Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Make a reservation! The wait time is usually around an 30 minutes to an hour without a reservation, even on weekdays. If you don’t have a reservation, you can check in with the host and they will text you when your table is ready.
This place is very clean, they change your grill often (if needed), and the food cooks very fast. We usually order an extra few items in addition to once of the combo sets because the portions are small. The quality of meat and seafood is great, but portions are small.
The garlic noodles were just ok. It’s basically stir fried udon noodles with veggies, meat, and lots of garlic. I prefer the sukiyaki bibimbop rather than the noodles.
Come during happy hour since the prices are lower for all a la carte items. This gives you a chance to try many different things for a lower price.

We went for lunch yesterday. Food is OK. However, when we try to pay $ 73 in cash. Waiter told us they cannot do changes and we ended up using crefit card. One of my friend said we should use $ 100 bill, not credit card.

The short: very clean place to grill meat with small portions of tasty eats
We had a reservation for 6:45 on New Year’s Eve, and my it was packed! We still had to wait an extra 15 minutes for our table, which is somewhat understandable because people take their time grilling and eating meat.
The servers have their spiel asking if you’ve been there before and if you know how the whole process works. Our waiter was very professional and exuded lots of confidence (as opposed to impatient, apathetic and stressed).
We decided on the holiday special of the Gyu-​Kaku course (2 people for $ 80) and the Yakiniku course (2 people for $ 65).
The food comes out well-​presented and very fast. We even started running out of room on the table! The heat can be self-​adjusted and the ventilation is fantastic. I didn’t smell like smoke nor did I see much of a haze of smoke from other grills.
All the food was really tasty. I particularly enjoyed the garlic fried noodles, the poke salad, the Gyu-​kaku salad and some of the meats. However, I felt like for the amount we paid, my brother and I were not close to full at all. We were still hungry afterwards. Our parents, who have small appetites were stuffed. (My mom particularly enjoyed roasting s’mores for her first time ever.)
A huge surprise was the washlet in the bathroom! I am an admitted user and fan :)

I am in love with this place! I have been here quite a few times since my first visit, and will continue to come! I have been transitioning to a vegetarian now, so I no longer eat meat. You are probably wondering how can a vegetarian come to a bbq restaurant?! They honestly have so many vegetarian options to choose from, and they are all so yummy! Plus, I always come with company, and so far everyone loves it here. I have tried their food before I decided to become vegetarian, so I will also make some meat suggestions below.
MUST TRY:
1. hot stone bi bim bap (veg option available)
2. Harami steak
3. Toro beef
Also worth trying:
1. Garlic Shrimp
2. Gyu-​kaku salad (refreshing after all that fatty food)
For my Veggie lovers:
1. Tofu nuggets
2. Corn cheese
3. Garlic Mushrooms

COME DURING HAPPY HOUR or LUNCH. MAKE A RESERVATION!!! It is always crowded!!! ALWAYS. Unless you come right before lunch/​dinner hour starts.

One of the best BBQ ever. Portion is small for the expensive price but the meats are so tender and flavorful. Only one of the beef that was in cube shape was tough and dry. Soju was weak like juice. Skip it if you want stronger drink. They got happy hour until 6:30! Reservation is a must! The waits are at least an hour long. You will leave smelling like BBQ.

40 minute wait on a Monday night!
I like the waiting system here because they call and text you when your table is ready, which is really convenient.
My boyfriend and I were seated in Xoi’s section. I think that was our server’s name. well that’s what it said on our receipt at least. :) Anyway, our server was great. He changed our grills often, brought out all of our food, and let us know how long we should cook certain cuts on each side. Very informative, attentive, and friendly.
Also, Ryan, who I believe is one of the managers here, did an awesome job taking care of my table as well! I’m really pleased with the customer service Ryan provided.
It’s Happy Hour all day on Mondays (check their website out for more details on Happy Hours throughout the week), so most items on the a la carte menu were a few bucks off. They recommend that each person order 3 – 4 plates from the a la carte menu, which is enough to feel satisfied. Honestly, my boyfriend and I ordered a total of 12 different plates. We had a huge appetite tonight! My favorites were the beef tongue, rib eye steak, filet mignon, and horumon (small intestines).
Aside from the a la carte menu, they have «value BBQ courses» as well. These meals are set in stone and vary in price. I’ve tried the Gyu-​Kaku Course for 2 ($ 80) before, and I thought it was just OK. It came with a lot of «fluff» stuff, such as salads and assorted vegetables. If you’re here for the meat, I suggest ordering off the a la carte menu. If you have no idea what to get here, or are indecisive as can be, go for the value course since it is already picked out for you.
And oh gosh, before I end my Unilocal review, I just want to say that the toilets inside Gyu-​Kaku are so cool. The toilet seats have a seat warmer, can wash your booty, AND can dry your booty! Seriously was so amazed. Haha.
P. S. The guava juice here is YUMMMMYY!

I came here last night to the happy hours with my bf and his high school group of friends, and it was okay. For all the 1^st timers, each person must order a minimum of $ 15.
Service was great, and the 3 servers who helped out tables were quite attentive and quick. They had many choices in the types of food and drinks on their menus, but not too many to the point of being overwhelming (I can be very indecisive sometimes). Atmosphere was chill, and the place was fairly clean.
This place is a bit small and cramped though. When my bf and I arrived a couple hours or so late to the dinner, the server didn’t ask us if we wanted any drinks. For whatever reason, after we ordered our food, it took about 15 minutes to come out, which shouldn’t happen if this place is a diy BBQ restaurant. That aside, the food were okay. It could be better, but it’s not that bad.

The Good:
— Happy hour. Everything is like half-​off. Including drinks.
— Quality of meat is great.
— They have set menus that come with appetizers, entrees, deserts, and drinks for those that are indecisive or lazy.
The Not So Good:
— Portions are small.
— Coming here in parties of three or more makes using the tiny grill a challenge. I would stick to coming here with a date or a buddy, or else you’ll end up playing lots of table tetris and rearranging dishes.
— The service was incredibly rushed. Our server would occasionally come over and throw everything on the grill for us, instead of letting us cook it at our own pace. This was a dealbreaker for me, especially when you’re looking forward to catching up with friends over dinner.
Bottom Line:
Gyu-​Kaku is an awesome place to get traditional Japanese BBQ. I would say the service is much better in the Southern California locations, but YMMV. This location is a bit small, and the service seems to be frazzled, but the food tastes just as good.
PROTIP: Make reservations. The wait on weekends is unbearable, especially during times they are offering happy hour or drink specials.

This one is always reliably open for when we have the odd holiday off and no where else to eat. For those calling everything overpriced… it really isn’t. It’s almost always happy hour here, or they’re offering some type of special. And if you think about it… they charge a fair price for meat that’s been cut and well marinated.
Food: you must try the garlic noodles. I’d advise the veggie version since the shrimps are a bit skimpy and you’re probably ordering a bunch of meat. If you like spice, do the spicy tuna volcano thing. I forget the names but it looks like a sushi roll with a mound of spicy tuna on it. Anything deep fried here is a risk. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s a mess sitting in oil. The seaweed salad is always solid. The miso soup is also perfect. The chicken thigh a probably a less popular choice, but it’s really good. Also go for flank steak – it’s well marinated. As for seafood, the shrimp is great. Don’t forget a bit of lemon after you grill it. Also, definitely do the mushroom medley… but I may be bias. I love mushrooms :)I would not recommend the salmon. It’s a poor cut chopped into tiny pieces.
Service: I know the staff means well, but it’s always crowded here which means they’re always overwhelmed. Requests tend to get missed and it’s hard to get their attention for things like drinks and the check.

I’ve been here a number of times and was pretty surprised that I hadn’t reviewed this pLace.
Yummy foods and a whoLe Lot of fun!
Each tabLe has its own LittLe griLL for you to cook up your meats and veggies! Food is deLicious and their sauces are finger licking good.
I hear HH is the best time to hit up this pLace because there’s so much of a bargain. If you are patient enough and do not mind standing around for what seems Like FOREVER– then by aLL means.
I find it hard to put myseLf through that when it aLways seems super busy even during the reguLar hours. I.JUST.CANT!
ALL in aLL, be prepared to eat good and waLk away smeLLing Like meat and smoke! LMAO.
You can’t go wrong with any of the food options here at Gyu Kaku. Food is amazing but depending on your server, it can be more or Less of a happy experience. In no way have I ever Left Gyu Kaku unsatisfied BUT there are some workers who are Less attentive.

Gyu Kaku is the perfect place to go to! It’s a fun way to catch up with friends, have a cute date, or just grub on yummy food for foodies.
Very affordable, but unlike other BBQ places this place is not an all you can eat, but you definitely will get full from the variety of meats they have.
If you know when you’re coming, make sure you make a reservation! Call at least 1 – 2 hours in advance.
This place has happy hour all day on MONDAYS! Yay.
NON HAPPY HOURS:
Weekdays= 6:30−9pm
Saturday= 6:30 — 9:30pm
For newbies I recommend trying:
–spicy cabbage
–chili dumplings
–yakishabu beef
–cheese corn
It will change your life I promise :)

Whooooo baby! Quality is the name of the bbq game here and it truly doesn’t get better than this. Almost everything on the menu will be just splendid in your mouth, so order away!
We showed up during happy hour and even with the reduced prices, it got a little pricy fast. However, you really could both see and taste the freshness and quality of cuts here. We went with the harami miso skirt steak (8.95 $), kalbi short rib (9.50 $), bistro hanger steak (6.95 $) and the mushroom medley (3.95 $). The well-​marinated-​ness of the skirt steak was fantastic! No sauces needed at all. The short ribs were beautifully juicy and paired nicely with their garlic sauce (1 $). The hanger was my least favorite, it kind of fell apart easily and tasted much plainer.
Service was attentive and we got our grills changed twice even though it was the weekend with almost all the tables filled. Dessert of chocolate lava cake (6.95 $) really finished us off for a satisfying food coma. The cake comes out literally smoking hot and seems made to order. Everything was so great here I forgot to take pictures through the entire experience. Must come back for more!

I always come during happy hour on weekdays (make sure it’s not a holiday!) and order the Meat Lover’s set. Two plates of meat (one beef, one pork) for 10 bucks and it comes with salad, soup, rice and edamame! :)
Also, I usually make a reservation through OpenTable because then you get seated almost immediately. (I can typically still get reservations day of or day before if I’m a small party). The wait can be quite long otherwise if you come during normal meal hours (anywhere from 30min-​1hr).

This is exactly the type of BBQ that I would have got while I was living in Taiwan.
An authentic «Japanese» /​Asian BBQ place as it would be in over there: Bad music, loud music, smoke everywhere but nice and tasty food. The only difference (and advantage) of having such kind of BBQ place here in the US is that you get also a large portion of meat for your set lunch at an unbeatable price!
The meat lover special features 2 plates of meat, miso soup, salad, 1 bowl of rice and few edamame. 9.95 $. Everything was tasty. Maybe the edamame were slightly bland but heck… the meat was nice.
They have happy hour (2 $ draft beers and a lot of discounted a la carte items) from 11:30 till 6:30 pm during week days.
The very young staff is super friendly, lovely and efficient!
Great place to share food and a good time with friends! (just please lower the music volume… pls…)

They ran out of the ox tongue ! What !!! I was very sad :(otherwise, service is great, meats are still very nice and top notch quality. I do think the happy hour is not was cheap as it used to be though

Came here for happy hour on a Monday night. Check on their website to see what times their happy hours are because it’s different every day with the exception of Monday where they have happy hour ALL DAY! I know that attracts more customers because they’re like ooo, cheaper?!
Still pricey for happy hour in my opinion. The meats/​appetizers were discounted — the lowest being just a dollar discount and the highest probably $ 3, but most of the meats/​appetizers ranged from $ 4 – 20 anyways so it wasn’t THAT much of a savings. Not all things on their menu were part of the happy hour, only a limited selection. I usually order the bistro hangar steak and the harami miso skirt steak every time with the addition of other things, depending on who I’m with. Today I ordered lamb. It was good, but I don’t think my stomach was prepared to have it at Japanese BBQ, since all the meats I ordered were more on the sweeter side. I think I’ll stick to eating it at Mediterranean/​Greek restaurants. but if you’re going to try it, it tastes best w the spicy sauce. For appetizers, you must try the steamed chili dumplings… they taste like the ones at Din Tai Fung!
They offer you three different sauces to dip your meat in: sweet soy, spicy, and ponzu. I love ponzu sauce!!! The meats listed are usually seasoned/​marinated in what they personally recommend and I think it’s listed right under the pictures, but you have the option of changing it if you’d like. I honestly don’t even bother changing it because I like how it’s flavored already!
Definitely a lot busier during happy hour. Waited 30 minutes, but left our phone number with them so we could wander around the plaza while we waited for a text saying that our table was ready. There’s Super Cue right next to it if you want some boba before you eat!
I think it’s a little weird that they bend down when they’re asking for your order/​speaking to you, but maybe it’s part of Japanese tradition as a sign of respect? Not sure. Food came a little slow. Sometimes we were left sitting there watching our grill burn with nothing on it.
KBBQ is definitely a lot more worth it for it’s price as oppose to Gyu Kaku. Our total tonight was $ 60 for 7 different orders and lemme tell you, each order had like 5 – 6 small pieces of meat. You can get a lot more at kbbq AYCE for like at most $ 25? I think KBBQ would be so good if they had ponzu sauce… maybe I should just bring my own.hmm.
Oh. Their bathrooms have those cool heated toilet seats w/​all those weird settings that shoot water up your butt. I was too scared to try it LOL.

This place can sometimes be better than Korean BBQ in taste but boy… Does it drain the wallet. There’s happy hour all day on Monday but it’s only like $ 1 – 2 off each item which I suppose. Is better than nothing.
Got here on Monday around 7pm and was told to sign up on a wait list of 30 mins. Put down my name and number in which they eventually texted me my table was ready. Was seated in this curve table booth with a stove. Started off with some chili wontons and that stuff was goooooooood! Ordered the harami steak x2, skirt steak x 2, shabu x 1, pork belly x 1 and lamb X1 with rice. The meat came out pretty fast and so was the grilling. Because the meat are in small chunks and slices. It was very easy to grill. 30 seconds for beef on each side and 2 mins approx for the pork and lamb. I personally preferred the shabu because I’m a fan of thinner sliced meat but the other steak, lamb and pork went very well with ponzu + spicy sauce combo. The bill ended up being $ 70 post tax and tip for two people for a satisfying But full meal.
The workers here were very attentive and friendly!
If it wasn’t for the crazy price. I’d for sure eat here more!
There was also another experience here where I came with 3 of boys… All we stacked on was the pork belly (2.95) and shabu (3.95) … The cheaper options. That was a fulfilling meal because we were all bloated. $ 80 total for that. Which isn’t too bad!
Overall both great experiences and would come here next
Time when I win the lottery!

Made a reservation during happy hour and even though were a little late, upon arrival, were seating immediately.
Our favorite is the beef tongue and zucchini, the tongue is delicious and tender, the zucchini is so scrumptious when grilled. You should also try the beef sukiyaki! It’s basically beef and rice in a hot stone pot. I also like to order a sauce on the side– crunchy spicy garlic sauce ($ 1).
Customer service is wonderful and quick to help if you need anything :)

I like this place better than Beque the space is much larger and good portion course meal. Not too unsatisfying but not overwhelming. I like the Bimbap thats my favorite part of the whole course. And the smores haha oh! AND THEIR TOILET! Youll know what i mean once you come pay a visit!!!
Happy hour alll day monday!

4 ~ Come here for the experience and atmosphere, not so much the food; it’s delicous, but not the best out there.
Do you ever get tired of the same boring meats at all the Korean BBQs? Well, take a nice detour at Gyu-​kaku, a Japanese style grill-​yourself BBQ place. It can get pretty expensive, especially since it’s not AYCE, but make sure you come here for happy hour.
Also make sure you reserve because it gets crowded… pretty much all the time. We ended up getting the $ 50 Happy Hour Combo which came with a bit of everything – salad, karaage, rice, soup, vegetables and a variety of meats. It says it’s for 2 but I think it almost satisfyingly filled 4 of us so definitely be prepared to eat a lot. We also had a few pitchers of Soju. The white peach one’s great; you can barely taste the alcohol and it’s $ 13 for about 6 servings during happy hour.
The service was great, attentive and friendly. The atmosphere’s isolated but rowdy enough so you can have your fun, and what could be more fun than cooking your own food? If only cooking at home was this fun.