Emonae has changed a bit since they first opened - they took most of the grill tables out but still serve traditional Korean food. Nate and I met up with a group of Korean adoptees recently and had a nice time. The space was great for a larger group and we all had plenty of room to share since it wasn't busy. The menu includes several Korean dishes that you can't really find anywhere else in the area, like buldak, pan fried mackerel, pork belly stir fry, etc. It was tough to decide what to order because I LOVE Korean food! I went with the buldak (spicy chicken stir fry with cheese) and Nate got the dolsot bibimbap with spicy pork. We also had some appetizers to share - the fried dumplings and shumai. I loved the dumplings. They were super crispy and the filling was savory and tasty. The shumai were okay and cooked nicely, just not a ton of flavor for me. I was really happy with the buldak. The chicken was tender, it had plenty of melty cheese, and it wasn't super spicy. I've made this dish at home and you can definitely make it super hot! Nate and I both agreed that we liked the buldak better than the bibimbap. There is plenty of parking as Emonae is in a strip mall with some other restaurants. I will definitely be back to try more of their food! read more

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Family enjoyed our first time back since they reopened. No more grills built in the tables, but it's nice to have an option for Korean food on this side of town. We had plenty of food splitting the bulgogi, Kalbi, veggie dumplings, and jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) with all of the banchan (side dishes). I love fish cakes! It seemed like there were only one or two people taking orders, cooking food, and serving. We didn't have to wait too long for food and it was a nice family dinner. read more

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Why say your open at 11 and you're not? I saw a review from someone else saying the same thing. Like that guy we drove out of the way for nothing. #ANNOYED read more

Still offering your favorites for take out during the current shutdown! Called ahead tonight to order a couple dozen Korean style chicken wings. Give a quick description of your car, and when your order's ready they'll bring it to the curb. I know one day we'll get to enjoy the grills in the dining room while clanking glasses of tasty Hite beer, but until then support your independently owned eateries with a takeout order. Emonae's wings make the perfect snack for football watching or movie night! :-D read more

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My wife and I enjoyed a dinner at Emonae finally! We wanted to try their all you can eat Korean bbq and it didn't disappoint. It includes an appetizer and we went with the steamed dumplings, which were just average. The owner explained everything as he brought it out and helped us get started. He continued to check on us and swapped out the grill for a pre-heated clean grill. He brought us lettuce wraps as well as rice to go with the dinner. The sides were tasty and the kimchi had a kick to it. We enjoyed all the meat and were full with the initial portion he brought. The menu does say they'll charge you extra if you order more food and don't finish it. Overall, they need more employees to help with service because the owner does get tied up with each table as he helps. The staff was very friendly and we enjoyed learning all of their tips. Definitely recommend giving it a shot. read more

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I'm so excited Grand Rapids has Korean BBQ! We've been coming here a few years and the food is always consistent and delicious. We typically get the all you can eat. The price has recently gone up to $25/person. Still a great deal. You get the Korean sides, rice, and an appetizer with it. We like the fried dumplings. The all you can eat comes with three meats - pork belly, chicken, and bulgogi. The pork belly is fine, not much flavor and takes forever to cook and is hard to cut so we usually just get the one. The chicken is fine too, nothing special but still good. The bulgogi is delicious! The sauce is sweet and if you cook it right it melts in your mouth and gets a nice crust! We like to get garlic and onions to cook our meat with. I like to use the extra dumpling sauce on my rice. Service is ok. They stay busy but you still have to wait for things sometimes. For this area, the food is good and definitely satisfies our craving for Korean bbq. read more

Emonae Korean BBQ - Complimentary sides - the fish cake is my favorite and I love the radishes with the meat! - Korean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Ordered the bibimbap for lunch. It was delicious. It came with around six small side dishes...from what I could tell was some kimchi, picked daikon, bean sprouts, and some other things I'm not sure what. But it was typical for Korean bbq joint. You can opt to cook your own meat if you like. The place is on the smaller side with a log cabin feel in one side, very casual. If you have a larger party, they recommend reservations. For only seeing maybe one server (and the place was fairly full) the service was good. Nice to have an authentic ethnic restaurant with good good in the cascade area. read more

Authentic place for KBBQ and soju in GR! The soon dobu was not as good as the other spot in town but there's no where else for the traditional BBQ dishes. It's owned by a family from Korea and they base the dishes off of family recipes. Definitely worth a try! read more

YUM! We've been wanting to try thIs place for a while now and finally did! The place is super cozy and has just enough space, you don't need more really! It's a Saturday afternoon so it was pretty packed and the wait for the bbq was about 35 minutes so we decided to just sit on a regular table and order off of the menu. When you first sit down, they bring you your drinks and the side dishes. The side dishes include kimchi, cucumber, and I'm not sure what the other little plates were but everything was super duper good. So apparently all those side dishes are to be eaten with the rice and meat. They have a kick to them and it works really well with what ever meal you end up getting, so it's a must! We ordered the veggie fried dumplings for appetizer. By far the best dumplings I've had, like ever! I couldn't believe they were vegeterian, it tastes like meat dumplings but nope! All veggies.. the sweet and sour sauce that comes with it was to die for. I was going to ask if we could get a whole bottle of it, to go! I definitely recommend you start your meal with this masterpiece! Then came the main entrees. My fiancé ordered the Kalbi (beef ribs) and I got the Bulgogi. Both entrees come with white rice. Let's just say that we were throwing "hmmms" and "yumms" with each and every bite. Both meat's seasonings were heavenly. Just the perfect amount of sweetness. The onions were the perfect addition. The sauce that comes with the meat is super good with the rice, although that rice didn't need anything, it was perfect as is. The portions are huge, we were full by the time we ate half of our meals but kept going! To finish it off, we ordered the mango mochi ice cream which was the perfect ending. read more

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Overall ok place, I think this is the only Korean bbq place in town. The food was alright, smaller portions. Kimchi could use some work also wished they offered fish cakes with their bbq meats. Food did come out quickly. Did get seated almost right away but staff was pretty disorganized. Had one waitress come take our order and then a few mins later someone else came to take out order as well. Had to ask for water and silverware since neither was offered initially. read more

Finally, an authentic Korean BBQ restaurant in Grand Rapids. The food itself is pretty good. They provide you six side dishes with your meal with free refills. I tried the all you can eat option and enjoyed it. You get a choice of an appetizer to share with the table: Seafood Pancake, Kimchi Pancake and Gyozas. You can order from three meats: Korean Bacon, Bulgogi and Marinated Chicken. I was surprised how good the chicken tasted. The places I've been to usually has dry chicken but Emo's marinates it well. The staff is very friendly but they still need to work on their service. The place doesn't have the best ventilation so it can get smokey. read more

Emonae Korean BBQ - Seafood Pancake - Korean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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I came here by myself and was kind of sad because I hadn't realized that there was an AYCE/grill option. It does seem people haven't been entirely satisfied with the grill options though, BUT I was really pleased with the dolsot bibimbap and banchan, so I can't be too sad. Restaurant was clean and not too hot (but it was like...April?) and smelled great. Portions were huge since it was just me eating banchan and a dish all by myself. I had plenty of leftovers that warmed up great the next day. read more

Emonae Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Steamed dumplings for appetizer was really good. Especially with the sauce. Bulgogi- was really good and flavorful. Bimbimbop in stone Bowl was really good. Definitely would get both this and bulgogi again. We want to come back for the Korean bbq. Service was fast and the staff was very personable. Looking forward to coming back. read more

My native Korean girlfriend and I decided to stop in on a Sunday night around 7:40PM. We wanted to try some Korean restaurants in the Grand Rapids area. So we decided after a visit to Woodland to go here for a quick bite. My suggestion; don't and save your money. We ordered two items. The yangnyeom chicken wings which we hadn't seen on a American-Korean menu before and yukgaejang. The chicken was covered in the most salty sauce I have ever tasted. It seemed to us like it was made from gochujang and soy sauce something I don't suggest covering your chicken wings in and something I could have easily made at home. The yukgaejang wasn't as bad as it was edible. However, it was not made from just strictly beef like it should and also contained what we believe to be just MSG ramen packets for the majority of the flavor and too much oil! The total came out to be $22.45 which for the food we got was completely not worth it. I suggest going to Seoul Market for their small restaurant or just going to Lee's Oriental Market and buying fresh ingredients for yourself to enjoy instead! read more

My boyfriend and I used to go to the location in East Lansing, so we were thrilled when we realized that they reopened in GR. We went during late afternoon on a Friday. It was pretty empty and service was prompt. To start, we ordered the pork egg rolls. They weren't greasy but definitely wasn't healthy lol. They're savory and a good start. We came outside of lunch hours, so we had to order full sized entrees. We got the bulgogi and the the spicy pork tenderloin dish (can't remember the name). The servings were huge and we immediately realized we ordered too much! We probably would have been better off with one entree and another app. The spicy pork was the clear favorite. The meat was tender and juicy and the spice level was perfect. While the flavor of the bulgogi was more on the sweeter side than the usual but ok, the meat was a bit mealy. Not a huge fan. It's worth checking out and I would definitely recommend trying the pork. The lunch special seems decent too if you can go in the right time frame. read more

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Solid 3.5 - for food and service. Dinner at 7 PM on a Saturday. We called and made reservations. Slow service - under staffed but they work hard trying to refill drinks, meats and side dishes (ban chans). They do refill when you ask but expect some wait time for the side dishes. No vents above tables. Gas grills at table tops. Not a very big restaurant. All you can eat for 21.99 (3 meats only and includes 3 appetizers). Pork belly, chicken, and bulgogi were the only options. Seafood pancake was yummy. Veggies are $2 extra for lettuce and onions. We had to ask for dipping sauces - sesame oil and soybean. Chap chae was flavorful. Would order again. Dol sot bimimbop was hot and good. read more

Honest opinion it's not bad but it's not good only meat I ate at all you can eat section of this place is the beef the rest didn't really went well with my stomach. I sadly won't be coming back here again as much I love Korean bbq and all you can eat you only have 3 meat choices not like other places that would do more than 3 meats. This isn't my first Rodeo in eating at a all you can eat Korean bbq place I've moved here recently and looking for a good place and hoped I like this but I don't. read more

I'm rating Emonae a 2 rather than a 1 because the flavor of the bulgogi was adequate. Otherwise, this was our first and last time coming here. I had called twice on Sunday verifying the last time to be seated in order to use the table BBQ. Both times the hostess confirmed as long as we were there by 8pm we could sit at the table with the BBQ. We were there by 7:42pm and the hostess had told us we would only have 20 minutes at the table and she would have to manually shut it off. We obliged and sat at a regular table instead. There was another party who was seated at a table with a BBQ and they were able to use the BBQ until 9pm. We would continually run out of the small plates (KimChi, fish egg, etc.) and the waitress would give an attitude when we asked for more. She also wasn't picking up the empty plates. The bathrooms were dirty, our waitress was rude, would barely check in on us, and we had to wait 20 mins before getting water. The Bulgogi plate was over priced, their chicken sauce was a salt overload, and my friends rice bowl ended up being burnt. There was an advertisement for drinks on the window however the waitress told us they don't serve any alcohol. My boyfriend had left his card there, but the restaurant refused to allow us to return that night to pick it up or the next day. If you're a lover of K-BBQ don't come here, it's a waste of time and money. If you're looking to try it for the first time, don't allow this place to ruin KBBQ spots for you entirely. read more

The food was good and the experience was too. One waitress was a wet dish towel and the other was very informative read more

Emonae Korean BBQ - BBQ Combo beef, chicken and pork belly. - Korean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Pleasantly surprised with this hidden gem. Ordered the beef bulgogi which was great! Comes with 4 side dishes of pickled radish, kimchi and a few others I wasn't quite sure what they were. Between service and food it was a great lunch! read more

Food is okay. We went here for Korean bbq but it turn out that we ordered from regular menu. First bbq buffet is $21.99 per person. We asked what (2 person or more) means and it means that you can order Korean bbq unless you have 2 or more ppl on your table. $21.99 for each and I believe you get 3 kinds of meat which is a lot of money in my opinion. Second we decided to order lunch special. We got food and finished all. It was okay. Not too good or too bad. However, the waitress did not inform us that there IS NO lunch special on Sunday so we ended up paying dinner price which is a lot! There was $15.99 for one of the dishes that we ordered but I don't remember which one it was. But! The chef was a nice! He came out and ask how we're doing. read more

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Worst korean I've ever had. The bulgogi was like wet and swimming. Big disappointment.

The food is good. The end. Open tables, still had an hour wait. They aren't serving alcohol or hot tea for some reason, but that's not advertised. The service is HORRIBLE. Empty water glasses, dishes on the table, server took a break...other servers came over, they clearly didn't communicate. Our first server acted very manic as if it was the busiest it's ever been. There were 3 tables and 3 servers. Also asked if someone was getting our check even though we clearly weren't finished. I won't be back. read more

My last time probably coming here. Waited a while for a dish to split w/my son. We ordered kalbi. The flavor is not that bad, but a big disappointment all the way around. Our server asked if we wanted a side of rice. I asked didn't it come w/rice. She said yes one serving. She lays out these small dishes and we ate it w/the rice. Then the main dish comes out, server asked if wanted more rice we agreed. After she brought the dish and rice out, she never came back to the table. Not to see how the food was, or refill our waters or even to bring the check. I mean she seemed nice but that's it. There were a lot of bones but not a lot of meat. Mostly fatty pieces. I walked up to the counter to get our check and pay. For ordering a 18.99 dish, it came out to be over 26.00. When I asked why, she said the extra rice you ordered. lol I wish she let me know all the rice she was offering she charged 1.50. I wish I took a photo of the small dish of rice. I don't believe I got more then 6 bites. REALLY Also the menu I got had the price of 18.99 for Kalbi, but they charged me 21.99. That's the price for ALL YOU CAN EAT kalbi. Not the same as my single serving and charge for rice. They get 2 stars cause after the manager explaining the prices raise hard to find deal on kalbi and not take a lost, she gave me 3 dollars and change back. Again the kalbi taste good. The fat parts and small portions of rice made it hard for me to be happy they got my money. I would not recommend this place even if your standards are lower then mine. read more

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Great potential for Grand Rapids area; food was good... had the table with the grill and grilled our meats. Great flavor. The only thing I did not like is that they would bring a plastic bin to the table to clear dishes. It smelled great when walking in, great team service. read more

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Driving to visit family and we needed a place for lunch. It's a bit out of the way but worth it. The decor is a hit dated but the food was good! We visited st the end of the lunch hour on a weekend and it was a bit busy; service was slow. Our appetizers arrived at the same time as the meal but the food was delicious! We ordered the bimibop not the BBQ but we were all satisfied and the stone bowls are a nice touch. Beer and wine available but no mixed drinks. read more

Emonae Korean BBQ - Tofu Bibimbap - Korean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

A new city, a new Korean BBQ! Glad I found this one less than a mile from my hotel... Right from the start, servers Rebecca and Abraham were very attentive and kept it up the entire meal. The bonchon selection was not huge, only 5 styles,, but all were flavorful and refilled without asking! As I was dining alone, the boss granted me a special favor not normally bestowed on single seatings... The single entree portion of pork belly that I ordered to grill was more generous than most BBQ I have visited. ( I did not do AYCE, but even that is reasonably priced at $21.99 per person) My only minor thought was that although they feature high end infrared grills, I still love cookin with gas baby! There will most certainly be a return visit!!! read more

Came here with a group of 6 (including 2 kids) on a Tuesday night - the restaurant was about 3/4 full, but there didn't seem to be many people working (I heard our waiter apologize to another table for his disappearance because they were short staffed and he was in the back washing dishes...). The owner ended up serving us above half the time and was very accommodating (brought scissors to help cut up kids noodles, forks for the kids, etc). Food was excellent - the soy garlic wings are very yummy (remind me of wings I've gotten in California), and I really enjoyed the Bulgogi a lot. My kids loved the noodles and fried rice. We didn't get the AYCE BBQ because the whole table had to buy it, and we had a vegetarian with us - so be warned about that. Overall very good - the owner mentioned he was opening a new location downtown in the next few months as well. read more

This was my first exposure to Korean food and I have to say that I now crave it! The staff is patient and informative when you are learning. They have tabletop grills for that authentic experience. I've also done take out a few times and it is just as wonderful. Great portions, flavor and price point! You must give it a try! read more

Came here with my sister. Didn't eant to over order so we picked 2 dishes that we knew would feel us up. Got the Kalbi (ribs) that was super juicy, flavorful, and meaty. Also got the seafood pancake my fave! It was crispy, flavorful, and lots of squid and shrimp. Of course our meal came with 5 banchan (sidedishes). Couldn't complain, banchan was all good, some a little spicy for me, but still good with rice. Very satisfied and super full after this delicious meal. They have all you can eat BBQ for $21.99 must try next time I'm in the area! read more

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First visit. They were clearly busy and struggling to keep up, but despite being overwhelmed offered amazingly friendly service and a wonderful meal! Really great people, I'll definitely be back. read more

We were able to dine in before the latest restrictions and had a wonder meal. We both had the all you can eat Korean BBQ and had fun cooking and eating. read more

I nearly didn't go here because a friend said they had bad reviews for a reason. Honestly, the low reviews from all sources are full of shit. There are indeed several areas that could be improved, but the wait staff and owner were incredibly friendly and definitely tried their best to give good service on a busy New Years weekend. Realistically this is more like a solid 4* when compared to my experiences in NYC. Most of the meats for bbq are pretty good, with the special kalbi being really good and the chicken bring quite mediocre. It's not an amazing kbbq experience compared to NYC, but for Grand Rapids this is the best korean food in town. Aside from that, their seafood pancake is probably the best of any place I've ever eaten. It'd be worth going here just for the seafood pancake alone. read more

Just thinking about this place makes my mouth water . The all you can eat (AYCE) is 21.99 and the whole table has to choose it, need a minimum of 2 people. The rules recently changed and you now get 90 minutes only (probably because people would stay for hours). The bulgogi (beef) is well seasoned; there's none other. I've gone to other Korean restaurant, but Emonae's bulgogi's seasoning exceeds all the Korean restaurants I've been to thus far. I also recommend the Kalbi (ribs) if you don't partake in the AYCE experience. I am going to miss living in GR just because of this place. It doesn't happen often, but bring cash in case the credit card machine breaks down (out of over 20+ times we've been to, the machine was only out twice). If you're looking for a spicy meal, try the Champong (spicy seafood soup); be aware your mouth will be on fire after a while and you'll be sweatin g bullets like my boyfriend was . I think the only fallback is that, sometimes you hit the jackpot with your server, and sometimes... well... you get the point. But the food is so good that i continue to go back. read more

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The food was sooo good! Sunday at noon was a nice time to go. Not to busy. They were helpful with my gluten allergy and there was actually a lot I could eat! I will be back! read more

Emonae Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Bad customer service and food are not worth it. Overpriced barbecue, waittress forgot what we asked even though the restaurant only has only us dining. My husband ordered Sprite and the cup has smell of detergent. read more

Great service, amazing food. The staff are friendly and super knowledgeable if you need recommendations. read more

Simply amazing! The food is delicious. Staff is very knowledgable and helpful. We were a bit intimidated by doing our own grilling, but the staff was great! Small place, great food! read more

Amazing Korean food with helpful suggestions for vegan and vegetarian options! The veggie dumplings are a great appetizer and I could eat a million of them, no doubt. Small but cozy atmosphere with all the best kpop playing on the speakers, which...come on...how could you not love this place knowing that?! Anyway, check it out, eat some ddeokbokki and enjoy your time! read more

Fantastic food, awesome service! My top favorites are: the garlic wings (amazing) for an app, as well as the steamed dumplings. For lunch or dinner order Japchae (my personal favorite) the hot stone bibimbap, the teriyaki salmon, or the Mackerel! Of course you should try the Korean bbq too if you haven't done it before! The meat is marinated to perfection and it is so tender and tasty! So authentic, so delicious! read more