Of the Korean tabletop-grill restaurants, we like the hidden fancy-pants Cho Sun best. It not only has better quality meats than we’ve seen elsewhere, but it’s friendlier and more attentive. That means they’ll usually come grill for you, whether you’re ready or not, annoyingly. To be fair, they don’t want to see all that gas and electricity go to waste while you feast on the million banchan side dishes overwhelming the table, not to mention the soups, stews, noodles, and pancakes you couldn’t help but order.

We love the thick, beefy galbi (bulgogi, if we’re feeling cheap), but you really have to crank up the temperature to caramelize it. The pre-marinated version comes very sweet, but should char nicely in places; even better is the razor-thin cow’s tongue, which you should just lightly sear and toss in your mouth without a single thing on it. Oxtail and bone soups come, as always, bland and milky, relying on loads of coarse salt, kimchi, and chili paste. Put everything on your table into it, like Koreans do. Japchae noodles are great—gently chewy and oily. We’d recommend it as your seafood vehicle instead of doughy, undercooked pajeon.

Unfortunately, the alcohol policy has you over a barrel: you can’t bring your own, and the soju selection’s down to one cheap-tasting, sweet brand. So Hite it up: even middling Korean beer will hit the spot with cow’s tongue this good.