Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Lunch Review: Japanese BBQ!
With the tagline «Be your own chef», Gyu-​Kaku is a rich blend of fun, flavor, and family that would leave you excited for your next visit. I went with a friend for their lunch special and ordered two 3-​item lunch combo dishes ($ 15 each), a garlic rice bibimbap ($ 4), and a Lady M’s green tea Mille Crêpe ($ 12) for dessert. It was way too much food! But, I was happy to indulge.
Lets start with the experience. First off, when you walk into the restaurant, you’ll be hit with that wonderful bbq meat aroma. It’s not overpowering since the ventilation is more than adequate but it’s just enough to get those taste buds tingling and those salivary glands in action. The décor is quite simple and elegant. Booths in four rows, partitioned for privacy allows for great conversation and caters to the family/​friendly experience. The hostess was kind and the wait was about 45mins, but we did get there right around the lunch rush. Around the restaurant are little shops that you can visit. A bakery nearby makes excellent buns and is worth taking a look and the staff will call you when the table is ready.
At the table, our server was informative and friendly and helped us set up our bbq. Although every single one of the sauces had a unique flavor profile and added to the meal, the spicy one was the best! We had the Bistro Hanger Steak Miso, Spicy Pork, Yaki-​Shabu Beef Miso (2x), Toro Beef Tare, and Pork Belly Shio. I enjoyed all the meats but the Bistro Hanger Steak was by far my least favorite. The garlic rice bibimbap was excellent and I still have dreams about the Lady M’s green tea MIlle crêpe dessert.
Overall, I really had a great time here. From the moment I enter the restaurant to the minute I rolled out the door, Gyu– Kaku was an excellent experience. Prices are reasonable for lunch but be ready to spend some money.

Went here tonight with my family to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Loved the atmosphere and our server was so friendly and explained everything to us since it was our first time there. Everything we got was delicious! We got everything that had the red symbol next to them marking that those dishes were the signature ones. We got the kalbi beef, spicy pork, shrimp, duck breast, beef tongue, assorted veggies and a few other meats for the grill. All were so flavorful. We also got the garlic chicken noodles, Sukiyaki bibim bap, fried dumplings, addicting cabbage and cucumber and the spicy tuna volcano. Sounds like a lot, but it was perfect for 5 people and the portions are small. We thought we broke the bank, but we didn’t! Prices weren’t bad at all. The interactive experience was great. My parents, especially my dad, got really into it. Definitely will be back in the future. I wouldn’t say it’s a place to go to every week/​month, but definitely every couple of months.
Parking: meter parking on both sides. Our reservation was for 6pm and we found parking no problem.
The only con was that the second order of food came out pretty slow. We got everything one by one. We ordered the veggies so we could eat it with the meat, but it didn’t correspond that way. But still a five star place!

I’ve been there twice. The first time I went there at noon, the portions of the meat really surprise me! (it was happy hour.) Moreover, the quality of the meat was amazing! I haven’t found other BBQ restaurants in Boston that the quality of meat better than Gyu-​Kaku.
The price is reasonable, and the service is great! One thing to concern is that the portions at dinner time are much lesser than at happy hour.
A recommendation for meat lover: Visit during the happy hour! (I think it’s around noon) Also, leave your email and they will send the coupon to you for the next time visit.

Food was amazing. If you go early (11:30pm-1:00pm) the wait would not be bad, about 10 min.

The staff here, especially the girls in the front, are horrible. I have never met restaurant staff so rude to customers. Avoid this place!

Been here a few times because of the proximity to BU, and the food is pretty good as well as priced well since they always basically have happy hour (only time there isn’t is around dinner time.) The reason I give this three stars though because of the really spotty service. Sometimes the waiters are nice and other times they have basically ignored my table. I’ve been here during non busy period and items just take forever to come out which doesn’t make sense to me considering you cook everything yourself… If it weren’t for the bad service I would go back often.

Awesome place! They also have lady M (one of the best cakes out there) for desert. I’m a vegetarian but I still came out with a full stomach and happy. My friends ordered meat though and it looked phenomenal. Highly recommend!

Went there for my first time and it was amazing. We had a reservation at 9 for the happy hour but we got there a little early but they still gave us the happy hour prices! The meats there are so marinated that some of them just melt in your mouth as soon as you bite down. There was no wait and the place was way bigger than I had expected. We found street parking which wasn’t hard since it was late. Sometimes the food that we ordered weren’t given to us but we didn’t mind since we weren’t charged for it and since it’s a busy place it was understandable.
They have this app that if you download it and you can get 5 dollars off your whole order. They also periodically send you emails about special deals like you get 10 $ off if you spend 30 $ or more. This definitely wants me to go back and eat. But only at the happy hour times of course

Absolutely love this place! I’ve never had Japanese BBQ before so my girlfriend and I decided to try it out together. I highly recommend making a reservation because this place is packed, especially on weekends.
Since we had a reservation we were seated upon arrival at 7pm. Our waiter was so attentive and knowledgable about the menu, and he offered up great suggestions for our meal.
We started off with two vodka lemonades. I was skeptical about ordering drinks since the bar was very small, and didn’t seem well stocked. I was definitely proven wrong, as our drinks were well mixed, fresh, and strong.
We sampled a variety of meats, but the short rib was by far the best. The garlic noodles were also an amazing side dish! The process of grilling our own food was very fun and quite simple. To top of the meal we got a lava cake which was to die for.
Definitely head to this place if you’re looking for a fun and delicious date idea, or with a large group of friends!

Oh my lord if you’re gonna eat here you better have a reservation. This is for their bar food and drink since they didn’t have enough seating. we were told 20 – 40 minutes but it was more close to an hour.
I started with a mangotango for finishing finals. it was alright, i thought it needed a little kick and also juice. nothing better than what i could do at home with fruit juice and vodka.
we then ordered the spicy ramen and the bibimbap. the bf was mad that both dishes came out with hardly any stuff int here — meat, veggies, nothing. i was fine with the bimbimbap since it was well seasoned and mixed. but the ramen did not come out with anythign in there. i think the picture is quite deceiving since it made it look so good. we complained to the manager but she just explained their menu is old and they serve everything «by the ounce.» I think she meant it more for grilling meat but she talked to us at the bar and we weren’t grilling any meat yo. nonetheless it was ok but wish it would have been better.

Bottom Line: Yes, I’m coming back! In fact, in between grilling and eating, I made a reservation for a few weeks from now when my family visits Boston!
Reasons to come back:
1) A grill-​your-​own-​meat place in Boston is a fairly novel experience – it’s fun and interactive and best of all…
2) …delicious! My favorite personal favorite was the bistro hanger steak and my boyfriend’s favorite was the beef tongue.
3) The lunch menu (everyday 11:30 am-​3pm) & happy hour (everyday 11:30 am-​5 pm) overlap makes for a wealth of great deals to choose from.
We both ordered a 3-​meat lunch combo (includes soup, salad, rice) for $ 14.95.
I ordered:
(I’ll put the a la carte price in parenthesis)
Bistro Hanger Steak Miso (Regular $ 9, Happy Hour $ 6)
Yaki-​Shabu Beef Miso (Regular $ 6, HH $ 3)
Toro Beef Tare (Regular $ 7, HH $ 5)
He ordered:
Pork Belly (Regular $ 6, HH $ 4)
Beef Tongue (Regular $ 9, HH $ 7)
Shrimp (Regular $ 7)
The meats were tender and super flavorful (everything was marinated really well). We also enjoyed the «Addicting Cucumber,» which is marinated in sesame oil and super light and fresh and a perfect complement to the meats.
The only thing I would avoid next time is the Garlic Button Mushroom to steam (+$ 2 on the lunch menu). It was pretty bland and not that charming.
And of course, I couldn’t resist finishing off the meal with s’mores!
I also enjoyed being able to use their app for a discount and to begin accumulating points for future visits! Hooray for a happy first time at Gyu-​Kaku!

Hands down this is my favorite restaurant. It’s taken me so long to review because it’s difficult to put into words my love and since you grill yourself it’s hard to review the preparation of the food. You only have yourself to blame if you over cook your dinner. I think I’ve tried everything on the menu by now. For appetizers I love the seared salmon, and egg drop soup. The addicting cucumbers are truly addicting. Some of my usual picks for the grill are the beef tongue with the scallion sauce (it is nothing I ever thought I would be into but it’s so thin and delicate. YUM) pork belly, sirloin and I always get the steamed mushrooms.
I love that each table is closed off it gives a very intimate feel. My only gripe about this place is by the end of dinner the grill gets so hot that my face is hot and red. But that’s the only bad thing I have to say about this place.

Came here with the boyfriend and had a really enjoyable experience. Although I’m a seasoned expert at Korean BBQ, I wasn’t sure if this was any different and played the dumb card just in case. Our server did a great job of explaining how to order, the different options, and threw in a few personal recommendations.
We ordered the steamed chili dumplings to start, then the garlic rice bibimbap, harami skirt steak, kalbi short rib, toro beef, beef tongue with scallion sauce, shishito peppers, and the mushroom medley. The steamed dumplings were okay — the chili sauce was good, but the dumplings tasted like they were previously frozen. The garlic rice bibimbap was also delicious, but I had an issue with the presentation. They bring it out in a hot stone pot and then portion it out to each person. I like to let my rice sit in the hot stone bowl and crisp up for a crunchy snack later. As for the grilling, I don’t mind cooking my own food — in fact, I love it.
Our top two favorites were the beef tongue and the kalbi short rib. The beef tongue was sliced super thin so it crisped up in no time and paired perfectly with the scallion sauce. The sauce is just a small bowl of chopped scallion with sesame oil and soy sauce, so I ate it with the other meats as well. The kalbi was juicy and flavorful — I recommend getting the sweet soy marinade.
The harami skirt steak and toro beef weren’t bad, but nothing spectacular. Next time I’ll probably sub these out for something else. The harami steak was tender and yet chewy which was weird and didn’t pack a lot of flavor. The toro beef is like pork belly, but beef and I think I prefer pork belly.
Can’t really go wrong with the veggies. The shishito peppers were yummy (careful, you might get a spicy one every once in a while) and the mushroom medley came in a steamer pack that helped them cook nicely.
Even though I was decently full, my boyfriend persuaded me to get dessert. We got the Lady M which is the house specialty. It’s a slice of cake with layers and layers of crepes filled with cream. Comes with two scoops of ice cream (choice of vanilla, green tea, or one of each). It was surprisingly delicious — I mean how can you go wrong with crepes, cream, and ice cream?
Overall, the service was great and the food was good. Will definitely be back.

I went to eat dinner with 5 other people for a friend’s birthday. So of course we got the meat lover’s course for 6 people.
Get comfortable. I’m going to go down most of the food listed in the course.
Starters
— Edamame: Pretty standard salted edamame.
— Miso Chili Wings: WAY too salty, not really too flavorful.
— Calamari Strips: Nicely fried pieces of calamari. They were a bit too bunched up.
— Sukiyaki Bibimbap: Pretty bland, I would rate it below most bibimbap I’ve had but then again, I’m korean.
BBQ Items
In general, most of the meat were already seasoned and were on the saltier side. I didn’t really like how they put in a chicken basil into the mix. Not exactly sure what’s so japanese about chicken basil nor do I feel that it’s smart to let their customers, who aren’t accustomed to cooking their own meat like this, cook chicken. Especially alongside other meats. The sausages were a huge miss for the entire table.
Overall, a nice meal but I think it could have been better. Maybe a different course would have been better? *shrug*

I enjoyed our experience here. Came during Happy Hour for lunch, which lasts from 11:30am-3pm everyday. I think it’s more worth it to going during Happy Hour because prices from the regular menu can add up quickly. Some items during happy hour are almost ½ off. We ordered mostly meats. You can choose different marinades for each item; I couldn’t really taste the difference between each sauce but they were all marinaded well and tasted great.
I like the idea of grilling your own food, makes for a fun and different experience. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. She came over several times to oil our grill and change it out. When they serve your meats they let you know how long to cook them. Between two people we ordered about 5 meat plates which filled us up.
I would recommend coming here if you want a new and fun dining experience.

Ganz ganz geiles Resteraunt! Ich liebe es! Das essen ist so frisch, Yakiniku Set ist preiswert!

I have been a fan of Gyu Kaku since I lived in LA. Moving to Boston, I am happy that Gyu Kaku is here to satisfy my Japanese BBQ cravings! Unfortunately because of Massachusetts liquor laws, there aren’t amazing happy hour drink specials like the ones you find at Gyu Kaku locations in other states. However, there are still happy hour food specials and drinks are not that expensive!
Happy hour is everyday from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm. and Mon-​Thurs 9:00pm to 10:30pm. If you can’t make it during these hours, they have value BBQ courses, which are a good deal as well. Last time I came, I ordered the Yakiniku course for 2 and I was stuffed! There was so much delicious food! I chose this course over the Geisha course because they had Beef Tongue on the menu, which is my favorite!
In this course, for $ 66 you get:
Starters:
Hakusai Kimchi
Addicting Cabbage
Spicy Addicting Cucumber
Garlic Rice
Lettuce Wrap
Meats:
Beef Tongue with Scallion Sauce
Kalbi Short Ribs Tare
Harami Skirt Steak Miso
Pork Belly Yuzu
Horumon Shio
Liver Miso
Dessert:
Chocolate Lava Cake
Service here is pretty good. Servers are attentive and I like how they change the grill for you when it gets too burnt! I definitely recommend this place for those of you who are craving for Japanese/​Korean BBQ. This will be an interactive meal where you cook your own meat.

Love this place. The dark brown wood makes the atmosphere very chic. It’s very loud and a great group atmosphere to hang out with friends. I can’t imagine it to be romantic because it can be very loud from the waitstaff saying thank you to the guests multiple times. I don’t mind it because it’s very much how the Japanese culture is like. I come during happy hour but the parking sucks because the limit is two hours and I can totally become absorbed in the food and atmosphere that I could be there longer than 2 hours!
My favorites is the hot oil seared salmon (raw), salmon lettuce bibimbap rice (cooked), and of course… loveee loveeee the lady m cake. That’s actually what brings me back! Their green tea ice cream — I love the taste of the matcha, so strong it gives me a caffeine kick!

I just moved to Boston from Tokyo and one of my favorite foods in Tokyo was Japanese yakiniku BBQ. The marbled beef and kalbi beef is seriously taster than anything I’ve ever had in my life, and I grew up with Texas BBQ. I was so sad about moving back to the States and not being able to eat this stuff anymore. But finding a good Japanese BBQ restaurant isn’t always easy, even in Japan. I’ve tried my fair share of bad or mediocre ones.
I was NOT expecting this place to be this good, but it was. I ordered the Kalbi beef and honestly, it tasted just as good as my favorite place back in Japan. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing seeming as I left Japan thinking I’d be giving up Japanese BBQ. But I’m so happy this place exists in Boston.
P. S. Also, the umeshu (Japanese plum liquor) was also pretty good. I only eat Kalbi beef and Japanese sweet potato. It’s a bit pricy but it’s sugoi oishii (very delicious).

I came here with my friend during Happy Hour and it was wonderful. We got a deal for two for only $ 32. It came with five meats, assorted veggies, miso soup, salads and s’mores. We thought we’d end up ordering additional food but it was actually perfect portions for us both. Their meat is marinated deliciously. Our server was great — she gave us tips on how and how long to cook each item.
This place is extremely busy and it’s good to make a reservation ahead of time. When we got in, we waited about 15 minutes before getting seated — whereas a group who came in without reservation had to wait an hour and 15 minutes. I can see why it’s so busy tho — their food is delicious and cooking your own food is always fun. I’m definitely coming back.

Gyu Kaku is always my go-​to when I am sick of eating typical Asian food or American food. The best time to come here is during their happy hour! Everything is so cheap, but it only applies to certain items. Their drinks (alcoholic) are pretty cheap too. For starters, I always get the french fries. It comes with a cod caviar sauce which is absolutely delicious! I’m not too crazy about their other appetizers, especially the seared salmon. It was very bland. Their spicy tuna volcano is okay. The rice gets stuck in your teeth. Very annoying to get it off your teeth (and unattractive if you’re going on a date: x).
Here is what I recommend ordering:
Filet mignon, harami skirt steak miso, bistro hanger steak, premium sirloin, CORN (so yummy if you get the perfect char), and any of their veggies (steamed or grilled).
What I don’t recommend ordering:
Yaki-​shabu, and kalbi short rib
Spicy pork
–Maybe I’m just not a fan of pork, but there isn’t much flavor and it’s always tough when I order it. I know it depends on how long you leave it on the grill for, but I can never get it right!
I still have yet to try their lamb and duck. It looks very good though!
For dessert, I highly recommend the taiyaki and green tea mille crêpe. You have to grill the taiyaki yourself until it’s crispy and golden. It is sooo good. You have to try it for yourself to understand what I’m talking about. For the green tea mille crêpe, I suggest sharing that with one or two other people. I can hardly finish it myself and I am a dessert junkie.
The past couple times I’ve been here, the service has always been amazing. Our server (she looks filipino… I should’ve asked her for her name) was very informative with the cooking times, which I think is crucial to know. Nobody wants an overcooked or burnt piece of meat! She also helped change our grill 2 – 3 times. She was amazing and I would totally come back to request her.
Also, don’t forget about the Gyu-​kaku iphone rewards app! You get a point for every dollar that you spent here. I came here twice after downloading the app and I’ve already got myself a free s’mores dessert! If you rack up to 500 points, you get a $ 25 gift card. I know, I know, that’s such a rip off, but not many restaurants give you incentives like that, even if you eat there 1000 times.