Korea Garden Grille
Hours: See Profile
You might also be interested in these:
Profile Description: Welcome to Korea Garden Grille, Houston's first all-you-can-eat Korean barbeque restaurant. We invite you to join us in a unique but traditional Korean dining experience. We serve many types of Korean bbq, steaks, & seafood, along with endless traditional side dishes. "All-you-can-eat" available Lunch & Dinner M-Sun, plus "bento style" lunch specials available during the week. Dont forget to bring a nice bottle of wine/liquor/beer to complement your meal! NOW OPEN SUNDAY.
MY REVIEW: Strong Points: Good quality meats and sides, reasonably priced, very clean, good service
Weak Points: None
Will be back!
NAME: bachelor
SUBMITTED: 8/7/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: 07/08
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times
MY REVIEW: I've been looking for a Korean buffet restaurant forever and I'm so glad to have finally found one! As a frequent goer to S*eoul Garden on Long Point, it was very refreshing to find another place that matches the food quality as my favorite restaurant.
When you hear the word "buffet" you often think of cheaper quality products and mediocre service but this place delivers. The place looks like a 4 star restaurant and the service is extremely good. The food was hand made and very fresh.
Best part of the place was the buffet selection of meat! Tons of options and with great flavor and seasoning. NOTE: They have a $5.00 excess food waste fee per person (this pertains to the meat. Don't get a full plate and waste half of it cause you got full). Which is understandable since they aren't gimping the meat quality.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
NAME: Brandon
SUBMITTED: 7/26/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: 07/08
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: This venue is great. The food is fresh and the service is top notch. The Manager (He could be the owner, I am not sure) is always checking out what's going on and this restaurant is a winner. The rest rooms are also very clean. It is now one of my favorite Houston restaurants.
NAME: ARav
SUBMITTED: 7/4/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: June 30th, 2008
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times
MY REVIEW: All the kudos this place gets are well deserved!
My family and I have eaten at many Korean restaurants since living in Houston, especially around this area, and this is by far our favorite.
The place is spacious, clean and classy. Sometimes they're under-staffed, but the service is always friendly and they do the best they can.
As far as food, it's all you can eat including the delectable meat dishes. The chicken is the best I've had of any Korean restaurant, and the rest is done really well. There's tons of choices for both meats and side-dishes.
The price is indeed a bit above the average but for what you get, it's well worth it.
NAME: John J
SUBMITTED: 5/8/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: 04/2008
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times
MY REVIEW: Korea Garden Grille is located on the north side of Bellaire between the light intersections of Boone & Belle Park. It's pretty easy to see from the street.
I have never seen buffet-style Korean barbeque (though I am quite familiar with all the other Korean restaurants in Houston) so when I first came to Korea Garden Grille, I was very surprised and unsure of the quality of their buffet. But it is WELL WORTH IT!
Their meat selection is more than all the other Korean restaurants I have visited (marinated beef, chicken, jumbo shrimp, salmon, squid, etc.) and their side selection is absolutely wonderful and VERY fresh. I don't usually like most sides that come complimentary with the food at other Korean restaurants and it was very refreshing to be able to eat all the kimchi, kimchi cucumber and kimchi lettuce without paying anything extra. My girlfriend likes totally different kind of sides so we were both very happy. They also had some Korean seafood and vegetable cakes which I'm not really a fan of (but my girlfriend likes them).
Basically, you just grab whatever you want from the buffet line (which is very clean) and then either their chef can cook it for you or you can opt to use your own table-side grill. I prefer table-side self-grilling.
The current dinner price per person is $18.95 (but I really expect this rate to rise at some point because this is way too cheap for the great quality Korean food they offer). If my girlfriend didn't work weekdays, we would probably come here every day for the outrageously cheap $13.95 lunch buffet price (that's only a couple dollars more than some Chinese buffet places!!).
The minor downside to this otherwise excellent restaurant is the canned fruits of pineapples and peaches. But since it's a buffet, I don't really care because I'm there to eat all the tasty barbeque meat and kimchi my stomach can handle.
My favorite Korean restaurants used to be A*rirang and A*siana Garden (both of which have been slipping in meat quality lately), but now Korea Garden Grille is my definite favorite. Better price, better food quality, better selection. I will not even consider going to any American steakhouse as long as this place is open (except maybe C*hurrasco's once or twice a year). They should be charging $25 per person instead and I would still go once every week for dinner.
I was there two days ago and just thinking about their food is making me hungry again!
NAME: Otomosix
SUBMITTED: 2/27/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: 2/08
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times
MY REVIEW: strong points: very clean, food is better than most of the other korean restaurants around but for sure not the best. love the idea of buffet style so we can pick and choose what side orders we like and have as much as we want.
weak points:service is HORRIBLE. half horrible. there were two waiters the lady did a good job but the guy was horrible. i saw him constantly refilling drinks, refilling bowls of rice, and doing this and that for some people while forgetting other people. lucky for him i still tipped him pretty good 25% just to let him know wassup.
NAME: ILive2eatNoteat2live
SUBMITTED: 1/14/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: 1/2008
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Went for weekday lunch, only $13.95....lots of food. Really tasty and marinated wonderfully. Have tasted lots of Korean food from friends' cooking and this was great food. We opted to cook at the table to keep our food warm. Will go back again for sure.
NAME: foodsinhouston
SUBMITTED: 1/1/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: 12/07
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Good food for buffet style. We got there before 7pm and the place was not crowded. 15 mins later, the place was packed. The restaurant is really nice with tasteful decor. The wait staffs were friendly and attentive with drink refills and other things that we requested. The only thing surprising was that they didn't corked the bottles of wine for us. We asked them to open both up before we went to get our food. We came back to the table and saw the corkscrew there and the bottles not opened. We waited for them to come back but then just decided to open the bottles ourselves.
Overall, we had a nice dining experience. We took two friends who never had Korean food and they enjoyed it.
NAME: BTL
SUBMITTED: 12/30/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 12/29/07
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Me and Dad went out to this place after a martial arts tournament and looked at the hours....it said "OPEN DINNER 5:30". It was 5:00, but we peeked inside anyway and they were open. We were received well and the interior looked like something you might see in Beverly Hills. There was a big family at one of the tables with all sorts of artistic plates full of everything.. As soon as I saw it was a buffet and noticed all the different dishes, I knew this would be good.
The selection is vast....about 20 panchan, including several kimchi, BBQ meats and seafood, fried treats, and stews galore. In addition to the regular white rice, there's a tub of BLACK sweet rice. Next to those is the miyuk guk (seaweed soup), and the spicy tofu soup. And I mean SPICY! It radiates heat, but I didn't get to try it this time. In addition to exotics you see most of the time in Korean places (squid, baby octopus), they have something I have never tried before, but I have a recipe for it, and I couldn't believe they offered it....marunmyolchi (fried dry anchovies!)
There was also this weird glazed vegetable which the servers identified as "sweet root" and it kind of looked like the dried squid you sometimes get as a panchan..it was definitely sweet, with a sort of maple-like flavor.
I loaded up on my good old fish cake, pickled cucumber, radish kimchi, and soy-glazed black beans, plus a bunch of other panchan. After that first plate, I went back for a few more panchan and some rice while Dad ordered our barbecue: bulgogi and ojingeuh (squid). The beef was actually PAN-FRIED and then dumped onto a sizzling platter with raw onions...this was the only weak point of the meal, but the beef was still delicious. It was served with lettuce wraps and a red-yellow relish which I correctly identified as ssamjang (gochujang + doenjang), to the surprise of one of the owners!
This time around, the panchan I chose included some of the marunmyolchi. I picked up one of the fish and chomped on it... The first one didn't taste like fish, but the next one was VERY powerful....I still ate them until I got tired of them. The squid was dredged in hot pepper sauce and presented so artfully, but simply (just on a lettuce leaf), you'd think it was hoe (raw fish in gochujang)....It was tender at first, but the longer it sat, the tougher it got. It was still pleasing and delicious. The final excursion included some fried treats and a final portion of some more panchan.
Overall, the quality of food was far beyond a lot of more expensive restaurants, and given that this is a buffet, that is a staggering assessment.
The servers are cordial and are always willing to explain things, the interior and dishes could wear a Prada label, and they express interest in moving the meats to the grill, which would improve the restaurant to an even higher realm.
Next time I'm going for the octopus and the tofu soup...and I say next time because we will be going time and time again! Even at $18.95, this is one of the best bargains in Chinatown, because the dining experience is something you will never forget.
NAME: andrew
SUBMITTED: 11/12/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: Nov 2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: The food at this place is so good. It is very fresh and tasty. We received great service and were made to feel very welcome. The staff is very eager to please. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves Korean food as much as I do.
NAME: Kimchi lover
SUBMITTED: 11/10/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 11/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times
MY REVIEW: This place is AMAZING! My sister and I went there for dinner and like most people, we were a little skeptical when we heard it was a buffet. We went not expecting much but got more than we bargained for. Fist of all, they shouldnt call it a buffet because the food is not already cooked and sitting there for hours. The only thing sitting out are the side dishes (kimchi, tofu, spicy cucumbers, etc.). Rice and soups are kept fresh in a rice cooker in a different area.
Our waiter immediately sat us down, took our drink orders and handed us a piece a paper to fill out. It lists beef, pork, chicken, squid, and, shrimp. We marked which ones we wanted and he gave it to the chef who quickly prepared it and brought it out to our table. It was steaming and piping hot - fresh off the grill! We eat Korean food all the time especially in the Gessner area and the price we pay over there is ridiculous. Here, its only $19/person and you can sit there and eat forever!
What really impressed me was that the owner was going around socializing with the customers. He would constantly check up on us and asked for our opinions. We even saw him working and helping other servers who had large parties. Im so ready to come back! What a great addition to the Bellaire area!
NAME: PickyEater
SUBMITTED: 10/8/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 10/6/07
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: I went in curious to see how a Korean buffet would look like. From the outside, it looks like a traditional Korean restaurant, but when you walk in, there's a modern vibe to the restaurant. I was amazed at the large array of side dishes that were laid out and was given a piece of paper with the various meats for them to cook. I picked my fave, the bbq short ribs and was surprised to find that it was very tender and tasty. Usually, I'm very hesitant to go to buffets, as they tend to use the cheapest quality of food out there, but this is one place that I could definately suggest to others without hesitating. I asked my waiter why we were not allowed to use the grills and he said it should be up and running soon. I can't wait to come back to grill my own meat. I give it an A.
NAME: Patricia S
SUBMITTED: 8/23/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 8/07
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Although it may appear pricier than the "norm", Korean food is not cheap. If you go to a Korean restaurant, you pay about $15-20 for 1 serving of the bbq meat. I visited this restaurant and found that I can eat as much as I want and pay the same price. I was greatly satisfied with the array of selection.
I will visit again.
NAME: Kathy T
SUBMITTED: 8/6/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 6/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Just noticed this place while driving down west Bellaire. Like others have stated this place is not cheap... but do you really want a cheap buffet? Not me. So I paid my sixteen or so dollars and was treated to a satifsying Korean meal complete with a selection of freshly grilled meats and a abundance of vegatable side dishes. Spicy, flavorful and completely different from the ordinary. Beautiful and clean interior. Polite staff. I will do it again.
NAME: rdptexas
SUBMITTED: 7/12/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: July 2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: I heard that a Korean buffet opened up in Bellaire and decided to finally try it out. Although it may be a bit pricy compared to other Korean restaurants, since it was all-u-can-eat, I was satisfied in forking the $ over. They had a wide variety of meat dishes that they grill for you and bring to your table. I enjoyed the different options in side dishes but was not able to taste even half of the dishes because I was so full! I will definately be going back to try the rest. Recommend greatly!
NAME: d tran
SUBMITTED: 6/25/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 6/23
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: My partner and I ate here for dinner. Dinner buffet was $26, not including drinks for each person. A bit expensive for Korean BBQ, but we thought we would give it a try. Servers were very attentive and helpful. The cold noodle side dish was the best thing there though. We found the all meats to be bland and did not taste marinated at all. For me, the salmon was the best because it had more flavor, but overall, we won't be coming back. For the price and quality of food, there are other Korean BBQ places nearby that serve better and cheaper dishes.
NAME: yummy_lover
SUBMITTED: 6/23/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 4/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Bulgogi, Kalbi, Squid, Shrimp, Chicken, and Baby Octopus.....oh my!!!
A friend and I tried out this restaurant for lunch on Memorial Day. It is amazing how much that side of Bellaire has changed in the past few years. Located in the middle of a surprisingly beautiful shopping center, Korea Garden Grille is directly past the U-Haul rental and the first building on the right of the complex. Make sure you go in the side entrance facing the street, as there is another door that seems to be the front door, but is actually an emergency exit door from the inside.
Onto the food.
I like Korean food. I may even love Korean food. But the problem with Korean food has always been a bit of a language barrier. I speak Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, un petit pou du French, but alas no Korean. So aside from your ubiquitous (for Korean restaurants at least) Bulgogi and the occasional Kalbi or Bulgalbi, Korean food has been somewhat of a ethnic cuisine enclave that I have not delved into fully. Korea Garden Grille did this for me and I think will open up the world of Korean food to a lot of people.
Preface: When you sit down at lunch you are asked whether you want the buffet or bento box to eat. The bento boxes actually looked pretty good. Plenty of sides, a decent selection, but apart from that I have no further frame of reference, as we were there for one thing and one thing only.....the buffet.
The buffet (for lunch at least costs $19.99)....not cheap but definitely an interesting challenge and from what I could gauge the price really didn't throw that many people off. I saw the gamut from Asian families of 8 to cosmopolitan couple oohing and aahing over the niceness of the restaurant. The place when we left it was pretty full and this is a restaurant that can seat a good number of people.
The Pro's: Great selection of food....I left very full and very happy....I tried many many dishes and side dishes that I probably wouldn't try in a normal Korean restaurant setting.....the waitstaff was almost too friendly and all are very comfortable with non-Asian, non-Korean customers (Longpoint, I'm talking to you)....I can get up to get whatever it is I see looks good and have to wait eat at a very comfortable pace...and the quality of the food is actually very high. The best pro arguably is that the bathrooms are new, spotless, and spectacular and the place is very well designed as a whole (I'm talking to you again Longpoint).
The Con's: Genghis, his brother, his father, his cousin on his dad's brother's side......Thank you....I'll be here forever.....seriously though....the cons are that some of the dishes on the side bars get cold when they are supposed to be hot...which I hope they work on (biting into a cold vegetable tempura is never fun)...there is still no grilling...which is the second best part about going out to eat Korean food (point....Longpoint)...and the sad realization that I can't spend $20 on a lunch all the time (but I am glad that they didn't try a cheper version of this and have quality issues)....
I give it an overall 8.5 and I do look forward to taking other people there and seeing their reaction to the place. It is a gem in an area of Bellaire that used to not have that many gem places to go eat. Great diamond in the rough places in Bellaire...no doubt....but not a lot of beautiful...man the food is really good...but man that bathroom was scary places....and not super sparkly gems like Korea Garden Grille.
There's my review.....
Sup!!! (v. meaning to eat...)
NAME: chopsticksinparadise
SUBMITTED: 5/31/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 5/28/07
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: The buffet is a bit pricey ($25 per person), so if you're a light eater it's not a very good deal. Currently they are not doing table-top cooking. Our server explained that they need to install some more vents before they will be allowed to do that. Table-top grilling is one of my favorite things about Korean food, so I was a bit disappointed in that. Otherwise, the food was pretty good. There's a good selection of kimchi and a couple of interesting soups. The restaurant is BYOB, but there is a wine corkage fee of $7.
NAME: JJ
SUBMITTED: 5/29/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 5/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: We spotted the grand opening sign and dropped in shortly after 5pm. Our server was very attentive. I never had to ask for refills. The hot and cold side dishes are served buffet style on either side of the cooking grill. You give your order for the main dish and go pick your sides. There are 3 types of rice and 2 soups. Overall, the food was flavorful. The salmon was a bit overdone, to me. Appearance is clean, spacious, modernistic. It may not be the cheapest Korean food, but it was tasty and fun to go pick and try many different foods. This is a different experience in Korean cuisine. We'll be back!
NAME: Judy
SUBMITTED: 5/26/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 5/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once
©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved.
Design and database by B4-U-BUY
|
