Restaurant where you cook your own food on a grill

Guests choose whether to cook over charcoal or gas grills, but either way, they’ll sample their way through some delicious marinated meat. Barbecue combos come with a staggering array of banchan, but also a bubbling steamed egg, corn cheese and a choice of soup. There are plenty of stews and rice dishes on the menu for those not seeking the thrill of the grill.

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Flesh & Buns
The BBQ Club
What is it called when you can cook your own food at a restaurant?
What is it called when you cook your food at the table?

Fung’s Kitchen

This Houston staple is known for its dim sum, not its hot pot, but that’s due for a change. And in keeping with the chandelier-bedecked dining room, it’s fancy stuff: thinly sliced Berkshire pork served on a bed of cellophane noodles and twisty carrots. After the rich broth has seen its last piece of pork, finish off your meal by boiling up a pile of tender baby bok choy.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

We all know Korean barbecue, but this chain trades in the almost-as-covetable Japanese equivalent. The best time to visit is during during the day. Among the appealing lunch sets, we like the Samurai, whose marinated meats include miso hanger steak, sweet soy beef ribs and spicy pork belly, along with salad, soup and rice. Finish the experience with a $3 order of make-your-own s’mores.

The breadth of options at Flower Piggy

Image: Alice Levitt

Ka Sushi

A few of the city’s Japanese restaurants offer steak ready to cook on forbiddingly hot, flat volcanic rocks. We like the version here for its variety, which includes not only different grades of wagyu, but also humbler beef tongue, escolar and assorted mushrooms. For seafood fans, there are Hokkaido scallops, which, like the other proteins, are cooked in butter and enlivened by a pair of tangy dipping sauces.

Korea House

If you’re really hungry, tackle the all-you-can-eat barbecue at this Koreatown favorite—the main attraction here—but be warned: Customers are charged $5 per unfinished plate. Luckily, the offerings are good enough that you’ll likely conquer a sizable segment of the 28 meats, not to mention the banchan, kimchi pancakes, dumplings, soup and spicy rice cakes also included for $35.95.

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot

This Chinese-owned chain purports to serve “traditional Inner Mongolian hot pot cuisine” at locations all over the world. Diners can split their pot between mild bone broth dotted with goji berries and cardamom, and a fiery soup that burns with Szechuan peppercorns and chile oil. Mix-ins lean on lamb—including meatballs and wontons—and exotic veggies.

Saigon Pagolac

Bo 7 mon translates to “beef seven ways.” That means not only a treat for meat lovers, but that amateur chefs have a host of ways to flex their culinary muscles. The most fun of all the methods is “Vietnamese fajitas,” in which diners cook their beef in vinegar, fondue-style, for a tangy treat, then roll it in rice paper with a choice of fillings including bean sprouts, carrots and herbs.

Thai Spice Express

Hot pot can be a bit one-note, but not here. Among the three broths, tom yum is the sweet-and-sour stand-out. Diners also choose proteins, whether a meat-lovers’ featuring beef, pork and chicken, or one of the seafood-starring mixes crammed with shrimp and crab. Our favorite inclusion: raw eggs ready to be poached in your soup.

Filed under

Thai Food, Korean Food, Korean Barbecue, Chinese Food, Hot Pot, Japanese Food, Ka Sushi, Vietnamese Food

Industrial decor and a K-Pop soundtrack offers a suitable setting for this DIY Korean dining experience. From BBQ skewers fronting a wide selection of interesting offal options, to more pedestrian eats including eggs, aubergine and sausage, Yanji keeps things fresh, fun and affordable.

Northampton
Restaurant , Restaurant Bar

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Flesh & Buns

1 user review 4

While you might not be cooking for yourself at Flesh & Buns, you will be in charge of assembling your dinner. The Covent Garden and Fitzrovia favourite fills your table with meats, pickles, sauces and their signature hirata steamed buns and leaves it to you to consume whichever way you want.

Covent Garden , Covent Garden
Restaurant Bar , Cocktail Bar

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The BBQ Club

The near-iconic BBQ Club shows you how to do more than just cook your food. Over six unique courses you'll be given access to your own personal Big Green Egg where you'll be trusted with grilling your own meat, veg, cheese or seafood for each dish.

Waterloo
Restaurant Bar , Pop-Up Bar , Restaurant

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Sakagura

1 user review 5

One of London's sleekest Japanese eateries, Sakagura provides the summer BBQ experience year round with their Sumibi Yakiniku experience. Alternatively, you can opt for a simple steak dinner with their Ishiyaki lava stone that lets you cook and eat your meat straight off the grill.

What is it called when you can cook your own food at a restaurant?

Cook-it-yourself restaurants are not passive experiences; they're interactive and communal. For many, the social aspect is the appeal. Groups of friends sit around a hot pot or a grill in the middle of the table as they drink, eat and chat.

What is it called when you cook your food at the table?

Teppanyaki grills are found in many Japanese restaurants as long, flat grills around which guests are seated. The chefs grill the food that is ordered in front of the guests, wowing them with their culinary talents and excellent knife skills.