Eonni Korean BBQ: Free-flow Korean BBQ & Army Stew buffet from $18.90 in Tiong Bahru coffee shop

Korean BBQ will always have a special place in my heart. There’s nothing better than sizzling pork belly on a hot grill, and all the more better when shared with a table of friends. I’ve just found a new hangout spot for affordable KBBQ— Eonni Korean BBQ— and it’s located in a coffee shop in Tiong Bahru!

Eonni Korean BBQ currently has two locations: one at 201 Kim Tian Road within Happy Hawkers, and another at 418 Bedok North Avenue 2 within Naturepark Coffeeshop (for regulars of its Bedok outlet, note that they’ve now relocated to the other coffeeshop within the same block).

We visited its Tiong Bahru outlet to check out its free-flow Korean BBQ and army stew buffet.

Despite being located within a coffee shop, I was pleasantly surprised by how extensive its offerings were. 

Lining the entire storefront were two fridges containing all sorts of popular Korean BBQ items, such as Spicy Pork Belly, Marinade Beef and even Flower Crab, as well as other items suitable for Army Stew, like Tteokbokki and Luncheon Meat.

What I tried at Eonni Korean BBQ

Options at Eonni Korean BBQ are aplenty— in fact, it left us quite stunned and we spent a good 5 minutes deciding on what to order!

If you’re coming in a large group, you can go for its All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ & Army Stew Buffet.

Prices start affordably at S$18.90 nett per pax for Lunch (12pm – 5pm, min 3 pax to dine) while Dinner prices are at S$22.90 nett per pax (5pm – 10pm, min 2 pax to dine). Note that children dine at S$10.90 for lunch and S$13.90 for dinner, while kids below 1m in height eat for free.

The buffet option entitles you to free-flow Korean BBQ and army stew, as well as free reign to all available meat, seafood, vegetables and side dishes! Every person will also be entitled to one serving of cheese or egg dip for the Korean BBQ.

Not feeling that hungry? À la carte options are available for both Korean BBQ and army stew, as well as singular Korean dishes like Bibmbap (S$7), Seafood Tofu Soup (S$9) and Jjajang Myeon (S$7), under Noona Korean Kitchen, which shares the same space as Eonni Korean BBQ.

We opted for the Free-flow Korean BBQ and Army Stew and went straight for the meats, such as Thick Cut Pork Belly, Spicy Pork, Marinade Beef and Spicy Chicken.

All of Eonni Korean BBQ’s meats, sauces and marinades are prepared in-house, and the owners have gone to great lengths to ensure that its offerings are as authentically Korean as possible. For example, the free-flow condiments include Korean salt and black pepper!

Out of all the meats, my absolute favourite was the Marinade Beef. After being grilled, these delectable pieces of beef were still incredibly juicy. I could also taste a faint sweetness from the marinade, which I really enjoyed.

The Spicy Chicken was tender and had a nice bite. What I loved most about this was the spicy marinade, which reminded me of gochujang and sugar— mildly sweet and tangy with a faint hint of heat.

Eonni Korean BBQ’s Thick Cut Pork Belly is a must-order. These are giant, thick slabs of pork belly that grills wonderfully. 

Just a tip: to ensure that the chunky pork belly is cooked thoroughly, let it sit on the grill until its exterior is cooked through. Then, use the scissors provided to cut the pork belly into strips, and finish each piece off by grilling it on its side.

Whether or not you choose to eat the Thick Cut Pork Belly on its own or pair it with the free-flow vegetables and condiments to make your own lettuce wrap, you’ll definitely enjoy this particular cut of pork belly— we know we did!

Possibly the best part about the Korean BBQ is that each pax is entitled to one serving of egg or cheese dip. This means that if there are 2 people, you’ll be able to order one of each!

The combinations of velvety, melted cheese and soft egg are endless. You can either enjoy them on their own, combine the two for a melt-in-your-mouth cheese and egg experience, or even wrap your choice of meat with melted cheese.

Not up for a full-fledged buffet? 

Eonni Korean BBQ offers à la carte meat options, such as its Meat Platter (S$22.90) which allows you to choose 5 types of meat from options like Marinade Pork, Marinade Chicken, Spicy Pork, Spicy Pork Belly, Spicy Chicken and Thick Cut Pork Belly. Each platter comes with lettuce, king oyster mushrooms, onions, and 4 side dishes of your choice.

Each cut of meat is also available à la carte, though note that it requires a minimum of 3 servings, and is served with 2 side dishes of your choice.

Remember to save some stomach space for the second part of Eonni Korean BBQ’s buffet— the Army Stew!

Just like the Korean BBQ buffet, you’re given full access to any meat, seafood, vegetable or ingredient in the 2 fridges. We decided to get Flower Crab, Clams, Luncheon Meat, Sausage, Meatball, and of course, Instant Noodles.

I could instantly tell that Eonni Korean BBQ’s army stew soup was homemade. It was incredibly tasty, with a strong peppery kick from the spicy gochujang and a full-bodied savouriness from the broth. 

The best thing about it was that all the ingredients in the army stew had soaked up the lovely, velvety piquant soup, making even the simplest of ingredients (like the Instant Noodles) taste like heaven.

Similar to the à la carte Meat Platter, you can also get an à la carte order of the Army Stew (S$20) which feeds 2-3 pax.

If you’re looking for solo dining options, Eonni Korean BBQ has those too. Pick from a wide range of à la carte Korean meals, like Marinade Pork Rice Bowl (S$8), Rabboki (tteokbokki & ramyeon) (S$7) and Bibimbap (S$7).

Our personal favourites were the Jjajang Myeon (S$7) and Seafood Tofu Soup (S$9).

The Jjajang Myeon came with a large amount of noodles and black bean sauce that tossed together beautifully, making each strand of chewy noodle absolutely slurp-worthy. 

On the other hand, what I enjoyed most about the Seafood Tofu Soup was its broth, which had a strong taste of tofu that balanced out the savoury spiciness of the gochugaru, as well as the generous amount of crumbly tofu and clams in the bowl.

Final thoughts

Dining at Eonni Korean BBQ is the true definition of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Despite it being located within a coffee shop, what I found at Eonni Korean BBQ was restaurant-quality food, and at such affordable prices too!

It also really put the term “all-you-can-eat” to the test, as my dining companions and I found ourselves filled to the brim from free-flow Korean BBQ, army stew and à la carte dishes.

I highly urge you to give Eonni Korean BBQ a try, especially if you’re looking for a chill and wallet-friendly Korean BBQ place to visit with your friends and family.

Expected damage: S$7 – S$22.90 per pax

* This article was brought to you in partnership with Eonni Korean BBQ.

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