yakiniQ SJ

I got some mix feelings about this place my first few visits were amazing brisket was soft and wasn’t too rough! Now as I’ve been coming back it hasn’t really been tasting the same ! I don’t know if I left the meat on longer than usual but it taste kind of bland. Service is often on and off. Some busy days you will have a hard time getting the servers attention. But for most part the over all service is average. Some servers are super attentive and will keep an eye on you regardless of how busy it is.

This is my second time at YakiniQ and it was more pleasant than my first. Came here on a Wednesday night and there was no wait. We got seated immediately and the first thing that I noticed was how small the tables were. They’re RIDICULOUSLY small. We were already cramped before the our meats even came out.
Aside from that, the service good at first because the restaurant was empty. Our servers were fast and attentive, but as the crowd started coming in, the more we had to flag them down. There were only 2 servers throughout the entire restaurant and I felt so bad for them because they were literally running around trying to accommodate everyone’s requests. They were on top of grill changes though, so I’ll give them props for that.
As for the food, I don’t think it’s worth $ 24.99. With the limitations on orders you can make on certain meats and very few options, there are other KBBQ restaurants in San Jose that will give you more selections and more bang for your buck. A lot of the sides like lettuce and tofu soup are not included, so you have to pay extra on top of the $ 24.99 if you want those.
We ordered:
Brisket (3.5÷5) It was good, but some pieces were extremely fatty so I found myself cutting it off most of the time. I recommend asking for garlic and onions to make it more flavorful.
Miso pork belly (³⁄₅)
It comes in three pieces, so if you don’t want that many, ask for a smaller order. The pork belly was pretty good for the first couple of bites, after that, I got sick of the taste because of how salty it was.
Short ribs (⁴⁄₅) This was probably my favorite. The cut was a good size and the quality was there. It was flavorful and tender so I didn’t have to chew too much.
Fire squid (¹⁄₅
Pass.

Sigh. I used to really love this place. I came on a weekday an hour and a half before their closing time but what happened? They shut off their lights and locked their doors right as we were walking towards it. I’m guessing it wasn’t a busy day and then closed early but sucked since their hours were not updated and they didn’t put a sign on the door. Anyway. Came back a week later.
I came when they first opened and was very loyal. I love their variety and service. I loved the ambience.
However… Their customer service is so bad now. To be fair when they talked to us they were friendly but we had to aggressively wave them down and ¾ of the time we got people who were training and couldn’t help us. It took us forever to get any of our orders and the worst part was finding someone who could even take our order. We never had a specific waiter which was fine but no one ever came to ask if we wanted anything. And like I said they were all training and would tell us «we can’t take this order for you» which I understand but then the more experienced workers should be sticking around more so we can order from them.
Food– consistent. It’s tasty but not more unique than the other new KBBQ places popping up now. The 20% off Unilocal deal was what brought me back.

This was my first time getting Korean bbq and I really loved this place. The pricing was reasonable. And though they were packed on a Friday night, the wait wasn’t bad at all.
The one complaint I have is the garlic butter chicken tasted kind of bland to me, and the fire squid really wasn’t that spicy even though it had 3 chili peppers next to it lol. But overall the food was really good. I can’t compare it to other places though though, but I probably will be coming back here.
The service wasn’t that great. don’t get me
wrong, the food came quickly and the grills were changed quickly as well, but the waiters didn’t really talk to us or ask us how everything was. And it took them a while to refill the water. However, they were really busy so it was understandable and we didn’t mind.

That back home North Korean feel. Nailed it! It reminded me of my unwanted extended stay in North Korea. Pictures of dear leader on the wall, everyone screaming at me in North Korean. The food is amazing served in internment camp style bowls and dishes really made me remember a delicious I meal of unlimited meats after a tough day of breaking rocks in the salt mines. All hail dear leader for his blessing of yakini q the best North Korean bbq this side of Pyongyang.

There are South Korean and North Korean BBQs and this place my friends is a North Korean BBQ joint. Food is great but the ambiance screams communism. Being a Chinaman I know Communism! From the interment camp style bowls and utensils to the smoke filled air to the wooden stools, it brought back images of my grandfathers stories of Mao’s camps.

I’ve been a fan of Yakiniq ever since they opened their SF location.
Although, this location is much smaller, I usually don’t have to wait too long for a table and I love you can lift the lid off the seats and throw your belongings in there. (Just don’t forget about them on your way out!)
My favorite thing here are the kalbi, bulgogi, brisket and pork belly. They usually only give seasons oil and salt as your condiment but I always ask them for soy sauce and vinegar so I can make my ghetto ponzu like sauce to dip my brisket in.
I like Yakiniq better than Gen because I get much better service and I always get everything I order.

3.5 Stars because their soju cocktails are BOMB.
When Gen has a 4 hour wait on a Saturday night, you make your way over to YakiniQ to semi-​satisfy your KBBQ Cravings. Think of it as… you’re craving for some IN-​N-​OUT, but you missed the closing time… and had to go to McDonalds to try and satisfy your burger craving instead…
The two times I tried to take my visiting cousin to Gen on a Saturday night, the wait time has been far too long and we are far too HANGRY to wait around for a table, so through alternative recommendations that I got along the grapevine, we’ve ended up here both times.
If you come early enough in the evening, there is not wait time for a table, and even if there was a wait time… it’s not going to be 4 hours long.
I came into Yakini Q with high expectations, because my friends RAVED about this place. We were seated fairly quickly. I believe that there are two options for dinner, a cheaper AYCE for $ 19.99, and one with more quality meats for $ 24.99 I think?
Well, we went with the option with the «premium» meats. My absolutely favorite thing to get at an AYCE KBBQ place is KALBI. Kalbi is life. Try to fight me on it and I will beat you down, ya feel? I feel about Kalbi the way you feel about your very first car purchase. I tried to scan the menu for this heavenly deliciousness… and to my disappointment… they didn’t have the bone-​in Kalbi… the only had the boneless one… and I mean… it’s the same, but it’s not! You don’t get the satisfaction of ripping the meat off the bones with your teeth like a savage. I just wanted to channel my inner beast, ja feel?
Anyways, the set of up of the place is quite interesting. The smaller tables are for the most part round, and you get these cute little stools to sit on. There’s no place for you to leave your bag… but HAVE NO FEAR. Secret compartments on the stool! If you pull off the top of the stool and BAM! You can stash your bags, jackets, scarves, and whatever you want to keep safe and away from smelling like KBBQ after in there.
My least favorite part of this experience was the goddamn vents for the smoke. They were kind of useless. We sat in the middle of the restaurant and the vent for our table was slightly above me… but not directly above the stove… so naturally when the meats were cooking, all of that smoke blew into my face. It was the worst seat at the table and I reeked of KBBQ when I left the joint. Also, it’s not fun when your eyes are watery the entire time…
There are definitely less choices than you can find at Gen, but they have interesting sides, such as tofu soup, steamed egg, and other things along those lines… BUT be warned, you have to pay extra for some of the sides. like…if you order lettuce… you have to pay $ 1 for the lettuce… like…why?!
Kalbi, nicely seasoned. Delicious and fatty.
Bulgolgi, seasoned well.
Brisket, super frozen. no bueno my friends.
Garlic Butter Chicken, merh. too long too cook, not worth the wait
Spicy pork, if you’re not a fan of the Korean spicy sauce. then stray from this.
Just don’t get the squid. just don’t do it.
Tofu soup, hella spicy. ouuuweeee.
Beef tongue, too thick, and if not cooked properly becomes too chewy.
Side dishes: they aight. Mashed potatoes come in a large portion but… not very tasty in my opinion… bright side of this? You can keep asking for refills at no charge.
Soju cocktails: ⁵⁄₅
We ordered the peach flavor and it was fantastic. I think they add a bit of Sprite into it to give it a more bubbly feel. The flavors are very well balanced and not too strong.
Another downside is the soda… you get a small can, and it’s not all you can drink… but like lets be real, one can of soda isn’t going to last you when you’re trying to do AYCE BBQ. I mean, I guess it might help you be a more health conscious, but that doesn’t matter when you’re pigging out !!!
Service was decent. I honestly had no idea who our main server was… they rarely ever checked on us, so we’d just say «excuse me» and grab the most available server. They’re definitely understaffed, there’s a sign in front looking for more workers… so hey, if you’re looking for a job, come apply here.
I asked 3 times for a refill on my coleslaw and mashed potatoes… and it wasn’t until the third time that those dishes actually came out, so I was pretty disappointed. because I really hate having to repeat myself.
Nice ambiance though. Super clean bathrooms… and they blast that KPOP all day, errday.
I’ll come back here because my cousin seems to enjoy it and wants to take his family here when they arrive… but I’ll turn him to Gen. soon enough…

NOTE: EVEN THOUGH THEY CLOSE AT 11PM ON WEEKDAYS, THEIR LAST CALL ON IS AT 10:15PM!
I know this because I came here the day before ready to stuff myself, but they were done for the night :(SO YOU ALREADY KNOW I CAME BACK THE NEXT DAY.
Did the 19.99/person and ordered: thinly sliced beef brisket, marinated beef boneless short rib (1 order per person), miso pork belly, garlic butter chicken, fire squid, and rice cake wrap. My favorites were the beef brisket, marinated beef short rib, & the miso pork belly wrapped with rice cake wrap! It was already marinated and flavored, but if you want to add more of your own seasonings, there are side dishes with chili sauce and sesame oil you can add to the meats. I also asked for a side of their soy bean paste (DELICIOUS) and soy sauce for dipping, and marinating the meats.
Although this location is fairly new compared to the SF location, I like this location better! The space is perfect for customers and servers in terms of interaction, and it is much cleaner! I also really liked the servers that we had here because they were super friendly! Every time I asked for something they just smiled, said okay, walked away, and came back with what I asked for! (and I was being super needy too!). There’s parking, the restaurant is spacious and clean, servers are nice, and it’s just a whole different crowd compared to the SF location. I’ll be back at this location again!
BTW*** check in on Unilocal to get 20% off MON-​THURS (I didn’t know that. until I checked in AFTER I ate & paid the bill. sighhhhh)

Korean BBQ is done 2 ways. It’s either really, really good or really, really bad. In this case YakiniQ is done very, very good!
We walked into a partially busy restaurant and were seated right away. Our server (tall, handsome Korean guy) took our order and served us our banchan in less than 2 minutes of sitting down (bonus points). We ordered the $ 24.99 AYCE with includes bulgogi and boneless short ribs… ahhhhhh DELICIOUS!!! Marinated to perfection!!! The banchan was EXCELLENT! Variety variety variety!!! All the MUSTS were present and re-​fills were done in a timely manner. Definitely one of the better Korean BBQ joints in the area… Will definitely be coming back!
Note: We all know that everyone coming out of a Korean BBQ place stinks like a mofo but they keep this place ice cold and the air circulating to reduce the odor post feast… BONUS POINTS!

LOVE this place! It looks like a club hahaha it has that club feel. Loud music and Kpop on the screen. Their seats are one of those small short and handy chairs where you can store your stuff inside if you need to. like, your purse and such because the table is fairly small and round but its just really just right for the food and some elbow room.
They had waaaaaay more selection on meat for all you can eat! my fave was the spicy squid and the marinated beef. I love their sides and for some reason their kimchi taste better than other Korean bbq places i’ve been in the past.
Had to change our grill a lot of times which was awesome bc the workers we’re super aware that it gets dark and collie after 2 – 3 sets of meat. They we’re on it. Very awesome service our waiter was very patient with us with the water refill. Overall had a great experience. It was totally something new for sure. the seats were shorter and so was the table and it was pretty dark in there almost couldn’t tell if our chicken garlic butter was ready or getting burnt but it was all good, we had our phones to check it. usually its just the chicken thats kind of hard to tell but the beef is totally fine medium rare but you know how those chicken meat are different, they have to be thoroughly cooked or else you’ll get sick depending on how well your stomach can take it.
anyways, definitely coming back with a larger group next time! it was a very fair price for that many selection.

So I would have given this a 2 ½*
The service has definitely gone down since Gen took all the customers. But wouldn’t you expect better customer service to the loyalists that still come around? One night, Me and my party of 3 came in at 10:25 to have one of the hosts say that last call was at 10:30 and that the place closed at 11. On Unilocal it says you are open til 12. We normally go there. When did hours change? You guys need to fix that. Looking out for y’all. So I can tell he didn’t want us to be there because he rolled his eyes at us when we said it was fine. Our party really felt rushed and we were wondering why another party that was there was not being rushed as much as us. After getting one round the check was given.15% was automatically charged onto our check. Waiter says that they have «always have automatically charged 15%». We’ve been here plenty of times and never has it automatically been charged. Not that we wouldn’t have given that much. It was just weird how it was added. Once we signed and everything the waiter never came back. Wow. Didn’t even get more water or napkins. Really disappointed after this event.
Well I will at least mention the food. The brisket is always good. Best thing on the menu. For $ 19.99 get hella rounds of this. The short ribs are bomb too. Too bad only 1 order per person. Personally out of all the pork bellies, get the miso pork. So good. The most flavor. Oh yeah be careful they charge for rice.
Parking here used to suck. But now that less people come it definitely is really easy to find parking. Also be prepared for a face full of smoke. Their vents aren’t as good. Especially the tables in the middle that do not have any vents.

This place is in between good and bad. The food and service is great, I had a good experience off that. HOWEVER THE SMOKE WAS SLAPPING ME IN THE FACE; the smoke suffocated me so bad that I started to get dizzy and sleepy. I could’ve ate more but the smoke was so overwhelming that me and my bf wanted to leave asap in which we did. But. I guess the smoke can’t be helped since it’s so condensed in a small place. I just couldn’t get over getting suffocated… But great service nonetheless. Just a suffocating environment

YakiniQ, I really wanted to enjoy you. Thought I would fall in love with you at first bite, but I obviously thought wrong because I’m giving you three stars. You are just alright.
Imagine yourself in a Korean drama. You’re in one of those popular scenes where you and your friends eat in some food stall at the street side. You know what I’m talking about, right? You hear that sizzling noise along with the noise of your neighbors’ conversation about their personal lives. It’s not well lit either because you’re outside at night. Well, guess what? You would feel like that when you dine here. The only difference would be that instead of one ahjumma fulfilling your every need, you have a few eye-​candy oppas at your command. Now, onto the food!
There’s two types of AYCE you can do. The cheaper option doesn’t have pork jowl and some other ones. My memory cells must be too clogged by all the oil from that place. Anyway, a friend and I decided to try the «better» one because my curious stomach and mouth wanted to try the pork jowl. To Be honest, paying that extra amount was not really worth it. It doesn’t hurt to try but I would probably do the $ 20/​person IF I somehow ended up in this place again. Anyway, all the meat was just really oily. Like a lot oilier than most places. I felt so gross after that I needed one of those oil blotting sheets for my face. Btw, my face is not normally oily! My face just somehow soaked all the oil from the girl or the oil from the consumed meat traveled from my gastrointestinal tract onto my epidermis. (Oooh nerd alert!) I did enjoy the rice paper and their ban Chan though! The rice paper was very fresh! For the meat, I enjoyed the brisket. I did not like that pork skin. I did not enjoy that texture at all but don’t let me prevent you from trying it if you initially wanted to try it. My friend liked the pork skin so I guess it’s just based on each individual ‘s preference.
Service was good. They looked under staffed because I see them quickly walking everywhere with sweat dripping down their face. A quick shout-​out to one particular server because he was the one who helped us out the most. Out of everyone else wearing short sleeve shirt, homeboy be wearing a long sleeve button up shirt. Like, aren’t you burning in that? So if it weren’t for him, I’d give this 2 star but added one extra because of his exceptional service! Everyone request for Yoon! He’s efficient and gives you tons of rice paper!
It would take some convincing and effort for me to come here again. The drive is far. I’d probably also have to hike mission peak or do something so that I can cancel out all the fat and oil.

In A Nutshell:
–I treated a group of 16 for some Korean BBQ and decided to take them here.
–You only get ONE SERVING per person of kalbi (Korean BBQ Rib), which seemed a little odd. They also cut away the bone and bring you out the meat, but for us carnivores who love the tendon on the bone, you are kinda bummed about that.
–The banchan is very minimal, but the kimchi was actually very, very good.
–The service was good, very attentive with the K-​Pop looking staff.
Overall, everything went well until, we were told we were about to exceed our «2 hour time limit» — HUH? The time limit was never discussed prior to being seated, in addition, we were only seated for about 1 hour and 13 minutes at the time of being told. Not only that, but the sign outside says «UNLIMITED». I call that B.S. I probably won’t come back and suggest going to another Korean BBQ all-​you-​can-​eat spot.

I’ve been here several times already, and each time I’ve enjoyed the customer service and the food of course. I’d say this is one of my fave Korean BBQ joints to go to…
The ambience of this place is pretty cool… it’s got that umm… urban, but divey kind of feel to it… just go there, and you’ll see what I mean haha…
I give this place four stars though b/​c the tables are quite small, so you can’t really bring a large group with you… a lot of the time you end up sharing tables with other people so yeah…
This place fills up fast, so I suggest you make your way there early enough before they open for the evening… they are open really late though, so that’s good…
Anyway, the menus are posted up on along the wall… it’s unlimited bbq so eat all you can! You’ve got two price options to choose from… the 19.99 or the 24.99, plus you’ve got the sides section and drinks, but I don’t even bother with that haha…
I’ve only chosen the 19.99 option just because the the 24.99 doesn’t look as appealing to me… the 19.99 is a lot simpler, but it’s friggin’ delicious haha…
May I suggest the following (especially the ones in capital letters): THINLY SLICED BEEF BRISKET, short rib, PORK BELLY (just the regular one, not the miso one), steamed egg, and RICE CAKE WRAP…
Of course you get ish-​faced with ban-​chan, which are all very good here… I also get a side of lettuce just to get different texture with my meat…
The servers always check up on you and are prompt to change your grill when they see it needs changing. They are also good with refilling your waters as well as attending to everything else you ask for.
The only thing that I would recommend changing about this place is the lighting… I mean when I would come here over the summer, the only source of light I felt the restaurant would get was the light from the outside haha… I mean yeah, they turn the light on, on the overhead fan, but you can’t even tell… I’m only bringing this up b/​c I want to make sure my meat is cooked right… I’m not about the «rares»…other than that, this place is great…

Don’t really have much to say about this place…
— Tables are SUPER small, so coming with a big group makes the table so squishy! They’re round with stools around it (traditional korean style)
— Meat was decent, sides sucked
–Service was okay, they got their job done
I mean, now that Gen is open in SJ. why go here? I mean, unless there’s a 3 hr wait at Gen, then yeah come here!

Food was scrumptious but they do a good job bringing food out slowly and using tiny grills so that you don’t eat too much, lol. I mean, I would sit here for 5 hours if I could, but that’s too long for a meal… And they wouldn’t give us a table with 2 grills because apparently 6 people isn’t enough… But they did sit 2 tables of two people separately… –_​– So maybe ask for two separate tables if you have a larger party? You’ll get food much quicker, hahah
The marinated beef and the spicy pork belly were on point here. Tiny portion of the beef, so order another right when it comes out. The octopus and beef brisket were just decent. Fried rice with egg was pretty plain too, and the steamed egg could use some salt. It’s okay though. Stick with the first two dishes I liked and you’ll leave satisfied.
Service was quite slow. I believe they do that on purpose to limit the food but that’s just me making assumptions.

Had some major cravings for kbbq and I’ve always hit up LA for it… but decided to go out on a limb and try a place in sj.
Service was extremely slow (a Sunday around 7 pm?). We had to constantly ask the servers for water… utensils…side dishes… change the grill. and more meat… and we had to ask more them at least twice for most of these requests. They were seriously understaffed for the night.
Meat quality wasn’t the best but still passable. Didn’t have the chewy texture you get from really good quality fresh meat. Disappointing how they ran out of rice paper after we requested it one time… and it was only 7 pm. the start of busy dinner hours. It was funny how the same music video was playing on the tv the whole time we were there and it didn’t even match the music… and it was weirdly dark in there… so dark it was hard to tell if our meat was cooked through.
I don’t know if I’d come here again… but I guess only plus is it’s one of the only cheaper ayce kbbq places $ 20 whereas other places in sj are usually $ 30+ for dinner. And side note.15% gratuity autocharge if you have 6+ party.

A lot of people thought the layout of this restaurant looks awkward. In order words, this is an extremely divey Korean BBQ place in San Jose. If you are into Korean dramas, this place looks like a nicer version of Korean street BBQ in the dramas. Besides the layout, the choice of aluminum utensils is also very street!
This is an all you can eat (ayce) Korean BBQ restaurant with 2 options: $ 19.99 for regular ayce and $ 24.99 for all regular ayce plus additional meat choices (check photo for the whole menu). Besides, you have the choice of additional sides and drinks.
Location (⁴⁄₅): The restaurant looks pretty dark inside, so it’s maybe hard to find them for your first visit. There are parkings in front of the restaurant. At night, the restaurant is the only place opening late around there so it can give you a «scary» feeling in this neighborhood.
Services (⁵⁄₅): I came in around 8:30pm on a Sunday night, and it wasn’t crowded. There were only two waiters in the whole restaurant, and they were fast! They got what we wanted quickly. Another PLUS detail about this restaurant is their thoughtful chairs! Yes, CHAIRS!!! Did you know that you can put your belongings inside the chairs so you don’t have to worry about somebody taking your stuffs while bbq-​ing? I was so amazed when I saw customers here putting things in their chairs!
Food (³⁄₅): We went with the $ 24.99 per person. Along with the BBQ, they already prepared the typical oil and spicy sauce on the table for you. Plus, there are complimentary sides such as seaweed, smashed potatoes, bean sprouts and chap chae. If you run out, just ask for more! Everytime your party orders, they only allow 3 kinds of meat at once. This is because there are not much spaces on the table. The food itself is relatively mediocre. This is much more of a drinking place for people to come and chill. If you are looking for mind-​blown Korean flavors, I don’t think this place will be for you. I highly recommend a kiwi soju cocktail ($ 12) to go with the meat. It has such a cute flavor which is perfect for those who need a little somethin somethin for the meal.
I would definitely come back here if I crave for the BBQ-​myself and street experience!