Boneless Yangnyeom Kalbi. Photos by Elliott Muñoz

Boneless Yangnyeom Kalbi Photo by Elliott Muñoz

06 PH Delicious 1_opt

Flaming wood chips. Photo by Elliott Muñoz

Manager Tommy Cho says his Korean barbecue restaurant is the only one in Dallas allowed to cook meat in front of patrons with fire and wood chips. Other restaurants have to use gas after the city deemed the traditional method unsafe, he says. Cho says he’s lucky Koryo Kalbi Korean BBQ was grandfathered in. Though the place is well known for its barbecue, the restaurant has an extensive menu featuring monthly specials. “We cater the food to the month and season,” he says. For instance, noodles are popular in the summer. Lunch diners can choose from a salad bar and two soups on the house. The dinner isn’t something you’ll feel guilty about, either, Cho says. The freshly cut meat comes with at least eight endless sides, white rice or purple multigrain rice, and miso or seaweed soup. The “Boneless Yangnyeom Kalbi” is one of the best barbecue deals at $24.99 per person. Waiters bring out trimmed short ribs, which they cook over beds of wood chips. The restaurant serves only Black Angus beef. Ventilation hoods keep the place smoke-free, and the sides are almost as good as the meats. The waitress arranges spicy tofu, tuna, pickled radishes, vegetable pancakes, spicy crab, kimchi, broccoli, bean paste, house salad and marinated cucumbers in order of color. “The food is totally healthy,” Cho says. “It’s all lean meat and fresh pickled veggies.”

Koryo Kalbi Korean BBQ, 2560 Royal, Suite 105, 972.406.0087

Ambiance: Open
Price range: $6.99–$102.99 (serves four)
Did you know? Though you have to order at least two $20 barbecue dishes for the cooks to prepare your meal in front of you, (they’ll let you split one dish if you order it cooked from the kitchen.)

 

| more dining spots |

1 Seoul Garden

The Yangnyum Galbi Gui, marinated beef short ribs, are thick and meaty — and arguably some of the best in town. The pajun (seafood pancakes) also are popular among meat eaters and pescatarians.

2502 Royal, Suite 103, 972.484.6090

 

2 So Gong Dong Tofu House

The kalbi, marinated short ribs, come with soup, fried fish, other side dishes and rice. It’s more than enough for dinner, let alone lunch. You may have already gathered from the restaurant’s name that the tofu soup is extremely popular here.

11181 Denton, Suite 108, 972.241.0200

 

3 Yun Tan Gil

This restaurant focuses more on the barbecue meat than the sides. You receive only a few sides with an order, which is uncommon for Korean barbecue, but the miso beef ribs will make you understand why they don’t waste time with rice.

11445 Emerald, 972.243.0043