Korea House

Korean barbeque is one of our favorite things to eat, but until last week we hadn't had the pleasure of actually grilling the meat at the table. With just the two of us, this wasn't possible. Last week we went to Korea House in Sacramento as a farewell dinner for one of our closest friends, and snagged the corner table with a grill. Korea House is in a neighborhood filled with other Korean bbq places and Korean businesses, but is rather hard to spot given its secluded location in the back corner of a semi-deserted strip mall.

Our waitress happened the be this older Korean woman who gave off a stern, but grandmotherly air. She didn't lift an eyebrow at the amount of food we ordered, which included the green onion style pancake, two mild beef and tofu stews, and two table barbeque platters, one of beef, and one of pork. This was of course accompanied by banchan, the traditional side dishes, that I must admit I look forward to the most. The ones we received this time included pickled cucumber, kimchi, daikon, bean sprouts, sweet potato, and this small, dried tiny fish.


Our pancake came out first, paired with a spicy soy vinegar dipping sauce. The fluffiness of the cake contrasted well with the salty, sour taste of the sauce. Our waitress brought out the banchan and crisp romaine lettuce leaves first, then a huge plate of our bbq pork and beef (bulgogi). There were tongs and scissors to help us arrange the meat on the greased surface she set on the table burner. Luckily for us, she started us out by putting a huge amount of meat on the grill and arranging it for us.


The delicious smells filled the air, and soon our plates were crowded with various banchan, meat, and rice. When I asked what the lettuce was for, my friend informed us that you wrapped the meat in it, along with a slice of the chili pepper and a clove of garlic. I did this, but avoided the sting of the pepper and the garlic. I know, I'm a lightweight!

Nick did most of the grilling, and I have to say my meat came out perfectly. Plus, the grill is designed in a way that you can push the meat off to one side, still on the surface but off the burner, to keep warm. Unfortunately, we didn't figure this out until the waitress showed us. She also came to turn the heat down when we were almost through grilling all of the meat.

We ordered our tofu stews mild, but this does not mean without flavor. The last time we were here, we ordered the medium and could barely eat it all without our throats burning and protesting. The mild let us experience the flavor of the tofu, beef, and mushrooms while still giving us a kick. At Korea House, the tofu isn't as silken as I've had it at other places, but I like the texture of the tofu here because it stands up to the strong flavor of the soup.


All five of us ate and ate until we could eat no more. We asked for only two refills of some of the banchan, but they will replace as many as you actually finish. It came out to around $125 for the five of us. I've heard that you must order at least two bbq platters when you sit at the tables with grills, to make it worthwhile for the restaurant. I completely understand this and recommend that if you want to grill the meat yourself, you come with at least five people. Having them grill it for you is great too, it's cheaper and just as good.

It has never been overly crowded when we've been there, which is nice because you never have to wait for a table. The waitstaff is friendly and the interior is clean and stereotypically asian. Be prepared, however, to smell like grilled meat for long after you've left the restaurant. I think it's worth it.

Korea House
9729 Folsom Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95827
(916) 362-5013

Open 7 days, 11am-10pm

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