Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Worst management ever. Very unprofessional.
Nothing at all like the Gyu-​Kaku in New York or Cerritos. This is a cheap imitation.
If you want good quality BBQ try Lilly’s down the street or an all you can eat Korean BBQ like Mr.BBQ.
I’m surprised this place is still in business with the amount of employee turn-​over — which leads to undertrained and inexperienced service.

Came for happy hour. The only thing worth tasting is their cheap Japanese beers on draft and bottles. Food was ehhh. For the price, go somewhere else for Japanese cuisine. The fuckin’ part was they had no AC when it was 104 degrees outside on a Monday afternoon.

Food was good! Since this was our first time here wasn’t sure if we were going to leave hungry but let me tell you we left stuffed! We ordered the Meat Lovers course for 4 and my youngest who is 10 and loves steak was FULL he actually said he was too full to eat anymore meat … lol! Of course he had space for Smores but other than that he slept on the way home he was so stuft. My pickiest eater he’s 14 he loved the place and said he would definitely come back. Food was 5 stars minus 1 star for service especially after a trainee waitress spilled her tray of Miso soup on the table in front of where we sat, literally on the back of the customer luckily it was cooled Miso soup. But still hope they gave that big party a good discount, I need a discount just for watching that happen … lol! Our original waitress ended her shift shortly after we got there she was meh but our replacement waitress Vee was spot on, she was awesome was always checking in on us!!!

First time going to a Japanese BBQ place and it was fantastic! The staff were all very accommodating and the food was delicious! I went with 2 friends and we got the Happy Hour special that serves 2. It was totally enough for all of us.
Get the garlic chicken noodles! We each got 2 $ 3 shots and they were okay. They didn’t do much, so I don’t think it’s worth it. I’m definitely coming back!

Excellent experience! You Unilocalers almost made me choose another place, with the low stars. I haven’t the slightest idea why. This place deserves 5 stars. We had the late show at the Improv, and I wanted a convenient place with more than fanfare (i.e., Farrell’s and Yard House). I chose this chain I had never been to. I attempted to book online, but there were no reservations. I called and BINGO, they had the time I desired.
We arrived to a small parking lot, so be prepared to pay $ 6 Valet or park in the structure across the street.
We arrived on time for our reservation, but we had to wait. They suggested the bar, but I prefer to stand and be nicely intimidating. But what are they gonna do? Rush people? No, they were here first. We had the opportunity to observe the joint. Everyone is speedily walking around with a smile on their faces, attempting to help their customers. The place is airy, if not bright, so offers a good ambiance. It’s busy! Busy=noisy. We observed how foods were served, and determined that we would move our foods to the inside of the table, because so many bodies passing by it should equal additional bacteria. Yak.
Anyway, we were sat about 15 minutes after our reservation, in a roomy booth. By that time, we knew what we wanted to order, so with the drink order, also put in our dinner order. Yum! The salad came out, and I thought it was like KBBQ, where you get AYCE veggies. NOT. Delicious salad gone. The soup was good. The appetizers were interesting. I passed on the tofu nugget and fried shrimp with sauce, but my bother took full advantage of that. I liked the pork dumpling though.
When it came to the BBQ, I was unaccustomed to cooking it myself. But the griller seemed to light up. :) He was happy to throw the meat on the grill, turn it when necessary, and serve the table. We LOVED EVERYTHING! All the food was good. The servers kept coming to check on us. We could pass on the Smores for ice cream, but we had to go. After 2 luxuriating hours of eating, it was time to get in line for the show.
We will be back!

Tried the Ramen here, it was pretty delicious! Clean and enjoyable time here. Far from my house, so I tend to go to the one in Tustin. But good place to stop by frequently. :)

Michael-​the trainee– is awesome. Super friendly, enjoyable, and helpful. We came in with a large party with many questions and he totally hooked it up. we were sad to leave!
Also, we got the large party meal for 4 and it was really perfect. My mom is diabetic and they were very accommodating in bringing out meat and veggies with no seasoning or marinade. A very great experience.

I love Gyu-​Kaku! Sometimes my bf & I come here just for their delicious fish bowls. They are soooo good! I highly recommend the «Tokyo Love».
I’m not a huge carnivore, but the grilled meat is super tasty & juicy. If you want to order like a white person, then definitely get the cheese wontons & corn butter with cheese! Very good.
I must say that their service is sometimes a hit or a miss, but either way we will be back soon for the fish bowls!

Came to this location on a Friday night, I’ve been a regular at three other locations, but never really had a chance to stop by this one. It’s a lot smaller than the others, which meant that the wait was a bit longer despite the small crowd.
Overall, I was impressed with the quality and service at this location. The staff here was very attentive, while other’s are sometimes lacking even during slow hours. At first I was reluctant at some of the meat they brought out, the Toro Beef was still pretty frozen, but they were cut so much better that they grilled nicely and tasted even better. The Yaki Shabu and Harami Miso which I regularly order were more flavorful as well. Sometimes at other locations (Cerritos in particular) the meat comes out really thin and almost shredded, making it difficult to cook and even somewhat unappetizing, so this was a nice change of pace. The drinks packed more of a punch, though I don’t regularly get cocktails so I’m not sure if other locations still water it down as much as I remember.
If they can maintain this level of quality, I may make this my go-​to location even though I live much closer to Cerritos. The difference was pretty substantial.

The BBQ at Gyu-​Kaku is always a solid food experience. I always seem to get the family meals, which include appetizers, meats and a dessert and there is always so much food and you always leave well satiated. I do have to say that what sets this location apart for me (specifically from the Tustin location) is the décor and crowd. This one is not even close to as crowded as the one is Tustin is (seating seems to always be available), the parking is nowhere near as ridiculous (I usually walk here from a friends house but the structure is right across the street) and the ambiance is much nicer. I much prefer this location just to avoid the crowds, and you can’t really go wrong with a huge selection of grilled meat.

Walked in a few minutes before HH ended. «Trainee» Harold told us HH was over. We said, we have a few more minutes, we just want to quickly order a drink. He simply shook his head,
Our three HH beers would have turned into dinner for a party of 4, but we voted with our wallets and left.

Came to gyu kaku on Easter Sunday for lunch. I don’t eat any red meat or pork. Haha I know why would I come to a BBQ spot. The Garlic noodles! So bomb comes in a steaming hot bowl with thick noodles and medley of vegetables with a nice subtle garlic flavor that’s not overpowering. Also got the basil chicken cause I needed some protein as well. Cool spot to come Hang out with the homies and have a bunch of food for a great price on happy hour. My buddy’s got a bunch of different types of beef seemed good and smelt really good on the grill, they had about 2 rounds of 5 dishes so I’m sure they enjoyed the beef. Id come back all day just for the garlic noodles it’s a must try! Overall, dope spot to eat get to cook your own meats and have a feast.

The reviews are correct, this place is not the same as the other Gyu-​Kakus, more like an imitation.
I usually go to the one in Tustin because of where I live, but since I was meeting some friends up around Brea, I decided to give this place a shot. Came here on Sunday during lunch and their happy hour just started. It looks like they start at 11:30AM — 4PM and it includes discounted meat, appetizers, beers and a few other drinks. It was actually a pretty good deal. For the Appetizer we got: Spicy Tuna Volcano, Fried Bacon Chips, House Salad and Garlic Noodles. For the grill: Premium Sirloin, Beef Tongue, Angus Beef Ribs, Filet Mignon, Toro Beef, Yaki-​Shabu Beef, Duck Breast and Pork Belly.
The only two good things were the Garlic Noodles, Toro Beef and Beef Tongue (must get the scallion sauce). Everything else wasn’t that tasty. It was very chewy, bland and most of all felt the cuts were very cheap. The service was awesome though which made this an okay visit.
Overall I like Gyu-​Kaku, but I would probably not go back to this location.

I love coming on Friday’s for their late night happy hour, starts at 9pm and it features discounted meat and appetizers, cheap beer, $ 3 shots, etc. Can’t really go wrong with anything on their menu. We usually start off with a pitcher of beer, $ 9.75 during happy hour, perfect to split amongst 3 – 4 people. All their meat is really good quality, but we usually pretty content with toro beef and beef tongue. Sometimes we get the other meats just to try like the New York steak, premium sirlion, and the prime kalbi short rib. A must-​get is the Garlic Chicken Noodles with the spicy sauce, so delicious and it pairs perfectly with all the meats. Service is always top-​notch, never had a complaint here before. Great place for parties, a small hangout to catch up with friends, you name it. Will definitely be back!

Pros:
— The fans/​vents for the meat work so much better than those at kbbq restaurants. You don’t leave smelling like meat. Which is great if you have plans afterwards.
— The meat is AMAZING! We got the meat lovers special. So tender and well marinated.
— We had Alex as our server. He’s young, but he was on it with the food and water especially the grill change.
Cons:
— Can be expensive. Don’t waste your money on the ramen, get the meat and garlic noodles/​rice! Come for happy hour!!!

I’ve been meaning to try Gyu-​Kaku for the longest time and I’m so glad I finally did. Even though this restaurant primarily serves meat-​eaters, as a vegan, I was pleasantly surprised. Their vegetarian options varied from grilled mushroom medley to vegetarian bibimbap. Ultimately, the choices were endless. Gyu-​Kaku is one of the very few barbecue restaurants I have ever been to that also caters towards plant eaters. The food was delicious and very high quality! My favorite dishes were probably the grilled mushrooms, the grilled broccoli, and the avocado salad.
However, nothing beats the sharp, quality service Gyu-​Kaku provided. Our server, Alex, was very kind and accommodating from start to finish. He brought out each dish with great timing and genuinely cared about our opinions on each dish.
It’s safe to say that I will DEFINITELY be back!

This was my first time trying Japanese BBQ, and I am in love! I got a value set that came with 2 appetizers, a large fish bowl, 4 meat dishes, a plate of spinach and smores for $ 40! It was such a great deal. I shared it with one other person and was very full. You could probably share the set with 2 other people so you’re not overly-​full, depending on how hungry you are.
The servers were nice and checked in on us many times and even changed our grill twice. I’ll definitely be back whenever I am craving Japanese BBQ!

I really enjoy coming to this location. Their décor is modern and interesting. Their staff are friendly and inform you well about the menu options. One of the great things that they have going on here is their all day happy hour on Mondays. The parking is decent on most days, if there isn’t parking behind the restaurant there is a parking structure across the street.
Pro:
–Monday all day Happy hour
–Food
–Great Staff
Cons:
–none
Overview:
I would love to come back here again sometime, perhaps on a Monday to take advantage of their all day happy hour. Their staff are very informative and polite, they make eating here enjoyable.

— Gluttony Expedition —
Garlic edamame: They literally put grated garlic on top of edamame. Very very garlicky in bad ways.
Spicy cabbage: Every time I come here, the portion is getting smaller and smaller… I used to love the first version that didn’t mix the crunchy spicy garlic chili sauce with the cabbage. Now it’s not good anymore.
Garlic fried chicken: It used to be ⁴⁄₅ big pieces with good taste. Now they put tons of crappy small pieces with no meat (see my picture). WTF?! Not cool.
Meats: I tried various but poor quality and too small portion. Even «Filet Mignon» was so tiny and not impressive in taste. The pork belly wasn’t bad though I actually ordered «Spicy pork».
Complimentary Ice cream with the big «Happy Birthday» sign for your picture taking, paper crown, and birthday song for the birthday boy. Cool.
— Conqueror’s Deduction —
Great service, poor quality, very expensive for what it is (even with happy hour), and very little portion.
You used to be so much better.
RIP, Gyu-​kaku. Shame on you.
«Manpuku» offers much better quality meats with very reasonable price than here for the similar setting.
If not for my buddy’s birthday request, I wouldn’t have come here.

Gyu-​Kaku has quality-​tasting meat. I only come here for their happy hour and even so, all the items add up and it comes out pretty pricey. I decided to try their Spicy Ramen ($ 5.95) and was extremely disappointed. The noodles were like the kind you get from cup noodles and the broth was very bland. Did I even order a spicy ramen? I added an order of their Beef Angus Ribs ($ 3.95) as that is my favorite here. The marinated beef chunks are flavorful and juicy, especially soaked in their «spicy» sauce, but tastes more like a sweet chili sauce. We ordered three pitchers for six of us, which was good. Each pitcher was $ 9.75 while an individual beer is $ 1.95 each, which is exactly the same thing because one pitcher fills up five glasses of beer.
This spot is good when you want to splurge, but take note of how much you order. Also, stick with their meats for the grill and not order off menu with their ramen. The ramen was the most disappointing ramen I’ve ever had. They should just take it off the menu if they can’t get it right.