Bando Korean Restaurant

service and food has declined SIGNIFICANTLY. portions have decreased, prices have increased, no refills, service was really slow. this was a huge dealbreaker for me. i was once a satisfied customer but the quality has just decreased over the years to the point that is unacceptable. i won’t be returning

Stopped by Bando on the way home from a long road trip. We didn’t go for the Korean BBQ since we were trying to keep dinner quick, but with the long wait time, we probably could’ve just committed to it. I ordered the black bean noodles. It was passable, but not memorable. Tasted like prepackaged noodles with jarred sauce poured on top. My wife got the soft tofu stew, which also missed the mark. The tofu was too firm—wrong texture and type for a proper sundubu. The broth had flavor, but it seemed to rely heavily on a base mix or MSG, not the kind of depth you'd get from a real slow-cooked stew. Service was polite, but the wait was long and the food didn’t justify it. That said, this place is clearly family-run and has its own rhythm. For locals or those doing BBQ, I can see how this might be a 4- or 5-star spot. But based on what we had, it was a 3-star meal for us. Decent, but not worth going out of the way for.

We have been going to Bando for over 5 years after spending some time in Korea town in LA and there is a reason we keep going back. Service is super fast, for bbq, food is on our table in less than 3 minutes of being seated. The staff does a great job refilling meat as soon as it’s empty, check on how we’re cooking and change the grill if it gets too sticky. $35/ person for unlimited is a phenomenal deal as you get 5 different kinds of meat and a bunch of sides. I would highly recommend Bando for anyone looking for a great Korean BBQ in Indy!

Bando's is a good experience overall but a little hard to rate. For instance, the side dishes that we ate were authentic and delicious (and plentiful). The main dish, Tofu Soup, was surprisingly a little lacking in spiciness. The portions were big but prices were hardly small, either. Service was friendly and speedy so there was little to complain about in that regard (I usually manage to find something, anyway 😜). The atmosphere was ok but fairly ordinary. My sister found the TV show being played in the background distracting. Pro Tip I would recommend lunch over dinner in terms of price and crowds. Consider getting the grilled meats all you can eat, if you're hungry. And if you love to sing, take them up on 15% off at Maru Studio karaoke, a few doors down).

I must say, this is the worst restaurant I have ever had. At 8:30 pm, my companion and I walked into the shop and asked the waiter if we had enough time to eat, and the waiter replied, "You always have enough time." So we walked in. We ordered 35.99 buffet. My companion and I just ate two plates of meat, and the waiter took the bill to ask for a checkout, which included 20% of the gratuity. After paying the bill, we asked for a third plate of meat at about 9:05pm. The waiter told us that they were off work and couldn't get the meat. We only had half an hour of dining. I knew as soon as I entered the door, I asked them if the meal time was enough. They answered enough, but after only two plates of meat on the buffet, they told us that the door was closed and nothing was available. This is outrageous. Then we argued with the waiter, who righteously said that it was just getting off work and they were going to close the store and would not provide meat anymore. I asked why she told me at the beginning that the service time was sufficient, and she told me that she would not be sufficient next time. I paid all the money, would you tell me that you wouldn't be enough next time? When we requested a receipt, the waiter also refused on the grounds that the computer was shutting down. In this way, I paid for the meal and didn't even have a receipt. If I were asked to comment in one sentence: Don’t come here to eat, it’s really bad.

Food is good, not necessarily great especially for the price. They are pretty high and the service was below average.... And this is coming from someone who HATES giving negative reviews. 3 people, we all had the all you can eat $143 with their tip (they) added in.

I have been a customer going here for many years, and was just made aware of the changes in management recently after a visit this week. Which will unfortunately be my LAST time coming here, which is a shame since this has been my go-to spot for KBBQ. The AYCE has changed and you are forced into getting small portions of the SAME 5 selections of meat, whether you like any of the 5 meats or not. You can no longer choose, and each refill will still be the exact same 5. I was dissatisfied with the recent customer service, since we waited over an hour JUST to be served banchan (side dishes). They used to be quick with serving side dishes. We were left alone the entire time and they NEVER refilled any of our drinks, the waiter and whatever staff was there was nowhere to be in sight the entire time we were eating. Not even once did they come to check on us to ask to change our grill. So we were forced into using a BURNT grill to cook the rest of our meats. They didn't even come to even bring our check. We had to go and search to find someone to refill our drinks. This isn't the customer service I am used to, and the quality has gone downhill. As a long time customer, I'm probably unfortunately not going to be back and will find other KBBQ's.