I-Ho’s Korean Grill
This weekend we packed a cooler full of snacks for a short drive to Bozeman.
Why Bozeman, you may ask.
Well, not only have we been working A TON the last couple months and were craving a day off and a little road trip, but we also had the 2024 list of James Beard nominees in hand and wanted to check out one or two of the Montana mentions.
After a bit of research, we found that two of the three nominees in Bozeman didn’t open until the evening, so we gave I-Ho’s Korean Grill a call to see if we could reserve one of their coveted Korean BBQ tables.
Luckily, they were able to squeeze us in to enjoy their NINETY MINUTE barbecue experience that includes galbi, pork belly, bulgogi, dakgogi, yaki mandu, noodles, rice, kimchi, cucumber salad, edamame, crisp lettuce leaves and a few basic, assorted sauces.
Now if you’ve ever been the person to order the sizzling spectacle of fajitas at a Mexican restaurant, then you’ll tooootally understand the absolute giddiness that comes from being one of the only two barbecue tables in an otherwise open-seating environment.
With sights, smells and splatters filling our table, we had the rest of the room watching longingly and shouting questions from across the way - which only added to the fun of the whole experience, honestly.
But I’ll be first to admit the barbecue experience is a bit of a commitment. Not only in time, but also monetarily. So don’t feel like you have to give up a whole day (or food budget) to enjoy the flavors of I-Ho’s.
As a matter of fact, we found ourselves looking around the constantly packed room while waiting for our meal to be rolled out on a duct taped cart and started wondering whether we should have even gone all in on the barbecue experience for our first visit.
Which means we’ll definitely be back - but next time we’ll be enjoying some of the incredible-looking soups and bowls that were listed on the regular menu.
I-Ho’s Korean Grill
Website
www.ihoskoreangrill.com
Location
321 West Main Street
Bozeman, Montana
Phone
406.404.1653