"Have you ever had Korean or Asian barbecue before?"
It's the first question a hostess at Seng's Asian Barbecue asks as she seats guests in booths outfitted with built-in tabletop grills and retractable exhaust hoods.
While four years in South Korea for university prepared me for this, for many in Spokane, Seng's — which opened May 23 on Monroe Street, just blocks north of the bridge — offers diners their first experience with all-you-can-eat, self-grill dining.
"If they say no, then we take the time to explain the process of how everything goes and what they're anticipating so that they don't feel uncomfortable," says Patty Seng, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Joe.
Once seated, a 90-minute time limit for the meal starts, and seven banchan (side dishes) are laid out across the table including japchae (a Korean glass noodles dish), spicy cucumber, macaroni salad, kimchi, blanched and seasoned spinach, and spicy daikon radish.
The barbecue requires a party of at least two. Guests can choose from 19 standard meats ($35.95/person) and 22 housemade side dishes to tailor the meal.
Additional sides my coworker and I requested included cheese corn, fish cake, garlic, pickled radish and lettuce wraps, and ssamjang, a Korean paste of red chili pepper and fermented soy beans. For our first round, we go with the beef bulgogi, garlic chicken and spicy pork belly — some of the restaurant's most popular cuts.
"The brisket, I go through about 50 pounds a night, and the bulgogi about 40 pounds a night. And all the chicken is about 60 pounds a night," Joe says.
A premium option ($45.95/person) adds 10 more protein options like beef tongue, pork jowl, shrimp and marinated baby octopus.
To accompany these meats, each table gets a tray of sesame oil, brisket sauce and salt, along with two metal tongs. Guests use onion slices dipped in oil to season the grill. (Word of advice: Don't use your wooden chopsticks for grilling — they'll burn.)
After grilling, use kitchen-grade scissors to cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Diners are encouraged to get creative with wrap combinations, like stuffing a lettuce leaf with pickled daikon radish, grilled meat, ssamjang, garlic and more — all eaten in a single bite.
Seng's ala carte appetizer options include dumplings in chili sauce ($15), egg rolls ($8) and crispy fried chicken wings ($17).
The drink menu also has an Asian flair. Signature cocktails include the smoked mushroom old fashioned ($14), which features mushroom-infused soju, and the Seng's 75 ($14), a squid ink-blackened gin cocktail topped with hibiscus candy that matches the restaurant's red-and-black color scheme.
There's also hot or cold house sake ($10), and bottles of special varieties like pear, plum, coconut and sparkling sake ($21-$57 per bottle). Beer selections include Brick West Brewing's Helping Hand IPA ($9), Sapporo ($8), and bottled options like Tsing Tao ($5), Asahi ($7) and Kirin ($6).
During its first few days after opening, Seng's had lines out the door and servers scrambling to meet demand while still learning the ins and outs of its service model. Many of the eatery's 32 employees had little to no experience with Asian barbecue before being hired.
"It's not like a normal restaurant when you order and you get your meal brought to you — you have one dish, you finish your dish and maybe you'll order dessert," Patty says. "Every table could have upwards of 20 plates, to 30, 40 plates, at any given time, going back and forth. And so you're constantly moving in all different directions to keep up with the pace and the demand."
Servers not only deliver food and drinks but also monitor grill usage. When the grill plate becomes blackened, it needs to be swapped to avoid burnt marinades or fire hazards.
"We didn't realize how demanding the grills were going to be," Patty says.
They've since purchased more than 150 additional grill plates, costing around $40 each.
"We have 17 tables, we have 258 grill plates, and it's still not enough," Joe adds.
While service may have been understandably rocky at first, by the time I tried out the restaurant for dinner service on a weekday nearly two weeks after its opening, servers attended our table as soon as plates were empty and glasses needed filled.
The Sengs intentionally classify their restaurant as serving Asian barbecue instead of Korean.
"We knew that we wanted to do a Korean barbecue, but we didn't want the Korean community to be upset because obviously we're not Korean," Patty says. "And I told my husband, 'You're Laotian, it would be cool if we just came up with an Asian barbecue so you can incorporate all different kinds of Asian food into the mix and create something that's very unique."
About half the restaurant's marinades and sides are Korean-inspired, but Joe also draws from Japanese, Thai, Filipino, Laos and Vietnamese cuisines.
"One of the biggest things that we get complimented on is the diversity of the menu, of having different options," Patty says. "But what we also get ridiculed for is that it's not traditional. And that's one thing that we want to really get out to Spokane is that we're not trying to be put in the Korean barbecue box."
While each day has had its challenges, and with Patty and Joe working around the clock, Seng's is a dream long in the making.
After Joe retired from the Defense Department, the couple moved from San Diego to Spokane in 2020. They spent a year evaluating Spokane's food scene and opened a Hawaiian fusion food truck called Sengsational Cuisine, which they operated until 2023.
In June 2024, the previous occupants of their current space, Charley's Catering & Event Center, closed. The Sengs jumped on the opportunity to secure the building.
They'd initially considered downtown, but needed a one-story building in order to install proper ceiling ventilation for the tabletop grills. Aside from a walk-in freezer and the bar area, the Sengs completely gutted the space. Construction took seven months, which included removing three layers of ceiling for asbestos remediation.
The Sengs worked with HDG Architecture for the remodel. Local artist Desire McGinn of Riveting Paint & Pearl designed the cherry blossom murals adorning the walls.
Day to day, Patty takes charge of the front of house, while Joe heads the kitchen.
"He's the cook, I don't ever question anything that he says that goes on in the kitchen, and I'm the business aspect, so it's always been really good, we've worked together very well," Patty says.
Phones ring almost nonstop for reservations, which are required for dinner service, showing that a longtime craving has been fulfilled for many Spokanites. After the restaurant is more settled, diners can watch for a second location slated for Liberty Lake.
Seng's Asian Barbecue • 801 N. Monroe St. • Open Sun, Tue-Thurs 11 am-9 pm; Fri-Sat 11 am-10 pm • sengsasianbbq.com • 509-816-2825
