Gen Korean BBQ House

Daniel was our waiter, very attentive and made sure we had enough food on the grill. Really like the vibe and the rest of the team coming by to deliver food or pick up our used plates. Overall great deal and belly full of food. You have to try it. Recommend the Beef Bulgogi (very tender), shrimp, honey garlic pork belly. There’s so much, I’m coming back with more friends. Keep up the momentum!!

First time and so glad we decided to check it out despite numerous poor reviews. Great space/interior. Comfortable booths. Our server was very kind. Huge menu even if you don’t upgrade to premium. Reasonable portions, not too much but not too little. Service was FAST. Quality and flavor of food was fantastic. Totally worth it! I definitely ate all I could. Will definitely be coming back!

Disappointing Experience – Not Worth the Hype or Price I’ve had Korean BBQ many times across multiple states, including at other Gen BBQ locations, and I genuinely can’t believe this lunch for two cost $65. For that price, this was shockingly subpar. The biggest issue was the quality and handling of the meats. The brisket came out looking shredded and crumbling — almost like it had been improperly frozen or sliced while too thawed. It fell apart on the grill, and much of it disintegrated before it could even cook. No oil, onion, or fat was provided to help prevent sticking — something most KBBQ spots automatically include with lean cuts. When I asked for something to help, I was basically told to just throw everything on the grill as-is. Service was hands-off to a fault. Most places will help manage grill temps or check in occasionally. Here, no one adjusted the temperature for us or explained whether we were allowed to. I eventually just turned the knobs myself because no one came by, despite the restaurant being nearly empty. When I asked one server if I could adjust he just stared at me silently then left. The seasonal vegetables were borderline insulting: one slice of pineapple, two cucumbers, two peppers, and a cross-section of onion. It felt like they gave up before even trying. The calamari steak was unpleasantly fishy. On the positive side, the galbi was decent, and they did serve a generous amount of salad. But overall? This was one of the worst Korean BBQ experiences I’ve had. If you’ve never had KBBQ before, maybe you’d think it’s fine — but if you have even a little experience, this place will be a letdown. I now understand why this location had initial hype and then emptied out. It was nearly deserted when we visited. --- appetizers --- calamari ⭐ - you can't even bite this in half - it's all breading and the inside is super chewy Salad ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - honestly saved some of the dishes Banchan ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - just what you'd expect - they don't offer to replace any though even though the place was empty Seasonal vegetables ⭐ - it's not ok to give only 2 slices of cucumber, 1 slice of pineapple and 2 halves of a pepper - this was super disappointing as counting as part of a round --- meats --- Calamari steak ⭐ - fishy - needed a sauce but they don't give gochujang or anything with this - good texture though if you cook it properly Al pastor ⭐⭐ - only ordered to see because I don't recall ever seeing this at other locations - my partner liked this but I didn't - the tortillas it came with were crumbling and totally store bought - salsas were watery Brisket ⭐⭐⭐ - I liked it when we cooked it but I've had this tons of times, it's not supposed to crumble and shred like this - if we are in charge of cooking, then the ingredient prep should be focused on and better ❤️Galbi ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a classic - the best one, I wouldn't trust much else here - this even varied from round to round here - I constantly get this sort of cut to eat at home but somehow some of the pieces they gave us were just so insanely fatty it was inedible Gen Prime steak ⭐⭐⭐✨ - descent but not memorable - there's a fat cap that we saved to oil up the grill, at least

We arrive at 5:00pm on a Friday, and were seated immediately. Go with the Premium. It's only $20 added. Worth it. Center cut short ribs, carne asada meat and the ribeye were really good. The shrimp were too much work for us. We didn't try the crazy drinks that were offered, we just had sake, and enjoyed it very much. The server was really helpful with dietary questions (dairy free & gluten free), and ended up brining over an 'Allergen Chart' for nearly ever dish on the menu. Very helpful.

Celebrating an occasion and decided to give Gen Korean BBQ another try. 1st experience soon after opening wasn’t impressive. This time was completely opposite. We decided to treat ourselves to the Wagyu premium selections and it was delicious. Even better, our server Henry was amazing. Best service we’ve had in a long time. I’m not a fan of our tip culture and don’t think “showing up for work” entitles anyone to a tip. However Henry went above and beyond and sustained that service throughout our whole meal. We were checked on frequently, helped us with cutting a type of meat and made sure we didn’t want for anything. Needless to say he earned a great tip. Thanks Henry for the exceptional service!!

If you’re in Portland and craving Korean BBQ, I definitely recommend checking out Gen. The side dishes alone are worth the visit—everything was fresh, well-prepared, and had great variety. The tofu soup stood out the most for me. It was flavorful, comforting, and honestly some of the best I’ve had. As for the meats, I really enjoyed the top sirloin and brisket. Both were high quality and cooked up nicely on the grill. The fingerlings were also a nice touch—simple but delicious. Additionally,our waiter went above and beyond and showed exceptional customer service from start to end. Overall, it was a great experience with solid food, good portions, and a relaxed atmosphere. I’d gladly come back.

Went on a Saturday in between rushes and had an amazing time! Their mocktails are delicious, and the food portions are great. Being able to cook the meat yourself is a fun experience, and I will definitely be going back. Weekends are at the dinner rate, but give you the dinner menu. The variety means you'll be coming back again to try out everything you missed. The staff were attentive and pleasant, helping make the atmosphere that much more welcoming.

I've eaten here a few times, and the ingredients were normal before. This was the first time I ate beef tongue without removing the thorny skin on the outside. This was obviously a wrong preparation of the ingredients. I asked the waiter why the outer circle was not removed and it was inedible. She told me that it couldn't be removed. I was very confused. Can you try it yourself and see if it's edible? The outer circle was hard and thorny. What a waste. The beef tongue cut like this is inedible. The outer layer of tongue coating needs to be removed, otherwise it will be thorny.