Il Mee Buffet

For those of you that know how to get down with a Korean Buffet, you know this establishment well.  It's an all-you-can-eat-and-cook-all-sorts-of-meat-on-a-grill-plate-in-front-of-you place.  It offers meats like bulgogi, galibi, spicy chicken, pork belly (Korean bacon), squid, shrimp, etc.  It also offers all-you-can-eat sushi and miscellaneous buffet items.  There are also different dipping / cooking sauces to dip your meats into: Sesame oil with salt & pepper (favorite), bean paste dip, hot sauces, peppers, and garlic cloves.

There are also servings of soup (pumpkin soup being my favorite), banchan (Korean side dishes such as kimchee, pickled radish, bean sprouts, etc.), fruit, and after-dinner drinks (cinnamon and sweet rice) for you to munch on.  There’s even a soft-serve machine (can’t go wrong there).

Lunch and dinner can be a bit pricey and I’m not convinced it’s worth it for the quality of food.  If you go for regular lunch/dinner, I’d personally stay away from the miscellaneous buffet items since they seem to be fillers and nothing spectacular.  But, I’m a carnivore, so if I go Il Mee, it’s an all-out meat fest.  I’ll also caveat my statement by saying it’s been quite some time since I’ve gone to Il Mee for their normal lunch and dinner.

Late night eating: Sizzling Pork Belly, Pumpkin Soup, Pickled radishes / cucumbers, and Kimchee [I’ll get some better quality photos later, I promise!]

I think the best bang for your buck is if you wait for the late night special.  This has become popular recently (maybe due to the bad economy?)  At 10P, the price drops down to $12.95 and you can gorge yourself on meat (no seafood).  Not too shabby if you’re coming back from a long hard night at the bars, clubs, or just decided you had a late night hankering for a buffet.  Occasionally, there are sushi and miscellaneous buffet dishes available, but I would avoid those since you really don’t know how long they’ve been out there. 

Overall, Il Mee is a pretty good late night option.  And, these guys were the only ones with power after the June 29, 2012 Derecho Storm power outage.  That's dedication!

Check it out:  www.ilmeebuffet.com

Food Quality: 

  3 Moos (Regular hours)

  3.5 Moos (Late night)

Service:  

Hot and cold.  During the late night special, be prepared to grill your own meat.

  2.5 Moos

 

Overall Rating:  

  3 Moos (Regular hours)

  3.5 Moos (Late night)