This place failed to deliver. In waiting for the only waitress to take care of everyone and the sloooooow grill and small portions you could sense the strategy to delay and slow down the process to avoid people actually all you came at eating. I was annoyed just waiting for the grill and the second round took forever to come and in the entire meal I was just over it. This place fails to meet the all you can eat standards. The single waitress struggles to keep up and is kind and patient but patrons pay the ultimate price for this model. The meat menu is limited. The place does not have sugar for tea, and the experience itself was just frustrating because we were a table of 4 and hungry. read more

Dzo Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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One of the best Korean BBQ spots I've had--great meat quality, tons of flavor, and the whole table-grill experience makes it fun. Service was quick and on point. read more

Food 3/5 Service 4/5 Ambiance: 4/5 I went on a 03/08/25. Saturday around noon (2:00pm) with 4 people including me. The kind waitress gave us two menus which was the regular menu and the AYCE (all you can eat) menu. The services from the waitress was superb since she was trying her best despite working alone. There was a long wait time to even order, get utensils, drinks, and food. It took around 30 minutes to get the meats and food. I felt so bad for the ONLY waitress that was serving the whole restaurant (there were 6-7 tables full - including my party). Why was she working alone on a weekend? Anyways, moving on to ambiance. The restaurant was small but had seatings to accommodate big parties for birthdays, and the bar area was beautiful and small. With the food quality, I was pretty happy about the meat quality since it was alright but the variety of meats for the AYCE menu weren't good. I have been to various Korean BBQ restaurants in different states and many other restaurants had more varieties of meats. I feel like DZO did not deliver on this part. Also, as a Korean, I was super excited they had my favorite Korean BBQ sauce called ssamjang. Upon getting their "ssamjang" I found out it was a sauce called "chojang" which was VERY different from ssamjang and the sauce they provided us wasn't great. This was the only sauce they were serving us. I was very disappointed after visiting DZO. I have been homesick and craving Korean BBQ and Korean food for a long time and it was a miss. Their side dishes were not that great except for the cucumber kimchi and they did not have varieties of side dishes. I will go somewhere else next time but overall the waitress made it a great experience, thank you! read more

Casual ambiance, good quality and taste of the food. The service was really slow and timing did not flow very smoothly. Our drinks were delivered over 10 minutes after ordering and at separate times. Our appetizer of Korean fried chicken wings arrived after our main entrees. These negatives keep it from being a 5 star experience. read more

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When attending Iowa Wild games at Wells Fargo we have enjoyed their concession stand so decided to give the restaurant a try. What a treat!!! The food was incredible, the service was great, and it was a very clean place. The only thing keeping it from being five stars is the difficulty finding parking. read more

Dzo Korean BBQ - The short ribs were incredible!!! - Korean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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11/10/2023 Stopped back again when our son and his girlfriend were visiting and had another great experience. The main additions from this visit were the Boom Boom Bao appetizer (see picture) and the Kimchi Fried Rice (see picture). The Boom Boom Bao was SO good - I just loved the soft, warm bread-like bao with the juicy and flavorful inserts. It is a little pricey, but the food is quite good. read more

The service & decor was great, our waiter came to check on us and filled up our banchan. Now the meats, we ordered the O combo, even though there were plenty of food for a table of 5 adults, the flavor of the meat & sides were very bland. We're used to flavorful, marinated meat or even "great quality" meat but even the wagyu was pretty tasteless alone or w the dipping sauces. Apps: chicken skin & shishito peppers were good- 4stars For being the only Kbbq in town, it was mediocre especially if you've had kbbq from the bigger cities. Price is a little pricey but if you've had Gyu-kaku, it's the same concept. Charging for steamed rice is ridiculous especially for a side dish! Being the only kbbq in the area gives them an advantage but if you've had kbbq before this was very mediocre. read more

Dzo Korean BBQ - Soju Flight: grapefruit, plum and strawberry - Korean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Went to DZO tonight with a party of eight. Since the tables are setup for a maximum of six we split into two tables of four. Our table split an O combo, an order of Boom Boom Bao, and most of a bowl of kimchi stew. I ordered an Old Fashioned at the bar before the rest of my party arrived. From their menu; "The O combo gives a taste of the classic meats along with the ultra premium cuts. LA kalbi I bulgogi I ribeye I pork belly I wagyu boneless short rib I wagyu flat iron (feeds 4 people) (comes with refillable banchan side dishes)" "Banchan sides: seasoned mung bean sprouts, seasoned spinach, cucumber kimchi, picked diakon radish, napa cabbage kimchi, pickled onions and jalapenos, potato salad." Our server was fantastic and the food was great! We were lucky enough to have someone experienced in KBBQ with our party and along with the server she walked us through the banchan and sauces. It's a neat experience and one I've been looking forward to for a long time. Call it a foodie bucket list item I guess! It can be pricey, but there are menu items to fit all price points. Just put a bit aside now and then and budget it for a special date night or night out with friends. The wagyu was melt in your mouth buttery, but the sleeper for us was the kimchi stew. It was so good! The one bump... We asked for the combo to be split out on our bill. There were two singles at our table and one couple. It was split incorrectly, but the restaurant made it right when the error was brought to their attention. https://www.dzokoreanbbq.com/ https://www.toasttab.com/dzokoreanbbq/menu-and-pay/welcome/hi i read more

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I've been looking for authentic Korean food, like I got when I lived in Korea years ago, and this is not it. After being seated and perusing the menu, we decided not to eat there. As we were leaving, the man who had greeted us outside asked what was wrong. I tried to leave without explaining but he pushed for a reason, so I told him that the venue was loud at the time we were there and the food was not as authentic as what I was looking for (not the customary spice/sauce on the bi-bim-pap, for example; no barley tea available...). He appeared offended, gave excuses for each point I made (for instance, he informed me that we were in Des Moines, Iowa, and I could go to Los Angeles if that's what I wanted), and finally just turned his back to me and walked away. That is definitely not the way to impress this customer. The food may well be amazing, but it is not what one will get in Korea and the man (who I took to be owner or manager) does not accept feedback -- that he himself strongly solicited! -- graciously. I will avoid this place in the future. read more

My husband and I had dinner at DZÔ Korean BBQ tonight and I was underwhelmed by the food. After waiting patiently for months for this place to open, I was expecting great tasting Korean food. Unfortunately, I thought it was just average and there wasn't anything special about it. I'm Korean and I grew up eating the best Korean food made by my mom who is no longer around. So I have very high standards for Korean food. I got the Bulgogi Steak Dinner and my husband got the Kahlbi Short Rib Dinner. The presentation was very nice but there wasn't very much flavor in the sauce/marinade on the Bulgogi. It was missing that classic sweet and tangy flavor that Bulgogi should always have. It was very weak. I will say the meat was very lean and tender and didn't have any gristle like a lot of places have. My husband said his Kahlbi was also very lean and didn't have much gristle. The cucumber and cabbage kimchi wasn't the best either, but the picked daikon radish was very good. It wasn't all bad, though. The portion sizes were pretty good. Our server was very friendly and nice and did a great job. I liked the fun and hip vibe the place has and the location is great. I'm not in any hurry to go back. Since I was disappointed by the flavors of my food, I have a feeling that I'll be disappointed by other dishes, too. If I did come back, though, I think I might try their Japchae. That is one of my favorite Korean dishes that my mom used to make. I just feel like the food wasn't completely authentic. If you're not Korean like me or you've never tried Korean food before, you might like their food. But I prefer authentic flavors and spices in my Korean food. Two other Korean places in town that I think do a much better job are Jenny Lee's Korean American Kitchen (formerly Tako Tex Mex) and Sook's Korean Kitchen. Their food tastes just like my mom's. read more

Dzo Korean BBQ - Bulgogi Steak Dinner - Korean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Was lucky enough to get a spot in during their soft opening week and it was well worth it. So happy there is a great KBBQ for the area. It'd you don't know what it is, here is the breakdown. You will be seated at a table that has a fire burning grill in the middle for you to cook yourself of many different choices of marinated beef, pork, and veggies. No worries about the smoke, because the venting system is phenomenally built into the table as well on the sides of the grill. I did not go out smelling of BBQ. So ambiance wise is causal upscale setting that is fun to cook, drink, and be with friends and family. Now for the food. We got the combo platter D plus a side of Rib tips. The meat was marinated perfectly with a savory sweet and onion flavors. We also got the shishito peppers which were perfect for the meal as it can be heavy with all the meat. The BanChans (small sides) are numerous that comes with the meal. We got blanched bean sprouts, kimchi, seasoned spiced spring onions, lettuce wraps, potato salad, pickled radish, kimchi cucumbers, and blanched spinach. The dipping sauces were okay. You get one sauce that is sesame oil with salt and a spicy Gochujang. But honestly it wasn't too spicy at all but did provide a bit of heat to the meat. Overall, would definitely come again! read more

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I had better Korean AYCE food. I'd give this place a C. The BBQ is meander. The only thing I could eat was the seafood. The menu kalbi came out burnt and overcook. My 10 year old daughter didnt even eat half of it. The alcoholic drinks were so light I could barely taste the alcohol and I'm a light drinker. read more

Service was great! They changed the grill when we asked, but offered at sitting. Tables seat 6 easily. The egg rolls, beef bugolgi, and potato salad were delicious. Cucumber kimchi was tasty. Went on Sunday at 4:30 and they offered $10 endless mimosas. Had the D table dinner for 2/3 people and was definitely enough for at least 3 people. Very clean environment and great ambiance. read more

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We kept driving past this restaurant and finally decided to give it a try. We love Korean food and was excited come here. The vibe is chic but seating is uncomfortably close. There was a group of six men behind our table and the back of my chair was right up against the guy behind me. You couldn't reach the end of the table where the water was because we were a party of 2, sat at a table designed for 6 people. I know they're trying to fit as many people in there as you can but this was rough. On to appetizers and cocktails: so delicious!! We tried their pork belly bao bun and it wa so fresh and so tasty! Drinks were well balanced and not weak (thank you for that!). The entree portion is the fun part of Korean BBQ where you cook the proteins yourself at your table. Our waitress was wonderful and gave a great recommendation so we didn't over order. We tried kalbi and picanha. The picanha was the fave! For Korean kalbi, it should've been marinated a lot better. Korean flavors should explode and it did not on these meats. The flavor was okay, just very light which is not typical of Korean cuisine. We tried the chocolate hazelnut cake and macaroon cake....amazing!! So so good! The pricing wasn't too bad considering the amount of food you get. Service was great! Our waitress was so fun and polite and knew what she was doing! We'd go back if we knew the marinade had been improved for the meats and they added more spacing between their tables. We may order from them again but get it to go. read more

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Not authentic, meat is eh. Price is expensive. Side dishes are not sufficient. Kimchi not my favorite.

Decent meal. The food was enjoyable, the meat was fresh and good quality. The price was not reflective of the quality, portioning, nor the flavor. It was all very overpriced in my opinion. The whole setup seemed very greedy - rice was not even complimentary. Fun experience and you'll get a decent meal, I just can't see myself coming back with the misalignment of price and experience. read more

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The meat is quality is decent, but you're paying a premium for it. Their prices are higher than I'm used to when we go to local mom and pop Korean bbqs in other cities. But, they have the advantage of being the only Korean bbq in DSM. I highly recommend the Chick-charron. It's our favorite item there. Might be unhealthy, but so worth it! DON'T get their kimchi jjigae. It's awful. It does not taste authentic at all -- their kimchi is terrible as well so if they're using it for the jjigae, it makes sense why the soup taste awful. I'll just make it myself at home if I wanted something subpar. I'm hesitant to try their other Korean dishes/entrees. But, I'm going to try them anyways in case I'll be surprised! I didn't really like that they charged for steamed rice. I'm Asian, I want all my meals with rice--please! read more

The Host/Owner? Was very nice to accept our offer to share a table with total strangers and enjoy a great meal for Valentines as we did not have reservations. We explained to him community seating where a table for 6 could be split for two parties of two leaving the 2 seats in the middle empty and he was ok with it and we were able to be seated within 10 minutes and enjoy our meal. We actually had a great meal with great conversation with the couple who agreed to be seated along with us which was awesome. Kudos to DZO for thinking outside of the Normal DSM box and accommodating our request. I hope this becomes the norm as it is a great way to meet cool people. Oh I forgot the food and service at DZO is awesome as always. We had a great laugh on how a Korean BBQ joint had cool music and the best tasting main dish and sides especially the potato salad, scallions and cucumber salad. Very cool joint we will continue to show up. Thanks JG read more

Yummy! We live in Northern Virginia and have a Korean bbq restaurant on every corner so I am spoiled. Traveling for work here in Iowa and surprised to only find one Korean restaurant so thought to give it a try...Food was amazing and had authentic Korean flavors! read more

Dzo Korean BBQ - Bulgogi Steak Dinner - Korean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Korean BBQ is my favorite dining experience, so moving from California to Iowa where there was a bounty of Korean bbq spots to none was a big adjustment for us. Hearing DZO was opening had me ecstatic to finally have something local. The pros: service was so bubbly and helpful. I'm assuming they get a lot of questions about the experience and people not knowing they will be cooking their own food on the grill as the server explained every step and dish. Food quality was good with them giving unlimited banchan (veggie side dishes) along with their combo meals. The cons: very expensive for what is offered. $90 for 4 -8oz cuts of meat was shocking to say the least. It felt like they had the monopoly on this dining experience and took advantage of it. And to not serve rice (that's an extra) when you're already paying that price felt even more outlandish. Kalbi is supposed to be a 1/4" thick and ours were paper thin. Kalbi should not cook faster than the bulgogi(chopped meat). Pork belly was good but way too fatty for the small portion given. Lettuce pieces given included the stalks which is not typical to eat as the point is to wrap the bite. I'm thankful there are experiences like this in our area but hope this experience doesn't scare folks from wanting to try again. read more

Dzo Korean BBQ - Banchan - Korean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

We've been dining here since it's open and the service has remained consistent-friendly, timely and attentive. The place is cozy and quaint with good lighting from the large windows in the front. It is a typical Korean BBQ grill but you also have the option to have the meats precooked and served. The meats are ordered by the cuts. Not a lot of options but the meats are of good quality compared to other similar places. Not good on seafood options at all. The sides are brought out to you and it's unlimited. All in all, great place and the owner really cares about your experience. read more

Awesome food and service, our waitress was helpful and we enjoyed the experience. Highly recommend the bulgogi! read more

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Perhaps Korean bbq isn't popular here but commit from Seattle I was sorely disappointed. It was extremely expensive for the amount of meat you get, the banchan was flavorless as was the meat and they didn't have the traditional tangy dipping sauce for the meat. Literally how can you make Korean bbq so u enjoyable? :( read more

Our first of many visits. Delicious in every way. And we were pretty clueless as to how to put it all together. Didn't matter. Our waitress was very helpful and informative. We did option Z. It was perfectly sized to our appetites. We also had several appetizers. With the chocolate cake to seal the deal. Rumor has it they'll be open for lunch in the future. Hopefully. read more

Dzo Korean BBQ - These are the short ribs on the grill with scallion slaw in the bowl. Everything was delicious. I really liked the pork belly too. - Korean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Was not impressed with the food. Didn't have any real flavor, so hard to justify the price. Servers were very friendly, however. Parking can be tough. Interesting vibe - not bad, just kinda average. read more

We organized a group dinner here for 42 people, and due to the size of our party, the restaurant recommended pre-prepared food instead of grilling, which I reluctantly agreed to. However, it turned out to be a disastrous decision. Despite repeatedly requesting sufficient food, we ran out after serving only about 20-25 people. The restaurant was difficult to work with to get more meat, and I had to engage in prolonged arguments to secure additional servings, bit by bit. WHY DID YOU ASK TO DO pre-prepared!!! to save your money? In the end, we ended up paying for 42 people at $40 per person, along with an 18% tip, a 4% credit card charge, and approximately $1200 for drinks, totaling around $3,300. Most members in our group agree that it was one of the worst places (we are Koreans- we know Korean BBQ)--an ill-advised choice for a group dinner, resulting in significant expenditure and extreme dissatisfaction afterward. I deeply regretted my decision and felt sorry for our group over our annual event. read more

With the change to Wednesday being AYCE offering, we have made so many more visits to become almost regulars for Wednesday. The offering is $39 pp and offers all the Banchans that normal Korean BBQ do -- my favorites are the pickled jalapenos. They offer 6 options for main sides - Kalbi, Bulgogi, Tritip, pork belly, and chicken. (also a veggie option) The foods have been excellent. They do give you 80 minutes to finish eating, but we have never been slow rolled replacement that we left at all hungry. I highly recommend it. read more

This was my first time at this Korean bbq and I was introducing my friend to Korean bbq that's closer to us rather than going out of state. The service was really nice and friendly. The ambiance is typical with most Korean bbq places, nice music playing it can also be loud but it's a nice place to bring a group of friends or family for dinner. The KBBQ set was LA Galbi, pork belly, Bulgogi, and I believe was steak? This place has a lot of variety of the other things you can order on the menu, and I wish I could try it all in one night but perhaps next time I stop by in Des Moines I'll try the other things out. Definitely give this place a try if you've never had KBBQ before. It's such a good experience! read more

Dzo Korean BBQ - a variety of dishes on a table - Korean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I give it 5 stars for the food, but 3 for the price. Actually more like 2 1/2 for the price. I hav been to Korean BBQs across the country and this isn't anything better than any of them, but the price is double... I never complain about the cost of a good meal, but this didn't equal out. The ambiance is nice, a little on the loud side, but manageable. The service is excellent and the sides that come with the meat is a highlight. One other thing that I would like to see is the grilles get a little hotter. Ours was cranked all the way up and I still had a hard time getting any sort of sear on the meat. Fun place to experience. read more

Not authentic Korean food. And yes I am Korean and I will say that they are NOT. Many of the dishes on the menu are not even Korean. Food is of course not even close and mediocre. No side dishes unless you order a barbecue. Ordered a kimchi stew which should be served with rice but nope.. they charge for the rice separately which doesn't make any sense. Service was great that was the only thing that was good about the restaurant. Will not go back again. read more

Hey yo, it is winter in Iowa, only place in the Des Moines metro for Korean bbq. Hmmm if you've been to Las Vegas for all you can eat, get ready for a rude awaking. We decided on the "O" package for choice meats. Comes with unlimited sides, bingo!!! Meat option was great, price point not so much. But you get what you get with no competition. Service was great, attention to you as an avid eater, exceptional. read more

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We ordered the Korean Fried Chicken with the soy garlic sauce, kim chi fried rice, and creamy gochujang noodles, all for just about $50. This order was very over priced for the amount of food we received. Unfortunately, the creamy "gochujang" noodles were very bland. They tasted like fettuccini alfredo from Olive Garden without any salt, pepper, or garlic. There was absolutely no gochujang flavor present in the noodles. The noodles were not rice noodles, instead they were spaghetti noodles. The fried rice was also very bland, however the kim chi in it was flavorful. The Korean fried chicken was cooked well and the sauce was alright, but it didn't stand out from any other wings I've had in Des Moines. Overall, this was a let down... read more

Dzo Korean BBQ - Korean Fried Chicken - Korean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

My wife and I had a great time here. The service was good and the food was great. A little pricey, but worth it.

Taco meat with rice and kimchi. Need to travel to Korea and see what real bulgogi is. The staff was great and friendly. Food was fine just not authentic. Daikon radish was good. read more

This was one of the most sub-par dining experiences I've had in recent memory. What can I say? Meh. Perhaps I'm having difficulty thinking of words because our waitress's lackadaisical attitude rubbed off on me. Ok, here's something. My $18 "seafood and tofu stew" had three pieces of shrimp in it. That's it, that's the seafood. I wish I could say there was plenty of other stuff in there to make up for it. Does some cabbage and a few pieces of tofu count? Look, I know times are hard. Oh! Here's something else. My husband's food came out about five minutes after we ordered. I watched him eat it all for like 15 minutes - not that that wasn't entertaining - then my "stew" arrived once he'd finished. We got small helpings of water in funny little aluminum cups. Foolishly, we didn't ration our water - we came to regret that later once we'd eaten our spicy food. It was just not possible to catch our waitress's eye. She was like a sphinx - mysterious, elusive. "Have a nice day," she said as she handed off the check, not looking at either of us, instead studying something apparently fascinating by the front door. She left me to my own devices when I asked for my soup to go - not that it wasn't fun trying to get it in the container without burning myself on the hot pot or spilling broth on my shirt. So, yeah... that was my experience at Dzo. I'm giving it three stars because my husband really liked the wings. read more

TLDR: if you haven't had Korean BBQ, go, or continue missing out. If you've been waiting for Korean BBQ to finally come to DSM - go and reserve a grill! I think it'll appease your cravings, if it's fresh off the grill. I want to give DZÔ 5 stars, just for being, you know, the only place in DSM that we can get Korean BBQ. Huge props to everyone who made that miracle happen, upped the local food scene. But it's not perfect yet. The ingredients are good; definitely hits the spot if you're craving crispy grilled pork belly or juicy wagyu or the sizzling short ribs...you get the idea! The seasoning seemed to generally be a bit short on the sweetness that we're used to seeing from Korean food so some may feel like this is a big miss, with the price tag. But for us, we spent about $65/person and were quite stuffed! Plus, I didn't come out of the restaurant soaked in Korean bbq aroma so that's a big plus for DZÔ. If you want to know what dishes to order: Wagyu flat iron - yum. Get this and don't overcook it. Z combo - I lost track of all the cuts but they were all good quality meats; they were enough for 4 ppl if you get 1-2 more dishes Japchae - this was okay, but I've made better and I'm no pro in the kitchen. Seafood jigae - I was expecting more tofu, the flavoring and stew consistency wasn't quite right on this dish. I hope they can improve this dish - it's one of my favorite Korean dishes! Kalbi dinner - decent, but why not make the Kalbi thicker? read more

Delightful Korean BBQ. We had a large family group with grandmothers and kids from 4 to 24. Everyone was pleased and happy with the variety of meat and our ability to share and dress the food with lots of flavorful sides. read more

We ordered the Kalbi Steak Tacos to go, which cost $15 for three tacos, which is a lot of money. The online picture looked great, so we were willing to pay that price, but when we picked them up, the bag was so light that we knew we'd been duped. There was barely anything in the tacos. We would have been happy if they were at least stuffed to the brim with cheap cabbage, because the flavor was excellent, thus the 3 stars. read more

Dzo Korean BBQ - What we thought we were getting. 3 for $15. - Korean Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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We walked in hoping for a grill, but ended up eating at the bar and being completely satisfied! Katie was our bartender/server and did fantastic on her first day! We enjoyed the boom boom bao (amazing) and the bibimbap. Everyone was so friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was relaxed. We will definitely be back! read more

The food was so delicious. It was so good. The service was so good made me want to come back again.