Found this place by chance & have to say YUM absolutely fantastic service & food! Kay served us, she was the most efficient, prompt, wonderful smiling server. Love this place so happy to have found it. We'll be coming much more often. I highly recommend this place. I gave it 5 stars if I could give 6-stars I would! read more

Yummy healthy food, good service. I did however find a hair in my food once so not sure what to think about that. It happens sure, but still.. read more

This is an authentic, truly good, Korean restaurant in the desert valley, in fact it is by far the best available. Food is fresh, made right and always delicious. This combined with diligent and caring service makes for a consistantly satisfactory experience at a very good value. You cannot go wrong dining at Maru. read more

I tried this place for the first time because I always wanted to go to one of these places where you can to cook your own food at the table. The salad was awesome the choice of means you get to pick our huge overall for 25 bucks all you can eat and the food taste as good super good. read more

You won't want to miss their beef bulgogi, which is better than the chicken version. Their bibimbop is also very fine and it's especially good if you drop an extra $2 to get it in a hot pot with crispy rice. Very nice staff too. read more

PLEASE BEWARE, COCKROACH. Came here for dinner recently. As we were leaving, I was putting my wallet away walking towards the exit, Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement on the floor. I saw a cockroach scurrying towards the side wall. I almost screamed. Not coming back here! read more

Clean place with pretty good Korean Food but short on staff, made the experience less enjoyable. Big selection on the menu. The prices were a bit high compared to other Korean restaurants I've eaten at. The Tofu stew had no taste and was very spicy. Nothing but juice, tofu and spices, no meat or veggies. Took it back and ordered the Stinky Soup which was very good but a bit too salty, but way heartier and better tasting than the Tofu Stew. The hot stone bibibap was very good and served a good portion. They served bean sprouts, radish, kimchi, spicy cucumbers and fish cakes for side dishes, which were also good. Overall the food was an 8, the cleanliness and decor was an 8, the prices were a 6, the service was a 3...again short staffed but nice and polite. read more

Food was ok, way over price for the portions. I eat Korean bbq all the time and this one was a disappointment. Didn't have all the sides like original Korean bbq. read more

Literally fails on every aspect. We came on a Friday night at 5pm, and the place was pretty empty. 6 open tables. Took them 5 minutes to greet and seat us. Then, it was another 15 minutes for anyone to come to the table for drink orders. Ordered water and tea along with our food right away. Tea cups were dirty on arrival. Food prices are RIDICULOUS. $22 for a single serving of beef brisket and $10 for rice cake app? Come on. Another couple walked in and waited just as long to be sat and longer to be attended to. You have to order 2 entrees to get the kkbq experience of grilling yourself, but we rejected the 2nd order after the 1st bite of the horrible brisket. Sides were lack-luster and minimal, tea was cold on arrival, and kimchi tastes like a failed Tasty recipe. The only reason this place is still in business is because they're the only kbbq place in the area. If anyone with the capacity opened a half way decent AYCE place nearby, they'd run this place out of town. Would not recommend, never coming back, and definitely preventing friends from making the mistake I did. read more

Have eaten at many Korean Restaurants and Maru is truly excellent. The food, quality, and service is consistently the best. Chicken Bulgogi (not spicy) is my favorite. It is also special to enjoy the appetizers that come with the meal. Cam sa hamneda (don't think I have the spelling right) Thank you, Kerry B. Palm Desert read more

Best Korean Food I have had in a long time. It reminded me of my childhood, and they're yakisoba is to die for! read more

Excellent place with fantastic flavor. Amber is the best waiter in the world!! The beef bulgogi was so amazing. The savors and ingredients are really fine. Eating here is a pleasure. It's as good as in Seoul. The service was top notch too. They have a great variety of recipes and an amazing presentation. read more

Went to Maru today, it is open again - Yeah! I ordered Bibimbap. Got my Bonchon and Bibimbap. It was delicious. Getting through the servers was a mine field. I asked for hot sake and got Asahi beer. If you say hot sake fast 10 times it sort of sounds like Asahi. I did have a conversation with the owner, first name Sung, my spelling and learned more about eating Korean food than I had learned in the past 30 years. Found he makes his own Kimchi. The food is worth it but, be prepared, the servers do not understand anything about Korean food and that makes ordering and their serving a challenge. read more

I come here often , this is only Korean restaurant in Palm Springs area. I like their pork belly BBq with cold nangmun. Decore is nice and service and attentive. Highly recommend this place. read more

Korean word for "living room floor" is Maru. "Floor" pretty much sums up my experience. I am Korean and I am ashamed to even call this place a Korean restaurant. (for all you folks that haven't visited a more established Korean restaurant, please send me a message and I'd be happy to share a list of restaurants in L.A that are truly authentic) Overall the space looks decent but that's about the only positive thing that I can say about this restaurant. It's a shame that they are already taking short cuts on the food quality / taste / presentation (and they've been open for only 3 days) I ordered marinated short ribs... a standard Korean dish that is hard to mess up ($24.99/pp) Three side dishes were brought out after waiting 30 minutes, which were pathetic. (didn't even include "kimchi" which is a staple Korean side dish - an "authentic" Korean restaurant would have had 5 ~ 10+ side dishes) Should have known better when the side dishes tasted bland and were close to inedible but still hoped that the ribs would be good. Ribs came out and it was the fattiest cut that I've seen at a Korean restaurant in a very long time. I am not sure how they marinate their beef but it was so bland and tasteless that I was compelled to speak with the manager. She promptly took the remaining uncooked meat back and brought another plate of ribs which was even worse than what was brought out initially. Also tried their "yook ge chang", a spicy beef and vegetable soup but again the soup tasted so bland that I had a sip or two and stopped eating. Overall service - our server had no business being a server - how can you not even know if your restaurant has a high chair???!!! never mind not having a clue what I was ordering and then not putting in the order at all, having us wait 30 minutes with no food. The manager tried to recover but when the food quality is so poor, not much she could do to make our experience pleasant. Of course the service got better once I got frustrated and started to complain in Korean to the Korean manager. If I kept speaking English, I probably would have been continually ignored. Suggestions for Maru - Bring in a new chef that actually knows how to cook, don't try to cut corners from the beginning - use better grade meats and provide edible side dishes, train your servers, greet your guests!!! If you can't get it right, please shut down and reopen when you are truly ready. Such a let down for such a nice looking restaurant. read more

Amazing again! The second time I have visited and both were enjoyable! Had the Galbi and Bulgogi and recommend both. read more

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I loveeeeee this restaurant. The best Korean restaurant here. Highly recommend it to those who love Korean food.

Fast food Korean at Sam's wasn't going to do it for me, especially since I spend a LOT of my time in and out of absolutely terrific Korean restaurants in Los Angeles. Even the late Palm Korea in Desert Hot Springs gave me some awesome meals over the years. So after their demise, I was terrified that i would never have decent Korean food (in a restaurant, not fast food) setting in the Coachella Valley. Something told me to look on my beloved Yelp for Korean food, though. And elo and behold, Maru had come into existence just 3 months before my search. I made a beeline for it to try it out. It's a more traditional restaurant setting, with some cool BBQ booths. The staff was warm and friendly and very welcoming. The menu had pretty much everything I'd expect, from Yuk Gae Jang and Kalbi Tang to Jap Chae and Soondobu. And of course, Korean BBQ of various sorts. I was with Mom this first visit, so the eating would be relatively light, but at least I could try things out. Banchan was ok, nothing special. The kimchee had a nice tang to it, and was spicier than what I usually have (a good thing). It wasn't the raunchy fermented kimchi I really like, but still it was better than the milquetoast stuff they serve at BCD Tofu House. They didn't have fish cake, but they did offer jap chae, broccoli, mashed potatoes with raisins, some kind of mayo thingie, and a couple of other things. I ordered Yuk Gae Jang for myself and Kalbi to share with Mom. The Yuk Gae Jang was spicy with decent flavor, but not as flavorful as I've come to expect. The Kalbi (they called it L.A. Kalbi) was flavorful, but a little more fatty and tough than the better L.A. Koreatown places. Rice was fine. Service was great. Next time i visit, I will try out a couple more dishes. The food was good, certainly passable as "authentic", and I'll definitely be back since I love Korean food. It's not up to L.A. standards, though. I've been spoiled by the Ganga Jeongol (Pork Spine Stew) at Gan Ja Gol, BCD Tofu House, and all my favorite joints up and down Olympic and Western and Vermont. Still, they are new, and I hope they gain some business in their tough La Quinta shopping center location. I think Korean restaurants don't get really great until lots of Koreans flock there (or good Korean competition opens up down the street). I am unaware of a Korean community settling in La Quinta, so I don't think this will happen. There is a reasonably large Korean community in Desert Hot Springs, so maybe a new restaurant will arise there. A nice surprise, even though not perfect. I will definitely patronize again. read more

Went here on a recent trip to Palm Springs. We were all excited for AYCE KBBQ, but no such luck here, one order = one serving at Maru, although the servings were pretty good. The problem was, the price they charged was about equal to what an all-you-can-eat-stuff-yourself-until-you-pop place, but hey, I guess that isn't available out in the desert. Something else that they apparently don't have in the desert is rice paper, which they were out of that night. Eating KBBQ on a lettuce wrap was sort of weird. Overall, this was not the best KBBQ I've ever had, but it was still decent, and considering the location (Palm Springs is a long way from Garden Grove) and the upshot of the limited portions was that I didn't feel like a beached whale later that night in the Jacuzzi. If you are in Palm Springs, and you are craving KBBQ, this will do the job. read more

Came with a family of 6 (2 were young kids). We went for the BBQ option, and ordered 3 plates of meat. It came with 3 bowls of rice and unlimited refills of sides. It was plenty to feed all of us. Definitely a break from the hearty meals from the past 2 days at the resort. I think the sides can step it up, if compared to the K Restaurants in LA. read more

Still working out the kinks. I'm sure in time they'll get it all worked out. Food was good. The sides were a bit lacking, I expected something different. The meat portion wasn't what I expected but since we had soup too we were satisfied. Next time I'll do two orders. We had to ask for our rice but that's a wrinkle I'm sure will be worked out. Even though our waiter asked us a few times if we were OK, he never brought the check. Again, a wrinkle. I'm sure we'll be back. It's great to have another Korean choice in the valley. read more

Came here for lunch and its awesome! Good pricing good vibes would recommend coming. Had the la galbi lunch combo!

I came to visit a family member who just moved to Palm Springs and wanted to try Korean food (for the first time). I had no idea that Korean restaurants are scarce in Coachella Valley. In fact, there seems to be only ONE formal, sit-down Korean BBQ restaurant and it happens to be Maru in La Quinta! We made the 15 mile drive from Palm Springs and even though I had a little difficulty locating it at first, it's in a large strip mall next to Red Robin across the street from Lowes; it was easy to get to. We were greeted immediately and told to sit anywhere we liked. The server came and took our drink orders right away and upon perusing the menu, I saw that they had everything from Korean BBQ to regular non-BBQ dishes. I ordered the bulgogi platter (already cooked - not on the grill) for my friend and a yukejang soup for myself. We also each ordered a glass of wine. The banchan was kind of sparse, as there were only 4 dishes - kimchi, radish kimchi, pickled julienned radish, and broccoli. I wish there would've been a bigger spread but at least the few banchan that was served were all very tasty. The main entrees came out fairly quickly and my yukejang was very good. I usually like mine a tad bit spicier but it was still very rich and flavorful. The bulgogi was not too sweet and was cooked well. I always think bulgogi is one of the safest bets for a novice Korean food eater, since it's not spicy, not too overwhelming, and not too sweet. In my experience, it always has been universally well-received. This time was no exception, as my friend really enjoyed her meal. Service was excellent. Our server was very friendly and the owner even came up to ask us how everything was. Prices were not THAT much higher than a typical Korean restaurant in Orange County. Obviously, you're not going to get K-Town or Garden Grove prices. Maru is the only Korean restaurant serving the Coachella Valley! They don't need to offer $10.99 AYCE! Now if you don't want to pay $29.99 to grill non-AYCE meats, then maybe you should eat somewhere else? If you're a long way from LA, it really comes down to how bad do you want it? I live in Irvine so I didn't have to eat Korean food but since my friend did, Maru did a great job of meeting that need and I would come back again, read more

First off Suha is, hands down, the best waitress we've ever had. My husband and I were new to Korean bbq and have been dying to try it. We show up, and she gently explains everything to us, helps us along, and was all around wonderful. And then, when I thought it couldn't get any better, she proved her self to be some kind of psychic, swinging by to lower the heat when we think it may be too high, magically appearing with more of our favorite side dishes, fantastic! Not to mention the food was terrific. Just the instant you walk into the restaurant you are greeted with this mouth watering smell of cooking meat and spices. We spent probably 2 hours there just enjoying our grilled pork belly at a nice leisurely pace. Perfect for hanging out with friends and having a nice long meal. read more

Maru - The side dishes are plentiful and never ending! - Barbeque Near Me - La Quinta, California

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Not bad for a #palmsprings #koreanrestaurant in terms of food. Terrible service. This doesn't compare to K-town in Los Angeles, but considering there are only three Korean restaurants in a 50 mile radius, this is decent. It'll satisfy your Korean (or Asian, in our case) food craving without regret. The japchae was the best of all the dishes we had. The spinach and mushrooms were fresh and the dish was not greasy. The galbi and dolsot bimbimbap were next best. The pork bulgogi and chicken bulgogi were both dry and the dumplings were tasteless. We had a large group of 12, which can admittedly be tough to serve. But still. We asked repeatedly for things, didn't get water, had to wait long periods of time for our food and for the check, dishes weren't spaced out properly, etc. Food - 3.5 Service - 2 Ambience - 3 read more

Was craving some Korean food and headed over from Palm Springs. The restaurant is tidy but the food was not that great. A tad pricy and the side dishes needed some more spices but the owner was willing to offer us more as needed. Only come cause you are in the area and your craving Korean food. read more

Maru - Cold noodles and spicy squid stir fry. - Barbeque Near Me - La Quinta, California

First visit today - lunch. Service: personal, effective, attentive. They honestly seemed to give a sh*t about my experience. Decor: clean, uncluttered, uncramped, flat screens televising golf. Location: easy access and parking - wish it was a bit closer to Rancho Mirage (where I live) but it is worth the drive. Food/drink: not the best Korean food I have ever had, but clearly the best in the Coachella Valley. I enjoyed the pork bulgogi - tender, flavorful, with just the right amount of grill char. I also enjoyed the bibimbap - get the one served in a (very) hot pot because it continues to cook upon arrival at the table thus giving the rice a toasty and nutty flavor and crunch. The traditional sides were all very well prepared and delish. An icy cold Hite beer completed the meal. Bottom line: worth a visit, I will definitely return, perfect example of "Seoul Food"!! read more

Maru - Wonderful lunch: pork bulgogi, bibimbap in hot bowl, traditional Korean sides. - Barbeque Near Me - La Quinta, California

To describe the taste of spicy pork i had today.. word bad isnt enough. The meat was so dry that it felt like it crumbles in your mouth. Kind of weird since its even marinated. Really dissappointed at the fact their quality doesnt even match to AYCE even though they are a la carte. I wanted to exchange it, but owner came out claiming this never happened in their 4 years of business and just said no. She said that if you wanted to return it it should be done before trying a piece of it. She wouldve let us but since we had tiny piece of it we couldnt. Why would we return a food before i even taste it. Thats a mystery. Anyway i left hungry and mad and wont be returning again. IMPORTANT: You cant return ANY dish if you take one bite of it. Its ironic rule they have since you have to at least try it to decide if you like it or not. read more

Me & my husband love coming here!! Every time we come in we don't even have to look at the menu we've been there enough times to know we are getting the usual & now even the waitress knows not to give us the menu , soon she will know out order by memory . read more

Very good Korean foods !!! Highly recommended for family and gripe for any activity !! The service is great as well! People are very friendly and nice to customers !! read more

Maru - The side dish is so delicious !!! - Barbeque Near Me - La Quinta, California

I am extraordinarily happy that there is a Korean restaurant in town and even if it doesn't meet your pretentious LA standards, I am giving Maru a thumbs up. I do agree that the banchan is lacking (the side dishes that are necessary in a true authentic restaurant). I prefer my kimchi fermented- or as a previous reviewer calls it "old." It has a sour taste to it and I guess it's a matter of preference. I'm all about rank kimchi, so I loved it. I thought the prices were right on par with what I was used to paying at other restaurants. I really don't want them to go anywhere; if we lose our only K-restaurant in the desert I'm going to totally blame picky @ss people with a penchant for complaining about the insignificant details. To be honest, I was skeptical about coming here due to the reviews. Both my husband and I are planning on making this our regular spot. read more

I love this place, from the time you walk in you are greeted with a friendly smile, the food is delicious, I highly recommend it!

I'm still a regular here...atleast a few times a week. just wanted to give express my joy that they added Naeng-myun to the menu!! (Bibim naeng-myun as well) Totally perfect for these balmy 110+ degree days. read more

I ordered the Brisket and Bulgogi so that I can cook it on the stove top that they have on some tables. Food quality and service was great. The prices are super expensive for the korean bbq meat; $10 worth of meat costs double here. Also, you have to buy 2 orders of korean bbq in order to use the stove top (expect to spend at least $50). Portion size for the korean bbq is probably good for one person even though the menu says it is for a group of people; however, I'm a big eater, so I ate the whole portion single-handedly. I would rather go to an all-you-can-eat korean bbq because it is cheaper for the amount of meat that I can get. Would I come back here again? Yes, food is great, and the customer service is excellent. I would just not order the expensive uncooked korean bbq meat, but instead order the meat already cooked in a meal, which is cheaper. read more

At first I was excited to have a grill your own meat KBBQ in the desert.. But I was soon disappointed. Service was mediocre and it was a slow evening. I ordered the soon doubu (soft tofu soup with meat) and it tasted odd. I love soft tofu soups, but this one was definitely missing something. The galbi was OK. Definitely fatty! But the flavor was good. The japchae was meh. The noodles had an odd texture (perhaps left overs?) came with VERY LITTLE meat. Taste was also off. I wouldn't go back. For the quality, I thought it was overpriced. They need to work on their service and food. read more

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I ordered the yakisoba and it was great! I love the decor of the restaurant, it gives you the feel of a very high end restaurant and our server made us feel right at home. Very attentive and positive happy attitude :) And the portions are very generous! I will definitely be coming back. read more

I want to start by saying that the ladies who work there are super sweet, friendly and hard working. However, they forgot a dish on my table and the two tables around me. It was clear that they were understaffed and pretty disorganized. It probably is unfair to compare this place to LA koreatown where I go for Korean food but oh lord, I was at least hoping for food to taste better than my cooking. We ordered soon du boo jjigae (spicy soft tofu hotpot) and it was blend with an overpowering taste of sesame seed oil which is not what this dish is about. We also ordered ddok mandoo gook (dumpling rice cake soup) for our kids and the soup had NO taste and the mandoo was store bought in a packet and literally just unfrozen in the soup. I wouldn't mind if it didn't taste like it was frozen for months and months and had lost all the taste. To make it even worse, it tasted off. We ended up pretty much spitting out what we bit and left all the dumpling. FYI my kids are absolutely obsessed with dumplings and are the easiest critics to please but even they said NO WAY! My husband ordered the LA galbi and that was pretty good. I would only order this dish and maybe the other meat dishes but DO NOT order any of the more traditional korean dishes at this place. read more

Always a great Korean comforting meal at Maru! My favorites are the LA Galbi Ribs & Dolsot Bibimbap. Their food quality is consistent & I love their banchan. read more

We were visiting from out of town and was super hungry! This place had such great deals on lunch specials that we coildn't pass it up! The lunch combo with beef bulgogi came with rice, kimchi, fried dumplings, miso soup and salad! Super yummy and fulfilling! Will come back next time! read more

Maru is very good and a fun place to go. If you've experienced Korean BBQ and are a fan, you'll be more than satisfied. If you've never been to K-BBQ this is a good place to start. The people who work there are super nice, they usually have golf on the TV and basically all is very good. Not the world's fanciest place, but certainly a Dez favorite. Hope you dig it! read more