05/23/09

This is not Korean BBQ

by jinkywonny

First of all, this is not Korean BBQ. If you think its korean BBQ, you have never had Korean BBQ. Trust me. I'm a native. If you want Korean BBQ in a traditional wood fire setting, try Young Bin Kwan in Jenkintown, or any place on north 5th street and upper dardby. There is nothing in Center City.

Otherwise, the food is reasonably priced and good quality. Its a great place to go when my wife and I are hungry. It is good quality

• Pros: Cheap food
• Cons: food is not the best

09/16/08

A little bit of Korea in the US

by ASM2

I was looking for authentic Korean BBQ and I found it. I do not want to sound pretentious, but base on my experiences in Korea and conversation with Koreans this is as close as I have found to the real deal. The BBQ in the name is a little misleading as in the US people sometimes say BBQ when they actually mean grilled. I have traveled to Korea several times on business to Ulsan, Busan and Soal and have eaten in at least 5 different BBQ restaurants, and have checked out many more. It is served in a slightly different style in almost every one, some serving only one type of meat others several different types i.e. beef, pork, chicken, some with several different types of leafy greens to wrap the meats and vegetables in, others no leafy greens only meats and vegetables, some with sea food, some with hot-pot, some with a gas grill others have wood or charcoal fire. All have one thing in common, for each patron there are several small bowls with various sauces, many dishes with veggies, meats and various other hopefully eatable items. Nothing marinated or coated in heavy sauces though, that is Americanized Asian food.

As the name states it is a blend of Asian foods, but again based on my experiences in Korea they capture the Korean style BBQ excellently. I have not tried any of the other dishes on the menu but will return to do so. (If I can turn down another opportunity to have BBQ) I was primarily interested in finding a place were I could share my experience in Korea with my family and friends and I have found it. We had the BBQ dinner for 6, with included a large tray of meats, and a large tray of sea food, an appetizer and the salad bar, and several other item witch now escape me The service and hospitality were great, all the food was very, very fresh or I would have left. No it is not spectacular but it is a lot of fun and quite a unique experience.

12/18/07

I don't like the owner

by majinbuu258

it's a nice place. It's not korean bbq, it's international bbq. Don't expect marinated meat except for the tripe. I found a better place but that place shut down... I stop going because of the service. On more than one occasion they have stop me or my friends as we left, asking for more tip. If they want to include 18% or 20% graditude with the check for large crowd, I'm fine with that. I'm ussually tip 18-20% anyway if I like the service, higher if it's exceptional. 10-15% if I don't like the place. For them to request more tip base on what I thought wasn't worth the service, that's just wrong.

Backyard burgers don't stand a chance against the grilled goodness of D.I.Y. Korean BBQ.

by Contributor

In Short
Under a heart-shaped ceiling with pink and blue drywall clouds, waiters carry large platters of raw meat and seafood. Once the table-centered grill is ignited, the rest of the meal prep is up to the customer. DIY fare includes slightly marinated or completely unsauced beef, chicken, pork, squid, shrimp, bacon and tripe, as well as veggies like taro and onion. It's like gathering around the campfire--but on comfortable chairs indoors with a full bar.

01/04/06

Good place to take friends.

by hockeygrrl75

I used to frequent Korean BBQs when I lived in NYC. I was excited to find this place thru a coworker. I made reservations for a party of 7 for my bday. There was a ton of food to chose from and it came out very qucikly. We had a good time overall. I thought that the atmosphere was lacking though. We were seated in a very busy area (the restaurant is rather small so there is no privacy and the tables are puched close together). It was noisy too but there was plenty of parking and it was easy to find.

• Pros: Not too expensive, Easy to find, Good food
• Cons: Noisy, Crowded, No privacy

05/19/05

All you can eat protein

by yt

Out of all the korean barbecues I've been to, this I've enjoyed the most: it's very well lit and clean, they provide so many different meats ( chicken, beef, pork, tripe, squid, shrimp, short ribs) and sauces and a great list of asian fruit drinks. The meat is NOT MARINATED, unlike traditional korean barbecues, which is suboptimal. The dinner price of about $16 includes vietnamese styled sides of a green papaya/shrimp salad and a fried shrimp sugar cane skewer, and a bowl of miso soup. You can also get a seafood hotpot instead, which is a nice alternative. Overall, great place for a group, families, and those low carb lovers!

• Pros: Clean, Good Value, Parking
• Cons: No marinated meats

04/21/05

I loved it

by wendileigh1

It's all DIY, there is a great sauce bar, and lots and lots of raw meat. You are supposed to do everything yourself, including marinate your meat. If you're not into that idea, go somewhere else instead!

10/03/04

This place is the PITS!

by zenorigin

I missed Korean BBQ. I was expecting ISB to be a nice restaurant but it's NOT... We were seated promptly. I looked around the dining room and the cheap decor didn't appeal to me at all. We ordered two large plates of raw meat to cook at our table grill. I was expecting marinated meat, but no. We were given regular pieces of beef, chicken, calamari, shrimp and bacon (???). Nothing was seasoned. We were eating meat, just meat. They gave us some appetizers on the house (which were good), but the food was horrible. The service was horrible. They were always forgetting about my fiance's beer and our rice. It's much easier to stick to one waiter, instead of having six serve us. The cost of dinner wasn't cheap. That upsetted me because the quality of the food was so poor. Save your money and your tastebuds!

• Pros: Appetizers
• Cons: , Service, Prices

02/24/03

Nothing but Yum

by 9th_street

The food here is so good - you cannot go wrong. The pan-Asian menu offers a broad range of things for all appetites - some assembly often required, but not always. I suggest the meat stuffed grape-leaves as an interesting starter. Offers both alcoholic and n/a drinks, including beer and fruity smoothie things. Delicious & extremely affordable.

• Pros: inexpensive, delicious, good parking