Nicely decorated place with large booths. It’s okay; probably of more interest to hot pot lovers than to Korean BBQ fans. Buffet-style ingredient selection. I think the food quality is better at some alternatives such as KPOT, SoGongDong, and Gyu-Kaku, but if you’re in the area it’s worth a try.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/volcano-hot-pot-and-bbq-winter-garden
**** (4 stars)
This Korean restaurant offers all of the most popular Korean dishes in a pleasant environment with friendly service. The space was formally occupied by Bee Wan, but it has been significantly remodeled. The menu is now streamlined and more pictorial, which is good for newbies. There are somewhat fewer side dishes of kimchi now, but they are just as good or better. My favorite entrée, Dolsot bibimbap, is available in traditional and a kimchi version. The Chicken Katsu is a good choice for kids or those who are not yet ready to try the full Korean experience.
***** (5 stars)
There is no question in my mind as to what the best restaurant in Orlando is. This is it. While Orlando received four Michelin-starred restaurants last year, they were very odd choices. I have no doubt that Doshi is better than all of them, and expect it to receive its acknowledgment soon.
There are two ways to enjoy this restaurant: ala cart table dining, or at the six-seat chef’s counter. We chose the latter, and it is definitely the way to go. The experience is individually curated and largely prepared by Chef Mike, while the other chefs tend to the rest of the room.
Chef Mike fills you in on the Korean history behind each of his dishes. The menu is inspired by the food a king would have eaten 500 years ago. To describe the menu as Korean is to completely undersell it, though, as each dish incorporates modern refinements, techniques, and sourcing.
The ten tasting menu courses included fifteen dishes, and absolutely every one of them was outstanding. My favorites were:
– The incredibly complex, savory, and somewhat spiced “porridge,” which was more like a chowder with tender mini rice cakes.
– The delightful oyster preparation, which was lightly cooked to bring out the flavor of the oyster, yet still fresh and citrusy with yuzu and cilantro blossom, as you would expect in a raw oyster course.
– The A5 Wagyu, which was the single best thing I have put in my mouth during forty years in Orlando. For the past decade we’ve all had lightly seared Wagyu with nothing done to it to interfere with the delicate fatty flavor of the meat. But what if you lightly marinated it, seared it, and served it with a smear of black garlic and top-grade caviar? The flavor absolutely explodes in your mouth, creating something wholly new, and far surpassing the individual ingredients. Alternate that with bites of acidic Asian pear and you have a dish worthy of the best three-star Michelin restaurants I’ve been to. Congratulations to Chef Mike for daring to create this out-of-the-box dish.
– I also need to give a nod to the dessert, which is hard to describe. Think of a tiramisu, but one made of many layers of crepes so thin and tender they become a single sort of coffee-flavored mousse. Another amazingly creative dish.
You will not leave hungry, that’s for sure. Fortunately they are happy to pack the final savory course, a royal hot pot, for you to enjoy the next day.
The wine service, provided by host Austin, is impeccable, and an interesting flight of wine pairings is offered, although there is also corkage available if you wish to bring your own wines. We did both.
The atmosphere is perfect. Low lighting in the stylish dining area, and a livelier counter experience for the tasting menu. As with the best high-end restaurants, the kitchen is organized and professional, so intimate conversation is easy, even at the counter.
Again, I cannot stress enough how far above the other restaurants in town Doshi is hitting. I am already anticipating our next visit.
Doshi
1040 N Orlando Ave
Winter Park, FL 32789
**** (4 stars)
With a stylish interior design and an airy, bright space, this new restaurant offers an inviting place to enjoy traditional Korean BBQ.
Unlike some of the local Korean BBQ spots, Kang offers a full array of starter dishes, including assorted kimchee, salads, and more.
The meat offerings are excellent, and the grills and vents work great.
The downside is the price. Whether you order a single item prepared in the kitchen, or an all-you-can-eat feast, you are going to end up spending $25 to $35 per person, regardless of whether it's lunch or dinner. With a single beer and a coke, and the automatically added gratuity, our lunch for two was over $100.
By chance, we went to another all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ place in Lake Buena Vista last week, and thought it was expensive at $28. But the weekday lunch there was only $18. And that's a tourist area. I'm not sure $35 is going to fly with the locals.
That said, all the food was excellent, and we would definitely go back if in the area.
There is a very limited wine list — mostly sweet — and only one beer (although it is the delicious Terra Korean beer).
Service was excellent.
Kang’s Kitchen
800 N John Young Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32808
***** (5 stars)
I'm so happy a good restaurant finally opened after six places went through here in the past couple of decades. I love Korean BBQ, and this is one of the best I've been to.
There are two concepts here: Hot pot, where you select a broth (Tom-Yum is a great choice) and then cook your items in the broth, creating a sort of stew; or, traditional Korean BBQ, where you select items to grill yourself.
Both concepts offer dozens of protein and vegetable choices, and there are no limits, so you can just keep ordering them two or three at a time and incorporating them into your creation. Our selections appeared almost instantly!
Our favorites were the bulgogi beef, spicy bulgogi pork, salmon, smoked garlic pork belly, and steak. There were also garlic shrimp, mussels on the half shell, fish, mushrooms, onions, and more. We were stuffed!
A buffet offers a vast array of sauces and appetizers, plus side dishes such as kimchee, and some kid's items like french fries and fried chicken.
It's all one price, ten dollars less at weekday lunch. And if you want to do both hot pot and grill it's just five dollars more per person.
Beautifully custom-designed tables with four hot pot burners and a central grill. Really modern, trendy decor, and a K-Pop soundtrack. Full bar.
Our server, Christina, was fantastic.
KPot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot
8594 Palm Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32836
https://www.yelp.com/biz/kpot-korean-bbq-and-hot-pot-orlando-2
***** (5 stars)
I'm so happy a good restaurant finally opened after six places went through here in the past couple of decades. I love Korean BBQ, and this is one of the best I've been to.
There are two concepts here: Hot pot, where you select a broth (Tom-Yum is a great choice) and then cook your items in the broth, creating a sort of stew; or, traditional Korean BBQ, where you select items to grill yourself.
Both concepts offer dozens of protein and vegetable choices, and there are no limits, so you can just keep ordering them two or three at a time and incorporating them into your creation. Our selections appeared almost instantly!
Our favorites were the bulgogi beef, spicy bulgogi pork, salmon, smoked garlic pork belly, and steak. There were also garlic shrimp, mussels on the half shell, fish, mushrooms, onions, and more. We were stuffed!
A buffet offers a vast array of sauces and appetizers, plus side dishes such as kimchee, and some kid's items like french fries and fried chicken.
It's all one price, ten dollars less at weekday lunch. And if you want to do both hot pot and grill it's just five dollars more per person.
Beautifully custom-designed tables with four hot pot burners and a central grill. Really modern, trendy decor, and a K-Pop soundtrack. Full bar.
Our server, Christina, was fantastic.
K-Pot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot
8594 Palm Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32836
https://www.yelp.com/biz/k-pot-korean-bbq-and-hot-pot-orlando
**** (4 stars)
This is an interesting concept for Bibimbap. It offers more customization options, including type of bowl, type of rice, type of protein, and a wide assortment of vegetables. It's sort of an Excel spreadsheet approach to dining!
We ordered what is traditionally called Dulsot Bibimbap, served in a very hot ceramic bowl so that the rice at the bottom gets crunchy. I thought the result was good, although I have had crunchier rice elsewhere, and the bulgogi beef could have been more tender and more marinated. The assortment of vegetable addons was great, with several items I haven't had in bibimbap before.
The space is the former Pei Wei, but it has been opened up, and is now full table service.
The service was efficient and pleasant.
One oddity is that they don't offer tap water, however bottled water is less than a dollar.
BaBbi BaBbi Korean Kitchen
8015 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
https://www.yelp.com/biz/babbi-babbi-korean-kitchen-orlando-2
***** (5 stars)
I love Korean food, with all the elaborate little side dishes, and large range of flavors. But sometime you just want your Korean fix without taking the time for a multi course st-down meal. K-Town Cafe hits the high points in a quick serve format without sacrificing flavor. Beef or Chicken Bulgogi are probably the go-tos here, although I also really liked my grilled salmon. Each mean comes with either white rice or fried rice. I really like that the fried rice was light and flavorful without being oily. You also get a choice of side dishes, and my generous helpings of kimchi and spicy cucumber were both excellent. There's a more elaborate Korean BBQ next door, but I suspect I will find myself often opting for the convenience here.
K-Town Cafe
7800 Dr Phillips Blvd
Orlando, FL 32819
Interior
Table setting
**** (4 stars)
This was a great place for a Korean BBQ lunch extravaganza. For one price you can have all you can eat from an entire page of protein choices. Items are delivered to your table in generous proportions where you, of course, grill them yourself.
We tried quite a few of the meats and our two favorites were the beef bulgogi and the pork spare ribs.
Also included are a bowl of nicely dressed salad, an assortment of kimchi and other sides, and some terrific pancakes.
The place is spacious, and servers keep a careful eye on the temperature of your grill… and your need for more meat!
Road To Seoul
1230 S Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(323) 731-9292
https://www.yelp.com/biz/road-to-seoul-los-angeles
Interior
Lunch buffet
***** (5 stars)
I’ve never thought that sushi and buffets went together. Sushi requires extreme freshness of ingredients, something you rarely see on a buffet. But I’ll make an exception for this is Izziban.
I think the reason is that they’re constantly resupplying the buffet, so everything is very fresh. There are also hot items and a plethora of sauces to choose from.
At $10.99 the lunch deal simply can’t be beat. It’s quick and delicious and economical, a homerun.
Izziban Metrowest
6996 Piazza Grande Ave
Ste 100
Orlando, FL 32835
(407) 868-9999
https://www.yelp.com/biz/izziban-metrowest-orlando