Horrible service. The food was okay (not worth $80+ per person), and our server was nice, but the host at the front desk was unbelievably rude.
I was visiting from the West Coast, and this dinner was supposed to be a special time with two friends. One friend had to leave early, and the other arrived late because a tree fell in her yard due to strong wind. The plan was for two of us to start eating at 5:30 and the third to join at 6.
Even though the restaurant was completely empty at opening, the host refused to seat us unless all three people were present and made us wait outside on a cold, rainy, windy night. His only explanation was, “It’s the rule.” No apology, no flexibility.
Because of this, my friend who had to leave early didn’t have time to enjoy her meal, and what should have been a nice reunion was ruined. The restaurant stayed half empty the whole time. We will never go back.
Chris L
The value proposition just isn’t there. You’ll pay similar to NYC’s luxury bbq houses (Cote or Nubiani) yet get far worse food/experience.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Issac Stickley
What an amazing place an experience. Not a single thing could change to make it better. Every dish was amazing. Staff absolutely wonderful... And the owners wete here the night we stopped by. This was our first visit and they gladly explained the entire process and had wonderful recommendations!
Seems like this place needs its own star ⭐
Can not wait to go back !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eastine
This is the 7th time I have been in this restaurant, and it has become worse than ever. The waiter overcooked everything except pork belly. The meat quality is poor, like frozen meat. The waiter is rushing to get customers out, even though no tables are waiting. Also, their attitude is bad. I told them to cook slowly, but one of the servers dropped the meat clip on the table with a loud noise. We came without a reservation, and the front desk said the big tables were booked on another platform that does not show availability on OpenTable, so we had to wait in line. But there are many small tables available, for which no one came for the 40 minutes we waited outside. We argued and finally got into the small tables that had been available for the past 40 minutes. Ridiculous! I will never go to this restaurant again.
Kaylie Rim
Went for 22nd bday!! Ordered traditional beef short ribs and thinly sliced pork belly with 계란찜 (egg soufflé) my fav. Beef and pork were both good. Also ordered 육회 (beef tartare) WHICH HAS KOREAN PEAR JUST LIKE IN KOREAA🥹 atmosphere is also similar to what I was used to in Korea. Staff was sweet ^^ I’m still waiting for my free soju…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ruth
Our visit was extremely disappointing. From the moment we ordered to the time we finished eating, the entire Korean BBQ dinner was rushed through in just 25 minutes for a four person dinner. The server hurriedly cooked everything, essentially stir-frying the different meats instead of allowing us to enjoy the proper BBQ experience. When we asked her to slow down and not cook the last meat yet, she ignored the request, dumped all the sliced beef and vegetables onto the grill at once, and said she would leave after that. It felt absolutely nothing like Korean BBQ, more like eating at a food court, except at ten times the price. Terrible service and not at all worth the cost. Very disappointing visit this time.
Asiya Korepanova
Very, very good food, but awfully loud music that gets louder and louder through the evening, making it impossible to hold a conversation with people you came with.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian
It was our first time to a Korean bbq and wasn't sure what to expect. We asked our server for advice on what to order, which he provided, but that was really the last he communicated with us. Maybe this isn't what they normally do, but we thought they'd explain what each type of beef it was and provide a little overview of what we should expect and how to approach the meal as it evolved. We ordered the large beef sampler (I can't remember what it was called) and the first couple courses were nice and tender. The others were a bit fatty for us and we didn't eat much of them. That said, the soufflé was tasty as was the kimchi stew.
Amber C
We have dined at Naksan quite a few times. The food here is fairly consistent and pretty good for Korean bbq. It's probably the most similar to what you would get in Seoul in terms of flavors. However, the quality of meats and cookery still can't compare. But, we live in Boston and don't have many other good options.
The marinated pork belly was very tasty with a bit of the salt. The marinated short ribs had good flavor but chewy. The japchae is always very good here. The seafood pajeon was again rubbery and not crispy. We will stop ordering that from now on. We have had good egg soufflés here previously but this time it was overcooked. The banchans are quite good though very small portions, but you can always ask for refills. I find their kimchi to be too sour for our taste.
Service is efficient although difficult to flag servers down during busy dinner hours. We find the restaurant too dark and music too loud for our liking. It's always cold inside the restaurant during summer and winter. Good thing the grill provides needed warmth. Valet parking is helpful since finding street parking is difficult but adds $20 to the tab. Price is on the high side but overall we can always count on a decent meal here.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ana
NOT recommended. There are better Korean Bbq restaurants. My first time going there and needless to say, not coming back. Staff is very UNFRIENDLY and rigid. The amount of food you get for your money, is not fair game. Ordered the combo "L"for $179 and added rice and "veggies" ended up being $262 PLUS tip. The veggies were not even an oder for one person, 1 slice of squash, 1 shishito pepper and quarter of an onion. You don't flip the meat, you wait for whoever of the staff is walking by to do so. The music is EXTREMELY LOUD.
All the meat we had today was completely burned — tough, bitter, and unpleasant. For the pork combo, the last marinated pork ribs were put on a dirty, burnt grill instead of a fresh one. All the burnt bits stuck to the ribs, and when I asked for a new grill, the server said it would burn anyway because it’s marinated. I reminded them it had been replaced before, and they finally changed it, but the meat had already absorbed the burnt flavor. Even the vegetables and all the other meat were overcooked and charred. With this quality, the place is definitely overpriced
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
V
Chicago parents visiting our students at university. Second time here and all was super great. Highly recommended!!
Emma
The food was good but it felt overly expensive. We were a party of three and paid about $60 each for 2 meats and 3 sides (and I could have eaten more). The meat and the pancake were very tasty, but I felt like there should be more meat for the price. The complementary banchan were plentiful, though they mostly shared the same sauce so there wasn’t as much variety in flavor as I expected.
Gabriel
Our grill was not hot enough to sear the meat; there were three small pieces of charcoal. Meat quality was good, but for less per ounce you could get a Prime ribeye at Grill 23 (and the meat was not at that level). Service friendly, but would rather have cooked myself as they seemed in a rush to get the food done, and combined with the cool grill the result wasn't very good.
Dylan Mcphetres
Great dinner with my family. 3 first timers for Korean BBQ out of 4 of us. Everyone enjoyed their experience and the food. Definitely lives up to its reputation as the best in the Boston area.
Horrible service. The food was okay (not worth $80+ per person), and our server was nice, but the host at the front desk was unbelievably rude.
I was visiting from the West Coast, and this dinner was supposed to be a special time with two friends. One friend had to leave early, and the other arrived late because a tree fell in her yard due to strong wind. The plan was for two of us to start eating at 5:30 and the third to join at 6.
Even though the restaurant was completely empty at opening, the host refused to seat us unless all three people were present and made us wait outside on a cold, rainy, windy night. His only explanation was, “It’s the rule.” No apology, no flexibility.
Because of this, my friend who had to leave early didn’t have time to enjoy her meal, and what should have been a nice reunion was ruined. The restaurant stayed half empty the whole time. We will never go back.
The value proposition just isn’t there. You’ll pay similar to NYC’s luxury bbq houses (Cote or Nubiani) yet get far worse food/experience.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
What an amazing place an experience. Not a single thing could change to make it better.
Every dish was amazing. Staff absolutely wonderful... And the owners wete here the night we stopped by. This was our first visit and they gladly explained the entire process and had wonderful recommendations!
Seems like this place needs its own star ⭐
Can not wait to go back !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is the 7th time I have been in this restaurant, and it has become worse than ever. The waiter overcooked everything except pork belly. The meat quality is poor, like frozen meat. The waiter is rushing to get customers out, even though no tables are waiting. Also, their attitude is bad. I told them to cook slowly, but one of the servers dropped the meat clip on the table with a loud noise. We came without a reservation, and the front desk said the big tables were booked on another platform that does not show availability on OpenTable, so we had to wait in line. But there are many small tables available, for which no one came for the 40 minutes we waited outside. We argued and finally got into the small tables that had been available for the past 40 minutes. Ridiculous! I will never go to this restaurant again.
Went for 22nd bday!! Ordered traditional beef short ribs and thinly sliced pork belly with 계란찜 (egg soufflé) my fav. Beef and pork were both good. Also ordered 육회 (beef tartare) WHICH HAS KOREAN PEAR JUST LIKE IN KOREAA🥹 atmosphere is also similar to what I was used to in Korea. Staff was sweet ^^ I’m still waiting for my free soju…
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our visit was extremely disappointing. From the moment we ordered to the time we finished eating, the entire Korean BBQ dinner was rushed through in just 25 minutes for a four person dinner. The server hurriedly cooked everything, essentially stir-frying the different meats instead of allowing us to enjoy the proper BBQ experience. When we asked her to slow down and not cook the last meat yet, she ignored the request, dumped all the sliced beef and vegetables onto the grill at once, and said she would leave after that. It felt absolutely nothing like Korean BBQ, more like eating at a food court, except at ten times the price. Terrible service and not at all worth the cost. Very disappointing visit this time.
Very, very good food, but awfully loud music that gets louder and louder through the evening, making it impossible to hold a conversation with people you came with.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was our first time to a Korean bbq and wasn't sure what to expect. We asked our server for advice on what to order, which he provided, but that was really the last he communicated with us. Maybe this isn't what they normally do, but we thought they'd explain what each type of beef it was and provide a little overview of what we should expect and how to approach the meal as it evolved. We ordered the large beef sampler (I can't remember what it was called) and the first couple courses were nice and tender. The others were a bit fatty for us and we didn't eat much of them. That said, the soufflé was tasty as was the kimchi stew.
We have dined at Naksan quite a few times. The food here is fairly consistent and pretty good for Korean bbq. It's probably the most similar to what you would get in Seoul in terms of flavors. However, the quality of meats and cookery still can't compare. But, we live in Boston and don't have many other good options.
The marinated pork belly was very tasty with a bit of the salt. The marinated short ribs had good flavor but chewy. The japchae is always very good here. The seafood pajeon was again rubbery and not crispy. We will stop ordering that from now on. We have had good egg soufflés here previously but this time it was overcooked. The banchans are quite good though very small portions, but you can always ask for refills. I find their kimchi to be too sour for our taste.
Service is efficient although difficult to flag servers down during busy dinner hours. We find the restaurant too dark and music too loud for our liking. It's always cold inside the restaurant during summer and winter. Good thing the grill provides needed warmth. Valet parking is helpful since finding street parking is difficult but adds $20 to the tab. Price is on the high side but overall we can always count on a decent meal here.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
NOT recommended. There are better Korean Bbq restaurants. My first time going there and needless to say, not coming back. Staff is very UNFRIENDLY and rigid. The amount of food you get for your money, is not fair game. Ordered the combo "L"for $179 and added rice and "veggies" ended up being $262 PLUS tip. The veggies were not even an oder for one person, 1 slice of squash, 1 shishito pepper and quarter of an onion. You don't flip the meat, you wait for whoever of the staff is walking by to do so. The music is EXTREMELY LOUD.
Restaurantji Recommends
All the meat we had today was completely burned — tough, bitter, and unpleasant.
For the pork combo, the last marinated pork ribs were put on a dirty, burnt grill instead of a fresh one. All the burnt bits stuck to the ribs, and when I asked for a new grill, the server said it would burn anyway because it’s marinated.
I reminded them it had been replaced before, and they finally changed it, but the meat had already absorbed the burnt flavor.
Even the vegetables and all the other meat were overcooked and charred.
With this quality, the place is definitely overpriced
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Chicago parents visiting our students at university. Second time here and all was super great. Highly recommended!!
The food was good but it felt overly expensive. We were a party of three and paid about $60 each for 2 meats and 3 sides (and I could have eaten more). The meat and the pancake were very tasty, but I felt like there should be more meat for the price. The complementary banchan were plentiful, though they mostly shared the same sauce so there wasn’t as much variety in flavor as I expected.
Our grill was not hot enough to sear the meat; there were three small pieces of charcoal. Meat quality was good, but for less per ounce you could get a Prime ribeye at Grill 23 (and the meat was not at that level). Service friendly, but would rather have cooked myself as they seemed in a rush to get the food done, and combined with the cool grill the result wasn't very good.
Great dinner with my family. 3 first timers for Korean BBQ out of 4 of us. Everyone enjoyed their experience and the food. Definitely lives up to its reputation as the best in the Boston area.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
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