Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

This was our first experience of this type of dining ever. The quality of the ingredients was extremely good. The service was excellent. Our waiter patiently explained the procedure and helped us with recommended cooking time for each type of meat. I'd definitely recommend trying at least once if you have not done it before. Give yourself enough time to enjoy it... this is not a place to have some rushed food.. you will be cooking your own meat and veggies! The one info we wish we knew beforehand was the availability and placement of the flame adjustment controller (which is at the edge of your table, by the way)!

Roast beef rice bowl was better than I expected. The beef was well-cooked, tender and juicy. Served with hot rice with sauce. The sauce was just right for the rice, not too much. The staff was attentive and very nice.

This place offers an unforgettable Japanese grilling experience with its authentic low tables and open grill. Cooking your own food at the table is not only fun but adds a unique, personal touch to the dining experience. The atmosphere captures the essence of Japanese culture, making it a must-visit. Be prepared to leave with a slight BBQ smell, but it's a small price to pay for such an amazing culinary adventure. Highly recommended for an immersive and enjoyable dining experience.

Came in on a weekday lunch; was worried about not being able to get a table but there was no problem at all (was raining earlier of the day). Was not given the lunch menu; had to asked for it. Ordered 2 meats BBQ: Angus Beef Rib and Toro Beef. The pictures on the menu totally does not look like what the pictures look like on the lunch menu. I had to ask twice to find out what's what (at first, I thought that I was given the wrong order). Toro beef cook quickly and well-seasoned, but they are on the small side.. Rib much longer time and can be still have tendon not well cook; won't order them again in the future. Soup/Salad/rice are about the same as others.

Caution! Think twice before opting for the "all you can eat BBQ" experience. Our server cautioned us that any uneaten food would be added to the bill, which felt unreasonable given the hefty price tag of $165+tip for the 'supreme' option boasting a selection of 90 meats, sides, and extras. Constant reminders from the server about potential extra charges became a nuisance during ordering. This visit left us deeply disappointed, especially since I had recommended the place for lunch, only to find the quality of food and meat subpar. In the end, the $165+tip felt like a complete waste. I visited this place 2 years ago for the first time, and this visit was my last visit, I will never come back.

Late review from my visit to Chicago a few weeks ago. Reservations recommended. Great place for grill your own meats. The salad was excellent! Greens were fresh and dressing was one of the best I’ve had in a Japanese restaurant. The pork cuts were just on the fattier side of what I’d prefer but the beef cuts we ordered were all great, nicely marinated and tender. The grill is perfect for two, the three of us managed but I think four would be a very slow meal with the limited real estate on the grill. The choice of two meats was not a lot of food though we didn’t leave hungry. Bigger appetites could definitely use a third choice or more. Docked a star for atmosphere due to bathroom needing attention and some areas of the floor were sticky, likely due to some sauce spills. That sweet soy dipping sauce was really good! 😄

this is my second time dining at gyu-kaku (first time at this location) and it didn’t disappoint. honestly whatever meat you get, it’ll be amazing. i don’t remember the specific cuts we got because it was a lot, but each one was great and the meat is excellent quality. i really love the marinades also. if you want it really spicy, i recommend the jalapeño miso marinade - i have a pretty good spice tolerance and it was REALLY spicy. overall i really enjoyed my meal!

Great place to get Japanese BBQ! Our server Ann was so kind. It was our first time here and she explained the entire menu to us and answered all our questions. They’re on top of their service. The food was amazing & the atmosphere was chill. It wasn’t too loud where I had to yell across the table and we went on a Saturday night. Recommend to make reservation to avoid a long wait because they tend to get very busy. Overall, great experience. Thank you, Ann! We will definitely be back. 😊

Antione was awesome!!! Great food and margaritas. Will definitely come again! Service spectacular.

Our server Ann was amazing when we visited on Sunday. The food was delicious and very flavorful.

Rather than the all you can eat, we opted to order a-la-carte. The meat is great quality, as you would expect for yakiniku. Didn't take long to get seated (it's Monday evening). For table side grill they have good ventilation. Clothes didn't smell like burnt meat which was a huge plus.

This is a classic spot for decently priced japanese bbq. i love the umakara sauce meats, and their sides, like the beef sukiyaki bibimpbap and salad are amazing too. Service is alright, I've had better at Gyu Kaku. They also refuse to oil up the grill now which causes the meat to get stuck to the grill :/ All in all still solid !

Gyukaku Chicago location, this wasn't worth over $200 in any circumstance. First of all, all of Gyukaku in Japan (LA as well) has iPad to order at table but this location didn't have it so we had wait for our server to come and get our next meat choices every single time.... Whose idea was that to get rid of iPads...? We chose "supreme" AYCE option only for Kalbi Short Ribs and it wasn't good at all. Plus I had to pay "Park Chicago" app $20 since I was out of town ($20 was the lowest to load on the app to park and the parking meter was broken). I love Korean BBQ in general but this location has a lot to improve if they want to be any closer to real Korean BBQ. I was very disappointed.

We chose the BBQ Favorites for 2 menu (salad, miso soup, kimchee, rice, kalbi, hanger steak, NY steak, spicy pork, shrimp, broccoli and cheese, and ice cream) for $50 person. It was fun doing your own grilling. Just be sure to not overcook or burn the meats while you are busy sampling all the different meats. The meats were seasoned very well; you really don't need their flavored butters. We were pretty stuffed at the end!

Our first visit to Chicago and we luckily made it during restaurant week. Interestingly enough, customers have to ask for the restaurant week special menu. Wait staff does not automatically provide these for us. We also saw another table request the menu after sittinng for 10 minutes too. The special was $42 per person for a set variety and choice of meats and dessert which was definitely worth it! We ended up with so much meat my wife could barely finish her set and I had to pull extra weight! The bbq meats reminded us of our trip to Japan earlier last year and everything was so good! Our meals even came with choice of dessert which we were lucky we could finish after all the food. Definitely get good value here! Pro tip: we asked for a side of wasabi and was charged $1.50 for a small cup. Very odd that Gyu-kaku would be picky about that but good to know for future visits!

We had an amazing time, and Antione provided excellent service. The food just kept coming out, and everything tasted fresh and delicious!

Came here with a group of five during happy hour and it was 10000% worth it. We opted in for the Yakiniku course and we were all so so full. Food: delicious! I'm always bias towards the meats that are marinated in the sauces. I really liked Gayu-Kaku salad and spicy tuna volcano in the starters. At the end, they gave us little s'mores to grill on the fire. The whole meal was perfect for our group. The service was great! Our server made sure to change our grills when appropriate, gave us tips on grilling, and was attentive on getting us drinks throughout the happy hour time slot. Tip: sign up for the rewards! It'll give you free apps and different perks.

Had a great experience at this AYCE. My friend and I got the middle tier "ultimate" menu. Got our limit 1 items and taste tested around the meats, I think ended up doing mostly kalbi and sirloin. Our server was mostly great. He kept our orders coming and did multiple grill exchanges for us. The grill itself had a clear hot spot so things weren't cooking evenly. On top of flipping the meat, I would spin the grill too. As time went on, his attention went down some. Maybe he was helping with cleaning since it was nearing the end of the day, but we sat with empty water cups more than once.

Come here for great service and delicious bbq meats. Our party of 8 decided to grab jbbq for dinner without reservations and luckily got seated within 15 minutes. Our group was able to sit side by side with one grill shared between four people. We decided to take advantage of the set menu for four and we found the food to be never ending! The set menu comes with 2 rounds of grilled meats and a bunch of apps not to mention you end your meal with s'mores roasted at the table. Some of the highlights of the set menu was the crispy rice with tuna. The rice was perfectly crisp and the tuna was refreshing. The marinaded meats were some of the fan favorites at the table. We were not too into the garlic noodles as we are more accustomed to thicker noodles but nonetheless it filled us up. The miso soup and salad were great ways to start the meal and got us excited for the grilled section. Each plate only had one or two pieces of meat per person but we found ourselves pretty full by then end of the meal. Throughout the meal the staff constantly refilled our waters and checked up on us. Giving us extra napkins and being overall really pleasant to interact with. Would definitely recommend this spot for great service and a filling meal.

Freddy is Amazing we are the last ones to leave but he did so well ! Great happy hour 9-10 pm

Loved the ramen. Great service at this location. First time going to this chain and will go here again.

I've been to Gyu Kaku a few times but this time for Chicago Restaurant week. For $42 the amount of food you get is a steal! They dont give you the restaurant week menu unless you ask for it though. Service was great otherwise. They were pretty attentive and checked in every now and then. Food was great everything was delicious. I asked for a side of wasabi and was kind of shocked to see we were charged $1.50 for it. The amount we got was so little. Other than that everything else was fine. They had 2 floors inside which i thought was pretty cool!

This place is awesome! The service was great, our waiter was very attending and always checked in on us. We ordered one of the meal sets and it was definitely worth it! You grill your own food on the grill and the meats were fantastic! Make sure to try this place out.

The food is really good! They have lots of meats, and the marinate on the meat is super tasty. Our server, Ernie, was friendly, attentive and helpful. They were a bit pricy though.

Alina was super dope! Very friendly and attentive to what we needed throughout the night!

This places slaps! Would have taken photos if I hadn't stuffed it into my face so quickly. Went for the Al a carte menu, all you can cook option seemed great value but didn't include a few options we personally wanted. Lots of people next to us going for the set menu as well which seemed great value for money. Pros - Enzo was a champ - spicy was indeed spicy (both shrimp and prawns) - refills on drinks was a nice perk - environment was great, loads of room on tables - ribeye portion was a great size - Yuzu roast beef is a must - venue was clean Brits Be aware the bacon fried chips is actually pork belly not bacon as we know it. Bill - shocked at the price for how good and premium this place felt. Booking Booked in advance for a table of 2 at 19:00, by 19:30 the restaurant was full and people were waiting for tables. Overall Great, if I lived here would certainly be a regular Smashed it.

Came in with low expectations given it was a chain. Table and ambience was nice. Service was decent, could be a bit quicker but no real issues. 90 mins for the AYCE but they don't really focus on it (and you're gonna need all of it lol). Meat was actually phenomenal, solid marbling and fat all around. We mainly decimated the beef and pork. Toro Beef was absolutely outstanding very tender and juicy. We also ordered alcohol like soju and beer so our bill went a bit overboard, but for $53 this was a great experience. Special mention for the green tea ice cream. It was absolutely delish! PS- We are getting very close to the Fogo De Chao price point here so any higher, I would probably skip this place. 1 star off for pricing.

We came here for lunch and regret not going for the all you can eat. Ordering individually only makes sense if you don't eat much. Our total came out to almost the price of the unlimited, even with "happy hour" pricing (-20%). The food was pretty good though, although our stove was semi-broken and the seats were cracked and uncomfortable if you're wearing shorts. Waiter was attentive, but the food took a while to arrive. Food was a solid 4 star but everything else ticks it down a notch.

Food: first time try the sushi, amazed me. Service: always have a nice experience here. Ambiance: the music was too loud and the service turn the volume for us and feels grateful!

This place has it all! The food is great(and obviously super fun). The service is fantastic- Antione was super helpful! And it's a very nice interior- each booth is arranged to really feel like its own little world, which rocks! Loved all the vegetarian options available despite the meat being the star of this restaurant!

If you love food and a fun dinner experience, this is your place! It's a self cooking Japanese restaurant and the food is phenomenal! We ordered the Guy-Kaku feast for our table since we had quite a few of us. The staff was hustling the whole time and the food kept coming to our table. We had salad, soup, meat, vegetables, rice, noodles and even dessert at the end! I can't wait to come back to a place like this! But next time I'll be ready for all the food. Cannot recommend this place enough.

Salina was an amazing waitress, we barely waited for our food. Service, environment, and food was perfect.

Amazing food. Amazing service. Shout out to Freddy for the great service. Ambiance is fun and casual.

Great cut pieces and delicious taste bbq. Glad found this place and come over at happy hour.

Very loud and junk speakers. Good food. we had the value pack for 2. The service was good could have been more attentive though.

The lunch special was great! $15 per person for two 3 oz servings of meat, along with a soup and salad. The Toro beef was both of our favorites- it's just so delicious and fatty! Nothing to complain about here- great value for your money if you love to eat.

Salvador was fantastic! He happily explained the menu to us and was great at pacing the course. The food was delicious and very filling. The atmosphere is laidback and chill with lo-fi beats playing and soft, warm lighting. We will definitely be coming back to eat again :)

I made a reservation for a party of six at this place two days ahead. Upon arrival, the hostess refused to seat us until all six of our party were present. When we were finally seated, we found ourselves cramped around a small table with only one grill in the middle. It might suffice for four people, but it was definitely not suitable for six. Overall, a highly disappointing experience. If you enjoy waiting 20 minutes for your reserved table and then being uncomfortably squeezed in, this is the place for you!

My husband and I went for lunch earlier this week for Chicago Restaurant Week. The lunch menu is a great value! It includes a salad, rice, an appetizer, two bbq items and a s'more! We ordered Japanese chicken karaage and fried pork gyoza for our appetizer. And from the bbq items we chose filet minon (+$4), Angus beef ribs, Yaki shabu beef, and umakara rib eye. All was super yummy. I will say the angus beef ribs were on the fatty side and didn't see much meat on the pieces given. We can't wait to come back!

Really really good Japanese BBQ! We just did the basic AYCE and found there to be more than sufficient options to get a taste of what everyone wanted. The real disappointment was the service. Lots of Yelp reviews mention great service, but we just didn't get that on our trip. Yes, the restaurant was busy, but I assume that's the case every night in downtown Chicago. We're still waiting on the saki we ordered (it never came), and had to ask multiple times to get a single water/soda refill. Not a good combination after enjoying the spicier choices.

Ann was amazing and she made our visit very enjoyable. Food is stellar as usual. :) would come back.

Antione was so wonderful and made our experience great!! The food was incredible. We tried 8 different items and they were all incredible! We tried the boosters this time and it totally lived up to its name! Elevated each bite even more!

Great food and service. Chika was very attentive! A lot of great food. I recommend this place!!!

Antione was wonderful. Made sure we were always comfortable and always checking in and definitely had great recommendations.

Well this is a first time for this restaurant I did not know that Japanese also did barbecue similar to Korean barbecue but wow was it worth it. Usually I associate hibachi or teppanyaki equivalent to Korean barbecue but now I know i was wrong. Anyways we did the dinner package and I was treated by my niece and her boyfriend since I took them to Chicago navy pier. Our server Nina was very accommodating and was impressed on how fast and delicious our food came out.

Antione was one of the best servers we've ever had, I'll be recommending this place to all my friends

Went with a party of 7 including a 2 year old child. The service was great, our server Antoine was very friendly and attentive. The food came out fast and it was all delicious. We had a fun time hanging out and grilling. I would definitely come back!

TLDR: Slow(er) service but tasty beef! It was bustling so the service was pretty slow, but we came here at 7pm on a Friday night...so yeah, we did it to ourselves. We used Open Table to snag our seats and we probably waited about 10 mins to be seated. Took another 10-15 min for the server to come over and take our order, but we totally needed that bc we didn't know which course to order! We ended up going with the chef's course, and some kirin beers--which took about 15 mins to come out. gah. And the meats started rolling out around 20 mins after we placed our order. We were FAMISHED when we arrived so the wait felt even longer, but it was worth the wait! Gyukaku back home in Japan is not a fancy or nice dining venue. It's actually where college kids go for cheap quality and cheap eats (lol), but the Gyukaku here is totally different! The quality is much better on average and I was quite impressed. The Kalbi was tender and just the right balance of fatty and meaty. The ribeye and the pork belly was so juicy and tender. We also saw online that they have an AYCE Mondays-Thursday and that they also have a special Wagyu course (!!!). Needless to say, we'll be back!

Have came here a few times and it's a chain, so nothing whoa. I came on a Thurs and didn't know they had AYCE, so that made sense to try. I didn't quite know if they intentionally bring out the veggies first but note that they have a rule for dining 90 mins from the start of when the first dish was brought out. If there are any food they you do not cook and finish eating before the 90 mins is up, you pay by the dish at the price on the menu but you get to take it home.

Samuel was an amazing server!! We had a issue with our drinks and he brought new drinks 3 separate times!! 12/10

My server is great! Food is awesome. I recommend the shio negi tofu and the bistro hanger steak

The food was absolutely delicious! They had great music that was giving good vibes while the drinks were flowing. And our server, Antoine, was very attentive and provided excellent service! This place will be becoming a Chicago staple for me.

Krystal our server was fantastic! Great experience and service. Delicious food and fun ambiance

The food was great, fulfilling, and nicely paced. Our server, Chika, was really sweet and patient during our time there. She had some good recommendations food and drink wise to which we didn't regret ordering. Overall my experience was very pleasant.

I recommend coming during happy hour (even on weekends!) and taking advantage of the great food deals. For three people, the happy hour combo (meant for two) plus a couple of a la carte items priced at hh prices was the perfect variety and amount of food. Service was honestly somewhat slow though and the space was a lot smaller than I thought. It wasn't very clean inside either, and the restrooms really threw me off as well because of how unkept it was. However, the food was great - all the meat options that came in the happy hour combo were delicious and flavorful. Portions were small but because there was so many different options it was perfect. We also got the pork belly a la carte. All the meats were decent quality as well. The sides were tasty and fresh too- I would recommend the kimchi, spicy cabbage salad, fried cheese wontons, and spicy tuna volcano to add a la carte. They were out of white rice however so they gave us one bowl of brown rice and didn't adjust any prices.. Overall, for the value I would definitely recommend coming here and have a unique dining experience. I would hope other locations are better kept so maybe try those out.

Food and Service are amazing Jess was our server and was very educated on the menu Place needs some fairy lights But we will still be back

Great experience at Gyu-Kaku! All the meat and veggie options were great. The cheesy corn was delicious and we had to order two!

My first time having Japanese BBQ and it did not disappoint! I got the lychee martini and it was so good and was strong. We ordered the happy hour special and it came with so much meat for just us 2. The quality of the meat was very nice and not super chewy. It melted in your mouth. Our waitress was very nice and explained the full menu to us and was attentive. The ambiance of the restaurant is very nice and has a dark intimate vibe. They do have this chant they do when they come in & out between the workers that I thought was different and nice. One thing is the bathroom is a little weird, there's 1 stall then a urinal right outside of it but the door locks so I guess that's not too bad. Other than that, I really enjoyed my meal here. Will definitely be back!