All That Barbecue
Very good Korean BBQ with some unique menu items, solid service, and a sense of humor
At one point, the Korean barbecue restaurant All That Barbecue operated in two places – one in Arcadia, one in Irvine – but consolidated in 2018, leaving only Irvine’s Culver Plaza location open. As all-you-can-eat KBBQ places go, it continues to generate lines out the door during peak hours, and that’s despite being within walking distance of All That Shabu, a sister restaurant focused on boiling meats and buffet-style items.
The single biggest factor distinguishing All That Barbecue from other AYCE Korean BBQs such as Gen, I Can Barbecue, and Shik Do Rak is the 2010s-vintage comedy of its menu. After agreeing to pay a fixed price for weekday lunch ($29) or weekend lunch/all-week dinner ($37), guests receive a menu with 28-38 different plates that are ordered from and delivered to the table without any buffet-style alternatives. Names like Brisket on Fleek, Yo Soy Pig, and Angry Bird on Fire obscure the commonality of some items, while others hide locally underavailable KBBQ classics: “Karubi in Osaka” is beef with lemon, “You Won’t Know Until You Try” includes three kinds of intestines, and “Smokey the Pig” is smoked pork belly.
Those pursuing quality and basics will find them here, too: All That Barbecue offers beef and spicy pork bulgogi, shell-on shrimp, spicy baby octopus, and brisket. Notably, 10 of the items (ranging from pork jowls to soy-sesame flap steak, kalbi, and filet mignon) are only offered during the higher-priced dinner and weekend lunches.
We’ve been impressed by our visits to All That Barbecue. Despite some public criticisms of the service, we’ve had only good experiences with individual staff members, who in one case were back working professionally without showing any sign the restaurant had been the site of an armed robbery – profoundly rare in Irvine – days before. The prices are comparable to I Can Barbecue’s and Shik Do Rak’s, and a little higher than Gen’s. That said, specialty items do make a difference: We think often of the lemon beef here, in particular, which makes us want to return again.
Stats
Price: $$-$$$
Service: Table
Open Since: 2012
Addresses
15333 Culver Dr. #100
Irvine, CA 92604
949.336.8965