Young Dong Garden

Even though another Helper's review was just 6 days ago, when I went to my default Korean restaurant in Arcadia on 1/1/2017 I discovered they are indeed closed. It seems it will reopen as a Chinese iteration, possible including hot pot/shabu shabu. I had been going to Young Dong Garden for quite some time. They really cleaned it up and updated during their last remodel years ago. It was always clean and the servers were friendly and fast.

I doubt I will visit the new incarnation anytime soon.

Came here for dinner with a party of 3 for dinner on a Sunday night and it was pretty enjoyable. Originally one of my friends thought it was a tofu soup kind of place - which it is if that's all that you order. Looking on the menu and seeing that our table had a grill on it, we decided to make it a kbbq night. There were two different options for AYCE for the different meat selections with either
A-21.95/person:
-Joo Mool Ruk
-Nook Gan Sal
-Shrimp
-Octopus

B-18.95/person
-Cha Dol Bae Gi
-Hyu Mit Gui
-Pork San Gyup Sal
-Duck BBQ
-Dak Goh-Gi
-Spicy CHicken
-Spicy Pork

Not sure if you're able to mix items if you're paying for the A option.
We went with the $39 combo that feeds 2-3 people with:
-Pork Belly
-Beef Brisket
-Dwenjang Soup
-Gyuh Ran Gim
None of the meats were marinated which is fine by me, I can eat almost anything and I have the sauces to eat it with.

It wasn't bad for what we paid for. For additional meats it's $15/plate(?!!) Service was good, they came by as much as they could (we sat allllll the way in the back). Throughout our meal the smoke kept blowing towards my face and when we finished eating they had turned on the fan -___-x. Make sure it's on when your meats arrive so the smoke doesn't irritate you!
Would come back if I was in the area, but most likely to just order their entrée dishes or to share the combination special with another person. In my opinion, it's overpriced for the AYCE.

The Service: Very efficient. However, not super attentive. Have to keep asking for service.

The Food: Tasty side dishes. Love the combo meals, tofu soup with meat. Very generous meat portion, perfect to share! Very authentic Korean food. Many Korean customers there. Love their beef dishes... not so much about the chicken.

The Parking: Private lot next to the restaurant

This place is now one of my favorite Korean spots!
Love the look/decor of the place. Clean, and food flavor is on point. Quick and friendly service as well.

The first time my bf and I went, we went for soondobu. We were served their pancakes (which were kind of cold), but delivered with good flavor.

The banchans are AMAZING. All of them are soo good, and my goodness we kept asking for more.

We got combos of dumpling soup + bulgolgi and beef soup + galbi.

The soondobu had TONS of great, strong flavor and they provide you with a good chunk of rice as well. Bulgolgi + galbi..love.

We came back almost like a week after for another round. pancakes were warmer this time.

Then..maybe 2 weeks later, I was craving KBBQ but wasn't interested in driving to Koreatown, or spending $25 pp for AYCE. I remembered that Young Dong had an AYCE menu for $18 pp. A STEAL!

So on we went, and definitely not a disappointment! They have an A and a B menu, the B was mainly all meat, no seafood which is what we chose. Not too many options, but good enough! There was brisket, pork belly, spicy pork, spicy chicken, duck, and tongue. I think that was everything. A little disappointing that they didn't have bulgolgi available, but no major complaints. The meats were great quality all around. Even for the second round, they kept the same quality. The pancakes were hot and crispy that time around :p .

Will be returning!!!!

I have been watching this place for years, driving by it when it was open three years ago... driving by it when it was closed and boarded up for a year... and driving by it after it reopened... and I always wanted to pay the place a visit. So finally I did.

Korean food used to be Sparse in the Arcadia/Pasadena region... but not any more, and this place is a testament to the high quality of new Korean BBQ places that are opening up all over the SGV.

The menu is extensive and a little unusual. It is certainly an all you can eat KBBQ restaurant... but it also has a high end a la carte menu, and a group menu with a flat price for 4 to 6 people which includes a set amount of multiple courses. We had the $16.95 all you can eat BBQ (there was also a $19.99 offered).

Ours came with an abundance of kimchee and banchans as well as salad, soup, egg custard, a Korean scallion pancake, and numerous meats including duck, chicken, thin sliced brisket, pork belly, and tongue. They were all good.

This place puts the slightly cheaper places on the edges of Koreatown, like The Castle, to shame. It's is a good KBBQ place for the price.

Soondobu jigae.

I don't speak Korean, but I'm pretty sure this loosely translates to "Curative elixir that helps you feel better when you have a frickin cold in June."

I don't frequent Young Dong, and I'm something of a carnivore, so tofu is not a daily component of my caloric intake by any stretch of the imagination. But when the mood catches me (or the nearby Jiffy Lube gets my wife's car done more quickly than usual, I'm apt to sneak into this restaurant a few doors down and hammer down a spicy soup.

Pickled veggies, seaweed, and other appetizers take your mind off the less-than-all-up-in-your-business service. They respond well to waving your hand in the air... something I've really only seen at Asian food places, and then, only on Valley Blvd. I ask for my soup to be spicy and they do a good job of accommodating, at least for this stuffy nosed diner. Spice is nice.

There are other options here-- meats, and AYCE, and hooch and other stuff, but really, if I'm going to belly up with some KBBQ, I'm heading over to K-Town... maybe hit the spa, sing a little karaoke, drink a whole bunch of Hite. This spot is in my home town, so I best behave myself. Besides, my bride doesn't like it when I come home smelling like Korean soup. She's the jealous type, you know.

[3.5 stars - review for AYCE only]

Menu:
- AYCE http://s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/CXuGIbWo1KH6RJ62quhlsg/l.jpg
- Lunch Specials - http://s3-media1.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/3JECI2EgmVKokIodKx6PrA/l.jpg

Summary:
- Service - friendly, a little slow at times
- Food - under salted and dipping sauce dependent
- Price - average [other places within short driving distance is about $20/person]

*******

Probable best description of my behavior towards Old-Young-Dong is "avoiding it like a den of infested zombies for health reasons" after previous experiences during the last ownership fell further away from stellar. However, after hearing recent talk of a change in ownership, it just felt as if loads and loads of napalm and galbi marinade had dropped into that den and cooked up a serious kbbq worth checking out.

Well, I was curious if any changes were made and to my delight, besides the repaint, minor renovation, and minor interior design changes, the main difference from previous and current establishment is all the gas grills built into the tables for their new AYCE menu.

Oh yeah, I also observed that the servers were from Young Dong Tofu on Baldwin ave in Arcadia. I guess that's a good thing considering I like the food there, lol.

*******

I'm sure that if you ever visit establishments similar to this during dinner or on a weekend, you'll probably have a mini-war in your mind and heart whether to *just* order a combination [which you'd probably already struggle to finish] or *just* add $1-3 more for the buffet...[which you'd probably shouldn't have...for health reasons...].

Anyways, buffet always wins...at least for me despite knowing full well that I'm about to take a bucket load of saturated fat and red meat into my already ravaged system from overeating such things...

Oh well, just another one for the team I guess...

As for choosing between buffet types, I honestly prefer option B for all 8 available meats - primarily for the boneless beef short ribs. If you're going to choose option A and don't like duck, you might as well go to a similarly priced but with better options like Han Yang Garden KBBQ on Baldwin and Naomi in Arcadia OR the standard $10 spots.

*******

Food is heavily dependent on the sauces available since they practically are not marinated at all. Three available: chili sauce, brisket sauce, and standard salt&pepper with sesame oil.

1. Joo Mool Ruk [marinated boneless beef short rib] - yes, it is "lightly" seasoned as stated on the menu. Order this repeatedly.

2. Nook Gan Sal [prime beef short rib] - lots and lots of fat. If you like your meat dead, order this...If you like your meat alive like me, skip...as it will be a fat overkill.

3. Cha Dol Bae Gi [beef brisket] - staple condiment for enjoying kbbq chili sauce

4. Hyu Mit Gui [beef tongue] - if you like beef tongue and love kimchi, order this and wrap it around kimchi like you would rice paper...glorious

5. Pork San Gyup Sal [Pork Belly] - another standard...who wouldn't order it

6. Duck BBQ - some people like it, some people don't...i'd personally pass for more beef or pork any day

7. Dak Goh-Gi [chicken] - forgot to order this, but like duck, i'd personally pass for more beef or pork any day

8. Octopus - chewy...really, really chewy...even when under-cooked. Skip.

*******

Anyways, all in all, will be back again to chant "1-2-3-4-5".

Second time at this location. Quality is consistent. I went with a combo dish of pork bulgogi (spicy only) and octopus tofu soup. Everything was very tasty, and much too much food for one. Wrong place to go to do lunch alone! It was about $17.00 and two can split this meal.

My only complaint was that the pieces of octopus were way too hard and chewy. I expect octopus to be a bit chewy, but not hard and tough. Otherwise the tofu had good flavor at the medium spiciness I ordered. No choice on the pork bulgogi. It comes spicy and on a warm day, it made me sweat.

This is probably the nearest location to Monrovia for decent Korean food. Another down the street, Hot and Sweet Chicken, just doesn't cut it. It's fusion and I was not impressed. Some funky flavors there and they didn't have this stuff. Too Americanized.

Other dishes here besides BBQ:

They're not kidding around when they have two chili peppers on the menu. Their Yookgaejang is pretty dang spicy, but good. Shredded beef is a bit tougher, but taste was pretty good. Really great for a rainy day and clearing up your sinuses.

Spicy is not as spicy for the tofu soup though. It's probably a mild compared to Young Dong Tofu. Soup was more watery.

Banchan is pretty good though. Their pajeon is alright, but since it's pajeon, I will still demolish it. Their kimchi is a bit on the sour side for me, but I love kimchi so I will eat it. I like their mashed potatoes and especially their spicy squid with radish. Ahhh tender pieces of squid if you're lucky, crunchy pieces of radish otherwise, and really spicy so no one takes this banchan away from you. If you have some seasoned seaweed and rice, wrap all that up, you're gold.

Be careful when sitting outside, unless you like being ignored.