Mo Ran Gak Restaurant

Spectacular. We came as a party of 5 a few minutes before opening but there was already a line. Once seated we prompted ordered our food. Within a few minutes the famous Korean side dishes came out. When our meat came, one of the servers began grilling the meat for us. The staff was very good at their timing. We were never left to wait for our food. They were managing the cooking and was always ready when we finished the meat on the grill. When we requested for a refill of any of the side dishes, they were promptly refilled. We ordered their famous cold noodle soup and was given another one on the house! Overall great quality food and excellent service. It is not an all-​you-​can-​eat buffet. However the quantity and quality of their BBQ meals is perfect.

This is wife favorite North Korean Restaurant. She loves Pyongyang mool-​naeng-​myun.
Me. just came for the ride. I love their banchan, and anything wife orders. Oh wait, i do love their Bossam, best in GG. Wow… so good with oysters… My favorit ’ Yook Soo ’ she is HOT !!

Mo Ran Gak will forever be one of my favorite Korean barbecue restaurants! The staff is SO attentive (they cook your food for you), and the food is DELICIOUS. In addition to ordering meat, make sure you try the shrimp and the octopus! As for side dishes (yes!), order the steamed egg to enjoy with your plentiful banchan. And order the bibimbap and a side of cold noodles. Enjoy! Will be back soon — again and again.

I REALLY enjoyed my first time here. Came with 3 friends for lunch — one of the girls said that she frequents this place with her family (she is Korean) — can’t get more legit than that. Service is wonderful — quick, efficient & polite.
There is complementary soup broth served in a stainless steel teapot. I believe it is the same broth used in the naengmyeon (not sure) — 2 of us ordered the dolpan nakji deopbap (spicy octopus served on sizzling stone pot). My other two friends ordered the mul naengmyeon with galbi. We also ordered bibim naengmyeon to try the spicy variation of noodle minus the broth. The nakji deopbap was delicious — super tasty. I also enjoyed the flavor of the naengmyeon. There were several different banchan options which is also a nice addition to any Korean meal.
I know most non-​Korean people associate AYCE KBBQ places with Korean food, but that is something that has been westernized & commercialized way too much. There is way better Korean food out there. This place happens to be an example. Overall enjoyed my first time. Hope to return soon to try other items. Just a word of caution, the lot for this place is small so street parking is probably your best bet. We came in the middle of the week & it was already pretty packed right after they open for business so just take that into consideration.

Great Korean barbecue in Orange County! It’s not all you can eat but I think the meat is higher quality. I’m also a big fan of their bibimbap.
PARKING: private lot or street parking, not that bad
SERVICE: the servers here cook your meat for you and might get upset at you if you try to cook it yourself. They are kind of to the point and not super polite but they get the job done!
FOOD: I love the shrimp here – super sweet and big. You order different platters of meat so it’s not all you can eat. The banchan are generous and numerous with kimchi, anchovies, pajeon, salad, steamed egg, etc. I love the bibimbap here too and I prefer it with the purple/​brown rice.
Mo Ran Gak is always a good place for dinner! Recommend.

Noodles are fine, cold or spicy.
Binbimbap plate was fine — healthy.
Appetizer plates were good.
Most delicious was the soup drink «tea»! I think it contained a lot of salt.
Yes, this review is bland as the I felt the food was ABOVE bland but not justified to give 4 or even 5 starts to. I read the Unilocal reviews and decided to try Mo Ran Gak but I was not that impressed.
Service was very good.

First time coming here with my friend and it was actually pretty good! I’m usually pretty open with trying new Asian foods, so I was excited to try this place. I got the #4 not sure exactly what it was called again, but it was delicious!
I recommend trying the drink that’s in the tea pot. It’s kind of a broth, (I thought it was a tea) it was super good! I would definitely come back and try it again!
They also have a Korean bbq section on their menu. (Kind of pricy compared to the $ 20 all you can eat at other places) but my friend said their meat is good quality!

I really wish Unilocal had 10 starts to vote, because I would give this place 9.
Let me explain.
I am a K-​food eater.(Im Korean) and I like to grill. That is a very dangerous combination in terms of kbbq ratings. That is just to say that I am very fickle with bbqs.
With that said, The food here was really, really good. The quality of the meat was not amazing, but it was quite good compared to the new wave of kbbq places all over SoCal.
Ther was a line of about people on a Sunday at aroun 5:15 PM, that is a testament to a lot of things.
I ddint order, so IDK whcich combo we got but the meats that we got were the brisket, the pork belly and the marinated short rib. The girl just dumped the brisket on the grill, and it cooked pretty badbly because it wasnt done correctly. (Unfortunately this has become the standard practice in most Kbbqs) I honeslty wish that they let me do it if you are gonna try this little. (wait, I did tell her thatI;d be taking over)
So besides that, the meat was pretty good qualty.
The rest of the side dishes were pretty well made too. the beacn pancake was quite good too, it had the right texture, crunchy outside and doughy inside.
The cold noodles were… a bit bland for my taste. but it was ok.
I would go back here, and While I do give them 4 star, and they do a lot of things very well, I would like to give them 4.5 and ask them to coach their servers on how to correctly grill meat so that it doesnt dry.
I mean, c’mon you re spending good money on the meat you offer, you might as well train your people so that the experience is good all theway.

05/​27/​2013 The service was good! The wait was about 20mins for Memorial Day lunch and we had the water nengmyun and bibim nengmyun… with galbi! So this place is not an AYCE location you order by the dish. The food has always been good here and definitely a good place to come with the family who’s not interested in gorging themselves with cheap meats but a nice refreshing noodles and a side of meat!

One of my favorite Korean restaurants, and I would drive here despite the distance on any given day. They serve quality meat if you’re looking to eat non-​AYCE, but their other food choices are delicious too. They give you yooksoo broth on the side, it’s seriously SO GOOD.
I usually order their cold noodles because it’s one of the best I’ve tasted. Cold noodles from other restaurants sometimes look/​taste not very. clean. Like the kitchen is unsanitary or something. Love the noodles here though, and I get it every time!
Their bossam is good too, but the portions aren’t too big. Around $ 14. Ordered one to share with a friend, and I didn’t think it was enough but still good!!!
I prefer to order a few dishes and eat family-​style at this restaurant because most of their dishes are tasty!

My first experience with Cold Buckwheat Noodles. A co-​worker recommend this place. I’m so glad I asked. Been dying to try this since seeing it on Dramas.
My favorite thing about Korean restaurant is they give you a pitcher of water. This place provide what looks like tea, but don’t be fooled it filled with delicious broth to warm your soul.
I order the Cold noodle non spicy, recommended by my co-​worker. It was so refreshing and delicious. It tasted even better with the mustard provided. The side dishes was just as good.
The waitresses were so helpful especially when I went alone and didn’t know how to eat this.
Definitely coming back again. I will take my family.

I just cant express how great this place is. From the minute you sit down the amazing assortment of side dishes that they give to the amazing quality of meat. This place seriously is the best. I always get the cold noodles to finish off the meal. This is literally my go to kbbq spot. MRG for life.

Before I start, this is a $ 25 to $ 30a dinner kind of place if you’re going for the traditional Korean BBQ. That being said, this place is amazing and comes with a fully loaded dinner service. Water and chicken soup tea (lol) comes to start before the main courses.
Meat itself is savory, well marinated and of high quality. Ordered Combination D, which came out to $ 79.95 before tax. Came with plenty of side dishes… too many to fit on our table! All were fresh and had great flavor and texture. My favorite was the squid side! Great taste, funky texture, but I couldn’t stop snacking on them!
Service is quick and they helped us cook, which was a great bonus. They also are fluent English speakers, which was nice for our limited experience group. We went early ~5:30pm for dinner and sat right away. When we left, it was packed and a few people were standing outside. Looks like they keep a large staff.
Highly recommended for someone new to KBBQ or someone looking for a real treat. Have to pay for the good stuff… it’s worth it!

WOOOOOOOOOOO! My new favorite Korean BBQ spot.
I think I’m quite over my AYCE KBBQ phase as this place hits the spot and isn’t too expensive. The meat is great quality and the service is phenomenal. I ordered with my group of friends and if you order a combo plate one of their servers stays with you and cooks the entire meal for you.
I’m a sucker for good service so even if I’ve tasted better Korean BBQ spots this place is over the top!
The only thing I dislike about this place is the fact that there is a wait EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Need to update my previous 4 star review to 5 stars. This place NEVER disappoints. Last year, I moved pretty close to this restaurant, so I’ve been a frequent customer here. I honestly can say that I have never ordered something that tasted bad here. Even the side dishes here are amazing.
My favorite things to order here:
–Nengmyun (cold noodles): Both the soup and spicy version are quite delicious. I like to order the soup version on a hot day. It’s so refreshing. The nice thing about this place is that you get a free small order of the noodles, so you can try both kinds!
–Meat: Love the quality of the meat here. SO good!
–Spicy squid dish: It comes on a sizzling pan with rice, squid, veggies, and an egg. It’s seriously so delicious!
Like I said, literally everything I tasted is so delicious! The only bad thing is they are closed on Mondays now!

Came here on a Sunday evening while visiting my sister in OC & we were craving Korean food, so we decided to come here!
The line was pretty long, but from what my sister told me, there is always a line. so we were willing to wait! I ain’t complaining cause on the bright side, there’s free complimentary milk coffee and Korean tea in the front entrance for the customers while they wait. (Umm…yes!!!) kudos for that!
We got seated in about 40 minutes and also free pancakes on the house! How sweet! Anyway, What I tried:
— mo ran gak combination, which comes with black angus brisket, pork belly, tofu soup and 1 steamed egg ($ 39.95): pretty quality meat! Recommend! Good for 4 people!
— bibim naengmyeon, which is like a spicy cold buckwheat noodle with pollack. ($ 9.95): this was my first time trying cold noodle, so it was different, but if you like cold noodle, definitely recommend! It tastes like glass noodle.
— dolpan bibimbap on a sizzling stone pot ($ 11.95): yumZ! Recommend!
And I’m giving this place BONUS points for awesome banchan (side dishes)!!! They also cook the meat for you, so you and your friendss don’t have to fight over who cooks the meat!!! DOUBLE BONUS points! ANNDDDDD They also gave us complimentary cold noodle (pyeongyang mul naengmyeon) on the house! (WUT.) Food kept coming! TRIPLE BONUS points.
All in all, There’s nothing to complain about, excellent quality food, service is phenomenal, and everything was great! The only thing I probably will complain about is that they mixed my Bimbimbap before I got to take a picture of it! Haha. Will be back for sure!!!

They say that you can tell how good a Korean restaurant is from their side dishes.
Well let me just say, hands down the best Korean side dishes I’ve ever had!!!
Came here late at night, around 9:30, just 30 minutes before closing. The place was still pretty full.
It looked like almost everyone was eating Korean bbq. But I just wanted some Korean soup.
Food comes with complimentary bone tea which is bone broth. It’s pretty good. Best enjoyed hot!
Ordered:
— bossam/​pork belly with cabbage
— galbi tang/​short ribs soup
The side dishes came out and I was so impressed.
Side dishes included: (I think, not completely sure)
— kimchi
— dried squid
— fish cake
— potato salad
— anchovies
— mayo based crunchy substance
— soup
— pancake!!!
I ate the side dishes so fast and honestly, I couldn’t stop eating it. All of it was really good. My favorite were the dried squid, anchovies, and mayo based crunchy substance. I got really full for the side dishes alone.
The bossam came with oyster which is supposedly how its traditionally served. The bossam was good but I’ve had better. It was not super fatty. The bossam came with a shrimp based sauce which was good but can be too authentic from some people like my boyfriend.
The galbi tang is so good here! The soup is very flavorful. Comes with a generous amount of tender meat which is so bomb when dipped in the sauce that comes with it. MUST ORDER THIS.
I’m very impressed and would probably make this my go to Korean restaurant.
I can’t wait to come back and try the rest of their menu! I’m sure it won’t disappoint.

The wait may be long for about 45 minutes to an hour, but for the price and the amount of food you get, it’s well worth it. My fiancée and her parents and my mom got the 4 pack of spareribs plus the meat, veggies and small sides, and after being stuck with about half of the food left on the table, we decided that next time (if there is going to be a next time) we should order the Party for 2 or 3 instead of all 4.
The meat itself was very tender; not too tough, yet perfectly charred and the ribs also tasted excellent. So, moral of this review is: A tray of meat does NOT mean a tray of _​_​_​_​PER PERSON.

Highly recommend the mool nengmyun. Whenever you order a nengmyun dish, you get another one for free and can choose either the mool or beebeen.
The haemool pajon might be the best I ever had. It is super thick and packed with seafood. It’s a little bit on the pricey side though.
My group also ordered the bossam and loved that it comes with a side of the gool. So delicious. I also liked that the cabbage was a little salty and soft instead of hard and crunchy.
Service is amazing. The Korean ladies work smart and quickly.
One bad thing is that the wait was pretty long ~ 40 minutes for a late lunch.
I didn’t really get to try the banchan but it comes with a lot of variety.

The best part about this place is the banchan. Prob one of the best in OC. They have given a pancake on the house the three times ive gone also. And they don’t skimp out on refills either!
Second best thing I like about this place is the complimentary broth. Don’t be fooled it is not tea that they bring out, it is broth. But don’t drink too much like i usually do bc I always regret it.
My bf always gets marinated short rib which is always solid. It is very tender and marinated well.
I’ve tried a few things:
I ordered the octopus dish which wasn’t my favorite. I ordered it too spicy first of all, and I think it would have been better if it wasn’t so spicy. I did like the noodles and everything but the octopus pieces were too big and chewy.
Some stew pork? Beef? Can’t remember: I thought this was good, but drank too much beef broth before and couldn’t finish it.
Service is good and fast.