Address: | 3132 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, USA |
Phone: | +1 805-845-2889 |
Rating: | 4 |
Working: | 12–3PM 12–3PM 12–3PM 12–3PM 12–10PM 12–10PM 12–10PM |
TO
Tony Anthony
The food is incredible. I believe this place is owned by the same people who run/own GEN kbbq, which I frequent, in Oxnard. Kimchi is very clean, and well maintained. The building is small, but because of the proximity of the tables to the kitchen area, service is 5 star I regards to speed. Accuracy is spot on, and all of the servers are very friendly and accommodating. whats more, each table has a call button that informs a waiter to address your table, if need be. If youre new to korean bbq, I suggest doing a quick Google search on how these reseraunts work, instead of going there and leaving a scathing, idiotic review based on your choice to stay in a place you find "annoying." dont be an idiot and give a well deserving resteraunt a single star based solely on the fact you "didnt know it was all you can eat" - pro-tip: nobody forced you to stay. yes, its all you can eat, but its not buffet style. there is a good sized list of different types of meats, veggies, and even seafood you can order from. you pick a few plates, they kick on the grill, and when its brought out you cook it in front of you. aside from great flavor, its also a great experience to share with friends. one minor precaution: this is not a quiet dinner setting. its not blatantly loud either, but they play kpop (korean pop music) at a reasonable volume. the setting is more akin to a bar & grill than a traditional "sit down" setting. but, dont let that stop you from trying this place out. My girlfriend and I, and our friends, frequent kbbq places quite often. Kimchi is no exception, as we go here quite often, the most, considering its also the only place in town. Although, its well deserved: the food is great, the experience is great, and the service is top notch. If you still sit on the fence with trepidation, I suggest going there and simply asking your waiter what they suggest. Mention youve never been to kbbq before, and theyll be more than happy to refer you the best starting options and sides. You wont regret it.
CH
Chris Kwak
Kimchi Korean BBQ was frankly a disappointment. Despite the relatively high reviews (4.1 as of this review) the food and atmosphere did not reflect it score at all. While the staff and waiters were polite at all times and provided excellent service, nearly all the food we ordered was terrible. The side dishes they offered was likely the worst Ive had at a Korean restaurant with the macaroni salad sickeningly sweet, the kimchi--their namesake--bland, and their seasoned bean sprouts were limp and poorly seasoned. While I could go on about the side dishes, the meat courses were worse. The pork neck (목살) was extremely salty and I was unable to eat more than a couple bites. The bulgogi (불고기) tasted as though it had been left in its marinade for a week. The marinated brisket (차돌배기) was likely the only meat I enjoyed from the selection. The spicy marinated chicken was overly sweet and cloying. Regarding the rest of the food we ordered, the soybean paste stew (된장찌개) was bland and watery, although the steamed egg (계란찜) wasnt bad. However, the rice, the foundation for Korean cuisine, was likely the biggest insult. There was no fluffy rice to be found here. The rice here was hard, dry and inedible. At $18 a person for the first selection of foods, it was definitely not worth it and I cant imagine the pricier selections being any diffferent. Perhaps those unfamiliar with KBBQ would enjoy it but anybody thats grown up eating Korean food, I advise them to steer clear.
JU
Julie Miriani
One of the most disappointing dining experiences I have ever had. Went there for lunch, 3 people at our table. There was only one other table that was filled with 2 people. There were 3 waitstaff, yet we received the worst service I have ever had in my life. Not once did the waiter come over without being called over by us. This is supposed to be an all you can eat restaurant, yet our sides were never refilled. We had many small empty dirty dishes piling up, which brought about 15-20 fruit flies to our table. They were landing on our food and drinks. We had to call the waiter over to clear them, while the waitstaff was laughing and joking in the bar area. After calling the waiter over for the menu, so we could order more food (supposed to be all you can eat) , we had to call him over again to order the additional items we wanted. Three items were order, but only one came to the table, he said he forgot to put in the order in for the other two. I gave one star because the food was OK, although the meats and chicken had more fat on them than meat. I will never frequent this restaurant again and do not recommend it.
JU
Julie Loreg-Hodges
This was extremely disappointing. We went there thinking of all the good sounding items on their menu to choose from, which we looked up online before hand. After we were seated, we were only given a menu with ALL YOU CAN EAT menus. When asked for the ala carte menu, the waiter said, "Oh, we only serve All You Can Eat". Then I said but we saw your other menu online! He then said, "Oh, we get that a lot", and smiles. Well, if thats the case, put a banner outside the restaurant that says ALL YOU CAN EAT ONLY. OR.. UPDATE your website so youre not wasting potential customers time! So annoying. Thought I warn everyone who cares to read reviews.
BR
Brianne Labatt
Ive never been to a Korean BBQ, so I walked in knowing nothing. The whole restaurant is an all you can eat buffet where you order from a menu and they serve you. After the waiter realized that we didnt know what we were doing, he promptly came by and started cooking the meats for us. He was very helpful and even recommend which meats were better and how to use the equipment. The overall experience was fulfilling.
KA
Karan Rada
Best Korean food Ive found in Santa Barbara. Its not in a nice neighborhood but the place itself is clean and not in a terrible block. No fancy decor or service but this place does the food right.The seafood pancake is great they dont skimp on the seafood. The seafood tofu is also great and comes with purple rice. The sweet and sour chicken wings are also fantastic.
JI
Jin young Kim
무조건 올캔잇 집입니다 가격대비 고기질도 나쁘고 고기이후 식사로 나오는 된장찌개는 최악 옆에있는 스시집 가세요 한인이 운영하는데 맛 최고입니다
CO
Connie Gault
My husband enjoyed his birthday dinner tremendously. The food and service are fabulous. You need not to be in a rush, there are lines at normal dinner times but they are worth the wait. I just wish their place was bigger and parking in Santa Barbara was easier. We will come back for sure.
AN
Annabelle Bittinger
The food is pretty good with large portions given the free pancake they give you but not the best Korean food in terms of authentic was. Tofu soup is on the more diluted side and pancake is a little too doughy instead of the crispy fluffy kind.
MA
Maya Yokoyama
Great service and great food! The staff are very accommodating and committed to making Kimchi a great experience for all customers. Overall fantastic! My only complaints are the music can be way too loud and I wish they took reservations.