While the gentleman that worked with us was very pleasant, the meal was a disaster. We were advised that the grill at our table would take 5 minutes to heart up for grilling. No problem. We gathered our food choices and returned to our table. Well, the grill never heated up sufficiently and we could not eat the under cooked chicken we had selected. The shrimp and veggies were also questionable. The gentleman I mentioned above kept returning to our table expressing his concern and dissatisfaction with our grill, but never offered us another table and did not discount our meal to compensate us for a completely unsatisfactory experience. We left still feeling hungry and having wasted a lot of time. We will not return. read more

Good small KBBQ spot! The owner is very sweet and customer service is good! There is a bar for rice, kimchi, etc and a decent selection of meats on the menu read more

Really yummy AYCE here in the Monterey area! Service was really good, especially Richard and Eddie, super quick and kind! We had some issues with the grill, but the servers and I think manager(?) came and apologized and fixed it quick! Very comfortable vibe for dinner and would come back here for sure. read more

Just reading some of these reviews makes me sad from the experience I had last night. My party arrived around 7:45ish. 10/10 service from all staff. It is more of a buffet style which I actually enjoy. The server let us know all of the rules prior to ordering. You can order the meats on your phone via QR code. There is a limit on the galbi (two per person) and you can order every 10 minutes 3 meats. Drink is included in price along with the sides, which is also nice. The owner (female) came up to my table and introduced herself to us and her background (she's a nutritionist from Korea). She even made us a special sauce for the meats. The quality in meat was good. There was plenty of items still at the bar. I was hesitant to come because of mixed reviews I've been hearing, but I'm so happy I decided to come check it out for myself and suggest you do the same! I hope your experience is just as amazing as mine was. read more

I am so thankful we finally have an AYCE Korean BBQ restaurant in Monterey! I've been back several times and each time it gets better. Yes, the electric grills are not as strong as gas grills (and some tables are better than others) but if you take your time cooking and enjoy the fresh cooked meat off the grill with all the other hot and cold sides, sauces, vegetables, rice, soup and included soda... it's awesome! The meats are marinated well and they have pork cheek! The Tofu soup and Korean chicken wings are yummy! It's definitely a more of a mom and pop AYCE Korean Bbq as compared to the Bay Area, but it's a GOOD AYCE Korean BBQ in Monterey and we should support it! read more

Little Korea - I asked for a Smedium shirt. Haha - Korean Near Me - Monterey, California

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Oh wow where do I begin! Amazing food, service, cleanliness, and price for what you get! Tip: get the Premium- totally worth it. Let me explain how it works. You sit down at a table with a grill top and are brought a QR code to scan with your phone. It gives you a menu of select cuts of meat, you order and it is brought to your table within minutes for you to cook. Incredibly fresh cuts (try the la-galbi, beef short rib!). There are all the Korean sides in a bar for you to fill up your plate with, I like to pair my bites with a bit of meat, rice, sauce, and kimchi or the zucchini kimchi! Other sides include noodles, dumplings, etc. The staff here are so nice, I've been multiple times with my husband Daniel and we are always greeted by the owner and staff like family. Great atmosphere, kid friendly, unlimited food (just pay a flat price- premium or not), unlimited soda fountain, lovely staff who are willing to help if you're new to KB or stay hands off and let you do your thing! We highly recommend it for date nights. Bring your appetite! read more

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Food and service are great. We really enjoyed our time here. I wish we lived closer so we could come here more often! 10/10!!

Dirty place, lousy quality meats and surly, robotic service. One and done, will definitely not return.

A hidden gem. We have had countless Korean food and this place gives us one of the best experiences ever. Really enjoy the freshly made quality kimchi and side dishes that you can grab on your own. We could definitely feel the love the owner put into everything when she spoke to us. The service is amazing too. We are still not done eating but I just have to share our great experience. Nice, clean, and tasty. Highly recommended and we will definitely be back next time we are in town! The only con is the electric grill that is relatively slower. Not a big deal for us. read more

Servers were polite, and informative. Came before closing and the music was turned off. Setting a very quiet scene with four othet tables speaking quietly, like silent library. Marinated dishes are self serve with brisket and thin sliced sirloin able to order on a QR code every 10 minutes. Brisket was thick, and the sirloin was tough. No brisket sauce. Overall a good experience. came out to $84 for a couple (inc. tip) read more

Pretty good for the area, might be the only place with an open grill. There are no overhead vents, so you will smell like Korean bbq afterwards. Decent amount of meat variety for the grill, and sides were alright too. Not sure why but the booth we were sitting on must've been made of something light, it kept shifting every time we got up until someone sat behind us. Overall not a bad experience. read more

I went to this lovely restaurant today for dinner. We had the dinner buffet and it was fantastic! The place is located at the Del Monte Mall and you can feel the warmth when you enter. I spoke with the owner, Ms. Kim about her experience here. She cooks the food in the back herself (as shown in the video). The ingredients come directly from Korea and the hot pot was bussin bussin! read more

Unless you're absolutely desperate for Korean BBQ, do yourself a favor and don't eat here. Where do I even begin? It's advertised as all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ, but there's no real fire power to cook the meat. We waited nearly 15 minutes just to get our first batch of beef, and when I mentioned it to the owner, he told me to remove the meat from the grill--which made no sense at all. Eventually, the waitress moved us to another table, but by then we were done waiting. The grills are electric, not gas, so the meat never cooks properly, and that smoky BBQ flavor is completely missing. We spent more time waiting for the meat to cook than actually eating. After the first batch, we'd had enough and left. I don't recommend this place--save your time, money, and appetite. read more

I expected much better for $33 per person. The restaurant advertises AYCE, but the portions came out tiny and extremely slowly. We spent too much time waiting instead of eating. The self-serve station wasn't clean, there were very limited side options, and even steamed eggs cost extra. Overall, the food quality and customer service were both disappointing. Should close down the store if dont want to serve well! read more

It was my first time coming here and after not eating all day I wanted to treat myself to some kbbq and I walked in it isn't your typical kbbq , it was mainly self serve which was okay but my only issue is how slow the grill is , like it's actually irritating after a day of not eating anything coming in and it taking 10+ minutes for 3 pieces of meat, it was ridiculous. To anybody thinking about going here please just save your time and money and come to a different kbbq place. read more

The new little Korea restaurant in DelMonte Center Violates California Civil Rights Act. I'm at the restaurant right now they refused to serve me because I'm by myself. California civil rights act prohibits discrimination based on marital status. After drawing the managers attention to that, he took the sign down, and allows me to be seated. Five minutes later he came to my table and asked me to leave because they only serve couples and that's the restaurant policy. read more

Little Korea - Sign only accepting couples. - Korean Near Me - Monterey, California

I recently discovered Little Korea and it has quickly become my go-to Korean restaurant in Monterey! The quality of the meats at their all-you-can-eat buffet is excellent - everything is fresh, flavorful, and cooked to perfection right at your table. They also have an incredible variety of side dishes (banchan) that complement the BBQ beautifully, and there's always something new and delicious to try. Food: read more

We stopped by Little Korea around 3 PM on a Sunday and were seated right away. We've been wanting to check this place out since it opened. The food was excellent, especially for the price. Everything we tried was fresh and flavorful, and the variety of meats and sides kept things exciting throughout the meal. A big bonus: non-alcoholic drinks are included in the AYCE price - something you don't always get at other KBBQ places. One of my favorite parts was the self-serve banchan (side dishes); you can grab as much as you want from the buffet area, and everything tastes amazing! There was a great variety, from pickled veggies to mandu and several types of kimchi, plus two types of soup and plenty of rice. My husband especially loved the tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and I couldn't get enough of the japchae (glass noodles) - so good! The ambiance was perfectly themed. There's a beautiful Korean mural on one wall and hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) displayed on another. There was also Korean music playing at just the right volume, loud enough to add to the experience, but not so loud that it interrupted conversation. The restaurant itself was also very clean and well-maintained. The service was top-notch. Servers were attentive, friendly, and quick with everything; from refills to grill changes, we never felt neglected. And to top it all off, the owner came out to speak with us, and she was so warm and welcoming. It really made the whole experience feel personal and memorable. I highly recommend if you're in the area and craving KBBQ. Great food, great service, and a thoughtfully designed space. We'll definitely be back! read more

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S/O to Richard & Suri (hopefully I spell his name correctly) for being the best server ever! Very great with checking up on us to make sure we were good all the time. Very great customer service, explaining everything & making sure we were being taken care of. Thank you for everything! read more

Little Korea - Love it! - Korean Near Me - Monterey, California

Located in Monterey nicely decorated all you can eat Korean BBQ place located across from Anthropology inside the mall. I was very happy to find Korean restaurant at Monterey. I see Hanbok, Ja-ge ham furnitures and Korean dance face masks decorations are super cute and oriented. AYCE for 120 minutes. Sauce bars, decent side dishes and two soups available. Decent size with friendly staffs however meat takes forever to cook since it's electric. Maybe because I'm Korean, their kimchi is Chinese style kimchi that only add chili powder with not much of flavor, simple but less effort and another bad thing is cooking samgypsal takes about 20 minutes.. I'm literally filling up myself with rice, beer, and steam egg that I have ordered for extra charge. Still waiting to taste my meat. It's taking forever.. literally I'm not even exaggerating. Overall Food is just OK. Try to order or get thin sliced meats if you want to eat. Servers are super nice, overall sides are very blend taste but other non-Korean customers seem to be happy about all the selections of sides because there's no place like this in Monterey near by main cannery road area. P.S owner is Korean though. read more

Really bad even by serve yourself buffet style standards. Meat was in rough shape, banchan was not good, and the yuzu sauce actually surprised me with how much I hated it. If you're in the area and craving AYCE kbbq, this will not satisfy your craving, and if you're like me, it will turn you off to wanting kbbq for the foreseeable future. The worst part is, I'm still hungry. Sad :( read more

hopped on a flight from LAX and landed at Monterey airport. Found this really cute AYCE Korean spot by the Tesla chargers and you can really tell the food is homemade. Try the kimchi! The lady was very sweet and the workers were very on it!!.Ask for Richard, he'll help you out. Thank you Little Korea :) read more

Food was great! Kimchi and side dishes were all so amazing and fresh and the meat quality was delicious :) came straight from the airport for a warm and amazing AYCE meal! Owner was so awesome too! read more

i won't back to this restaurant, we came here for vacation and looking for a lunch. I found this restaurant on google and the reviews are not too bad. My first impression with the server, they are not really friendly. We started with the side dishes, the sides is not warm at all, like they already cooked from they're open. We move to the meat section, we found a plastic on the pork belly. In my opinion 1 of the 6 meats were good. But they have a good korean coffee. i hope for the next this restaurant can be better.Thank you read more

I enjoyed it! I came here for my birthday with my dad and had a good time. Everything I had was good, though I am by no means an expert. The guy who seated us was nice and polite as he explained how everything worked. The man, who I assume is the owner, came by and greeted us and was very friendly too. People are complaining about the 90 min limit, but friends I don't know how that's a problem... I was stuffed well before we reached the time. The inside decor is clean and I enjoyed the music. read more

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The self-serve food bar was also poorly maintained. Many items were empty or not restocked, and some food didn't look fresh. The broth was mostly greasy liquid with very little actual ingredients left. Such a disappointing experience. read more

Great value for $35 per person. Lots of different korean food to try at the buffet. Everything tastes great especially the galbi. Also there is a rule that you can't stay for more than 2 hours but we were stuffed in an hour without rushing at all. Great service. Would definitely come here again! read more

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My husband and I ate here yesterday. The service was outstanding, our waiter was so nice and friendly and very helpful. The food was great, we will definitely be eating here again. The owner car and talked to us. She is very knowledgeable and brings her families history in cooking to all the food, spices and authenticity of the restaurant. She talked about her grandmother and the things she was taught. It was a wonderful lunch experience. read more

Egg soup by the way, and they charged us 10 dollars. The customer service was very hard to endure read more

Little Korea - Egg soup by the way. It said $3 but they charged us $10. - Korean Near Me - Monterey, California

I don't know if I went to a restaurant or a social experiment testing how much disappointment a human can endure in one sitting. The food showed up looking like it had already given up on life--lukewarm, confused, and somehow both overcooked and undercooked at the same time. The service? I've had deeper, more meaningful interactions with a loading screen. I asked for water and had enough time to reflect on my life choices, graduate, and start a family before it arrived. And the price?? I've been robbed with more respect. At this point, the only thing cooked properly was my patience. Would I come back? I'd rather eat a napkin and call it a day. read more

The level of service provided was minimal, with most aspects being self-service, excluding grill changes and napkin requests. While grill changes required staff assistance, the overall service model was limited. The pricing structure is set at approximately $38 per adult and $18 for children under nine years of age. Despite this, both children in our party were charged the children's rate, which is not ideal, particularly considering the limited consumption of one child. Furthermore, the dining environment was compromised by inadequate air circulation and high temperatures. I don't recommend this restaurant unless you want foods with no service. They don't have large table for big parties, yet they charged you mandatory 18% for big group. read more

Little Korea - Korean Near Me - Monterey, California

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Good but need better grills. Hunger wore off bc we had to wait a long time for meat to cook and munched on the banchan. Servers were attentive, helpful, and kind. The food, once cooked, was good lol but on the scale of kbbq, the grills need improvement. read more

This Korean restaurant is a great spot if you're in the mood for a barbecue experience and you're already at the mall. The servers were responsive, however we did find we had to stop them versus them coming by. They made sure the grill was hot enough for us to cook the meats. There was a wide variety of meats to try, so it was easy to mix things up and share different cuts around the table. They also offered a generous selection of side dishes, which kept the meal interesting and balanced between bites of meat. The only downside is that it was a bit on the pricey side, though the convenience of being located right inside the mall makes it an easy choice before or after shopping. read more

Service was so friendly and attentive. We came from Fresno to celebrate some birthdays and we had a great time here :) Favorite meat here was the Galbi and the sides were delicious too. read more

My first time here and I was surprised, I like it. The customer service is on point. The meat was good, the soups were good and the bonchon are good. Good spot to eat and enjoy. I will come back again. read more

I took my daughter and granddaughter to lunch at this restaurant. It was buffet style. We loved the variety of side dishes offered and the meat selection was good too which you could grill at your table. The service was also good. The ambiance was comfortable and welcoming. If there is a con, it was with us not understanding how the serving plates were charged. It got a tad pricey. However, I would definitely go back again. read more

Found this place about 5 mins away from the hotel and decided to give it a try. It being self service for about 31 dollars, it was definitely a bang for my buck. The meat was pretty good and marinated very nicely. The ambience is very calming and relaxing. I would definitely comeback if I ever comeback to the area! read more

I'm from the bay and tried all the popular kbq spots and this spot is still my favorite!! Everything is homemade, from the sauces and marinades, they have an all you can eat buffet with apps and meats. The atmosphere and staff are super welcoming. You will not be disappointed with this spot!! read more

One of the Worst Korean BBQ Experiences We've Had As locals who love to try Korean barbecue when we are out of town, we were incredibly disappointed by our experience at Little Korea. This was, without exaggeration, one of the worst KBBQ meals we've ever had. Bummer as we were excited to get a BBQ place in Monterey. The biggest issue was the grills--completely ineffective. Our food wouldn't cook, even after sitting there for a long time, leaving us hungry, frustrated, and eventually just walking out. the grills were clearly subpar, which is likely the root of the problem. Even though we didn't get to try to meet, it did not look like it was going to be very flavorful. Despite not eating anything more than a cup of rice and no meat, we were still charged full price for every single person at the table. Four people was $150. On top of that, gratuity was automatically included--even though this is a self-service buffet with no table service and self serve drinks. Most restaurants would have made some effort to make things right in this situation, but not here. We left disappointed, hungry, and shocked at the lack of customer consideration. Because of this, it's an only one star review(zero of possible). This is one restaurant that I can truly say that I do not find one redeeming quality to report. We will not be returning and will certainly not recommend this place to friends or family. I do not see this place making it long-term in a small town like this. read more

Got told that we couldn't move when half our grill wasn't working. The food was terrible very bland and not seasoned at all. Got the bottom of the barrel food. The overall experience was terrible would not come back again. read more