DJK Korean BBQ(Dae Jang Keum)

While Woomiok down the street builds its reputation on bone broth simmered to oblivion and EE Nami obsesses over panko-crusted pork, DJK plays the full Korean BBQ game: charcoal heat, rotating banchan spreads, and the participatory theater of grilling your own dinner. The charcoal matters here — it's not gas-flame convenience, it's actual smoke flavor threading through **galbi** and **bulgogi**, the kind of detail that separates a quick fix from a two-hour commitment. Servers help grill when they can, flipping and scissor-cutting at the table, but you'll do some of the work yourself. That's the deal.

The banchan rotation runs deep — salads, pickles, vegetables that cut through the richness of marinated short ribs — and portions skew generous enough that groups of four can order three proteins and still leave satisfied. The **seafood tofu stew** shows up frequently in the lunch rotation, bubbling hot in stone pots, though the real draw remains the tableside grill and whatever combination of meat you're willing to commit to. Bibimbap holds its own as the non-grill anchor, mixing rice, vegetables, and egg into the kind of one-bowl meal that justifies a solo weeknight visit.

The space itself: booths with built-in grills, enough room to spread out without feeling cavernous, a parking lot that fills fast after noon. Get there before the lunch rush or resign yourself to circling. Service hovers between hands-on help and letting you work the grill solo — depends on how slammed they are. You'll walk out smelling like charcoal and sesame oil, clothes embedded with the evidence. If that bothers you, order the stew. If it doesn't, lean into the smoke.