I tried Korean bbq for the first time ever here and I really enjoyed my experience. The wait was long but very worth it. Everything we ordered was so tasty. This included the steamed vegetable dumplings, scallion pancakes, and the marinated beef short rib which was cooked to perfection by our server. Our server was so kind and guided me throughout the whole process. He really took care of us and I'm grateful. I do wish they had more selections of wine but the bottle we got for the table did just fine. We finished with the mochi cake which was just the right amount of sweet. I would definitely come again. read more

Insa - Steamed vegetable dumplings - Korean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Solid Korean place in Brooklyn. Reservations were easy to make on resy. We were running late on Sunday early evening and they were saving our table. Seats and tables are nice wooden communal style. They have lots of private rooms for karaoke. I def want to go back for that. Now onto food. Marinated galbi was delicious. Good quality meat but expensive for little bit. Comparable to ktown. Also got the mushroom to grill which was delicious. Fried chicken was crispy and juicy on inside but the batter is too thick and puffy for my liking. Not double fried like usual Korean style. BUT the kids loved it so I barely even had any. Lol The seafood pancake is the best I've ever had. Crispy outside and chewy on the inside. At first I was skeptical because it's pretty thick but thats because there's lots of stuff inside! But eat it hot. Once it cools down, not as good. Soon dubu was fine but had a thicker spicy sauce than Im used to. Banchan was fine. Nothing too special except I like the spicy cuttlefish or squid. Cumin ribs were yummy and very flavorful. Japchea was normal. read more

KenScale: 3.0/10 The moment I saw the menu where there was marinated galbi (short ribs) but not the non-marinated one, I immediately knew there was something wrong with Insa. Typically, galbi is marinated when the kitchen lacks confidence in the quality of the meat. Yes, marinated one tastes sweeter but really the right way to eat galbi is in its non-marinated form without seasoning to give maximal effect to the meat's texture. After a rather underwhelming dinner at a "modern Korean" restaurant Atoboy the other night, my girlfriend and I (both from Korean background) wanted to make it up by having a more traditional Korean experience focusing on grilled meat. It's pretty rare to see a Korean restaurant in Brooklyn compared to Manhattan (around Korea Town in midtown) or Queens (in the Flushing neighborhood), and I was certainly intrigued to visit Insa located in the quiet neighborhood of Gowanus, especially after a favorable review in NYTimes' restaurant critic Pete Wells. After the meal, I had to keep wondering whether Mr. Wells was probably too drunk from all the sojus and wild night at the karaoke that's inside the restaurant. I really hate to slam a Korean restaurant, but Insa was by far one of the worst dining experiences ever since I came to New York City five years ago. My girlfriend and I are not picky eaters at all, but we were both eager to walk out of the restaurant as soon as the bill came. Insa is billed as a Korean BBQ restaurant showcasing the traditional Korean barbecue and other dishes. Knowing that the restaurant was from a couple one of whom is from Korea, I was hoping that the kitchen can deliver that satisfying authentic Korean experience. Not only did the kitchen fail to do that, but the food was just plain bad. The beef tartare dish ("yuk hwe") is supposed to have layers of chewy texture, but the one from Insa was just a pile of amorphous meat with no textural effect at all. There wasn't enough pear to add that refreshing kick to the dish, and the egg yolk further dulled the texture without enhancing it. My girlfriend and I looked at each other immediately as if we had seen a ghost after the first scoop. The textural disaster also took over blood sausage ("soondae"). Again, instead of layers of chewy texture that we were expecting, it turned out to be so mushy that I had to try a couple more pieces just to make sure that I was eating what they claim it is. I was absolutely incredulous that Mr. Wells in NYTimes praised this dish with enthusiasm in his review. After the initial shock from finding out there wasn't a non-marinated galbi, we relented and ordered the marinated one, and the texture of galbi was uneven to say the least (the very next day, as a sign of my apology to my girlfriend for a terrible dinner, I took her to an above-average Korean BBQ place in Korea Town where we indulged on juicy, tender galbi in its non-marinated form). The only marginally decent dish to me was the bibimbap rice dish in a stone bowl accompanied by bulgogi, gochujang sauce and fried egg (even though my girlfriend didn't approve this dish either), but there arises another major issue at Insa. In Korean traditional experience, a rice dish comes after all the appetizers and barbecue dishes, and the server brought out the bibimbap at the very beginning! When I stepped into Insa, I didn't see a single Korean server, and it clearly shows that the service staff at this purportedly Korean restaurant doesn't have a clue on how Korean food should be eaten. And for that, the restaurant charges 20% automatic service charges (instead of traditional tips that can be given by diners at their discretion)? Give me a break! The restaurant was moderately packed in the course of our dinner with mostly local Brooklynites. Another bad miscue from the restaurant; they only serve natural wines which are not best eaten with the grilled Korean barbecue dishes. Enough said about the lack of common sense from the service staff as noted above. It was really had to find any redeeming qualities from our disastrous dinner at Insa. Two major lessons learned: (1) Mr. Wells doesn't know what Korean food is supposed to taste like and (2) always be wary of a Korean restaurant in a neighborhood that doesn't cater to Korean customers. I've recently put a lot of time thinking about how to write this review. I don't meant to sound mean or hurtful when talking about sub-par dining experience, but I hope that other discerning diners who appreciate the taste of my mother country stay away from this place, until at least they decide to fix their issues (which seems like a pretty tall order to me given the totality of disaster everywhere). read more

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This was my first korean bbq experience and it didnot disappoint. I went here for a team celebration and we tried all sorts of things. For drinks we got the dragon bowl which has cinnamon, orange and a lot of alcohol. Super tasty and packs a punch. For appetizers we tried the dumplings and pancakes. I didnot try either but everyone seemed to enjoy them. My favorite dish was the sweet potato noodles with vegetables and egg. They did make it vegetarian and were a good portion size. The main for me was the seasonal vegetable bbq. They did take care to change the tray and use fresh tools. A lot of the sides were vegetarian as well. My favorite was the maitake mushroom (no surprises here!). Post our dinner, we had booed a karaoke room. It was new for me that korean bbq + karaoke are a thing. The service in the room was fast and they did bring us our drinks on time. I do want to point out that they did take care of our allergies and dietary restrictions pretty well (despite a large group). read more

I came here with a party of 8 and a toddler. And no, Dominic I'm not referring to you this time LOL! The staff was super accomodating and the food was hot and fresh. I liked that there is a staff member who will tend to the bbq grilling so you can carry on and not worry about burning your dinner. All the food was delicious and the interior is beautiful. This warehouse district is cool and the space is gorgeous. read more

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Cool vibe with nice lighting and layout of the restaurant. The vegan options of japchae and vegetable bibimbap (without the egg) were delicious, especially the japchae. read more

Loved it. Walked in and waited for a table at the bar, which is so cute I love the decor. Everything I tried was soooo good. So worth waiting for read more

Came here on a date last night. It was the two of us on a Sunday night at 6:30. The wait was 45 minutes (They don't take reservations!) BUT they were very kind to inform us they had service at the bar. I excitedly jumped at the chance. When you first walk in, there's a little window that peaks into the bar/lounge area -- it's red, lush, and visually my aesthetic. There were a few seats at the side bar, but we were so crazy lucky there was an entire BOOTH open! It feel like a dream, we had skipped the whole line and found this hidden gem. So if it's crowded when you go, seriously see if you can swap to the bar. We skipped a group of five that could have easily fit in the booth. The bar area is waiterless, but the bar is 2 steps away and the food is delivered to you anyway. We had the gogi mandu fried, tteokbokki, and bossam. My favourite was the Gogi Mandu, amazing flavour and just the right level of crispy. Everything was great too. It was nice to go out and enjoy every aspect of the night. Our cocktails were fabulous, I recommend the Sun&Moon. It's worth the trek if you're not from the neighbourhood. I would love to come back. read more

its not cheap but the quality is very high. Dine in experiences have been lovely, cocktails are particularly delicious. Delivery has always been reliable too. I'm very fond of the dried anchovies. read more

I love this Korean option in the neighborhood. It can get crowded so come early if you can. We got there right at 5pm when it opened and were able to get a table right away. This is a great place for groups as they have tables that can fit 8 or even 10. It is a big open space so good for kids and strollers. They allowed us to keep the stroller by table and they also have high chairs. Each table has a barbecue set up but you can choose to not do barbecue and just order a la carte. I loved their spicy squid udon noodles. Their udon was a bit like ramen but it was very tasty. The kids loved the food too. There is a separate area for karaoke with different rooms. They have a separate food and drink menu for those rooms. It seems like you would have to book those rooms quite in advance because they get filled up. The waitress was extremely nice and accommodating with the kids so that was great. Can't wait to come back! read more

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My friends and I wanted to get Korean food but wanted to stay in the area, so we decided to go to Insa. We were surprised that this place was more Americanized than your typical kbbq place, which I don't necessarily think is a bad thing as long as the output is good. First, let's start with the good things - the interior is aesthetically pleasing, with a big open space and plenty of sunlight when it's still light outside. I only tried one of their cocktails, the Stylish Tomato, which was decently strong but the taste wasn't overpowered by vodka so it was easy to drink. The food was a hit or miss. We had the pork jowl that barely tasted like anything, but the pork belly was great! Tasty with the right amount of fat. The portions are unfortunately small for the price. I also had the soondubu and requested it to be extra spicy, but it was equivalent to a regular level of spice at other restaurants in Ktown. It also had a distinguishable taste of tomatoes that I've noticed more "Americanized" Korean restaurants tend to have in their soondubu. The service was less than stellar. The servers here stand at your table and focus on heating and cutting your meat. I guess you could take that as being attentive, but I find it inefficient especially because our server was moving at a snail's pace! I had to resist myself from volunteering to take over because he was moving SO slowly. When he came over with our second plate of meat, before he started putting anything on the grill I quickly asked for a drink menu but he got snappy saying he'd have to get someone else because he "has to focus on grilling" - it's not that serious, buddy. There was another time we wanted to get someone's attention but there were 5 servers standing together having a conversation and not paying attention at all despite them all facing towards the tables. Despite the service, I don't necessarily think Insa is bad. It's just not that great. I wouldn't think of coming back here again though unless we're somehow physically stuck in Brooklyn and can't get to Manhattan where the good stuff is. read more

Huge space, delicious food and karaoke rooms. Pros tips: -This KBBQ will NOT leave you smelling like a greasy grill! Kudos to whomever designed the ventilation at Insa. -They have nut-milk cocktails ...YEAHYUH! -Two words: Kara-okay! The rooms are discreetly connected to the restaurant. And the song list is pretty current! I'm not a Korean BBQ connoisseur, but some food tips: -Grilled fatty pork is tasty -Grilled seafood is a bit tasteless, but a great option if you don't want fatty meats -Seafood pancake could have been better -Skip the steamed dumplings, opt for fried Tip is included under "Admin Fee" on the bill. $60 an hour (per room) for karaoke. Great service in the restaurant and karaoke rooms! read more

I did enjoy this place yes I did. Rating it higher than its Yelp average and I stand by that. I was only here for dinner not for karaoke, and here's what the boy and I got: The Blood sausage - what?! In a Korean restaurant? Yes. And it tastes impressively Asian. I really enjoyed it, they had a good mouth feel, especially cause they were stuffed with lots of little (I want to say, vermicelli?) glass noodles. Also I love blood (not in a murdery kind of way just in a classy boudin noir lover kind of way). The beef short rib Galbi bbq - yummmmmmmmmm meeeeeaaaaaat. You can decide if you want them to cook it or if you want to, but we chose to do it ourselves cause we like our meats rarer than the average person. Hence: The beef tartare - what an interesting dish. Not super Korean tasting with its caper and Asian pear mixed in, but I did enjoy it and the seaweed chip it came with. The rice cakes - have a well deserved reputation you should obviously just get it cause everyone here tells you to its awesome. I think that's it. + ban chan obvs. They were really good to us about refilling them I don't know what other people are talking about. They were fine nothing super exciting. We also got to avua Mai Tais which were tres delicious. very interesting ambience and serving style with long tables and dividers to divide parties. It's a big open room with lots of space and I love it, but if you want cozy and ambience, there's a lounge bar area that you can get comfy in. I like it. It's in the middle of nowhere so I probably won't be back, but I like it. read more

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This place is AMAZING! I have never been the biggest fan of Korean bbq and don't love the idea of cooking my own food, but this changed my view on everything. There were 6 of us and we ordered a bunch of appetizers to share ( which would've been more than enough without the meat to grill as our entrees) Do NOT skip the scallion pancakes and fried chicken, both were the best things I had ever tasted! The bibimbap and bulgogi were also delicious. The nice thing about Insa is that for the meat the waiter actually handles it all, which made me feel a lot better about things actually being cooked. Overall, super fun and great food! Worth the wait! read more

"What Gowanus really needs is a combination Korean BBQ/karaoke spot," is a thought I'd never had before. Luckily, the minds behind the Good Fork work differently. There's been a ton of buzz around Insa since it was announced (with a brief experimental residency at Threes Brewing across the street), and I can say it definitely lives up to the hype. They have two entrances - one to the bar, and one to the main restaurant. The bar is cool, with a few booths, great lighting, and a super cool bartender named Andy. They have decidedly Asian-inspired cocktails that I wouldn't expect to find anywhere else in the area. They use ingredients like matcha tea, jujube, and coconut milk. Once our table was ready (around 10 minutes on opening week), we walked into the main dining area, which was quite the trip. Assuming this space used to be a garage or warehouse, they really did a number to make it look inviting. High ceilings, skylight, long communal tables, and a giant kitchen off to the side. It really feels like a beer hall, but... y'know, Korean. Our waitress Sonya was hilarious and made some great recommendations. Between three people, we had: 1) Pork/beef/chive dumplings - they come 7 to an order (weird) and we went with fried. Pretty damn good, especially with the sweet-ish dipping sauce. 2) Japchae - a vegetarian noodle dish with egg. It had two types of noodles and a ton of veggies. Good for something light, but I don't think I could've eaten a whole plate of it. 3) Blood sausage - great if you can stomach it, but probably better for sharing among more people. You can only have so much blood. 4) Cuttlefish and octopus for the grill. Great flavor, but in hindsight, we should've asked for it to be grilled longer for more char. 5) Tteokbokki - spicy rice "cake" with fish cakes and egg. This was probably my favorite dish. Very Korean, with a good balance of spicy and savory. I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention the karaoke. We didn't sing any songs, but they have two room sizes. The smaller one can fit up to 10 people, and they charge by the hour for the room, rather than by the person by the hour, like many places in the city do. It's $60/hour for the small room and $160 for the large. Not bad if you can get a large group going. Gowanus is definitely shaping up to be a wonderful area for extracurricular activities, and Insa is a very welcome addition to the neighborhood! read more

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Went here yesterday and was pleasantly surprised but not overly impressed. Finding authentic Korean food in Brooklyn is pretty difficult and after being disappointed by several places (which won't be named), I was hoping this could become a go-to. The food was decent but tasted very americanized. It seemed like the flavors were all a bit off, with the budae jjigae tasting too buttery and lacking the diverse range of flavors that a traditional korean budae jjigae offers. There was also supposed to be spam in it but didn't find any. The dubu kimchi was actually very good! There should be a slightly sweet element to the dish to balance out the spicy but overall, it was solid and I'd order this dish again. We got the yangyum galbi (shortrib) and while the meat was great, I found that there were several ingredients to a "ssam" that were missing. No scallion, the bean paste was more the consistency of a sauce than a paste, and we weren't given garlic or peppers to build out the wrap as most korean restaurants give. It's a solid 3/5 for the food as well. Service was great and appreciated how attentive the staff were. The overall decor was clean and minimal and I loved the skylight as it brought a lot of natural light into the restaurant. However, between the side "speakeasy" type bar, the karaoke, and the bbq grills, it seems like they're trying to offer/focus on too many things at once. As such, the overall experience seems to lack authenticity and grades overall at a solid 3/5. read more

Was quite excited to find a Korean BBQ in Brooklyn at first and don't have to travel to Manhattan, photos looked great, space was well designed and spacious. Now on to the food - it is way over priced for what you are getting, the side dishes are tiny, small portion. You have to keep asking for lettuce and they'd bring you 3 pieces at a time. Service was ok- staff are nice but not really trained to cook the food like what you'd expect from a typical Korean bbq, our server would not stop turning the meat as if they don't know it's done or not, only a few pieces was cooked right and there aren't many to begin with. If you are looking for a traditional Korean bbq, this is not the place. read more

It was a tough call for me to give this place 3-stars. 1. I'm not a fan of Korean BBQ places - I came here with a group so please consider that. 2. 5-star ratings for me are reserved for places that are the BEST at what they do and I like. 3. 4-star ratings are reserved for places I really like but aren't the best... So a 3-star rating is as best as this can get. The food is pretty much Korean BBQ... I'd suggest the ribeye... which is pretty much the only thing I liked... the beef bisque I would ask them to cook it longer (again, personal preference) ... outside of that if you're coming to a Korean BBQ you are probably coming bc you like it - and the people I was with spoke highly of it. Now, for what I can speak on... the ambiance. Noise level is high and it is a somewhat cafeteria seating which adds to it. Kereokee (sp?) in the back and people seem to be having a good time at it. Only had my Diet Coke refilled one time ... and the guy who refilled it wasn't our service guy... would have liked to have more consistent service throughout the entire meal - at the beginning I felt like an Emperor! read more

Insa - The main eating area... - Korean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Food: 0/5 Drinks: 4/5 Service: 2/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 This is an Americanized Korean restaurant. Definitely save your money and go elsewhere. We ordered steak and beef along with other side dishes. Servers came around and cooked beef on one side and pork on one side. The guy cooking the beef was taking awhile to cook while the guy cooking the pork was cooking it very quickly. Little did we know, the pork came out UNCOOKED, still pink in the meat. The beef came out perfectly to medium - which was fine. Because the guy cooking the pork was cooking it so quickly, we had asked him to keep it on the grill little longer, but it was still pink. If it wasn't one or two pieces that was pink, it was the entire dish... I can live with beef undercooked, but pork? Definitely not. We let a different waitress know that our pork was still pink. She happily turned on the grill for us but did not help us re-cook it again nor did she mentioned to any of her colleagues. Overall, don't think I would come here again. Save your money and go to flushing - definitely more authentic there read more

Disrespectful servers who do not like Korean food and say so explicitly to customers. This sentiment is evident in preparation and service. Do not order jajang - zero understanding of the dish at Insa and the beautiful first date culture behind the sauce. When Insa opened it was a beacon for bringing authentic Korean food to Brooklyn, founded on the beautiful food and service at Good Fork, but has now become a clown show of bastardization of servers who tell customers they dislike Korean food and treat ingredients with disgust. Recommendation: close this place down if you care about Korean culture. read more

Honestly, pretty disappointing. The biggest thing that I have to say is that 4 out of 7 of the things we ordered came out wrong or were forgotten because the servers don't know the names of the dishes when ordered in Korean...at a Korean restaurant. We never saw our server again after we corrected the order for the 3rd time and nothing was taken off of the check. Too bad because the ambiance is cute and chill!! read more

I had to make a yelp account for the first time to say that if you're used to the portions of meat given at Korean bbq places in Ktown or Flushing in the city, I would not recommend spending your money here. My brother and I wanted to try since there was a snowstorm last night and we couldn't get into the city on time so we thought we would try a local place nearby. We were pretty disheartened to find that three pieces of meat cost around $30-49 and were overall disappointed with the quantity. I believe if you order anything else off the menu you would get your money's worth but I am warning those who want more quantity to not go here for bbq and advise going to the city at all costs instead. That being said, I am giving two star instead of one because the food itself did taste great, and the waitress serving our table was incredibly sweet. Additionally, the ambiance and cleanliness were excellent, but it is unfortunate this was what the Brooklyn Korean bbq experience was like for us. read more

Price is only an issue in the absence of service/quality and for that reason, I write this. If you've never been to Korean bbq, then you must know it's a cuisine ideal for an indoor dining experience. It's sorta pivotal to eat the meat and veggies fresh, some sesame oil, salt, pickles, etc. So kudos and best wishes to Insa for trying to thrive through this unusual circumstance of Covid as a restaurant. I truly mean that. With that being, I had a feeling I was in for a suspect KBBQ dining experience when I saw both soju and sake on the menu. If you don't know the difference, then this place is ideal for you. It's like asking for spaghetti meatballs at a sushi restaurant. Secondly, as much praise as Insa rightfully gets for trying to survive in an unusual global circumstance, they don't get absolution for providing an inferior, abysmal product. Especially at $27 for galbi (their version is basically beef teriyaki strips over rice, a few radishes and pickles) when there are places in the city for around $19-$22 providing significant quality product. Hell, as much as BK shits on Queens, I can recommend better places in flushing. We ordered two plates: Galbi & shrimp angel noodle pasta (their version is some teriyaki flavor sauce on a bed of hard cooked pasta and respectably seasoned shrimp). It tasted as bad as it sounds. Took about 5 minutes worth of bites and discussed a graceful exit plan. Covered our plates with the disposable plates provided and paid the bill ($53.00+ gratuity). As someone who grew up in KTown Los Angeles, I feel like I'm somewhat qualified for this rather blunt review: this isn't a Korean bbq restaurant. I recommend walking 1/2 a block to Ghanet on Douglas & 4th for a truly excellent Ethio dining experience. read more

Korean BBQ in Brooklyn? Yeah buddy. Another sign of change and gentrification in the area. Went here for dinner on a Saturday night with a group of 6. The wait was 2 hours, so went to a few bars in the area to kill time. The wait is not their fault at all, it's actually a sign that people are over going to Flushing Queens for KBBQ, about 45 -60 mins aways. We had the following items: Starters Gogi Mandu - steamed dumplings Haemul Pajeon - Seafood & Scallion Pancake Tteokbokki - Spicy Rice Cakes, Fish Cakes, Soft Boiled Egg Bibimbap - Vegetables over Rice, Gochujang Sauce, Fried Egg Meats/BBQ Yangnyeom Galbi -Marinated Beef Short Ribs Chadolbaegi - Thinly Sliced Beef Brisket Ojingeo & Nakji - Cuttlefish & Octopus My Drink Tiger's Whisker (Blanco Tequila, Ssamjang Agave, Green Salt, Citrus) All of the food was great quality and in good size portions. My favorites were the dumplings, short rib, and brisket. The drink I had was very creative and delicious. The service was fast and friendly. You can BBQ yourself or they can do it for you. They also have a few karaoke rooms in the back and very modern wood work decor inside. I just wish the ventilation was a bit better, super smoky inside. Final Verdict - great stuff if you don't want to go to the Asian areas for KBBQ, as for me, I don't mind making the trip out to Flushing or other areas. So after this fun outing, I will still be going to the Asian areas for my next KBB fix. read more

Trendy hip Korean BBQ. Creative menu, good food, and fantastic service. Shout out to the lovely Rah-Nee and the charming Eddie. They made this weary, hungry business traveler feel welcome. However, they didn't get a fifth star because the business owners charge you 20% of your bill to help pay the staff and provide benefits. And here I thought the actual EMPLOYER was supposed to do that. read more

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this review is for karaoke. it was a saturday evening. the mics were weak. i couldn't really hear the singers through the speakers. you cannot adjust pitch. it's done through healsonic app. there was a disco ball in it, but no bright light shining on it. the couches were nice and if you are already eating at insa, it's a nice thing to do afterwards, but it wasn't great as a standalone karaoke room. usually a line for the bathroom. there were nine of us, we booked for two hours. We are not a big drinking group so ordered exactly one carafe of house saki and one pitcher of beer. the bill was $640.00. the bill was high because I accidentally booked a room for a larger group (180 per hour= 360) but then there was a "karaoke fee?", etc? It wasn't a big drinking group so the total was a complete surprise. this is a quiet-ish out of the way area of brooklyn! read more

KBBQ at a good price w/ unlimited munchie dishes. Also great service! [Experience] We went into Insa after an intense experience of bouldering. (By the way, Brooklyn Bouldering is right down the street from Insa.) The KBBQ was beyond our expectation, and the waiter serving us was extremely helpful. Absolutely love the spacious atmosphere and the food! [Food] A friend and I shared one BBQ dish, Chadolbaegi (Thinly Sliced Beef Brisket). The meat was fresh and quite sweet. I highly recommend it! It was served with lots of vege wraps, as well as 9 or 10 munchie dishes. The portion of the meat was not huge, but it was enough to feed two hungry girls who just finished some physical exercises. [Price] We were very satisfied with what we got for ~$18 we each paid. Also, we looked around and saw that food on others' tables had pretty good size. So overall, I think Insa is actually slightly cheaper than Ktown restaurants. read more

Insa - $30 Beef KBBQ, w/ so many munchie dishes - Korean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Rip off BK korean restaurant ! U can have triple quality and cheaper in Ktown. The quality, flavor, quantity, service all 0 star. We spend almost $300 include drinks Still hungry... read more

Went here to celebrate​ national women's​ day with my BFF. The place​ is so welcoming. The tables are like lunch tables from elementary with a pit in the middle where the cook certain dishes. I had the crab stew which was delicious. The Mai Tai was strong and cook. Loved the coconut cup just ish it was real. Would definitely​ recommend​!!! read more

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I used to love this spot as a regular, but the experience has gone downhill. I especially did not appreciate my server's snarky attitude tonight -- I have food allergies and it's always been graciously accommodated here. When I gave my server the allergens I need to avoid, she made several sarcastic comments "oh the chef is going to love you" etc and would not stop fixating on it, as if her goal was to make me feel awkward and uncomfortable about it. Past servers have always told me it's not a problem and made no big deal about it. She was bad vibes and her rudeness ruined the entire experience, ugh. I'm also Korean, so to have a white woman give me a hard time in a Korean restaurant was extra irritating and problematic. Cocktails and quality and authenticity of food also used to be a lot better in the past. It was good while it lasted, but I'm never coming back! (just go to k-town; better food and staff) read more

The service was absolutely terrible. We received a table and we barely had someone taking care of. I do not recommend this place even though the food is good. read more

Not traditional Korean barbecue but they have a bunch of karaoke rooms where you can sing your heart out. There's better Korean food elsewhere, but it's close by and not horrible. This place definitely sticks out among the surrounding hipster Brooklyn bars and restaurants - and thank god it does! There's a separate dimly lit bar area with lots of character perfect for a date. There's also an open kitchen looking out into a very spacious dining room filled with lots of cafeteria style tables that have stove tops for cooking your food. While I didn't do the BBQ, the food was tasty and the service was good. I ordered the Japchae and my friend got the bibimbap with bulgogi beef. Both were large portions and we were quite satisfied with our dishes. Staff was friendly and didn't bother us until we were ready for the check. NOTE: 20% GRATUITY IS BAKED INTO THE PRICE. read more

You don't come here for a traditional KBBQ - the space is what really shines about Insa. Our party of 13 had a seamless, attentive experience from dining to rowdy karaoke, and if you can indulge on the company dollar, Insa's OK. The highlights from our order that you might also enjoy: - gogi mandu, meat dumplings fried to a satisfying crisp - yuk hwe, Korean-style beef tartare, and very accessible - tteokbokki, spicy rice cakes - insa fried chicken, nice and boneless! However there are a number of questionable additions and decisions that Insa has made that do not stack up well against the many options for KBBQ + karaoke we have in NYC. - the approach to cooking the meat is decidedly weird: you wait until every piece of meat on a platter is cooked before it is served - a terrible, local "Insa" soju at 3x the cost of Cham or Chamiseul - the 'large format cocktails for 6' are for three persons; this isn't a Pocha 32 watermelon soju - price! the ingredients and execution simply do not justify it read more

Went here for bibimpap in a hot stone bowl and it was great, portions were large and came on a wooden plank. Yelp says it's $16.00, it's actually $19. The hostess and the waitress were rude. We didn't have our orders taken until 20 minutes after seating. My brother ordered seollungtang and it was a really sad dish. The waiter had misled him to think it was full of oxtail and a large bowl of soup when in reality it was one small oxtail in a "beef broth" aka salt and the water they boiled the oxtail in with some cut up scallions. That dish was $19 as well. Fortunately, the staff was able to rectify the situation and comp that particular meal in place of another bibimpap. The service was awful in the beginning and was better at the end. Unnecessary hassle at what would of been a good Thursday night dinner. read more

Insa - Hot stone bowl Bibimbap - Korean Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

TL;DR: This is a decent place to get your Korean fix in if you're craving it but there is way better food elsewhere for less. *** AMBIANCE *** It's nice! There's also a semi-speakeasy like bar room hidden around the corner that is cute and karaoke rooms in the back. Apparently it can get wild here at night. *** DRINKS *** Pretty good! *** FOOD *** Was not impressed by the banchan (side dishes). For example, the potato salad was underseasoned and the kimchi tasted really off. The rest of the food is good but not outstanding, given the price. The one thing we had that I would come back for were the cumin-rubbed sweet and spicy pork ribs. *** SERVICE *** Good! Our server actually stopped us from ordering too much, which we appreciated. read more

This place is pretty amazing. My wife and I enjoyed Insa several times before we were married. The food was great, and the service was always great. When it came to finding a venue when we decided on a date for our wedding, Insa immediately came to mind. We reached out, and got a super reasonable quote. Jamie, the General Manager, worked with us on everything from the menu to the event planning. What could have been a stressful thing turned out to be a breeze. During the event, the staff couldn't have been more attentive and accommodating. The whole experience was really great. read more

This review is just for the bar. I popped into Insa on a whim to grab a drink with my fiancé. I've been hearing about it for a while and had to see for myself! My first impression of Insa was "wow." It's pretty unassuming from the street, but once you enter it's just such a cool space, particularly the bar area that has kinda a 60s Asian lounge vibe. Super cool. The restaurant area looked great too. Simpler with long tables for bbq. We had a cocktail each and shared an order of dumplings. The dumplings weren't the best I've had but they were very good. The cocktails were delicious and super well balanced. Mine has green tea and was so refreshing. I'd order it over and over! Definitely stop in and check Insa out. I really enjoyed the bar here but will for sure be back for a full meal! read more

I'm not a Korean BBQ connoisseur, but I know what tastes good and the food here was pretty damn good. This was a packed spot and was hard to get reservations. My friend and I were lucky enough to know someone who knew the chef who was able to get us a table and a room for karaoke after. We had the oxtail and the bbq beef and it was all wonderful. Not to mention, everyone there looked super cool for school (including the staff). Very downtown BK vibes. The interior was dark, so I'm sure it probably looks a little less nice with the lights on, but as for my experience in the dimly lit space... it was just ambient lighting and was more than suitable for me. Not my first Korean BBQ jaunt, and certainly not my last! read more

RIP OFF. Wings are good tho they are charging $75/bottle for bottles that you'd expect to be 1L but are half the size and should be $30. it's a fun time, but not worth the premium. read more

This review is for Karaoke ONLY Came here with a gang of friends for a late night karaoke session and just wasn't a big fan of the staff. I think the experience is typically fun and fine when you are surrounded by your friends being a wild crowd, but I just felt that service was lacking a tad bit. read more