The Kalbi looks like STEAK! I wouldn't call it the BEST BBQ in queens, but it was pretty tasty. I came around 7pm and they had no wait. Their side dishes are great esp if it includes kkae jjang. I would recommend this place if you're around the area, but wouldn't go out of my way. read more

I honestly didn't taste much difference between the charcoal BBQ vs. regular gas fire. The meat felt a bit artificially tender though - I think they soak it in some form of meat softner liquid for quite some time before bringing it out. The upselling is quite annoying. Just stick to what you want and ignore the rest. read more

The food is okay here, definitely better places around this area. Came here on a afternoon and the restaurant was not even packed. We ordered 2 different type of meat because it was required by many Korean BBQ around here. Definitely do not like that rule. If you going to tell me to order 2 meat off the menu, at least let me cook them on the table because that's what the grill is for....I was told that one has to be cook from the kitchen and only one is allowed to cook on the grill. I came to Korean BBQ for the actually BBQ experience, not let some dude cook it for me in the kitchen... So we opt out to leave and go to a different restaurant then they decided to let us cook it on the table. I understand if it was busy and there were people waiting, but from beginning to the end of my meal, the restaurant remained fairly empty. Definitely ruined our dining experience because I had high expectation for this place. read more

I really like the fact that its off the boulevard and that they serve grilled corn, steamed egg and a soup along side the side dishes... their calbi is tender and very good but it is a tad overpriced. great service, very welcoming. will return. read more

The Kalbi quality was great. There was a sea of banchan overflowing the table. The banchans kept coming.. squid with miyuk, steamed egg casserole, 3 different kimchees (regular/chong gak, mool, gat), japchae noodles, crimini mushrooms, manul jhong (garlic stems), squash, broccoli, watercress moochim, veggie mayo salad, odeng bokkum.. to name some. The banchan that was foreign to me was the onions marinated in a vinegar dressing- paired well with the kalbi. The best part? The staff grill, cut & help make the experience enjoyable. Soot bul gui gave the Kalbi a smokey flavor. Felt like being in Korea :) To end, they serve soondooboo, seafood flavored with rice. Tip: Grill the garlic slices on the grill (carefully so they don't fall through the grill slots) on both sides, dip them in the samjang (bean paste). Make a lettuce wrap with kalbi, grilled garlic with dip, onion salad and a bit of rice and enjoy =) Thumbs up! It's a decent KBBQ joint. Stop by if in Flushing, NY. Con: Lots of MSG. Drank one too many bottles of water to flush it out. read more

I came here with my boyfriend and his family. The food was excellent and they had a lot of side dishes, and kept refilling it after we were done. The service was excellnt , the lady was really nice read more

Mapo BBQ - Korean Near Me - Flushing, New York

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Yeah, I made the trek out here to get my Korean barbecue on and wow, I'm impressed. Ordered the galbi and was thoroughly impressed, perfectly cooked and full of flavor. But what's really impressive are the banchan. Wow, I have not seen a spread like that before, and I've had my share of banchans before. Also got the seafood pancake which was pretty standard. My only complaint is we actually ordered a short rib and another beef, but they gave us two galbi's instead. We didn't realize initially because we had no idea how big the galbi portions were and we figured we were just eating a single portion initially. But hey, there are worse things in life to get doubles of right? read more

Definitely one of the better Korean BBQs in Flushing. I eat a lot of Korean BBQ and this is my go to spot. Service is great and theyre pretty attentive even when they're busy. Slim choices of their sides but nonetheless they keep on coming. Also they always give the free egg, corn, and soondubu during your meal. I always get their marinated galbi. Its tender and juicy.. super good and I love the onions they give. Its pretty hard to find parking in the area since there are so many korean bbq spots in the area. Lots of buses and also the Murry Hill LIRR which is right across the street. read more

Ever since I was a kid, I loved Korean barbeque. Korean barbeque restaurants typically have a large offering of foods, including side dishes and main entrées. No matter what, I would leave these trendy barbeque joints satisfied and drowsy from all the food. The typical Korean barbeque restaurants serve anywhere from five to fifteen "appetizers," or banchaan before hauling out big chunks of meat, ready to be cooked table-side. These banchaan vary from traditional kimchi to steamed eggs in a bowl. I like to wait and combine the small appetizer dishes with the main course to create savory lettuce wraps--also known as saam. The style of serving numerous side dishes, or appetizers, along with a main course dish is common in Korean households. Such buffet-style eating is bound to satisfy ever diner because there is a plethora of options to choose from. Foodies unfamiliar to Korean cuisine will be delighted to find that a single trip to a Korean barbeque can immerse them into the Korean culture and its foods. As for cooking the meat on the dining table, I am unsure of where that method originates from. However, cooking meat table-side has some obvious benefits. The meat will be warm, and cooking the meat yourself will simulate eating at home. These benefits are great when eating at a Korean barbeque with friends and family because cooking the food yourself stimulates the atmosphere of a cook-out party. Another benefit is that you can use the grill to heat up other food. I like to cook kimchi on the grill. Anyways, whenever I'm in New York, I always go to a small and cozy Korean barbeque called Mapo BBQ. The place can only seat about eight parties of four, but the barbeque there is phenomenal. Also, I prefer Mapo BBQ because the restaurant serves an incredible amount of side dishes--more than what most other Korean barbecues serve. Their Korean barbeque is well-marinated and has significant marbling which adds to the taste of the meat. The lettuce they serve with the meat is so fresh that I wonder if they have a garden in the back. Biting on the fresh lettuce emits sharp snapping noises. If you like this, read more of my food writing at http://toastable.com! read more

Definitely "As good as it gets" in my stomach. Forget the thin size galbi, this place has steak size galbi cuts, soft medium rare in the middle with the marinated sauce on the outside. You can wow yourself with the cuts of the mapo galbi and immense amount of banchan that comes to your table. Finish off with some naengmyeon and you will be happy. I was told this place had the best galbi. And not just regular galbi, but the authentic Mapo Style galbi. So, as a guy from NJ, I decided to trek to Flushing (rarely do I go there), and believe my friend that this place was legit. I was also told that some days, the wait can be long, but to me, it looked like 2 or 3 circulation of customers at most, so the wait shouldn't be too bad. The place looks like any other Korean BBQ restaurant. Except that it is located minutes away from the main district in Flushing and slightly smaller. The owner, I assume, greets customers outside the restaurant and definitely generous to the regulars. You can smell the bbq waiting outside. Because it was my friends recommendation, he made the order. 2 orders of mapo galbi and naengmyeon to finish it off. Very satisfied and I will return again. read more

This is what I expect from a restaurant. Not cheap, but quality and service is what really matters. The Kalbi was delicious. Cooked with charcoal, and a table full of free small dishes with them filling it up as soon as we're finished. The seafood pancake, nothing we've had before. It's not fully filled with seafood, as it would make it soggy after being cooked, but the most important part was that it wasn't oily and was crispy. It's a high-standard restaurant if you're bringing some friends around, but be prepared to come in with your stomach empty, because what you order will fill you up! read more

Man, what happened to this place? I've always enjoyed coming here for great BBQ for years, but after today I'll think twice before coming here again. They jacked up their price!!! $38 for kalbi per person? What do you get for $38? 11 bite size beef cubes!! Yes sir...count them...11. And they are 1/2 size of your chicken nuggets. See my attached picture. The 11 beef cubes are so small, they decorate the plate with 2 pieces of grilled bones to fill the plate. Wtf!! The waitress was so pushy for 2 people to order 2 beef. We told her we want seafood pancake and other food, and she kept on insisting for us to place 2 orders otherwise we will not be grilling on the table. We stuck to our guns. The tofu soup was $14 and the seafood pancake was $19. The check came out to $79 for 2 people without tip. This dinner cost me a small fortune! read more

Mapo BBQ - $38 for this kalbi with11 pieces of beef cubes. $3 per cube. They filled the plate with 2 large pieces of bones. Beef was good. - Korean Near Me - Flushing, New York

It was good to enjoy your dinner, the beef wasnt tender as much however, all the side dish and service was great. They have small cold noodle soup after eating the meat which usually other stores charge for it. It was overall good. read more

Mapo BBQ - Marinated beef is very good, they use real charcoal instead of gas. This place is real bbq spot. - Korean Near Me - Flushing, New York

The place is small, not clean, and service was terrible, the waitresses weren't polite and (it could be me, but) I noticed a table of Korean women who were seated long after us was served much quicker. I saw a waitress fill bowls with some kind of drink and it was getting all over her fingers in the bowl (due to the way she was holding it), and she served it. After preparing our food on the grill, a waitress stuck the tongs between the table (so one half of the tongs was on top and the other half was under the table--so dirty and unappetizing). After switching our used plates for new ones, there were sauce stains on the new dishes. Beer was not served with a glass or even opened for us and there were flies around our food. We were seated by the back corner so waitresses were constantly leaning over me to grab trays of appetizers with no "excuse me" or anything. There are plenty of better Korean BBQ places in the area. Don't waste your time and money here. You can also only BBQ at the table if you get 2 or more dishes otherwise they cook it in the back and it has to be two specific dishes. read more

The marinated mapo BBQ meat #1 is the best tasting kbbq ive had in nyc. Pork belly is always out for some reason so I haven't had that yet. Must be a good select. Anyway the SIDES is what is king here. Creamed corn soon dabu tofu seafood soup, egg thingy, kimchi is actually spicy! read more

After trying out a dozen other Korean BBQ restaurants in nyc, I STILL feel like Mapo BBQ has the best quality meat, no doubt! I recently visited Mapo and discovered that they have introduced a new dish: BBQ beef tongue! It's not as great as their signature dish Marinated Galbi (*you must try this at least once*) but it's worth a try, the portion is good. read more

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Passed this place a gazillion times but always packed so never went but went recently because this is my friends fave place. Don't expect anything fancy. In fact the place is kinda dumpy. Service can be abrupt also but what makes up for it is the super tender amazing cuts off kalbi. They don't offer a while lot in terms of banchan but again the beef makes up for it. We had many orders of beef being that I was dining with the boys. That washed down with soju or bakseju was total nomzville. I will put up with semi rude service and dumpy decor for the tasty kalbi. Not often that I would say something like this but in this situation I would!! The place is always packed so there is really no good time to go. Maybe later at night but like many good Korean joints there is always a wait! Just look forward to the buttery chunks of kalbi and you will be ok! read more

BEST KALBI in queens!! -maybe in all of nyc??? not sure if its angus beef but the quality of their meat is superb. lots of marbling and juiciness. the meat is scored like mad for it to cook evenly and quicker, so it can land in your mouth all the sooner and when it does, KALBI HEAVEN melting in your mouth!! always tasty ban chans! love their cheesy corn hot plate! the ajummas (korean ladies) who work here are friendly too. i would eat here anyday! read more

The BEST Korean BBQ I've ever had. I was brought here by a legit Korean family, so it was pretty obvious this place would be good. I paid attention to each ingredient and the quality of them, and MAPO uses some of the best meat I've ever tasted. It melts in your mouth with just the right chewiness and tenderness and the most perfect succulent flavor, not too salty nor too sweet etc. The biggest selection of side dishes known to man. For me, every meal I've had here was an unreal experience, almost an out-of-body experience. I was in HEAVEN. I haven't had Korean in SoCal or Seoul so I can't compare to those places yet, but I definitely recommend this place on the east coast. Only down-side is it's far from Manhattan and hard to get to by public transport. read more

So, so good!!!! The amount of food and quality of food was great! I will be going back. Can't wait. The meat is marinated and taste amazing. read more

My Korean friend's favorite BBQ joint in the city. I'm not even sure how we got here (she drove). But it anchors a strip of Korean joints in deep Flushing, each specializing in a different national dish. The focus here is on BBQ beef, tender marinated and charcoal-grilled at the center of the table. A feast of small side plates -- kimchi, spicy crab, etc-- arrive with your order. Wash it all down with OB lager (and add shochu shots for an extra kick). read more

Great place and the best BBQ around! The owner and staff really take care of you. My wife and I go there every week and its always busy and well worth the wait. read more

Mapo BBQ - Side dishes in 2 min! - Korean Near Me - Flushing, New York

Hands down the best kalbi ever! We're from Cali where there is great Korean in LA and decent Korean in Bay Area. But we're never had kalbi like this before. When they first brought the kalbi, it just looked like thick pieces of steak. I thought, "this is not going to be that good." But after they cooked and served it to us, I was completely wrong. It was the best kalbi that I have ever had. So tender and so flavorful. Amazing! Good variety of banchan, too. They had a corn dish which was tasty. Wish this place was in the Bay Area! read more

I love this place!!! They have very fresh meats and the waitresses are very friendly. You won't regret. Best Korean BBQ! read more

Belated review- last visit October 2014 Have been here 5 times now... I love all things BBQ and Korean BBQ is one of my favorites... I eat a lot of it both by choice and opportunity... My sis in law is Korean... how I love this Korean BBQ joint... Let me count the ways ... Never disappoints.. Best Korean BBQ that I have ever tasted for its unique approach to premium meat... In the Murray hill section of Flushing... Real hot coals..be careful you might get burned Great thick strips of organic grass fed beef... As opposed to the typical thin cut short rib... Marinated or not .... Melt in your mouth ... Pork is good too but the glory is the beef Only BBQ here not any other choices except for a few sides.. And the largest array of all you can eat Korean sides I have seen with hefty servings... My favorite was the creamy corn and grilled mackerel ... Not much to choose for drinks ... Adequate atmosphere... Typical Korean BBQ price point ... Typical good Korean older lady waitress service cooking your meat to perfection Been to Picnic... Been to Kum Gang . Been to a lot of Manhattan and Flushing Korean BBQ and let me say without reservation... When you are craving serious Korean BBQ perfection - satisfy your thirst only here The only reason I did not give 5 stars is I like a little decor and some good liquor options... But if we are giving stars for food quality I would give this place 5.... read more

This is a traditional Korean BBQ place so the only expectation was the quality of meat, which was awesome. I used to go there every 2 weeks because Staffs were great, very friendly. I liked how they particularly grilled the meat longer and cut it in smaller pieces for my kid. Definitely will go back again. read more

Good food. I went to grill specifically. The minimum amount you can grill is 2 meats ( selection of marinated beef or rib or unmarinated beef and i think unmarinated pork/rib). Along with the grilling, they serve you alot of sides (corn tofu a tofu soup, spicy cucumber a mild kimchi steamed egg rice a small egg salad octopus etc) With two meats and alot of sides it came out to 66$ ^~^ My friend and I were kind of pissed at the end because we thought they ripped us off (long story short we thought they gave us less rib )but as we left the whole staff said thank you for coming! From this experience they seem professional. :) read more

Very disappointed. We came several times before and food was ok. Not this time, Food was terrible. Seems like they are cutting corners and new Cook, most of food was very bland and no taste. 1) Kimchee soup was not good. Whoever made it never had Kimchee soup before. Tasted terrible. 2) Japchae was very bland, no taste. 3) Small side dishes was very little 4) The only thing good tonight was seafood pancake and OB beer. I will not be going again. read more

Worst place you can ever go to. We were a party of 6. We didn't want to order that much meat so we started off with 2 orders of beef. The lady immediately said "what? For all of you? This is a BBQ place. It's not gonna be enough!". I told her we plan to get noodles and pancakes on the side. She answered : "what noodles? We serve meat here!" They have cold noodles and stuff but obviously she wants to make more tips. We thought about leaving but since we parked (very hard to find parking there), we stayed. When the meat came, we all thought that was only one order of beef. Ended up it was 2. We dropped our jaws and we're all shocked. We have been to so many other Korean BBQ places. Never this small portion. We asked about the portion, lady said "we have been around for 30 years! We are very well known!" So $85 gone....because they are famous. All in all, bad service, super small portion. Go to jongro. U will be much happier. Never Coming Back. read more

I really love Mapo's Kalbi. And according to my friend, their cold-noodle soup is the best she's ever had. I'm also a huge fan of whatever they call the corn on a skillet dish. I'm not Korean, but I could eat a mountain just of the Kalbi and Corn. I realize their notations say "street parking", but I've been on a friday and saturday nights and there has always been valet service if you want to use it. read more

I came to this restaurant three days ago after reading Yelp reviews with one of my family members. There were many positive reviews which motivated me to go this place. It was not a fancy place but humble. When we went there for dinner, there were some other people but the place was not filled. We ordered Cod and pollock in a moderately hot spicy broth. They both come in a hot stone pot. The fish was cooked with Daikon radish, onion , scallion and other vegetables. The fish was fresh and broth was rich and nourishing. The hot stone pot keeps the food hot and warm throughout the meal. Their Ban Chan was OK. There were few steamed and seasoned green vegetables, small potato ,fish cake, a little bitter root vegetable and kimchi. I liked the seasoned potato. Their Banchan was not too hot spicy , which made my stomach comfortable. By the time when we were finished, we were totally full. read more

Went here on a Sunday at 3pm and had the place to ourselves for a group of 7. The food came out quickly and there was plenty to around. Beef and pork options were very good and there were so many sides I don't think I even tried them all. The dumplings were good too! read more

Very BAD service! I never want to write a review because everyone could have different feeling about it but it was a very bad experience for my family yesterday! We were told how great it is , so, we went to celebrate our mother's day with family. Food was ok not feeling really worth for the price! The waitress were so RUSH and RUDE about their service. We had our food only 20 mins then she wanted us ask us to pack all home!! We end up eating in around half hour with paying $140! I know pp are waiting but we need time to eat! It was a ridiculous experience for me.): read more

The valet service they outsource to a company called Dynamic Valet. Since they dont have actual tax paying business they piggy back on the neighborhood restaurants. They claim they are just neighborhood folks offering a free service. But these guys act like thugs. They demanded me to pay for the spot which is free if I wanted to park. I live in the area and which 2 children I have park 3 to 4 blocks away parking and carry them from the car. They have scratched my car many times when I took authority and removed the cones to park. Since it was pouring rain and I could not afford to get my children sick. They have been witnessed placing cones and parking intentionally to take up 2 spots. 311 have been reported and the DOT were notified but they would not take any serious actual. Remember they are non taxing paying employees of a company which dont exist. Your car are not safe with them! read more

Delicious Korean BBQ. Kind of off the beaten path but still a popular spot. A bit more pricey than other Korean BBQ spots in the area, but the grade of meat and flavor was worth it. read more

Dear Mapo, I have been your loyal customer for nearly 10-long-years. Within this decade, I refer many friends to you. Your food is great, BUT today (2/22/14) your over-the-bottom-line poor service push my hot button. Three of us (wife, 2-years old son, and I) sat down and rush out within less than 18 minutes. You gave us the bill 10 minutes after the food arrived. Afterward, three different waitresses check to see if we paid. Could not enjoy the good food. We ordered a lot of food, because the bill was around 100 bucks. YES-there were many customers waiting. YES-turn over is important for a restaurant. BUT-your rushing is tooooo extreme. The WORST was at the end when we were exiting. We were waiting for our leftover. One waitress scold us "why are you guys still sitting around!" Then as we were putting on the jacket for my son, one waitress bumped me with the cart (use for collecting dirty plates). I had enough! I raised my voice. "I am not so mad that you bump into me, BUT if you bump my son, I would scream at you!" Good bye and say no more Mapo. -Your disappointed loyal customer read more

Waitress has a bad attitude and the food is stupid expensive for the small portions they give. I could get some top quality steak for the price I pay here. DON'T COME HERE, IT'S A RIPOFF!!!! and the food is mediocre. read more

They rush rush rush and rush you!!! I read some comments said it was because of the long line waiting behind them. But there was NO line tonight!!! No wonder there's no line! Horrible service. Will NOT come back again!!! You can definitely have Korean BBQ somewhere else better. read more

We loved this place since we think they are the most delicious BBQ place. Last time we visited and ordered glass noodles, we saw they used scissor to cut raw beer and then cut our noodles in front of us!!!!!!! It's gross me out and keeping thinking how they prepare the food to serve customers!!! I don't want to go back anymore! read more

Was craving KBBQ after a trip to the Queens Museum. This place had good ratings so we headed on over. I am not happy with the dining experience. Upon arriving, we were seated immediately. It was just the 2 of us, so we wanted to order one order of the KBBQ kalbi. Waitress pressured us to order more bbq dishes because ordering just one would not be worth their time to set up the grill. We were on the spot, and figured we're trying this place out--so why not. There were only 4 meat options. Banchans came out, they were good. The BBQ was good--overall delicious, but I was expecting that considering it was some pretty pricey KBBQ. We paid about $90 for Korean for 2 people in Queens! The place loses all its stars from just the terrible dining experience. First, was the pressure to order more food than we wanted. Second, at the end of the meal I went to use the restroom, which is by the kitchen. I open the door to exit, and right when I step out, I felt the heat from the charcoals as a guy was bringing it out to a table, and he almost walked into me and burned me. He saw the restroom door open, which means someone is about to step out--don't try to walk by with fire! I jumped back to avoid getting burned, and he just looked at me like "oops" and continued with his right-of-way. Then third, there was a big table behind us celebrating a birthday. They were all deaf, which was nice to see a group out celebrating like that. The restaurant played the typical korean birthday music and brought out the cake. The other diners were clapping and smiling for the group. And almost immediately--no one even attempted to cut the cake yet, and a waitress comes over to tell them "there's people waiting for this table." The group was forced the bill, had to pack up their cake, and leave! Left a terrible taste in my mouth. The KBBQ was good--but not life changing. And it's too easy to find other places that offer good meats, prices, and service. Won't be back to Mapo BBQ. read more