Grill on the Rock

Hidden gem in Buffalo Grove. Must visit if you are near the area. If you have never tired kbbq this is a great place to start. Our server was amazing!

We were looking for something different and went for the BQ. What a mistake. My friend and I are world travelled business leaders. We love food and wine. For lunch this day we had a great Chinese meal with one of our good customers. Compared to lunch this place was a zero!
The salads and soups, one spicy soup and one regular soup tasted terrible.
We had the top BQ combo all BeeF. The beef was «OKI» nothing to write home about. I had a Korean BQ in New York City that I loved. This was not even 10% close.
The rice and other things that came with this meal were non events. They should not even have offered them.
I won’t be back. We were both very disappointed. We should have had a Chicago hot dog. It would have been more exciting.

Had a great dinner there last night. The kids loved the fried noodle side dish, and why wife and I shared the Select combo on the grill. Very good all around, especially the marinated meats. Left very full and Will definitely be back. Our waitress Sunny was fantastic.

Ahh, the wonders of fusion Korean BBQ. To be honest, I was not too fond of the name «Grill on the Rock.» However, as soon as I entered the restaurant, I knew THIS was the place I have been looking for. The interior is interesting – authentic yet modern. The food? No questions asked. Out of the world. I’m too lazy to write the rest of my experience. TRY IT.

Smile! Service awesome, food top quality, portions yup its good there too!
So in my ever insatiable quest for Korean food, I finally try out Grill on the Rock, which I passed by so often on the busy stretch of Milwaukee Ave. The name puzzled me, what is Korean fusion? Well I think they infused satisfaction with the meal experience!
I believe the main feature is Korean BBQ. The do have other standards like bibimbop (veggie rice), chop chae noodles and I’m sure soups. But I came this time for the BBQ.
I no longer could consume mass portions ala conehead style. I enjoy my panchan and rice and view the meat more as an accompaniment to my meal.
I think the grilled meat combo for two is a decent deal — as far as Korean BBQ goes. We had the bugolgi, pork belly, thin pork belly, brisket — which are actually the cuts that I enjoy more now. Kalbi is absolutely delicious, but the fattier meats have more flavor. I did peep at the next table’s LA style kalbi, which was amazingly marbled!, but I’m more a pork guy now.
I had smiles all over my entire time there bc of the amazing device I received. This restaurant a little different than other Korean restaurants. Usually if they start cooking for you at the table, it means the meal is almost over and they want you to leave. Well that was not the case — they treated me as a neighbor with great hospitality. I think the server was named Christian if I heard my host correctly. I think GOTR does it like teppanyaki places where they cook everything at the table for you. A bit awkward at first as I was ready to grill on my own like most other Korean BBQ joints. But I got used to him cooking and serving. He seemed to enjoy serving us and was really great with my 2 yr old.
The staff was super responsive and attentive — amazing how much service makes a difference for a dining experience!
Safe to say, I’ll be back and next time I’ll actually read over the menu.

I LOVE THIS PLACE. The food here is very authentic. You can tell the chef really puts in a lot of thought into every dish. It is definitely made with TLC. My mom who is the pickiest eater (only when it comes to korean food really) have given two thumbs up!!! and she wants to come here all the time now.
We have tried:
Appetizers– Jopchae, kimchi pancakes
Main dishes– Chadol brisket, kalbi, kalbi cake, cold soba noodles, the set signature bbq menus (both of them)
^^^They are all very good! I’d say the signature combo portions are big, I came here with 6 ppl once and ordered the one for 3 – 4 ppl and we were all pretty full. Another time I came here with 3 ppl and ordered the one for 2ppl and again we were plenty full. You definitely get your moneys worth w the signature combo deal!
I’d say the brisket is definitely the best here– the meat is tender, not too chewy, and and it goes perfectly with the sesame oil sauce they provide. Eat it with the scallion salad they give you as a side dish and omg you will be in heaven.
The spicy miso soup they serve with the bbq is MONEY. They also serve you kimchi fried rice at the end (with cheese if you’d like). All the servers here are very friendly and helpful, they will explain every dish and make great recommendations.
I’ve been here a few times already and will continue to come!

Service: I went to Grill on the Rock for a holiday party wth a large group. Anytime there’s a large group, my expectation is that the service won’t be too personal, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how attentive and friendly our waitress was. There was a set menu but she made sure that people who had special requests got what they needed. I don’t eat meat and we had 2 small kids at our table, so she recommended nice foods for all 3 of us.
Food: delicious and abundant. As I mentioned, I don’t eat meat, so I missed out on all the steaks, but I had a seafood pancake (one of my favorite foods), chap chae (specially prepared w/​o meat), salad, grilled seafood, and soup. The only thing I didn’t love was the soup b/​c it was a little bit too spicy, though everyone else at the table enjoyed it.
If you’re looking for a tasty filling meal, this is a fantastic choice.

I was so happy with KBBQ at grill on the rock. Goood tasty and marvelous food!
I have been thinking it since I and my family were there. They shows how meat’s feaure is really. Flavor of brisket and pork belly with dipping sauce is great coordination. Their specialty makes me more interesting. Kalbi and Bulgoki too. Woow! They have also kids play room to provide parents comfortable time.
I might be a big mouth for Grill on the Rock. Thank them open.

Came here because we found a flyer in the mail! Was a pretty great decision.
I went with my grandmother who has never really had Korean BBQ/​Food and can be rather picky in general. The staff were very hospitable, our waitress was extremely polite and on the ball!
They say us down and explained the menu to my grandmother. She decided to get the short ribs and I decided on the seafood combination (shrimp, scallops, salmon). I was surprised when they said they cooked it for us. I’m used to Korean bbq where you usually cook it yourself. The meal came with soup, salad and sides; broccoli salad (which was pretty good), sweetened roasted potatoes (grandmothers favorite), marinated cucumbers, and fish cake. We also ordered a side of bean sprouts. Portion size for the seafood was great. Two scallops, five shrimp, and a very large portion of salmon. My grandmother ate a lot of her short ribs which is rare for her! Only thing I will say is that the spice/​flavor is a bit underwhelming. I feel if maybe they salt and peppered some of the proteins it would have made a big difference!
But all in all it was a great time. Will definitely come back!

We were greeted right away and seated pretty fast. We came in at like 6−7pm on a Thursday night. We had a Groupon offer here and yesterday was the last day to go before it expired. Our server was new and she informed us right away that she was which was totally fine with us.
We ordered Bulgogi, Spicy Pork Belly, and Kalbi. When ordering in the BBQ menu you get 4 sides and soup (regular or spicy). The four sides were a spicy cucumber, an apple salad, potatoes in soy sauce, and fish cake. Our server was very descriptive on each item which was great because my sister is actually allergic to apples, so it was nice to know what everything was before trying it out.
The meat came with onions, pineapple slice, zucchini, and mushrooms. Our server was nice to cook it for us even though we were fine with cooking it as well. The marinades were all delicious on all the meats. The spicy soup was also very delicious. Ordering 3 meats was a good size portion for 2 people i think. We had a little for leftovers.
I would def come back here for KBBQ. It’s nice that it’s close to my house, so i can go there whenever i’m craving KBBQ.

Everything about this place was great! My boyfriend and I had the selected combo for 2, which included salad, sides, soup, 4 types of meat, and fried rice. It had everything we wanted, perfect for 2 people, and it was all delicious. We both agreed that Grill on the Rock is probably our new favorite Korean BBQ place in the Chicago area. (We spent a few years living in Korea and we miss the food a lot, so we pretty much try every Korean restaurant we find.) It’s not the most traditional Korean restaurant, but the quality of the food is just fantastic. The service was also excellent. We’ll definitely be going back.

Our young family recently went here to redeem an expiring Groupon and were not disappointed!
The restaurant is fairly large, with ample seating, and well-​ventilated. We brought our two young children aged 3 and 1. We were pleased that they had a small child play area. We went on a weeknight and there was no wait.
Regarding the food, we went with a KBBQ sampler for two. The portions were generous and the meats were flavorful. It was more than enough to serve our family. My wife appreciated the kimchi fried rice that capped off the meal and I enjoyed the pork belly. We also tried the fried chicken wings which were noteworthy more because of the dipping sauces than the wings themselves.
Our waiter/​cook was informative and friendly. We had a few other servers check in with us throughout our meal. We appreciated the attentive service. For those who have never tried Korean barbecue, this would be a phenomenal first experience.
On the drive home, my Korean wife, stated that this was one of the best KBBQ experiences that she had ever had. This means a lot considering that she spent nearly 10 years in Los Angeles, residing in LA’s K-​Town.

This place is the best korean BBQ I have had in Chicagoland area. The meat is so freshhhhh! I love the banchan and it is plentiful. They have a bunch of different options to choose from. We ordered the pre-​set meat meal. They bring out like 3 or 4 different types of meat and went to town. I really like that they have these little plates on the side that keep the meat warm but not overcooked. Our waitress was so awesome and really helpful when we were choosing meat. They have a good selection of Soju and Sake. We enjoyed both. The kimchi pancake is delicious and different than what im usually getting.
I highly recommend this place. I will definitely be coming back!

Most of the reviews on here are pretty much dead on. Yes, they are «fusion,» so no, it’s not as authentic as some of the Korean places in the area. So if you are more accustomed to that, you probably will not really like this place. BUT!!! it is a great to go to if you never had Korean bbq before and would like to try. Unlike the more authentic places, Grill on the Rock have people that cook the food for you, they explain their menu fairly well so no surprises when you get your food. This is a good place to start at if you don’t speak Korean but would like to try Korean BBQ.
Grill on the Rock is just seconds from Wooil (another korean restaurant/​more authentic). Depending on which direction you are travelling from, those two restaurants are literally right next to each other. Huge signs, hard to miss with plenty of parking!
The staff there are very polite and friendly! This is always a huge plus when dining out! They make you feel welcomed. Although the place is not huge, it is pretty spacious and tables are well sectioned. You don’t get that feeling you are sitting too close to the next table.
I came here with a groupon. Dinner for two/​must choose 2 meat from the grilling menu. We picked bulgogi and brisket end cut. We also ordered a small seafood pancake. It was the size of a small personal pizza. 4 evenly sliced pieces. What i did not like was the green peppers in the seafood pancake. The seafood pancake was good. But i personally dislike green peppers so it was meh for me. Oh and it didnt come with any dipping sauce. Which was kinda sad =(
So if you are grilling the meat at your table, it comes with veggies, salad, soup and dipping sauces. Salad and soup are nothing special so im not going to talk about that. The veggies consists of mostly bean sprouts, a couple pieces of firm tofu, onions, pineapple and peppers. It was very bland after they cooked it. I rather them serve banchans (side dishes) than some stir fry veggies (just in my opinion). I asked our server why banchans isnt served for bbq and she said most people just dont eat them and there’s plenty of food. But after i asked, she did give me some sliced radishes and hot pepper paste marinated cucumbers. (Don’t forget to ask for hot tea! = corn tea) Oh and the kimchi (you can either have them cook it for you on the grill or eat it cold) wasnt very good…
I would not recommend the end cut brisket. Yes, it is tender but bland. But i guess thats what the dipping sauce they provided you is there for. But to me, even with the dipping sauce, it wasnt like WOW. Thats something i can easily make at home. Bulgolgi on the other hand was well marinated. It was a tad more on the sweeter side for the marinade. It was delicious! Goes well with the lettuce or just with rice. (My bf did not like the end taste of it. He thought it was too sweet. I think his taste pallet is weird lol)
That pretty much concluded our dinner. It wasnt bad. I’m just more used to the «old fashion» korean bbq restaurants that i’ve been to. Service was great, Staff was great, Food. ok!

I know it’s a «fusion» restaurant, but that generally means a combination of elements that makes things better, instead of making one kind of cuisine shittier to appease an American audience.
Disclaimer: we didn’t order the grilled food, which is what I presume they specialized in. We just ordered bibimbap.
Food — Bad:
— The kimchi tasted like it was doused in Lysol. It was *vile*. I asked my dad if he tried it and he said, «one was enough.»
— No banchan (side dishes) until we asked about it.
— Weird, sad looking banchan all on one plate. Shredded daikon, bean sprouts, and spicy cucumbers. They all looked wilted.
— Sad looking bibimbap. To be fair, it tasted fine. But the ingredients did not look fresh.
— The dolsot bibimbap bowl was not hot enough to fry the rice.
— Tiny menu selection.
Food — Good:
— The daikon was fine.
— The bibimbap was passable.
Service — Bad:
— My dad ordered dolsot bibimbap, or hot stone bowl bibimbap. I did not. Both came out as stone bowls. They didn’t charge me any extra, but what really irked me was that the waitress blamed it on the staff.
— When we asked about the banchan, she explained that Americans liked plainer tastes (wtf, we ARE American — Chinese American). THEN she blamed it on the food runner, Ricardo.
Service — Good:
— She asked us if we spoke Korean and didn’t just blurt out «kamsahamnida»
— No one went out of their way to make things bad
Location — Bad:
— The parking lot entrance is poorly lit and the lines are poorly drawn
Location — Good:
— Right off Milwaukee
Overall, I don’t plan on coming back here again. There are much better Korean options, even Korean BBQ options nearby, with better service and better food.

What a delicious and fun suburban treat! Grill on the Rock is not your standard Korean BBQ and is more of a hibachi and Korean BBQ fusion. Instead of charcoal grills, there are hibachi grills at each table. You choose your meat and the server will come cook your food at the table as you use your own tongs to grab each item as it becomes ready.
As others have stated, there is no banchan included like traditional Korean BBQ meals. However, these entrees come with a variety of accompaniments and you can get more of most items (except the meat!) if you just ask for it. Basically, you will not go hungry here.
My husband and I went with the bulgoki and the kalbi short rib «on the rock». Our meal started with a basic salad of mostly lettuce and a ponzu vinaigrette dressing as well as a creamier ranch style dressing. The salad was a bit sad looking but I would eat paper if it were slathered with a combination of those two dressings.
Miso soup is also part of the meal but they only bring it if you ask for it.
Our server started with warming up some kimchi on the grill which we gobbled right up. Next was the vegetables — a medley of bean sprouts, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, tofu, and pineapple.
You get a trio of two sauces and a sea salt with sesame oil rub. These go great with the meats and pretty much everything else. Bulgoki came first and was easily our favorite of the night. Just perfectly tender and marinated full of flavor.
After we finished the bulgoki, the kalbi was next. The kalbi was flavored well, but the cuts of short rib were a bit puny. The quantity you get is huge, but these weren’t very meaty pieces.
Just to reiterate, you can ask for more salad, soup, kimchi, or vegetables at any given time. Rest assured you will be plenty full by the meal’s end.
We finished with the kimchi fried rice with cheese upgrade. The key is to let the rice sit longer on the grill so it gets that crispy bottom layer. It was a bit bland and boring at first, but after adding the kimchi base anchovy sauce, the rice was outstanding!
All in all, a great meal and a great night out. Service was extremely friendly and we had great conversation with our server/​cook as she grilled our items table side. If you’re looking for a quiet meal with your significant other, this is not the place as your server will be with you for more than half the meal. Wish the place hadnt been quite so empty for ambiance purposes. We will gladly come back again. My husband’s parents live right there and I can see us dropping our newborn off to go to Grill on the Rock for a date night many times.

In the former Harry Carey’s this unique restaurant was a great Mother’s Day find. The staff was super helpful with the workings of the table grill Staff suggestions were spot on and the owner was ever present checking to make sure that everyone was happy.
They can accommodate large parties as well and have a small playroom/​crying room for the wee ones that don’t particularly enjoy eating out.

My wife and I were hungry and randomly we saw the reviews for this place when we were looking for a place to work in Deerfield. It’s 2 buildings past the Speedway station btw since Unilocal sent us to the wrong lot. We went in and were seated right away when we went in. We ordered the buns, kalbi, and sliced spicy meat. The manager Sandy recommended we try one of each flavor vs ordering 3 dishes. I was so glad we did because it was big. She also mentioned that the wine section would change soon but I was fine with the merlot.
Once we were finished with the appetizers, we got the Kalbi and meats. She cooked the meats for us which was nice and also cut the meat for us. The meats were juicy and easy to chew. Afterwards, she then made the kimchi fried rice. It is not like the regular korean barbacue but it is delicious to eat. We were full so we didn’t have dessert but it’s a place I’d recommend for people to try.

I had an amazing meal here. Their service was kind and outstanding. If you love Korean BBQ, «Grill on the Rock» can be your go-​to — all their ingredients are so fresh, and it’s hibachi style.
Now I didn’t really understand how hibachi-​style Korean BBQ worked before I tried it. For some reason I couldn’t visual it… but picture you’re going to a Japanese hibachi place where they stir-​fry everything on a hot plate at the center of your table. THAT is the experience, except the food on the grill is the same as you’d get at Korean BBQ. There is no banchan, but you get huge portions of your food that really, leaves no room for much else :)
The owner was very kind and explained that this concept is healthier than the traditional way Korean BBQ is done, there is no actual charcoal– so the air is better, there are less «cancer-​causing carcinogens» but essentially, this method of cooking is healthier, and does not take away from the flavor.
I tried the chopchae, the pork belly buns (so good), salad with two dressings (ponzu and a creamy mayo one) and a variety of meats on the grill. The Korean short ribs (kalbi) were my favorite, marinated perfectly and very tender. I also had the bulgogi (thinly sliced marinated beef), non-​marinated sliced steak, pork belly, a spicy pork belly mixed with hot pepper paste.
An employee cooks all of your food at the table. The owner (who is very considerate) stopped by our table to cook/​take care of us, and while flipping meat, he told us that some diners like to cook their food by themselves. He kindly asked/​joked if he was disturbing us, because once he started cooking, our table of girlfriends instantly fell quiet. He wasn’t interrupting our catch-​up sesh, we were just mesmerized by this mouth-​watering food in front of us and watching the magic happen. We told him we were very happy that he was cooking for us– we probably wouldn’t have been very good at it!
For the hibachi grill, each of us at the table also got a portion of grilled kimchi, tofu, and vegetables (bean sprouts, pineapple rings, green onion, zucchini, mushrooms). Steamed rice is free with your «Healthy BBQ on the rock» but you should also upgrade to the «Cheesy Kimchi Fried Rice» served near the end of the BBQ… It’s kimchi fried rice freshly sautéed in front of you, then shaped into a pizza and sizzled into a crispy bottom layer, topped with mozzarella cheese, then chopped into «pizza slices» served right on your plate. This dish was also one of my faves.
Soon, they will open a fast food-​style Bi Bim Bap (Korean rice bowl with bulgogi and veggies), much like Chipotle’s concept with an assembly line. If only I lived closer to Buffalo Grove, I’d be here a lot more often!

Update: I absolutely love this place. There was a shift in gear between the menus (they added more entrees and appetizers). The eggs rolls especially from the ‘starter menu’ were eggcellent.
The environment is welcoming, they have different sized tables –depending on how big your parties are-​. They also incorporate a bit of hibachi to make it more fun.
Will visit next time