Gogi Korean BBQ Restaurant

Reviews 7

MI

Mike Frazier

There are very few authentically Korean restaurants in Columbus, and this is probably the most authentic. I lived in Korea for three years, and my wife is Korean, so Ive been to a lot of Korean restaurants in the States and in Korea. I can say that the atmosphere and format (cooking your meat in the center of the table) is just like the majority of places I loved and frequented in Korea. The food is the same--of course, its a little pricey here, because to take a fully authentic Korean experience and place it into another country will do that--it requires imported products, foods, and ingredients. A couple of cultural notes: Koreans in general are highly efficient. You dont really have a single "server" in Korea, and they only come over when you call them over or press the service button located on the table. And that button, you will hear from anyone who has lived in Korea, is a godsend. Theres no awkwardness when the server comes over to talk and you dont need anything, and you dont need to wait on them, sending off uncomfortable body signals to try and get them to notice you. In Korea, restaurant customers dont come in to befriend servers--they just want what they want, when they want it. You just. Push. A button. And its amazing. Dont be afraid to be a little more assertive to politely flag your server down and ask them for something; its not rude, its expected. Second, at authentic Korean BBQ restaurants, you cook your own meat in the center of your table, and share your side dishes and meat (your rice bowl is your own, of course). The beauty of Korean food is that you can mix anything with just about anything else, and it creates new and more interesting tastes. Because a lot of the servers in Korean restaurants may be at various stages on the cultural spectrum (they might have been born here, or came from Korea last month, or might even be from China or Japan), service expectations and procedures will vary. For example, Koreans dont drink NEARLY as much water as we do, and ice water isnt really a thing (they drink a lot of hot water, to warm the body and eat/drink slowly, instead of cold water to shove food in your mouth and wash it down). So, you may have a server that isnt as aware yet how much cold water Americans expect to go through in a single meal. And remember that it may also be the case that they are assigned to more tables than a server in a regular American restaurant might be. TL;DR - This is perhaps the most authentic Korean restaurant experience you will find in Columbus; if you go with an open mind to new experiences and cultural differences, and you will absolutely love it!

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Annie Roo

The food is mediocre-- you can find a better food experience at another Korean BBQ restaurant thats not far from this one. What got me was the service system. The server barely stopped by unless you pressed the service button-- which is strange as their whole electronic service calling system defeats the point of having any service in the first place. My first experience here with the service was fine, the waitress was diligent on refilling items, bringing dishes out, asking if things were ok. However, the second time I visited, the service was to the point where I questioned if I had the server; this speaks to how much service I got from him. Also, not sure if this was due to the service or the kitchen staff, but when I came in with a party of five, and they literally gave us two leaves of lettuce in the basket. Two. We ordered about two BBQ entrees and received this much. When we asked for another basket, they came back with.... two more lettuce leaves. The Kpop videos on the TVs were cool though.

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PA

Paul Hoy

I was invited to dinner here by a friend and was a little skeptical when I arrived based on the appearance of the exterior the building. From the outside to a fairly nondescript windowless box. Inside the decor is tasteful nondescript with a flair of simple Korean modern decor. All the tables are Granite tops with round grills built into each. The surprise was the fun of grilling your own food at the table. We ordered a couple of combos for the presentation and quantity of food was impressive. Keep in mind this is a restaurant to go to if you enjoy eating meat. The head of ride at soups and salads on the menu however no one in our group tried any of them. The service was excellent and being that it was our first time there the server was extremely helpful in walking us through the ordering and cooking process. The pricing was reasonable and in line with the atmosphere, service and the quality of the food. This would be a fun place to go with the kids.

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MY

Mylan Harris

I am a frequent Gogi customer since its opening day and I love this place! I watched this place gain a good following from slow weekends to 15 minute wait times on a Saturday. The owner is very hands-on with the operations and takes care of his customers by instructing them how to grill and always checking on us to make sure we need anything. All the wait staff have been kind and efficient to me, so I try to tip nicely because the price is moderate. The combos are usually my go-to because I love to come with a group of 2-3 and a combo is enough for that size and it works in our budget to split the bill. The meat is ALWAYS fresh, (I think they use Korean beef but tbh I cant remember) marinated to the gods, and anyone who knows Korean food know kimchi aint the same everywhere you go but theirs? Unbeatable. And dont leave without trying their bingsoo! Take your whole family because youre in for a treat.

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SD C

Food and prices is great. Great to see Columbus finally having a decent Korean BBQ place thats up to par. The meats came with very minimal vegetables though, so if youre looking for some greens, you might want to order a dish of it. They dont even give you lettuce thats typical of Korean BBQ places. The service however was dismal. When asked to refill teas or water, their servers would only react to the person asking for a refill and wouldnt bother to check on if the other people in your party needed a refill! It was very rude and annoying. Apart from that the place is great, but with lots of room for improvement service wise.

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I Pho

A bit on the pricey side but good value overall. Combo C was $50 but you get your platter of meat, veggies, and the standard Korean bite sized appetizers with it. It was my first time here and I liked the decor and environment. I agree with other reviews the service could be perceived as lacking but our waiter came over to change the grill plate multiple times and we could have flagged him down if we needed to. He never asked if I had been there before and I never got his name either. But I came here to eat, not to make a friend so overall I would recommend this place.

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Kari Spriggs

Food was excellent, service was great, atmosphere was lively and fun. Cant wait to come back! I went here with my cousin and her bf, we ordered 2 appetizers and Combo C and kept saying "If it is not enough food we will order more." But what we ordered was more than enough! We ended up needing boxes! We had so much fun putting the food on the grill and chatting about the kpop videos on the TVs. I plan to bring my husband here sometime soon for a date! If youre a meat lover, this is definitely the place for you, but dont forget to get the fried ice creams!

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