Dongbu Korean BBQ

Soft opening - My boyfriend and I stopped by on a whim for their soft open. They said they've only been open about a week or so. They were so nice and attentive and our waitress recommended a few of her favorites. We ended up trying practically all the pork and beef items plus a misc of the sides. Our favorite orders were the finger meat, the Heartbreaker, and the CORN CHEESE (get 1 per person or two...trust me). Everything was a hit! I loved the portion sizing too, we could try everything even with just two of us. The massive parking lot and fancy fans were a bonus as well. 10/10 recommend this neighborhood hidden gem.

My husband and I went here for the first time. It was a little hidden as the sign was not significantly noticeable. We were greeted by Tim and the owner, I believe. They are very nice and provide us with excellent service. We loved the conversation with Tim. Although it was only him and the owner running a full capacity restaurant, they did a very good job. The food was good overall. We recommend starting with the heartbreakers and the monkey balls. They are super crunchy and flavorful. The BBQ variations are good, and the meat quality is good. We like the beef tongue, brisket, premium pork belly, and premium short rib. The sauces went very well with the food. The lettuce wrap was generously given to us as well as the pan chang. We will come back to try out the rest of the menu.

Service was good as other reviewers pointed out. Took a chance on this place despite the poor reviews about the food, and found out for myself. Chicken is just coated in oil and has little flavour Fried rice is so definitely not real fried rice, more like rice with seasonings and green onions. Cuts of meat aren’t the greatest Fried chicken was not crispy or crunchy Please do better! We want a good Korean bbq in Esco

It’s our first time here, I’m surprised the foods are delicious idk why there’s only few customers but it didn’t disappoint me… also the monkey balls and heartbreakers (curious of the name that’s why we get it but it’s really good! ) and they’re nice!

Big variety of dishes to choose from! Good taste and value for all you can eat. Tried a bit of everything and my favorites are the rib fingers, Teriyaki beef, garlic pepper shrimps, pork belly while the appetizers like stuffed chilies with cream cheese and spicy tuna, stuffed mushrooms and house salads are really spectacular 😋😋😋

I came here for the all-you-can-eat experience. Simply put: no. If you're thinking of coming here, don’t. If this was your first Korean BBQ experience, I am sorry for you. My husband and I came here for date night. We usually go to Convoy to enjoy some Korean BBQ but thought to ourselves, "Let's try the place in Esco since it is closer to home." My goodness... what a disappointment. They do not bring out the usual sides; you must order them from the menu. They don’t give the "usual" meat portions but much smaller ones. The japchae was a thing of nightmares... I am not even exaggerating. It was nearly inedible. The oil was burnt, the noodles had an odd texture, and the odor was potent. The sides are mediocre at best. This is my first negative Google review, and it saddens me. The only reason I gave it two stars was because the service was amazing. Go to Convoy, make the drive, or go to Manna and endure some loud music for decent Korean BBQ.

Was excited to try this place because there isn’t any Korean bbq in Escondido. And I ordered a Combo #3 instead of doing all you can eat. Got the beef brisket, beef finger meat and premium pork belly. I’ll be honest, the meats were low quality.. the pork belly was cut too thin to be called premium. The finger meats were covred in a sweet sauce that was too sweet and made the grill burn up. Side of rice was over cooked. And the bonchon, or sides, were super limited compared to other kbbq places. The combo also came with a soup that was cold and looked thrown together, I was sick and excited for the soup so that was a bummer. The server was very nice and sat me quickly. I asked for a side of ssamjang and she brought a small amount so I asked for another one. But it wasn’t needed because the ssamjang was way too pasty, lakes salty and was pretty spicy. The restaurant was nice inside but it was a hot day and there was no AC on in the place so the restaurant smelled like mop water when I walked in, but I pushed passed it because I really wanted to try this place. I hate to give a bad review but there is better kbbq out there in terms of getting quality meats for your money and with prices being so high for food these days, I think it’s important to get good quality foods when you’re out.