Have you ever had Korean barbecue on a heated patio in the middle of fall? We tried this out for the first time a few weekends ago. We went to Arisu Korean BBQ & Sushi, a restaurant that specializes in both Korean barbecue and sushi.

We hadn’t originally intended on going to Arisu, we had planned on going to this food pop-up at Mahjong Bar but we did not realize that there was limited food available, so we missed out on that experience.

Upon arriving at Arisu, in compliance with COVID-19 regulations our temperatures were taken and we provided them with our contact information. We were ushered outside to wait on the street for our number to be called. The wait for our table was about an hour, which wasn’t ideal because on that day, it was both windy and chilly outside. After the hour wait, we were brought to the heated patio. The patio consisted of many tables about six feet apart, and heat lamps dispersed throughout.

When it came to what we ordered, we got the same thing. We got the Black Angus BBQ & Sushi combo. This consisted of four courses – the starter course, the first main course, the second main course and dessert. The starter course was miso soup, edamame beans and a variety of vegetables in a tempura batter (pictured below). The first main course was the sushi portion, which was sushi, sashimi, dynamite rolls and spicy salmon rolls (pictured below). Then the second main course was the Korean barbecue (this was our favourite part). We had a selection of Black Angus marinated boneless ribs, Black Angus ribeye, Black Angus seasoned flat iron steak and Black Angus seasoned bavette. Then for dessert we had mochi (pictured below).

This was a special experience because we got to experience an “indoor patio” and also because we got to eat Korean barbecue. Korean barbecue is a popular method in Korean cuisine where meat is grilled on a grill built into a table, it’s popular in Korea but it has gained popularity worldwide.

Have you ever had Korean barbecue? Also, what do you think about the “indoor patio” craze?

You can find Arisu Korean BBQ & Sushi at 584 Bloor Street West in Toronto. Arisu does ask that you call before visiting the restaurant at 416-533-8104.

Picture credit: Just Hangry Girls