Young Dong Garden

Korean girl at the checkout counter is a stupid bitch she blatantly ignores non-​korean customers. Don’t feel like speaking English then you need to go back to fucking Korea, you little yellow kimchee bitch!

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 karaōke, 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.

This place is bs. I came here by myself and they made me wait extra 20 minutes because i was one person. Then when i sat down, i waited 15 minutes for the waiter to get to me. Then when i tried to order the ayce, he said it’s policy they don’t allow ayce for one person. I walked the hell out of there wasting an hour of my life. Service is terrible. Host is terrible. Don’t come here.

I walked here from the Arcadia Track Invitational. They have an excellent bibimbap and tofu soup combination. Large portions for a reasonable price. I highly recommend this Korean restaurant.

Just ate here tonight with some friends and had told them in advance it was my treat!
It was the first time for all of us, food was good but nothing outstanding. Service was good as well but I just wished they had descriptions on the acye items instead of just bulgogi.
Anyhow, we were about to be done so I excused myself to the restroom and took the opportunity to pay the bill at the counter, returned to my table and continued eating and drinking what’s remaining.
Then as we all got up and started walking out the waiter stopped us and said they forgot to charge us for two drinks? That’s fine but why not bring it to me earlier! We were still there for a good 20 min after I paid the bill! That just made it look so bad and my friend paid for that, so i did not treat completely as promised.

Loved it, loved it, loved it! I dove by this place for almost two years and I always wondered what it would be like. Well, I wonder no more. Loved the staff, never had an empty drink or an empty plate of meat. The quality of the meat was great too!

I always drove past this place and wondered what was so unique about this place and today I finally found out. Typically, I am not a big meat eater and usually have to supplement other things for protein so the idea of KBBQ usually doesn’t appeal to me. However, today some friends proposed this idea and of course, I just wanted to try something. anything, even if it’s a little meat.
So I was the last one to arrive and found parking quickly in their parking lot to the side of the restaurant shaped like a cottage with an oversized roof. or you can do street parking up front as well. I walked in and the restaurant was fairly clean and super spacious when you enter.
We quickly scanned the menu and decided to order something from their combo menu which includes some sort of meat (spare ribs, etc.) and your choice of tofu soup which includes choices of mushrooms, dumplings, etc. and of course the raw egg to crack in it. I opted for some japche and was glad I did! There was plenty of glass noodles and lots of veggies and small pieces of meat in a nice soy sauce blend and some sliced scrambled eggs. Had some of the spare rib and it was also juicy and tender (only complaint was that it wasn’t enough meat on each piece, mostly large pieces of bone).
As you’re waiting for your food they also have some small appetizers to start snacking on such as spicy kimchi, spicy, cucumbers, seaweed, cooked flavored bean sprouts, etc.
Customer service was just okay. Drinks were refilled timely but when we wanted refills on our appetizer dishes since our food didn’t come out yet, we had to ask twice and point it out to them.
Note: Everyone in the table must do AYCE if you want to do the AYCE menu. Even if one person opts out, your table cannot do the AYCE option. Boo!
Still, I had a good experience and wouldn’t mind coming back! Nice place to try Korean food in the SGV area.

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

went there a few times for AYCE because it is one of the cheaper ones in this area. meat is ok, however the last time I went I got food poisoning soooOoO I will not be returning bc that was the worst night of my life.
just pay the extra 5 bucks and go to ookook or gen it’s worth it I promise!

I’ve been here twice so far, the first time for just the tofu soup, and the second time was for AYCE BBQ and tofu soup (their tofu soup is THAT good). The soup is full of flavor and is a perfect portion for a lunch or dinner meal.
Their AYCE meats are pretty decent quality, whether it be the marinated short ribs (kalbi) or the unmarinated short rib meat. The service is pretty on par and they check on you often.
We came here with a group of 12 year olds who were coming to KBBQ for the first time for a birthday party, the staff was pretty patient with their needs and their mess (face it, boys can be messy). Overall, a good experience, the boys learned to cook for possibly their first time in their lives, and everyone left full and happy.

Not far from Santa Anita is a reliably good Korean BBQ joint. They have a la carte style menus, but you can also order a set. Their beef is a little fatty, but it cooks down to a decent size. The little side orders or banchan are numerous and excellent. I can’t say I have tried their soon tofu, but they offer that here as well. The service is generally attentive and polite. They occasionally offer Groupon specials, so if you’re not sure, it’s worth it.

By no means am I going to compare this to the already well-​established goodness that is Korea Town KBBQ. Rather, I’m going to just point out that considering the fact that Arcadia isn’t necessarily the Mecca for stuffing your face with asian food, Young Dong Garden absolutely fills you up with quality meats.
The wifey and I craved Korean food, but didn’t happen to be in the areas we usually find ourselves for to get our fix. This was midweek, so there was no wait and service was obviously better than I would imagine it is during a crowded night.
One thing I do like for starters in terms of the food here is that right off the bat, you’re given a healthy portion of pajeon (korean pancake). It’s tasty, fluffy, and not too salty. Their banchan here is FANTASTIC, and is usually obvious from the quality of their kimchi. It definitely has a kick of spice and retains a nice fresh crunch. My wife and I love their Kongnamul-​muchim (soybean sprout), and they were very quick to refill any plates we were done with.
ONTO THE MEATS!
The basic option for AYCE is limited to more typical and cheaper cuts and varieties, but this does not mean the quality is lacking whatsoever. Your waiter also uses a small cube of fat to grease your grill before you start cooking, which is great as it gives you some non-​stick action.
BRISKET:
Unlike more familiar KBBQ places, they tend to pile on the amount they give you per serving, which is always a plus. The brisket quality is great here, and isn’t chewy or gamey.
PORK BELLY (samgyeopsal):
I’m a bit biased, as my personal favorite variation of this is done at Gen Korean BBQ (that red wine marinade owns my soul); but Young Dong does them justice and they’re not too fatty.
BEEF TONGUE (gyutan):
This is definitely where this restaurant shines for me personally. Always keep in mind that this is a fairly expensive cut of meat. It is very lean and flavorful here, and texture-​wise it nearly melts in your mouth as you eat it. This meat is what we ended up ordering the most of.
All in all, a successful and heavy meal that I wouldn’t mind going to again provided the KBBQ fever strikes while I’m in the area.

Bought the Groupon deal for a meal for two for $ 35. This includes one BBQ combo and a bottle of wine. The combo comes with 2 types of meat — pork belly and beef briskets. Lots of sides and soup + egg dish to share. Everything was good for the price. Service was not great.
Overall, not a bad experience. Probably will be back.

This place was a huge disappointment. I have tried a lot of Korean bbq places and this one by far is the worse.
They told me that they only get rice paper, potato salad, and fish cake randomly. Randomly? You are a restaurant, you should always be stocked with everyday items like that.
For 21.95 a person. What a rip. It was worth 9.95 a person if that.
Ok-​kook in San Gabriel and Gen in Alhambra are way better for the Same price. Never again.

I’ve been to Young-​Dong quite a few times with my family, and on average, the service is subpar but the food is great (although a little pricy). My most recent trip may possibly be my last dining at the establishment. Around a week or so ago, my cousin and I had cravings for tofu soup and decided to eat at Young-​Dong. We ordered a tofu soup and bulgogi; everything was delicious! What could possibly go wrong?
Dear Young-​Dong, please, for your customers’ sakes, KEEP THE FLIES OUT OF THE RESTAURANT.
During our one hour and a half meal, we saw six or seven flies. At one point, there were three flies on the same window, and another two on the adjoined window. A fly landed on the bulgogi, and another landed on my egg, which was thankfully uncracked.
We were so irritated by the flies we decided to take matters into our own hands. Oh yes, we killed not one, not two, not three, but FOUR flies on the said windows. The sanitation here is honestly disgusting. Looks like I’ll have to find another Korean restaurant nearby with actual care for sanitation!

At the end of the week, I just wanted food that felt like family. This place did the job. Even though I ordered for takeout, the kitchen didn’t skimp on the banchan (the little side dishes) at all. The galbi (ribs) was flavorful, but the chap chae (glass noodles) was what I was craving. I asked for the chap chae without meat, and what did they do? They subbed in a bunch of extra mushroom, rather than adding volume with the cheaper veggies. Unfortunately, I don’t like mushrooms, but I appreciate their effort!

I’ve been married to a Korean woman for more than 25 years and travel to Korea frequently. As such, I believe I know my Korean food.
This Korean BBQ and soup joint in a non Korean location in Arcadia was rather a disappointment. We wanted to avoid the pedestrian all-​you-​can-​eat fare thus ordered off the main dinner menu. The meats were well marinated but the cuts were cheap. Rhetorical question — was the Galbi a rib or the shin, I. e,. the area above the hoof?
Biggest annoyance was the lack of fresh lettuce to wrap the BBQ meat in. We asked and were told they don’t have any.
All in all, I’d rather drive down to Koreatown in LA for proper Korean food. I even recall a Korean place in Old Town Pasadena that was not far from this place that was much better.

Went Kbbq 3 times this week, I swear this is more than the times I went for the year lmao. Anyways, Get here early to avoid the long wait. Came in at around 5:50 We got seated right away as a group of 4 and were starving so we basically just went with their ayce.
I’m not a huge fan of AYCE so having good banchans to accompany with is actually a big deal to me: p Their kimchi is RIDICULOUSLY GOOD and legit, I have to say. Bean sprout, spicy cucumber, marinated radish and seaweed are pretty good too.
Only thing we ordered are thin sliced brisket, duck, boneless prime rib and short rib. Can we say heaven? Their short rib is top quality and they literally melt in your mouth. The meal also comes with steamed eggs so we are stuffed beyond belief hmmm heaven in a bowl: D
Not to mention this is probably the one Kbbq place where I walk out smelling normally. They have awesome ventilation and the grill probably just doesn’t produce as much smoke.
Servers are pretty friendly and helpful. No complains about that!
If you’re looking for a nice Kbbq dining experience, this is a good option :)

I’ve always wanted to try the bbq. Came here with friends from work and wasn’t disappointed. Can’t really mess up do it yourself bbq right? Well we did and almost burned down the place. What would you expect from a bunch of guys. Prices kinda steep but they do you up on plenty of meat. Will come back for my protein shot.
Carb friendly for sure…

The Tofu Soup here is very flavorful and comes with all of the traditional banchan that you can eat. My favorite is the seafood beef. There was a slight mix-​up the last time I came here with my family, I ordered spicy and my husband ordered extra spicy… but I ended up getting the extra spicy one… I can usually handle my spices but WOW was that spicy!
The price is very reasonable considering you will be stuffed to brim if you order the combos and the meat here is pretty good. The Short Ribs I ordered were great. But the best thing about this place is the fact that the service is impeccable.