Ginseng Restaurant

This is one of those restaurants that I love the concept of and wish I could give full stars to, but just can’t.
Ginseng is a buffet style Korean BBQ restaurant, where a large burner is put in the centre of the table and you get to cook your own meat. It’s an awesome DIY activity that allows ample time to converse with your dinner partners while your food is cooking. The buffet serves up a variety of cooked foods, including tofu, noodles, and vegetables. The real star of the show is the meats for the barbecue. There’s marinated beef, pork, chicken, octopus, coming in spicy and mild versions. They also come with crisp veggies for you to wrap your grilled meat in.
The reason I took stars off is that the food is expensive (over $ 35 or so) for not so great quality meat. Yes, it comes with unlimited soft drinks and is all you can eat, but ultimately it costs more than other similar establishments offering buffets as well. Also, the service is very infrequent. Drink refills are slow in coming and, more importantly, the burners aren’t changed as often as they should be. Ain’t nobody want to grill their meat on top of charred, burned remnants of bbqs passed.

once again, I can’t help comparing food here with food in great Toronto area. This korean bbq place is no exception: good comparing to other places in town, but borderline disappointing for a person from ontario…
The most important factor for a good korean bbq experience, imo, is getting a clean/​fresh grill plate as often as possible. Otherwise food gets stuck and burnt and everything tastes bitter. I know, I know it costs a lot to replace it every 5 minutes… but that is how it is done back home…
Well, but this is already the best korean bbq buffet in town. Meat is plenty, side dishes are good (altough limited selection), beverages are included. I guess I wil live with it:).

Yeah. I dont think so. Floors way to slippery. I am reporting to health inspectors. As an ER health care worker I am appalled! !! DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!

We went as a larger group and the service was good. I enjoyed the concept of grilling my own food. I thought the price per person was high given the quantity of food I actually ate.
Ventilation could be improved. Since everyone is grilling the place gets a bit smoky and you completely smell like the grill when you get out. Only other thing they could improve upon would be better descriptors of the marinated meats. they are generically labelled as «Beef», «Pork» and «Lamb» so you don’t really know if its spicy, savoury and/​or sweet.

I’ve been to Ginseng 3 times so far and every time I go their service is always amazing. Whenever I go I usually make reservations especially on weekends because they are exceptionally busy then. But if it was on a regular weekday I think you can probably make it without reservations. There are a couple of things that I think Ginseng can improve on though.
The price for one is pretty high, about $ 37 per person and then plus tips is like $ 45 maybe? Which is a bit much I mean it’s not like their meat is exceptional quality but at least the cost includes unlimited supply of soft drinks!!! And the second thing is probably the variety of meat they have. They carry beef pork and chicken, with the chicken and pork having a spicy option but the quality of the meat is not really that great but i guess they do have a variety of other korean dishes like fried rice, soups, veggies and seafood but i would like to see their menu improved especially for the price they are charging.
But overall visiting Ginseng every 3 – 4 months seem pretty reasonable, i would definitely go if it was more affordable.

meat seems is not fresh, they made tips in the bill, but I ignored, so I paid double tips, nearly $ 100, wtf

Had dinner here tonight (a Tuesday) and the service was so wonderful. Our server Tia, who is the manager, made the experience worth while. She took us through and showed us the entire menu and available buffet items and made everything so lovely. The food is great and we loved the sauces they bring for dipping. At $ 35 a plate, non-​alcoholic drinks included, it is steep but it was worth it at least once to try.

I’ve been here several times. Food was great however they were pretty slow at changing the grills out which lead to our table getting quite smokey and landing me in the ER with an asthma attack. Wouldn’t recommend if you have any lung problems. Somewhat pricey considering you have to cook your own food.

If I have control on how well I want my meat cooked I’m coming here.
I called around noon time to make reservations and got the answering machine, so naturally I left a message and made other plans «just in case».
They called me back to confirm! No hesitation on how many ppl and time plus I don’t remember even giving my name. .
We came in around 7pm and booked for 6 ppl with 2 burners (seafood allergies). What great service! We got immediately seated in our private dining room and our server was quick to take our drink orders while we wait for the rest of our party.
I looked around the room and yes its a little outdated and in need of some paint job but the burners looked clean, newish so I didn’t let that cloud my judgement.
The rest of our party came and we hit the buffet, I am so glad that they were able to accommodate different tastes from uncooked seafood & meat to cooked tofu, noodles, rice etc…
This place is great!
We were able to sit, chat, and eat for awhile with great service. Our servers kept changing our old burners for new fresh ones so it was hard to refuse to get new items to cook.
Yes you cannot eat the entire day before you come here because you will roll out the doors.
We are definitely coming back here, we had such a great time! The only reason why I’m not giving a full 5 stars is because the floors are super slippery and I fell but there is a sign stating the slippery floors (I still fell though…)
Anyway this place is great check it out.

This is the second time my friend and I have visited Ginsing Restaurant. Obviously, the first time we went we enjoyed it enough to go back. Honestly, my first time walking through the doors, I almost turned around and walked out. «I’m so getting food poisoning» was the exact thought running through my head. Nothing to do with the food. It’s just an old building, and it’s showing its age on the inside. Carpet a little worn, tile a little dirty. Nothing terrifying in retrospect, just… aged.
That being said, both time we went we had a blast. For those who haven’t picked it up (or read the other reviews) the buffet system is pretty simple. You pay $ 32 for unlimited food, and drinks (soda, tea, coffee[I think coffee]). And the buffet has a bunch of uncooked meat, plus side dishes:
Sirloin with sauce
Terriyaki beef
Spicy Spicy pork
Shrimp in shell
Chicken in a brown sauce
Squid or cuttlefish (I’m never sure which)
Mussels
Some other stuff. Plus rice, noodles, tofu etc.
You grab a plate of your favorite or most daring selections and take it back to the table. On the table is one or two natural gas BBQ grills (see picture), you have a bunch of tongs and use those too put the food on the grills and let it cook. I find it works best if you put a small to medium amount in the middle, and move it out as it cooks to the edges as they are cooler than the middle. Everyone takes off what they want as they want it. With the caveat that you should be throwing most stuff on the grill if you’re taking something off.
So basically you sit around with the smell of amazing hot cooking food whetting your appetite, while you chat with your friends. Dinner is going to take awhile… but you keep going back to the buffet for more meat as you want it. And keep cooking it as you go. The more willing you are too sit and enjoy dinner the better it gets.
This isn’t the place that you go for a quick Asian inspired meal. This is where you go to catch up with friends/​family you haven’t seen in a long time. You’ll have just as much fun watching the food cook and catching us as you will eating it. And the food is good!

The food is just ok, very overpriced though. $ 32, really? Meats were ok, other dishes not so much, probably been sitting their for a while. The place is old and dingy. Bad bad customer service. We came in around 9pm on the weekend, and their hours are until 11pm. We were told that we have 1,5 hours before they close. However, even before 10pm they started to close, constantly coming to our table and reminding us. The staff were mopping the floors using dirty mops with chlorine right in front of us, so we had to leave right after 10pm. Almost fell couple of times as the floor was really wet. Definately not worth spending $ 32 per person.

I’ve been to this place a couple of times and both times I enjoyed it, the selection of meat and side dishes is amazing. The service is really good too and both times I’ve been there we were seated in a private room, which is a bonus. It’s a cool concept, bbqing your own meat, while having great conversation. The staff was attentive, they would come by and replace the grills whenever they needed to be and replenish drinks. The cost includes all you can eat/​cook buffet, pop, coffee, juice, and tea.
There are 3 concerns however, one being the buffet items have no labels. With such variety of meat, no labels make it a guessing game as to what you chose. Every buffet at any place has labels, I don’t see why these people don’t. The second complaint is payment. You have to go to the front to pay and there’s always a lineup. Of course in a big group there are quite a few people paying, so the wait is usually long. Most restaurants have payment at the table with their portable machines but not these guys. And the 3^rd concern is the non cleanliness of their bathrooms, yuck. Other than those 3 concerns, the food, ambience, and service are really good.

Food is ok, but the buffet is quite expensive, 32 per person. Not worthy! For a first time experience is ok,

Buffet is great. But come prepared to smell like korean food afterwards. A bit pricey for korean food if not ordering buffet.
I have frequented this place for many years as a teenager as they had great food and had karoke on weekends. With large groups it can be a blast and the service is excellent for groups greater than 6.
Buffets have a large selection of korean meats marinaded in sweet kalby sauces. Theres chicken, beef, beef ribs, squids, mussels etc. Theres a tasty selection of pickled goodies, and deep fried dishes too. Veggies to wrap your meats are fresh and some tasty soups.
I love the galbee beef short ribs but I find it can take some time to cook. So good company is key.lol. if you are a carnivore you will really enjoy this place. Ive come here with koreans and they say it is pretty authentic too.
Ive ordered the dishes indivuslly too and they give you pretty large fresh portions but you gotts pay for it. This place is alot pricier than other korean joints in the city. So buffet is probably the best option. But if its just two people. You should go elsewhere to get the best bang for your buck. Overall crowd is cool. With lots of teenagers, young adults and middle aged regulars.
Carnivores heaven!

Fact #1: I love Korean BBQ and have a spent a few weeks in Korea every year for the past few years. Even though the places is no where as close to as cheap as the all-​you-​can eat BBQ places in Korea, this places is worth the money.
Fact #2: You will have to cook your own meat that you retrieve raw from the buffet/​cafeteria style self serving area.
Fact #3: If you burn your meat, you will only have yourself to blame.
Fact #4: You will gorge yourself silly. Wear stretchy pants.
Fact #5: Your clothes and hair will smell like smoke and BBQ afterwards. Go home and take a shower. Prepare to wash your clothes shortly after and air out your heavy jackets in a different room.

Mmmmmmmmm. If you like to supply your hunger needs by way of a buffet then I have a secret for you. It is called Ginseng. They have been around for a long time and my other half’s family introduced me to this Korean BBQ thing about three or so years ago.
Do not judge a book by its cover or its minimally appointed dining room. You come here for the food not the scenery.
You can order off the menu or choose a meat heavy buffet that you BBQ on a hot plate that heats on your table. They frequently change the plates to keep the food fresh and none to char coaled. It can seem a bit pricey to some folks at night but we keep going back none the less. It is about $ 29.00 for the dinner buffet.
Service is very friendly and they treat us extremely well and I am sure we are no different than the next person is treated.
Some of the marinades they use I personally love and sincerely always enjoy this get out of the house haunt.
Do yourself a favour and get a few friends or the family together and try out something new if you have not had a Korean BBQ yet or in some time.
My palate and stomach urge you to do it!

One of the best places I have ever been for Korean BBQ food, and that includes Korea. I lived there for a while and I am glad to have found this place. The best thing is to go for the buffet option and you get to bbq everything yourself. Very good service here. Only minor point is the high price for the buffet.

My friends and I had plans to go to this restaurant. I’ve never done the whole grill your food thing and was looking forward to it. Then I started feeling yucky (this was before the restaurant). I wasn’t sick, but I figured loading my stomach with copious amounts of meat wouldn’t be a good idea. So I stuck to have soup, and rice from the buffet. My friends seemed to enjoy their food (they also had the buffet). It certainly wasn’t busy when we were there (we ate around 5pm) but the restaurant got busier the later we stayed. Our waitress was friendly and made sure to replace our grill tops frequently. I ordered green tea to drink, and it was good.
The only thing I didn’t like, and this is partially my fault. The price is why I’m keeping the review at four stars instead of knocking it down to 3. See you pay $ 29 for the buffet (with extra charges if you start getting too greedy with your meat portions). That price is in effect no matter what you get, so even though I just had soup and rice I still paid the same price as everyone else. I should have asked to order something from the menu, but I didn’t, and I ended up overpaying (for what I got). My fault I know, but it would have been nice if I were cut a bit of a discount because I didn’t eat any meat or any of the other main dishes on the buffet table. Still I liked what I had, and my friends seemed to like what they had so I’ll likely try Ginseng again when I’m feeling much better, and can eat a little more.

Been to this place about 4 times cause its close by compared to the other restaurant, recently went here with a group a friends because we were indecisive on what we wanted to eat. This place is a unique restaurant because you dont order your food to be cooked for you, you just go to the buffet table pick up your own food and bring it to your table and cook it yourself. They give a large variety of foods from beef, chicken pork, lam, and seafood items like squid clams oysters. All the meat items are raw, hence why you bring it to your table and cook it with the pot of soup and grill that they give you. They also provide hot foods that are already cooked, but i wasnt interested by that stuff cause getting your moneys worth is taking the raw food and cooking it.
So at our table to all individually cooked our foods, taking almost a sample of everything from the buffet. We made our own noodles with our own meats and veggies, and throwing all the meats in the grill. I love coming to this place when i feel like eating a lot of food.

If your craving for Korean food, this is the best place to go to, their Korean BBQ Buffet is a little bit on the pricey side but definitely worth it! & it includes beverages, my husband loved their Kimchi! so he ordered extra to take home! Very friendly crew. If your planning to go on weekends, you must come early, it’s definitely full house!