were sitting idly waiting. We went early in the afternoon so we had no wait. The restaurant filled up as we were leaving. The place was moderately noisy as guests arrived. The good thing is this restaurant is off the beaten path so there is plenty of parking. read more

Buga Korean BBQ - Spicy Pork, Garlic Pork and Veggies - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

Staff was great! They were quick to bring out food and checked on us often. The food was good and we were able to get seated quickly. They have a parking lot so parking is not an issue. read more

One of my favorite KBBQ spots with amazing parking!!! A few places that serve steamed egg with their Combinations. Pretty clean and delicious! read more

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So disappointed in my experience for dinner here yesterday after seeing all of these amazing reviews. Came for the AYCE and ordered menu A around 5pm. We were one of two tables dining when we arrived. Towards the end of our dinner service, there were more tables but it wasn't full yet mid week. Things to note: service was beyond slow. You're allowed to order 4 meat options at a time, which is typical of other AYCE locations. Options 1 and 3 which were the tastiest options are only available once (it is written on the menu, but order accordingly). I don't mind semi slower service but twice, we cooked and ate all of our meat and the grill was empty for a solid 5-10 minutes before we were helped again. If you want lettuce wraps, it's an extra charge but you can order the salad as part of the AYCE. The corn cheese was a little burnt and the corn stuck to my teeth - I'd skip this unless you're really craving it. Overall, will not return with the handful of other (better) AYCE KBBQ options in town. There is plenty of parking though and the staff seemed nice enough. read more

Buga Korean BBQ - Option 3 on Menu A, galbi and pork belly - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

Not the first time we've had poor service here. We made a reservation for 6 and had 2 drop out, so we called them to update the reservation. The person on the phone said no problem. We get there day of and they said we don't take reservations for 4 and we would have to join the wait-list. The supervisor basically laughed at us and said no no no and walked away leaving us at the front desk like idiots. Two other workers there said she was in charge and makes the decision. Didn't matter that we called and they knew we were coming. Also, they are RACIST. If it wasn't for our Korean friend who went in and talked to her, they wouldn't have given us a table. After he spoke to her, we got a table right away, when she wouldn't give me or my wife the time of day. Don't waste your time here. Way too many other kbbq spots in San Diego to be treated like this. read more

We had a team lunch here. Price friendly $28 lunch during the week pricing. And food was decent. No complaints. However, the service was a bit subpar and the ambiance needed a spruce up. The server was at our table maybe 3 times.. For an all-you-can eat place that requires a server to re-up the small dishes often, we had to get up to flag them down way too often. Then the smoke removal vents at the tables were definitely not powerful enough. Smoke filled the restaurant. And the walls were bleeding smoke oil everywhere. Given those two things, I'm removing a star. read more

Hey new owners have got it down pat. Great, attentive servers, fresh food and all-around great experience!

First time coming here on Saturday and met up with a friend and her husband and brought my friend along. Maybe waited only 20 minutes to get a table. Ordered the B menu of the ayce and got short ribs and beef tips. Everything was really good and worth the price. Not too lous read more

After 30 minutes our server was no where to be seen. We had to ask another server or the bust boy for some more, it also ended up being incorrect. I asked for steamed eggs twice still not receiving it. We also ordered the cheese fondue only for them to mistake it for corn cheese... I honestly would not recommend. Prior to the food being served we also had dirty cups and plates. They did not apologize but they did replace it quickly. The grill sides were also unclean, and greasy but we overlooked it. read more

Buga Korean BBQ - utensils - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

I have no complaints about their food but their service was not up to par. The waitress has very thick accents and we couldn't understand her. We misinterpreted what she said and we have a wrong dish. The restaurant refused to change it because the waitress said she repeated our order twice but whatever she said wasn't clear to us at all. So we have to deal with it ourselves and it was a very bad experience. We have been to buga for the past ten years and we will not go back. Many other options for Korean food in town. read more

My boyfriend and I came here last night for a late dinner (around 7:30pm) and we left disappointed. We've been here a few times before and never had any problems until last night. I will say they were a bit busy so maybe they just had a bad night. As we were seated there (around 7:50pm) I almost slipped because of how greasy the floor next to our table was. We decided on the AYCE option A ($45.99/person) and once we finished our first round it took our server almost 30-40 minutes to come back and check on us. Most of our dining experience was sitting and waiting for someone to come take our order or refill our drinks. Once someone finally came and took our order it took another 15 minutes or so for it to come out. Now most people know there's a time limit for AYCE KBBQ (usually around 90 minutes) so yes we were a bit irritated that the food was taking so long to come out. During our 3rd round of food my boyfriend and I were indecisive if we wanted to order more so we lowered to heat of the grill. As we're eating, one server came and asked if we wanted to order more while we still had meat cooking. I told them we're still deciding and they left. Not even 5 minutes after, another server comes up to us and asks if we wanted to order more food. I end up saying no because I was irritated since I couldn't enjoy my food and she turned off the grill and went to get our check. While this was happening it was only about an hour or so before they closed but it felt like they were rushing us out of the restaurant. My boyfriend wanted to order more but didn't want to risk waiting another 20+ minutes for our food. As a side note, the older lady that gave us our check tried touching my 4 month old while my boyfriend was holding her. Super weird how some people feel entitled to touching other peoples kids! Overall we loved the food but hated the service. Hopefully we won't have the same experience if we decide to come back. read more

Checked this place out per a friend's recommendation and was so glad I did! They offer all-you-can-eat Korean bbq as well as individual entrees. Their weekday lunch special is $26.99 before 2:30pm with last call at 3:30pm. The restaurant is modern and upscale, and the service is friendly. Overall, I had a great experience and would definitely recommend checking them out! read more

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This is a review only for the ayce menu. I am not sure how the food is in regular menu. My fave ayce kbbq was not open so I decided to venture off and check out Buga. I had high hopes from yelp reviews but was left super disappointed. Whenever I try a new ayce place I always get the lowest $ menu first to see what quality and taste is like so at least I did not waste more money. I want to say the waitress was 5 star across. She was attentive and brought our every order fast. The food however just was not it. As soon as we sat down I was expecting banchan served. Sadly after going through menu, I realized regular banchan is not served with the ayce menu and it is only kimchi, radish wrap, fish cake, and salad. Usually there is bean sprouts, cucumbers, or some other veggie banchans. That is actually what I look forward to every time I go for KBBQ. Super let down I tried to ignore and let thr meat fill me up. I ordered the brisket, thin slice pork belly, and beef belly first. Everything was frozen and the brisket was SO TOUGH. Meat quality just was not there for me. Not at all like brisket I have had other places. The bulgolgi was decent and what we ate the most. I ended up eating more soup than anything else. My hubby ate the meat more since it was an almost $100 meal for us. Sadly this will be the last time we go. I suggest trying something on their regular menu and finding another place for ayce bbq. read more

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Buga is a nice (ayce) kbbq spot off the main Convoy area which is nice because the wait times aren't as bad and parking is decent as they have their own lot. I arrived around 6:30 PM on a Friday night and was seated within 10 minutes but by the time I left around 8:00 PM it was kind of packed. My party went with menu B, which allowed us to get galbi & some other cuts of meat that make the additional $5 over menu C worth it. Service was so-so, and a big part of that is simply being understaffed. Each server had so many tables so I can understand why it may have been difficult to keep up. It took a while for our server to take our first order and even get the table set up. Then from rounds 3-5 our orders got mixed up with the surrounding tables so it would only be like 50% correct each time. Thankfully we had already tried most of the things we wanted to, but it was kind of annoying trying to guess what we were eating. Overall the meat quality was good and everything tasted delicious. They have a nice variety of meat and side options. Also their ventilation is good so I didn't walk out with smelly hair. I would definitely come back. read more

Heads up! Group of 6 or more is 20% tip (not 18% as listed on menu) I like this place because you don't have to wait long for a table and the meat variety is great! The corn cheese and salad are really good! It is AYCE (stands for All You Can Eat) but waiters will comment about how much you're ordering (that's fine with me as long as you keep the orders coming, thanks!!) Wish the tip requirement was clear and the service was friendlier but really just here for the corn cheese and meat read more

We came here for my mom's birthday. It was her first time having Korean bbq. It was a good first experience for her. This was my first time coming to this place and I had a pretty good experience. Service was great and food was yummy as well. I definitely recommend. read more

Buga has affordable options and great service! Their menu includes 3 different all you can eat options. I did the lowest, cheapest level and was very happy with the protein options. I also ordered salad, dumplings, rice, and rice paper for the sides. This went perfectly with the appetizers they also served. The waiters were very attentive by either cleaning our burner, helping bring new plates, and cleaning up the old ones. With a group of 2 we were allowed to order 3 plate options at a time. Overall a great, cheap options for kbbq! read more

Buga Korean BBQ - Salad - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

Food was great and the service was great. They had a great selection of meat on the menus. read more

Buga Korean BBQ - Pork short ribs , Lengua and tortillas. - Barbeque Near Me - San Diego, California

Great kbbq and definitely the best I've had in SD! We loved the beef belly, brisket, and the short ribs. Amazing . Just be aware that there is a long wait and no type of online check in system. Also, the parking lot is pretty small so I would suggest coming early! Would definitely come back! read more