Songsan Korean BBQ

This is hands down the best Korean bbq place I have ever been to! Now I have only been to a few…but I do love food and especially Asian food so I do think I can give a pretty good rating! We tried a few dishes and they were so good! I got the cheese tteokbokki which was AHHmazing! I also got rice balls to try as well! My boyfriend got the stir fry octopus and the Korean wings! I snagged one of those and they were very crispy and flavorful. I would love to come back here!

This is a good spot if you want Korean BBQ - The banchan is delicious, quality of the meats and other food items are strong, and the overall restaurant ambiance is solid. However, the service tends to be a bit iffy... this is the type of restaurant that you go to for good food, but the service isn't hospitable. Don't take it personal if they are short with you.

My wife and I came here with our friends on a very cold and rainy 🌬️🥶 night recently. It was very packed and warm and cozy in there. The food smells were appealing and we sat at the table readily looking to the menu for good Korean food.🍺🍵🥢🍛 I'm not sure what it was, we didn't commit to the Korean BBQ dishes and we got some of the appetizers and some regular dishes. The Japchae and scallion pancakes were really oily and seemed to be lacking flavor. My friend said their plate didn't hit it for them either. But on the flip side, my wife said she loved her Bipimbap. 🍳👨‍🍳 Service takes a hit because I ordered a soup dish but it actually never came. We were halfway through eating and a soup dish that late in our hangout was not something I felt needed to get added at that point. I'd equate it to being like an empty oasis that the rain missed 🌧️🚫🌴, but it needed it to stay well filled and beautiful. It was a miss this time for me but I'd give it another chance on another occasion, if ever.

Came here last night specifically for Korean seafood pancakes, soju, and beer. Our order would’ve been $40+, so we were clearly ready to spend money. We arrived around 8:30–8:40 PM, and the restaurant closes at 10 PM. There was no one dining inside, so timing was not an issue. Despite this, we were refused service unless each person ordered a full entrée, which felt like a cash grab rather than a reasonable policy. Because of this, we left and went to El Limon nearby, where we were treated normally. We ended up spending $25 total, including tip, for three tacos, chips and guac, and two complimentary margaritas, and finished eating by 9:30 PM — well before this restaurant even closed. For a restaurant that was completely empty, turning away paying customers over a forced entrée requirement is absurd. Hospitality was nonexistent, and the experience felt unwelcoming and greedy.

I visited this restaurant during Villanova University’s Family Weekend with my son. Since my son was born here but is Korean, we wanted to enjoy some authentic Korean food. This place offered Korean barbecue where you could grill galbi (LA GALBI)Normally, at Korean BBQ restaurants, the staff grill and cut the meat for you, but here I had to do everything myself grill, cut, and serve. Maybe that’s just their system, but to me, it was terrible service. The staff didn’t help at all, which made the experience worse. The side dishes were decent, but the meat quality, seasoning, and especially the lack of service made this visit extremely disappointing. I wanted to treat my son to good Korean food, but unfortunately, this place ended up being the worst experience. On top of that, the staff looked like they just wanted to go home early. I visited around 8 p.m., ordered three portions of marinated short ribs and a doenjang jjigae, and spent nearly $150 in just about an hour. There were even non-Korean customers who came in later than us, yet the service was still terrible. Overall, it was the worst experience, especially when I wanted to treat my son to a good Korean meal during Family Weekend.

Truly awesome food, the most authentic Korean you're going to find on the Main Line. I've been going to the deli next door (same owners) for years and was thrilled when they told me they'd be opening up a table BBQ place. It doesn't disappoint in any way! Considering the quality of food and service, the prices are honestly incredible for the location. Bring a few friends and share the BBQ combos and you'll all leave stuffed. The banchan are lovely and not overwhelming, without skimping on the spiciness, the grills are clean and fast, and the staff are friendly happy to offer suggestions when you can't decide between two mouthwatering cuts. On top of it all, the homemade dipping sauce for your meat is heavenly, transforming already-tasty samgyeopsal into gold. Plus, the beer is good and served in generous portions, and if you're feeling it, they're happy to mix up any kind of fruit-flavored soju you like. I only wish they were open for lunch on days other than Friday, but you can always go next door and grab bibimbap any day of the week.

I'm so sad to write this, because I want restaurants in our area to succeed. I especially love having a variety of good Asian options nearby. However, I had an awful experience at Songsan Korean in Ardmore that I think deserves attention here. I've eaten at this place several times before, and was a fan before now. Today, my sister and I went and ordered Kalbi, which is a bone-in marinated short rib. You must order two cuts of meat for the cook at your table option. We were happy to do so, but the only meat option I like is the Kalbi (I've tried the others), so I got a double order. My sister and I began eating and noticed that we were getting splinters of bone in every bite! We tried to ignore it at first, but it became ridiculous. We had to spit out splinters of bone into our napkin with each bite. I told a waitress, who told us Kalbi has bones and walked away. We told another waiter, who listened and also walked away. Neither of them apologized. There were enough splinters of hard bone that I went to the staff with a piece of meat and asked the waiter to *feel* a couple of the pieces. He felt how hard they were and saw several pieces on the meat I showed him. A cook who was standing nearby started saying defensively, "this is normal." No, this is NOT normal. They eventually took the rest of our meat back (we had grilled and eaten a couple of large pieces, but way more than half was left). They asked if we wanted to order something else. I said no, I preferred to end my meal. They brought me my check, which still had an order of Kalbi. At least they didn't try to charge me for the double order after taking it back, but they didn't take the bone-splintered entree off the bill. The worst part: the owner came out and actually tried to *argue* that it is totally normal to have splintered pieces of bone in your bites of meat. Friends, this is NOT normal. I've had Kalbi in Korea, in LA, and in NYC. I understand that there are large bones in the cut of meat. Splinters should not be present throughout. It is so unpleasant to go out for a meal and 1) chomp down on something hard and unexpected in your tender piece of meat with almost every bite and 2) to have the experience of the owner FAULTING you for pointing it. He actually said, "What do you want me to do about it?" When I didn’t back down, and said I would share my experience, he threw up his hands and angrily said, "fine, I'll take it off" and re-ran my credit card. I replied, "That's appropriate." That's what he should have done from the beginning, but with an apology. Mistakes are understandable, even acceptable to a certain extent. But attitude and lack of accountability in customer service makes it worse. Here are pictures of the kind of pieces of bone we found in every piece of meat we cut up and cooked at the table.