Palace Station Catches the Vegas Korean Food Wave With Master Kim's Wagyu House

^{Palace Station and Master Kim's Wagyu House celebrated the Korean restaurant's grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the new Las Vegas location. (Photo: courtesy of Palace Station)}

LAS VEGAS – Master Kim's Wagyu House recently opened at Palace Station, just off the Las Vegas Strip. The latest Korean restaurant to open in a Las Vegas casino could be the catalyst for this rapidly growing dining trend. Just about every casino in Vegas has at least one Asian dining option, but few of those offer Korean food.

That could soon be a thing of the past, as Korean culture continues to grow in the U.S. Earlier this year, the world's biggest K-pop music group, BTS, sold out four shows at Allegiant Stadium. Casinos and hotels were packed for the concerts, and so were many of the Korean restaurants around town.

Lisa from K-pop girl group BLACKPINK will perform the first K-pop residency in Vegas at Caesars Palace in November. Just like BTS, her shows sold out in just a few hours.

Visitors in town for the shows will enjoy the music, and many will want to enjoy more of Korean culture. Caesars Palace's food hall happens to be home to one of the few Korean dining options in a casino.

Korean food comes in all shapes and sizes, from fried chicken to steak. In Las Vegas, it's also available at all price points, from affordable to over-the-top luxury. Master Kim's Wagyu House at Palace Station falls between those price points.

All-You-Can-Eat at Master Kim’s Wagyu House 

Master Kim's Wagyu House at Palace Station is an elevated version of the popular Master Kim's Korean BBQ brand, which has multiple locations across the Las Vegas Valley.

Like its other locations, Master Kim's Wagyu House is a carnivore's dream. Korean barbecue is an interactive dining experience where guests grill marinated meats like beef, pork, and chicken directly on tabletop grills. There are also side dishes called banchan, which range from traditional kimchi to unique pork tacos.

The Signature Wagyu Experience at Master Kim's includes premium cuts of Wagyu beef grilled at the table alongside traditional Korean side dishes. (Photo: courtesy of Palace Station)

Korean BBQ has grown in popularity over the years because guests can choose from a variety of all-you-can-eat (AYCE) options. There are four menus available, including a vegan option.

• Signature Wagyu Experience: $69 per person
• Premium Menu: $38.95 per person
• Late Night Menu: $28.95 per person
• Vegan Menu: $35.95 per person

Additionally, there are options for individual meals for guests who don't want or need the variety and the option to eat as much as they can handle.

The all-you-can-eat trend in Las Vegas is spreading beyond Korean BBQ restaurants. As the number of Las Vegas buffets continues to shrink, visitors are looking for fair prices on AYCE dining and restaurant deals wherever they can find them.

Most of these meals come with a time limit, so check the fine print if you're a big eater. Master Kim's has a 90-minute limit on guests for each meal. This will likely be enforced more strictly on busy days and nights.

Digging Into the Signature Wagyu Dinner

Master Kim’s Wagyu House is in the northeast corner of Palace Station, where the Tailgate Social sports bar and restaurant was located. The space looks very similar but updated. 

Sometimes Korean BBQ menus can be confusing because there are too many options, but that wasn’t the case here.

After a glance at the menu options, my group decided on the Signature Wagyu Experience. There was no turning back once we saw the A5 Wagyu Rib Cap.

There are six signature Wagyu cuts and two additional Iberico pork options on this menu that aren't included in the basic menu. Altogether, there were more than 30 cuts of land animals available. Between my own allergies and the rest of the group's taste preferences, we passed on ordering any seafood.

We ordered four of the six Wagyu options, both Iberico pork dishes, and a handful of steaks from the main menu. While this sounds like a lot, this works out to a slice or two of each per person.

We sampled about half of the meats available during the night, plus an assortment of sides like bibimbap, dumplings, and the surprisingly delicious bulgogi and pork tacos. Since dessert was part of the meal, we took a couple of bites from two different pieces of cake.

Side note: I would like to encourage Master Kim's Wagyu House to start a happy hour with tacos on the menu.

Looking back, we got a great bang for the buck by focusing on the most expensive food items that nobody was allergic to.

One of the best parts of dinner at Master Kim’s Wagyu House was feeling full without being weighed down, unlike at many Korean BBQ restaurants. That speaks to the quality of the food because we ate a lot.

Korean Food in Las Vegas Casinos

Whether you're in Las Vegas for the casinos, the food, or LISA's Caesars Palace residency, you can find Korean dining for every budget. In addition to Master Kim's Wagyu House, there are a handful of restaurants to get Korean food inside Las Vegas casinos.

The restaurants include quick-serve, fine dining, BBQ, and a unique fusion of Korean and Mexican food. 

Mokbar at Caesars Palace

This quick-serve restaurant by chef Esther Choi is in the Celebrity Food Hall inside Caesars Palace, near the Colosseum where Lisa will be performing. It's the only restaurant of its kind in a Las Vegas casino. The relatively small menu includes bulgogi bowls, bao buns, bibimbap, dumplings and, of course, K-pop fried chicken. Most dishes at this budget-friendly option are under $20.

Gen Korean BBQ House

This restaurant at the Miracle Mile Shops inside Planet Hollywood is a Korean BBQ chain with 50 restaurants mostly in California. It's a traditional all-you-can-eat restaurant where you grill meat at the tables. The full service is $57, but there's a less expensive $25 Sushi & Izakaya option at the bar.

Bāng Bar at The Cosmopolitan

This quick-serve restaurant in the Block 16 food hall on the second floor of The Cosmopolitan is an offshoot of the nearby Momofuku restaurant by Chef David Chang. The focus of this restaurant is spit-roasted meat. Guests can choose from three meats and place them in bāng bread or a bowl.

COTE at The Venetian

This is a fine-dining restaurant inside the Venetian that combines Korean BBQ with the classic American steakhouse experience. It's a Michelin-starred restaurant and comes with those high prices. This might be the best Korean BBQ experience, but you'll pay for it. Anecdotally, the typical meal with drinks runs $150 to $250 per person. Visit during Magic Hour if you're curious to try the food but don't want to break the bank.

Best Friend at Park MGM

Chef Roy Choi is one of the most creative on the West Coast. Best Friend offers a Korean-Mexican-American fusion experience, with a DJ bumping classic hip hop. Located on the Park MGM casino floor, it's truly one of the most fun restaurants on the Vegas Strip. The kalbi, kimchi fried rice, and bulgogi ribeye are standouts. In addition to à la carte ordering, there's a Chef's Menu for $75 per person.