Gyu King Teppanyaki

Not sure why there are any negative reviews of this spot. We enjoyed dinner here and loved it! The chef was friendly and the service was great. It was a ton of food perfectly spaced out over several courses. Been to a few teppanyaki restaurants before and this was by far the best.

Owned by Cantonese cooked by Cantonese and tastes like Cantonese food. So okay okay. And prettier pricey.

The food was okay okay just like any other japanese teppanyaki tastes. What l do not like about this restaurant is they will calculated your bill include gratuity and passed it to you. If the services was wonderful, l am willing to pay double amount when it is necessary but this restaurant is not deserve such treatment. And it was clearly not run by pure japanese management. That could explained how they treat customers because all they want was money. I will not recommended you to visit this restaurant. The price tags for the food was not match with the quality of the taste and the services will ruin your day.

I came here for a friends birthday. The food was okay. Nothing special. But I had recently quit drinking and so was ordering many diet cokes. When the bill came they charged me for every diet coke I bought. $ 17 for diet coke refills from the gun, not bottles or cans. It was probably .80 cents worth of beverage and they charged me $ 17. I asked to the manager and they insisted. Bad service. I will never go back.

NO AUTHENTICITY HERE! If you are looking for a true authentic Japanese Teppanyaki Experience, go to Osaka (as they are Japanese run). This place has been taken over by Chinese owners & they just love to cut corners, rip people off and judging by the taste and quality of the meat, I’d even question if the meat is real or not! We had an awful experience similar to others on here with regards to the poor service from staff. Everything is a façade here — all smiles when they are hovering over you to pay for the check making sure you won’t notice the secret charges. The food is just terrible — Koya food court tastes even better. The meat just doesn’t taste right – almost like they marinate it in baking soda to preserve its longevity /​mask the foul smell of rotting meat.
Do not come here if you are looking for a Benihana type experience. It’s Chinese run & I am ashamed to be Chinese after seeing the well-​deserved negative reviews here. Just like a China made cheap replica handbag — it’s all a façade from the outside! Beware!

i thought the idea was cool & the foods described & the value stated for each course made the Groupon seem worth the buy. from we arrived & seated to chef cooking in front of us (although he only talked to the other people at the table in chinese & wasn’t really impressive in a particular way), everything seemed to be okay– until he started serving the food.
the portions are not what you’d think for the price ($ 65) at all. i couldn’t imagine anyone even paying full price ($ 137.35) for this «11-​course meal» as i felt shorted even with the Groupon value.
service was awesome, staff come in & out of the room to refill your water/​tea constantly. but i come for the food & will not return, at least, not for any of their «#-course meals.» on top of that, it was –auto-​gratuity– of 10% of the actual value so they charged $ 13 for tip, which seemed even more excessive after that gimpy meal experience.

I’ve been there for lunch years ago and it was pretty good. Thought to try their dinner but their dinner pricing is crazy! I ordered a 200 dollar Kobe beef dinner set for two with my girlfriend. For the price, we are getting frozen scallops. Kobe beef was not fresh and over cooked despite I asked for medium rare. The fried rice was tasteless. The beef wrap was not as good as I remember. The beef was no different from the quality of sliced meat you get from an ordinary Chinese supermarket. Seriously, avoid this restaurant for dinner unless you have too much to spend. For the same quality of food, you pay ¹⁄₁₀ of the price in Asia. What a rip off. Their drinks are horrible too. We ordered one with the food. It came when we almost finished the course.

Not worth the value even we already use groupon. Food is okay. Only good is that we have a nice chef.

First time trying out their lunch! Chicken teriyaki rice,
Not bad at all! $ 8.50 for lunch :) very affordable and they cook in front of you!
I usually come here for dinner and their food is always good. Love their beef roll with crispy garllic n green onion! And their barley pork was super delicious!
Check out this place when you have a chance!

Way more expensive that it should be in my opinion but besides that it is an interesting alternative dining experience. You get entertainment as well as food as you get to see those guys working right in front of you. The food is good too.

I went with a friend who bought a Groupon. We initially went up the wrong staircase of the same building, but the restaurant was just up another staircase around the corner on Alberni St. When we arrived, we were sat down in a room with other Groupon customers (so I can’t give a review for what they serve full price here).
The 10-​course meal included green salad, a delicious lobster miso soup, a bit of Atlantic lobster, prawns (I think this was my 3^nd fave besides the lobster and soup), small bit of foie gras served on toasted bread, bit of juicy AAA beef tenderloin pieces, bit of salmon, some stirred fry veggies and beef fried rice to fill us up. There was also ice cream at the end.
The chefs didn’t give much of a performance, but I had lots to talk about with my friend and didn’t mind the lack of a show. Our chef did often acknowledge us with a polite smile when she served us our food, and the servers came often to fill up our waters.
My friend and I both have small appetites, so we were pretty satisfied with the portion. I did enjoy the noise level being low for us to talk and the seats being not too cramp, even though it was bar style around the cooking grill table. I did notice this was a Chinese run restaurant when I overheard the servers taking down reservations on the phone as I was leaving. I would skip the mint at the door because that was awful tasting.

What does one do downtown on a Thursday night? Try a new restaurant of course. Groupon is amazing for discovering new places to eat in Vancouver and both the foodie & cheapskate in me love it.
The place was nicely decorated and well maintained, a little tricky to find though, its the same building as Shasuben (love that place) but on the other side of the building so you have to go around.
The way they did the seating was really cool, and you got to interact with the other customers while enjoying your meal.
The food was decent, i got the groupon 10 course for 2. The fois gras on bread was kinda a joke though, and they took off the crust & called them fries. Could’ve done without that portion. The steak cubes were the best part, juicy and tender. My biggest complaint would be the sauces though. They were pretty boring and mainly tasteless, and c’mon guys, ketchup? Really?
The Chef was nice but didn’t talk much (he didn’t understand pretty much anything we said) and didn’t do any cool tricks or anything either but that was fine with me.
At the end i was pretty stuffed and overall i had a nice time. I probably wouldn’t come
back without a Groupon though as their prices regularly did not seem cheap.

I got to take advantage of the $ 20 «All you can eat» lunch deal which included edamame, miso soup, salad, seafood (a prawn, yes — 1 prawn, salmon, and squid), chicken, rib eye, and veggies. Everything tasted quite delicious! To top it off, it came with a scoop of ice cream as well (we opted for green tea which was one of the best I’ve had).
The portions don’t look filling, but they fill you up QUICK! Our server was on point, the manager was always around, refilling out water and checking on us. I will definitely be back if I’m ever in the area!

The 4 of us came in with an Entertainment Book coupon. After my previous experience with Kobe, I was determined that good company was essential, if not mandatory to any teppanyaki experience. So, we brought another couple with us.
Gyu has a more intimate set-​up, with longer tables so you and your group are not necessarily fully engaged with everyone else at the table. Even though we shared a «table» with another group, we were happily separated at the same time. Perfect.
The menu is so reasonably priced. I would recommend getting the Chef’s Special for $ 29.95, which comes with soup, salad, vegetables, an assortment of seafood. ribeye slices and a super tender Grade A filet mignon. Don’t get me started… Too late. Oh, the filet mignon. That steak made all the difference. It was buttery, it was tender; it was juicy, it was flavourful. After the steak, we were all about ready to roll on our backs and purr with utter satisfaction.
It didn’t look like a lot of food, but when it’s good food, it’s so satisfying. The quality of food and service at Gyu makes Kobe look like a fast food joint. They are the two teppanyakis downtown, so I must compare. I will take Gyu any day. If you don’t care about quality, I’m sure you care about money. $ 30 at Gyu goes a long way, while it gets you nothing at Kobe.
When we got our bill, we were pleased to find that gratuity was included (15%). This saves everyone a lot of trouble.
At the end of our meal, we learned about their All-​You-​Can-​Eat menu. Served at lunch on weekdays for $ 19.95. It includes soup, salad, seafood, chicken, ribeye slices, vegetables, edamame, and wait for it… GELATO. You get a single serving of the seafood, edamame and gelato; however, you can have as much of everything else as you want! Too good to be true? We’ll see.
We have already made plans to come back for the lunch menu. An update will be in order!

Etwas verstecktes japanisches Restaurant, fast gleich um die Ecke der Touristen-​Einkaufsmeile Robson Street. Der Laden liegt im zweiten Stock eines Bürogebäudes. Wir wurden freundlich empfangen und durften die kurze Wartezeit in einem Polstersessel verbringen. Die Bestellung wurde direkt aufgenommen. Wir hatten uns für ein Romantik-​Dinner entschieden, das von fast allem etwas bieten sollte. Dann wurden wir zu unseren Plätzen geführt: direkt am Herd. Und hier wurde dann auch unser Essen zubereitet: vor unseren Augen! Es gab verschiedene Meeresfrüchte, Kobe-​Rind, japanischen Reis und etwas Gemüse. Leider nicht zusammen, sondern alles in kleinen Portionen nacheinander. Aber gut, war auch mal eine neue Erfahrung.
Alles schmeckte wirklich sehr lecker. Dazu wurde grüner Tee gereicht, der ständig nachgefüllt wurde. Den Abschluss bildete eine Kugel Grüntee-​Eis. Wow!
Der größte Teil der Gäste waren Japaner, daher gehen wir davon aus, dass es sich tatsächlich um eine authetische Küche handelt. Selbst waren wir noch nicht in Japan und müssen das eben erst mal so glauben.
Aber wie gesagt: Es hat alles hervorragend geschmeckt.
Preislich doch etwas gehoben, aber im Rahmen. Inklusive Getränken (2×2 Biere) haben wir für das 2-​Personen-​Menü etwas mehr als 100 Dollar bezahlt.

Once again, it upsets me to see the number of Groupon people who are complaining. I’m sorry if I offended you, but seriously look around.
*Disclaimer* I didn’t even know this place had a Groupon… until I went to write this review and saw the overall rating and when I dived in to read I wasn’t surprised.
On to my adventure. So I came here with some out of town friends for a dinner on Saturday. We were initially going to dine at Kobe, but we didn’t book a table so they couldn’t accommodate us. We ventured down the street and decided to give Gyu King a shot. It’s located upstairs and is pretty easy to miss.
Right when we walked in, we were seated and given menus. The server was very friendly and guided us through everything and got our drinks — a few mai tais and some sodas. They were okay.
Food wise, for five of us we ordered chicken, beef, lots of veggies and the assortment of seafood. Everything is very lightly seasoned and grilled in front of your face, then placed on your plate and you can dip it with their delicious sauces. We chose to share everything since my company were all foodies. The chef was awesome, he was funny and nice (and yes, I’ve been to Benihana and other teppanyaki places at least a hundred times). I was impressed by the quality of the meats and seafood everything was extremely fresh, also everything was cooked to perfection, which is hard to find since usually things are over-​cooked.
We decided to skip dessert and head down to Thierry for some cake and snacks, but the ice cream did look pretty good. But then again, you could win my heart with ice cream or gelato any day.
Bill came to $ 350 for five. Yes, it’s not cheap but you get meat and seafood, cooked at your table by a chef who gets paid so don’t expect to pay market prices for your food. It was worth it for good food, good ambiance and good service. I actually felt sorry for this place for getting slammed so bad by coupon-​cutting diners who keep re-​iterating «I would never eat here at full price» or «it really wasn’t worth half-​price».

3.5 stars.
I came here after purchasing a Groupon deal. It was for a 10 course meal for two people.
We started off with a salad which was followed by lobster, shrimp, rib eye, steak and etc.
The chef cooking our meal didn’t put on a big show which was fine with us. But for some people, this could be a deal breaker since you might come expecting a show from the chefs.
The food was good. I liked seeing how the chef was cooking the meal.
The portions weren’t big but we were full by the end of the meal. The price for the alcohol was pretty reasonable.
The servers were also pretty on the ball, coming by to check on us and making sure that our tea mugs were refilled.
It would be a fun place to come with a bunch of people since you might be able to get a whole room to yourself.
I am not sure how much our meal would have cost without the groupon. I took a quick look at their menu and it looks like it would have cost double what we paid with the groupon. I am not sure if I would be coming if we were to pay the regular price but for what we paid, I think it was worth it.
They also seem to have other cheaper menu items so maybe I will come back.

Since the change of ownership to Chinese people, this place has skimped on materials without lowering their prices. Set menus can go up to $ 200+ per person, and they claim to carry kobe and wagyu beef, which came out frozen and pretty much defrosted in front of you.
The chefs here have no particular skills. Usually at teppanyakis the chefs would make cooking a whole show for you to enjoy while eating your meal, but nope. Our chef wasn’t talkative and had his head down the entire time.
I was dining with three other people, and they charged an automatic 15% tip to the bill. I only know restaurants that do this for groups over six people, not FOUR.
Overall:
1. Way too overpriced
2. Average Quality & Experience
3. You don’t have a choice to tip at your own discretion
The couple seated next to us made the right choice to stand up and leave after looking at the menu.
Never coming back!

I’ve been here before with my boyfriend’s family a good few years ago, but never appreciated food as much as I do now. So with my Groupon on hand, I was well equipped to venture into the 10-​course Teppanyaki meal for two.
I made reservations as recommended and once there, was greeted by the manager with a smile and was seated right away.
The dining area was clean and the cooking area was spotless. I always appreciate quickness on my hot tea, which was well topped up either by the waitress and even the manager once!
The seasonal green salads were fresh, crunchy and had that sweet/​sour orange salad dressing. The lobster miso soup was rich in lobster flavour, but I was kind of sad there weren’t any lobster pieces in it.
Before we start the main course, the chef assigned to me and my boyfriend greets us politely and explains the sauces in front of us — garlic sauce, a ketchup/​seafood-​like sauce, and soy sauce. He also asked us how spicy we would like our sauce. Of course, my boyfriend pipes up «Super Spicy» and he gets a generous helping of a dried scallop/​shrimp hot sauce. While sans spice for me.
The prawns were cooked perfectly, just well enough to not to have that slimy shrimp texture. The AAA beef tenderloin was actually cooked medium-​rare, with the yummy myoglobin running out. Rib-​eye usuyaki was delicious with the garlic and onions wrapped in the thinly sliced and tender meat. The chicken fillet was just as chicken should taste, reliable and juicy. The beef fried rice was well done with a good amount of soy sauce for flavour, and the vegetable pairing with it was well-​appreciated, considering all the meat we were eating… our colon will thank that fibre addition.
My favourite course was the Whole Atlantic lobster. It came out cut up but fresh, because I still saw it twitching it’s legs. Watching the flames fly and listening to the utensils clink was fun. And it was pretty to see how our chef sprinkled the salt over our food with the flick of his tools. Overall, the most show we got was during this course.
We ended with two good scoops of green tea gelato and the bill, which came with a 15% gratuity already included in the bill. Considering our lovely chef who always asked if the food was good, the efficient service and Groupon we didn’t mind at all. In the end, we had a fulfilling and visual appealing meal but for regular price, it’s a little pricey for what you’re getting but with the Groupon it was on par and worth it.

Here’s a revisit of my review of Gyu King since I notice a number of 1 star ratings and would like to substantiate my 4 star review.
Like me, it seems everyone who posted went on the basis of a groupon which is cool because I do agree the price here is steep as I mentioned previously. Although, with the coupon price, the food and experience needs to be measured accordingly. If I had gone on a regular full paid night and didn’t get the premium food and experience this evening would have gone poorly (1 or 2 star) since I would have weighed my star rank heavily on just price alone. Like the saying goes, you get what you paid for however, this isn’t just a typical restaurant experience.
About the manager, I did notice a regiment-​like way of getting us prepared for our seats. But after we got our seats, I didn’t see him again. Managers on a busy night tend be a little stressed, plus we were probably group 48 of the groupon experience so I’m guessing he’s a bit worn out by people like us.
Once we went in, the area was packed full of chatty and cheery people. Young couples were on my far right and an older couple on my close left. All of them were amazed to see the 3 or 4 chefs cooking their food. People were drinking and eating and there were moments of fiery delights from the chef (as shown in my photo) but I was too busy soaking up the atmosphere and chatting up with my group to notice the minor issues such as a lacklustre chef performance or an unfilled cup of tea or an absent server.
In my experience, the server was actually standing by the door everytime I looked up to see where they were standing. And I even mentioned to my group that the server is waiting by the door like a hawk to get to us. Weird, it didn’t happen on other people’s night. Perhaps I ran into a super special night (Sunday), but we’ve all had one off dine outs before whether good or bad experiences.
The food was very fresh, filling, and assorted. I had to eat a bit of my wife’s portion only because she was full. Even the chef had openly chatted up with her about her unfinished meal and our group chuckled afterwards. Interaction fulfilled.
At the end of the night, we noticed the gratuity inclusion, but I grudgingly understood that most upscale restaurants (and some not upscale) do put that charge through. I don’t think anyone is a fan of automatic gratuities but I have to see it from the business perspective especially when it’s a groupon influenced affair.

I’ve never heard about this restaurant before and yet I was told it has been around for 10 years. Just located at the corner of Burrard and Alberni, it is tucked away on the 2^nd floor. I guess they are trying to revamp their image with new management and IndulgeLiving coupons.
Upon entering, we were greeted prompted in a clean waiting room with plenty of chairs. The waitress took my jacket and walked my husband and I to a room with 8 other guests. The restaurant itself was again clean with touches of dark wood everywhere. The room was well ventilated and didn’t feel crowded.
Our chef was friendly and tried to make conversation with us. We had prawns, squid, scallop, salmon and oysters. They were very fresh without being overcooked or overseasoned. The filet mignon and filet of chicken were tender and cooked with salt, pepper, butter. I can’t recall if the items had soy sauce, but sometimes I liked the simple taste of seafood and meat without overpowering them with too many spices. They provide 4 types of sauce and paste for you to dip your food in so you can use as much or little as you want. My husband loved the shrimp paste and they kept refilling it for him.
With the excellent service and attention to detail, I hope Gyu King sticks around for years to come.