Amazing quality korean food for a reasonable price. The service is always top notch. The vibe is cozy and comfortable to relax in.

Recently my family went to 5 Star Korean BBQ to celebrate my daughter's birthday. We went here about 2 months ago and noticed several changes on our recent visit. The first thing we noticed was that the restaurant seemed brighter. I don't know if they turned up the lights. Also, there seemed to be fewer tables and slightly more spacious. The second thing that changed was the menu. It was a lot shorter, missing were several Korean entrees since our visit in July. It no longer had Korean BBQ offerings that they show on their website. My daughter was disappointed that they didn't have any soups on their new menu and settled for Fried Chicken. My wife ordered Jop Chae, a noodle stir fry which she had on our last visit but she said that it didn't seem to have the same favor. My son also ordered fried chicken although I don't recall the name but it had 5 different types of spiciness, rated from 1 being mild to 5 which the waitress warned was very hot and recommended 3. Seeing that he likes spicy, he opted for 5, which my son found to be incredibly hot, to the point where couldn't finish eating it. I ordered Loaded Fries with Cali sauce, which was basically a plate of fries topped with sliced up chicken tenders and had a creamy saucy that you might find on Sushi. The meals didn't come with the traditional Banchan which is a side of few different Korean style vegetables that is usually placed on the center of the table for everyone to share. Although my wife's dish did come with a side of diced sweet white radishes. I later ordered Kim Chi which came in a small cup. After our meal, my wife went to the counter to pay and asked the cashier if the restaurant was under a different management. The cashier said that they had reopened and that they had a "soft opening" with the new management and a condensed menu. She also said that they welcomed feedback. Although we left disappointed with the changes, we will be back to give them another chance and hope they offer more of a Korean BBQ style menu. read more

It wasn't too crowded around noon on a Saturday for lunch, and we were seated at one of the booths. My friend ordered the spicy fried chicken and said it was very spicy and wonderfully crunchy. The bibimbap was also delicious, and the pot kept the food very hot even towards the end of our meal. I got the ja jang myun and it was delicious! I would have appreciated a bit more flavor, but it was still yummy and the noodles were a good texture. The portion size was quite large so I ended up taking some of it home. Thanks! read more

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Best Korean food we've found in town. Fast too. I'm a little more on the fence about the wings, as I tend to like less breading on mine - but sauces were food. The bibimbap (both regular and dolsot) are fantastic though, as are other Korean dishes we've tried (hard not to get the "go to" one when it's so good) read more

I tried very hard to like this place. However, as a korean myself, I was left offended by the horrendous quality of the food and service.. I was told that the BBQ was poor quality meat so decided to skip all that. We ended up getting fried chicken (regular and spicy soy garlic), 떡볶이, 김말이 The chicken pieces were small, the fry batter was chunked. 18.99 for this? Delusional. Then the spicy soy garlic marinade. There were out of the regular soy garlic. The marinade was way too sweet and spicy in a cheap way. Gave me stomach aches the night of and following day. Just bad fried chicken all around, not even just bad korean fried chicken. Bad fried chicken. The 떡볶이 was okay at best. Way too much red pepper powder in the broth. The fishcakes that they used were the cheapest feeling, thinnest possible ones. The rice cakes were small. The 김말이 was pathetic. So small. Service was all over the place. They say they do not do refills on side dishes, but some other tables got refills. They blamed it on the internet being down, but the service was slow, tables were messy, and the placed looked dingy. I would not recommend; in fact, I would recommend against going here. Go to Sol's on the square instead for general korean food. read more

Authentic, affordable, delicious and a great atmosphere. The banchan were good and they were generous with the refills. The dolsot bibimbap was great and a good portion. You can't beat the prices here for good tasting Korean. read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Side dishes / banchan - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I loved the seafood pancake and galbi beef short ribs which were very flavorful. My daughter enjoyed the bibimbok. My son in law ordered pork bulgogi and enjoyed that as well. The server was very pleasant and attentive. It is located an older building but was clean and comfortable. I have seen mixed reviews on this restaurant but would return and recommend it without hesitation. read more

Absolutely lovely staff, great food and an overall vibe like you're not paying for fake ambiance. We had the Bibimbap ($16) and they brought a side of pickled vegetables/kimchi. The food was good, normally I've had it served in stone bowl, these were melamine. Good to grab food after a day on the lake, but I wouldn't take a date here if you were trying to impress. The interior is very "found furniture," menus are very bad photocopies, and the food/table presentation is very "functional." Nothing worth a picture if you get my meaning. Still, we left full and happy and were very charmed by the staff and we would definitely go again. read more

5 star food if you're ready to wait a bit. We went to 5Star Korean BBQ on one of their busiest days and they only had one server. But it was totally WORTH THE WAIT! We got the the beef bulgoki, crunchy seaweed appetizers and soju. Very good quality food, the flavors are authentic and the ambience very cozy and warm. read more

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I don't think this tiny kbbq gets enough credit. I've read plenty of bad reviews about the food and service. However, I disagree. Yes there seems to only be two workers. One cook and one server. But they are trying their best to make their customers happy. Although I read and took the bad reviews into consideration, I asked the husband to take me on a good venture to try it out ourselves. During our visit, it wasn't that busy dining in. There were at least 2-3 tables ahead of us. We did notice that take out our delivery was quite busy though. We wanted to try their kbbq grill menu. And to be honest, it appears they downsized their menu to only having two meat options on their kbbq menu. Everything else was cook to order. Which is understandable since there is only two workers. We order both pork belly and the beef brisket with the kimchi dumpling & fried seaweed rolls. With the grill menu, we got four sides (kimchi, picked bean sprouts, kimchi cucumber and spicy fish cake). It is less than what you're normally served at any other kbbq places. But then again, it was prefect for just the two of us. The portion for the price was however a lot more than what we would typically receive at other places. Overall, 5 star korean bbq was great. The server was very tentative and made sure we were ok throughout our visit. During these hard times, some places are struggling to make ends meet and are trying their best. This would be one of those trying places. If you're not open minded and patient, I would suggest you not to go their because you'll probably just give them a terrible review. Note: yes there aren't any ventilation so you will end up walking out smelling delicious. Due to the small size of the restaurant, they do use tin foil to cover the grill which you will cook on. You won't get that nice char on your meat but it is still edible! read more

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I think the flavors are pretty authentic which is the most important thing. I am a crazy Dukboki fan and always order it at a Korean restaurant. Here at Five Star they make it very spicy (Korean-style sweet & spicy) , although the dish is still yummy. Hubby said his pork belly & kimchi stir fry is great to eat with rice. He wish the dish could be drier with just kimchi & pork belly though. The side dishes are okay - nothing really special. And they are not free to refill. The pleasant surprise is the appetizer deep fried sea weed. So crispy and yummy - we just could not stop eating one after one! read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - G-5. Oh Sam Bul Go Ki - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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No frills fun and authentic. Best Korean food we've found in the area. Friendly staff. Good portions. Lots of options.

N-1. Jop Chae$15.99 Clear Thin Sweet Potato Noodle Stir-Fried withVegetables and Shredded Beef. The same price via door dash as the store. They have a touch of sweet. I added onions. The kimchi dumplings have a kick. But of spice which should be expected from the Kim chi. The take home sides are (1) potato, (2) Kim chi, (3) something starchy with sauce, (4) soy sauce and I liked Kim chi and something starchy in sauce. Id like to try the $9.99 lunch offering. Right now I'm puzzled as to why I was given white rice and what goes with it. It's not like they gave a bunch of meat. All in all, I'd recommend but warn they are not generous with the protein. read more

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Mildly underwhelming Korean BBQ joint. They have weird vibes, highish prices (not awful for Korean BBQ - Soju was $13 tho), goodish food and tables with the built in electric grills that kind of work? Except they don't get that hot and are stuffed with tinfoil - so if it isn't perfectly flat the meat (two options) will stay flabby and raww. I walked in and told them we would be six people. They pointed to a table, then to a set of others which supposedly had reservations, looked confused, had me sit down, then moved me to another table and tried to push the two tables together before telling me the grill in one of them doesn't work and to enjoy. When others arrived they reconfigured the tables again. The grill that did "work" did not do so well so they decided to plug in the other, "not working" grill, and suddenly it sprang to life - who knew grills don't run purely on hunger. Anyway, I would go again in the distant future. In fact, if you want proper Korean BBQ in Madison you don't really have any other choice. Other places offer better food but you will not get the experience of the meat sizzling right in front of you. Probably the flavor of a non-electric grill (gas or charcoal) would have been better, but the meat and condiments are relatively tasty (if insufficiently charred). The appetizers - Dukboki and Kimchi Dumpling - were good so maybe order more of those. Oh and they should probably refill the water more, was a good twenty minutes after we asked. read more

Not too many options. The waitress was not that friendly. Couldn't keep my water filled. The place was a little on the dirty side. Will not be returning here. I've been to many korean bbq's and this one is by far the worst I've been to. And it was so expensive for the small amount of food you get and lack of options. read more

We had a reservation for a big group and mind you we were the only party here. And yet somehow the waiter still screwed up the orders. Two of our guest still haven't received their meals! On top of all this, the waiter argued with me and said I took someone else's food. How's that possible when my bi bim bap is the bulgogi "steak" and we had two of those orders. Waiter apologize for having one chef. Why not just correct the service.. and make it right by checking up on the table to make sure our water is topped off, or brining more small plates. Instead it's constant apologizing. My bibimbap was great but over all I might not recommend for large parties. I'm docking this 2 stars for the overall experience and constantly ignoring our table. 15 minutes passed and still no small plates and missing two meals, we've been here for an hour now. Low on water. read more

Bibimbap was decent, but the service was quite poor. The most funny moment was when the waitress slammed the pen on the receipt as if she were smashing a stone, making us feel like we were being commanded to sign it. read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Bibimbap - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Visiting Madison from Chicago where we have a lot of Korean food. 5 star was up there in some of the best I've had. Ordered japche, tteokbokki and the soy garlic wings. Everything was amazing. The apps were probably the best we've had. read more

Great place, great food! Definitely satisfied my Korean bbq cravings! I went with my whole family and received great service from the employees. Also loved how they played kpop in the restaurant. I already want to go back again read more

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Great prices for k bbq. Pretty good banchan - especially the tofu skins. Excited to go back! read more

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This is the only Korean BBQ place with a grill I can kind in the area, so I decided to give it a shot. We came around 7 pm on a Saturday, and it was not busy at all. We got seated at a grill immediately. However, there were only 2 grill options (pork belly and brisket), and all marinated dishes were prepared in the kitchen. We decided to switch to the a regular table since all that interests us were the marinated dishes. That being said, we ordered kimchi dumplings, bulgogi, galbi, and sam gyup sal kim chi. I was not disappointed. The kimchi dumplings were good, but not amazing. They were extremely crispy, but the filling was very mediocre, nothing special. I probably would not order again. The bulgogi and galbi was delicious. They were both sweet, but not too sweet, and savory. Lastly, we got the Sam Gyup Sal Kim Chi Bokeum. This was also very tasty. It had the perfect amount of spice and the sauce was excellent. The portion sizes were also perfect for two people. We ended up taking half of each dish home since we ordered 3 entrees. Overall, I would rate this experience 4 stars. There were only two servers, and it was difficult to get their attention when needed. Although, the service was still relatively fast. I love having a grill experience with Korean BBQ so that was disappointing for me. It would also be nice if it was AYCE. The prices were a tad bit overpriced, but you cannot find much food like this around here so I am willing to pay. I would definitely come again in the future. read more

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This was one of the place I always drove by but never gotten food from, which was a mistake by me. The restaurant is very casual with an open kitchen so you can smell the food being made. There are also BBQ tables where you can make your own BBQ. That being said the number of those tables are limited and if you want Korean BBQ at a regular table then the items will be done in the kitchen. The food itself is very good. Everything were flavored authentically and the side dishes were exactly what you would expect at a restaurant in Korea. Serving size is also huge so you will be full by the time you leave. The only reasons I couldn't give this 5 stars is because of the service and how old everything feel inside the store. There was only one waitress/host so you have to wait a bit to get your order. But because the kitchen also does takeout with limited staff meant that even when you get the food it'll take awhile, which is fine because the food is hot when delivered. The menu could be updated because some of the pages are torn or faded and the furniture and building is obviously old. Great place to get Korean food. It's just a shame that the store need to be updated. read more

The night was terrible and rainy. You could barely see anything, but our trusty map-app guided us to this place. The place was empty and we were a little worried. A lot of times I judge the quality of the food based on how busy the place is... It wasn't busy. We were greeted by one of funniest and sassiest waitresses I have ever met. She was awesome. We were talking to her about what we wanted and she got us to a grill and we got started with some beef bulgogi it was pretty darn good. She shoved us out of the way a few times to show us the right way to do things, which was even more hilarious. She took such good care of us and she was just as good as dishing out the comebacks as we were at harassing her. It was an enjoyable dinner. I thought the price was reasonable and the whole experience just a nice end to a miserable rainy night. The food was great, the service was great, and the interaction great. I would go here often if I lived closer. read more

Service was great! Waiters so friendly and nice. Place was pretty clean and was playing K-pop music. Food was okay. Beef bibimbop was pretty good. Kimchi pancake was really interesting and good - although it was burnt black on the bottom :(. Wasn't a fan of the fried kimchi dumplings - (I have a feeling they would've been better steamed). read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Top: beef bibimbop Right: kimchi pancake Left: free sides (kimchi, fish cakes, sweet potato) Bottom: fried kimchi dumplings. - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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My friend and I went before and it's was good. This time it feels like we paid 80.00 and hardly got anything. The woman employee didn't care about us at the table. They also didn't have the food we wanted. I drove pretty far for the black bean noodles and she said sorry not today. read more

This restaurant is on the corner but is hard to get to with recent construction! Don't let that deter you. The Korean food is authentic and delicious! I would recommend getting the kimchi dumplings steamed instead of fried! Also love the sun dried beef! If you've never had Korean BBQ it's a must! The staff is great! read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

There's a new menu with slightly different food items at Five Star Korean BBQ that lists the dishes in English with the Korean translation in parenthesis, so you know the place is pretty authentic. My boyfriend and I have been here multiple times for date nights and we've been here once with his siblings for Korean BBQ. Each time, we switch it up but most recently we've narrowed down to our favorite dishes. He prefers the mackerel and I order my seafood tofu soup without any green onions and if I remember to request for no white onions either. My favorite side dish is also the strips of fish cake and occasionally seaweed or kimchi. The dumplings are also fairly delicious. Keep in mind, the first two rounds of side dishes is free but if you request for a third one, then it's charged, and the same for an additional bowl of rice as well. Other than that, the wait time for food has gotten a lot better, it used to be hours before you'd be served food but if you go right after work, you'll be seated and served in no time! read more

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Food was fine. We ordered barbecue and choose to cooked in kitchen. But at checkout found we were charged an extra two dollars for that, which is not on the menu or informed when we ordered. We asked for it but the cashier gave us an attitude, like we are the unreasonable ones. Will never come again, and PLEASE PUT THAT CHA RGE ON THE MENU!!! read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

We were seated right away. Our server seemed like she was pissed. After finally figuring out the menu, another server helps us instead of her. We were moved to the grill area where we can do our own BBQ. We asked how much meat should we order for 5 and he suggested 4. Which end up being so much meat that only 2 order would have been more than enough. We ordered kimchi soup, Dukboki and kimchi dumplings for appetizers. Every thing arrived pretty randomly so nothing was appetizer. Food was amazing. Everything was very flavourful. But the service was very bad. Specially at the end we saw how they discriminated us and treated other table with so much better service. read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Kimchi soup - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Definitely five stars. We just moved but came here all the time when we lived in madison. Staff is so friendly and the food is spectacular. If you're looking for good, authentic Korean food, this is the place to go!!!! read more

My boyfriend and I came in for dinner on a Saturday night. I had always seen 5 Star in the area, but never had the opportunity to try it, until recently. My boyfriend and I ordered a mild beef soondubu jigae ($12) and the sam gyup sal kimchi bok eum ($18). Although the soondubu was ordered mild, the two of us thought it was more on the spicier side (even I thought it was quite spicy and I'm pretty good with spice!), so those who don't usually handle spice well, beware! The soup was a miss for us, as there was a lot of spice, but not much actual flavor. We thought of it more as "spicy water," as it was lacking in flavor. We also ordered the sam gyup sal based on recommendations from other Yelpers. We were not disappointed with this dish as the flavors were delicious with just the right amount of spice! Although we thoroughly enjoyed the dish, we felt like the portion size and the dish alone was hard to justify an $18 price tag. Service was average. Overall, 5 Star KBBQ is a "just okay" for me. read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - a bowl of soup and plates of food - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I know there is not much for Korean BBQ in the area, but this place extorts that. Overall the food was fresh, but not an authentic Korean BBQ experience. Also overpriced, but it is what it is. The biggest complaints were speed of service, no AYCE, and any of the marinated dishes are made in the kitchen and not on the BBQ. I would not repeat. read more

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This place was good. It definitely isn't a 5 star... it is a3 star. It needs modernized and updated. Food was good though. 5 stars on flavor. 3 stars on overall. read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Warning: THIS IS KOREAN FOOD, not American BBQ. I can't tell you how many times, while eating with friends, I've seen people come in thinking it's American BBQ because they see 5 Star BBQ. So if you're checking the out via Yelp first...good for you. Now you know. This place is honestly a great place when comparing it to other Korean options in Madison. There are practically only 2-3 other options that are 1) overpriced, 2) too "fusion"' for me, and 3) limited menus. Service This is something they will probably work on. It's honestly a family business where one sister is in the kitchen with a prep cook and the other sister is the server, hostess and all of the above. You have to be super patient and understanding considering their situation. I've thought about applying for a job there to help them out. Be kind y'all. Food If you like spicy, they can make it habanero spicy so be cautious. I recommend everything. Gamja Tang (pork bone potato soup) had a nice kick to it and the potatoes were huge! The Samgyupsal Kimchi Bokeum was good. I'd recommend you ordering it with the tofu for $2 extra. Friends have ordered the Al Tang (fish soup) and it's soooo good. You have to get the Seafood Pancake as the appetizer. This is probably the best Seafood Pancake I've had in the Midwest. It almost takes like my Grandma's! Location Pretty nice that they are located on the corner of Blair and East Wash. Lots of parking available. I'd recommend you carpool with friends if you can Justin case they get busy during the dinner time. It definitely got busy when I was there two different times with friends. Alcohol is available. Water is refilled often. Enjoy! read more

3.5 stars. A solid place to go, especially with a big group. Unfortunately, there was no space for KBBQ when we got there so we sat at the regular dining area. We tried several different dishes (from all parts of the menu), including chap chae, seafood pancake, bulgolgi, some soups, some sizzling dishes, stir fried rice cake, etc. Everything came out quickly and was decently tasty. Portions were decently sized and we appreciated the little dishes that we had on the side. I wasn't a fan of the Myul Nang Mun cold soup (buckwheat noodles) but that's a personal preference. It's a little pricey, but I have to keep reminding myself this isn't California, where AYCE KBBQ exists. Overall, Madison has sparse pickings for Korean BBQ so I definitely wouldn't mind coming back. read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I had lunch here and it was very good! Service was great, and servers were nice. Food was hot and flavorful. It was one of the best things I've eaten! read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - J-1. Kim Chi Ji Gae - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Unexpected stop for lunch. They have a lunch menu that is a cheaper version of the dinner one. The woman at the counter was extremely helpful at walking us through the menu and pointing out dishes that many people enjoy. I'm not normally a beef person, but the Bul go ki beef (L-1/G-1) was very flavorful. We also got chicken teriyaki. Neither had the sweet taste I was expecting from the description, but both were delicious. The chicken was more like a non-spicy blackened flavor. Rice was perfect. Even the lunch comes with "sides" that included two soft meat-filled dumplings, a small container of something pickled, something with chili paste that was too hot for me, and three cute little potato-things that were also yummy. I totally get why another reviewer said it was "home cooking." I'm not sure what happened to the other reviewers, but the service was awesome. After helping us order, we decided to wait in the car since we were getting it to go (pandemic and all) and the person said she'd bring the order out to us. Super-polite and friendly. I would note that the interior definitely could use sprucing up at some point, but, c'mon, pandemic. read more

Our first experience to this intimate Korean restaurant was a hit! The warm hospitality was refreshing, and it was one of the best Korean food I have ever eaten! We ordered Bulgogi and Jajiang. It was delicious and cooked properly. The noodles were tight as they should- very authentic. The Bulgogi was marinated and cooked with no MSG and it was worth the price of $15.99. The banchun was also fresh, crunchy, and a great compliment to our meal. Yum! The service was amazing! Our waitress was friendly and took care of our craving for Kimchi. In speaking with her, we found out the Kimchi is made fresh everyday. We weren't surprised because it was crisp and tasty. We can't wait to try this wonderful Korean spot for lunch as we heard their lunch box is also good and starts at $9.99. You got to try this one of a kind Korean restaurant! read more

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Not a good service, asking extra small sides with charged. The food is expensive but it is okay to eat. I won't come back.

[Wrote on 7-13-2018] AVOID this place!!!! If you like Korean food, go to Sol's on the Square or New Soul. This 5 Start place is a tragedy. The service was, terrible. I have no other words to describe, to be honest. I've lived in Madison for more than 6 years- and this place is no doubt the worst or the second worst place to be. It really made me upset.. Please read following story of me and my friend. Me and my friend wanted to get some Korean food, so we went to the five start Korean BBQ. We ordered the food and the food was pretty quick, it tastes okay, so I have no problem with that. But within 10 minutes after the food was served, the female server (or the owner?) has brought the check to our table... I've worked in the dinning industry before- bringing a check to your table usually means the restaurant want you to pay and leave, either because they are closing soon or there are too many people waiting. And usually people don't put checks on the table until you finish your food. But at this place- they literally brought me the check 10 minutes after our food was delivered.. That was 7:50 pm at that time, it's no where near that it's closing, and only 30% of the tables were seated so it's not like there is a line waiting to be seated.. I could see no reason they wanted us to pay and leave ...and the lady didn't even explain anything- she just dropped the check and left, which is pretty rude to be honest... this is the first thing that's astonishing Second, throughout our dinner, the server didn't come even once to check and ask us if we need anything. She always goes to the table right next to us though, and chatting with korean customers in Korean. Okay, I know you are a korean restaurant and you like korean customers, but that doesn't mean you should ignore other customers who aren't Korean! Super awkward dinning experience. Almost feels like people sitting in our table are un-welcomed. I had to wave hands to them so they could see me to give me refill water or rice Thirdly, after we finished our food, the owner came and rushed us to write the tip...while standing right behind me.. Another waiter handed me my card, and as I was writing the tips, she would stand behind me and be waiting impatiently while I'm writing tips... Come on lady, just give me a break, I was deciding either give no tips or give a 99 cents tip, but she was standing right behind me when I was writing tips , so I got nervous and gave her 1 dollar tip.. (our food cost us 35 dollars and I usually tip 20% to any normal restaurants) But this time, I really don't want to give them any tips.. at all. but considering the food isn't bad, and considering she is standing write behind me as if she is watching me writing the tips on the receipt, I finally gave her a dollar for the "amazing" service :) But anyways , that was a super awkward experience that night, and me and my friends just laughed it away on our way back... but we all know that we will never go back to this 5 star BBQ place again.. like , never.. read more

5 Star Korean BBQ - Service is terrible... food was okay though. The female owner was pretty rude toward us and was rushing us to pay .. unacceptable. - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin