Guests can be their own chef with the opening of a new all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ in Jacksonville featuring an extensive menu offering beef, lamb, seafood, chicken, pork and vegetables.
Gogi Korean BBQ recently opened at 416 Commerce Center Drive in the Regency area. That’s the former Red Lobster, which closed abruptly in May 2024 when the Orlando-based seafood restaurant chain shuttered all three of its Jacksonville restaurants.
The barbecue is the newest Asian restaurant to take over and renovate one of those vacated seafood restaurants.
Gogi’s debut comes seven months after Mikata Buffet Sushi & Hibachi opened at the former Red Lobster at 8720 Baymeadows Road and a year after Fushimi Grill & Modern Buffet, also known as Fushimi Buffet, opened its second Jacksonville restaurant in the vacated Red Lobster at 13090 City Station Drive in River City Marketplace.
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Gogi Korean BBQ recently opened at 416 Commerce Center Drive in the Regency area in Jacksonville, Fla. It replaces the former Red Lobster, which closed abruptly in May 2024.
In May 2024, Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy protection ― ultimately closing more than 100 locations nationwide, including the three Jacksonville restaurants. Although Red Lobster subsequently emerged from bankruptcy, the Jacksonville restaurants remained shuttered.
Gogi is the newcomer among Korean restaurants in Jacksonville. It joins established dining spots such as GEN Korean BBQ House, 4880 Big Island Drive, Suite 6, in The Markets at Town Center; and Vagabond Korean Steakhouse, 9726 Touchton Road, Unit 108, off of Southside Boulevard in the Tinseltown area.
What is Korean BBQ?
Korean BBQ is different from American barbecue. Distinct cuisines, the two barbecue styles differ in cooking style, cuts of meat and cooking speed.
American barbecue is known for its “low and slow” cooking method of large cuts of meat, typically seasoned with a dry rub or sauce. Korean BBQ is cooked quickly at high heat on grills at the guest’s table.
Diners are their own chefs for Korean BBQ, which is considered an interactive meal experience. Guests typically choose from a selection of thinly sliced meats — either marinated or unmarinated — such as beef, pork belly, chicken, or lamb. Seafood, including shrimp, octopus or squid, is also offered at most Korean BBQ restaurants. Among the side dishes generally offered are kimchi, pickled vegetables, bean sprouts, and seaweed salad.
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The menu at Gogi Korean BBQ
Gogi offers an all-you-can-eat menu priced at $34.99 per person for adults. For kids under 4 feet tall, it’s half price, while children 3 feet and shorter eat free, according to the menu.
However, specific “items with a price noted are not included in the all-you-can-eat” category. There is also a two-hour time limit that begins when the order has been placed, with a 30% upcharge per additional 30 minutes, according to the menu.
Gogi also requires the entire party to order from the same menu.
The restaurant provides diners with instructions and tips for ordering as well as basic grilling techniques for their meal.
Beef offerings include Ribeye Bulgogi, Brisket, Gogi Steak, Bone-in Short Ribs and Kalbi Steak. Featured lamb options range from Boneless Leg of Lamb Bulgogi to Boneless Lamb Steak.
Among the chicken dishes are Boneless Chicken Thighs Bulgogi and Buldak Fire Boneless Chicken Thighs. Pork options include Pork Belly, Pork Steak and Pork Shoulder Bulgogi. Seafood choices range from Butter Calamari to Headless Shrimp and Cold Water Lobster Tail, the menu shows.
The Gogi buildout — renovations and repairs to the roughly 8,000-square-foot former seafood restaurant — was estimated at $180,000, according to a Feb. 28, 2025, city building permit.
Gogi is open from 3:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3:30 p.m. to midnight on Friday, 1 p.m. to midnight on Saturday and Sunday, according to its Google listing.
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Gogi Korean BBQ opens in former Red Lobster restaurant in Jacksonville