By Emma Limor ’21
Quarters, located in the heart of Koreatown, serves authentic Korean barbeque.  Named after the pounds of meat served in each portion, Quarters attracts customers, forming a line out the door and around the block for dinner due to its perfect location and reputation for quality meat.  After waiting through the line, customers are seated at a table with a grill and fresh “banchan,” (side dishes) and barley water.

Some of the “banchan” include “kimchi,” an iconic Korean staple made from fermented vegetables.  Quarters “kimchi” did not have consistent flavor throughout and tasted like it was just tossed in a last minute sauce.  The barley water had an acquired taste, so if regular water is a preference, then I recommend bringing a bottle of water because tap water is not provided.
Quarters has a minimum order of three dishes per table, which coincides with the group setting Korean barbeque requires.  While this is not an issue for a party of four or more, if there is a party of two, it can be quite costly.  Each order of meat has a price range of$17 to $25.  While this is expensive, unlimited “banchan” is provided, counteracting the prices of individual dishes.  In comparison to other Korean barbeque restaurants, Quarters has smaller portions with higher prices- a Beverly Hills chihuahua would leave hungry.  This would be acceptable if the quality of meat was exceptional, but it can be chewy and inedible at times.

The “bulgogi” (marinated sliced meat) was average even though they consider it their best dish.  Similarly, the “soegogi galbi” (beef short ribs) were tender but tasteless.  When dipped in sauce, it became more flavorful, but that defeats the purpose of ordering it when you could get the marinated version which has the most flavor.  Their “jeolin soegogi” (marinated beef short ribs) was, therefore, their best dish.  It was sweet, juicy and tender, although quite inconsistent.  Overall, it was often a guessing game whether or not you would get a good piece of meat, which serves as a disadvantage to eating at Quarters.  The service was awful, and the waiters only did the bare minimum.  However, I appreciated their transparency in the kitchen, as their butcher’s counter has a glass window.  Despite popular opinion, I would not recommend Quarters because it doesn’t live up to its reputation.