All Reviews
David McNabb
2 months agoThe food is good, the service is alright, they cook at your table your meats and veggies for you. They also give you a decent amount of banchan, but the major issue I have here is the pricing. The pricing here is so ridiculous for the portion of meat you get that is almost laughable. The one I got was the wagyu shoulder blade which supposedly was wagyu sure didn't seem all that amazing to me for the cost of $55. I chose to have steamed egg and asparagus because I had a strong feeling the portion was going to be tiny, well, I was partially wrong, it was just small. After your attending server cooks the meats for you, they kind of just disappear and the other staff check up on you once in a while, which is fairly nice, but almost unnecessary being most KBBQ, we customers usually cook it ourselves. I don't know if that's part of the cost for the meats, but it's ridiculous. They are not AYCE, they make that abundantly clear posting around the restaurant and on the menus. The meal bundles are even higher pricing, making this even more of a financially unsound decision to eat here. As for the decor and layout, they're pretty basic. They have TV's playing sports or whatever else, but don't lend anything to the aesthetics leaving this place so visually boring. I know, I'm whining here about pricing, the unnecessary cooking from the servers, and the boring decor, but I'm simply saying for the cost, it sure doesn't seem justified when you take a look around.
Albert K
2 months agoAttentive staff. Great meats and pan chan side dishes. Very solid KBBQ compared with the top venues. Wasn’t too busy for a weekday; about half full. The staff were excellent.
Daniel Lee
Edited 2 months agoWe had the SOT Sampler + Japanese A5 Wagyu. My wife and I plus the baby were FULL and we loved every part of it. Their service was also absolutely top-notch. All of the staff were incredibly friendly and kind. We never once had to touch the tongs or scissors, and one of the servers even went out of their way to pick rice grains off my shirt after the baby smeared them on me. 💯💯 Definitely recommend it!
Brad Benson
3 months agoWe got the A++ waygu sampler and split between 4 of us. Soooo worth it!! Some of the best steak I've ever had!
Daniela Alvarado
4 months agoI've been wanting to come to Sot for a while and I am so glad I finally got the chance! We came in on a Monday right when they opened and there wasnt a wait. The server brought us menus and water right away and we decided on the A++ Sampler plate. However it was just two of us so when we asked for it, the server told us no because it was for 4 people and recommend the Waygu Sampler Plate instead so we said okay. We also ordered the Housemade Pan Fried Dumplings. The Waygu Sampler Plate had the A5 Japanese Waygu Ribeye, Waygu Short Rib, Waygu Brisket, Waygu Top Blade and Waygu Chuck Short Rib. All of the cuts were delicious! Melt in your mouth kind of delicious! Our favorites had to have been the Waygu Brisket and the Waygu Top Blade. They were so good we decided to get another order of the Waygu Brisket but this second order was cut into smaller piece and was more lean. When we cooked it, it was a lot tougher than the Brisket we got in our Sample Plate.. which was disappointing because we wouldn't have ordered it if we knew it was going to be different. The Sampler plate was served with a steamed egg, kimchi, bean sprouts, bonchon sides which were just okay.. and white rice. The steamed egg was cooked nicely a little over done and I could tell it had been sitting for a while because it had already deflated when it got to the table. It also has a slight burnt taste when I took my first bite. The bean sprouts and kimchi were such a nice additive to the grill. And the Sampler plate came with mushrooms which were also nicely done on the grill! The steamed rice was good and well cooked but when I ordered a second order of rice it was a little mushy and over done.. Side note, the house made pan fried dumplings never came to our table and we didn't check if we were charged for them or not.. The server said she would cook for us but she threw the waygu on our grill and left and did not tend to us for about 10 minutes and the steak started to burn so we ended up flipping it to cook it evenly. They the server finally showed up and she grabbed the steak aggressively and started cutting it into big chunks. To be completely honest it was an expansive cuz of meat, which I never mind the price, and she was treating it like any other piece of meat. We didnt like how bug she cut it and how she was kind of throwing our food around so we just started throwing out meats on the grill and decided not to wait for her. Then other servers came by to try to cook for us and we politely told them no that we are fine cooking it because we didnt want anything else to burn and we didn't want to have to keep waiting for them. They looked surprised when we told them we were okay cooking for ourselves but it worked out in the end. A pool of oil started to build up around the rim of the grill and hot oil started to splash at us. I had to wave over a server ans ask her if we can have something to clean up the oil so it would atop burning us. I am sure this build of oil is a common occurrence and I am not sure why they didn't keep much of an eye on it.. Overall this place was worth the try. The Waygu is probably amoung the highest quality of steak I have had in the US. The sides were pretty good but the service, for what you are paying, was not up to par.. I think it's worth a visit but I wouldn't come back.
Justin Fan
6 months ago*my review is for the lunch specials and not the full menu. Wagyu & Prime Yugaejang: 2/5 This soup tasted very similar to instant ramen broth. The contents of the soup were all correct and tasted better than the broth, but the broth had a serious MSG problem. I love MSG and understand its use in cooking, but this seriously took me by surprise. The banchan/side dishes included were decent, if anything, a little too salty. Kalbi-Tang: 1.5/5 This one was really bad. To me, it tasted like if you went to eat really cheap pho without any of the pho spices. The MSG was so heavy that my tongue was literally burning off at the end of my meal. The meat and radish tasted fine but could not redeem that broth. Steamed Egg Pot: 4/5 Your standard gyeran jjim. Warm and fresh, it was good! For $3 I think it’s a good deal. Ambiance: The restaurant is large and very clean. Expect it to get loud during busy times. It leans more casual, but can definitely be okay for a more special occasion. Service: Service was a bit slow, but it is a traditional Korean restaurant with a call button. The servers definitely seemed more attentive to non-Korean customers because they expect Korean customers to call out or use the button (not a negative, just an observation). Parking: Parking here is easy but the plaza does get busy. Be prepared to circle it several times when it gets fuller.
Felicity
6 months agoNot AYCE but I loved the style. Lots of kimchi and bean sprouts with the party platter. Healthier option compared to the AYCE style because you will not overeat on meat. Server cooks the meat for you. Banchans were tasty. Would like to see some fishcake banchan. Our server Nate was fun!
Imee C
8 months agoThis place is in the same location as Daiso, Turners, and Cheetahs. Parking is a little difficult but since we came early, we found one right away. We got a table right away when we entered the restaurant. There were only a few tables occupied because it was early. But when we left, the place was pretty packed. Service was better today compared to when we first came here. Food was never a question when it comes to the quality. The Sot sampler was a lot of meat for 2 people considering all the bonchon they provide. The quality of meat here is very good, tender, and very tasty. I think this is one of my top best KBBQ restaurants in San Diego. It is definitely a place to go to all the time.