Brian Nagele
Korean BBQ is a cooking style where meat is grilled on a metal plate over an open flame.
One of the best things about Korean BBQ is that it is meant to be shared.
The meat is sometimes cooked in small batches and then served family-style with various sides.
This is why going to a Korean BBQ restaurant provides so much fun and entertainment for a group of friends and family.
Other times, you can build your Korean BBQ bowls with precooked meat.
Either way, if you’re looking for the best Korean BBQ in Baltimore, I’ve got your back.
I’ll share the top spots and explain what stands out about each place, so you’ll know where to go next time you’re in Baltimore.
Brown Rice Korean Grill
Multiple locations
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Brown Rice Korean Grill is a popular modern-style, counter-serve chain restaurant with several locations in Baltimore.
I often go to the one on N Charles Street in Charles Village.
They offer a build-your-own-rice bowl set-up, which I appreciate so that I can get exactly what I want in my meal.
I typically fill my bowl with healthy, fresh ingredients like carrots, kale, chickpeas, cucumbers, pickled ginger, red cabbage, and more.
In terms of meat, I think spicy chicken, spicy pork, or spicy salmon are all delicious, and it just depends on what I’m in the mood for.
And if you’re vegetarian or vegan — no worries.
You can start with a base protein of spicy tofu instead!
Kong (Pocha)
12 W 20th St, Baltimore, MD 21218
Phone: 410-801-8963
Kong is a lovely Korean restaurant with a dark and moody yet simultaneously inviting and cozy feel.
Located in Station North near the JHU-MICA Film Center, this restaurant offers a bar, K-pop background music, and delicious Korean BBQ meats.
They’re best known for their delicious fried chicken, called Kong-Pocha chicken, which is perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
In terms of true Korean BBQ, they offer pork belly, marinated pork, beef brisket, prime rib, and prime sirloin.
That said, you likely won’t be hungry at all when you leave this restaurant!
Be-One
2016 Maryland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21218
Phone: 410-244-5600
Be-One, in Charles Village near Brown Rice, mentioned above, is arguable the best Korean BBQ in Baltimore because they let you cook your own meat on the table in an AYCE (all-you-can-eat) set-up.
However, if you don’t want to cook at your table, you can still order meals to be cooked in the kitchen like in a more typical restaurant.
Either way, you have a variety of meats, sauces, and styles to choose from.
If I’m not in the mood to cook various slices of meat, my favorite things to order off the menu include dolsot bibimbap, wang galbi tang, pork belly, fried rice, and their scrumptious seafood pancake.
Jong Kak
18 W 20th St, Baltimore, MD 21218
Phone: 410-837-5231
Another Charles Village Korean restaurant closer to The Ynot Lot is Jong Kak. Jong Kak is a relaxed Korean BBQ spot and, like Be-One, offers the opportunity to cook meat at the table.
I love this restaurant because they put a charcoal grill on the table, which gives the BBQ a great smoky flavor.
Some of my favorite menu items here include cold bibimbap, beef teriyaki, ban chan, spicy chicken bulgogi, and fried dumplings.
You can get many more traditional styles of Korean food here, so go with an open mind and an empty stomach!
You’ll see why it’s one of my favorite places to eat in the whole city.
BeBim Korean BBQ
R. House, 301 W. 29th Street, Stall 3 (#1003), 301 W 29th St, Baltimore, MD 21211
Phone: 443-681-1903
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Last on the list is BeBim Korean BBQ, just north of Charles Village near Fox Street Park.
Some say their catering services can be improved.
But if you’re looking for a quick, casual, counter-serve lunch with delicious meat, then this is the spot.
The portion sizes may seem small initially.
But the flavorful and fresh ingredients always fill me right up. Brown Rice Korean Grill is very similar in terms of the Chipotle-style concept.
While the veggies are better at Brown Rice, the meat is better at BeBim.
If you’re a fan of grilled meat, you’ll love Korean BBQ. Whether you prefer beef, pork, or chicken, Baltimore BBQ offers all of that plus tasty small plates to accompany your meal.
Cooking at your table might sound strange if you’ve never done it, and building a Korean BBQ bowl might sound intimidating.
But try one of these spots and see for yourself how fun it truly is!
Baltimore has amazing Thai food as well, so check out our favorite restaurants for some incredible curry or pad thai.
Did we leave a restaurant out of this list? Make sure you leave us a comment, and we’ll check it out!
