Best 숯불갈비 at LADon't really like atmosphere or service but food is really good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Nathan Licht
Good food and cool charcoal bbq. Servers can be busy so you might not get a lot of help depending on the night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
EA
Awesome real charcoal Korean BBQ. They cook it all for you to perfection over charcoal at your table. Definitely get the squid, it comes out whole and then they cut it up in front of you and grill it. Most amazing ?
One of the best tasting Korean BBQ with real charcoal.Price is expensive but deserved.Good quality meats.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: 숯불 갈비
Kristofer Nunez
The quality of the meat is great. If you’re looking for an authentic Korean taste this is it. I highly recommend the red bean
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Tofu Stew Soup, Baby Back Ribs, Bulgogi
F Elmesselmani
It gets a little over smoky sometimes but it's amazing here. If you don't like grilling yourself, they are more than happy to help you grill.They use real charcoal.
Best Korean BBQ, charcoal really makes a difference. This place is pricey and is not all you can eat but it is fantastic. If cooking your own food intimidates you, no worries, they’re hustling staff will do it for you and help you out as needed. Set a new bar for us. Get the short ribs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charcoal BBQ, Bulgogi, Marinated Short Rips
Jessica Z.
*Would round up to 3.5, but Yelp won't let me*It pains me to leave such a neutral review for this place since it's considered an institution in ktown by being the sole bbq restaurant operating on charcoal grills, however the experience was below average. It's a very no frills place, but it could definitely use some frills, even just a little bit. SERVICE:Great. No complaints here. Servers were plentiful and attentive for 6pm on a Saturday. BANCHAN:Sparse with no carb options :( No potato/mac salad, rice paper, radish. Fish cake tasted stale and kind of old. Another review said banchan was plentiful but there were only six and one set served with each entree. Any extra orders would be an extra $2. Not worth it IMO. And no steamed egg!!!! Kimchi had a good kick though. MEAT:Nothing spectacular. There's a 2 order minimum so we got the spare ribs and spicy pork. There was really nothing special about either with regards to quality. The portion for the ribs was quite small for the price. The sesame oil was mild and didn't have much flavor when it's usually a strong/hearty addition. The charred pieces of meat had crisp bursts of flavor but were too infrequent. The one redeeming factor was the spice level on the pork, but we opted to bring it home so we can doctor it up with extra garlic, fried rice, egg, etc. AMBIENCE:Very low key, no speakers for music but the space gets lively with all the different table conversations. A little awkward until then but nothing uncomfortable. It's bigger than expected once you walk in. PRICE:Too expensive for what you (don't) get compared to other non-AYCE restaurants in the area. 2 meats and a beer for over $100 and leaving less than satisfied just feels bad. If you go here, don't expect the full spread you'd usually get from other places. Maybe it's not so bad for other people, but we came with expectations for it to match similar businesses considering its reputation (at least with the variety of banchan and meat selection), and it didn't deliver.
Buysellonline 2023
Food is ok but bad customer service, not recommended, and will definitely not
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Dan L.
They say we don't appreciate what we have, and that we want what we can't have.There's undoubtedly significant truth in that axiom, because of the 3 KBBQ restaurants (the other 2 being Bak Kung and Soowon Galbi) offering charcoal grills that I have been to in the past, this is the last of the 3 remaining that still has them (the other two have apparently switched to gas-only grills - Bak Kung I confirmed firsthand, Soowon Galbi I confirmed via a recent phone call with their staff).There are undoubtedly others of its kind still in operation, but Soot Bull Jeep is the last one standing that I have actually been to. And as such, I appear to have a renewed and greater level of appreciation for it than I did in the past.The consensus in my dining party was that the Short Ribs were definitely the winner of the meat options we had sampled during our visit. The delicious Bulgogi was a close second. The Baby Back Ribs were decent (I would not mind getting them again), but it's probably rightfully ranked 3rd.The Jumulleok was definitely the least appetizing of the 4 ... while not "terrible", it was by an order of magnitude the blandest of the 4 (even with the salt and sesame oil dipping sauce), and I would not recommend ordering it - stick with the marinated meat options.Ok, let's discuss the elephant in the room ... the pricing (this place is not AYCE). Before tax and tip, it cost me $255 to feed my party of 4 adults here. It would have cost significantly less to feed us at pretty much every AYCE KBBQ we had ever been to (and the experience would honestly have been more or less comparable, sans the rich smokey charcoal flavor).Was it worth it? The TLDR answer: Yes."Value" is certainly a subjective matter, and there are so many variables to consider here - in particular, the consumption capabilities of the diners in question, as well as the financial means of said diners. Life has been *very* good to me since my last visit here, and as such, I have no regrets about spending money here. Your mileage may vary depending on the degree of your discretionary income and price sensitivity.I'd definitely say that you have passed the point of diminishing returns if you choose to eat here. But if you want the unique feature of charcoal grills as part of your KBBQ dining experience, that's just the price of admission.Besides the aforementioned matter of pricing, the only real con I can think of to this place is that the complimentary dipping sauce is on the blander side compared to the dipping sauce provided by some other KBBQ establishments (and I'm probably just nitpicking there if I'm being honest).The service during my most recent visit was a lot better than I remember from my prior visit in 2015. The restaurant still has the adjacent parking lot, which adds to its attractiveness as a dining option for the area if you are driving your own car here.
Zach Mooney
Delicious food. Not an "all you can eat" style, but you order large plates of things for a set amount of money and cook it up or they cook it for you. The buckwheat noodles were great with the meats. Love the grill smell, but be careful if smoke bothers your lungs a lot. Also a bit expensive but if you're eating with people and splitting the bill it's not as bad obviously.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bulgogi, Kimchi Stew, Squid BBQ, Marinated Short Rips 51 and Ribeye Steak 55
Best 숯불갈비 at LADon't really like atmosphere or service but food is really good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Good food and cool charcoal bbq. Servers can be busy so you might not get a lot of help depending on the night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Awesome real charcoal Korean BBQ. They cook it all for you to perfection over charcoal at your table. Definitely get the squid, it comes out whole and then they cut it up in front of you and grill it. Most amazing ?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bulgogi, Kimchi Stew, Squid BBQ
Food and service were all great. We had really great time there. If you want a Korean style sootbul galbi, this is the place you want to try.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
2 people need to order for 4 people order.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Best Charcoal Korean Marinated Ribs
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Tofu Stew Soup, Charcoal BBQ, Baby Back Ribs
Best pork Glabi in LA!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charcoal BBQ
One of the best tasting Korean BBQ with real charcoal.Price is expensive but deserved.Good quality meats.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: 숯불 갈비
The quality of the meat is great. If you’re looking for an authentic Korean taste this is it. I highly recommend the red bean
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spicy Tofu Stew Soup, Baby Back Ribs, Bulgogi
It gets a little over smoky sometimes but it's amazing here. If you don't like grilling yourself, they are more than happy to help you grill.They use real charcoal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Best Korean BBQ, charcoal really makes a difference. This place is pricey and is not all you can eat but it is fantastic. If cooking your own food intimidates you, no worries, they’re hustling staff will do it for you and help you out as needed. Set a new bar for us. Get the short ribs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charcoal BBQ, Bulgogi, Marinated Short Rips
*Would round up to 3.5, but Yelp won't let me*It pains me to leave such a neutral review for this place since it's considered an institution in ktown by being the sole bbq restaurant operating on charcoal grills, however the experience was below average. It's a very no frills place, but it could definitely use some frills, even just a little bit. SERVICE:Great. No complaints here. Servers were plentiful and attentive for 6pm on a Saturday. BANCHAN:Sparse with no carb options :( No potato/mac salad, rice paper, radish. Fish cake tasted stale and kind of old. Another review said banchan was plentiful but there were only six and one set served with each entree. Any extra orders would be an extra $2. Not worth it IMO. And no steamed egg!!!! Kimchi had a good kick though. MEAT:Nothing spectacular. There's a 2 order minimum so we got the spare ribs and spicy pork. There was really nothing special about either with regards to quality. The portion for the ribs was quite small for the price. The sesame oil was mild and didn't have much flavor when it's usually a strong/hearty addition. The charred pieces of meat had crisp bursts of flavor but were too infrequent. The one redeeming factor was the spice level on the pork, but we opted to bring it home so we can doctor it up with extra garlic, fried rice, egg, etc. AMBIENCE:Very low key, no speakers for music but the space gets lively with all the different table conversations. A little awkward until then but nothing uncomfortable. It's bigger than expected once you walk in. PRICE:Too expensive for what you (don't) get compared to other non-AYCE restaurants in the area. 2 meats and a beer for over $100 and leaving less than satisfied just feels bad. If you go here, don't expect the full spread you'd usually get from other places. Maybe it's not so bad for other people, but we came with expectations for it to match similar businesses considering its reputation (at least with the variety of banchan and meat selection), and it didn't deliver.
Food is ok but bad customer service, not recommended, and will definitely not
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
They say we don't appreciate what we have, and that we want what we can't have.There's undoubtedly significant truth in that axiom, because of the 3 KBBQ restaurants (the other 2 being Bak Kung and Soowon Galbi) offering charcoal grills that I have been to in the past, this is the last of the 3 remaining that still has them (the other two have apparently switched to gas-only grills - Bak Kung I confirmed firsthand, Soowon Galbi I confirmed via a recent phone call with their staff).There are undoubtedly others of its kind still in operation, but Soot Bull Jeep is the last one standing that I have actually been to. And as such, I appear to have a renewed and greater level of appreciation for it than I did in the past.The consensus in my dining party was that the Short Ribs were definitely the winner of the meat options we had sampled during our visit. The delicious Bulgogi was a close second. The Baby Back Ribs were decent (I would not mind getting them again), but it's probably rightfully ranked 3rd.The Jumulleok was definitely the least appetizing of the 4 ... while not "terrible", it was by an order of magnitude the blandest of the 4 (even with the salt and sesame oil dipping sauce), and I would not recommend ordering it - stick with the marinated meat options.Ok, let's discuss the elephant in the room ... the pricing (this place is not AYCE). Before tax and tip, it cost me $255 to feed my party of 4 adults here. It would have cost significantly less to feed us at pretty much every AYCE KBBQ we had ever been to (and the experience would honestly have been more or less comparable, sans the rich smokey charcoal flavor).Was it worth it? The TLDR answer: Yes."Value" is certainly a subjective matter, and there are so many variables to consider here - in particular, the consumption capabilities of the diners in question, as well as the financial means of said diners. Life has been *very* good to me since my last visit here, and as such, I have no regrets about spending money here. Your mileage may vary depending on the degree of your discretionary income and price sensitivity.I'd definitely say that you have passed the point of diminishing returns if you choose to eat here. But if you want the unique feature of charcoal grills as part of your KBBQ dining experience, that's just the price of admission.Besides the aforementioned matter of pricing, the only real con I can think of to this place is that the complimentary dipping sauce is on the blander side compared to the dipping sauce provided by some other KBBQ establishments (and I'm probably just nitpicking there if I'm being honest).The service during my most recent visit was a lot better than I remember from my prior visit in 2015. The restaurant still has the adjacent parking lot, which adds to its attractiveness as a dining option for the area if you are driving your own car here.
Delicious food. Not an "all you can eat" style, but you order large plates of things for a set amount of money and cook it up or they cook it for you. The buckwheat noodles were great with the meats. Love the grill smell, but be careful if smoke bothers your lungs a lot. Also a bit expensive but if you're eating with people and splitting the bill it's not as bad obviously.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bulgogi, Kimchi Stew, Squid BBQ, Marinated Short Rips 51 and Ribeye Steak 55