Just a few months ago Flower Pig in Garden Grove was a last-resort Korean barbecue spot for people craving an endless meat feast on a budget. Although the meats lacked palatability, the AYCE option for $9.99 felt like a bargain. Where else in Garden Grove were you going to find that good of a KBBQ deal? In addition to the less-than-spectacular food, the service was crummy and the restaurant was often empty. Even when you visited, you found yourself questioning why you still gave this place a shot.
Not anymore. Flower Pig has completely revamped itself thanks to new management. The new owner initially gained success through the Red Palace, a popular $10 all-you-can-eat KBBQ restaurant in Cerritos. Red Palace’s menu and the free drink with a Yelp check in deal are now also found at Flower Pig.
Higher-quality meat is the most notable improvement, which makes the price-to-performance ratio actually pleasing now. Flower Pig’s menu offers $9.99, $13.99 and $17.99 per person, all-you-can-eat feasts— higher price points have more variety of meats to choose from. The beef bulgogi, beef brisket and pork belly (picture below) were savory and available under the $9.99 price point.
The platters of juicy meat are also served with side dishes of white rice, rice paper, potato salad, tofu, bean sprouts, broccoli salad and kimchi.
Inside, the restaurant has a lively ambience. K-Pop music videos are on repeat on every big-screen T.V. Servers rush from table to table serving up slices of raw meat, each one with a smile on their face. The owner, a friendly middle-aged Korean woman, visits every single table to ask if everything is okay. There was a full house on a Tuesday night, and the line to get in went out the door. What use to be an afterthought is now Garden Grove’s It spot for AYCE KBBQ—A-OK!
Flower Pig, 8303 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, (714) 636-9292
