One word -- JANICA. After a wonderful experience with great food, fun drinks, and casual ambiance, one thing stands out above the rest -- our server JANICA. She is so sweet and friendly and just a pleasure. @ADRIAN if you're reading this, give this young woman a raise :) read more

Kogi BBQ - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

I was suggested to dine here for Korean BBQ. There is a parking lot in front that shared with neighboring businesses. Once I walked in I added a party of two to the Yelp waitlist tablet. The restaurant has a sign stating there must be a party of two to dine. After five minutes I was seated at a table. The restaurant was cold inside. I assume to keep the area ventilated; however I needed to wear my coat while dining and the meat would get cold quickly. Once my friend arrived we selected the regular menu for $34.99. There is a late might menu that looks similar to the regular for $28.99 that starts at 9:00PM. The restaurant closes at midnight. From the regular menu we ordered two servings of Prime Brisket and one serving of the Thin Slice Pork Belly to start with meat. For sides we ordered two Corn Cheese, Kimchi Fried Rice, Thin Rice Cakes, and Potatoe Salad. The Prime Brisket was nice. It was too tough for my liking. The Thin Sliced Pork Belly had a nice crisp to it. My favorite side was the Corn Cheese. It was gooey and flavorful. The Kimchi Fried was not impressive. The Potatoes Salad lacked flavor. We also ordered the Garlic Fingerrib. That was my favorite meat! Packed with flavor and perfect thickness and chew to it. We also ordered the Bulkogi. That was too thick for my liking. The portion sizes are generous, and our servers were attentive with changing our grill and asking if we wanted to order more. Later on, we were told they can do half sizes. There are also late night drinks specials. read more

Love Kogi BBQ my 2nd favorite KBBQ spot! Food is solid and the ambiance is always nice. Some of the staff can be a bit rude when you press the help button, probably from being overwhelmed. Wish they had more staff because it gets really busy. Tip: don't come after 10 PM. Even though they close at 12 AM, they often stop taking people due to a long waitlist. read more

Me and my two friends came early, like starting at 5pm, right when they opened. The good: The meats were tasty, I felt it was quality meat and we got several rounds of brisket, the pork kalbi, thinly sliced pork, spicy pork belly, and bulgogi! We enjoyed all the meats, the side salad good, kimchi pancake was yummy and had more fluff! Server was sweet and consistent. We did have a younger buck that helped occasionally because they were getting packed. He wasn't my fav because he would whisper or not be clearly communicative, like we asked for some hot/spicy sauce, he walks away and we are like, ?????? But he did bring us the sauce lol, seemed like he didn't want to be there, but he did his job!! I liked our main server cause he was fast with switching the grill and asking what we needed. The bad: Okay, the sides were a little disrespectful....the kimchi was so sad, looked dry, tasted dry, had no flavour. It was pale looking like Casper the friendly ghost, except, it wasn't friendly. The rice paper was even more vile, it was so dried out. I had suspected it because I saw them microwave something and I was like, plz not be the rice paper lol. It was def leftover frozen rice paper and they were reheating it. I wish they at least microwaved it with a wet napkin to keep the moisture, but it was a hard block and I said no thanks. If I came, I would probably come later, so they can actually use their good rice paper and hopefully better kimchi. However, I do wonder if you come later, you run the risk of lower quality meat? I'd def come back for their late night special. The ambiance was def loud and busy, but I had lovely chats with my friend! It was a bit cold, but we were sitting further in, which is how I peeped the microwaving rice paper lol. Overall, they get three stars! read more

The meat is okay.. the fondue is awesome!! The corn cheese, egg, and kimchi is delicious. You have to order the side dish like kimchi separate. They don't give it to you automatically. The drinks is pretty good. I order monster with soju and hot green tea. The place is pretty spacious with lots of seat. Service is pretty quick but we also went when they first open. At the end of our dinner, the server was looking at the pos and not paying attention to where he was walking. He accidentally kick my leg really hard and we heard a loud crack. I just had a knee replacement surgery. The pain was intense and I started to sweat so my daughter took me outside. The waiter asked if I was okay but I was in so much pain. I just wanted to go outside before I started saying something I would regret. My doctor called to check on my knee and was concerned by my pain being worse after it was kicked at the restaurant. They did an x ray and discovered the healing scar tissue cracked from the impact, and my doctor informed me my pain would be more intense and the healing process would extended by it. I hope the staff look up when they are walking and be more careful around guest. read more

Kogi BBQ - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

Kogi BBQ never disappoints! I decided to go for my birthday dinner and not to brag but everything from the dining experience, customer service and the food (of course) did not disappoint. We showed up not long after they opened on a Wednesday so there wasn't a wait. Decided to do their regular AYCE. My favorite cuts of meat are their bulgogi, marinated bone in short rib, and the prime brisket. My go-to sides without fail are favorite the corn cheese, salad, pickled raddish, and their kimchi pancake. Waiters are attentive and change the roasting plates a few times throughout the meal. If in the Kearny Mesa area, visit Kogi if you're looking to try some delicious Korean barbecue. read more

Kogi BBQ - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

Best Korean BBQ Hands down in San Diego, food quality, price, ambience, we love this place!

Good food! Came here for lunch with my friend and it was delicious! Food came out really fast. We went on a Wednesday for the lunch special which was 26 dollars I believe. Service was fast and it wasn't too busy on a weekday! read more

This place gets packed and chaotic fast. It's super loud, cold afffff, and slow, with hit or miss meats and sides. If you're patient, happy hour can save you a few bucks, but otherwise it's kind of a grind. Beef Belly: Get Easily my favorite. Tender, flavorful, and cooked up nicely. The rest of the meats and sides were whatever. Some sides come out in weird portions or cut strangely. They're also not self-serve, so you have to ask for everything which slows things down. It's seriously loud in here. Like, yelling across the table loud. If you've got soft spoken people in your group, it's going to be rough. The place is also freezing and super drafty, so bring a jacket... but just know that jacket is going to end up smelling like smoke and meat by the end. Service is slow and inconsistent. Best move is to order your meats all at once instead of waiting between rounds. Food: 6/10 Atmosphere: 3/10 Service: 4/10 Value: 5/10 read more

Kogi BBQ - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

Quick service and quality meats, though I found the "drop and go without acknowledging the guest's presence" thing that one of the staff members was doing rather off putting. The rest of the staff however were very friendly. I loved the late night special deal pretty awesome, especially since I get off of work around the time it starts. Overall good place to dine solo. read more

The menu had limited selections and only a few side dishes. The food was okay, but it could use more flavor.

The service was horrible. They sat us at 10:15 when we had gotten there at 9:30 and the waitlist said a five minute wait. when we sat down, we ordered our first round and they came over not even five minutes later telling us we needed to put in last call. It was our first experience ever at Korean barbecue. They didn't end up bringing half of the stuff that we ordered and when we asked if they could please bring it they said sorry the kitchen is closed and they still charge us full price. If you ask me they shouldn't have charged us at all but if they were going to it should've been like 50% off at the very least. Would not recommend this place read more

Holy snickers! This is the worst korean bbq place I've ever been to. Let's put this aside first. The place is like a maze inside. There are extra seats on the right side. It just feels tight and it's dimly lit. The outside, the sign isn't even on, so you may not notice it at night. It was packed when I went. The service is excellent. The workers here are super nice and just on it!. They have a button you press and they actually show up. Its cute and funny. Why 1 star? Well simply the food sucks. Everything here is made to be cost efficient. They have this after hour menu after 9pm. Its a pretty terrible menu of choices for almost 30$. The flavor and quality just tanked for me. I just cant get over the disgusting to literally ZERO flavor sides. I've eaten probably over 40 bbq places, and for me to say the flavoring is all wrong, is just gotta be that bad for me. The salad was too sour for me. The corn cheese had little to almost no cheese. You cant taste mayo or any cream or just anything really. They really skimp you out on quality. The pickle radish is super bitter, the kimchi was extremely bitter and bad tasting. Not enjoyable. The steamed egg was made from more water ratio and had 0 flavor. The pancakes was soggy and disgusting in flavor. The bean paste soups tasted like spoiled milk. The sides should be banished. The only thing that was OK, was the the beef belly. The pork belly was pork belly and the cow intestines arr.not pleasing. The options were little as far as meat and the quality was so displeasing. You can go to orange county and get a fuller menu for the exact price and you don't even have to wait for after hours. I'd never come again, but it seems they have plenty of customers, so they don't need my patronage. read more

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I always go to kogis been a staple since 2021 we get a group of 4-8 people and usually we're there a bit after 9 pm. Its always a blast and great prices. There beef intestines is so soft and buttery their lean meats cook so well and the sauce options are great. I personally have never had a bad experience with the staff ior having to wait too long for the next rounds. Highly recommend for smaller gatherings, good drinks, great food!!! read more

First time at Kogi recently and I was impressed. The meats were good, marinade for galbi was great. For sides that you can order, they had kimchi pancake which was unique. Radish wraps, rice paper also included. The biggest complaint is the service. It is difficult to flag down a waiter to order more food. They sat us in a corner, so visibility was hard and they didn't check in on us frequently enough. Walked by our table many times when we tried to get their attention. Probably bad luck because of where we were seated, but we didn't have much control over that. The restaurant is somewhat hard to find because there are no signs at the door and through the windows it looks really dark. The best thing was the food, everything else was a let down. read more

Although I don't frequent as often, Kogi is a staple KBBQ spot for my friend group. The service is always quick, I can control how much portions to order, and they have great sides! I love the kimchi pancake and corn cheese! The meats are shaved neatly and presented nicely. They offered to do half portions since it was just me and my friend dining, so we didn't waste anything. I find Kogi my go-to spot for KBBQ and have not had a bad experience here ever. I also rarely encounter extreme wait times compared to other kbbq spots, but it will depend on what time you go. I usually go when it's their HH after 9PM! Sure, it's a late dinner, but I enjoy the late-night vibes and atmosphere of the restaurant! Never got around to writing a review but after a handful of times of dining here I find that Kogi BBQ is one of my favorite Korean barbecues restaurants that's worth the value and quality! read more

Kogi BBQ - Corn Cheese - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

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Got recommended to this place by a few friends and my sister who is currently living in sd. Decent service (could do a better job at replacing the food grills more often without us having to ask), good sides, main meal was alright though. Meat quality and flavoring could be better. The sauces tasted a bit weird to me personally, but maybe someone else might like it. I've had better Korean bbq. This place isn't bad if you're trying kbbq for the first time. If you're thinking about dining in and getting on the waitlist for the late night happy hour, expect to wait over an hour. read more

Kogi BBQ was a good experience overall. I came as a party of 4 for my sister's birthday. There's plenty of parking in the back, which was convenient. There's a warning sign not to park in the Denny's lot next door so it's good to keep that in mind. The wait to be seated took a while, but once we got to our table, service was quick and consistent. They refilled our sauces without being stingy, and the staff were attentive throughout our dinner. They gave us large portions for the sides that we liked when we asked (kimchi and potato salad). Theres a sweet server named Jeyna (hope I'm spelling that right) that took care of us. She was patient, efficient, and checked in on us regularly which we really appreciated. We also tried their soybean stew, corn cheese, beef belly, house salad, intestines, and kalbi. The proteins were all solid choices. I'm not a fan of marinated meats so I can't really put my thoughts on that for this review. The soybean stew was good but slightly too salty so I used it to dip my cooked meat in. The corn cheese was good as always. Beef belly was fatty and portion size was huge. Plus they plated it very beautifully. The intestines were good flavor wise but very chewy. We got the kalbi at the end and it was good! Everyone loved it! The salad was a nice touch to every bite. Helped wash out the oil if that makes sense. Overall the restaurant looked clean. Servers were attentive and doing their best to set up/buss tables while serving at the same time. Kudos to them :) read more

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This is the spot my friends and I usually go to when we want KBBQ on a whim. Their wait times aren't that bad (usually 10-45 minutes) and their service is relatively decent. They'll check in on you, get you grill changes, and make sure you're all set even when they're busy. Their meat quality is alright for the most part. Nothing mind blowing, and there are definitely better places out there with better meat quality for the same price, but this place is open late, and you can always count on going here if you need a place to eat at for your last minute plans. read more

Kogi BBQ - Salad - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

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My second time at Kogi and it is such a great option for KBBQ! It is reasonably priced and the atmosphere is nice and spacious, we came in Friday night and the wait was only about 25 minutes but they have an awesome late night happy hour after 9pm that I'm sure gets busy!! They have great side options as well and as a no rice girl I enjoyed the pickled radish, steamed egg, and kimchi the most! read more

Kogi BBQ - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

My go to KBBQ spot because it's pretty affordable for everything I want plus it taste good. Quality meats & sides. Love the corn cheese and salad. Service is quick and everyone is really friendly. The wait isn't so bad every time I come here. Kids under 10 is always a good price because it's pretty much half price for them. I always get the beef belly but the rib meat, brisket, kalbi and beef tongue is always a must. Happy they have egg soup, pickled radish, rice paper and cheese fondue. Great spot for all you can eat KBBQ. read more

We were lied to and they ripped us off. We were a party of 6, which comes with a service fee of 18%. We 100% knew that and understood it. What we didn't know was that the waiter was going to charge us an additional 18%. See photo for proof. None of us touched the tip button. The waiter handled it. We wanted to come back. But after the waiter decided to give himself a 40% tip (you can do the math if you want), we will not be returning. Nor will recommend. There are plenty of KBBQ places in San Diego that won't rip you off or maybe I'll recommend if you are less than 6, so they can't scam you with having a service charge and then giving themselves a 18% additional tip. Good food, but I left with a really bad taste in my mouth. read more

Kogi BBQ - Service charge of 18% with an additional tip of 18%. No one at our table touched the tip pad. The waiter did though - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

Was very excited to come back here for my second time, And it was spectacular as the first time I came here. Came here with my buddy and we loved it. Service was great and fast, which is always nice at Korean barbecue restaurants. We got the premium menu because we wanted to try a little bit of everything. Our favorite beef items were the beef, Bulgogi and the Korean short rib bone in. The beef brisket and beef belly were also yummy. Our favorite chicken item was the spicy and barbecue chicken. For seafood, we got shrimp and octopus, and it was tasty. We got a strawberry drink. I forgot the name of it, but it looked like it was mixed with strawberry and milk, and it was insane. Restaurant was clean and staff was friendly and helpful read more

First time here. No wait time, however starting at 845-9p the restaurant filled up. They offer a happy hour for a couple dollars off their different tiers. Meats were delish. They offer a good variety of sides - Kimchi, potato salad, salad, kimchi soups, egg, rice, kimchi rice etc BEWARE of the misleading information that is shared with you. Needless to say, I will not be returning and would love going to Fire Spot and/Manna instead. read more

I have come here a few times and it is always great when I come with friends! Great for large groups and a good selection. Meats are also good and not bad in quality. Service is great as well ans they check in with you often enough. Will continue to come here! read more

Came for a late night dinner and we enjoyed it a lot . Host was very sweet ( Asian guy) and welcoming, our server was very attentive as well ( Mexican with an ear piercing) but lady who delivered food was not so nice with stomping our food on the table that it almost dropped then it's okay maybe she's having a bad day . Tables are small and too closed to other tables , fire is too high that when we adjusted it turns off . Unfortunately their ice machine was broken so we didn't get any sodas there , but luckily there was a ampm close by so I got a soda from there . Aside from all these I was very pleased with the service and food . My fav is beef tongue (not too thin , not too thick, finger meat was the best , brisket was good as well , short rib was so so ( it was chewy for me sorry) and the shrimp I lovveeee it . Will go again :) read more

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Our server who was wearing brown leggings (I forgot to get her name) completely neglected our table and instead kept tending to her friends next to us. 2 examples of this: 1. We ordered mandu and waited for 20 min before asking where it is. When we asked her, she told us "Oh, it's sold out." Like whyyyy couldn't she have told us and let us know sooner? 2. We did not get a single grill change but she made sure her friends did. She noticed after we were clearly done eating and asked us way too late. I've attached a picture of what our grill looked like. If she was not busy talking and taking shots with her friends next to us, none of this would have happened. I used to be a server and totally understand how it is to work in a restaurant, but this was completely unacceptable. I let the shift lead know about the quality of service we had, to which he replied saying he will talk to her. I appreciated that, so shout out to him. read more

Kogi BBQ - Unchanged grill - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

Used to be really good. Cook from last night is either dense or malicious. Ex Asked for 2 corn cheese. We were brought 2 undercooked orders with the cheese barely melted. Asked for a new one. Same thing. Asked to heat it up a bit. It was brought back burnt and really black. That was petty. read more

I had KBBQ last night at another restaurant and was craving KBBQ again, so we decided to give Kogi a try. Kogi is located in Kearny Mesa, a neighborhood in San Diego known for having lots of yummy Asian restaurants. Kogi caught my eye because of their late night special AYCE deal, $28.99/person daily after 9pm. They also have two other AYCE options, which offer more meat selections. We opted for the $28.99/person x 4 people. This option has limited meat selection but we ordered two orders of everything, and cheese corn, pancake, steamed egg, and soybean stew with brisket for sides. I think that the meats are not well marinated honestly. The spicy meats, like spicy pork belly, have the spicy look but not actually spicy & quite bland. Having tried another KBBQ spot while being out in SD, there are better options for KBBQ & for similar, affordable AYCE prices. read more

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Came in from Austin and was craving some good Korean BBQ + hot pot, so we decided to give this spot a try around 7:30 PM. As expected, there was already a line, and we ended up waiting about an hour--but honestly, it was worth it. Once seated, the food came out quickly, portions were solid, and everything tasted fresh and flavorful. Service was attentive and fast, even though the place was packed. Parking was definitely a little tricky since it gets busy, but we managed to find a spot eventually. Overall, great experience with good food, friendly service, and an energetic vibe--definitely recommend if you don't mind a bit of a wait! read more

Absolutely horrendous experience. Will NEVER come back. We sat down and waited 20 minutes for anyone to even take our order. Then another 10 minutes just for meat. When food arrived, there were NO water cups, maybe the water is tooooo expensive for me to drink，NO sauce plates on the table. I asked a server, and they said, "We're busy, we don't have enough tableware." If you don't have enough utensils to serve customers, and they went to get the sauce and cup for us, they just throw it on the table They messed up our order TWICE. We don't eat chicken at all, so we clearly didn't order it. I'm not stupid--I can tell what's chicken and what's beef. During last call, we ordered the same two meats we had earlier, and one of them was some mystery meat I don't even recognize. service are rude, orders are wrong, basic things like cups and plates are missing. Save your time and money--this place is a joke. read more

This was my first KBBQ experience ever and it was so awesome! The Bulgogi meat was definitely a favorite at our table and the staff was very friendly and helpful since I was new and had a lot of questions. We got the late night special which was really decently priced at under $30 a person, for 4 people plus multiple drinks the bill was under $200 which I was quite impressed with since this place is advertised as the 3 dollar signs ($$$). Another plus is unlimited sides!! The cheesy corn is yummy and the rice cakes they have are thinly sliced and go paired well with most of the meats. The tables are intimate for each party nothing too crammed next to other parties which I enjoy for dining setting like this. Overall a lovely first KBBQ experience! read more

Kogi BBQ - Our whole set up! Everything was so yummy. - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

While there's a lot of options for KBBQ in San Diego, Koggi will always stand out as top tier for me. Meat selections are fire. Absolute best cheesey corn. Try to get there early if you're hungry hungry. Have waited an hour for a table. Totally worth the wait though. They're on top of checking up & changing out plates. Continuing to be my spot until someone can be better than them! read more

Kogi BBQ - Kbbq - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

Kogi is one of my favorite UCSD throwbacks, so visiting every so often post-grad is always an experience. There isn't too much of a wait to get in anymore, but parking is still a struggle. Be careful not to park at Denny's! My favorite thing here is of course the brisket, but their side dishes are great, like the potato salad and kimchi pancake. My only suggestion would to make all of the meat servings smaller to reduce waste and encourage folks to try more stuff. Service is great, where the servers are always super quick to bring stuff out, and change grills. Nostalgia aside, this is an awesome spot. read more

Kogi BBQ - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

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A great place for late-night happy hour, but you can tell that the workers are absolutely miserable by the end of the night. They close pretty late (either at 12 AM or 1 AM) but advertise that they close at 11:15 PM or 12 AM because the last call for ordering is 15-20 minutes before that. Expect to come out stinking of meat because their vents are broken, and there is absolutely no ventilation when I went on a Thursday night. It looked hotboxed, and I was choking on fumes by the time my party sat down. Management seems to not care about good customer service or training because our first server was rude, rushing us and treating us as if we were stupid if they were out of an item, like we're supposed to know, and our second server (sadly the nicer one and probably newer) started a grease fire with our grill and almost burnt the place down lol. If you're fine with bad service and okay prices, this is the place to be! Late-night happy hour is $28.99 with an 18% gratuity. Feel free to do the math. read more

Kogi BBQ - Business hours - Korean Near Me - San Diego, California

The atmosphere was VERY loud during our visit. We had to call service a few times but they were able to get us the meat we requested other than the pork jowl - said not available. read more

This is the place to go when you're craving KBBQ after drinking or want a spot with cheap eats and drinks. The place had a nice vibe to it with it being super loud and the servers were even taking shots with parties! We came on a Monday at 9 PM as a party of 2. The Happy Hour Special was $28.99, which is their cheapest menu. Unfortunately, the meats tasted like cardboard, were poorly seasoned, dry, and the fat did not render off properly. The only edible meats were beef belly and spicy pork. The vibe is nice, but I would recommend going elsewhere if you're looking for better quality meat. read more

Place is buns. Meat unseasoned and bland, we had the beef belly, and thin pork belly. The short rib and spicy chicken only meats that were decent. I would say the highlight dish would have to be the potato salad. The service was mad slow too and our dishes just kept stacking up. There was also a group of loud obnoxious girls that ruined the vibe and didn't know how to read the room. One of the employees even decided to take a shot with them rather than telling them to tone it down. One of the reasons why we left early since NONE of the employees told the group to be quiet. Oh and our server forgot 3 of our items but at that point we were just ready to leave. Went for the ratings but just left disappointed and annoyed. If I could do below 1 star I would ong. read more

The restaurant has expanded since the last time I went. The ambiance is great, the air flow system may need a bit improvement. I love their beef tongue which is a bit thicker compared to other ayce kbbq. Service is attentive and friendly. read more

I decided to come back to Kogi BBQ because they have great specials and quality cut meats. We were a group of three arriving and the wait time was approximately 25-30 mins. My party of three unfortunately wasn't seated until an hour later of our arrival. We decided to order a variety of meats. You can never go wrong with their prime brisket and beef belly. These two meats are so flavorful and juicy to enjoy. Their thin sliced pork belly is amazing and cut perfectly. I love that they still offer their three sauces to marinate your choose of meats. The corn-cheese is great as well as their steamed rice. The kimchi this time was extremely dry and wasn't properly fermented. Unfortunately, the service was not as good as my last time visiting. Our servers seemed to forget a few of the items we ordered along with our drinks. It seemed to be a busy Friday night which is understandable, but it was disappointing having to grab the attention of our servers. read more

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