Let me preface this review by saying that I, as well as a few of my friends, have had experience working in jobs involving customer service and can say that I understand working with customers and having bad days. However, I don't feel, as a customer and even as someone who has worked jobs involving customer service, the customer should be the one receiving an attitude because someone may have been having a bad day.My friends and I go to Sizzling Lunch occasionally because it's some of the only good Asian food walking distance from campus. When we went yesterday it was pretty good as well. However, the service yesterday left us with a bit of a sour taste after leaving.Although Sizzling Lunch operates with tablets doing most of the customer service, an employee does come around in order to serve the food. On this occasion, when the server came around, he asked who had the two meals and we hadn't really discussed who had ordered what so we weren't sure immediately. We had to confirm with each other for a moment before being able to confirm who had ordered which meals.After confirming, the employee got irritated with us and proceeded to begin to lecture us on telling him who got what quickly. However, after one of my friends said thank you, he left without another word. We were sorta in disbelief after this because we didn't feel like we did anything wrong because we just needed time to figure out who got what meal.Of course, I understand that they have to serve hot plates but the restaurant basically only serves hot plates and he could have put it down and moved it after.Overall, food is good but the service is bad
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Beef Pepper Rice Spicy
Heidi S.
Very good food, healthy choices and cater to alergies. Fun place to eat by yourself or with friends and family. Sat and served within 15 minutes!
arizona s.
We began our experience with complete lack of respect. We were asked to stand outside in the cold and dark, keeping in mind this was at night. We also heard a loud "f*ck" as they began to set up our table and could see them unwilling to serve us. When finally allowed to go back in, we were told that they were missing corn. After sitting down, we saw that the entire section of glass noodles was sold out and we were never informed. When leaving, we heard one of the waiter mumble "these f*cking kids" and glared at us. Needless to say, never going back again.
Nathan W.
Worst service I've ever had. Staff was incredibly rude and swore loudly when we told them we had a large party. 0/5
Lianna M.
I was really excited that I found a Sizzling Lunch in IV! I ordered the kimchi pepper rice, takoyaki, and spicy wings. I thought the takoyaki and wings were pretty solid. The flavor of the takoyaki was really good with all if the bonito flakes on top. My kimchi rice was really good, I loved how much kimchi was on it! For anyone that is new to Sizzling Lunch, you order on a tablet (this can be confusing with all of the add ons) and your food comes on a sizzling plate. It's like your own personal kbbq plate! Service was pretty quick, and food was very good. I think this restaurant would be best for sit down to get the full Sizzling Lunch experience!
Viviana G.
Had lunch with a friend here for the first time and it was a great experience. The staff was welcoming and nice from the moment we came in and the food was served fast. I liked how they have plenty of seating area and how u can order everything from your table through a kiosk. I tried the cheese fries and garlic pepper plate and they were both delicious! The amount of food was generous too, ended up having leftovers.
Megan O.
Love the beef pepper rice. After mixing, it tastes pretty plain, but after adding a bunch of teriyaki sauce and a sprinkle of garlic soy, it taste amazing. Love that it's on a hot plate so the rice can be crispy on the edges. Don't forget to order the fries. It's a huge portion, good for sharing but really addicting :) Service was fast, and make sure to pay at the counter. Nice
Corinna W.
Good spot for lunch. It's similar to our fav beef peppered rice place in SF. Our server was friendly. Simple menu. We ordered the beef peppered rice and the kimchi beef peppered rice. I really enjoyed the garlic bits in the beef peppered rice . Both dishes were similar. Only difference was the kimchi in one and the garlic bits in only the beef peppered rice dish. I wish they offered an option to add a fried egg. Glad the UCSB students have an option to dine here. It's something different fromPizza or Panda Express.
G.A.C.
I love their food! However, I came to pick up a to go order via grub hub and was told to wait an additional 25-30 minutes on top of the 25 minutes I already waited. What made it worse was that it was marked ready when it was not. I was picking up food during my ten minute break. And so I had to call my co worker to cover. They should have updated the order time via the app instead of having me come in expecting it but it not being ready. Their staff needs better training in customer service. He could have been nice but was instead so rude. Like I don’t complain but this guy started the conversation to tell me the delay all ride and mean. Raven their GM however is amazing and he deserves a raise. He was working overtime to cover for that employee.
I will definitely recommend this restaurant. It is great for having a lunch or dinner. Usually, I just wanna finish my meal and don’t want the waiter to bother me with “ is everything ok?”. Here, I can order the food via a Electronic device and just wait for the food. When I checked out, there is no pressure from the waiters to add tips.( some waiters from other restaurants just stared at you). The food is yummy, the same as the sizzler I had tried in Hong Kong.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Pepper with Rice Add Egg and Cheese
Christopher Chen
Food was good but the server had a bad attitude when there was a problem with the ordering system placing an extra 2 plates we didn't order. Also place DESPERATELY NEEDS ventilation. Super smoky inside and stuffy.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Curry Beef Udon
Liz N.
Udon and beef was so good! The sauces were flavorful and you can add it to your liking. The service was friendly and the waiter took the time to explain the ordering process and the way to eat the food. Lots of great options on their menu for everyone!
Garythesnail
Food was Meh. I saw it on TikTok and so I thought it was good!Turns out it was just
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Serena In
Definitely a good spot for lunch and for students!
Let me preface this review by saying that I, as well as a few of my friends, have had experience working in jobs involving customer service and can say that I understand working with customers and having bad days. However, I don't feel, as a customer and even as someone who has worked jobs involving customer service, the customer should be the one receiving an attitude because someone may have been having a bad day.My friends and I go to Sizzling Lunch occasionally because it's some of the only good Asian food walking distance from campus. When we went yesterday it was pretty good as well. However, the service yesterday left us with a bit of a sour taste after leaving.Although Sizzling Lunch operates with tablets doing most of the customer service, an employee does come around in order to serve the food. On this occasion, when the server came around, he asked who had the two meals and we hadn't really discussed who had ordered what so we weren't sure immediately. We had to confirm with each other for a moment before being able to confirm who had ordered which meals.After confirming, the employee got irritated with us and proceeded to begin to lecture us on telling him who got what quickly. However, after one of my friends said thank you, he left without another word. We were sorta in disbelief after this because we didn't feel like we did anything wrong because we just needed time to figure out who got what meal.Of course, I understand that they have to serve hot plates but the restaurant basically only serves hot plates and he could have put it down and moved it after.Overall, food is good but the service is bad
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Beef Pepper Rice Spicy
Very good food, healthy choices and cater to alergies. Fun place to eat by yourself or with friends and family. Sat and served within 15 minutes!
We began our experience with complete lack of respect. We were asked to stand outside in the cold and dark, keeping in mind this was at night. We also heard a loud "f*ck" as they began to set up our table and could see them unwilling to serve us. When finally allowed to go back in, we were told that they were missing corn. After sitting down, we saw that the entire section of glass noodles was sold out and we were never informed. When leaving, we heard one of the waiter mumble "these f*cking kids" and glared at us. Needless to say, never going back again.
Worst service I've ever had. Staff was incredibly rude and swore loudly when we told them we had a large party. 0/5
I was really excited that I found a Sizzling Lunch in IV! I ordered the kimchi pepper rice, takoyaki, and spicy wings. I thought the takoyaki and wings were pretty solid. The flavor of the takoyaki was really good with all if the bonito flakes on top. My kimchi rice was really good, I loved how much kimchi was on it! For anyone that is new to Sizzling Lunch, you order on a tablet (this can be confusing with all of the add ons) and your food comes on a sizzling plate. It's like your own personal kbbq plate! Service was pretty quick, and food was very good. I think this restaurant would be best for sit down to get the full Sizzling Lunch experience!
Had lunch with a friend here for the first time and it was a great experience. The staff was welcoming and nice from the moment we came in and the food was served fast. I liked how they have plenty of seating area and how u can order everything from your table through a kiosk. I tried the cheese fries and garlic pepper plate and they were both delicious! The amount of food was generous too, ended up having leftovers.
Love the beef pepper rice. After mixing, it tastes pretty plain, but after adding a bunch of teriyaki sauce and a sprinkle of garlic soy, it taste amazing. Love that it's on a hot plate so the rice can be crispy on the edges. Don't forget to order the fries. It's a huge portion, good for sharing but really addicting :) Service was fast, and make sure to pay at the counter. Nice
Good spot for lunch. It's similar to our fav beef peppered rice place in SF. Our server was friendly. Simple menu. We ordered the beef peppered rice and the kimchi beef peppered rice. I really enjoyed the garlic bits in the beef peppered rice . Both dishes were similar. Only difference was the kimchi in one and the garlic bits in only the beef peppered rice dish. I wish they offered an option to add a fried egg. Glad the UCSB students have an option to dine here. It's something different fromPizza or Panda Express.
I love their food! However, I came to pick up a to go order via grub hub and was told to wait an additional 25-30 minutes on top of the 25 minutes I already waited. What made it worse was that it was marked ready when it was not. I was picking up food during my ten minute break. And so I had to call my co worker to cover. They should have updated the order time via the app instead of having me come in expecting it but it not being ready. Their staff needs better training in customer service. He could have been nice but was instead so rude. Like I don’t complain but this guy started the conversation to tell me the delay all ride and mean. Raven their GM however is amazing and he deserves a raise. He was working overtime to cover for that employee.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Pepper Rice
Little, low quality meat. Food overall tastes
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
I will definitely recommend this restaurant. It is great for having a lunch or dinner. Usually, I just wanna finish my meal and don’t want the waiter to bother me with “ is everything ok?”. Here, I can order the food via a Electronic device and just wait for the food. When I checked out, there is no pressure from the waiters to add tips.( some waiters from other restaurants just stared at you). The food is yummy, the same as the sizzler I had tried in Hong Kong.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Pepper with Rice Add Egg and Cheese
Food was good but the server had a bad attitude when there was a problem with the ordering system placing an extra 2 plates we didn't order. Also place DESPERATELY NEEDS ventilation. Super smoky inside and stuffy.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Curry Beef Udon
Udon and beef was so good! The sauces were flavorful and you can add it to your liking. The service was friendly and the waiter took the time to explain the ordering process and the way to eat the food. Lots of great options on their menu for everyone!
Food was Meh. I saw it on TikTok and so I thought it was good!Turns out it was just
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Definitely a good spot for lunch and for students!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5