Cham Soot Gol Buena Park
Cham Soot Gol Buena Park is a bit more inland, when compared to it’s original location in Garden Grove, and located a few blocks down from Knotts Berry Farm. It’s located on Beach Blvd and the closest freeway is the 91. Even though it’s about 10 extra miles (for me) it’s worth the drive. First of all, the wait time is almost nonexistent during the times when compared to Garden Grove. The food quality is about the same but the major improvements are their circular grill that seems to cook more evenly and doesn’t stick as much, and the service. The air circulation is much better here too, so you won’t stink as much when compared to other Korean BBQ restaurants.
The layout of the dinning area is probably the reason why the service is ahead of the original location. There are three sections; two along the opposite lengths of the restaurant (wall or window) and what I would like to call the ice cream section, which is located the the furthest part of the dinning area, close to the ice cream. It seems like it’s easier for the servers to work all three sections in one sweep, unlike the Garden Grove location.
A major con to this Korean barbeque restaurant is that accommodating large parties can be difficult. The magic number is four. Six would be the max to sit all together. There are large tables that seat six comfortably and smaller tables that seat four. A group of eight will have two small tables, and good luck with anything over eight.
What made Cham Soot Gol famous is the All-You-Can-Eat Menu. For under twenty dollars, you get a choice of a few meats, a stone pot of tofu or egg, and the included sides and salad. This is catered for meat lovers. I wouldn’t say the quality is the best, it’s fantastic but I’ve had better at Gen in Tustin. However, Cham Soot Gol is cheaper, has no time limit, and has unlimited ice cream. It’s hard to beat.
I tend to stick with their thin slices of brisket and flavorful marinated bulgogi. The pork belly is good too, but I always feel guilty ordering it since it feels like I’m eating a packet of bacon. My game plan is to start off with some brisket and bulgogi, then order two plates of brisket and one of bulgogi until full, sounds like a prescription for getting full–wash down with a pitcher or large bottle of Hite. Don’t forget to leave room for ice cream. Even though it’s branded as Crystal Ice Cream, it’s actually the same manufactures of Thrifty Ice Cream (Rite-Aid sold). Tip: have some ice cream to clear your palate then have some more bbq.
I’m a regular at both Cham Soot Gol Buena Park and Garden Grove, Buena Park being my favorite of the two. There’s a reason why I keep on coming back. Cham Soot Gol isn’t the best, but I keep on coming back because everything is put in the right place; great quality foods, nice grills, ice cream, and a phenomenal staff. Cham Soot Gol is easily my favorite All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ.
Also I’m in love with one of their waitresses. <3
Cham Soot Gol Buena Park (in SD) from 8BitFood on Vimeo.
Cham Soot Gol Buena Park
8552 Beach Blvd
Buena Park, CA 90620
(714) 828-1363
