Kim's BBQ Restaurant

Barbeque, or BBQ, is the method of grilling meat, poultry and veggies over a grill with wood or charcoal outside. It's extremely popular during the summer time, especially on July 4th in America.

We all know about BBQ, but have you ever had it indoors? How about Korean-styled?
Korean BBQ isn't that different from the regular BBQ that we know. You're still grilling meat over a grill that's either running on gas, charcoal or wood. However, what makes Korean BBQ different is the type of meat that's grilled, the food that accompany your meal and the way you eat it.

There are two types of meats used in Korean BBQ---marinated and non-marinated. There are a few different marinated meats: galbi, joo mul luhk, and bulgogi. Galbi is the most popular one, and it's marinated with soy sauce, water, garlic, sugar and sliced onions. For non-marinated, a few types are: chadolbegi, samgyeopsal, and deungshim. To me, the main difference between the two is that marinated meat has a juicy texture and more favor than non-marinated.

When you eat Korean BBQ, you eat it with side dishes called banchan. These side dishes varies from season because it depends on the availability of the  ingredients. A few examples of these side dishes are kimchi (fermented vegetables), marinated shittakes, and seaweed. In addition to eating Korean BBQ with side dishes, you also eat it with rice, lettuce and condiments such as soy sauce or ssamjang (a thick, spicy paste). A popular way of eating is to wrap the grilled meat with lettuce and add the desired condiments.

Korean BBQ sounds good! Where can I try it?
The restaurant that I suggest is Kim's BBQ Restaurant. There are other restaurants in Philadelphia that serve Korean BBQ and may even be cheaper than Kim's, but the reasons that I go here is:

1. Natural charcoals are used to grill the meat, which makes the meat tastes better.
2. They use a built-in grills that gives you the most Korean BBQ experience.
3. The side dishes comes with the meals, and they make it themselves without MSG!
4. There's FREE ice cream for dessert.

Personally, I feel that the other Korean BBQ restaurants that I've tried don't give you the full Korean BBQ experience. I say this because they don't use built-in grills, but instead it's the portable gas type that doesn't taste as good as using natural charcoal. Also, Kim's BBQ restaurant is a family run restaurant, so I feel they are more attentive when it comes to their customers. When the restaurant isn't packed, they would help you grill the meat before you start doing it yourself. This is what I call service!

Kim's BBQ Restaurant
5955 N 5th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19120

• Parking available on street or in lot (fits ~10 cars)
• Arrive early for dinner service; Suggested arrival time: 6:30-7:00PM.
• I recommend ordering the marinated beef and seafood pancake!
• They accept cash and credit cards.