Mo Ran Gak Restaurant

We have not dined out since last March and were particularly missing the meat quality that Mo Ran Gak is know for.

To satisfy our craving we decided to order take out and cook our own raw meats at home.  This turned out to be a great idea.

First off, the waitress that took our order was super nice.
I walked inside to place my order, and things were pretty busy but she quickly helped me out with what to order.

We went with:
- Marinated Mo Ran Gak Combo B.
They were out of pork belly, but were given thinly sliced pork ribs as a substitute.
- 2 Orders of their raw beef brisket as well.

After the order was placed, she said twenty minutes and she was dead on.
20 mins later she wheeled out the cart with our order and even offered to help me to the car.

The combination order also comes with a tofu soup and steamed egg.

The entire meal included all the dipping sauces (sesame oil and salt/pepper, chili sauce, and jalapenos and onion dip).

The banchan included: anchovies, seaweed, kimchi, and dried cuttlefish.
Rice paper, radishes and even rice was included.

Also all the orders included salad w/shaved green onion and cabbage with their dressing.

The meats were all of high quality and did not disappoint, our favorite was the marinated short ribs and the brisket.

We were surprised that the meal was this complete, the only thing missing was having someone help you grill and receiving refills of your favorite banchan.

Ordered takeout from here today and I have to say I was SO impressed! The food was absolutely delicious and packaged with so much care & love!

We ordered Nokdu Jijim, which was delicious and cooked to perfection - soft inside and crispy edges! We also ordered Yukgaejang, which was delicious and enough to feed both my husband and I. I loved that they provided spice levels and recommendations when ordering as well. The Dolpan Bulgogi Deapbap was amazing too. We also got all the delicious side dishes included in the order along with rice.

Highly recommend! Super authentic and delicious, and pricing is very fair!

Many years later and Mo Ran Gak is still the favorite for my family when we are traveling through Los Angeles area.  We will and often do go out of our way to travel there, up to 30 minutes, to eat Korean BBQ.  It's typically busy anytime we have gone, so be prepared to wait because it's worth it.

The food is all divine.  Our favorites are the marinated bulgogi, short ribs, and pork belly.  The side dishes are unlimited and the servers never give us a hard time for ordering more.  Mo Ran Gak is exceptional because of their lower prices with the same high standard as others and they politely cook your meats in front of you.  Other Korean BBQs we have been to sometimes leave us for 10 minutes at a time having us cook most of our meal.

During pandemic times, we were temperature checked, servers wore masks and gloves, and we get safe eating inside.  They did also have outdoor seating under a tent.

Ordered takeout to try it out since I heard that alot of Koreans like this place.

Seafood Pancake (1/5): wasn't a fan of the cheap imitation crab they put all over it and also I bit down on sand twice while eating it.

Banchan (5/5): liked the variety and generous amount they give.

Neng Myun (3/5): average, not as flavourful as other places I've been to.

Bulgogi (4/5): solid meat dish, liked that they give you rice paper and radish too.

Spicy Octopus (3/5): felt like the amount of octopus was little, pretty spicy.

Overall it was decently good, not the best Korean food I've had though.

Korean food is pretty good. They have outdoor dining but the one thing that sucks is that you cannot order the meat combinations. You can only order meats individually and they will cook it inside and bring it out. Another option if you are not wanting kbbq are the entrees.

During covid time, sometimes we have to sacrifice service or quality but not at this place. I am changing my rating to five stars. The side dishes are the best I've eaten. The sweetened octopus, the tofu, anchovies and Kim chi. Wow! Delicious! I can eat all the side dishes and be full but I have to limit myself so that I can enjoy the briskets and beef. The salad is perfectly dressed...not too sour and sweet. The service is excellent. They wore masks and gloves while they cooked the meat. And of course, the meat is so so good! I'd definitely come back. For Thinsulin fans, there's plenty of green light options.

We had Jai as our server and he's by far one of the best server we ever had. He's attentive, knowledgeable, nice, caring and always smiling throughout our dinner. He didn't mind getting our kim chi and being even brought out more anchovies because he knew my daughters loved them.

4 1/2 stars. This review is long over due since I've  have dined here several times - pre and during covid both times indoors. There's  convenient parking since they have they own private lot.

Service is good and the servers grill your meat - which I prefer.
Portions, quality are solid and I heart the bone both served in a tea pot. Prices have increased since the inception of covid but staff wore masks or face shields and the menu selection was available upon QR scanning.

Overall, banchan, meats and tofu stew are all delicious and the set was more than enough food.

Looking forward to returning here. I'm craving the grub here - after writing  this review!

The beef bone broth is so memorable. They give you unlimited refills of in-house made beef bone broth. Warm, savory, so comforting like grandma's toasty kitchen on an icy winter's day. The quality of the Kbbq meats are always stellar and I love their marinades. Of course the ban chan is  good. I have not been during CoVid times but I will pay a visit soon!

I was in the area getting my car repaired, and Mo Ran Gak was a quick walk away! I am so happy I decided to get these cold noodles instead of fast food...

= L O C A T I O N =
MRG is located on a pretty busy street (food wise) in Garden Grove. They have their own dedicated parking lot, with a little less available parking now because part of it is taken up with the outdoor seating.

= S E R V I C E =
When I first arrived, I stood inside for a couple of minutes as many servers brushed past me. There wasn't a visible table waiting list, so I was confused and thought I had to wait for a host. Lo and behold, the clipboard was outside, just out of my view...I found out because some other patrons immediately beelined to it and got on the list before me.

One of the waiters saw my exasperation as two parties got in before me, and told me that he would call me next. Thank you!!! I am forever grateful for your thoughtfulness.  

= F O O D =
Banchan was unique and tasty. The little seafood pancake was especially delicious.
+ #2 BIBIM NAENGMYUN ($13.75): This is the spicy cold noodle. The flavors were subtle and refreshing.
+ #1 MUL NAENGMYEON ($13.75): They offered me a FREE extra bowl of noodles! Crazy! This had very clean flavors with a slight sweetness. I had to take this one home because there was too much food for one person, but this noodle definitely doesn't save well. I tried to eat it the day after and it was a nasty mush.
Overall, having the BOGO deal made for a very enjoyable and cheap meal. I left very full and my wallet was happy!

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Food: 5 // Service: 4 // Environment: 5 // Price: 5

I'd seen the reviews for this spot and decided to stop in for dinner recently. We were not disappointed! The service was warm and attentive and the food was delicious!

Because we were only a party of two, they don't offer table top grilling, but that was fine with us! The kalbi dish was so tender and delicious; it was definitely a highlight! When you order a meat dish, it comes with an array of sides and complements like kimchi, salad, and rice paper. We also ordered the cold chewy noodle dish in broth (naeng myun) and as a bonus they brought a small portion of their spicy chewy noodles!

Everything was fresh and delicious. The banchan assortment was not as good as I've had at some other restaurants, but was certainly adequate.

In 2020, you take indoor seating in California when you can get it.

Mo Ran Gak is a longstanding member of my bookmarks list and has consistently been one of the most well-Yelped businesses in Garden Grove. Located on the namesake Boulevard between Magnolia and Brookhurst, this restaurant normally maintains a sizeable parking lot but has apportioned part of it for outdoor seating during the time of COVID-19.

Just this past week though, the county in which Mo Ran Gak is located qualified to resume indoor dining, and these guys took advantage. So did my little group and I as we stopped by on a late Saturday afternoon and were greeted with a minimal wait time (and a quick temperature reading), seemingly independent of the Yelp Waitlist (in other words, I don't think they use it at all). That was fortunate considering that they don't take reservations.

After following the QR code to their online menu, we ordered the Prime Non-Marinated Korean BBQ Combination, opting for Combo A ($68.95) for 2 people despite being a group 3 people. I was the only one with anything resembling real appetite though (so the non-AYCE nature of this restaurant wasn't an issue), and you know that they're gonna bring banchan (side dish) refills as any proper KBBQ restaurant does. I enjoyed all of their banchan between moderately and strongly, and I certainly ate more than my fill of japchae refills and anchovies, along with that one chewy and spicy dish.

The meats of the prime combo were as follows: brisket (two grill surfaces' worth), boneless short ribs, rib eye steak, and short ribs (unmarinated, whoops). Also available were a tofu soup (delicious, with a couple bites of seafood) and a steamed egg (pretty standard as far as I could taste). They cooked all the meats, although not always attentively, so feel free to jump in if something looks done to you. No complaints overall about the meats, and the dips including the salt, the gochujang, and the sweet garlic were all tasty too. I just didn't love the meats as much as I did elsewhere.

There are plenty of Korean BBQ restaurants up and down the block, but Mo Ran Gak strikes me as a great option if you're in town. If I'm not in a Yelping mood next trip, I'd certainly consider returning.

We came based upon on the glowing reviews but I find most of the dishes were off the mark. The beef bulgolgi was dry and relatively bland. All the Banchan dishes were on point. The Steamed egg was over cooked and not smooth in texture. As for the seafood pancake, it was also over cooked and dry. Overall not my favorite style of Korean BBQ.

Main reason why I gave them a 3 stars instead of a 4 stars is that they forgot our rice which we asked so many times as well as napkins. When they finally realized it they were out of rice and also out of salad.

Safety: 5/5: staff are wearing gloves, mask and a face shield all the time. The seats inside has a divider shield after each booth, the outside seating at speared to almost 6ft apart. They have a face temperature check before entering the premises.

Food: 5/5!! This was my second time coming here and I definitely enjoyed the food, the thin marinated ribeye was delicious as well as the brisket, the cold noodles and the side dishes. The meat were cooked by the staff and they were tender compared to some other Korean bbq it might be a little tough to chew on.

Ambiance: they have some tv's on the wall, it's pretty loud just like other Korean bbq place.

Warning to others (when outdoor dining was available): you will NOT be able to grill your meat at your table or have them grill it there. They also do NOT tell you this.

Let me start off by saying I love Korean food, and I've had my fair share of different restaurants, both kBBQ and non-KBBQ types. Some fancier than others, but as long as the food is good, that's honestly what matters.

My sister and I went there, excitedly expecting a great kBBQ dinner after reading such stellar reviews. Now I know the pandemic has caused some changes in the restaurant, but we weren't even told ahead of time that actual barbecuing with grills wasn't going to be an option. We expected to eat outdoors because of COVID, but this experience was very disappointing.

These are the issues we had with our meal:
1) No mention on the menu or told by our server that we wouldn't be able to grill our meat or have someone else grill it at the table. No grills at all - just came out as a small portion of thin meat on a plate. Very overpriced for that portion- very disappointing.

2) Our server seemed abrupt and just threw the QR code menu on the table, didn't even fully explain how to read the menu or tell us beforehand about the portions of the menu that were no longer available. Needless to say, it was kinda frustrating to start ordering and be told repeatedly that "oh we don't have that" for certain parts of the menu. It would've been easier to have been told that from the get-go. Within our time eating, 3 different parties left before ordering a meal and I regret not doing that myself.

3) Soup (soondubu seafood) was salty and pancake seemed flavorless.

4) our server stood near our table, overseeing the dining room, for the whole time of our meal, but didn't ask us how we were and if we liked the food until literally our last bite (and right before the check).

Honestly the only think I liked was the other banchan (japchae, salad, kimchi) that tasted fresh, and the fact that there were outdoor heaters.

Maybe the place does better under normal conditions, but again, I was very very disappointed. COVID in play, I get that changes are made on the fly, but honestly the combination of lack of customer service, plus highly priced food, plus no notice of actually having grilled meat and menu explanation, I DON'T recommend this place to anyone, even for to-go orders, if they continue to do this. I know the pandemic is a difficult financial time for a restaurant business, but you can't take advantage of the customers you do have. I'm really upset and will probably never come back.

Solid spot to get korean food. You get a good amount of for the price, and they also have a pretty good banchan array.

The best banchan is the mungbean pancake which comes out fresh, crispy and hot. There's a limit on this banchan though (one per table).

We got the naengmyeon + galbi combo and the best part of this combo is you can add another side of naengmyeon for free so you can try both of the options they have (mul and bibim!) This is a great combo for two to share.

Also had the fish egg jiggae.... it was very fishy If that's your thing. I'm not the biggest fan of fish but my bf said it was really good.

So worth the 45 min wait!!! I chose this place based on the crazy high ratings and it did not disappoint. It was packed with Koreans/people in general and the smells were actually intoxicating. I ordered the mul naengmyun (cold noodles in beef broth) because it was a hot day and it hit the spot. Very aromatic and clean, and they actually had little slivers of Asian pear in there to give a hint of sweetness! AND they gave me a bibim naengmyun on the house, to be honest I think I prefer that one because of its bolder flavors. The banchan were few but not as common which I appreciated. Finally, the seafood pancake was FANTASTIC. The best one I've had - super thick, flawlessly fried (not greasy or heavy), loaded with fillings.

I left with many leftovers and a full stomach (I actually feel fuller hours later, I think the noodles expanded)!

COVID note: they have outdoor seating, tbh the main area has a bunch of tables and might not feel the safest (near high traffic area of servers coming in and out and people putting their name down) but there are side tables on the other wall of the building that are very isolated.

Love, love, love this place! It was easy to spot on Garden Grove Blvd and Brookhurst Ave. My first visit was quick and easy. I wanted a short rib dinner to go but I got a dinner for 3-4 worth $40 with 5 or 6 side dishes and rice with salad and soup. The restaurant is set up meeting Covid-19 requirements, the staff wore masks and were very friendly! I will definitely come back to try more of their dishes.

Only one waiter and the place dirty. The food was not great but ok. We won't be back.

This is my favorite korean bbq spot in the greater OC area. As most commenters have mentioned, this is not an AYCE but you can order specific meat combos and a la carte dishes. They cook all the meat for you and are super on top of it in terms of efficient service. I think it is a phenomenal value for what you pay for and the banchan (side dishes) are excellent. This spot is known for its cold noodles, I personally am a huge fan of the spicy cold noodles. If you order a combo, you can add a small noodle for like 7$ (WORTH IT, DO IT). I think that the 2 person meat combos are actually good for 3 people (4 not super hungry people). There is typically a wait during rush meal times but I try to come during random times like 3pm.
There is parking on site! Excited to come back and sit down once the pandemic subsides!

If you like Korean cold noodles, this is a must try place.

They are most known for their "pyungyang mul naengmyeon" which is basically a North Korean version of cold noodles (Pyungyang is capitol of North Korea). It's made out of buckwheat noodles dipped in beef stock mixed with icy cold radish water. I highly recommend getting the cold noodle combo with galbi (about $23.00).

Price is on the point and so is service. Wait time on Sunday during lunch was about 15 to 20 minutes which is much better compared to pre-covid, which used to be about 1 hour to 1.5 hours.

They have plenty of covered outdoor seating area set up in the parking lot and around their building.

Parking is free in their private parking lot.

Highly highly recommend this place to LA locals and visitors from out of state.