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| - I'll preempt this review by stating that I have no concept of what authentic Korean food tastes like. I've had a few home-cooked meals, but when it comes to Korean restaurants, my exposure is limited to Chuhgajib Korean BBQ and Takamatsu. I personally don't care too much about food's authenticity, for me taste reigns supreme. For example, I prefer artificial strawberry flavoring, but hate actual strawberries.
That being said, I'm not well-traveled enough to tell you how authentic the food is. All I can tell you is that it's always been a good experience and the food is very tasty.
The atmosphere and staff are welcoming. Some tables feature built-in grills so you can cook the meat at your table (it's fun once, but I'll let the cooks handle it next time). As a former waiter, I would cringe if I had to babysit some guy trying to impress a girl by using the table-top grill. But, on a recent date, the staff was more than helpful with doing just that. Despite my best efforts I had a hard time finding the sweet spot between thinly sliced raw meat and charred ash, and I have a feeling other restaurants might have been less appreciative of me smoking up the place. :) As a tragically un-hip white guy, I've been to a lot of ethnic restaurants where I've felt uncomfortable for being unfamiliar with the cuisine or customs of that region, and I never felt that way here.
Like most Korean places, every meal is kicked off with a slew of mini appetizers, which I believe is called banchan. Some are fantastic, some are ok, and some I could skip out on (I'm not a fan of kimchi so I can't tell you if it's any good), but it's free so at the very least you can get a lot of different tastes even if you only order one item.
As for the meals, I just stick to BBQ dishes. The spicy bulgogi is my favorite, the meat tastes like it's infused with the seasoning, and it's got just he right amount of kick. The regular bulgogi and the chicken are also good choices for your first visit, and they have a few combo deals so you can try different meats. Avoid the pork, it was practically inedible, very chewy and fatty.
One last note: The boba drinks are ok, but consider getting one afterwards at Pho Avina next door, they have more flavors, warmed-up boba "balls", and the sealed cups you have to stab with your straw.
Other reviewers seem to think that the only reason this place is getting good reviews is that those reviewers have a limited perspective on Korean food, and that there aren't many options in Phoenix. That might be true, but my guess is you wouldn't be reading this if you lived anywhere else, and if that's the case then your Korean food exposure is likely similar to mine and so are your options. I'm sure there's better places out there, but you'd likely have to board a plane to find one.
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