Volcano Korean BBQ opens in Amarillo, offers grill experience

Jun 28, 2023

Opening in a city with an abundance of barbecue options, Volcano Korean BBQ seeks to bring an East Asian take to the grill in Amarillo.

Volcano Korean BBQ opened last week at the former location of Fuddruckers at 8518 West Interstate 40 Frontage Road near Soncy Road. Its opening was delayed for a couple of months due to supply issues, mainly due to the ventilator attachment that had to be custom-made for the Korean BBQ setup to deal with smoke from the grills to improve customer experience.

There are Volcano BBQ Grills in other states like Georgia, but the company said this is the first of its restaurants to be opened in the state of Texas. Other locations are being prepared to open in Wichita Falls and Midland. Many of the lessons that are being learned with the Amarillo opening will be used to make the experiences better at its other Texas locations.

The restaurant features a lunch and dinner menu that is all-you-can-eat. Customers can order up to four items at a time, which are then brought to the table. Each table has a grill built into it, and unlike most restaurants, the customer will cook their food. For first-time visitors, the very knowledgeable staff will explain the process and cook your food at the table, so that diners will have the best experience possible and know how to operate the equipment for future visits.

With the all-you-can-eat format, customers are able to be adventurous and try what food they like. The table set up with the customer cooking also makes for a more communal dining experience that is perfect for families and couples. Authentic Korean appetizers are also brought to the table to enjoy while you cook your food.

A vast variety of meats is available, from chicken and beef to pork, shrimp and squid, with a wider selection of premium meats available during dinner hours. Unique items on the menu are pork belly, sliced beef spare ribs, and calamari steaks. Many items come marinated, and there are multiple sauces to dip the food in for added flavor. The grilling of items takes a short amount of time, with most items taking less than 10 minutes.

Restaurateur Quan Ren Lin owns multiple Volcano locations in the United States, including the Amarillo location.

Jerry Zheng, a manager for the restaurant, spoke about the new dining experience being brought to the Texas Panhandle.

"We feel that we are bringing a unique experience to the area that most people have not experienced that we feel like they will enjoy," Zheng said. "This is different from our other restaurants, and a lot of people aren't familiar with Korean barbecue, so we want to make their experience as good and enjoyable as possible."

Zheng said that initially, the restaurant has had a great public response with it constantly being full, increasing wait times. He also said that before opening, many people were excited about this dining experience and anticipating the opening day.

"We have had an outstanding response from the Amarillo community that wants to experience a new cuisine in a new type of restaurant that is unavailable elsewhere in the city," Zheng said. "Families seem to enjoy the dining experience and the experience of grilling their food."

This reporter tried a wide variety of selections and found everything to be of good quality and quite tasty. My favorite selection was the calamari steak.

Lunch costs $19.99, and dinner costs $29.99. For children, prices are subject to the height of the child, with smaller children costing less. Children under 40 inches eat free. The Volcano also offers free birthday meals with proof of identification. Dinner customers who are of legal age to enjoy alcohol can also receive a free domestic beer.