I'd love to give this place 5 stars, but the only downside was the service at the start. After being seated, we waited about 15 minutes without anyone coming to our table and had to flag someone down to order. We later realized there was a call button, which would've made things easier. Aside from that, everything else was great! The BBQ was delicious, and there was a wide variety of banchan. We also ordered cold noodles, corn cheese, and mandu--all were really tasty. Once everything got going, we had a great time! read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

I've had a consistently great experience at Kook. This is my fourth time visiting, and every time it has met my expectations. The quality of the meat is always excellent, and the marinades really enhance the flavor--it's always delicious. The staff also maintain a high standard of service, which makes the overall experience even better. Highly recommend if you're looking for a high-quality Korean barbecue restaurant! read more

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Kook Korean BBQ Restaurant, is a must try if you're ever over on this side of East Vancouver. Kook, guarantees that you'll leave here smelling the same way you came in, due to their high quality ventilation system. LOL. There was three of us who popped in, so we didn't order too much. But what we did order, was absolutely excellent. The meat was tasty along with the delicious seafood pancake - one of the best I've ever had. The atmosphere inside is dark, cool & comfortable. I've been to a few Korean restaurants throughout Metro Vancouver & this one definitely ranks in the top five for sure. The servers were kind & very helpful in showing us how to bbq the meat on the tabletop grill & how to proceed with the sides. Plenty of parking available in this weird maze of a strip mall - it is an older mall. read more

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The food here is fresh & good! I enjoyed the big variety of side dishes that they had. The wait for it wasn't too bad when we went on the weekend but do expect a wait if you go on the weekend. I came across it just by driving by, but this is definitely a spot I'd come back to. Even the tofu soup was so good & flavorful. Every time I got to a Korean bbq spot, the soups are never up to my standards. But I actually enjoyed theirs, I feel like because most places include it in the combos, they never care to perfect or give a decent recipe on the soups. But kook was great!! read more

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We came here and got the -Combination A (For Two) which includes Yangnyeom Galbi, Pork Galbi, Beef Bulgogi, Chicken Bulgogi, House Salad ($86) It was quite good, but we felt like it wasn't enough meat for two people, so we ended up ordering an -Extra round of beef. I suppose the meat portions being on the smaller side could be the main negative of this place. The beef was tender, the marinades tasty, and the banchan / side dishes plentiful. Additionally, we did not reek of meat and smoke when we left, which was an added bonus. The service was excellent, with our waitress coming to cook our meat, throwing some back on the grill to warm it up if it had been sitting there, and checking in frequently. Definitely on the pricier side, but potentially understandable given the quality of the meat and freshness, variety and abundance of the sides. However, the smaller meat portions would make me hesitate between, say, coming back here, or going AYCE (such as to Gyubee). Would recommend coming here once for the experience though. read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Combination A (For Two) Yangnyeom Galbi, Pork Galbi, Beef Bulgogi, Chicken Bulgogi, House Salad $86 - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Absolutely recommend this place as your go to korean bbq. Almost don't want to tell you lol so you dont go and ruin it for others. Service was top notch and unlimited sides. Seating for only 1.5 hours. Imagine going to k bbq and coming out smelling like you didn't even have kbbq... well that's just pure bliss isn't it. Bookings in advance. Dont even try drop by without a reservation. It's a place you definitely want to be. read more

Kook Korean BBQ - La galbi - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Kook BBQ is the only place that I know of that features 15 side dishes and that alone definitely captures my interest, especially as someone who loves variety during a meal. I highly recommend making a reservation as this place can get very busy, leading to hours of waiting if no prior reservation is made. The menu is standard with various types of BBQ, soups, and staple Korean dishes. For groups, I recommend the combo as it comes with soup, japchae noodles, fried dumplings, and a variety of pork, beef, and chicken. Guests are also given lettuce, garlic/jalapenos and some dipping sauce for the meat. I find the meat itself well marinated and in good portions. For a group of 5, we ordered the combo for 4 and an additional cold noodle dish and ended up with some leftovers. The unlimited refill of side dishes paired great with the meal, and the seafood tofu soup was a flavourful highlight! We ordered mild, and it was perfect for my parents, who couldn't eat a lot of spice. My friend who lived in LA was also dining with us, and as someone who has had many authentic Korean BBQ experiences in K-town LA, he gave this place a good rating. Despite the busy atmosphere, service was prompt and attentive. Servers were great with refilling side dishes, answering questions, and checking in on us. At the end of dinner, you are also served some cold and refreshing cinnamon punch! I would recommend this place for those who love variety and the convenience of choosing combo menus. I will be back! read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Kook Korean BBQ on 2800 East 1st Avenue We ordered Haemul Kimchi-Jeon, Haemul , (5/5) Dduk-Bokki, with rice cakes, (5/5) Thin marinated beef slices in sweet soy sauce g b a e g i Gamjatang 뚝 배 기 감 자 탕 (4/5) Soondubu Jjigae 순 두 부 찌 개 (4/5) Soft tofu soup.(Includes a bowl of rice) Food and services is good as expected They also play the Korean song over the speakers. One of the songs is "If Today Passes" is an emotional ballad song about whether we can be together after today. In particular, it contains the desire to get out of the difficult reality and be happy together. read more

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Kook Korean had been always my wish list, however, the restaurant is always busy and never had a chance to try here. Now, Finally I had a chance to have a dinner here. We chose KOOK Combination which includes Yangneom Galbisal(marinated short rib)Saeng galbisal(non marinated boneless short rib) Joomcoluk(rib finger meat) Wooseol,(beef tongue)Chandol Baghi(sliced beef brisket) Pork Galbi, LA Galbi, Beef bulgogi, Chicken bulgogi, Rybeye , strip loin and 15 side dish, rice and soup(soondubu Jjigae). Marinated Short rib, rib finger meat, non marinated boneless short rib were outstanding. They were so tender, melting in my mouth, just excellent. Pork Galbi, LA Galbi,, Beef bulgogi, chicken , were also good, ribeye strip loin and beef tongue could be a bit better. 15 side dish were all tasty. Soup was also very good. I know why this restaurant is so popular. Overall, I am very satisfied with this restaurant's meal. Service was very good, friendly and served food very quick. I will be back to try other special menu. read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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This is the absolute best Korean bbq I've had. While it's a little out of the way from downtown Vancouver, it is well worth the effort. The quality was excellent and the portions were satisfying. The service was friendly and attentive. Everyone at our table was very please and enjoyed the experience. read more

Still one of the best Korean bbq spots in town! Amazing side dishes and group set meals. The meat was fresh and delicious on the grill. Seafood pancake was tasty. read more

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Best Korean bbq in town! What amazes me is the exhaust fan. I usually don't like to go Korean bbq because you get so stinky afterwards. But here, the exhaust fan is in the burner, it means the smoke never comes out from the cooking burner! Amazing place for small or big gatherings, the place is spacious and the tables are divided perfectly. You can talk comfortably. Service staff is a hit and miss. My first time there we had Bernice who was amazing but the second time she wasn't there, so the service was okay. But overall is pretty good, and I'll definitely go back! read more

I've heard about this place and finally got to try it. The ambiance is modern Korean style, a little club vibe at first with dark decor and k-pop music TV on the screen. We were not that hungry, so we passed on the BBQ set, instead we ordered SAENG GALBISAL the boneless short ribs and chicken, with some seafood pancake. The meat was really tender and fresh, and I was impressed by how many side dishes there were, all of them are delicious, some are on the spicy side, with tasty radish pickles. The server is friendly and professional. They gave some recommendations and also brought more side dishes when some were finished. The price point is a little high but given the quality of the meat and the amount of side dishes, it was well worth it. There is plenty of free parking space outside. If you haven't had a chance to try, it's highly recommended. read more

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Kook always has such instagram worthy dishes and the banchan refills is such a pro! Meat is high quality and delicious. Always a fun time grilling up some fresh beef read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

This Korean BBQ restaurant is simply amazing. The vibe is cool as the BBQ stove is spotlighted with dark environment. If you order the combo set you will get so many dishes of kimchee surrounding the stove. This time I ordered Combo A and an extra dish of friend spicy rice cake as I only have 3 persons. The combo is a must try for first time customers. The service was good. When we pressed the service button on the table the servers responded quickly. Last but not least, to avoid the waiting time, better to make a reservation instead of walk in. read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Combo A - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Long wait but it is worth the try. The highlight was the variety of banchans. great quality of meat and service was quite fast despite their busy-ness. Good amount of parking in front. Definitely recommend coming read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Combo for 4 - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Prices have gone up considerably while portions have shrunk. Grill was barely able to cook the meat despite being on high the entire time. Banchan are not made with any care. read more

Between the 4 of us we ordered one combo, some side dishes and the lychee soju. They also offered so many different types of small side dishes that can be refilled as many times as we wanted. Even if we had only 2 hours time limits to finish up, we could still pack up the remaining left over. The food was really delicious and the ambiance was nice and friendly. read more

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We were seated very quickly upon arrival. The server was super friendly and explained all the options to us. Everything was delicious from the beef, chicken and seafood. Drinks were also delicious. Every time we ordered, the food came out quickly as well which let us use our 2 hour seating time limit well. Finished off with some amazing crème brule. It was nice that they constantly changed the grill as it got dirty. And they also give you a courtesy 20 min last call. I wish they had a printed menu as viewing everything on your phone is a bit cumbersome. Only real downside for me is they accept cash or debit only. No credit. read more

Food was absolutely delicious and the restaurant itself has a very hip vibe. They offered us refills on the sides and they were all great. The meats were fantastic. We ordered Combination B which is meant for four people and we were four women and two children and all left stuffed. My kids loved the food as well. I would highly recommend. read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Combination B - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The best KBBQ in Vancouver hands down. The service is always so good and the servers are always so quick to help. The quality of the meat and the selection of side dishes are so good. We were so full by the end. Its a cool space and easy to get a hold of servers with the use of a doorbell on the table. I will definitely come back read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Korean BBQ for 4 - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Ehh I don't know if I'm just spoiled from California K-town food but this was not it.. The banchans were super mid, the quality of the meat was okay but I still can't justify how expensive it was. The prices they were charging here was a little pricier compared to ktown and the quality is definitely not on par. How would I describe the meat quality you say? It's like if you were to pay for a regular typical ktown premium ayce for $40+. I was so disappointed because for the price of almost $160+ USD I'd expect at least a hybrid between thirsty cow/baekjeong quality. Not gonna lie though the oxtail soup smacked hella hard. Definitely one of the most overrated Korean restaurants in Vancouver. Service and ambiance was a little nicer compared to what you get in ktown Los Angeles though. read more

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I've been eating at Kook for years now and I can honestly say that it's my favorite Korean BBQ place. They have the biggest number of banchans (15) and it's so fun to try them all. The meat is always high quality and every visit has been consistent. Beef, pork, chicken, you name it. My favorite dish to order on the side is always the steamed egg. The tofu soup is always a winner and so is the pork fried gyoza. The service is great and I've never had any problems. The place is well ventilated as well so I don't reak of smoke. I'm happy to see they take reservations now, but otherwise go early to walk in. read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Another visit to one of my fav places in town! You can't go wrong with going to Kook for korean BBQ! The amount of side dishes you get, quality of meat and amazing service has been consistent every time I've gone! Highly recommend trying out their tasty soups too read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Finally managed to come here after months of eyeing the place and finally making a reservation! Definitely make sure you book well in advance as reservations fill up quickly and the wait times for walk ins are atrocious. Their 15 banchans are their main selling point, but we probably only enjoyed around half of them. Their Combination B came with 5 types of meat, a salad, sundubu jjigae, japchae and a plate of mandu for $170, which is meant to be shared among 4 people. All five of us were all pretty stuffed and satisfied by the end, so I have no complaints about the quantity. The staff was quite attentive as they frequently changed our grills and restocked the lettuce and any banchan we finished. One gripe I have is about the seating, as the only thing supporting our backs was a thin wooden board, which was flimsy enough that I could feel when the person behind me leaned against it. They turned around to look at me and we both laughed at the situation. Something to note if you are coming here hoping to rest your back after a long day while enjoying some kbbq. read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Combination B (For Four) - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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The only place in Vancouver that will serve this many banchan/side dishes. We ordered the set menu for 6 plus a gomtang that came up to about $50pp including tax and tips. Service is prompt despite how busy the place is. Reservation is encouraged. We heard a guy say that the wait time is 3 hours if you put your name down as a walk-in. The place isn't very big and it's always packed and loud. Ample parking in the area. Food wise, it's good as it gets in this area and the portions are adequate. We went home pretty full. They also gave us a bowl of cinnamon drink at the end for dessert which taste like cinnamon gum. The seafood pancake was too thick and gooey, while the gomtang lacked depth. While the variety of banchan cannot be beaten, there are better tasting and more affordable options available elsewhere. read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Set for 6 - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Pricey, but very good KBBQ. The sides all feel pretty authentic to Korea, as opposed to a lot of places that use pre-made banchan that taste too bland. The steamed egg and the soups were great, and they come with certain combos. The meat is of great quality, and the servers come to replace the grill pretty often without the need for you to call them to the table. My only gripe is how uncomfortable the seats are. read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Came here with my boyfriend immediately after getting into Vancouver! Korean food is always a craving for me and he likes protein, so my restaurant date picks typically culminate in going to KBBQ spots. We ordered the premium beef combo for two, which included the following (translated into English as well, because who has time to switch tabs when the waiter is waiting for you to finish deciding what to order based on the Yelp reviews?!): yangnyeom galbisal (marinated boneless short ribs) saeng galbisal (non marinated boneless short ribs) joomooluk (lightly seasoned/marinated short cut steak) chadol baghi (brisket) house salad sundubu jjigae with beef (tofu stew) I highly recommend this place, the service is nice since they cook the meat for you and they give so much banchan!!! We received refills and it was like heaven. The meat was quality cuts, and their sauce that they marinated each of the cuts of meat in was a great selling point. They offered a spicy gochujang based (?) dipping sauce, salt, and chadol baghi sauce as well. I'm very happy with this spot being the opener to our trip, but I'm also glad that this is not opened near me because I would have to say RIP to my wallet and my waistline. There's almost a thousand miles between me and Kook Korean BBQ to protect both of those items. read more

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Restaurant on second floor. Fast service. We were there at 5pm. Restaurant was already full! Big portions! read more

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Great Korean BBQ that would've easily been a 5 star if based on their BBQ meats and soups but the amount of batter on the fried sweet and spicy chicken was difficult to swallow. We were really lucky to get a reservation last minute for a table of 5 and ordered the combination for 4 which had a great variety of pork, beef and chicken. Along with this, we ordered the Seafood Pancake and the Kanpungi. BBQ Meat Variety - each of these meats were very well marinated and tender. The quality of meat was also quite good other than a beef short rib that was a little bit chewy. Japchae - this came with the combo and was quite good. Noodles were a little bit too soft but there was a good amount of cabbage among the noodles. Deep Fried Mandu - Tasty, well fried and crispy. We went with all pork but you can choose pork and beef if wanted. Soft Tofu Soup - one of the best i've ever had with plenty of veggies, some seafood, soft tofu and an egg. Very flavourful, good portion and not too spicy! Seafood Pancake - very crispy edges, a little bit smaller in size but still plenty hefty. A little oily for my taste but still good. Kanpungi - I do not recommend this dish at all. Its a huge portion BUT there was way way way too much batter on it. Some pieces hardly had 1/5 that was actual chicken and we didnt even want to finish this dish... The Side Dishes - the best part of the entire meal were the amount of UNLIMITED SIDE DISHES. A huge variety of different vegetables, fish cake, crab salad and kimchi, it was an amazing addition to the meal and probably what makes Kook so popular. Overall, really good food here at Kook and AMAZING service as well. Do not get the fried chicken and you'll have a great meal! read more

I enjoyed great meal last time I came here. So I wish to have it again with my partner. The reservation phone line won't be taken at busy time and always information voice would be played. Basically, if it was table for two, they won't accept reservation. So we needed to be there in person. The girl at reception asked me to wait 1h 45 m. I felt like we were not treated as customers. They like only big eater group. read more

The best way to enjoy Korean Bbq is seriously at Kook. They have a ton of unlimited FREE side dishes and the meat is well marinated and fresh. The service is just spectacular and super attentive to you at all times. Ideally come here with a group to enjoy a little bit of everything & get soju and the vibes here is just so good. read more

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Would recommend going with a larger group to get the combo meals and also to try more of their unlimited banchan dishes!

Loved the food! The quality of the meat was really good and every cut we received was very tender. We ordered the combo b for 4 people. We are all big eaters and can eat quite a bit but we still had leftovers by the end of the meal. The service was good, they use a call button system and the staff is very fast. They also offered to the change our grill for us multiple times without us needing to ask. At the end of the meal, we were given a Korean cinnamon drink which was a really nice touch. The restaurant itself is nice, with a modern aesthetic. It's on the pricey side but worth it for the quality of the food! read more

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Probably the best kbbq I had thus far! Great service and I love that they have many banchan options unlike the usual 5 that you'd typically get! The cold noodles were probably my favourite...never had something like that before in terms of flavour! I got a magica mango cocktail and that was potent and delicious! Would highly recommend coming here read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Perfect place for late night munchies! My friend and I were searching for a place to eat after a late night drink at home and decided to come here. We definitely got lucky with no wait, probably due to late hours and the fact that it was a weekday but we arrived and were seated promptly. We really only came for some drunchies so we didn't order much, we opted for the LA galbi and the marinated chicken and both definitely hit the spot! On top of that, with 2 orders of meat, you can have table side cooking and the 16(?) banchans so that was definitely a plus. All of the banchans were amazing; we didn't feel like there was an excessive amount at all. In fact I wanted a refill! Both my friend and I really enjoyed it here and we found ourselves back a few days later though not as lucky with a 1 hour wait and we ended up leaving, opting for someplace else. 10/10 would recommend! read more

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Food was a great value! We ordered the Kook Combo for BBQ there were three of us and I believe this combo feeds 4 and I concur. We chose it because of the nice variety of meat cuts and marinades. Highly recommend! Would return if I'm ever in Vancouver area. read more

Kook Korean BBQ - 15 banchan options with refills. Scallion salad. Lettuce for wrapping. Barley tea. - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

When we were planning a trip to Vancouver from Seattle, we first checked to see if we could snatch a reservation for Kook Korean BBQ on OpenTable. We coordinated our departure around the reservation I was able to get. We really wanted to try this highly rated restaurant. The restaurant was one of many businesses in a busy strip mall with two levels of ample parking. Usually, ample parking means easy parking. But this place had ample parking with AMPLE cars. Both the upper and underground parking lots were completely full and many cars were circling around. After about 20 minutes, we were finally able to park. Funny enough, the lot was protected by "Unicorn Security" and that made our kids chuckle as we were walking up to the restaurant. The restaurant had a very clean and modern interior design. The table settings were neat and added to the modern Korean ambiance. K-pop idols were performing on their TV and the utensils on the table looked like they were made from bangja, which is a Korean form of hand-forged brassware. Very Korean, indeed. We asked our server what "kook" means. He said it has a dual meaning. It can mean a crazy person and it refers to their team who is crazy about Korean BBQ. He also said kook can also mean "cook," as in cooking Korean BBQ. I think the second one is a bit of a stretch but I appreciated him sharing them with me. We ordered the premium beef combo and an extra order of marinated kalbi on the side. The banchans (side dishes) came out first and they brought enough banchans to surround the entire circumference of the center table grill. It looked beautiful and I did not want to move any dishes as it would diminish the artistic value of the whole set up. It was great. Everything was wonderful. Marination was savory and perfectly balanced. Meat was high quality, tender, and very well marbled. The long kalbi pieces were precut so it was easy for us to cook and cut into smaller pieces. The banchans were absolutely delicious and they deserve all the praise and accolades. It was one of our favorite Korean BBQ experienced in the Pacific Northwest. We were recently disappointed with the famous Baekjeong in Lynnwood so this was a huge relief for us. We're definitely coming back. I am now officially a "kook," crazy for Kook Korean BBQ~! read more

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Loved our meal! The boneless beef short rib might be the best beef bite I can remember! Had fun with all the banchan, and they cheerfully refilled them. The bulgogi was delicious, and we enjoyed the assorted vegetables (though they take a long time to cook!). The sauces were a perfect foil for the beefy flavors. A fun and tasty meal! read more

Kook Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Amazing food, great ambiance and fantastic service! Visited Kook for the first time and we loved it! Got the combo A($80) and an order of the Galbisal ($42). The meats were perfectly marinated and were good quality! All 15 of the banchans were delicious and they were more than happy to give us refills when we asked for it. They also offered to help us cook the meat and their cooking was done to perfection! Service was attentive and the vibes are great here-Definitely recommend!! PS. it might be super busy if you come on a weekend, so come early or make a reservation online! We arrived around 5PM and waited for 45 mins (they called us when the table was ready so we just walked around the strip). We heard the people after us needing to wait 2-2.5 hours after! read more