Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Usual 20 – 30 min dinner wait. Food was delicious. Nice sercice. I’ll be coming back for round 2 lol

Always love coming to Gyu Kaku with my boyfriend. Reminds me so much of when I used to live in Japan with the authentic taste. This location was super packed and everybody was really enjoying themselves during happy hour. I recommend the garlic noodles and yaki-​shabu beef!

This place has a great happy hour. Their happy hour was an even better deal than the DineLA special they had going. Nothing beats $ 1.50 draft Sapporo, $ 5 hot sake and all the different meats you get to cook right at your table. The meats were all good cuts and none were especially fatty and difficult to chew. We usually go on a week night when there is little wait and you don’t need a reservation, even during happy hour.

I absolutely love this place. I’ve been to this location and the location in Miami, and both restaurants have been exquisite.
The atmosphere at the restaurant is laid back and very relaxing and the servers were very friendly. This location in particular is very small, therefore upon arrival we had to wait quite a bit to get seated.
As for the drinks, every time I’ve been to the restaurant the drinks have been a $ 1.95 which is a big plus (leechy martinis all night).
As for the food, this place is bbq style kind of like Korean bbq where you cook the food yourself. This can be very entertaining for kids. You pick your assortment of beefs and you cook them yourself.
I definitely recommend this place, it’s a must try!

I’ve passed by Gyu-​Kaku many times, and it always seemed busy. I had high hopes for the restaurant, but I was severely disappointed.
For a party of 2 on a weeknight, I had to wait 45 minutes. I didn’t mind because I had some oysters and drinks at the restaurant next door.
Since it was my first time, I ordered the Value Set for first timers. I think the amount of food for the price is a good bargain, but the quality and taste of the food is where the restaurant lost me. Every meat item that came out was heavily marinated, which may be appealing to some but was not for me. I like to be able to taste the meat rather than have it be drenched in sauces. Marinades should be complimenting the meat not masking it. With every meat item that came out, I was more and more disappointed.
The saving grace was the shrimp and chicken, which is saying a lot for me because I do not like chicken, but for the first time ever, I preferred the Basil Chicken to any of the red meat dishes.
The tables for 2 are unusually small for the number of items that come out, and what made my visit worse was the service. Although the server for my table was great and accommodating, and I could tell that he was trying his best to keep his composure with the business of the restaurant, the server for the table next to us spilled beer all over my friend’s shoes, hence getting them drenched, and all we got was a cursory «I’m sorry about that» without a second glance. Very careless.
For the price I paid for my dinner, I would much rather go to my usual Korean BBQ joints. I guess I’m just not a fan of the marinades and spices they use at Gyu-​Kaku.
Parking: They have valet, but I did what other Unilocalers suggested and parked across the street at the garage for the movie theatre for 3 hours free parking.

Wait can get pretty long here, but I think it’s worth it.
We got the duck breast, beef tongue, bacon with asparagus, pork belly, filet mignon and harami. The most outstanding selections were the duck breast and beef tongue – so good! The duck takes a little longer to cook, but it’s so worth it.
Definitely try to come during happy hour, because otherwise I would imagine the bill can become quite substantial.

This is a fine establishment.
It is very popular, and gets pretty busy at random hours. The management of seating can be erratic, and we were left sitting for 45 minutes while those behind my party were seated. We were here on Christmas day, and the company I was keeping was good, so this didn’t bother me.
We ordered hot pot instead of barbeque because our time for lunch had grown very short.
Mine was mixed veggie with shrimp. Hers was spicy pork. They were both a bit on the bland side.
The service, once we were sat down, was awesome. I’m looking forward to returning and trying the BBQ which is their specialty. It looked and smelled great from other tables, which further accented our bowl’s blandness!

Monday is the day to go here because they have happy hour all day. A cup of Sapporo beer is $ 1.95 and most of the dishes are fairly cheaper. They also have martinis which are only $ 6 which are super tasty. I love the lychee and peach one! If I do go during the week, it has to be on a Monday. This happy hour makes it all worth it. This one is one of the smaller locations I’ve been to compared to the others so the wait might be a little longer. My main problem here is the parking. It really does take forever to actually find a parking spot and that ruins m experience of going here every time. Other than that, the food is great. I LOVE the garlic noodles, the shabu beef, and the spicy tuna crispy rice. Those are definitely the best dishes. For sides I usually get the mushroom medley and the asparagus. They are a great addition to your meal to eat on the side.
If you’re a shishito pepper fan, be careful. Sometimes they are SO spicy it will make you tear!

I remember this place being better last time I was here. It really was just okay. The okay mark really reflects the level of food quality here. I had a couple of appetizers, gyozas and spring rolls, and they were just meh… the meat quality was just so-​so. I had a mix of red meats and seafood. All just okay. The sauces they provide were just okay too and the bottles they were in, looked like they have been used a lot — kind of dirty.. . It was food, but nothing special. I remember coming here a lot time ago and thought it was good and I am not sure what has changed. maybe it is due to the overall improvement of food options, or maybe the quality has gone down. Not sure. If you are looking for a food experience that is average and typical of a chain restaurant, then this place is okay for a night out (make it a weekday).

Meh… I really wasn’t so impressed here. For being an original Japanese chain, it didn’t feel authentic. A bunch of gaijin shouting «irasshainase, kombanwa!» just didn’t do it. NY manages to pull it off but not here.
The staff was friendly and the service was good. The happy hour special is pretty good and the meat was all fresh and tasty. But the sides we ordered were all just meh. I’ve had much better food at other Gyu Kaku restos elsewhere.
Too bad.

Very friendly and more traditional than their other locations. Feels more like a neighborhood restaurant, which is what is expected when eating Japanese food. The service is attentive and the food is great.
Gyu Kaku is fantastic for those who want variety and very hot comfort food. There is something special about eating food hot off the grill and this place provides it for you.
For me I like coming here with groups because drinks are cheap, happy hour is always solid and it seems like it’s always happy hour here and there’s always enough options to satisfy everyone and keep us all entertained at the same time.

While we had a nice meal here, the service was really lacking.
This location gets super full, so not only is it a long wait for the table, but also a long wait to be served or get refills.
We went with the 2 for $ 60 meal which I guess is a descent meal, but there were several things neither of us liked.
It can get really smokey and warm in here as well, so dress light.
Not being much of a meat eater, I had most of the veggies and left the meat for my husband who enjoyed most of it.
The quality is ok, portions are a bit small and prices a bit high for what you get.
Fun for a date night and keeps you occupied for awhile, but nothing I need to rush back to again.

Fantastic Japanese BBQ! Everything was delicious and all of the employees were friendly and extremely helpful.
I recommend the Pork Belly, Garlic Mushrooms, Brisket, and Bacon Chips. The set menus make it easy to enjoy a variety of food at a reduced price. Happy hour and seasonal specials added to this mean even more deals. Great value and great products.
If you can save room, try the Macaron Ice Cream. Perfect ending to a delicious meal and much more interesting than the S’mores!

I’ve always been a very boring eater. I wouldn’t even call it boring perhaps, I play it safe. Also part of it is my culture. As a Russian I’m quite accustomed to meat and potatoes and potatoes and meat and any variation of that. The meat, as my mom taught me as a doctor in soviet Russia must be cooked so well god forbid there is any pink in the middle of you will die, no seriously you will die. It must be so well cooked it chews like a bubble gum. I remember as a child chewing my meat and chewing and chewing and it would never disappear. I think that was the whole reason I was always the skinniest girl in my elementary school, I got bored chewing bubble gum meat for so long my jaw would ache.
As an adult, I almost turned vegetarian because meat just brought back memories of sitting there around the dinner table, my mom with a proud look on her face over her dinner preparation of what else but unchewable meat and potatoes, and me sitting there trying to please her and make her think the meat was the best dinner she’s made yet.
So when Korean BBQ would come up for dinner ideas I would always avoid it like the plaque. You do what? Cook your own meat on a what? A little grill on the table? And how do you know how long to cook it for? What if it’s undercooked? What if it’s so over cooked my jaw will ache again just like it did in my childhood? So my guy, knowing the weird girl that I am eventually stopped bringing it up, and the idea of me trying Korean BBQ almost disappeared into thin air; until I started Unilocaling and the idea of eating out of comfort zone tickled my fancy.
So here we came a few month ago. We chose Gyu-​Kaku only because my guy said its not as «authentic» as Korean bbq in Korea Town (and according to Unilocal it’s Japanese BBQ and not Korean at all, so perhaps someone can explain the difference to me, in the meantime I’ll refer to it as Korean for the sake of my ignorance) but it’s as good as it gets out here. The full on authentic experience would probably be too much for me to take in, but they babied me here and told me all the 20 times I asked how long to cook the meat for so it comes out just right, and just right come out it did. It wasn’t rubbery and nasty like the meat I’ve eaten growing up. It was juicy and left me craving for more after every bite. That my friends is good quality meat, and perhaps growing up in soviet Russia the meat was just very bad quality, and it wasn’t my mothers bad cooking after all.
So you got high quality meat, a super fun experience whether you are a newbie to Korean bbq or you’ve had your share many times, super attentive waiters that will baby you if you need babying and did I mention you get to make s’mores after your satisfying meat meal? Hopefully you are better at making s’mores than me, because my whole stick the marshmallow was on caught fire and it was a disaster. Gee I sure hope Gyu-​Kaku is insured in case I try to make another s’more and accidentally burn their place down, or maybe they should just forbid me from making s’mores altogether. Perhaps the next time I go I will read a «how to make s’mores for dummies» manual.
I can definitely say Gyu-​Kaku erased the scars from my childhood, and I now actually crave meat and not get jaw aches thinking about eating it. Meat therapy at its finest.

The meat here is AWESOME. I can safely say that I’ve tried everything in the beef section and I love everything. The beef toro is probably my favorite. Also, if you want a light appetizer, I definitely recommend the shishito peppers. That being said, the wait is absolutely AWFUL. Be prepared to wait at least 1 hour. I’ve tried coming on both weekdays and weekends and the wait seems to be the same. If it wasn’t for that, I’d actually come by more often.
P. S. If the hostess tells you you’re looking at 40 minutes, just add 15 – 20 minutes to that.

Funny to think this whole time my friend and I came here to get some Korean BBQ. Not until mid-​way through our lunch we asked about it. And looking at our waiter while asking, I see «JAPANESE BBQ» clearly written on his shirt — such an embarrassment!
The place isn’t too bad. We sat down and got bombarded by about 5 different menus and 9 different promotions going on. It was a bit hectic. We ended up choosing the happy hour lunch.
The pricing isn’t too bad and the meat selection is pretty good. Portions are more than enough — especially for two people.
I’m not too big of BBQ places, but I would recommend this to others. If you are looking for a quick BBQ style place that’s not so far out like K-​town, it’s not too bad!
Wait staff is super friendly and helpful — definitely adds to the experience.

I came here the first time with my aunts, and I loved it so much that I had to take my boyfriend here! I ended up ordering the same thing both times, which was the meat lover’s course during happy hour. It’s about $ 55 for two people, but you get soooo much food! Also, if you come during happy hour, their drink menu is amazing and super inexpensive. I got a sake lemonade for $ 3 and it was pretty strong! My boyfriend got a couple beers for like $ 6 total! Awesome deal, I haven’t been here outside of happy hour, but this would be the only time that I would go anyways.
I loved the quality of the meat. I had a couple favorites, but all of them were so good! The appetizers are great, too. I love the garlic chicken! You also get a bowl of rice, miso soup, and a salad! Awesome.
The waitress will tell you how long to cook the meat, but you obviously get to choose when you think it’s ready. Make sure to try the sauces they have on the table! My personal favorite is the ponzu sauce, but my bf swears on the spicy sauce. It’s all so good, just try them all.
You also get s’mores at the end, which is just the cherry on top :) Make sure to come here soon! But remember to wear clothes that you don’t want to have to wash, because you’ll leave this place smelling like bbq!

Good food and good experience.
Fun for family or friends and also cute for a date night although sometimes loud and smells a little smokey since people cook their own food.
Happy hour is great especially if you’re hungry and want to eat alot since some of the plates are smaller and to share.
Make sure to try the spicy tuna volcano and the bistros hirami steak…

3.5 stars.
This is probably the tiniest Gyu Kaku location I’ve ever been to! That being said, the food is still good quality and mighty tasty, especially at happy hour prices and when they have Groupon or Living Social special deals. The service isn’t bad either since the size of the restaurant keeps it from getting overly busy or even extremely noisy, so you can have quite a comfortable dining experience here (best for couples and small groups).
There’s no bar area and I have mixed feelings about that because it’d be great to have drinks while waiting for a table. Then again, this location being so small as is, a bar area would obviously take away a few tables and make possible waiting times even longer. I had the Electric Lemonade (sake, lemonade, & peach) and Peach Berry (sake, peach & cranberry) cocktails at $ 3 each (regular price $ 7). I’d choose the Electric Lemonade again.
Here’s a list of our items:
Kalbi Chuck Short Rib ($ 8) — no happy hour discount but it’s so good.
Harami Miso Skirt Steak ($ 9) — also no happy hour discount but also a tasty cut.
Toro Beef aka Beef Bacon/​Beef Belly ($ 4 happy hour) — probably my happy hour meat favorite.
Beef Tongue ($ 7 happy hour) — slightly chewy but delicious.
Yaki-​Shabu ($ 4 happy hour) — yummy but a bit fatty.
Bistro Hanger Steak ($ 7 happy hour) — another yummy yet fatty cut.
Japanese Sweet Potato ($ 3 happy hour) — because fiber/​need vegetables.
Broccoli ($ 3 happy hour) — because fiber/​need vegetables.
Garlic Mushroom ($ 3 happy hour) — because fiber/​need vegetables; the garlic makes it sweet.
Gyu Kaku is a nice alternative to Korean BBQ joints and while it’s a bit too Americanized/​westernized to be considered authentic Japanese yakiniku or BBQ, it is kinder to your wallet than most Japanese BBQ places. Happy Hour prices are about $ 1 off certain items, with drinks in the $ 3-​$ 5 range. I find that my friends and I can eat and drink to our satisfaction for about $ 35 each (including tip).
Happy Hour is all day Mondays, after 8:30 p.m. –Thursdays, and after 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. I also saw a sign at this location that said happy hour prices any time and day if you show your student ID!
Regarding parking there’s $ 5 valet, metered street parking on Pico (free after 8 p.m.; all of the nearby residential streets require permits) and the Westside Pavilion which is free for three hours.

I remember the good old days when Gyu Kaku used to have half off happy hour. Sadly, those days over, but happy hour is still a good deal. We had a Living Social coupon that we needed to use, so we decided to go Gyu Kaku. They have various hours for happy hours and we were able to make it. Happy hours typically knock down prices few dollars for most items. We tried the Bistro Hangar Steak, Toro Beef (beef belly), and Yaki-​Shabu. Our favorite is Yaki-​Shabu which is thin slice and has a nice marinade on it.
We also tried the garlic mushrooms, which was delicious. We also decided to try the spicy gabli ramen. We have always wanted to try the ramen and we finally tried it today. It was not very good. The noodles tasted like it came out of an instant package and the soup tasted salty. I guess one should not order anything except for meat from a BBQ place.
Aside from the ramen, the BBQ was pretty good. For all students, it is happy hour all day long. We usually park at Westside Pavilion, which is 1 and a half hour free parking.