For any avid Korean BBQ-er,   Soot Bull Jeep may just be the best place to go. Located in the heart of Korea Town, you will leave Soot Bull Jeep wanting more, in a good way.

After driving a good 10 minutes off the 101 Vermont exit, I finally found W. 8th Street. On my left side I couldn’t miss the huge Soot Bull Jeep sign written in big black Korean letters and in English underneath. Simple, yet catchy.

I parked in the lot right next to the building that was designated only for Soot Bull Jeep customers.

It was a Saturday afternoon and the place was practically empty. Upon entering I quickly noticed that every table had a built in charcoal grill.

The tables consisted mainly of four place settings, but since we were a party of five, we were given a larger table that sat eight people. The good thing was it had two grills so we all had ample cooking space.

The beverage options were very limited, only offering three soft drinks and five beers. The entrée selection, however, was full of different choices all of which were some kind of BBQ meat.

This included short ribs, different types of steak, tongue, pork, chicken, squid, eel, and shrimp.

Before we even ordered the waitress brought us side dishes, also called banchan. Some of the side dishes consisted of vegetables, glass noodles, a cold vegetable soup, garlic, lettuce pieces, and different pastes for dipping.

We were also each brought a hot soup and a small salad which was a bit spicy; all before we even ordered.

Assuming that the portions would be generous we ordered BBQ marinated short ribs, BBQ chicken, and BBQ marinated sliced Spencer steak priced at about $20 a dish. We also got an order of noodles with seasoning for $10.

As we waited for our food, the waitress turned on the grills. I must say that it was a bit disturbing to have embers flying around, even burning me a couple of times.

When the food arrived, being burned by embers was definitely worth it.

The portions were more than enough and all of the meat was marinated to perfection. It was nice to be able to cook my meat just the way I like it and those charcoal grills did a great job getting it just right.

Each of us also received our own portion of steamed rice

The noodles were the only thing that I didn’t enjoy too much. I think it’s because it was not what I expected.

They were more like a cold noodle soup, served in a bowl. The waitress cut them into small pieces when she dropped them off. They had a good taste, they just were not what I was expecting.

In between our meal, we all needed refills but our waitress was nowhere in sight. Impatiently one of my guests stood up to ask for her refill and found her huddled up in the back talking to another employee.

Maybe it’s because the restaurant was so empty that, besides us, there was not much to do.

When we finished our meals the waitress brought us our check along with five pieces of melon gum. The total cost of our check was nearly $90. With tip, we each spent a little over $20 a person.

Not bad for all of the food we ate and for how satisfied we were.

By the time we left, the place was a little more busy. I asked the waitress if the dinner menu was different from the lunch menu but she informed me that it stays the same.

My experience at Soot Bull Jeep was definitely an A. I would have given them a “plus,” but the service could have been better, however, the food was excellent.

The prices are fair considering all the food you get.

A few words of advice if you’re planning a visit to Soot Bull Jeep: Don’t come on a date and don’t dress to impress because you will end up smelling like you just spent the day at a bonfire.