You’ll be hard pressed to find a Korean restaurant in Denver that doesn’t have a single BBQ item, whether it’s LA galbi served on a ripping hot grill plate or bulgogi served in a rice bowl conveniently compact for a corporate lunch.
However, Korean BBQ, in its traditional form, is a more engaged meal. Instead of ordering fully cooked food, you’re presented with a plate of neatly organized raw meat, ideally featuring some of the most decadent marbling you’ve ever seen, ready for grilling. All the cooking takes place directly at your table, which is embedded with a circular metal grill called a bulpan.
You’ll spend the majority of the meal staring at the wisps of smoke coming off the ripping hot grill as somebody in your party — often the youngest person, if you want to get traditional about it — takes charge of the grill and deals out cuts of glistening meat like cards at a poker table. It’s communal and celebratory, everything a night out should be.
Grab a few friends, preferably including someone who knows how to grill, and wear a shirt you don’t mind getting a few oil stains on as you try these eight Korean BBQ restaurants around Denver.
Dae Gee
Operating two locations in Denver and one in Aurora, Dae Gee’s Korean BBQ menu airs on the affordable side, although its menu is somewhat limited. For $30 per person for lunch, or $38 per person for dinner, Dae Gee’s Unlimited BBQ deal gives diners two hours to earn back the cost of their meal with piles of bulgogi, pork belly, and brisket. One of the stand-outs at Dae Gee is its generous servings of banchon, which were approved by Guy Fieri, who visited the restaurant in August 2015 on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Multiple locations, daegee.com
Mr. Kim
It’s easy to really fixate on the grilled meats at a Korean BBQ place. After all, that’s what you’re there for, the sound of meat sizzling as it hits the heat. However, Mr. Kim’s all-you-can-eat menu encourages you to peruse some other Korean dishes, including one free tofu soup or jjigae for every two guests. One might think Mr. Kim is padding the menu, but it also includes 17 grillable meats with the basic all-you-can-eat (AYCE) meal at $33, and a few more selections when opting for the $39 menu. 12201 E. Mississippi Ave., Aurora, mrkimbbq.com
Denver Hot Pot & BBQ
Denver Hot Pot & BBQ has some Korean BBQ items, like galbi and bulgogi chicken, so we can technically put it on this list. However, the real standouts are the Southeast Asian dishes up for grilling, like satay baby octopus and baby cuttlefish. You can also get a variety of non-meat grillables, like okra, sweet potato, and oyster mushrooms. As the name suggests, the restaurant also has an entire hot pot menu with 11 different soup bases. 2200 W. Alameda Ave., Denver, denverhotpot.com
Moobongri BBQ
While most Korean BBQ restaurants are beef-forward, Moobongri’s specialty leans towards pork options. In particular, Moobongri serves Mugifuji pork, a premium Canadian pork known for its decadent marbling. Diners can get Mugifuji pork belly and pork collar in either of Moobongri’s combos for $120 (serving two to three people) or $150 (serving three to four people). These fatty, tender cuts of pork, and the rest of Moobongri’s options like large intestines and abomasum (cow stomach), pair well with an optional sliced radish kimchi fried rice. 2630 S. Parker Rd., Aurora, moobongribbq.com
Kkoki Korean BBQ
The AYCE business model dominates the Korean BBQ market in Denver, which usually means a cheaper meal per bite. However, the trade-off is often in the variety of cuts and the quality of the meat, generally limited to the most popular options like short ribs and bulgogi.
Kkoki Korean BBQ, with locations in Union Station and Greenwood Village, has a wide variety of a la carte BBQ options. Think beef tongue, small ox intestine, marinated shrimp, and premium wagyu. However, the menu options are more expensive compared to the AYCE restaurants. Kkoki’s combos start at $99 and go up to $249, generally costing $50 per person. 2100 16th St., Denver; and 5375 Landmark Pl., Greenwood Village, kkokikoreanbbqco.com
Seoul K-BBQ and Hot Pot
Seoul K-B.B.Q. & Hot Pot is functionally two restaurants under one roof. On one side, you have an all-you-can-eat hot pot experience for $38.99 with nine soup bases, a variety of ingredients and meats, and a DIY sauce bar. You could eat here all week and create a different meal each time.
On the other side of the restaurant, you have la carte Korean BBQ, featuring thickly cut galbi, marbled pork belly, and baby octopus in a housemade marinade. Combos start at $170 and go up to $260, but they’re meant to feed multiple people. The sizzling on one side of the restaurant and the simmering on the other makes for a very appetizing and aromatic experience. 2080 S. Havana St., Aurora, seoulkoreanbbq.com
Thank Sool
Pojangmacha (pocha for short) are outdoor street stalls in Korea that serve food and drinks late into the night. Thank Sool does its best to bring that feeling to Aurora, serving some comfort food like grilled squid, cheese pork katsu, and tteokbokki. Though the restaurant doesn’t delve into the true wee hours of the night, you can get food until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, which is pretty late for Denver.
Now, let’s talk about the BBQ at Thank Sool. It’s functional; a few pork dishes, galbi, bulgogi, and some intestine and stomach options. The more unique offering here is Thank Sool’s skewers, which you also grill at your table. Try the beef tendon and chicken soft bone skewers. 2222 S. Havana St., Aurora, thankful-pocha.com
KoBa KBBQ
The optimization-minded diner at an all-you-can-eat place knows that the key to making your money back at a buffet is avoiding carbs, which fill you up so you have less room for the more expensive stuff. Yet, even those committed to getting the most for their money — $20.99 for lunch, $37.50 for dinner — will still do a double take at the ramen station, stacked high with the Mount Rushmore of ramen brands, like Buldock, Chapagetti, and Neoguri. 1225 S. Federal Blvd., Denver, aycekoba.com
