Where can you find an authentic Korean barbecue experience in Pensacola? Try these spots
Korean barbecue isn’t quite the same as going to a Japanese restaurant or Vietnamese restaurant and simply choosing from an array of regional dishes.
Instead, it implements a special way to experience the food — letting customers cook it themselves.
Traditionally, there are gas or charcoal grills built into the tables where diners can cook dishes brought by servers. In some restaurants you might find portable stoves instead.
So where can you find this in Pensacola? Right now, only a few places. But the good news is that they all offer an authentic experience.
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Kalbi Ichiban
600 W. Garden St.
First downtown Korean barbecue: Kalbi Ichiban Korean barbecue restaurant to open on West Garden Street in 2020
Kalbi Ichiban opened in 2020 and is the sister restaurant to Ichiban, located on Davis Highway. The two restaurants share some common menu items, but Kalbi separates itself by focusing on Korean barbecue.
At Kalbi, the restaurant has commercial-grade charcoal and gas grills built directly into the tables, so you can get the full experience. The cookers are out of sight from customers and are hooked up to a ventilation system so you won’t have to worry about going home smelling like Korean barbecue.
In addition to the Korean barbecue-style meal, the restaurant offers more than 100 sushi roll varieties, a full bar and sake bar and other traditional Korean foods like bulgogi, bibimbop and bokkeum.
Lee’s BBQ & Hot Pot
6235 N. Davis Highway
Open now: Lee's BBQ & Hot Pot in Pensacola brings all-you-can-eat Korean cooking right to your table
Lee’s BBQ & Hot Pot, formerly known as Meat 2 BBQ & Hot Pot, was rebranded and reopened recently after a few months of construction on the space. The final result is essentially a two-in-one restaurant where the left side of the restaurant is set up for hot pot and the right is set up for Korean barbecue. The best part? Both offer all-you-can-eat options.
On the Korean barbecue side, customers can grill up a variety of meats, like beef bulgogi, spicy squid, lemon pepper chicken and garlic pork belly. The tables at Lee’s have grills built into them, so no portable grills required.
The all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue experience will run you $32.99 per person. But there are regular Korean entrees like bibimbap, soondubu or noodle dishes available, too.
Chow Won
505 Brent Lane
Coming soon: All-you-can-eat upscale Korean steakhouse, Chow Won, to replace former Egg Witts in Brent
South Florida-based Korean steakhouse, Chow Won will soon replace Egg Witts, which closed after a four-year-stint. It has a projected opening date for early 2023.
Chow Won is looking to take a more upscale approach to the Korean barbecue game, but guests can still expect to grill their meats on their table. An all-you-can-eat option will include five types of meat, per round, per table, with unlimited servings during a two-hour dining period. The AYCE lunch option will be $23.99 per person and dinner will be $31.99.
Like the other restaurants, Chow Won will also offer plenty of other Korean dishes. There will also be a big drink menu featuring Korean soju, premium sakes and other imported beers.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Korean BBQ in Pensacola: Where you can find an authentic experience
