loved their desserts so much but some side dishes are not that good and theres also a fly inside the resto read more

Busan Korean BBQ - crème brûlée and green tea ice cream - Korean Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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Overall a great place to eat. The meat cuts were not bad and had a good flavour to them. The garlic butter had no flavour however but was highly recommended by staff. They messed up our order slightly, giving us extra bibimbap (they charge for unfinished food). read more

Busan Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Went to Busan Korean BBQ for the first time yesterday. It was $37.99 all you can eat with a wide variety of meat choices. There was also a lot of side choices. I stuck with it mostly beef/pork for the meat options, and had to try the cheese corn! I loved the vibe of the restaurant as you cook your own meat because it was an interactive and social gathering to have with friends. The service was quick and staff was friendly. If you don't like meat, this place isn't for you. Overall, it's a nice place to hangout with friends and the food was pretty good. read more

Tabletop was greasy when we arrived. Servers were very helpful and attentive. It's ayce so it's filling. The food was ok but nothing spectacular. Offers a 5% cash discount. They also automatically add 10% to bill total for a tip. Ordering system involves scanning a QR code, taking you to a website to order your food. Dinner for 2 and a couple drinks, total came to approximately $90. read more

We went to this place on a Friday night. Little busy but service was fast. Compared to other Korean BBQ places I have been it's ok. That why the 3 stars. The meat wasn't spiced, just the wings. They brought 3 sauces with the meat but all to sweet and you had to remember to put some on. It would have been nice if they mentioned you have to scan the QR code on the receipt on the table. However once you scanned it and ordered the food came fast. Not sure if I would go again, the cooking area seemed smaller than other places. They also mentioned and hinted that the garlic sauce is really good to add to the meat. The only thing that they didn't mention was there is a charge for it. read more

Busan Korean BBQ - grilled meat and shrimp - Korean Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

We came here for the late night special and they fucking closed already saying that if the Business is bad then they close early. With this kind of business practice and impolite attitude towards customers, no wonder they have no business. Fuck busan. read more

If you're looking to have a good time at an AYCE restaurant, Busan does the job quite fine. This is not the highest quality BBQ restaurant, and definitely not authentic Korean, but I still quite enjoyed it. Environment: It is located a little bit north of the McDonalds at King/Columbia. There is a large parking lot for those who drive. The restaurant is quite huge, can definitely accomodate large groups. They have tables at the back that can allow up to 10 people to sit together, with 3 pans to cook from. The restaurant is quite greasy and you will get the BBQ smell on your clothes soon enough, so make sure to wear something you don't mind getting dirty in. Food: I usually come for the lunch menu, because it's pretty cheap at around $15 per person, and it has the essentials such as beef, chicken, and short ribs. I am not a big fan of the chicken hearts (too small, drop into the gap easily), pig tongue (no flavour), and tilapia fish (no flavour, sticks to the pan very easily). Other than the BBQ items, they also offer ready to eat appetizers (fried tofu, potatoes were my favourites) and ice creams. Service: Standard Asian restaurant service. I do give them more tips though because they have to do more work such as changing the pan many times. I ate for 4 hours one time, and the servers just let us stay there to continue eating lol. They ended up changing the pan around 6 times. PS. 5% cash discount read more

Busan Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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This place was a wack attack bro, paid $65 to cook for myself and watch my date give happily himself salmonella Service was nice tho read more

This is the first place I have ever had Korean BBQ and I was very happy with my experience! The meat was well seasoned, we were well tended to by the wait staff and it was a fun cooking experience. I would highly recommend the beef slice, the beef ribs, the cucumber, the shrimp and the green tea ice cream. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the kimchi (and I typically love kimchi). All in all, a great meal and I would definitely go back! read more

I have to say. The interior is nicely designed, and the service was quite good! They came when we needed to clear plates off our table. The AYCE Korean BBQ was a first for me, and I will say, I am definitely wanting to go back. They changed the grill if it gets too charcoaly, and make sure you don't get the bacon.. it's not really bacon. The side dishes with kimchi and potato were amazing, and the spiced cucumber was so good. I had to order two orders of the radish. Way too good. You can also get AYCE ice cream too!! Definitely coming back!! read more

Busan Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Great spot not too far from the mall or the universities. Food was great and the servers were polite and helpful. Service was quick and the place has a nice, relaxing vibe. read more

Busan Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Busan is an awesome oceanfront city in South Korea on the opposite corner of the country from Seoul. Busan Korean BBQ is a small-ish AYCE Korean BBQ restaurant that takes over the location of a Burger King. The staff are friendly, but service is far below the KBBQ locations in Markham/Richmond HIll. As far as facilities go, it's obvious a lot of money has gone into renovations and the washrooms are pleasantly large and clean. Strangely, the building exterior is blank except for a small sign. However, a lot of effort has been made to minimize costs: -Extremely diluted soya sauce -Reduction of whatever you order (eg. order 10 beef rib = get 5) -Small scoops of ice cream (2 Busan KBBQ scoops = 1 normal scoop) -Reluctant to change your grill plate more than once during the meal (had to ask more than once to get it changed after that first time) -At the time we went, there was a FB post saying there was a promotion that you had to message for - however we got no response and when we asked the manager in the store, she said it didn't exist and We also found that the meat was not as nicely marinaded as back in Markham/RH. AYCE KBBQ finally exists in Waterloo, and it will do. Unfortunately, I don't think I'd ever come here again. read more

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This is my go-to for date night. So much fun cooking and the food is delicious. The customer service is great. Told my fiance we're going to have our wedding here because we love it so much. A Waterloo favourite! read more

Busan Korean BBQ - Amazing food and customer service! - Korean Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

I love Korean BBQ and I have tried so many kbbq places all over the world, this is the lowest score I give for any kbbq place and I would give a 0 star if I can. In loo we don't really have any choice but to go to Busan, the meat tastes good I have to say. But some waiters there really need to stop being rude. The marinade sauce made the pans extremely easy to become super sticky and black, So we need to change the pans frequently. At the third time we asked the waiter to change the pan, he looked at the pan and said "didn't I change it a while ago already?" He looks extremely impatient and annoyed. But seriously tho, if u don't want to change pans that frequently maybe u should buy much better pans and put oil on them to prevent your meat from sticking so easily. After I come home, me and my friends all had extreme bad stomachache for literally all night long. I have been eating kbbq for years and I certainly don't think it's me being unfamiliar with grilling. But I would definitely not go back again because the service and the food quality really make me worried. read more

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This was our first time experiencing Korean BBQ. The waitress did ask if we had been before to which we responded no. Regardless she did not explain how it worked. The food was tasty. It was a nice place for a slow meal with lovely conversation but I spent my meal not entirely sure I was "doing it right". I'm okay at admitting I was a novice. I wish the staff had explained a little more what to do - though this may be obvious for someone who has been for Korean BBQ before. We really enjoyed the new and pineapple. The salmon was also very nice. There is a toddler/pre-schooler price but I was very glad we didn't have our daughter with us given the way you prepare the food and how wiggly she is. Kids around 7/8 seemed to be with their families having a great time though. I had to look online as to how to eat to find out about making little sandwiches with the lettuce. I think it is priced geared to the experience rather than the food itself. read more

Busan Korean BBQ - Trying Korean BBQ for the first time. - Korean Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Great service and great food at a decent price for Waterloo. They have a good variety of side fermented vegetable dishes, I can't stop eating the radishes! And the garlic butter really goes so well with everything. I would say I'd rather prefer to eat here when I get the barbecue craving rather than driving all the way to Toronto. read more

This place has deceiving reviews and tons of customers. At 26$ for dinner it is a total rip off. The owners are not Korean, everything is written in chinese. The food is not bad, but I mean that it is terrible. The marinated meat tastes all wrong. It is not a Korean sauce, just some weird soy sauce mix. The meat that is marinated looks old, parts of it have oxidized so much it is green. They get all the cheapest cuts so the galbi is basically not edible. It's rubber. The chicken wings are gross. The Chinese sausage is cheap. Basically, everything is the cheapest possible cut to maximize profit margins. kW sure is disappointing. At least it's consistent (ly bad) read more

Despite the low ratings from other reviewers, I didn't have a bad experience at all. Sure the service was slow, but the poor server was working by herself during lunch hours, so it's totally understandable. I don't have much of a refined taste to know whether or not it was "good" kbbq. I've been to other places that friends said were good but they pretty much taste the same. Needless to say, I find this place good enough for me. The chicken and beef short ribs were the tastiest. I tend to wrap my meats in lettuce along with the pickled veggies that you can order. Dip it in the sauce and spices they provide and voilà, yummy lettuce wraps! They also have rice if you need but it tends to fill me up too much, so I go for no carbs haha. The pickled cucumbers could have been marinated for a bit longer--seemed like they just sliced up the cucumber, dunked it in some marinade ad served it. Maybe they ran out of pre-marinated ones, who knows? Overall, my food was good and the server was trying her best. read more

Pretty good AYCE for the price. I usually come for the late night special or lunch special. The menu has all your standard meats from beef, ribs, chicken, squid, etc. But to be honest, the meat quality isn't the best. For the price, it is worth it. Just don't come here expecting top quality kbbq. I would avoid the fish since it takes forever to cook and tastes gross. There are a lot of side dishes such as potatoes, cucumbers, edamame, kimchi. I think the only good side dish is the potatoes, the cucumbers don't taste as good and are a bit bland. They also have garlic toast which I would avoid. I don't really know what I was expecting but it was just wonder bread spread with garlic margarine. Servers are very nice and quick, they fill your water pretty frequently and are quick when it comes to orders and changing the grill. The desert menu consists of only ice cream. Lastly, eat with caution because sometimes this places does give me an upset stomach after if you know what I mean. LOL. read more

Avoid at all cost! Environment: no ventilation, IN A BBQ PLACE! What the hell? If you go to some "real" korean BBQ restaurant in Toronto, you'll notice that there are vents above every BBQ table. Not in Busan BBQ tho! The fat smoke is saturated in the room we found a hard time breathing for a while. You'll get the BBQ smell all over your clothing too. Food: very few selection, very un-Korean. The marinate tasted weird like an unskilled average housewife's work. Service: they don't give you enough attention, especially since you have to place order to add more items during the course Price: really pricey in comparison to other BBQ. Let along it's not a genuine BBQ place. Verdict: you can have better choices of Korean BBQ. Busan BBQ is really a disappointment. read more

We went to this place twice. The meat is really not that good, and there is almost no variety. But if you're just looking to stuff yourself, it's not a horrible choice. When we went for the 2nd time for the late night special however, they told us that they were closing almost an hour before the actual closing time, and threatened us that we had to finish everything we had ordered already or else we'd be charged extra. So we had to stuff as much food as we can in 10 minutes, and it made me feel so sick that I puked in the bathroom. We also asked if we could get 2 grills instead of 1 grill (we had a large group, and the place was empty), but they wouldn't give us another grill. This didn't really bother us that much, until we saw that a different smaller group had 2 grills all to themselves. In the end, they didn't even serve us ice cream even though they said that the ice cream orders didn't have to be expedited. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place. It's bad, expensive, and has bad business. read more

This place is so good I drive 11/2 hours to have dinner here. Really cool experience where you get to grill your selection's of meats and veggies right at your table. Make sure to use the garlic butter and soya sauce to elevate the Korean flavours. read more

Busan (the name of an actual city in South Korea) is probably the least authentic KBBQ restaurant iv been to. Its not even owned by koreans. just peep the menu. edamame? miso soup? wtf??? no Samgyeopsal on the menu either... is this real life? might as well call it "Generic East Asian BBQ" instead of Busan kek read more

I came here around a year ago and I don't remember it being this bad. If you think Chakos is bad, you should see this place. This restaurant had one job-- to serve decent RAW food. They didnt even have to cook it for God's sake. I didn't think Korean BBQs could be that bad until now. This is a new standard of terrible food. The freshest thing that we ordered is the ice-cream. How ironic that it is frozen. We got the dinner menu, which is 20.99. You'd think that they at least serve presentable food, but there wasn't a fresh piece of meat or food from everything we ordered. The edamame looked like it sat there for a month. (See picture posted). How dare they serve us brown edamame? Aside from that, the corn was already rotten and brown. Almost all the meat served was dry. It was such a terrible experience coming here. It feels like everything we ordered were just leftovers from weeks ago. They conveniently left out the lettuce we ordered maybe because it looked way worst than the rest of the stuff and didn't have the guts to actually serve it to us, which is a good thing I suppose. The side dishes (potatoes, kimchi, tofu) were all also really dry. And finally, the rice is all sticked together. I could have cooked better rice with a pot. The service was alright. But I mean, how does one tell the server that literally every single thing served is just terrible when she asks if everything is okay? Well, if I were you, I'd hold in my KBBQ cravings until you find a better place to go to. I'd give it 1/2 a star for the nice white fungus drink though. read more

Busan Korean BBQ - Edamame - Korean Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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Though they are the only one in the area, so keep that in mind. Even though I am giving a 1 star, this is a place I will continue to go to till another place is an option. For starters, I have been here 4/5 times by now, the most recent I arrived at 10:15pm for the late night menu, their sign says the close at 11:30pm. I was told that last call was at 10:30pm and I would not have enough time to eat as they want an hour to clean up. I am not happy with this. I wasn't in the mood to argue anyways so I left. It isn't that much of a lose as this place almost always disagrees with me and I end up regretting it, however I still go. But the food is lacking in quality to say the least. Secondly, the staff's ability to speak English is very poor. And I mean very, very poor. To the point where telling them that the table they just sat you at is unclean and you can't get anyone to understand. Trying to ask them anything other than wanting icecream (which they still manage to get wrong) or the bill will end up in a confusing situation, for both you and them This is at no fault of the staff, rather the management is to blame for this. It's rarely an issue anyways as I only have to write down on the paper what I want and they bring it to me. I have also had issues on a few visits with being charged extra, which is quickly fixed when I point this out. I have no idea if this is due to a mistake, which it could very well be, or them trying to take advantage, but it has been corrected each time I visit. The service is slow too. I mean, not too far below what you might expect from a place like this. But it could be much better. If you want KBBQ, go for it. If KBBQ is not your thing or you have never been, avoid this place at all costs. Go for sushi, heck, even go to the McDonald's down the road, you'll get better service. read more

Went there very recently. Food was okay, but the service is bad. I'm normally not picky with the service, but we sat in, put in our order, then sat there for over 30 min with 0 food on our table. All the servers were just walking around. After almost 40min we figured they must've lost our first order, so we had to put in another one. And we waited for another 20min to get our food on the table. Probably will not go back again. read more

I've been to Busan a few times before, but this time I literally could not wait to get home to write this review, they've earned it! The food is consistently good quality: fresh and well marinated, which is not always the case for KBBQ. In addition to the food, their service is always fantastic, and it's the reason I'm writing this review. They really nailed the service on this last visit, food and drinks arrived promptly, refills were given when needed, and they checked up on us in an appropriate manner (not 20 times in half an hour like Kelsey's or Moxie's, but not no where to be found either). Very satisfied with both the food and service quality, 10/10 will come again! read more

It's more like a korean-style chinese BBQ, if that makes any sense. As in, if you were in Shanghai or Beijing, and went to get "korean bbq", I think you'd probably get something similar to this. Therefore, comparing this to authentic modern korean BBQ restaurants like what you'd find in Markham or North York is a bit like comparing apples to oranges. The main pro is that this is available in Waterloo, relatively close to campus. I don't need to drive or bus to Toronto for kbbq. It's competitively priced, imho, with similar asian AYCE restaurants. Reasonable variety of meats and seafood to choose from, plus side dishes. Service was ok. Nothing too special. Tip: Avoid the ice tea. It was so dilute and tasted terrible. Probably good to just avoid drinks in general there. I thought I would get diarrhea after but I didn't, so it's definitely cleaner than I expected. read more

I am rating them this bad because of the "Manager" who didn't sound like a manager but more like my boss. I felt that I am the employee and he is my boss rather than me being the customer. I verbally asked the manager that can I get 2 hot sauce and he got me a big plate with garlic, chilly and sauce. I asked him to get me hot sauce because it didn't taste hot to me which they usually give me and don't charge anything. After completing my dinner I go to pay my bill and he says you have to pay 3$ for the sauce and I go like sorry I didn't ask for the house special sauce instead I asked for spicy sauce.I get a reply saying "but you tried that sauce so pay 3$". I don't think a manager is suppose to reply like this. He was refusing from accepting that it was his mistake rather than blaming it on me, not that I didn't want to pay 3$. At the end he goes like if you cant afford to pay 3$ why would you order it? Someone let me know if this is what a manager is suppose to say to a customer ? KBBQ you need to tell your manager that this wasn't right at all. read more

Ate at this BBQ house twice so far and I have mixed feelings. The first time we went with a group of friends and the food, service and atmosphere was quite enjoyable. It was relatively quick, the meat was well marinated and the restaurant was kept in great condition. However going a second time with my girlfriend we experienced some difficulties with the service. It was a Friday night so I understand the delayed food but we both noticed a recurring pattern. They seem to prioritize larger parties and serve couples and individuals much slower. Same great food and atmosphere but unfortunately the poor service that night really makes it hard to give this place a higher rating. The price is relatively good and if you pay cash you get a 5% discount. Food was great, optional alcoholic beverages as well. I still think the place is quite good however be warned if going alone, with one other, or when they are busy. read more

I am writing this review from the experience of a first time kbbq-er, but an avid watcher of kdramas and Korean culture, and this place didn't disappoint me. As a student of UW I was ecstatic to hear about this place opening at the time, and what's even better is the after 10 discount. The waiters were all very pleasant, but sometimes forgot some of the items from our order. They all looked pretty busy and hectic so we had to flag them down when we wanted to order more or have the heat setting changed. They are really generous with their food, I feel, because they don't charge for wastage, at least not after 10pm. The only time I have come is after 10pm though, and it always feels like I'm being rushed and have to order everything at once because they stop taking orders from 11-11:30. However, the portions, seemingly small, are actually quite a lot, so before you order 10 orders of beef, they recommended ordering 2 first to get a feel for the portions. My group ended up ordering too much meat as a result of being too greedy. The grill, I find, has to be oiled really good with the fat from the pork, in order to cook the other items really well without having them burn or stick to the pan. Also, there is a ring around the grill with stones or some kind of mini charcoal in it that I was afraid of having my food slide into because I saw a staple-shaped metal piece in it. The grill is my only major complaint because it accumulates burnt remains after awhile, which ends up getting stuck to the new food that's being cooked, and when the oil drips to the fire, it causes the fire to flame up from the grill, which is a little scary. They also don't have vents above each grill, so the air here is really smoky and you leave the restaurant smelling like BBQ meat. The food here was good though and I definitely will be coming here a lot as it's the only place for kbbq in the tri-city area! read more

Came here to celebrate a birthday with 16 adults and had the AYCE dinner. Overall the experience was great. I would actually give 3.5 stars but half stars aren't allowed and I don't quite think it's at a 4 star. We came in super hungry at prime dinner time and the service was pretty fast. Servers were nice and attentive. Atmosphere was like any AYCE KBBQ place, loud, smoky and smelling like grilled food. One thing they could improve on is ventilation. Don't think they had fans to air out the smoke because we left smelling heavily like grilled BBQ but who goes to KBBQ expecting to leave smelling fresh anyways. Quality of food was a tad above average. Nothing to rave about but no complaints either. Cost per person was $25.99 per person +taxes +tips. If you pay cash you get 10% off. We felt this meal was decently priced. I would come back again. read more

I came here with a large group of people (5), and I found the service to be very accommodating. Sure, some of them looked like they didn't want to be there and their English was pretty poor, but the food was decent. This one isn't any different than other AYCE Korean BBQ. Food is decent enough for the most part and service was pretty quick when it came to bringing out the food. Don't come here expecting excellent food and service, but it's not bad. Though I recommend coming in a large group. I find that some employees are more attentive to larger groups than just two people - though that's just what I saw. read more

We had an absolutely amazing time here, the food was really great and we did eat all we could! The flavours of the meat was very good and the atmosphere of the restaurant was awesome. It is definitely worth the price you pay. Moreover the staff were helpful and extremely friendly! It was our family's first time trying it out! Great! read more

If I can give negative stars I definitely would, because that was how terrible the service was. It enough to have us appalled and vow to never return. What was once one of my KBBQ places became the worst restaurant I have ever been to. There were many issues that occurred which began with limited food and lying; brace yourselves with a long review of our upsets and negative experience: LYING: First off, we came for the late night special on a Sunday night, which is simply the lunch menu but offered after 9:30 pm. Knowing that it was late and the restaurant will soon be closed, we decided to order a massive portion all at once. Not only did they give us half of the requested items, they furthered exacerbated the issue by saying there was no food remaining. Now, we are use to having AYCE restaurants lower our portions to prevent wasting, however, all restaurants explain their preference to serve us more after we finish our previous portions; fair enough. Busan, however, had a different approach; they resorted to lying, stating that they are out of their stock. We specifically asked them "So you're saying, if we were to check your storage, there will be absolutely nothing, not even tomorrows portion", and our replied was "yes, you are correct." What enticed us after was how the owner insisted on opening the restaurant for an extra hour after close, specifically for us, so that he can sit down with our party and cook food for us. This was rather ironic as an hour ago he persisted that there was absolutely nothing left. We all went to Mcdonalds after to satisfy our hunger; this is to orient how much food we actually received. OUR EFFORTS TO RECONCILE AND SOLVE THIS ISSUE: After nearly an hour of constant deliberation between their food supply and their promise to consumers, the owner juggled between his pride and the reputation of the restaurant, he was debating between giving 15% - 25% off for the troubles caused on their behalf. He kept changing his decision, offering us other incentives such as cooking for us, or future discounts (which we suppose will definitely not be acknowledged later on seeing his character in this situation). Seeing as we were only served half of what we were asking for, and being denied access to food in an AYCE restaurant, we refused to pay a full amount for the service and food that was provided, offering to pay 50% for the 50% of food and service we received. This seemed just as they are not fulfilling their end of this transaction. The owner refused to acknowledge their faults and proceeded to threaten us to call the police. We took upon this request and had contacted the local police to help mediate this issue. The police mediated this issue, trying to console the owner to settle with our requests as the power of the network of university students and their social media accounts are more detrimental to their business than the $25 that he won't give up. Since the owner heavily refused, we did not want to waste more time so we paid what they wanted. We are now left with no choice but a long PSA about the negative experiences that one will suffer going to Busan. This hasn't even touched upon the slowest service you will ever experience, enough to bore yourself to death as you anxiously wait for low quality food and service until the end of your next life. Save yourself time and trouble, go elsewhere to get cheaper and higher quality food. read more

Ive had many chain kbbq places and i feel like this place is a little underrated. The meat quality is fair, prices are pretty good, a lot of variety for their dinner menu. The only issue is how early they close during their late night and their last call is early too. It felt like they were rushing us too finish an hour before they closed and thats understandable since we all worked long days and want to go home but rude as a server. Overall i would recommend this place. Completely unrelated but their menu spells squid as squit and they never bothered to change it so dont get thrown off when you see it read more

Such a delightful place! Customer service was amazing, professional and clean place, and delicious food. I would definitely recommend this place to someone and would most certainly come again! read more

Came here on a Sunday night, and boy, was I in for a great surprise. My group of friends and I did not receive half of the food we ordered. We were told that they were "out of stock". We paid over $20 for an late night AYCE (all you can eat) buffet, not a bowl of soggy rice and a half empty stomach. Come here if you want an All You Can Wait experience, not all you can eat. Your money will be better spent on McDonalds where you will get what you paid for. read more

Typical kbbq. Gone for lunch a few times on a weekend. Currently it's $20 pp for lunch. $11.99 for my 5 year old is a bit steep. 4 and under eat free. Service was fast. Make sure you clear your plates quickly and don't leave any empty plates on top of full plates as the servers seem to enjoy whisking away plates asap. Nothing special in food quality. Tastes like everywhere else. Lots of appetizers which is great and ayce ice cream at the end is a great way to feel fat at the end. read more

I only go for late night and lunch menu. The price is decently cheap, and dinner menu options aren't that much more appealing. The short ribs are the best things on the menu. The potatoes and tofu are also amazing. Servers are really nice too. read more