Craving AYCE KBBQ and found Yaedam on Yelp nearby! Surprised to find it's also an AYCE sushi spot??? How??? Too many good things bundled in one :3 We arrived on a Wednesday evening and experienced no wait, though I imagine weekends are more lively. Large parking lot attached to the side. The restaurant is spacious and cozy, decorated with a blend of modern and traditional decor. Lighthearted pop covers fill the room with an upbeat air. All staff caring for us were kind and accommodating. My partner and I both chose the B course ($39.95/ea). Great options & good quality meats! Even delicious options for pescatarians :P Some favorites: - PRIME BEEF MARINATED SHORT RIB (perfectly seasoned) - PREMIUM PORK BELLY (so juicy. IMO better than their flavored ones because less salty. Admittedly I broke my pork fast for KBBQ... OTL) - SPICY SQUID (yooooo unexpectedly fire) The meats are generously portioned; prepare yourself with a voracious appetite :P Already looking forward to the next visit~~~ read more

Came here for a birthday dinner with two friends. Atmosphere The restaurant is pretty big with its own parking lot, which is always a plus. They offer both AYCE sushi and AYCE KBBQ, so you can choose depending on what you're in the mood for. The Experience The birthday boy picked sushi for the night. Overall it was pretty mid. The salmon was decent, but most of the other items were just okay. Nothing really stood out. Final Thoughts Would I come back? Maybe, but probably only if someone else wanted to. read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet. This is me and my daughter's absolute favorite Korean restaurant. Every time we walk in it's automatic. Korean short rib meal with soft tofu soup every single damn time. This spot has become our comfort restaurant, the kind of place you go when you just want something consistently delicious. It never misses. read more

*****AYCE Review***** Despite the rosy picture some people are painting, the economy is not exactly doing great. If there is a silver lining to this, it is the resurgence of AYCE dining. More and more restaurants are adding it to their menus. Yaedam is one of them. I came here with a group of friends for dinner on 03/25/2024. The restaurant was nice enough to make special seating accommodation for us since a few of my friends didn't want AYCE. There were two AYCE options to choose from - regular menu at $29.95 and premium special at $69.99 (for a few more items). We opted for the former. The few who didn't want AYCE ordered à la carte from their regular dinner menu. Their regular AYCE menu featured a decent number of appetizers, soups and noodles, and meats. Unfortunately, we encountered the following issues during the meal: 1) The meat quality was subpar. 2) Quantity per order was very stingy. 3) The grill was not hot enough to sear the meat. 4) The vent hood was off until the very end of the meal. My friends who ordered à la carte seemed to have a much better experience. Their food looked great, and they all had good things to say about it. On the service front, the staff was friendly, but they clearly could have used an extra person or two. We had to track them down a few times to get what we wanted. Overall, I would say come here for their regular menu and not the AYCE. Personally, a return trip is unlikely. read more

Honestly wasn't expecting much because this place was a late night pit stop after a long day, but the interior, the service, and the food were all very comforting and genuinely made me happier! I love that they have smaller portions, lots of banchan, and a variety of dishes. Kalbi: well seasoned, good amount of food for the price Soondooboo: not too watery, had a good ratio of dumplings and tofu I saw the table next to me get KBBQ and if I was hungry enough at that moment, I know I would've thoroughly enjoyed that as well! Would honestly stop by here again if I were ever in the area or passing through! read more

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Horrible experience at this place. If I could give a minus 10 on the service I would! The server looked angry the whole time and she was not nice at all. The round of 4 meats took around 25 minutes to come out, we were starving and the porc belly has freezer burn (see discoloration and texture in picture) the grill didn't get changed even though it was pretty black. The unlimited appetizers looks so sad under the warming light, nothing got refilled on there. The cuts of meats were not good. The brisket was very thick and so were the porc "thin" cut (in picture) Gen is a 100 times better compared to this place ... Avoid it! read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Freezer burned meat - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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Came here for the first time since they changed to an AYCE Korean bbq and they added an AYCE Sushi as well! We chose the Korean bbq AYCE #A $29.99 each It was so worth it! Lots of meat options to choose from! You can also choose soup ( Tofu ...Miso... Ramen ) They have a bar in the middle with japae noodles ... eggplant ... spring rolls ... dumplings ... and ca rolls to name a few! They have an ice ream selection as well for after dinner ... it's all included! Service was very good!! We will be back!! read more

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Happy to find another ayce kbbq spot though when we went, we didn't know that lol! They weren't busy when we go there because it was only 6pm, but people.started trickling in around 630ish. You can order 4 items at a time and some items were premium and you can only order them ayce if you pay for the more expensive price tag (almost $70, more than double the standard/regular price $30). We opted for the regular. Children 4 yrs and older (not sure what's the cut off) are 50% ...expensive really..how Much a 4-6 yrs old eat really??! I think they should up the age limit to be reasonable. Anyway, the meat was good. The marination was not too sweet and seasoned just right. It wasn't overly salted either. Check in on yelp and you get fried banana with ice cream dessert for free. What wasn't so pleasant was that they were not attentive. They would often forget your orders/requests (e.g. napkins, refill your drinks, change the blackened grill!!!, or just come back to take more food orders!!!). They would take order pn the table next to us. But then skipped our table. We didnt even order that much just yet! (It already stsrted sonce our 2nd order! And got worse throughout the meal). Also, I don't think that It was not noted on the menu, but apparently each person could only order 2 slices of LA galbi/short ribs. As we paid for 2.5 people (we had a kid), we were supposed to get 5 pieces BUT they lost 2 pieces of our order and so we only got 3! If you like.beef, there weren't much selections of beef items on the regular ayce menu. Anyway, the restaurant is nice and cleaner than the other chained ayce nearby, but I certainly wish the service was better. read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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I'm not sure why this place has a good rating.. I've been here for their AYCE sushi side and I hated that their businesses are separate on Yelp because when we pulled up to Mumu, we were so confused but they're the same place just FYI. Since I've eaten here before for sushi, I already was aware of their appetizer bar. However, they use the same appetizer bar for the KBBQ, which is weird. A lot of the banchan that we requested was redirected by our waitress to go to the appetizer bar. Nothing was fresh and everything tasted like they haven't replenished it in hours. For example, I requested the cheese corn side and our waitress redirected us to the bar. It was so gross and old. The menu is also nothing special.. I've paid better prices at Ohgane or Daikon for their lower tier menu and got a better selection than this. You pretty much can only order brisket or bulgogi, plus the old appetizers. The inside was also super stuffy. None of the fans to absorb the smoke were on. And they refused to turn them on because their floor fan was on. Not sure how that would affect one or the other. I just wouldn't come here again. My brother told me it was way better when they first opened, but this experience didn't impress me at all. Their only advantage is being open super late, but even then, I would rather go to in-n-out at that point. read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - their spicy brisket was just brisket with sriracha on it lol - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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There are not as many tables as gen or ohgane which for me is a plus. It didnt feel crowded and loud. The servers were really attentive and kept checking on us every now and then. The great Service was the highlight of our visit. The price is also affordable. 30 for the regular ayce which i believe is reasonable. There are different appetizers, soup, pork, chicken and seafood items to choose from. The flavor or the meat though is not the best, still is decent. Hence the minus 1 star. Nothing wrong with it, it just didnt stand out. Adding to the minus star is the kimchi. It was dry and just pure spiciness. Overall, it is a good place if you want some korean buffet experience. read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

I typically don't frequent Korean restaurants but I'll say that maybe I'll have to have a change of heart. You get ample amounts of food. Starting with the banchan there were about eight small offerings that came to the table. This was included in the beef Bulgogi entrée that I had ordered. The beef was tasty and I didn't leave hungry at all. I thought the service was pretty good. I was impressed with the ventilation systems. They had overhead on certain tables in the restaurant. I'll have to return again and try something different. read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Banchan - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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Absolutely yes, you must visit Yaedam when in Walnut Creek. Sorry, I don't make the rules. Personally I think it is the best, authentic Korean cuisine in the area. I ordered chicken bibimbap and the fam ordered variety of bbq meats which were so good. Highly recommend read more

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I will start this review by stating that the food here is delicious! Great meat quality with plentiful sides and banchan to keep us going. Surprisingly my favorite meat was the hawaiian bulgogi, so tender + the fried zucchini. I was pretty satisfied with everything we ordered from the menu along with the spacious interior and comfortable seating. Unfortunately I think the place suffers from slow service. After the wait and ordering it was 20 minutes to get cups of waters, and 30 in we finally got our food. It was just hard to flag down a server and we were left waiting for a bit during some parts of our lunch. I hope this place will increase the staffing as the server to table/customer ratio was just unbalanced and they could use some help just to cover all the customers they were receiving. I am so positive about the food however, and I will probably come back for that when the service/workflow is improved. I agree with all the other top reviews about the food and flavors, and would definitely recommend for a meal if you're not on any tight schedules. read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Sides and banchan - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

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The sushi is unexpectedly good it's a good spot to eat the only part that messed with me was the salmon but that might have been a just me thing. read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Their Lunch Special is available on weekends too at $18.99 only (+$5 for ribs, which is a must get item in my opinion ;) They also have a KBBQ option but we are usually too lazy to cook the food :P Always a happy and satisfied meal here at Yaedam. What I appreciate about this restaurant is their good food, fast and friendly service, and good prices! read more

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Went here for a going away party for a friend of ours. The salad bar with tempura and sushi is nice but that's about it. The service is extremely slow, we placed an order for more meat to grill, sat for 15 minutes, and then was asked if we wanted to order more meat when we hadn't received the first order. We did the basic AYCE as we had a table of 6. Selections are pretty low quality. I would rather go to Gen or Ohgane any day of the week over this place. read more

Amazing Korean BBQ AYCE! If you want a change from the usual AYCE up the street (Oghane & Gen Korean) you can dine on a la carte items or opt for their AYCE. They have quality meats and packages for small or large groups. Only ding is the service can be slow. It takes a while for you to order additional items when opting for AYCE menu which puts a damper on the dining experience. Even when the place is not as large or busy as its competitors, they are very slow when it comes to service. Nonetheless, give them a try, they might have already improved their speed and quality of service by the New Year! read more

I really wanted to like this place but unfortunately we had a pretty bad experience here. We went out on a Monday night and it was very slow, which is why I'm shocked with how slow the service was! It took 25 minutes to get us waters and beer. The appetizers that came out pre cooked were barely warm( spring rolls and dumplings) and took a very long time, so I'm assuming they were sitting out for a while before they got to us. The all you can eat buffet wasn't very good either, particularly the pork belly. The next morning all 4 that had attended dinner of us had food poisoning. I would not return, and would not recommend. The ventilation in the place was poor and because the servers barely checked on anyone the whole place got so Smokey I had to step outside while I waited for them to switch the grills. They were also using outdoor standing gas heaters inside? Not sure that is very safe. The only reason they have so many good reviews here is because they have signs all over the restaurant for a promotion for free dessert items if you leave a good review on Yelp and then show the staff member. They were staffed with 2 bus boys and 2 servers and only 3 tables seated, so I know it wasn't an issue of short staffing. Disappointed and upset that we all got sick. read more

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Okay, so I'm giving this place a 4 Stars ONLY BECAUSE the staff is quick, the restaurant has doesn't have long lines, and the QUALITY OF FOOD IS SOOOO GOOD! It's tasty and the sides are super yummy compared to other places like Gen and Oghane. Why not a five star? The menu is very expensive considering majority of the meats are PORK. Pork is one of the cheapest meats in America, so of course they lol offer many options of that! To get premium meats it's like $70 a person wth! Lol The portion sizes are also small when they came out! Idk why we were limited to 4 pieces of Korean BBQ Short ribs for two people, I know it's pricey, but damn lol. And the protein when they come out come in pairs or at max 3 small pieces. Lol so weird and stingy. I was always so weirded out that the host didn't offer to change our grill (which was heavily burnt) and or take our plates alway. We had to keep putting our dirty plates on the used table next to us. Lol Although, this place isn't the best Korean bbq spot in terms of money spent, it's tastiness and quality of meat is sooo good that it's worth coming back to (when in the area). And if Gen is long lol waits! read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

All you can eat Korean bbq is really slim pickings in East Contra Costa County, specifically the Pleasant Hill/Concord area. There's really only two in the area that draw a large crowd. I think Ohgane is forgettable since I ate there on my birthday a few years ago and... don't remember it. I'm not a huge fan of the more mainstream and popular Gen, which I like to refer to as the McDonald's of Korean bbq. Their service is often way too unacceptably slow to be an enjoyable experience. The issues I had with Ohgane and Gen were nearly nonexistent at Yaedam. We were seated immediately and while the initial wait for our first round of food was a little longer than I would've liked, considering how empty the restaurant was when we arrived, this didn't last and subsequent rounds of food came out in a timely manner. I was actually impressed with the meat selection and quality. I was also pleased to see that this place serves corn cheese (which Gen doesn't have) that I don't have to put on the burner for it to melt (which Ohgane doesn't have). Also a pleasant surprise was the fluffy egg soufflé like thing that I've seen at Korean select Korean spots. It's not included as part of their all you can eat menu so it's an extra charge but I didn't care. I thought it was a neat thing to eat and good to have a different flavor and texture for the meal. Overall, I personally think Yaedam is the best all you can eat Korean bbq spot in this area of East Contra Costa County and frankly, I don't think it's even close. It was a more memorable experience than Ohgane and had less of a wait and more efficient service than Gen. I was happy and would gladly come back. read more

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Very nice atmosphere Must try Nice staff Good food They have good variety please come and try read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Reviewing the items we ordered: Chicken BBQ- great flavor charbroiled -9/10 Deep fried shrimp small plate -3/10 tasted like it was cooked in old rancid oil japchae with beef- 5/10 too greasy naengmyeong- 8/10 cold noodles are great for a hot day! Rice combo with salmon teriyaki and small cold noodles soup (no meat just an egg)- 5/10 Salmon was dry and very lacking. Side dishes are ok we had kimchi, sprouts, macaroni salad , etc.. nothing special. We were given two rice but it was dry and not worth the carbs. So there I would rate the whole meal as 5/10 Service: 7/10 we had our Water filled once during the whole time Ambiance: wish they would turn down the cringy loud K-pop music during dinner time. read more

I ordered a dinner combo with short rib and combo tofu soup on 6/1/25. It cost me $30. Check the images, and you can see the rice is so old, it didn't break down after I put it in the tofu soup. Rice was old and cold as well. It just shows that they don't give a fuck. The server wasn't even happy to be there . They 100% knew that rice was old and they still scooped that big clump of rice to my order. Potato side dish was just boiled potatoes in plain water. I ordered combo tofu soup but I got the regular tofu soup. They charge high prices yet the service and quality are not even close to that price range. It is pretty sad to see how businesses don't give a f about quality and customer service. Hopefully they will improve. read more

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The setting of this restaurant seem dead. Everytime I drove by, I thought the place was popping. The blue RGB lights was up for decoration to catch the outside attention of fine place. My experience here was alright. Meat quality was poor, corn cheese (no effort) just taste sweetened corn with melted cheese ontop, and cocktails were awful. Mango slushie cocktail was original flavored Soju with mango purée. The cocktail was watered down. Get a new bartender. It was no pitcher, it was brought into a stainless steel tall cup. The vibes of this restaurant was either quiet or the music playing loud. Service was not bad though the food experience here was poor. Come on now the brisket should've at least passed my standards but the bulgogi, brisket, pork neck wasn't even delicious. For the price, it's not worth it. Will not be coming back here. Deuces read more

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It was late and cold so we were craving tofu soup and only 2 places were open past 10pm. We decided one and regretted our decision. We all had soups so no AYCE KKQ or sushi. Restaurant wasn't packed since it was late (around10ish) but there were people there. It took our food more than 20 mins to come out! Ok, that's fine, but our side dishes didn't come out until our meal did. It was horrible! One of the worst side dishes I've had, a prelude to even worse soup. The soup was watery and flavorless, no egg. None of Our different soups were good. A huge disappointment on top of everything else. Place didn't look clean and looks old. Glad we didn't waste our money on AYCE. Definitely wouldn't come here again. read more

Nice little gem! I've been to a few KBBQ restaurants around the area & this is probably my favorite. The others are all good, but WAY too overhyped & busy. This place is more lowkey. Prices about the same & food is about the same. The service could have been faster for how few tables were there, but it could have been worse, too. I just wish they had more selection of meat compared to their other competitors, but overall the meat (bulgogi, pork belly, brisket, spicy chicken, etc) was still good! This place will be seeing me more soon! read more

Update post: lunch at Yaedam on a weekend. Finally got to sit inside the restaurant. (We came during pandemic) and food is still excellent. Note: no lunch special offers during weekends, only regular menu. We ordered the combo set that came with spicy chicken and spicy tofu soup. Also bulgogi rice plate. Plenty of side dishes. Portion is big and we have leftover food. Would come back to try their ayce Korean bbq another time. read more

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10/10 quick service. They are nice and polite here, they ambiance is awesome. They very attentive and professional. The food is great especially the ramen! read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

What can I say we're hooked! Right when we walked in, warming greeted and was able to get a beautiful seat in the center for the husband and I! All you can eat of course and stayed within the standard options as we don't eat much beef. Fast, fresh and soooooo good!!! You gotta try this place out! Yes we will smell like a campfire pit but it's not bad when you love the smell of grill protein. Paired everything with Terra beer and lord that seafood pancake melted me in my seat!!!! read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - You gotta try it at least once - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

My wife and I were in a trip back home, decided to grab some food on the way home so we stop here. I order #1 & she got #4. My dish came in with exactly 6pcs of beef bulgogi with 2 pound of rice loaded with with vegetables for a $19 dish I expect a better serving portion and not just a to of rice and veggies. Never coming back to this place again. The chef need quality control Mf put me on a carb diet. I was actually so upset driving and eating spoon full of rice looking for some protein smh... We spent over $50 on 2 dish we both didn't like!! Y'all need some quality control For Real!! Lucky I was already driving home else I would've gotten my money back. Anyways super disappointed will never come back that's a fact! Go to Panda Express at least you know what you expect! Absolutely ridiculous! read more

Been to many KBBQ spots and this one was disappointing. There are 3 tiers for AYCE, A $30/person, B $40/person, C $60/person. We got the AYCE B and didn't feel like it was worth it. The brisket was too thick and dry. Some of the other meats were slightly frozen. The self serve bar was not fresh. For example the French fries were stale and corn cheese looks old and dry. Service was good. Our waitress offered to have the kitchen make a batch of fresh fries. Not a lot of veggies to choose from. Their sauces were good but other than that, it was a bit underwhelming. read more

The service staff are very friendly. The food came out fast. he meat are fresh and plentiful per order. The bulgogi servings are flavorful. I will definitely come back. read more

Yaedam is a hidden gem in the Bay Area. Great service , great options for protein , and priced fairly when comparing to the other KBBQs. Have visited multiple times with large and small groups and they can always accommodate. Always go for the corn cheese!!!! read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Seating near the front looking at the bar - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Food was delicious, service was excellent, our waiters were attentive and the ambiance was excellent. My husband and I cannot get enough of their all you can eat KKBQ. read more

Yaedam is a staple for my family. We just found out they have the AYCE for $29.99. We went for dinner and the food was excellent. The favorite were the pork neck and rib eye bulgogi. The salad bar was great with all kinds of appetizers. High recommend! Also, 2 hours AYCE. We usually come for the regular menu and the army stew. read more

One Yelp reviewer put it exactly how I felt about this restaurant: my dining experience here felt like it was "a manipulative game of [controlling] the customer from eating all they can" rather than allowing the customer to have the good experience to eat all they can. I vehemently agree with the other Yelp reviewer because the first couple of our orders came in a very small amount - we were limited to only 4 items per order regardless of the size of our party/table. We were a party of four, and while limiting 4 items per order might seem fine, they took a long time to get each order out. And when the order came out, an octopus item literally came with only 2 baby octopi, which were to split among the four of us. Other places would at least give us 4-5 baby octopi. When we ordered again, we waited for a good 20 mins for our order, to the point that our grill started to smoke cause there had not been food on it for a long time. Nobody checked on us during this time, and I had to flag not one but two wait staff to ask. Finally the second staff came back saying they had lost our order. But I appreciated their attempt to remedy the situation - at this point they were willing to take our order of 6 items - and we finally could eat again. Then at exactly 2 hours, they came to tell us that we couldn't order again because of the time limit. They had no regard whatsoever for their mistake for previously losing our order and making us sit there 20 mins with no food. I thought it was pretty inconsiderate. That said, I thought the food was delicious. The meat was well seasoned. I do wish they offer more side dishes though, like radish wrap or something. I would go back again for the delicious food, but in terms of getting satisfaction from an AYCE restaurant, I would likely recommend go Ming to other K-BBQ restaurants such as Gen Korean BBQ, where I never had this issue. read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Initial spread of dinner AYCE. - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Food is amazing. Have lots of variety and great customer service. Will return again. read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Good food, fast service, and good ambiance. Also has parking lot in the back. Would come back again! read more

Good food, good service. Party of 8 all you can eat. No disappointments. Nice staff. read more

Yaedam Korean BBQ - Korean Near Me - Pleasant Hill, California

Wouldnt recommend this place for korean bbq. Stopped here because it was open until 11pm. Ordered korean bbq they brought us the wrong meat and the spicy bulgogi was not even spicy. The cheese corn was not good or fresh. Server was kind but we were pretty dissapointed in the food. The 4.8 stars is likely due to people getting a discount on their check for a 5 star review they are fake. When youve had good korean bbq like k town or blue house this doesnt compare read more