Tong 86

Drooling as I type. This is my fav Korean BBQ place in Perth. No gimmick, just good meat. It is always buzzing in there, a very popular joint.
The grilled meat, especially the ox tongue and neck chain go so well with the saltiness of the dipping sauce. And make sure you end the dinner with some quality soup, such as pork on the bone soup. Joy!

I'm not a huge carnivore and so the idea of Korean BBQ - lotsa meat, cooked under your nose, by you - is a little daunting, but I was willing to conquer my inhibitions for this kind of party!

Tong 86 is an airy, warehouse eating hall, with plenty of tables and plenty of Koreans. The walls are scribbled with texta and the air is a buzz with people getting their hot-plate nosh on.

Tong 86 takes you to another place, far away from Perth. The ambience is awesome and I'd come back for that alone...and some more of that Kimchi pancake. Yum!

I have to admit that I am slightly biased when it comes to this restaurant because I love Korean food and I understand that there are many people that don't. If you don't know whether you do or not then I ask you to give it a try. The Korean saying that will come in most useful here is Hana-Do (one more). It is a galbi restaurant which means you barbecue your own choice of meat at your table, the eat it wrapped in lettuce with a variety of condiments including kimchi (pickled spicy cabbage) and samjang (spicy soy bean paste).
Servings are cheap and very fast. You will not get kicked out of here when you have finished eating, quite the opposite. They have absorbed their own Korean culture here that lets you wit at your table until the early hours, downing shots of soju (rice wine), drinking cold beer and talking loudly.

I love Tong 86, the food is great. All the meat, kimchi pancake, and soju on the side, delicious. I bet the worker with the trendy hair and hat is reading this, he looks like he spend a lot of time in front of computer surfing the web and working on adobe programs.

The waiters can sometime look like they are having a bad day, but who cares if the food is great. Or do you care?

This place is awesome.
Grab a table with your mates and cook some meat on the bbq in front of you. I have been here a couple of times and I always find the staff to be attentive and polite.

Once you have placed your order of meats to cook, a variety of condiments come complimentary; kimchi, hot sauce and a couple of other salads that I am yet to identify but are equally as delicious.
The prices are mid range, nothing too expensive and nothing dirt cheap. The atmosphere here is sociable and they even have K-pop playing in the background on the TV.
Make sure you grab some of the milky rice wine if you are feeling adventurous.

Went past this place many times and saw they are quite busy, read the review so thinking that this could be good Korean BBQ place. Went here tonight with 3 other friends and was very disappointed. The food was average, not generous with side dishes and also charged extra if you want more sides dishes. If you gonna charge extra for side at least give a decent portion. Many other Korean BBQ place I have went to doesn't charge for replenish sides. The BBQ meat portion was a bit small for the price you pay for. The hot plate isn't hot enough to cook the meat efficiently. Service, what service? I had to ring the bell 3 times to get any attention. We also got ripped off on the beers. They have a promo on the beer where you buy 2 get 3. We ordered in total of 6 and got charged all 6 beers $42. Not happy!!! Don't think we will be rushing to go back anytime soon.

When I step in this place I feel like I'm back in Korea. Excited banter, writing on the wall, a fridge filled with Soju and K-Pop music keeping the crowds entertained.

The tables are cosy and while cooking your own food for dinner seems counter intuitive when you're out at a restaurant it's fun to make use of your scissors for cutting meat and getting to eat things sizzling fresh from the grill.

If you've never been to a Korean BBQ before you'd be wise to bring someone experienced along to show you the ropes, alas I'm sure there's a YouTube video somewhere with helpful tips.

My best tip? Chuck some kimchi on the grill to toss in to your next wrap. Also, don't be afraid to order more of the sides as they are so affordable at 50cents each. If the fit and active Koreans are any indication, Kimchi by the masses is a great idea.

So many times before I knew them I walked pass and thought "why are they always busy?" and "they actually smell better than KFC". Until one day I decided to come in and ordered Pork Belly, Brisket, Kimchi Stew, Fishcake Soup and Kimchi Pancake. That's a lot of food for the 3 of us, but we couldn't help ourselves.

Forget about how noisy the place is, you hear a group of ten shouting on their table, making every shot of their Soju worth it. I also love listening to music while eating, so there goes K-Pop music playing on a giant TV screen in front of you. Trust me, you'll get hooked.

It's been 2 years already, and I still go there pretty regularly. If you have to ask the guy behind the counter, they'd probably recognise me and my orders. I had to give them another star for finally having chicken on their menu. Marinated chicken. You'll think it takes a while to cook chicken, but hell it tastes so good.

They give you lots of condiments too, so don't worry too much about that. Although I never have enough and always ask for more.

There are tips for you too:
1) Never wear your best clothes because you will end up smelling like cows and pigs.
2) Turn the gas on to the max as soon as you finish ordering-- so just in case you're extremely hungry, you can throw everything in right away.
3) Drink enough soju because a party in a Korean restaurant is an experience you'll always remember.
4) Feels like going out to get some attention after dinner at Tong is never a yes yes. Like I said before, the smell would put you off. It goes right into your body.

So when you happen to walk pass Tong, don't hesitate. They know too well how to unbutton your pants.

I think I might be the only person on the fence about Tong 86. I appreciate that Tong 86 has not become "Westernized". But, having a waiter/ess that could define some of the menu items for us would have been great. We were left to order the three things that we knew/understood which was brisket, steak, and an egg roll with cheese.

I found it incredibly humorous when the waitress arrived with a rolled up egg with cheese and ketchup on top. Shame on me for thinking it would be an actual fried egg roll with cheese, which personally sounds great. The egg was good and the best thing we ate here, but I wouldn't call it "gourmet".

I'm sorry but I found the meat really flavorless. The meat arrived semi-frozen and it hadn't been marinated nor seasoned. There wasn't even salt or pepper on the table. I'd never cook a steak on a griddle at home, and I wouldn't pay for it either. I think the novelty of cooking your own food would wear off during the hotter months. For a cooler evening it was nice sitting near a hot plate. I always appreciate BYO too.

This restaurant is great! The food is tasty and in good quality. I often go here with my wife but I also highly recommend it for big groups. It gets loud so if you want a quiet dinner go somewhere else but it's a lot of fun. The service is onto it and make sure you have everything you desire.
This gets as close to real Korean BBQ as it can in Perth!

A little tip: the smoke will make your clothes smelly so don't wear you're favorite dress.