Hwaro Korean BBQ Restaurant in Melbourne

Hwaro is a place that wouldve been top tier a few years ago when there was not as much competition, but now it is just average in my opinion.The atmosphere is very thick, by that I mean there is a lot of smoke. I was surprised because they do have smoke exhaust at every table. The meats are decent quality but the servers cooking for us have a little bit of trouble handling all the tables and some meats are slightly burnt.There is a lot of competition in korean bbq around Melbourne now and it needs some changes to be the best around.

We’ve been going here for a while now and have perfected our dining experience. We usually get 324/ set 2, kimchi pancake, stone bowl bimbimbap and the pan fried Korean dumplings which is enough to share for 4 hungry people. The sides are unlimited and the quality of the meat is so fresh. The staff also take care of the grill for you. Brought my cousin from the US to this place and he legit said it was one of the best meals he ever had. This place is deserving of 5 stars!

Excellent Food, Nice atmosphere, not over crowded.Staff happily facilitated a booking at short-notice.Outdoor area is well covered and warm.Would go again!

Used to be friendly place and nice food but now is always rush rush , we need to eat quickly or order more food otherwise u cant not sit there to enjoy or drinking cause they will ask u to leave to give the table for the next customer, foods are too salty now

Food was good but I wanted to complain about their services. We were a group of 13 and even though we had booked it a day before, they just gave us a table for 10 and all the requests we made, most of them ignored.

Amazing food, exceptional beef and perfectly crispy kimchi and seafood pancakes! The service and staff were fantastic. Only downside being that there wasn’t a parents/baby change room so plan ahead if you have little ones. Would go back again!

Oh. My. Goodness. Randomly walked in off the street never having had Korean bbq before. This food was fresh, healthy, perfectly cooked, and the service was excellent. Can’t say much but 10/10. Amazing. We had the set meat meal for four people.

Not the best experience, been KBbq hopping in Melbourne and was very excited to try this one but it ended up in disappointment. Food is too expensive and the portions are not a lot. Good to try just to know what this restaurant was about but will not come back any time soon unless I’m desperate to eat and willing to spend money.

This is an authentic Korean BBQ restaurant. The meat is tender and tasty, the pancakes are crispy and nice too but the bibimba portion is too small and the side dishes portions are small too and the kimchi first round is free, subsequent is chargeable.

Overall bright and comfortable interior, good. However, side dish a bit lacking in choices hehe.

Very bad customer service, our foods been missing.. Been waiting for 1 hour, staffs keep checking and foods still not come out.. The gas keep stop flaming, keep bring out empty gas to fill in. Very very bad customer service ever.Dont even change the grill base.

The flavours and textures of the pork and beef were great. Great quality. The set up was cosy and the charcoal was strong, didnt need to be replaced and made cooking easy. Was quite pricey though, so would only go once in a while.

Korean BBQ joint thats been around for many years now. The meat cuts are tender and marinated beautifully. Kimchi pancakes are on the lighter side. Not recommending the beef rib soup as the meat was tough and soup was bland. Portion is small for the price and quality you paying.Food - 7Service - 7Vibe - 7

Nice ambience! Reasonable price too! Will come back again!

Set portions are too small despite being more pricey than other Korean BBQ restaurants. Service is minimal, customers are left to themselves to do the cooking without any assistant. Disappointing experience

Great place for Korean BBQ. Can get pretty busy so be sure to book ahead. Staff were friendly and quick. Serving sizes could be bigger for the price.

The food is ok! Tho service is good but I think the overall experience is not on par as per price pay. The sides r minimal with additional money if you wanna add kimchi. Portions r okay.

As per other reviews, yep this place is exy. We had 3 meats, a soup, 2 rice and Makgeolli which came to $126 including the lovely 1% CC surcharge. The place has 5% discount if pay by cash but hey they probably don’t report that to ATO with the amount of business they are getting.Anyway back to food, whilst the meat was good it’s hard to justify the price when you could probably get this somewhere else and get more serving.The service is good overall and bookings is recommended as the place gets very busy.

My girlfriend took me here to celebrate my birthday, we are big fans of Korean BBQ and had heard really positive reviews about this place. We made a reservation about a week in advance, and really appreciated the staff giving us a call early in the afternoon to confirm our reservation. I was then pretty disappointed on arrival to have to wait nearly 20 minutes to be seated, as there had not been a table reserved for us. It was a Saturday night, so it was understandably busy so once we were eventually seated I was willing to let it slide. When we were seated, we were not provided any water for the table (again, something I was originally willing to let slideand it took a while for a waiter to come and take our order. We were still willing to let these things slide, as we were excited to try the food because we had been told such great things, but as the night continued our patience began to wear thin. During the whole evening we felt rushed to eat and leave the restaurant, as we had servers continuously coming up and cooking our food for us when we were not ready for it yet, as we were trying to leisurely enjoy our evening and celebrate my birthday. Due to feeling pressured to hurry up, we were only seated for just over an hour and only were eating for less than 40 minutes.At one stage our food also caught completely on fire and it took about five minutes for someone to notice and put out the flame using our side dishes (which were not replaced for us to eat).All of the raw meat was brought out at once, so by the time we cooked the chicken it was sittings at the table raw for 40 minutes.We were still expected to pay for the pieces of food that were no longer edible as they were now severely burnt. Overall, we were completely disappointed by our experience.To pay so much for such a terrible experience is never a good feeling, and I would definitely not recommend anyone to come here if you’re looking to celebrate or like to take your time and enjoy your food.

I must say..I rarely get that excited from Korean BBQ but this place.. really has it allFrom the beautiful designs & amazing decore to the adorable robot waitersYou wont be disappointed.The menu is packed full with delights for everyone.From vegetarian to meat eaters to fish lovers you are not shy of choice.Fantastic ambience and friendly staff make this place a must try Korean BBQ in Melbourne!

Authentic korean bbq food. No negative comments about them. You must try this place.

Hwaro Korean BBQ was okay being honest you could find better and bigger portions sizes than this place, it was abit over priced for the portions youre getting.The customer service couldve been abit better had to ask to get something 2 times before I could get any.

The service and food was fantastic definitely will be going again highly recommend.You would need a booking to go here as they are flat out.

Visited for dinner on a weeknight and the atmosphere was great.Wagyu Tender Strips are a must have!Regards,The Eating & Drinking Cow

Been coming for years. Very good food and the service is always friendly despite how busy they are.

Definitely one of the better Korean BBQ places I’ve tried in Melbourne CBD. This place is a bit more expensive than your typical kbbq joint but the food is very high quality!Between 3 people, we got the Hwaro set for 2, budae jigae soup, seafood pancake, and bibimbap. The set had a really good variety of different meats and marinades, and was plenty to share between 2-3. But the surprising highlight for us was the kimchi bibimbap! The sauce was so delicious, spicy and sweet, and it’s served in a stone bowl which gives the rice a nice char. Absolute must try here!Definitely try their flavoured rice wine too. We had the strawberry rice wine which was sweet and pleasant, more like juice than alcohol.Overall a really great experience!

Be aware that this place is pretty pricey for what you get. The serving portion is very small and less variety of side dishes compared to other Korean BBQ place. Even the small miso soup in the picture you normally receive as a part of meal costs you $19.Meat was delicious but they really need to up their game if they want to have their diners return as there are so many other Korean BBQ places around the area that offer better deals and service.

It was so disappointed. Slow service, small portion… I will never be here again. Other korean restaurants are much better than here. I can’t recommend this restaurant. See the attached file for set D (A$99for your reference.😓

Bad service. The food is OK. I had better Korean BBQ before. Not coming back. Spend your money somewhere else. I feel the people who work there do not really want to work there. Rude.

Food was OK vibes and seating are OK, just be sure to ask for a normal table of you dont want to take your shoes off.staff were half half, some did not understand our instructions but over all was an enjoyable dinner.

Food was great, condiments as well. However for the price, the serving size leaves a bit to be desired. The restaurant can get very warm, particularly in the main seating area, so dress accordingly. Drinks are par for the course, with plenty of Korean options. The meat sets are the value pick, with individual items more useful for larger groups.

Simply one of the best KBBQ in Melbourne’s CBD.They got the charcoal griller that gives every single meat a smokey flavour! The quality of the meat is amazing too.Selection of booze is good. They got some soju, wine, and rice wine. They all taste go good.The service is amazing. Lernard and Nicholas gave us an amazing service

Having been told it was the go to Korean BBQ place in Melbourne, we had high expectations.. ok..Being Saturday night, I am glad we had a booking.. we were never told how long our seating was but they definitely let us know after 1.5 hours after being sat down that the next group was waiting for our table. (We were sat down late ourselves).. highlight of the meal was the quality of the meat.. and our server was friendly.Issues.. for a table of 5.. we had minimal space on the table.. the side dishes (x4were very small servers... The kimchi side plate was enough for each person to have one piece.. I was very surprised to have to pay and extra $1 for another small side of kimchi.. the place is pumping which means you get very little service... Ringing the bell multiple times does not help much either..They seemed to have forgot we bought a birthday cake.. and proceeded to only give us the bill to help get us out.. after asking a few times we got the cake 🎂 with no drinks at the table and it costing $45 per head, it is not the cheapest option either.The kimchi soup while very tasty was not worth $30 and only had one small piece of pork...Would I return? Unlikely with all the other good options in the area.

really amazing meat menu - never been to a korean bbq with so much choice!i love the wagyu and the kimchi pancake, and the service was great. it’s a really comfortable spot to go with friends, they even have little blinds that separate the tables!

If youre craving KBBQ only for the meat, this is the place for you. Everything else was regular. The stew was ok, seafood pancake was bland. Their meat selection is next level though:))

Well actually, i only go to Korean BBQ restaurant where staffs do everything. But here, customers have to concentrate on meats.But this place have delicious foods and good service. This is worth the price!And it’s better to book in advance. Always busy.

Service is phenomenal! Such a friendly and efficient staff! The quality and quantity for the price is almost a steal. Come on, its AYCE.Such a variety of 반찬 - Korean side dishes - and appetizers; they dont disappoint.10/10 - My favorite KBBQ spot for quality, price, and service.

Best Korean BBQ Ive had and best meal in Australia, by far! I am very surprised by any reviews that are less than 4 stars. The reasons people seem to complain are due to price, which I think is very comparable to any korean bbq Ive had, it is never cheap.The other issue people seem to have is that they feel rushed. I can see why people feel this way, since the servers do tend to come to the table very frequently to help cook your food. I personally dont see this as being rushed at all, and never felt anything but welcome and well taken care of. This is premium meat, and they go above and beyond to make sure you dont screw it up. The service was prompt and friendly and not rushed in the slightest.I WISH we had a place like this at home, it would be a dream come true. Anyone from Toronto can recommend a place like this, you are my new bff.

First visit. Food is really good but did not have the chance to do a proper order as we arrived only at 1030. Most meat were not available but still manage to get a portion of beef and pig skin. Kim Chi pan cake was lovely and the seafood soy soup was tasty. Was told last order and can’t add more orders after placing order and have to finish by 1130pm. Should have updated their website and google map to 1130pm instead of 1am that was stated. Can understand though as every staff wants to end the day quickly on a Saturday night.

Great quality of meat and the place is clean.Unlimited side dish except for kimchi which is a dollar per order.We were told that we can only stay for 1 and a half hour.Service is good but they are rushing you so that they can remove the grill immediately. Some customers (including meprefer to enjoy their meal peacefully without being rushed, even though its just 1 and a hour of stay.Overall, its good place for a bbq and service should really improve.

Food was fine and staff friendly but they were overworked and were not able to attend to efficient cooking as required, the food was allowed to burn and we had to call them over on several occasions to prevent it happening throughout the evening. They were so busy that we were given the bill after only 1 hr 15 mins despite having the table booked, and wasn’t notified of the time limit when we booked or sat down. It was a rushed experience considering the food was quite expensive.

First time to this BbQ restaurant. The beef here I order is nice but price is high. The pork seasoning is too salty. Order beef tougue, taste is good. Side dishes only 2-3 types only , very little choice

Loved every part of the meal we had here! Definitely the best Korean bbq place weve been too! A little bit pricey but it was so delicious

Service is very good. Very friendly staff. Food was decent and was a good value for what you are getting. Only thing I would’ve liked to know was the “time limit”. You can eat for awhile, but there is a limit to the total orders. I wasn’t exactly aware of it is all. Could’ve been my fault.

The food was so good! Service was great too! We had beef, pork belly, mushrooms, chicken, army stew... We left the restaurant with our stomachs and hearts full!

We were seated at the front window which was a little cramped for four people. Might have been preferable to have a proper booth. The food was good and the chicken was delicious; not too sweet and oversaturated like other places can be. It seemed to be decently busy when I went, its possible it could be more busy at the end of the week or weekends.

Our first Korean BBQ experience and it won’t be our last. The food and the experience was first class. The choice of meats and the service surpassed our expectations, it is unique to have the waiter /chef cooking in front of you, however it was fun watching and interacting with them. Loved the taste of the marinated beef with the smokey chargrilled finish.

Genuine Korean BBQ restaurant. The waiters will cook the meat for you... the staffs are very friendly. You just enjoy the food and have a good time with your family and friends. Definitely will go back again.

Wonderful Korean BBQ !!!I love it so much ^0^Yellow pickled radish is my favorite.The beef soup is also really nice!Sincerely recommend☺️

Loved this place. Staff are very friendly and welcoming. They will gladly help you if you are a first timer or need any advice regarding ordering. Food is of exceptional quality. The atmosphere is fantastic and this is a great place to come with a bunch of friends. Cant wait to go back.