Kogiya Korean BBQ

My husband loves Korean BBQ but I've fallen out of love with the popular and overcrowded Honey Pig. We had dinner plans with a visiting coworker of my husband's and I suggested we try out the semi-newish Kogiya in Annandale. While they offer all you can eat, we were more interested in choosing different meats. One key point, call ahead and have your name put on the wait list for a table, since there are only 12 tables and they get very crowded. We arrived shortly before 6 pm and had a 30 minute wait for a table.

Some serious chalk art skills.

We took a seat at some stools around a portable heater. It's interesting to see that "Korean wine" includes makkoli. We enjoyed a cold OB beer while we waited for a table.

3 stools per side of the BBQ tables. We didn't find out until later, but the top of the stools are removable and you can put your coat and personal effects inside it.

Love that the burner and BBQ are inset into the table. They change the grill pan depending on the type of meat you order. Pretty solid flame heated up the table quickly.

Napkins, spoons and chopsticks are located in a drawer in the center of the table on each side.

Kimchee Jun

While I tend to prefer the Hamul Pajeon, our dining companion is a big fan of the kimchi pancake.

Ribeye

This was far and away the best meat we tried. Grilled on each side and then cut with scissors, the meat was nice and tender with great flavor. Our grill guy was very good.

The slices of cooked meat are placed towards the edges to stay warm but not burn.

They change the grill pan for the spicy pork belly and vegetables.

This is a bit sweeter, and would be nicer with some grilled kimchi

Unmarinated beef shortribs (galbi)

We tried both the marinated shortribs and the unmarinated shortribs and we preferred the unmarinated version. Once again, the marinade was a bit too sweet for my taste.

Along with small dishes of panchan, they deliver a steamed egg soup and a miso soup (doenjang) as well as sweet daikon and lettuce to wrap the grilled meat in.

***

The staff tends to be on the younger side, but they are all quite professional and helpful. Our main waiter ended up burning the pork belly a little too black, but it was fine. The floating grill guy was good at not overcooking the meat and cutting it into bite-sized pieces. Kogiya is located on Annandale road with a small parking lot and not too much else around if you have a long wait for a table. The restaurant is open from 5 pm- 2 am, and is very busy. The AYCE option is pretty interesting, but next time I would like to try the ribeye again and see how their hamul pajeon measures up. They have a number of soups and chilled buckwheat noodle soup too. Definitely go with a group and make sure you're hungry.