Oz Korean BBQ
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
48 Reviews for Oz Korean BBQ
Friendly staff, very clean location, and luckily I've never had to wait for a table. Interior decor is very subtle and elegant with granite counter tops on the BBQ tables.
Our family always has at least 2 orders of the Royal Galbi... My wife loves the cornucopia of pickled, fermented, and seasoned veggie dishes that come with each order, so beware: expect a crap load of dishes coming you way so make room. They cook the Galbi (I'm not korean so bear with me: is it Galbi...or Kalbi!?! or are they 2 different types of cuts or BBQ?) at your table, so I can see it having some entertainment value. The Galbi cuts are very tender and pack quite a flavor punch which I'm sure you'll enjoy.
I think Oz's one of the top 3 Korean restaurants in town!
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Alright, I want to give it an extra star for our waitress. She made me smile. We didn't come here to eat. We came here to drink soju. The 3 concoctions they offered (I say concoction because they are really nothing more) gave us enough of a chance to say ok will take one of each. The White Tiger was ok but didn't really pack any flavor just fell flat. The blue drink, I think it was called Electric Lemonade or something, did nothing but make your mouth blue. Thankfully I am allergic to lemon, so no blue mouth for me!
I thought, hey maybe they will give us a bottle of the soju and we can make our own drinks. At this point we have decided to order some food. I got the soba noodle starter and my friend ordered the crab puffs. I didn't try hers but I devoured a large portion of my soba dish.
The waitress brought us a bottle of soju, sierra mist and OJ (MY concoction) and that made us probably the loudest girls in the place. Sorry family establishment, but college roomies have got to catch up sometimes.
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The BBQ at the table is for 2 or more people as other BBQ places. So my griled beef is done inside the kitchen.
I like the beef bone stew. The broth is white (you need to cook a long time to get the white color), very smoth taste.
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I grew up on Korean food and Korean restaurants in OC, LA ,and Seoul. Yeah, yeah, yeah, this place isn't as good, blah, blah, etc. The first time I went here, there were a lot of Koreans, which is a very good sign. Sure, everything on the menu isn't authentic Korean...I would say, maybe creative fusion. But, so what. This place is huge and a great place to go with a bunch of people, barbeque, drink, and come out with a full stomach and the odor of smoke and meat on your clothes (It's not a place to dress to impress anyways.). Their all you can eat bbq is cheap for an all you can eat bbq (around $16?). Vegetarians and Vegans beware!
I actually took one of my friends from So.Cal. to this place, and even though he's been to tastier Korean BBQ places, I think the best thing about this place is that the set up allows you to talk and laugh as hard as you want without annoying your neighbors. Hm, or at least I hope they weren't annoyed..oops. Mostly, with food, the best part of it is the people you share it with (and a good place that lets you enjoy sharing it at)...good food, bad food, or inbetween food. (Sorry, that was a little cheesy.)
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Happen to find this place on a detour after pulling over for gas on the way back to the Bay Area... from a long day of boarding. Who would have thought there would be a Korean place out here-- kinda looks like a ranch style tavern from the outside. A new modern look with nice decor inside as we get seated at a table with huge exhaust fan hoods above. If anything -- you will positively not have that smell from smoking bbq grills when you leave this place. Theres a +bonus pt.! The food is good but a bit more on the pricey side. Better for a group outing. The all you can eat sounds good.
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My cousin took me here for what he said is one of the best Korean places in the Sacramento area. The outside has this old country wooden look, and I was a bit confused when we parked. It seriously didn't look like a typical Korean restaurant to me. I assumed this place would be good, since I saw the local news anchors and other "famous" people's pictures plastered on their walls.
I actually really liked the food here, even if the service needed a little boost. It's a great place to go with big groups. It's probably best to do the all you can eat, since it's pretty cheap.
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First off...besides the central valley Korean BBQ places aren't shitholes. So for people who are saying "omg! For once a non-dirty Korean BBQ!" how about get your ass out of the boondocks kk?
When it comes to the quality of meat I have to say it was decent. Just decent. I didn't have diaherra the next day but at the same time I don't immediately think that this was superb. Just your standard crap with a selection you would have found ten years ago in LA. Get with the program. I want my tripe and coal fired Kalbi. And their soju selection was absolute SHIT for the longest time...I don't know if it's harder in the valley to actually get imports but a little too late.
On top of that... what kind of hillbilly pos is it when they don't even give you the proper greens when eating? Is lettuce and green onions that hard to put together?
Combo meals are a standard in ALL Korean BBQ places. They just chose to make those combos overpriced for combinations that don't make any sense.
And service... there are the two kinds.
The older women -- I love these ladies as when I talk to them in Korean and make small talk they are so genuine and so kind. They even got me greens once and also gave me this tasty garlic concoction because they knew I loved garlic. When my parents visited me once I took them here and turned out one of these ladies came from the same hometown as my dad. Just very very sweet and attentive women. And if it wasn't for them I wouldn't even consider coming here ever.
The younger ones -- First off I don't care if you're not Korean...when you work at a Korean joint know what the Korean names are when they aren't pronounced in a non-tardtastic phonetic way. Straight up rude...so disrespectful to the older waitresses and who points at customers?
This place can't hold a match to LA and the attitudes of the workers and the decor is so full of itself. But when I HAVE to get my Korean food fix...I come here. This is as good as it gets here.
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I've been here twice. I had a better time the first time I went and thought the food was better. They have good gal bi or however you spell it. The service is a little lacking but whatever, leave me a ton of bbq meats and i don't care if i'm left alone. I prefer it while I stuff my face in a very unattractive manner.
Still, don't be cheap, keep those little plates of pickles filled and don't ask me to leave just cus it's close to closing time. Especially after i paid for the all you can eat.
the first time i went here when they first opened a few years ago i didnt think they were good at all.... but they have stepped up there game and tweaked it and are pretty good...
ummm last i went in here they did have a birthday wheel that closely resembles mikuni... wink*wink..
their bbq has pretty good flavor and the service is pretty nice and friendly (and you dont even have to be korean..lol)
they also expanded their menu as well as their dessert menu which is a plus considering most korean places have fruit or gum for dessert... and im a fat pig and i love dessert...
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Interesting. This is a Korean place geared towards non-Koreans. I've come a couple of times during dinner with my friend's Korean parents and we always get waited on by the Korean waitresses that proceed to serve us speaking in Korean and cut the kalbi for us and all that. Otherwise, when I come here without any Korean adults, we get served by non-Korean waiters/waitresses.
Their food is good. Their all you can eat is great for ~17 bucks, but is only part of the week, maybe Sun-Thursday or something? I'm not sure of the days. Some days their side dishes are better than others, not the hugest or best selection. Their salad that comes with dinner sometimes has ice in it which is weird when you bite into it. Their kalbi and bulgogi is quite tasty, their soondobu (the tofu stew thing) is good. We had five people and ordered the dinner for six...and finished it no problem. hmm.
Price-wise is not bad, but they do give you these gift card things with a bit of money on it, depending on how much you spent that night. Pretty cool; you can use it towards your next meal there. They also have a birthday wheel that you can spin on or +- 2 days from your birthday. The prizes on there are anywhere from fifty bucks to a free drink to thing of sugar.
Overall, pretty good. I come eat here when I'm in the area and craving Korean food and I enjoy it.
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I came here for the $16.99 all you can eat because my boyfriend who has been here before said that paying the full price for a meal is not worth it.
So off we go to try their all your eat/grill. I'm always down to try new places esp. all you can eat.
We had the beef brisket and the glabi, which was delicious. The marinade is not as good as I have had, but decent enough for the prices.
Never ending rice, banchan (side dishes), etc. The kimchi wasn't that great--bit sour, maybe too much vinegar. But I loved the bean sprouts. YUM.
I obviously did not eat $16.99 worth or else I'd be so stuffed you'd have to roll me out. But, we had about 3 orders of the meat that was well worth the money. My boyfriend prior to them having all you can eat he probably would have paid $60 for the meal.
Service was on point. Our server was friendly and attentive. He came whenever we needed him for more water, rice, side dishes, orders of meat, etc. Of course the little service button they had next to each table helped too ;D Service at your fingertips. Just don't abuse it because that's just plain mean!
I'd come here again for the all your can eat. Seems like a lot of fun with big groups--- so next time, Big GROUP, more soju, and of course a bigger appetite or stomach to hold all of that meat.
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I had to put my 2cents in on this place. I am not of Korean decent, but I understand the complexities of far east asian culture and etiquette. For me this place was a departure from the traditional mom & pop korean restaurants and bla-ze kbbq houses that i've been to before. It was updated with cleaner fixtures and furniture to try and ease the transition for the adventurous white folk who wonder in.
The location is prime. they are always busy during peak times so it's best to go during early lunch or early dinner.
i should have prefaced saying that I had been here on their buffet day where you can pay something like $16 and get an endless array of meats and sides to grill at your built-in teppan grill. I am a vegetarian so that didn't work out so well, but they did let me order from their regular menu without charging me extra for eating at the same table as my other buffet diners (which some places are known to do).
I disagree with the commenter who says that the [asians] don't get as good of service. I would argue that if you are a nice asian (or good-looking and flirtatious) then you would receive excellent, maybe even superb, asian-underground service and get free rice (FREE RICE!) My only gripe is that when I asked for something from their menu to be made to order, mainly replace the meat with tofu, the head chef declined. Though when i asked the waiter they seemed ambivalent about whether asking for that was even an option. so, to be fair, i'm not sure if they even asked the chef. as in some restaurants, such as this, it is considered mildly offensive to make such requests (that and I'm not sure if they knew what a vegetarian was at this place as they kept trying to slip chicken plates into my cruelty free zone).
Sorry for the rant, but this place is a good restaurant and the service is attentive. Bring your Asian friends, they will appreciate the fact that there isn't a sushi bar or fortune cookie on the premises. Oh and they have Hite & Soju (beer and vodka-sake-ish drinks).
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So I've lived in the San Jose area for most of my life so this was definitely not the first time I've had Korean bbq. I have to admit, this one was kinda *ehhh* in my standards... I love the decor of the place, and I loved how they didn't make us wait forever and a day [I came in a group of almost 20, so yea, it usually takes forever]
Okay so now that I've said the good, time to go with the bad. First of all, the service pretty much sucked. Why would you give 2 tables [with almost 20 ppl all together] to just ONE server? that's ridiculous. there is no way for him to handle all the things that need to be done. also, it took us foreverrrrr to get our drink orders, and we pretty much had to demand drinks because it wasn't offered to us. also, we were placed in two separate tables, which is okay i guess, except that they would ignore one table if they were helping the other one. OH and the exhaust was not working so we were all stinking of bbq and breathing in wayyyyy too much smoke.
the food was mediocre OH and DO NOT GET THE TEMPURA ICE CREAM. oh my gosh the biggest waste of money ever. first of all, you can ONLY get vanilla ice cream [i wanted to get the green tea ice cream, my friend said it was to die for, but i really wanted it tempura style] but basically they wrap the ball of ice cream in a thick dough [if you've ever had mochi ice cream, its the same thing... except this was really thick dough with a nasty, powdery, flour taste to it] and then fry it. seriously i wanted to scrape my tongue after the first bite of the dough. i finally had enough, and literally hacked through the dough to get to my vanilla ice cream. but yea, i would not pay that much for a scoop of vanilla [bland vanilla, btw] ice cream.
oh, and though the decoration inside is beautiful, the outside makes it look like it was supposed to be in las vegas or something. sheesh, someone needs to attack those christmas lights.
overall, if you want good korean bbq for a reasonable price, go to the bay. this place kinda sucked.
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a good find in sacramento. definitely not expensive (compared to the prices i'm used to in sf and hi). i thought it was very reasonable and normal. meats range from $18 to $25 (the seafood combo). comes with all the requisite banchan (side dishes), salad, lettuce for wrapping, rice, etc.
meats were good (we got the kalbi, pork belly, chicken and seafood combo--this one mainly for the veggies it came with), and the marinade, although a bit sweet, was also good. none of us liked the dipping sauces though; waaaaayyy too sweet (as was the salad dressing and the dipping sauce for the panjan). i tried to doctor mine with some tobanjan and soy sauce, but ended up not really using it. the marinade and/or the tobanjan on its own w/ lettuce was satisfying enough.
place is very clean and modern looking. faux exposed wood beams and decor remind me of gyukaku, the japanese-style korean bbq (yakiniku) chain. very impressed by the non-sticky granite table tops with clean grills, as well as the super clean exhausts over the tables. the exhaust fans also worked super well in that we weren't overwhelmed with meat smoke when we walked in.
service was excellent and very attentive (thanks hawk!). i guess we ordered a lot so we got a bottle of beer and their miso stew on the house.
overall, very good. 3 people, 4 meat dishes and 4 bottles of beer for about $140, including tip.
fyi, all you can eat for $18/person sun-thursday.
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Ok, if you want a korean all you can eat bbq place in Sac. This is the place to go. It's more geared towards non-koreans though. The meats are marinated a lot sweeter than most koreans are accustomed to. They do give you a ton of side dishes, but the meat is so sweet that even if you order the all you can eat, you can't eat very much. You just get tired of the taste. If you're korean you won't get great service. They'll actually cater to non-koreans first, over koreans.
If you're hungry come check this place out. You won't leave hungry.
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Eating at Oz makes me want to click my heels and say, "there's no place like home." Literally. I hate to be the wicked warlock of the west here, but why pay too much for food that is too bland and too small in portions? My wife is Korean and cooks 5,385x better than this place (well, to be fair she really is a great cook). And my palate is biased because of all the great Korean places she's taken me to in the bay area.
This place is popular, probably because it is clean on the inside. But the food, like a Jessica Simpson movie, really leaves a lot to be desired. (Anyone who raves about this place needs to head west down the 80 and taste what real Korean food is like.) It has less flavor than a Chuck D only Public Enemy and for the price you pay you really should get double portions of what they serve. You're better off going to Koreana plaza and buying marinade and meat and cooking your own.
Anyone who rates this place 4-5 stars should go eat at Choi's Korean Restaurant in Santa Clara (on El Camino) and then see if this place truly deserves a high rating.
My favorite is when you have a birthday party there and they bring out a cake with obviously recycled candles. Bwahaha! I would recommend coming here on the all-you-can-eat nights. At least then you'll go home full.
If every dish at this place was $5-7 cheaper, then I'd give this place 2 stars (in my less-than-humble opinion, the quality of the food should be on par with the price you pay), but instead I'm Franksabunching it with 1 star.
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I had seen the reviews in local publications and have driven by several times but had not had the opportunity to visit Oz. Some non-Korean friends ( I am Hapa) recently invited me to join them for the Mon-Thurs all you can eat $16.99 special.
One of my friends had been there 4 times and it was the first time for the other. Our server Dominique was very pleasant and got the grill started for us and instructed us how long to grill our meats. I have always been reluctant to grill my own at the other Korean restaurants but Oz makes it a fun and non-intimidating experience.
She brought a generous platter of chicken, Kalbi ribs, beef and pork in addition to the various appetizer plates. The appetizers including the kimchi was not overy spicy but were delicious and the meat seemed to be good cuts and we went though the whole platter of meat and two servings of the appetizer dishes and additional rice bowls. It was all very delicious and there was not much left over.
What is always reassuring in an ethnic restaurant is that the other patrons were predominately Asian and I therefore assume are giving their stamp of approval. I will definitely return soon.
Eh. . .it was decent. My friend can't eat seafood, so we asked if they could make the seafood pancake with kimchi. No such luck. She said they couldn't do it. Then when it came, it was the worst seafood pancake I've ever had. The weird thing is that they didn't even have the soy sauce with the little chili peppers inside to accompany it. Instead it was some brown oily dipping sauce.
Their little side dishes were okay. Less selection than I've had at some other places.
The bulgogi was fine, nothing special, but not bad. Basically, everything was just fine. But, I probably won't go there again.
Service was slow.
My skinny arms were bruised for two years straight.
My college roommate was from Seoul and his momma made some good-ass kimchi. He also taught me how to use "chop-stix" properly. I even studied Tae Kwon Do for a while but stopped because my skinny arms were bruised for two years straight. If you want to identify a fake chopstick user from the real chopstick user, watch if they move both sticks or just move the top stick. My point is, most of the customers here are real chopstickers and that means they know authentic cuisine. You are supposed to move just one stick.
I love Korean food and for my birthday dinner I make the family meet here at OZ. We sit at a table with the bbq grill and order the standard beef bolgugi ( bull-go-gee) as well as the chicken bolgugi. The dinner comes with lots of little bolws filled with different types of pickled, spiced or marinated veggies, radish or fish. Korean food is spicy and seems exotic to Nebraskans or people that eat green jello. If you are new to this food, start with the Korean BBQ meats. Everyone can eat these and venture into the spicier items. If you drink beer you must order Hite. It is a Korean brew, golden in colour and is styled upon traditional European and American lagers. It really does compliment the food.
Only once was the service sketchy. It was during lunch, but all the other visits have been well worth the drive into those horrible, horrible suburbs. On one occasion a friend of mine ordered Shush; yes, they do have one sushi plate, and no, I don't know why he ordered Japanese food at a Korean restaurant; when the dish arrived some of the tuna was still a bit frozen. We returned the order. Suddenly the manager came to our table apologized, promised to let us re-order the same dish at no charge! He insisted on making things right. What more can you ask?
Also, don't be put off by the dcor; it is faux marble and 1980's paint splashes mixed with Miami vise Greco-roman wall texturing. Just don't look at it while you eat.
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I chose this place for my bf's birthday because it would be a unique experience that didn't involve fish. Unfortunately, although everyone gobbled up the grilled meat, they were weary of the panchan, which was disappointingly not diverse. In the end, everyone left for home slightly unsatiated--some more than others because there was only one grill at our table, and the two who grilled didn't really get to eat. I would visit here again, but not with such a large group.
Some perks about having your birthday here:
- Free birthday ice cream and singing.
- You get to spin a birthday prize wheel.
- Birthday perks are redeemable within two days of your birthday.
- They'll kindly bring out the cake you brought.
- The restaurant is quiet so all the guests can chat.
- The service is very generous.
Tips:
- Three orders each of kalbi and bulgolgi for eleven people isn't enough.
- Ask them to clear the table before asking them to bring out the cake.
- Avoid thick or hard to wash clothing because everything you bring will smell like barbeque.
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The first time I came here with 2 friends, the service was excellent. The second time I came here with a group of 18 friends, the service was beyond HORRIBLE. They tried to force us to order things from the menu that we did not want.
Moving along...the food here tastes good--not enough to be great. I've had better Korean food in the nearby area. Decor inside is very nice and welcoming. Great place for a date or even family/ friend get together. However, I wouldn't recommend making parties more than 10 here. The place itself is pretty big and can accommodate many people (but service sucks).
Great variety of food on their menu; however, food is overpriced.
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Expensive, expensive, expensive. Both me and my mother have preferred going to the more mom and pop restaurants than Oz simply because of the price. 23$ for galbi? Aiyaaa!
It's a good place to go to have an actual grill on the table, but for some reason the atmosphere just doesn't really seem ... Korean? Hard to explain.
If you have some non-Korean guests with you that feel awkward that they can't read or speak Korean, then this is a place to go to.
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My brother took me here for my birthday. The burgoli was good, but something seemed to be missing. The ogingo was very good, but it seemed to be mostly the arms rather than the tender body parts that melt in your mouth. The kimchee was excellent.
My brother comes here often and knows the server. He was very attentive. Too attentive for what I consider to be good service. Could explain why he complains about service, when I think it was just fine.
I think they could of come up with a better name than Oz.
It was a dark and stormy night, when... Ok, ok, maybe it wasn't stormy but it sure as heck was dark (and cold) tonight; when my buddy J., my hapa partner in crime M. and I decided to get together for some tasty Korean cuisine and catch up on our lives. J. brilliantly suggested a Korean BBQ restaurant by his home. As I turned off of Hwy 50 on Bradshaw and was preparing myself to drive at a granny's pace and squint through my windshield to find this Korean eatery, I was surprised to find myself suddenly confronted by a mammoth of a building (perhaps a Ho-Jo's in another life?), bedecked in miles of twinkle lights ... welcome to Oz , folks. Like a beacon in the dark, it's hard to miss.
As you walk up to the behemoth structure, you're enveloped in a wonderful heady aroma of garlic, sesame and soy. Just follow this delicious scent to the foyer. You'll find yourself in a spacious lobby decorated in muted earth tones with walls that are inscribed with short poems about the glory of Tahoe. There's plenty of benches and even a large table to wait at in the lobby but there was no need to tonight. My resourceful friends had already secured a table up front. I was the last to show, but within milliseconds of me sitting our server David materialized to take my drink order and drop off some tasty banchan (small side dishes) to be shared. Yelp Tip: During the week (Monday -Thursday nights), Oz offers an all you can grill and eat special for $16.99 per person, served family-style. This is a great deal! Seriously, I love meat as much as the next person and can tear it up like a T-Rex but I ate ridiculous amounts of meat tonight (although I think my dinner companions still out ate me). The food just never stopped coming. The first platter of raw meat that was brought out is a carnivore's dream- a potpourri of marinated galbi (beef short ribs), brisket, pork belly (bacon) and chicken. Once you finish that platter, you can request more of any of the meats specifically. Hands down our favorite was the juicy brisket and we requested encores of that several times. Now I myself dislike what I have dubbed "fatty" meat, but my dining companions chowed happily on the chewy pork belly. In fact, M. quipped, "Everything's better with bacon!" Condiments are graciously provided and consist of whole garlic cloves, fiery sliced chilis, crisp ssam (lettuce leaves) and a salty red bean paste. We were also armed with a pair of large tongs and heavy duty scissors to assist us with our dining adventure.
Dinner was wonderful. Our server, David, provided top notch, impeccable service. There was never a want for anything. More meat-poof, it was there! More water-poof, it's filled! Dirty dishes- poof, they're gone! We never had to ask for anything, as though he was ESP-driven David anticipated our every want. Also, since he was training to bartend David offered our table a free "house" drink each to sample if we'd take a short survey afterwards. Being the lushes that we are, we eagerly volunteered to be his guinea pigs (yeah, like you really have to twist my arm when it comes to accepting a free drink).The sample drink turned out to be a full sized cocktail that tasted like a day at the beach... seriously...it could best be described as a coconutty mojito. It was oh, so tasty and the sweetness balanced the garlic-infused meal perfectly.
Filled to the gills with a delicious meal, my only last desire was a fluffy pillow so that I could curl up and take a nice nap by the warm grill. Like a content cat, I was purring after my dining experience at Oz and dreaming of my next visit.
Four stars for the tasty food bumped up to five for the exemplary service, meticulously clean facility and bargain basement cheap price.
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Leery and my heart full of doubts - I visited "Oz Korean BBQ". Hunger rules, and I was hungry - and Korean food was the calling but on a day when one is in Stockton - - one has a true dilemma. 45 minutes to Sacramento? 1.5 hours to SF? Which to do?
WHICH TO DO?
By nature, I am lazy.
Up to this point, I had always made the trek to SF for my Korean food kick, or cooked it myself. But on this day - - that just wasn't an appealing option, and with gas prices (not to mention my car that would be called a house in some third world countries), it was to be one helluva pricey dinner.
So off to Sacramento we go.
What kind of Korean place names their restaurant OZ?
No Korean I know ever THINKS of OZ never mind names a BBQ place "Oz". This cannot be good Korean food, I think.
Upon approach, I make a mental note that Oz doesn't look like any other Korean restaurant I have seen. It could be a really dinky Outback... or even a really high-end Denny's... and big enough to be either but like I said, it didn't look like any other "Korea Garden" type of restaurant.
Enter the doors.
Wowsies.... large waiting room, and big screen TVs on the wall....... I peer to my left and notice a rather HUGE dining area, with many, many tables with grills on them, and some scattered tables throughout for those not interested in grilling. It's set up with a very western aura.... but the scent in the air is unmistakably Korean. NICE!
Hostess approaches. Young Korean girl..... very polite, obviously bilingual, and while Korean was her first language, English is a close second. We get seated.
Now - things start to look up. Menu looks good.... it is really crowded on this Sunday evening (this is last week) and some are groups of Korean old men who had spent all day golfing, some are young families out to dine, and others are people from other walks of life who are out for good food..... interesting.
First - I'll say that one additional star is added JUST for the impeccable service that we got from our waitress. SUPER nice, friendly, helpful - and just pleasant. As my reviews always indicate, I am big on service. Don't be rude. I can be ruder right back. I can make your life hell if you piss me off. :-)
Back to my point though - - she was really just a beautiful lady with a truly pleasant demeanor, and only enhanced the meal.
Now, to the food.
We ordered two varieties of meat - - the Oz Galbi (marinated ribs) and Tokyo Pork (sam gyub sal).
Both tasted pretty darn good! Out in the middle of Sacramento somewhere, off the 5, I was having galbi that was at least equal to many galbis in SF or SJ - - and in some cases, much better than some galbi joints!
Hmm.
Wow.
First, Waterboy.... then Oz......... Sac is looking better and better!
We also ordered the "dwaen jang jjee gae" (soybean stew). This is one of those dishes you try just to gauge how their cooking in general is, aside from the meat.
BLECH! YUCK! GAG GAG.... this ain't it. WTF is that?!!? Now, granted, my taste in this stuff is on the high end of things, IMHO haha, but I know children who can make a tastier soybean stew. What on earth?
STICK TO THE MEAT!!!!
One additional note:
OZ makes some really DELICIOUS ban-chan (side dishes). They give you a lot of it, and almost each dish is extremely tasty. Not only did we eat a lot of meat but we CHOWED on those side dishes, asking for many more servings of it. They also served some of the freshest "ssam" (red leaf lettuce) I have ever had.... almost like they have a field out back. Soft, fresh, and tender.
Another ding for me, though, is that they do not have jalapeno peppers available but rather the big, fresh but utterly non-spicy Korean peppers available. Aigo~! One star OFF! ;o)
Would I go here again?
YOU BET.
But now I know - - I would go for the meat. Forget the soups, fishes, etc. Go somewhere else to eat that. Go here for the MEAT.
In LA, I'd rate this place a 3-star. It doesn't compare to most LA galbi places.... but then most places in Korea can't rate to LA galbi places!
In SF, the rating would probably stay at 4 stars.
But in all fairness, in the middle of Sacramento with nothing else to eat - - Oz delivers - and then some! I'm tempted to give it 5-stars but like I said - - the soups being all wrong, and no jalapeno peppers........... ??
Next time, I will just have to ziploc a bag full of little serrano chiles and jalapenos to make myself happy while chowing.
Oi ~~~ I must be getting old.
There was a time I would have rolled my eyes at someone even making such a "fobby" suggestion - - and now, it's come out of my own fingertips..... I'm officially a US-born FOB. Bite me!
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This definitely the best Korean BBQ place in the sacramento area comparing to other sacramento places being bad to ok. It does not compare to places in the bay area or LA. Their all you can eat for $16.99 is a great deal. Other than that it is pretty expensive. Oz galbi is the best item here. Can't justify getting veggie/seafood platter which does not have too much. Only like few seafood meats and some veggies for $20+? This place usual being pretty busy service is not bad.
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This comes from the perspective of an actual Korean male (we're a rare breed out here):
It's good. And I write that with the best intentions in the whole wide world, coming from a usually Korean food starved resident of the Sacramento area. While it certainly lacks in the Mom & Pop quality that comes from actually eating kimchi chee-gae (a type of spicy Korean soup dish) made by an actual Korean Mom and/or Dad, it's good. Don't miss out on the all you can eat bbq nights which range from Mon. thur Wednesday, but expect everyone to pay the buffet fee, including your girlfriends who probably doesn't eat very much in front of you anyway. The servers are pleasant and it's got a Korean decor that actually works but the authenticity is where it's lacking. Knowingly, I will still go there despite the dumbing down of the taste but hey, it's Sacramento, and unless the city peppers through with an influx of Korean residents, which I don't see happening anytime soon, this is the best.
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I came with a group of friends for all-you-can-eat, which I was told was on Tuesday nights for dinner but is actually offered Monday through Thursday. After tax and whatnot, it comes out to about $20 a person. So come when you're really hungry. They bring out four kinds of meat and your table can continue to order more servings of whichever you like. My favorite was the brisket -- they were cut small so they cooked fast, were easy to eat, and very delicious. The chicken was alright, and I didn't try the pork belly (looked like gigantic strips of bacon, but the boys at my table all liked it), and the ribs were also delicious. The side dishes, also tasty. You can continue to order more side dishes along with your meats at no extra cost. Just remember that since you are cooking at your own table, you will smell like food afterwards. Overall, I would come again - and I did come back again for lunch, since they had a promotion to try their curbside lunch for free (where I tried their bulgogi, and it was very very good!). But, after a while I did notice that the meat was a little too sugary for my taste, which is probably also why I didn't eat as much as I thought I would that night. Personally, I still like Korea House better but this was a fun experience.
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Went this on a Monday with family and friends. It's our second time there, this time we tried the all you can eat buffett, which was excellent. It's not like regular buffett where you go and pick out your food, but instead the waitress bring out meat plate (chicken, beef, pork, beef short ribs) each time as you ask. All side dishes are all you can eat too. The best was the pork, half lean half fatty which is my favorite, but the meat marinade is bit on the sweet side. All in all averaged around $20 per person including tip. The buffett is only Monday - Thursday. Will prob go again when ski season starts, can't beat the price and choices. Best Korean BBQ I been to so far in Sac. Great Atmosphere and service!
Welcome to the land of Oz... sorry, had to say that.
This is perhaps the most fancy korean restaurant I've ever been to. I mean, who can beat granate stone table tops and flat screen TVs. You have the option of cooking your own meat or have them cook it for you too. Take that option if you don't wanna smell like bbq beef the rest of the night. The food tastes aight... the bbq marinade is missing a lil' bit of that kick you get with other korean places. But man, the service was top par. The waitress was super curious of our water/tea levels and making sure we were doing "okay".
What exactly, is the correlation between the land of Oz and Korean barbeque? I'm not sure either.
Anyway, we did venture on in to the merry old land of Oz tonight for dinner. It smells great in Oz. It's a little on the ostentatious side of life for me though, it's huge and there's a lot of hand painted walls everywhere...including the ladies room, with framed reviews, articles and celebrity photos nearly everywhere you look. Not my style. Nope.
We got the combo dinner for 4, which curiously mentioned part of the dinner was soju, beer or soda. When we inquired, we were told that the table could have ONE beer, or sodas for the table. Ok.
The combo included slices of rib eye that we grilled at the table, bulgogi, beef short ribs, seafood soup, a cabbage salad and all the little condiments that came with.
The ribeye was seriously tasty. There was lettuce to wrap it with, along with a dipping sauce and garlic and chiles to make a nice little meat package. The bulgogi was good, but not as special as I'd hoped. The soup was not my favorite thing, nice heat but a little "fishy" for me. The ribs (which I didn't touch) were tough and not cooked through. The husb and I agree--short ribs=braise. No idea what on earth they are doing on a fast-cooking grill.
So all this food cost $75 for 4 people. The individual dinners were around $20. While the food was tasty, I'm not sure I'd return for $20 meat I cooked myself. I'd much rather find a hole in the wall, and save that Andrew Jackson for Mulvaney's.
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This place is alright. I think I tend to gravitate to smaller places. This place is pretty big and I would call it the "Mikuni" of Koreans restaurants. It's trendy with their Tvs and spinny wheel. I'd probably go here with a group of friends and cook on the table top bbq. I don't like how when you go in you have to personally write in your own name and now many people. I feel there should be a proper hostess and make sure they don't skip your name it has happened before. It's pricey due to I guess the cut and the quality of the meat. But I find the marinade of the meat sweet at times and just not as good as other places. If you go here and theres a wide range of people but if you go to a smaller place you find mostly Koreans and I follow where they go because they know whats up. Maybe I'll go back just for the all you can eat but there are other smaller places that are better. Thats if you dare to bring yourself to go to one otherwise if trendy and big is what you like then this is your place.
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So I came on the way back home from Tahoe. I had been here before but this time was an exceptional experience.
Food ... awesome. They have special for their 2 year anniversary ... 70 bucks for 2 orders of galbi, 2 orders of bul go gee, 1 order of soon doo boo and a large beer. What a steal! Great Korean food ... quite tasty ... I dunno if I can find a place that good this side of the bay.
Service and Cleanliness ... at a Korean rest. if the food's good the these two other traits are sorely lacking. Not here! They were very prompt courteous and checked in with us fairly regularly.
This is my spot when I come to visit sac.
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This was the first Korean restaurant I have been to as an adult because although I had went to a few when I was a kid I don't think I appreciated how truly great the food taste. I love how all the little plates of different appetizers and kimchi gets laid out in front of you, trying so many of these different things can almost get you filled before your main entree even comes out. The fast time I sat at a a regular table where our food was bought t us but the next time I came here we had a table with a mini grill (not sure the exact name for this lol) and were able to cook our already seasoned meat to preference. I have to say the food is awesome and very filling. Korean BBQ is now one of my favorite foods it's just too bad that this place isn't always in my budget to be able to visit often. If I had more money to spend I would definitely come back here. If you come especially with a group or date cook your own meat it's pretty fun and a great experience.
Ahh yes, OZ. My friend recomended me to take it "sleazy" for a tuesday because, TUESDAY my friends are all you can eat. So, what is all you can eat on that day? Here's the menu:
You can BBQ, Sukiyaki, whatever you call it, on the grill:
-Sliced Beef
-Sliced Pork
-Kalbi Ribs
-Chicken
I wasn't sure about bulgoki, but I should have given the chance to say something about it. The side dishes, weren't as great because maybe I was expecting more? Their side dishes were, ok, I've had better at Sarangbang Korean Restaurant.
The bill came out to about 20 bucks, 16 for the meal, 2 bucks for the drink, and well you can't forget about tip, which wasn't 2 dollars I have you. 20 dollars, was just a round up.
So, I forced myself to eat, because, I haven't had an all-you-can-eat meal in a way long time. 3 stars because, their stuff lacked of flavor and I was expecting more than just cooking my own food. Yup.
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