Our city’s Korean food scene has been on the rise in recent years, but there’s no dispute that Greater Los Angeles is, and likely always will be, the king of this dynamic cuisine across the United States.
Fullerton is about an hour south of LA’s Koreatown, and it’s home base for the wildly popular, premium all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue spot Mr BBQ. The family-run restaurant recently expanded to Las Vegas, opening its doors in the former Magal BBQ space across from the original Chinatown Plaza in December.
For second-generation restaurateur Jenny Chai, it was a natural progression.
“My family has been in the restaurant business for so long, we could never take really long vacations, so Vegas was always our spot,” she says. “The more time I spend here now, I really like it more and more. And I really love the food culture here.”
Her genre of restaurant has seen a mini-boom in the Vegas Valley in the last few years, with grill-it-at-your-table barbecue joints expanding beyond the Spring Mountain Road area. But Chinatown was always the place for Mr BBQ’s expansion, an endeavor also born out of those family vacations. “We would stay on the Strip, and there were not a lot of options for Asian restaurants,” Chai says. “Our older family members can’t go one day without having some sort of Asian food, so we’d always come down this street to get something. And now the options are so much more.”
Mr BBQ challenges the stigma that AYCE destinations don’t use high-quality ingredients. The new 200-seat eatery serves only USDA-graded beef and pork, including the top-selling beef bulgogi (marinated USDA choice ribeye), beef short ribs, top sirloin, Black Angus ribeye, pork belly and more. Dinner costs $39 (or premium for $49), lunch is $29-$39 and signature combos range from $120-$180 for group feasting. The No. 1 combo ($120) feeds at least four withprotein selections of beef belly, brisket, pork jowl, ribeye, short ribs, pork belly, baby octopus and shrimp, plus sides.
“When you go out to eat and you’re spending money, for me the most important thing is to get value, no matter if you’re spending $100 or $15,” Chai says. “It’s a rare situation where you can get steakhouse-quality steaks, all prime grade, and even Wagyu, in an all-you-can-eat setting, and that’s the special niche we have carved for ourselves.”
Her mother and grandmother’s marinade recipes also set these meats apart, with the bulgogi and short ribs renowned for sweet/salty flavors and juiciness when they hit the grill at the table. Regulars are ready to cook their favorite proteins and pass around traditional banchan side dishes, while newbies receive guidance from friendly servers. It’s an interactive, communal experience, balanced out by beer and soju cocktails.
“It’s pretty much like a barbecue in your backyard,” Chai says, “but we do all the work for you.”
MR BBQ 4240 Spring Mountain Road #101, 702-483-4240, mrbbqlasvegas.com. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight.
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