Hae Jang Chon Korean BBQ Restaurant

There’s a reason that Hae Jang Chon stays busy night after night, even with the plethora of AYCE options in the area: For $44 per person during dinner, and $38 during lunch, you won’t find a better combination of quality meats, well-made banchan and supplemental side dishes. Sure, there may not be Wagyu on the menu, but the short rib, beef tongue and spicy octopus here still satisfy my appetite after all these years and exposure to much higher-end KBBQ options—and I’ve been coming here for over a decade. For $5 more, you can add on a plate of lettuce and perilla leaves to make ssam, but the set price also includes corn cheese, kimchi pancake, soybean paste soup, radish wrap and unlimited green salad. At the end of your meal, save room to indulge in the kimchi fried rice, which a server will make with your leftover meat and banchan; it’s one of the best parts of dining here, and one of the many reasons why Hae Jang Chon stays on top. The wait can be punishing at peak dinner hours on the weekends, so you might want to grab a drink or snack nearby to break up the wait.