Everybody know that barbecue is everywhere in Korea. Walk down any alley and you're bound to catch a whiff of the sweet smell of pork belly, kalbi, and intestines grilling away on an open flame . While I love me some samgyupsal, sometimes you just need a plate of tangy southern style bbq. That's where Linus BBQ comes in. 

The man of the house, Linus Kim, grew up right smack in Birmingham, Alabama where barbeque isn't just a delicacy but a way of life. I think it's safe to say he picked up a few things about 'Bama style bbq while stateside judging from all the commotion he made in the Seoul food scene. He sold out at pop-up after restaurant pop-up, and now he's opened his own spot in Itaewon. I wanted to see what the hype was all about, sooo the entire motley crew (David, John, Mingni, Sandra, M, and I) made the trek over.

There was a ginormous wait list...but it gave us time to peruse the menu. It's pretty straight forward -- choose between pulled pork, brisket, or the daily special (it was baby back ribs when we went) and whack on a few sides. After a little bit of back and forth on whether we wanted the ribs or not, we decided we'd just come back for it on another day.

Lo' and behold, three orders of the Twos Platter. A mound of brisket, a handful of pulled pork, six slider buns and a choice of three sides.

But before you go on a side ordering spree, note that you can only pick outta five choices: pork and beans, coleslaw (made without mayo!), bacon potato salad, mashed taters n' gravy, and skinny ass fries.

We got double orders of each, except the pork and beans, and a separate side of smoky mac n cheese. In my book, you can't have southern style bbq and leave out the mac n cheese. It just wouldn't be right. That and collard greens, but they unfortunately didn't have any on the menu. A wee bit of a disappointment. 

But all was most definitely forgiven once we put away our camera phones and tucked in! We waited an hour for this table, and we were absolutely starving by the time we were seated. Thank goodness the food rolled out pretty quick. But by the time it did, it was every man for himself.

After trying everything out, I say you MUST order the mashed taters. It was the greatest potato dish I have ever had in my life. It was mouthwateringly savory and excellent when used as a spread on the sliders and topped off with brisket. The coleslaw was refreshing, especially because it isn't made with mayonnaise, and really cut the grease between bites of bbq. 

But I would skip the mac n cheese. Maybe I got a bad batch, but it honestly just tasted like microwavable Kraft mac. I could even taste the powdered cheese... :(

We were stuffed happy. Itaewon always has great eats, but I think Linus is 'specially great for large groups. And it's always fun to toss the utensils and use your hands to eat. Just be prepared for the hour wait... Maybe the line isn't as bad on the weekdays?

TL;DR They don't take dinner reservations (at least on weekends) and the wait is crazy long so come early! Most definitely get the mashed potatoes and coleslaw. Pass on the mac n cheese. Use sauce sparingly. Come with good friends and just get messy with it.