After an afternoon of playing pool down the street, me and my cousin decided to check this place out. We came around 4:30pm on a Sunday to only one party sitting inside so we were sat down immediately. Parking was good but might get real tight when it gets crowded here. We sat down and checked out the menu but since it was our first time I asked the waiter for a recommendation. He recommended either combo a or B since it can feet up to 2 people. We went with combo B with the pork belly. Now this place doesn't have you cook the BBQ your server does it for you so please don't try to cook it yourself cause it'll suck trust me lol. Our server cooked the pork belly first to perfection. It wasn't too crunchy and not too soft either just perfect in my honest opinion. We had a side of rice along with bean pasted stew so that fit perfect with it. He also cooked the cheese with it so that was great as well. He then cooked the pork neck and skirt meat. Both were also super tasty and cooked well by him! The sides provided that added more taste was the green onion in red paste and also this red sauce that's provided as well. Definitely use these to your advantage for adding more taste to your meats! Food was great, Service was great and now to me the price is debatable which is why I'm leaning towards 4 stars. It was around $86 for two people with tax and tip. So splitting it I paid around $43. There is a perfect amount of meat when ordering combo B for two but you can definitely pay less for a traditional KBBQ place and have AYCE. So again definitely factor the price going here. If you bring a party definitely think about what you can afford cause the other combos will provide a perfect amount of meat for your party but it's just up to you on what you're willing to spend. Again though service and food was great! If you got some money to spend definitely come check this place out! You will not regret it! read more

Sookdal - Dat Pork Belly doe! - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

Recommend pork jowls! Pork belly was pretty good. Skirt steak was disgusting. Kimchi stew was delicious. Love how attentive the server was to cook our meat. He was a perfectionist. read more

I never knew this place existed, surprised as I am a meat connoisseur. Well, I came to the right place. As we made our way over at night in garden grove in a party of 9, the atmosphere was jovial. Inside, the restaurant is clean and lively. A hallmark of a Korean restaurants. Having loud conversations and items being dropped and placed on trays loudly seems to be the norm at every Korean establishment. Perhaps it's the cultural norm to remind you it's exciting? The table had some appetizers out such as the vegetables, soups, salad. The noodles were to die for. It was certainly the best side dish they offered! But wait... the water that they served seems to be collected from the icy glaciers from the mountains of greek gods itself. Pure and refreshing, served in metal jugs to metal cups, it adds to the deliciousness of the water. I've had water from other restaurants but this one is certainly the most refreshing and tasty. I highly think the water is reverse osmosis filtered and thus, I can definitely taste the quality. Then came the meats. Known for their pork, what separates them from other kbbq is that the server cooks and cuts for you! You don't have to do anything! The waiters seems to know what they're doing and probably cooked it better than any of us. The pork was succulent, moist, juicy, tender, with a bit of crispy crunch to the exterior. There was no pink on the inside but it wasn't dry as well! As you can probably tell from the pictures, the pork brought out is of high quality. At the end of the day, I had a tasty meal but it wasn't enough to satisfy for the value, hence the 4 stars. I would suggest a morsel of more meat for the price but the meat here is good! I recommend that everyone experiences this place! read more

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Such a good hole in the wall restaurant for kbbq, especially if you like pork! We got combo B for two people and it was definitely filling. The combo came with pork belly, pork jowl, skirt meat, kimchi stew, cheese, mushrooms and pineapple, and a couple of pickled side dishes. The side dishes pair perfectly with the pork and they kindly refill if you run out. Our server cooked the meat for us and she was so kind and attentive, we will be coming back again for sure! read more

Sookdal - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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Super yummy! This spot specializes in pork which I'm not used to, but I was pleasantly surprised by the flavors! Would come back!

I mean the fact that it took me this long to taste this delicious kbbq spot is a crime! I've been a long time fan of popular spots in Koreatown but Sookdal just blew me away. We ordered combo A which came with pork belly and beef ribeye. Both were equally just so tasty and tender and every bite was better than the next. We were seated in about a couple minutes and the table was set up with all the sauces and water for us. Service is sooo quick and the waiters are incredibly attentive. Sookdal won tasties kkbq from 2017-2018 but it's forever the tasties in my heart read more

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Service was fantastic, quick & friendly. Food was great. The wait wasn't bad at all for a weekend.

Probably one of my go to non AYCE KBBQ spots! The quality of the meat is top tier and the service is excellent! Highly recommend and would be returning if I'm ever in the area. read more

I took my friend here for his birthday. This place does Korean BBQ but they specialize in the pork. Between the two of us we just got the combo and that was plenty enough. Low key, the side broth that came with the combo was one of the most delicious soups I have ever drank. I had to do a double take when I took that first sip. My friend also said "what the hell this is so good" 5/5 would recommend to others! read more

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Such a good experience and spot! Service is up there and they cook the meat for you so it's not burnt! Tell me why everything was so good from the picked radishes and veggies to the meat with CHEESE blocks and HONEY. Wow it was like a cheese fondue but with meat. The kimchi noodles are great to balance the oils and pretty good bean sprout soup. Perfect portion for 2 people. Watch out for your steps because the floor is slippery but I'd def speed walk (not run) back here again! read more

Sookdal - Side dishes ! - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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Wow this is so good I had to make a review while still eating here. I would highly recommend anyone to come here and give them a try. It's a la carte though and their combo plates are like 83 bucks. The pork belly and pork shoulder is amazing. Very flavorful and cooked just right. There is a honey dipping sauce that they give you that is meant for the meat. I've never heard of that before and it sounds strange, but man it was amazing and a super delicious combo! There's also cheese on top of the meat, at least mine had cheese anyway, I got combo D. We ordered combo C though but gave us D for whatever reason. Oh well same price anyway. Mostly the same meat too. Order extra cheese cause even with extra that wasn't too much cheese. I also got their risotto which was amazing and already set my expectations high for this place. I also had their chilled kimchi noodles. I don't even like kimchi or vinegar but the soup was really refreshing and pretty good! I'd come here again for sure. read more

Sookdal - Lol they give you specs for the meat of the day - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

Service is great here! Meats are grilled to perfection and sides are always refilled without having to ask. Big fan of the pork belly, kimchi, and dipping sauces. Great option for big appetites late at night since they close at midnight. Well ventilated and comfy ambiance compared to other Korean bbq spots. read more

Great kbbq. Really good sides and the best kimchi soup. They cook the meat for you. Gets really busy and parking isn't the best but worth it read more

Sookdal - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

SOOKDAL IS AMAZING our party of 4 ordered combo C, with an extra order of soy bean soup + both types of cold noodles + the risotto and ofc ya can't forget the soju!! our meal was incredible! we absolutely loved the pork belly and the grilled cheese was so good?! Our server brought us some honey to dip the cheese with, and man.... SHIT WENT AWFF I loved the side dishes, they were all very simple and tasty. Really paired well with all the meats. My favorite meat was most def the pork belly and the pork jowl cus they were sooo juicy n fat and delishhhh. I didn't rly care for the skirt meat that came with the combo, it wasn't that crazy but then again u can't complain cus we were at a pork specializing restaurant. But all the pork cuts were fabulous I'm fed gonna come back again cuz it's wayyyy too bomb! read more

Sookdal - Yuh - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

This kbbq spot has been all the rave among my friends and family - "quality, dry-aged pork belly and kimchi cold noodles!" It had been on our list of things to try everytime we were in town to visit family, and we FINALLY got around to stopping by this weekend. I only wish I could say the taste was as great as they say it is. Maybe all the hype is what killed it for us? A majority of our $$$ meat was overcooked and super dry - we ended up having leftovers (and that NEVER happens). For having dropped a good $200 for a party of 5, I guess I was just hoping for something more than what I could cook up at home? I will say though that the kimchi cold noodles were pretty legit. So were the fermented/pickled side dishes (hence the 3-star review). But, I just can't see myself going back. It's just not worth the $$$ for us. read more

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I've had quite a bit of Korean bbq in my life and I'd have to say when it comes to pork belly, this place is definitely my favorite so far. Food: 9/10 The wet-aged pork belly itself is worth of a 9.5/10, but it's really some of the other meat options that prevents that rating. The pork belly here is different than most places, as they cut it into thick pieces that are cooked to crispy and juicy perfection. The non-pork options like the steak and flank steak are pretty mid. Aside from the pork belly, the CHEESE and Cold Kimchi Noodles (not naengmyeon) are MUST GETS. We always order multiple rounds of the cheese which they grill and serve with a side of honey. The Cold Kimchi Noodles are super refreshing and great to pair with your meats to cleanse your pallet. Service: 8/10 The servers here take your order and cook it for you as well. They're generally pretty attentive, but can overlook you or forget to enter items as it gets busier. I try not to get too caught up in critiquing places especially when they get busy, and I'll definitely give Sookdal servers their props when it comes to cooking the meat to perfection. From my experience, servers usually ask you how thoroughly you want your meats cooked, but not here, which I don't have a problem with. They cook it how they know to and it comes out right every time. Ambiance: 7/10 The rating is really not a slight on the restaurant or anything, it's more that the place is a standard looking Korean bbq joint that isn't overly focused on impressing with aesthetics. The place can get smoky and the floors are almost always very greasy, but that's just what comes with it. Let's just put it this way: no one is coming here to impress with aesthetics or for any reason other than to eat some dank pork belly. Overall: 8.5/10 My favorite Korean bbq place for pork belly! Been here multiple times and plan on continuing to come back. I personally wouldn't get anything other than the aforementioned three items of wet-aged pork belly, cheese, and cold kimchi noodles, but that should say enough about how good the three are. read more

Sookdal - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

My go to kbbq spot. Sookdal's pork belly and pork neck are always juicy and cooked so well by the staff. I love that we don't have to cook here! The best part about their pork belly is that it's thick cut. My perfect bite is pork belly topped with pineapple, ssamjang, salt, and garlic wrapped in pickled wild garlic leaves. It tastes savory w a hint of sweetness. So good! Their sides are also great. The bean sprout soup and the pickled veggies provides a refreshing palate cleanser to the savory and greasy pork. I also love getting their risotto sometimes. It's creamy and has a little kick from the jalapeño. They have great service. Their staff is very attentive and always making sure the meats aren't being over cooked. Can't wait for my next Sookdal dinner!! read more

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I usually am not a big pork fan since my exposure is usually kbbq pork or Chinese pork belly but I will definitely drive all the way here for this pork. Soooooo good. When you eat the meat you have to eat it with the vegetables and both sauces provided for the perfect bites. The radish and greens are sweet. Dip the pork in the sesame oil, wasabi, wrap it with the radish and the greens and yum. The combo B is good size for two people. Pork belly is a must for the first try. You won't feel bloated after but will smell of pork. The service is quick and kind and grill for you. Definitely will come back. Parking lot is part of a smaller size plaza. Be prepared to wait since the staff grill for you so they can only handle so many tables at once. read more

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When it comes to KBBQ, I consider myself to be a bite of a snob. I've worked at a few KBBQ places like Gen, ATB (All That BBQ), Manna (San Diego) so my expectations are a bit higher compared to others. With that being said, Sookdal blew my friggin mind! If you're expecting an AYCE format with an endless stream of thinly sliced brisket flooding your table, you might want to consider other places. Sookdal specializes in wet/dry aged pork cuts which sets them apart from other KBBQ joints. We opted for the one of their Combo options and ordered some soju along with our meal. The restaurant gives off a rustic feel with a traditional feel to their interior. The servers here will cook for you so you can enjoy the company of your friends and focus on them instead of slaving away cooking for your group. The price as fair for what you receive, but its not a place where I'll frequently dine at. Shout out to our server KEVIN who took care of our rowdy group. Ask for him if its your first time or if you're looking for a pleasurable dining experience. - Ron read more

Sookdal - Not too busy on a Wednesday night - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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Been here twice already and left satisfied both times!! I wouldn't say it's worth the drive from LA, but it's definitely worth trying if you're in OC or if you're in the area!! The service is great and they grill the meat for you and bring it to you. The portions aren't that big so you won't be leaving full like after an AYCE KBBQ. The quality of meat is always good too :) They have good combos so you can try different types of meat but the hangjungsal is my fave!! read more

Sookdal - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

Food was so delicious, my burps were too Had the pork belly and shoulder along with grapefruit soju. Made the meal complete! read more

Pork belly here is the best around. Price is really reasonable for the quality and amount

the quality of meat here is great and not too much of a wait on a friday night. it is a set menu but definitely worth the price. the banchans here are unique. read more

Exceptional KBBQ in Garden Grove. We ordered the Combo C BBQ set with bean paste and kimchi. Added a second order of the wet aged pork shoulder. For dessert we ate the spicy cold noodles and the chilled kimchi noodles. All the above for 4 and we were stuffed without being crazy full. The meat is unbelievably delicious. You know what you're getting here! Biggest surprise was the cold noodle dishes - I had never had anything like that before and it was top notch read more

Sookdal - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

Delicious Korean bbq. We had a chance to eat here and try their outdoor dining before the stay at home orders. They carefully sanitized our seats and tables. Easy simple menu which had a majority of pork on the menu but boy is it yummy! We got the combo D to try the variety of cuts and the cheese option with soy bean and grilled pineapple. Some meats were drier since we didn't get to cook it ourselves but still good quality. The meats are served with sides of seaweed, sprouts and chives, and an array of pickled cabbage, a type of root and radish. I felt like they were all perfect and gave great balance to the meats. They don't have rice here which is a bummer since it's a staple at many places. Not a big deal but wish it was on the menu. I recommend wrapping the meat in cheese, pineapple and seaweed and dipping it to the condiments. It was a great combo! I recommend their cheesy risotto with roe, cheesy hot and melt in your goodness. The service was good, however the workers didn't stop by our table too much so we couldn't ask for refills. When we did, we weren't told there would be charges. If you get the cheese, note it's $9 for a refill which is a tad pricy. However, the other sides are complimentary. I'd come back and would recommend you trying it for the experience! read more

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Keep in mind that if you're coming for dinner the wait will be roughly an hour. We came around 7pm and waited 1hr. The food here is fire and the price is pretty reasonable. We ended up paying $120 for the combo b, kimchi noodles, kimchi jijae, and an extra pork belly. - Pork belly 5/5 / straight forward... fire - kimchi noodle 5/5 - clean, fresh, cuts through the salt and fat of the meat - pork neck 4/5 - really fatty. Felt like eating the fat portions of the pork belly - beef 3/5 - not memorable - beef with cheese 5/5 - very memorable - garlic dipping sauce 7/5 - uhhh boiling crab meets kbbq - bean sprout soup 5/5 - what the crack delicious - kimchi jijae 4/5 - ooooo mama Enjoy :) read more

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Great place for high quality KBBQ! The meat is fresh and sides are tasty. It is a higher price range but the quality of food is great! read more

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Meats are fresh and tasty. Service is fast and professional The vibe is typically Korean bbq place read more

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Surprisingly crowded on a weekday. The meat is good quality, and they bring out the dishes in the right order for the combos. I didn't like their one of their "soup", because it tasted more like water. That felt like a waste in the combo if I'm honest. That aside, I think think their sauces are really unique. They did rush us out, so that was kinda of not great. Overall I may still return, of course it's not ayce, but I think the uniqueness of the banchan and flavors are worth it. Parking is definitely very tight in this lot. That gives a bit of anxiety for us to return as a larger group. read more

Finally got to try this place out after hearing so many raving reviews from friends and wow!! Usually with such high expectations, I always get disappointed but Sookdal is every bit delicious as they all say. My friends and I came here on a Friday night and ordered a Combo C and D since there was 7 of us. We also ordered 2 risottos to share. First off, the meat quality is insane. So thick and juicy and goes so well with all their side dishes. Pro tip: wrap the pork belly in the myungee nameul (the thin green leaf) with a little bit of wasabi and salt and *chef's kiss* SO GOOD. I believe pre-Covid, the meat is grilled in front of you but they cook it inside and bring it to you and it's still just as delicious. They also give you bean sprout soup as part of the side dishes and that's also really good. My favorites were the pork belly and pork jowl, but seriously all the meats were really good and juicy. We also ordered a cold noodle at the end to wash all the meat down and it was the perfect way to end the meal. I found my go-to samgyupssal spot in OC and I can't wait to come back again so great quality and service. read more

Sookdal - Side dishes and dipping sauces - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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good experience, good service our server , Joo was very friendly and kind. he is very well trained server here. it was my second time visiting this place but today was best also, good quality meats and sides dishes are impressed will be back next time for sure read more

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We have been here few times since the pandamic happend. Now they are allowed to sit inside, me and my girl got in around 7pm there're no wait, i guess because its not on da weekend so not busy. Got combo A w/ pork belly and brisket comes with kimchi soup. Kimchi soup little salty, all the meats we ordered no need to grill because they grilled in front of u, still juicy and delicious. All the sides of small dishes were tasty, take a meat and wrap with the veggies and dipping to the sauce will give u a perfect balancing taste. However there is nothing to complain about with our meal and we will come back for the quality of food and service. Thank you! read more

Sookdal - Indoor sitting - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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I was there for first time and found the hidden jewels. The foods were so great with reasonable pricce and great customer care. Recommend 100%. Will go back again. read more

Great quality meat and service! Never had to ask for anything, they are very attentive and super friendly!! read more

Sookdal - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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We came here around 7:30PM on a Saturday night and it was very busy, we waited for half an hour to get seated. We ordered the Combo B (Pork Belly + Skirt Meat + Pork Neck + Bean Paste Stew + Cheese) and the portion was enough for us 2. I liked that the employees cooked for us so every bite had the perfect crisp. The quality of the meat justified its price and I would come back again for special occasions. read more

Sookdal - Combo B - Korean Near Me - Garden Grove, California

Came here 08/07/2021. Sookdal is a Korean BBQ restaurant specializing in dry-aged pork cuts like pork belly. At the moment it would appear that the restaurant is understaffed. A lot of tables are left unattended and the wait can be upwards of an hour. Empty tables both indoors and outdoors take a long time to clean. Prices are reasonable for the quality of dry-aged meat. You can definitely tell that the meat has been aged, especially the pork belly. The flavor is much deeper and more fatty than non-aged meat. Oddly, the servers cook the meats for you before bringing them to your table, even though all tables are equipped with grills. I found this a little weird, but I guess since the meat is aged they don't want regular customers messing up the cook. The server absolutely ruined our beef brisket chadol though. It was extremely overcooked and dry as heck. Overall, the banchan side dish quality is very good here, with lots of variety and pickled flavors. As long as you order pork belly you can't go wrong. I would stay away from beef. read more

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Sookdal currently has more than 40 branches all over the world and I had it in Seoul and Vietnam, so it was a no brainer to try its U.S (Garden Grove) location. The name literally means "experienced master" and the food definitely does it justice as it's by far the best pork I've had in the OC region. They specialize in pork, specifically wet aged pork. We opted for combo C that came with a bit of everything and even skirt meat, but the highlight was definitely the pork belly. The picture needs no explanation. Juicy, crispy, fatty pieces cooked to perfection thanks to the staff. I really appreciate that they cook the meat for you here because grilling and cutting pork is not an easy job, especially for people new to kbbq or just horrible grillers like me. Although they don't have a big spread of banchans, the side dishes they give are minimal but impactful. The acidity of the pickled perilla leaves and the spring onion salad pairs so perfectly with the pork. The jjigae/stew that comes with the combo is mediocore, but nothing to complain about. This place is definitely on the pricier side averaging $37 per person for the two times I've been here. But well worth 4.5/5!! Make sure to come either early (around 5) or late (after 8) to avoid the horrendously long wait time. read more

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One of my favorite a la carte kbbq places. The meat quality is great and restaurant has solid amenities. I prefer this over Baekjeong.

Samgyupsal is a yes from me! This Korean bbq place specializes in pork. Samgyupsal means grilled pork belly in Korean. My friends have been raving about this place so I'm glad I got to try it and it was good. We shared a Combo B (Pork Belly + Skirt Meat + Pork Neck + Soybean Paste Stew + Cheese), Risotto with Cream Sauce and Soju between four people and I felt very satisfied! They give you plenty of banchan (side dishes) and sauces. The banchan are pickled veggies. It also comes with Kongnamul Guk (Bean Sprout Soup), so refreshing!! The meat was very juicy. They way you are supposed to eat it is wrapped in pickled mountain garlic, pineapple and cheese. It was so good! We came as walk-ins on a Wednesday night and there was no wait. I will say though, the service was quite slow. My friends said they usually have good service but I guess the night we went they were either busier than usual or were short staffed. We had to ask multiple times for our risotto to come out. We spent about $120 for four people which is not bad! We didn't order a lot but we were satisfied. The reason why I gave this place four stars has to do with a few reasons. The first reason would be from the service as it could have been better, although it could have just been one of those off days which I get. The other main reason may just be based on preference. Don't get me wrong, the pork was really juicy and the risotto was delicious. However, I didn't feel like there were very many side dishes to go with the food. I like eating my kbbq with sides and not just meat on its own and that's what it felt like here. I love eating pork belly with lettuce wraps so I prefer to make this food at home. If they had lettuce to wrap the pork with or they had a full menu with beef like your usual Korean bbq places, I feel I would have enjoyed this place more. If you made it past my long review hahaah, I would still come back but I would not crave this! read more

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Our server grilled our meet perfectly and it was super good! The side dishes were brought to our table and refilled as needed. The place is small but is well ventilated. Highly recommended!!! read more