First Look: Nuri Grill is a Cook-it-Yourself Korean Steakhouse

Tucked away in Dallas’ Koreatown District on Royal Lane is a new Korean-inspired steak lounge. Intimate enough for date night but still comfortable enough for family dinner, Nuri Grill is an interactive experience in which guests can enjoy cocktails, steak and Asian cuisine and even learn to cook it themselves.

Nuri Grill comes from Wan Kim, CEO of Smoothie King, who credits his lifelong passion for food and business as inspiration for launching the steakhouse. Wan has teamed up with chef Minji Kim and her husband Ben Lee, who moved to Dallas from Korea last year to help Wan with this project. The Michelin Guide-acknowledged chefs have curated a menu of steak, noodles, vegetable dishes and decadent desserts.

Start with a yuzu whiskey sour, made with Legent Bourbon, Montenegro, yuzu, lemon and egg white ($12). Equal parts sweet, sour and bold, this drink is a great precursor to the feast. A lighter choice is the matcha mai tai, made with Kuleana Huihui Light Hawaiian Rum, Kasama Aged Filipino Rum, lime, pineapple, almond orgeat and matcha powder ($12). If you enjoy matcha tea, the matcha mai tai is fairly similar in taste, with just a little bit of a kick.
As for appetizers, the tuna tartare is a light choice and absolutely to die for ($15). These hearty little chunks have just the right texture and a decent amount of bitterness. If you really can’t wait to indulge, other appetizer dishes include the crispy pork belly ($14) and the fried sweet chicken ($14).

Everything on the menu is designed to share, and as opposed to offering a menu filled with main courses, Nuri offers two feasts; the Chookjae feast ($46 per person) and the Janchi feast ($37 per person). The Chookjae feast comes with chateaubriand (a center cut of a beef tenderloin) and the Janchi comes with ribeye. Both are served with a house salad made with pickled radish, kimchi, truffle salt with pepper and ssamjang, soft tofu stew with white rice and ice cream for dessert.

In the middle of each table is a grill, where trained servers grill meats. Or, you may opt to grill the meats yourself. Sure, you may be thinking “Isn’t the point of going to a restaurant that the chef cooks for me?,” but trust us, cooking at the table is part of the experience.

Now, the grill heats up pretty quickly, so you’re going to want to pay close attention to the meats. Get your TikToks and Instagram stories in quickly, and then keep your eyes on the grill.

At the end of dinner, diners receive ice cream as a dessert, or if you’re still feeling a touch fancy, we recommend the Earl Grey creme brulee ($7).

Overall, Nuri Grill is worth the hype, whether you come for a date night, a family dinner, or an evening out with a group of friends.

Nuri Grill. 2254 Royal Lane, Dallas (Koreatown). Open 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday 5 to 11 p.m. and Sunday 5 to 10 p.m.