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BigLoveFromAbove t1_ivygfww wrote

DenDen is delicious. Also Bap Sang in North Kingstown

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PipeLayer2016 t1_ivzezkt wrote

Service is terrible in DenDen. It's staffed by a bunch of nervous kids. Honestly, I avoid Thayer street. Over rated, over crowded, and no place to park.

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StayKlassic t1_ivzhbyh wrote

Food is good but I completely agree with every criticism

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imuniqueaf t1_iw1l8o7 wrote

I only go when Brown/RISD are out of session.

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hallopinyo t1_iw14wq2 wrote

I always said if I somehow fall into a very very large sum of money, I’m buying out some properties near Thayer and knocking them down and putting up a parking garage.

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PipeLayer2016 t1_ivzfrps wrote

People don't seem to realize that Korean BBQ involves cooking AT THE TABLE. DenDen is not Korean BBQ because they don't cook at the table, Sura in Johnson is.

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Famous-Feeling-7427 t1_iw1p2t9 wrote

Not always there are some spots that they don’t always cook at the table like Sura on the east side for instance

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dollrussian t1_ivyr5jj wrote

Sura in Johnston.

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drastic56 t1_ivzjw8d wrote

I second this, Sura Johnston probably your best bet.

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josie-gg t1_ivyj3uz wrote

Lekker BBQ on Atwells. Miles better than Sura in Johnston.

they have tons of different Soju to try!

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Marzty t1_ivyjaft wrote

Isn’t it closed already?

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josie-gg t1_ivykd7k wrote

ah you're right, I had no idea they were relocating.

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Thac0 t1_ivynrfy wrote

Someone needs to find out the deets and tell us where and when

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TityboiHadA4Point0 t1_ivz8ukl wrote

Miss them so much! They’ve been “relocating” since May, so I hope all is well with them. They were 10/10 just always a little short staffed sadly

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pbNANDjelly t1_ivyirfx wrote

I don't get the DenDen hype and I can think of a bunch of reasons it would suck for a celebration. The food is just ok but it's small portions for the pricing, the server doesn't place orders for the customer, you'll stand in the line to order AFTER waiting for your table, the tables are close together, they have punishment seating designed to get you to leave ASAP, and the employees look like their manager must poke and prod them with hot irons in the back because it feels miserable. It's probably better suited for a casual lunch than a longer dinner.

But most importantly, it ain't a BBQ joint with the grill on the table and you'll waste too much money on drinks! A total must for a birthday!

Edit: I'm not trying to take away anything fun. Folks love this place, but I threw in my two cents and I'm sorry for being so harsh. Definitely everyone should try it at least once, but I might not pick a celebration for my first time 🙂

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mantisMD97 t1_ivylvc6 wrote

Agree that the atmosphere is odd and the staff doesn’t seem that great, but the food is top notch.

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pbNANDjelly t1_ivyntbq wrote

I had two meh experiences but I know so many people that LOVE it. I don't mean to yuk your yum 😃

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mantisMD97 t1_ivzczt6 wrote

Tbh I only had it once recently. Got 3 different things and they were all excellent. The wings really were the best breaded bone-in I’ve ever had. Kimchi pancakes and slaw were bangin’

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AwesomeExo t1_ivyq9y5 wrote

I've never sat in DenDen but I've taken out several times, having primarily the fried chicken and I've always been very happy with it. Family members have other things and also seem pretty pleased.

For what it's worth, before RI I lived in NYC for a decade so my food bar is fairly high. It's not as good as my favorite spots in NYC were, but it's good enough to fill the void.

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pbNANDjelly t1_ivyqx2e wrote

I think the fried chicken is where it's at. They definitely have that part down. Isn't their second location ONLY the fried chicken?

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JayBeeDubya t1_ivyyqgp wrote

DenDen is great for takeout. The in-dining experience is lacking for sure.

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darekta t1_ivzbc97 wrote

Solid points and yea it ain't real Korean BBQ w/o your own grill. I still love Denden tho

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ThickDickedMayor t1_ivysz6c wrote

I visited with some friends when i came back to RI for a few days and expressed wanting some KBBQ. DenDen is not that good. Food is decent but service is shitty for the price and it's definitely not KBBQ.

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Odd-Independent4640 t1_ivyn1x9 wrote

As a Korean-American living in RI since the mid-90’s I can confidently say any Korean bbq place in Boston will be infinitely better than any place in RI. Sorry.

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Thac0 t1_ivyny8e wrote

Sure but OP wants to know about Providence and not Boston

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whatsaphoto OP t1_ivyrosy wrote

Fair enough! Any recommendations for spots in Boston in case they're up for a quick trip?

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noungning t1_iw0yvb0 wrote

The one in Medford is the same as in Johnston, so just go to Johnston.

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wormholeweapons t1_ivyqj1k wrote

Question. Have you had Korean BBQ elsewhere before? The point here is this. The locally available places are perfectly fine. But if you’ve had Korean bbq in Los Angeles for example? Yeah it’s not even remotely comparable.

So if you have a baselines of really top end k-bbq prepare to be disappointed. Sura is the one I’ve gone to a few times and I think it’s perfectly respectable locally.

You’d be better off heading up to Boston tbh.

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dollrussian t1_ivywxvs wrote

Sura is very pojangmacha-y, so if that’s the vibe you want then yeah, that’s the place you wanna go. No frills, kind of a hole in the wall, lotsa soju available etc etc

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SeanRobertsFerngully t1_iw4adod wrote

Kbbq here is meh at best. Lot more unique places in NYC/DC for east coast. Hyun in NYC is great if you're on a wagyu kick, not exactly kbbq but it's AYCE wagyu and other meats cooked in from of you. Pricey but depends on how much wagyu you can stomach..the experience is top notch though

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wormholeweapons t1_iw4bdig wrote

Fine. But no one is going to travel 3.5 hours to NYC or further just for kbbq. Boston has some better spots than RI and it’s easy enough to get there. Not really hard to understand there.

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KennyWuKanYuen t1_ivynsk8 wrote

Sura but I don’t like the new grill they switched to a few years back.

Lekker was OK, service was really slow the last time I went. I think they’re closed now. I don’t know if they’re relocating or just permanently closed.

They’re the only place does BBQ per se. Other Korean cuisine restaurants I like are Soban/BBQ.chicken, Sura (separate place, same name, across from Mukbang), Mukbang (across from Sura, but not the other Sura), and Den Den Asiana/Bistro.

Den Den Chicken has been a hit or miss, so I can’t say I recommend them 100%.

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give_me_wine t1_ivz1xxk wrote

Lekker is moving, not sure where though

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KennyWuKanYuen t1_ivz27bz wrote

Are they in moving limbo? Because I heard that a while back but there was no announced new location and I would think you’d lock that down before moving. Especially as a business.

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give_me_wine t1_ivz30qr wrote

Just googled them and I can’t find any info about their new location. Their old location has been closed for months so who knows if they’ll ever reopen

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KennyWuKanYuen t1_ivz44sc wrote

That’s what I fear. My first and only experience was mediocre, only offset with a free bottle of booze from my birthday. My friend said to try them again but I guess I can’t for now.

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iainvention t1_ivytxh5 wrote

Mokban on Westminster was pretty good when I went over the summer. Planning to go back soon. Lots of vegetarian and gluten free options as well as meat. Not sure how it compares to the other places folks have recommended.

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GossamerGlenn t1_ivyxeag wrote

Might be spelling it wrong but all’s I know is den den makes a fucking good chicken wing in prov

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appslap t1_ivyl2dm wrote

Why is there no Korean BBQ places near westerly area? dosoriak (spelling?) recently opened and it’s pretty good but oh my god, don’t eat inside there.

I’m so jealous of my friends options in California

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Proof-Variation7005 t1_ivylyvz wrote

Smaller towns that are overwhelmingly white are probably not the best place for ethnic food places

In theory, it’d be a wide open market but, in practice, anything more out of the box than your garden variety Americanized Chinese food place is going to struggle, even if they’re really good.

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appslap t1_ivym6j9 wrote

Agreed and understand that but even Providence doesn’t have a “real” Korean bbq.

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Proof-Variation7005 t1_ivyrwwh wrote

Right now, sure. There's been a few that have come and gone. Mama Kims had a good run as a food truck and then tried a storefront and it failed. Lekker was around. Already that's 2 places in the last 5ish years than a town like Westerly has had in the last 200 years.

It's also still a weird time for restaurants anyway. COVID took out so many of them. Others are still reeling from it. I bet it's probably slowed/stalled a lot of potential new places.

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SeanRobertsFerngully t1_iw4atac wrote

Your question should be more, why isnt there much good food near westerly. But in all honesty, it's too seasonal of a town to maintain a high number of good restaurants. Winters are rough there for a lot of restaurants

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rolotech t1_ivypdvt wrote

I can't offer a suggestion for Korean BBQ. For Korean food in general as others have mentioned Den Den has good food but the atmosphere is a bit of fast service restaurant and the chairs are a bit uncomfortable plus it is always packed.

Instead I would suggest Wok and Pot donwcity. It has good food, soju and other drinks and overall more food options. No BBQ Cooking at the tables but if you get the budae pot I think they do bring a little burner to the table and that is a great dish to share.

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LauraPalmersMom430 t1_ivyxvlp wrote

Seconding Mokban on Westminster. Nice atmosphere too.

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yajanikos t1_ivzu6z6 wrote

Not the same per se and since we don’t have many true options - I’d recommend y Shabu shabu hot pot instead

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Famous-Feeling-7427 t1_iw1otnw wrote

Sura Johnston RI best K bbq buffet idk about lq though I recommend going when the weather is cold that way the bbq grill can warm you up w some great eats!!!

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Fragrant-Client372 t1_iw9gn0z wrote

Hanju Kitchen (inside The Royal Bobcat) on Atwells Ave is a Korean Cajun fusion restaurant and occasionally will have BBQ. But the menu is amazing to check out regardless!

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