Stone Bowl Grill

Korean BBQ in MKE

My friend Rachelle taught English in South Korea a few years back, thus making her my very own expert on K-Pop and what to order at Korean BBQ restaurants. Since the Stone Bowl Grill opened on Farwell Avenue in Milwaukee, I've been there twice - both times with Rachelle as my food guide. Fun fact: One of Rachelle's many talents is knowing exactly the right amount of food to order for a crowd.

After this second trip, I feel decidedly more confident in what to order, thanks in full to Rachelle's knowledge. And it's a good thing because this place is so delicious and the atmosphere is very Date Night. But you're actually much better off going with a group, since Stone Bowl offers family-style portions.

In my limited experience & based solely on my own personal expert's advice, here's what to try when you go to Stone Bowl: As an app, get the pah-jeon. It's a pancake mixed with scallions and optional seafood. I personally don't care for that kind of seafood, but you do you. Rachelle also ordered us plain dumplings and spicy-sweet dumplings; I preferred the spicy-sweet, so try those on for size.

When it comes to BBQ meat, the kalbi is where it's at - so I'm told. I found it a little fatty for my taste, but I'm weird that way. If you're into tasty meat and don't have a strange aversion to textures like I do, go for the kalbi. And make sure you get lettuce, kimchi, and sauces on the side so you can make lettuce wraps with the meat.

You'll also want to try bibimbop, a hot stone bowl filled with rice and topped with fresh veggies and your choice of meat (or just veggies). Make sure to stir everything together in the bowl before you dig in. As for a noodle dish, Rachelle knows what I like: jap che, which is stirfried veggies and/or beef with noodles in a tasty sauce. I would say if you're a fan of other Asian noodle dishes and want to play it super safe, this is the place to start.




So let's level: Speaking as a Midwestern girl who's idea of Asian food is typically Pad Thai or Sesame Chicken, you can see just how adventurous I am when left to my own devices. I'm infinitely grateful to friends like Rachelle who push me to try something new. I hope there are plenty more adventurous folks out there who will give this (relatively) new restaurant a shot. This particular location on Farwell has seen businesses come and go - but I'd quite like the Stone Bowl Grill to last.

P.S. Please excuse the crummy photo quality - but you know that crummy photos mean great mood lighting, right?