Yakiniku is a Korean-style meal that the Japanese have adopted.
When you order Yakiniku at a restaurant, a small grill with a charcoal or propane gas burner in it is brought to your table. It is accompanied by plates of raw ingredients such as vegetables, meat, fish and seafood. (Meats are marinated first before being brought to the customer.) Often the meat can include offal cuts. All the meat is in small pieces, and meat such as pork or beef is usually thinly shaved.
The vegetables almost always include cabbage, in a nod to the Korean origins.
You cook your food yourself right at the table on the grill. There will be a sauce provided that you dip your meat or fish in before grilling them. You are given either tongs or chop sticks to work with.
In Korea, the grills are called “p’ungno” and are usually charcoal.
Language Notes
In Japanese, “yaki” means “grilled”; “niku” means “meat”.