A Korean professional wrestler turned reality TV star founded this chain in 2003. Today Baekjeong’s nine US locations include one at Alderwood Mall, with tables of all sizes, ventilation tubes poised above each grill. Vibes are decidedly casual, but friendly staff will grill your meat tableside; each tabletop has clever built-in containers where your corn cheese and egg souffle will cook in the grill’s residual warmth. The menu of combos and a la carte meats occupies a happy midpoint: better quality than many all-you-can-eat spots, without venturing into A5 Wagyu territory. The non-BBQ menu includes some special lunch dishes (hello, bulgogi grilled cheese) and a seafood pancake as big and fluffy as a personal pan pizza.

The scissors that await on each speckled tabletop look swiped from an office cubicle but handle like a Monaco Grand Prix contender. The tongs operate with similar precision—just a few small reasons Ka Won stands out, even in Lynnwood’s density of KBBQ. Inside this strip mall hideaway, servers present a Technicolor parade of banchan and shipping container–size portions of pork belly. Specialty yangnyeom kalbi (short ribs marinated in sesame oil) and black pork belly are excellent starting points for a meal. This place is a throwback from the days when American KBBQ restaurants also served a giant menu of other Korean dishes, and yet Ka Won nails a broad range of soups and hot pots. 

The cheeky name is just the first clue—Eastlake’s urbane next-gen barbecue haunt crosses cultures with ease. SungJun Park grew up in his parents’ restaurant (Sottukkeong Korean BBQ in Lynnwood). Eun Song has cooked in higher-end Seattle kitchens. Together, they give tradition a sheen of soju-swilling cool. Son of a Butcher uses high-tech tabletop burners to grill cuts that emphasize quality, not pedigree. But venturing beyond the grill feels essential. Few other Korean restaurants in town serve the steak tartare–esque raw meat dish known as yukhwe or dak galbi, the spicy chicken and rice cake stir-fry. You definitely won’t find another spot that riffs on chimichurri with Korean ingredients like chives.

Families pack into wooden booths, groups wait up front for seats, and servers zip between the tables, piled high with plates of meat, clattering empty banchan bowls onto carts as they clear tables. The fast pace makes the lack of decor or much additional atmosphere less noticeable, which is fine because Shin Sung really draws most of its customers for the value of its all-you-can-eat options, which range from a basic two-meat option to ones with all the bells, whistles, and baby octopuses.

Lines can get long for this homey spot, but the big red vinyl booths, soju selection, and quality of the food— BBQ and beyond—deserve a little patience. The BBQ is offered by the item and in combination meals, but not all-you-can-eat. That’s a good thing here, since the restaurant also excels at soul-warming soups perfect for damp winter days, from the jam-packed army soup to the subtle pork neck bone version.

Boisterous groups order cheap beer specials under bright lights, seated in front of gold grills as loud K-Pop music videos drown out conversation and half the communication with servers, if you can manage to flag one down. Thankfully, you don’t need to say anything before diving into the well-stocked buffet of fried appetizers, soup, rice, and noodles (plus dessert, for later), since it’s part of the all-you-can-eat price. You do need to order the banchan, and pick a handful of meats at a time from the list of 17 options in the most basic package, which includes head-on shrimp, marinated lamb, and garlic beef, along with the standards. Upgraded packages almost double that list, with items like American Wagyu.

After launching with locations in Lakewood and Olympia, New Gangnam picked up the former Sura locations in Shoreline and Lynnwood to become a full-fledged minichain. The atmosphere at the Shoreline location is barebones (others are somewhat nicer), but the self-serve, all-you-can-eat combos are affordable and when service is needed, it’s quick. The dual buffet setup lays out the raw meat in one section, handy for folks who might want to preview what they’re getting or want to sample a piece of everything before committing to a full plate. A second section includes a wide variety of sauces, all the banchan, salads, lettuce for wraps, and even the corn cheese included in the meal.