Shik Do Rak

Finally got to try this gem! In my opinion this is a cozy old school Korean BBQ restaurant that offers a simple menu with a lot of quality options. We opted for the brisket and boneless short rib combination with stew. Pricey, but high quality. The banchans were excellent in freshness and flavor, their cucumber banchan is exceptionally delicious. Free refills on all banchans and salad. This is not all you can eat, rather it's focused on higher quality cuts.

Service was great, responsive staff that understand what you want and have a nice flow. They may not get it in the blink of an eye but they que you up fast and get to you pretty quick. Well staffed establishment, they have plenty of workers keeping everyone fed, tables clean, refilling everyone.

No one asked, but my opinion about the automatic 18% gratuity for parties of four or more... but I personally think that is more than fair. I tip 20% even if service was spotty, ok if someone really went out of their way to be terrible I might do a 15% tip, but that would need to be a really low blow from the staff.

Plenty of parking in their shared parking lot. Accepts cash and credit card. They offer plenty of sweet ice cream sandwich flavors for dessert which all looked so good.

Overall great experience. This is really authentic and I hope they don't change the charming interior, please keep this gem as it is.

For those wondering, firstly, this is NOT an All You Can Eat (AYCE) establishment. While well reviewed on yelp and one of the top places for Korean BBQ in the San Fernando Valley according to some Redditors, the meat looked much better than it tasted. Once cooked, it wasn't very tender despite the marbling it appeared to have while it was raw. The flavor of the meat was also rather bland much akin to water.

MY ORDER:
x1 DUK BO SAM COMBINATION - B6

DUK BO SAM COMBINATION BF ($177.99): Duk Bo Sam refers to rice paper which is typically eaten with various meats. This combination, which can feed 6 people, came with Black Angus Brisket Point, Rib Eye, Beef Tongue and Choice Boneless Short Ribs for the grill. It also came with a side- we chose Glass Noodles, Duk Bosam (rice paper) and Soju/Beer. Since our party forewent alcohol, our waitress was nice enough to offer more meat instead. I appreciate that since our party did not drink any alcohol, they said they would give us more meat instead.

FRIED DUMPLING: We ordered the glass noodles but received the fried dumpling instead. I'm not generally a fan of the flavor profile that is typical of Korean dumplings, but you do, these dumplings may satisfy you.

Cons:
-they got the order wrong and gave us fried dumplings (which were not to my taste) instead of the glass noodles
- the meat tasted bland/ watery?

Pros:
- because we did not drink alcohol, the waitress was kind enough to give us more meat instead

Environment: It is a nice, clean Korean family-style restaurant. Given that it is a BBQ restaurant, you will come out smelling like meat.

"BEWARE - Mandatory Gratuity!'
I am not accustomed to an automatic
gratuity for 4 people. I was charged
without knowing. The food was ok.

One of the best kalbi I had! So soft and tender meat! Perfectly marinated! Again the best kfood place in San Fernado Valley! 된장찌개 and kalbi combo for $32.95 is quite pricy but worth it! Banchan came with was super fresh and tasty. I rather pay more for good food or drive farther, etc.

- This is NOT all you can eat (AYCE).
-This is near Reseda and Devonshire and like a 3 minute drive from CSUN.
- We ordered the B6 combo which the waitress said would serve 6 people. It costs $159.00. Tax was $17.94. There is automatic gratuity added to the receipt. Automatic gratuity was $28.80. The total with tax and gratuity was $206.73. This is a split cost of $34.46 per person.

+Since the majority of us were not going to drink and the B6 Combo on the menu came with Soju, our server gave us more meat to compensate
+We were promptly seated and attended to which was convenient as it was peak dinner hours and we were a party of 6 people.
+Banchan (AKA side dishes) were delicious. Their spicy cucumber was tasty. Sometimes when I have gone to other Korean restaurants, the sides taste bitter or stale.

x She mixed up our order and gave us fried dumplings even though we requested glass noodles
x We never got the spicy fish stew as indicated on the menu
x The meat quality was not great. I have come here twice and have had a similar experience both times.

My feelings about this restaurant are mixed. Should someone invite me to eat here again, I will come, but I do not see myself taking the initiative to drive out for Shik Do Rak in the future.

First time at Shik Do Rak. No frills, just some good old fashioned Korean dishes. Craved some spicy beef soup (yukgaejang) and seafood soondubu (spicy tofu stew). Hit the spot on the rainy Sunday afternoon. Both dishes could have (should have) been spicer but was still flavorful nonetheless.

Both dishes came out piping hot. Plentiful banchan was served. Service was quick and easy. Prices were reasonable. Ample lot parking.

Many of the other tables opted for meats to grill. Will have to try that next time!

Good quality food. Meat is fresh and cut perfectly. Get ready for a meal full of quality juicy bbq meat. Condiments are also good, very close to authentic Korean dishes. Service was superb, very friendly waitresses. Definitely recommend this amazing restaurant.

Always a treat to come to Shik Do Rak when I'm in the valley.

Service is always great and the food is authentically Korean.

Always delicious traditional Korean food, we make sure to order bbq for the live grilling along with the dumpling rice cake soup, stone bowl bibimbap, and this time tried the kalbi tang!! My dad loved the flavor of the kalbi tang broth and wished he knew about it sooner as we have been coming here for years.

The waitresses work hard and are attentive, making sure the meat is grilled, your cup is never empty, and that you have all your ban chan refilled.

The restaurant inside can get pretty smoky because of all the grills and it's definitely a lively setting, so that is one consideration if you are more sensitive to smoke; though they have an area off to the side further away from all the hot grills too!

We've been coming to Shik Do Rak for years. Service is a hit and miss pending on how busy they are. Plenty of parking available. We usually get the Korean Short Ribs "Galbi" with the rice papers. The price recently has gone up to $49.99 for one Galbi dish plus 18% gratuity for party of 4.