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    SOT BBQ

    4.5 (395 reviews)
    PriceyKorean, Barbeque
    Closed • 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 4:30 PM - 10:00 PM

    SOT BBQ Reservations

    SOT BBQ Photos

    Business Info

    SOT BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - SOT BBQ

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    Alice C.

    Got the sot sampler plate for two! Great amount of food. They also give you a steamed egg as part of the platter! The first meat in this sampler plate was THE best, the rest did not taste as good as the first one, but still very yummy. Service was very nice, they cooked the meat to our preferred temperature and was attentive. Interior is really nice and suitable for big or small groups

    Steamed egg
    Elisa L.

    Been wanting to try this spot! Came for Saturday dinner around 5 pm and were seated in about 5 mins. There's a good amount of tables and it never got full. We shared the Sot sampler among 4 people as we weren't super hungry and it filled us up nicely. It came with prime short rib, prime ribeye, pork belly and beef belly and one steamed egg. My favs were the short rib and beef belly as they were tender. The pork belly was also nicely crispy but the ribeye a little chewy. Meats were non marinated so I made good use of my sauce tray lol. The rice and banchan sides were refillable. The staff cooked the meat nicely for us but checked on us less often when it got busier. I would come back when I'm craving non AYCE kbbq!

    Prime Ribeye
    Allison L.

    Been wanting to try their unique cauldron grill! Came for a Saturday dinner around 5PM and we were seated within 5 minutes. Between the 4 of us, we split the Sot sampler since we weren't overly hungry and it filled us up perfectly. I like how the rice and banchan is refillable (also comes with one steamed egg), and the staff cooked for us, though they checked on us less often as it got busier. The sot sampler came with Prime Short Rib, Prime Ribeye, Pork Belly, Beef Belly. My faves were the short rib and beef belly, very tender. The ribeye was a little chewy. Meats are not marinated FYI. Overall, I would come back when I'm craving high quality, non-AYCE kbbq!

    Katelyn P.

    Great quality meats and definitely one of the better Korean BBQ spots I've tried! SOT BBQ is definitely on the pricier side, especially with their sampler plates, so I'd say this is more of a special-occasion spot rather than somewhere I'd go for a casual meal. One thing that makes SOT different from your typical Korean BBQ spot is that they cook for you instead of having you cook everything at the table. I actually really enjoyed this because you can just sit back and enjoy your meal without having to worry about timing or burning everything yourself. My favorite was the Wagyu Sampler! It doesn't look like a lot but it was enough to feed 2-3 people, depending how hungry you areThe only reason I'm giving 4 stars is because the service can be a hit or miss depending on where you're seated. The first time I went, our server left and never came back. Fair warning: you WILL leave smelling like smoke so plan your hair wash day accordingly lol. Overall, really good-quality meat and a fun experience, especially for a celebration or special occasion with friends and family!

    Sot combo
    Jasmine Z.

    I learned of this sport through a friend's recommendation and it completely exceeded expectations! Sot refers to the traditional iron/stone cooking vessel used in Korea, and here they grill the meat right on top of the cauldron lid so all the savory meat juices seep into the grilled kimchi and bean sprouts underneath. Highlights: - Sot Combo: We ordered the combo, which was more than enough food for three people to share. All of the meat cuts were fantastic quality! - Banchans: The side dishes were very tasty too. There's a large variety of options that stood out from standard KBBQ spots. Service: The staff actively helped grill everything for us, keeping the experience smooth and enjoyable. Next Time: We really wanted to try the fried rice at the end, but we were way too full. Highly recommend stopping by if you're in the area. There's really nothing quite like this in OC!

    steamed egg
    Dung N.

    This is the best spot in SD for KBBQ. I've been here 3 times already! They use a traditional cast iron grill and have premium meats! Service is also excellent because they grill the meats for you! On my last visit, we chose the brisket and marinated short ribs. For marinated meats, they also torch it to give it that extra smoky flavor. I like that the have other non meat options like chive pancakes and honey butter garlic shrimp. If opting for à la carte, the only suggestion I have for the restaurant is to have less portions of meat so that you can try more meats ( when dining for 2). We were full with just the two meats, appetizers, and ban chan. Also, the veggie platter was just lettuce, garlic, radish, and jalapenos. Otherwise, all of my visits have been excellent.

    Amy K.

    Food was so good I forgot to take a pic when it came out. Our boy Gavin cooked our meat gooood. The short rib was so good I was fighting my husband for it. Everyone gives good service. When Gavin was helping another table, another lady stepped in and helped make sure our meat wasn't overcooked. the vibe is fun without being obnoxious. Definitely a higher end kbbq place.

    Bonchon
    Derek I.

    Highest quality meats and sides. This isn't an AYCE, but thankfully it's not really needed. My wife and I got the prime sampler and it was so much food. Meats were tender and the quality shined! It's great because the servers cook for you to the requested temperature. It's a little noisy and the floor is slippery. But, this is bar none my fav KBBQ in SD.

    Somi J.

    This is not your typical all you can eat Korean barbecue. They offer higher and cut of meat, including Wagyu beef. Highly recommend a reservation, and for parking we didn't have any trouble, but it is shared with another very popular Ramen place right next-door. This is a place where your server will help you cook the meat, which was nice, we've ordered separately outside of the sampler plate they do offer. We just ordered some Wagyu and briskets. A portion of these plates are very small so I would recommend ordering more than what you would order at all you can eat buffet. Yes price is higher due to higher quality of meat. Also, the ventilation of this place was a little better than the other Korean barbecue place because we didn't really smell that badly afterwards. Overall, this place was great for service, ambience and for food. Highly recommend. However, for other dishes they offered were very much meh. Do not order anything else but meat here.

    Violet Y.

    Great spot for high quality korean bbq. The service was great, they help do all the cooking and even grill up some kimchi to pair with the meal. The favorites were the wagyu tongue, tartare, and the marinated short rib. The kimchi fried rice is a nice meal ender as well. Would come back to try more of the other options!

    Table setup
    Mia H.

    I am a big fan of the meat quality! This is not your traditional AYCE style, that aside: the plating/presentation and service where they cook it for you is top notch. I loved the sides offered a lot, they were not too sour. I wish I could say I left satisfied but I left still wishing I ate more! Save up and splurge here when you have the means to

    Javier B.

    Korean bbq Kearny mesa Parking available Amex accepted Restrooms inside Indoor seating only Reservations highly recommended Good quality cuts First visit great service. Second visit horrible service or more like no service. Came in as a two top and services attended everyone except us and it was not busy. We wanted to order more and by ringing the bell and still no service. Took 30 min to get the bill after flagging them down.

    Fried rice
    Corinna W.

    We basically ordered the same things as last time but this time we saved room for the fried rice. They use the left over bits on the bbq to make the fried rice which gave the rice so much flavor. They incorporated seaweed, lettuce and sprinkled cheese on top of the rice too. By cooking the rice on the bbq it made some of the rice crispy so it's definitely a nice flavorful texture. If you have room after this meal try the fried rice cuz it's good.

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    SOT BBQ Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - SOT BBQ

    Are any items gluten free?

    You could stick to the non-marinaded meats. For banchans, stick to non fermented or marinated items.

    Dumb question? Is there any all-you-can eat options?

    No. Their Sampler platters would be the closest.

    Can you bring home leftover?

    No.

    How much is dining here on average for a party of 2? Party of 4? No beverages. Curious how it compares to other kbbq in that regard.

    I paid about $120 (tip included) for a party of 2 with no drinks. We ordered 2 portions of meat and fried rice.

    Do they cook the food at the table for you, or is that just for pictures on here?

    Yes they cook the meat at the table for you regardless of whether you take photos or not.

    Do i need a reservation?

    No you can walk in, there may be a a wait though

    For the price of the meat are the portion big at least? Haha and its per plate not all you can eat price?

    zero bugs.

    How many people does a sampler plate serve?

    Depends on the size of the plates from 2-10

    Are those prices per person?!

    No pricing is per item/plater. Pretty much everything is shareable.

    View All 11 Questions

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    Woomiok

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    I was told that this was the best authentic Korean in San Diego, so off we went!…read more The place itself is very modest and casual...but the menu was quite impressive. Although I'm a huge Galbi Jjim fan (and they seemed to specialize in this...and many other dishes!), we decided to go with what we thought was a lighter dish...the Pork Cutlet (Korean version of the Japanese Pork Katsu...which tends to be thinner, crispier even, with a tad spicier sauce). Well, we both ordered this dish...and it was enormous! Initially we were sure we could only eat half our plates, but as it went, we licked every bit of it off. Yes...THAT good!! We also added an app, Panko Fried Dumplings...which were good, but I thought it was a bit too heavy. Definitely didn't need this, given the size of our entrees. Service was just OK...but then, this place was VERY casual. Almost gave off this eatery vibe. San Diego isn't known for many Korean restaurants, but I'm so glad we decided to try this!

    I really enjoy Woomiok when I'm feeling like a hearty pool of hot soup. Their broth is super rich…read moreand flavorful and it's the best place in San Diego for Korean comfort food. Other than the soups, I love getting their panko dumplings. It's actually my favorite thing on their menu even though it's an appetizer. It's so crispy and paired with their slight sweet and sour dipping sauce, it's perfection. I think the filling is mostly vegetables and glass noodles but I don't even notice the lack of meat because it feels so indulgent. The service is always good. They respond quickly and they also have buttons where you can call a waiter over when you're ready to order or check out.

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    Buga Korean BBQ - The bomb!!! Braised Kimchi Mackerel

    Buga Korean BBQ

    4.3(2.6k reviews)
    1.4 mi•Clairemont
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    Buga is my absolute favorite KBBQ spot in SD! They get everything right, from the appetizers to…read morecorn cheese. Me and my friends highly enjoy this place as our go-to spot, the meat quality is great and so is the service. I would highly recommend this spot to anyone looking to get KBBQ.

    Buga offers 4 AYCE menu options: A ($45.99), B ($39.99), C ($34.99), and Happy ($27.99). We chose…read morethe A menu because beef tongue is always one of my go-to meats whenever I eat KBBQ. Unfortunately, the beef tongue was the biggest letdown of the night. It was dry and seemed like it wasn't very fresh. However, the ribeye, beef short rib, and rib fingers were all good and ended up being my favorite meats of the evening. The biggest issue was the service. We came on a busy Saturday night, and while I understand weekends get hectic, the service was painfully slow. Our server never seemed to be in much of a rush, even with a packed restaurant. Since you're only allowed to order 4 plates of meat at a time, the long waits between rounds meant we spent more time waiting than eating. We also had to ask twice for a grill change, and it still took a long time before he actually returned with a grill change. By the time our next round of meat arrived, we were already getting full, which really took away from the all-you-can-eat experience. What made this visit even more disappointing is that I've eaten here before, and it used to be one of my favorite KBBQ spots. I celebrated my birthday here last year, and it was hands down one of the best KBBQ meals I've had. This visit just didn't come close to that experience. I'm hoping this was just an off night. I know Buga is capable of much better, but based on this experience, I can only give it 3 stars.

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    Friend's House Korean - 36. Seafood Udon

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    4.0(1.4k reviews)
    0.6 mi•Kearny Mesa
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    Nov 9, 2024 It's…read morebeen 6 years since I ate here. I came with a friend, and saw I ate here before with the Asian Foodies MeetUp. I feel the same way, the food is expensive, and portions small. I ordered grilled mackerel, but it cost $20 for two fillets and a bowl of rice. Mackerel is just about the cheapest of fishes, sells for $2.29 a lb at Zion Market. The taste of the mackerel wasn't very exciting, I couldn't taste the grill flavor, and I wish they put some marinate on it. The dish I really wanted is Beef Bulgogi (but I like pork better) but it cost $27 and I couldn't bring myself to order it, too expensive. My friend ordered dumplings for about $14, but I did not taste them. My friend only ordered dumplings, which I did not taste. I come to the same conclusion as my previous visit, 6 years before. Not coming back ! Too many other places on Convoy St to try.

    I've been wanting to come here for awhile and today is the day. Went on a Saturday afternoon and…read moresurprisingly there was parking. If you know Convoy you already know how difficult parking is. 5/5 We were seated right away once we got in the restaurant. The customer service here is seriously amazing. Staff kept coming back for water and refilled our soup and kept making sure we were good :) 5/5 I love the interior with the wood and the patio seating. There is plenty of seating 5/5 The food is soooo good! We got a mixture of dishes. Army stew, kimichi fried rice, grilled pork, and bibimbap. 5/5 Everything is sooooo good here! I'd recommend it.

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    Choi's - Birria vampiro

    Choi's

    4.6(683 reviews)
    8.7 mi•East Village
    •$$$

    My second time at Choi's was not as memorable as the first, but still one of my favorite…read morerestaurants in the entire Southern California region. Not sure who was the chef today but the food in general needed a pinch of salt. Food Birria tacos - A bit underseasoned and dry but some bites were so good. 4.4/5 Dolmas - Very punchy app that is a good one to try. I've never quite had something like this before. 4.5/5 Mexican corn - This was a bit underseasoned too but after adding some salt it was the best corn dish I've ever had. Balanced poblano flavor with creamy notes. 4.7/5 KFC - An absolutely incredible dish... but... a tiny bit underseasoned. 4.8/5 Octopus taco - I only had a bite of this but holy fuuuu this was the best bite of the night. 4.9/5 Peachy lemonade mocktail - An excellent elevated drink for happy hour. 4.7/5

    I'm not too sure what happened to this place, but unfortunately it went down hill. Maybe a new chef…read moreand new management? We came back and ordered the crispy chicken again since we enjoyed it last time and also the birria sandwich which was new. The chicken tasted nothing like before and the flavors were all wrong. The birria sandwich was completely inedible- not sure who decided to slap a little bit of meat into this stale burger bun with old smelling cheese and call it a sandwich, but we could not eat it. We had to send back our food and leave unfortunately. Our server was nice about it and let us leave but really sad about this place. Seems like they might've gotten their alcohol license removed as well, so no more alcoholic drinks here either. Overall would definitely not recommend this place. There was a reason there was no one there on a Friday evening for dinner.

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    Dalbam Moon Night - bulgolgi

    Dalbam Moon Night

    4.6(162 reviews)
    0.9 mi•Kearny Mesa
    •$$

    We came here for a table of three on a Saturday evening at exactly 5 PM. It was Labor Day weekend…read more Great center easy to park. Was seated quickly our waitress was very nice and was perfectly tentative. Immediately we enjoyed the vibe. Had all of my favorite K-pop mix. I could've sworn they were playing my Spotify daily mix videos. Menu wasn't huge, but everything that we got was amazing.. Son, husband and I enjoyed all of our dishes. Bossam is a must come again for! Perfectly boiled sliced pork belly that you layer yourself with shredded fresh green onion, sliced raw garlic, strips of kimchi radish, some sort of pickled radish, and a ssamjang sauce. The pork alone was amazing and the portion was huge! We barely made a dent in the platter. The kimchi jjigae stew was sooo good too! The broth was savory, just enough spicy, it has a pork riblet stewed in it that was cooked perfectly. Came out to our table still bubbling.. Takoyaki was pretty standard, but what made it a little extra was that you could tell it actually had two pieces of octopus and each ball most places only have one. It was moist on the inside, but firm on the outside perfect amount of sauce on top. Bulgogi was a good size. Portion flavor was spot on beef with sliced nicely and very tender however, there was nothing outstanding besides the portion. Cheese corn was pretty standard as well, but oddly the corn kernels were very sweet and tender so that was very nice. I couldn't tell if it was fresh corn or frozen corn. I was leaning towards it being fresh corn because the kernels popped very nicely and were so sweet. I'm pretty sure they fooled me and it was frozen corn. The staff was so nice. They gave us an order of fried dumplings on the house. And that was very delicious. We will most likely order this next time. It was a perfect mixture of meat and vegetables. The skin wasn't too thick so it wasn't overly chewy or hard but perfectly crispy. The restaurant is on the smaller side. I can see it getting very packed very quickly. By the time that we left a little after six all the tables were full, and there was a party or two waiting. It was very lively, and although there was only one waitress, she was on point.

    A thousand times YES. Cozy, comforting Korean food and good music and vibes is what makes me keep…read morecoming back here. Along with their service as they are friendly and accommodating. For a laid back night to enjoy drinks with friends and food or even just a date night the vibes will be there. Their BOSSAM PAMUCHIN is on a whole different level that also has me itching to order every time I go there, but so torn cause I want to try other things on their menu haha.

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    SOT BBQ - korean - Updated September 2026

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