Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Go for all you can eat and get the toro beef + angus rib. Other marinated meat flavors were too strong. Small plates so you can try most of the menu. Waiters changed plates a lot and refilled water. Green tea ice cream tasted artificial but it was nice to eat a cold sweet thing after bbq

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ was a good experience overall. The meat quality was great, and the flavors were decent, but the portion sizes left a lot to be desired. We got the Meat Lovers for Two, but it wasn’t sufficient and we ended up ordering more à la carte. Our favorites were the short rib, along with the à la carte shrimp and spicy pork. However, the appetizer chicken karaage was disappointing—it tasted more like KFC or frozen chicken. While the food was enjoyable, the portions are too small for the price point. Unless you’re serving wagyu, it doesn’t justify such tiny servings. A decent experience, but the value for money could be better.

I visited Gyu-Kaku on Christmas Eve and had to wait 2 hours for a table due to the holiday rush. However, I returned the next day and was seated immediately. The service was exceptional, especially the female staff who were very attentive and helpful. The food was just as delicious as I remembered from other locations. If you're in San Francisco, I highly recommend giving Gyu-Kaku a try!

Food was really good and the experience was fun. Chief complains were how long it took to get meats after ordering them (especially since there’s a time limit) and the price. Recommend getting the all you can eat with the regular package, it has everything you need.

The food was decent, but the service was terrible. When we arrived, the host didn’t greet us or say anything, just seated us silently. The tongs at our table were extremely dirty, so we requested new ones, but the staff seemed angry and threw the tongs onto our table. When we placed our order, it took over 10 minutes to get started. We ordered wagyu, but it didn’t arrive for over 30 minutes. We asked several times, and they kept saying, "We’re checking," only to later tell us they were "defrosting" the wagyu, which would take another 10 minutes. To make matters worse, one of the staff started clearing our table while we were still eating. While the food was fine, the poor service completely ruined the experience. I wouldn’t return.

The AYCE was a scam for us. Service overall pretty bad. 1. They waited very long to deliver our food every round, including the first order. So we eat up waiting there drinking water for the first ten minutes or so. And every time you can only order five meat. For 90 minutes limit, the last call is 20 minutes ahead the limit. So plus the time you spend on cooking and eating, you only get to order around three rounds, which is 15 meat. Why even offer AYCE menu in this case? 2. They offer very basic sauce so we ordered extra garlic sauce for $1, but they never served us the sauce. Guess what? This item showed up in the final check. 3. They failed the refill our water. 4. They failed to change the plate frequency. The long waiting time just ruined the whole experience. The food is still good. But don’t get AYCE if you have to eat here.

We went for lunch and got 2 lunch combos for 2 people. So we got to try 6 different meats, we added the $2 garlic rice upgrade and it was worth it since it came with more salad in the bowl! Going at lunch on a Monday, was very empty. Lunchtime is worth it!

Food was delicious, especially the marinated rib eye and spicy shrimp. Meat portions are small so we ordered many at a time. Spicy cabbage and dumplings were delightful. Had a Tokyo sunset drink which was strong and delicious. Grills are pretty old, they had trouble turning ours on and more care than usual is needed to avoid a fire. Place was a bit grimy and there was a smell at the entrance but it went away once seated. Everyone was kind and attentive.

It was my first experience eating at Gyu Kayu which was really good I usually go to Yakiniq which is my go to favorite spot. Service here is good friendly spot people seemed friendly the ambiance is a low dark mode setting. They have 3 menus which is premium ultra and supreme I believe and they come with unlimited meat. Food is really good here I def would come back!

I've been to gyukaku both in LA and Seattle. And this location is kinda weird. Service: everyone was very nice, but I think they missed the mark on timelines. Typically when you first get seated someone greets you immediately or within 2-5 min. Just for water and explaining how things worked on the menu. After waiting a few minutes we actually had to flag our server down. We came at 5pm and it was pretty empty. The apps came out pretty quick but the meats probably took 15-20 min after the apps came out. We also ordered a cucumber and they brought out 4 cucumbers to us. We were looking at each other because up top they said they would charge for leftovers. This happened once again when it came to meats (but we were happy to take those because the service was kinda slow) but the table next to us spoke up. Food: all of the meats were drenched in sauce. The spicy is very spicy. There was another meat that just tasted rotten - it was just so bad. The sweet soy is good but for the most part you can't taste the difference between cuts when it's marinated. This is actually consistent with the other locations. The s'mores were lacking a bit more chocolate but this is also consistent with other locations I think this might just be an off night. I don't think there was anything that would deter me from coming back. But this was just a weird experience.

I've come here regularly for the past two years for lunch and usually things are great. Service is always good, very kind and professional staff. Food is always well prepared and fresh. Today however we hit a bump in the road. My 3 coworkers joined me today and it was their first time dinning there. We ordered from the lunch menu. I had garlic shrimp and teriyaki chicken with garlic rice,salad and a refreshment. It was very delicious as usual. My coworkers ordered from the meat (beef) options, they fully cooked their various beef choices and enjoyed their meals and refreshments. We paid our tab, tipped well and returned to work, within less than an hour they all were sick to their stomach's with diarrhea from food poisoning. We will be calling them to inform them that the meat was contaminated tonight. We don't want anyone to get sick. Again I come here all the time and never experienced this but I don't eat red meat and I am perfectly fine. I will enjoy my leftovers as my food wasn't near the beef. Just want to bring awareness.

Came here for restaurant week which was $45 per person for side dishes, an appetizer, a three meat set, and dessert. We divided and conquered, so ended up trying the toro beef, garlic shrimp, harami skirt steak, yaki-shabu beef, the basil chicken, and the kalbi short ribs. I'm not an expert when it comes to grilled meats, but this definitely hit the spot! What a great deal and the food and service was very good! I'll be honest, I also inadvertently ordered a jumbo sake since it was still happy hour (up until 6:30PM), but I did not realize the jumbo size was meant for three to four persons versus the two of us. Just FYI. Overall, great experience! Would love to stop by for happy hour in the future.

2.5 STARS Date: Saturday, November 23rd, 2024 Time: 3:45pm Party of: 2 Meal: Lunch / Linner / Dinner Reservations Made: via OpenTable Happy Hour - Sun to Thurs: 11:30am to 6:30pm, Fri and Sat: 11:30am to 5pm *Pork Shoulder ($5.95 HH, $6.95 regular) *Bone-In Kalbi ($9.95 HH, $10.95 regular) x2 *Premium Sirloin ($9.95 HH, $10.95 regular) *Spicy Tuna Volcano: 4pc ($7.95 HH, $8.95 regular) *Fried Cheese Wontons ($5.45 HH, $6.45 regular) *Spicy Cabbage Salad ($5.45 HH, $5.95 regular) *Angus Beef Ribs ($7.95 HH, $8.95 regular) *Mushroom Medley ($6.45 HH, $6.95 regular) *Filet Mignon ($9.95 HH, $10.95 regular) *New York Steak ($9.95 HH, $10.95 regular) *Umakara Ribeye ($7.95, $8.95 regular) *Umakara Yakibeef ($7.95 HH, $8.95 regular) *GK App DoublePT ($0.01) *SF Mandate ($5.24) A girlfriend and I got out of a show and we were hungry. Since it was between lunch and dinner, I did a quick search and found Gyu-Kaku. We've both been to the one in SJ multiple times, so decided to check out the SF one. Plus, we remembered their HH being a pretty good deal. I easily made rezzies right before. Idk if my memory is failing me, but I don't recall the portions at the other location being this small. And the HH pricing was much better. If you compare the HH to the regular pricing, it's all a dollar or less. And the kalbi was kinda sad. Our first order was nice. It was a thick piece. But when I asked for another one, it was much thinner. Overall, the meats were okay. But I think you'd get the same quality at an all you can eat (AYCE). And probably at the same price. I could have ate more, but HH was ending, so we refrained. Service was fine. A little spotty at first. We had to wait a bit for someone to come over and take our order. After that, it was pretty normal. They checked in every once in a while and it was easy to flag someone down. They also kept our waters filled which was much appreciated. Small portions, but there's variety if that's your thing. We saved $12 with HH on 13 dishes. I found myself wishing this meal was more filling, especially at over $50 each. Note: I have no idea why we were charged a penny for what looks like some kind of app. It was a cent, so we decided not to make a fuss. REVIEW #3632

I was looking for ichiban places in SF when I happened upon this spot. It's more of a grill food yourself spot but I really enjoyed it. We got one veg fried rice and a bunch of things to grill. The chicken thighs, pork belly, and sliced pork were really flavorful. The mushroom medley and garlic shrimp were also delicious. Service was fast and they even came to change out the grill a bunch of times to make sure nothing was burning. I didn't realize we could control the heat ourselves so that's a tip for next time. The smores were a great touch to the end of the meal. We got the heat the marshmallows over the fire and make our own smores. This was a fun spot and would definitely come back with a big group.

Loved our dinner here. We had the AYCE on a Sunday afternoon around 4pm and left stuffed and satisfied. We both got the premium option which was $58 per person with a 90 min time limit. There was no wait when we came but there was a lot of people waiting when we left around 6pm. The cucumber salad and cheese corn were my favorite sides. All the meats we ordered were good and so was the shrimp and calamari (Spicy shrimp is super spicy but good) Vanilla ice cream and the s'more were the perfect ending to our meal. BUT the drinks here!!!! Wowwww! I'm still dreaming about the lychee mojito I had. My husband had the mango tango drink and he also loved it. We both got 2 and if we weren't so full we would have ordered a 3rd round. We came during happy hour so drinks were $10.50 each Service could of been a bit quicker. There were times where we were just sitting there waiting for our next round of meats. Other than that everything was great. We'll be back to try the lunch

I came back to try their lunch combos. I made a reservation for 4:30pm on a Wednesday for 2. The restaurant was about 30% full. Lunch combos ends at 5pm and I had no issues ordering. It's a fantastic deal. A 2 meat item combo is only $15.95 and it comes with soup, rice and salad. I decided to upgrade to garlic rice for $2 which also comes with more salad, broccoli for $2 and garlic mushrooms for $2. What a steal. They also have a 3 item combo for $19.95. I also redeemed some free prime kalbi and harami skirt steak which I earned from my last big group dinner through their app. Make sure you save your receipt and earn points to redeem on your next visit. Service was friendly. Everything came out timely except for the garlic rice, which came last after we have cooked most of the meats already.

We love this restaurant and consider it one of our family's go-to spots. However, our recent experience with the hostess, Wendy, was extremely disappointing. Her attitude and customer service were completely inappropriate for a restaurant setting. We had a reservation for Friday night and arrived with our baby stroller, as we usually do. From the start, Wendy was insistent that she could not accommodate us with stroller despite there being plenty of space for both guests and staff. What made the situation worse was her rude and arrogant tone, making us feel unwelcome. This level of service is unacceptable and does not reflect the otherwise great experiences we've had at this restaurant.

Not sure why I haven't reviewed, but this is probably one of my favorite restaurants to visit in San Francisco when I have the budget. Their meat quality is truly worth the price you pay, and it's not even that much more expensive than a KBBQ spot. Especially with a lack of Japanese Yakiniku spots available, Gyu-Kaku is an amazing option. They have AYCE and course options available - both great depending on your vibes. Nothing beats a Yakiniku place that you can have high quality meats without even using sauce because of its great umami. Service is on point, and the nice dim lighting makes for great business or romantic meals!

We went for lunch and got 2 lunch combos for 2 people. So we got to try 6 different meats, we added the $2 garlic rice upgrade and it was worth it since it came with more salad in the bowl! Going at lunch on a Monday, was very empty. Lunchtime is worth it!

I swung by with a friend for an early-ish dinner. There was a conference at Moscone that week, so it seemed like most folks had a reservation and we snagged one of the last tables available. For those who haven't been, Gyu-Kaku is a fun, interactive Japanese barbecue experience where you can grill your own meat and eat it fresh! The servers can help you out with how long to cook each type of meat if you're unsure. I ended up opting for the Chef's Choice set meal for two. Overall, the quality of the meat was nice enough but after tax and tip, I was looking at a bill of 60 some dollars and was still hungry. I don't believe this location has the All You Can Eat option, but that would always be my first choice if you go to a Gyu-Kaku location. That would be around the same price and I think the value is a lot better. Not the worst considering you're in downtown SF, but very much nothing special.

Good food good prices. Grills at table and strong drink what more you need. They replaced our grill before we where served our wagu and in-between flights of food coming out. Goncalo is the man

Solid four stars and the service was outstanding. The meats were good but all did not seem to be premium cuts and some of the portions are very small like the sides. We ordered combo plates for four people and over time you get full but I think that is because you have to eat slowly while all the stuff cooks. They tell you not to cook too much at once or it can cause a fire. I am not sure how to balance my need to power down the food vs watching small strips and/or cuts cook. It is like a slow, painful death experience. The cocktails were outstanding so that helped settle the situation. See photos for the amount of food for four people and judge for yourself.

Amazing. It was my first time dining in at Gyu Kaku in the US. And I must say, I should have done it sooner. We came in for SF Resto Week and ordered 2 set meals. You get a side of miso soup, rice, salad, 2pc sushi, 1 appetizer, 1 bbq set (3 kinds of meat), 1 veg and 1 dessert. If that sounded like a lot of food, it was! The dumplings I got for starters tasted like something I would get at a Chinese restaurant, even better than a few. They were succulent, aromatic from the sesame oil, a bit spicy, and just delicious. For the meat, my favorite is the Kalbi and the Toro Beef - very tender, with a good mix of fat and meat. I got spinach for the veg option and it came wrapped in a foil and mixed with some garlic. I loved it as well. Service was excellent. Our server was very attentive, fast to clear plates, refill water, change grill and checked if everything is okay. He was very courteous and chatted for a bit about how we knew about the ongoing promo. Overall, we got too much food. What a nice introduction to Gyu Kaku, USA edition. We'll have to come back with more people next time.

I love the San Mateo gyu kaku. I recommend coming during off times because it can get busy. I love the prime kalbi short rib because it melts in your mouth. The beef tongue is also really delicious and tender. Come during happy hour for discounts on the meats! Gyu kaku is a great place to go with friends.

We came for restaurant week and tried their $25 lunch set! Original price was supposed to be $46 and we were really full by the end of it!! It came with a salad and miso soup, appetizer (we got the gyozas / chicken karaage), vegetables (peppers / spinach), and each set comes with 2 meats! We tried all 3 sets including chicken, pork, and beef. The beef marinade was unfortunately too overpowering for us and sweet. However the meat itself was good. We also got a smore at the end! Also check out their happy hour prices for $1 or more off their food and drinks. Waiters were attentive and changed our grill a few times. Overall really good value for restaurant week.

The food was decent, but the service was terrible. When we arrived, the host didn't greet us or say anything, just seated us silently. The tongs at our table were extremely dirty, so we requested new ones, but the staff seemed angry and threw the tongs onto our table. When we placed our order, it took over 10 minutes to get started. We ordered wagyu, but it didn't arrive for over 30 minutes. We asked several times, and they kept saying, "We're checking," only to later tell us they were "defrosting" the wagyu, which would take another 10 minutes. To make matters worse, one of the staff started clearing our table while we were still eating. While the food was fine, the poor service completely ruined the experience. I wouldn't return.

I came here with a group of five and we tried a little bit of almost everything on the menu. Overall the food was good, with some highlights including the spicy pork, the yakishjabu beef, and the friend pork gyoza. There were a couple items that were complete misses, including the asparagus which was all stems and super crunchy, the mochi was not good, the edamame didn't have much flavor, and some of the pricier beefs (Kobe style short rib, harami in secret pot) were actually not as good as the normal (cheaper) ones. The service absolutely needs improved. Our grill turned off multiple times (with food on it) and it took a couple minutes to track an employee down to help every time. We also went without water for most of the meal, again because it was too difficult to track down a server. If I were to come back, I'd pass on the 'fancier' beefs, go for more of the basics, and skip desserts. Definitely a fun experience, and the restaurant is really nice.

This place is all about the sauce. Every sauce on the table and on the menu was just so delicious and paired well with everything we ordered. We got the spicy cabbage salad, spicy shrimp, shrimp and mushroom, BBQ calamari miso, broccoli, and shishito peppers. We also ordered a side of their special spicy sauce. The seafood we ordered was all amazing. The shrimp and mushroom was heaven with garlic and pesto sauce mixed in. The spicy shrimp was SPICY so be careful and make sure you have some other items present to offset the spicy taste, but it was very good--so make sure to order it. The calamari was tasty and the flavors of all the sauces came through really nicely. The vegetables were great, and complimented the seafood nicely. The cabbage salad was a really nice appetizer and wasn't too spicy as an opening course. Their special spicy sauce is amazing, and I highly recommend ordering. It looks like they put gold sparkles in it, which is fun, and we took our leftovers home. All around great place for BBQ, and their menu is huge so you can go back multiple times to try all that they have.

The food here is great... the service is great, make a reservation and give yourself plenty of time to find parking... this is a place well worth it, we'll be back!

Came here for my daughter and father's belated birthday dinner. First timer for us, the food was good, no complaints. We ordered the GYU-KAKU FEAST as well as some a la carte such as: *Yuzu Avocado Salad (10/10) *Garlic Noodles *Bibimbap(s) *Miso Chili Wings (8/10) *Black pepper wings (6/10) *Gyu-Sushi (10/10) MUST GET!! DRINKS: * 2 Tokyo Iced Tea *Tokyo Sunset Definitely noisy , but it's expected. Service was great and staff are very friendly! Definitely will come back again!

I got dinner here during happy hour (Sun-Thur before 6:30pm or Fri-Sat before 5pm) and got seated immediately without a reservation on the weekend. Based on my experience (unless you're intermittent fasting and absolutely famish), ordering a la carte items off the HH menu was a better deal than going with the AYCE ($58/pp). For two people, we ordered 6 beef items, 3 appetizers, and a pitcher of beer for approx $90. My favorites were the bone-in kalbi and kalbi chuck rib. Service was friendly as well. The young man working there was super attentive and helpful. I'll definitely come back again for happy hour!

Friends and I got the $68 per person (ultimate) option. Inside is dim and feels very intimate with friends. The meats were very well prepared and marinated really well (they have a few different types of marinade too). My favorite was the garlic new york steak on the relatively cheaper premium menu. Definitely give that a try if you like garlic. We also ordered the cold kimchi tofu and that was a great refreshing palate cleanser. The egg soup tasted like it had a lot of sodium in it so I may avoid it in the future. I really enjoyed the mochi ice cream in the end which was part of the menu and glad I did not have to pay extra for it. I've been really wanting to return, but this place can put a dent in my wallet, so it's best to come when I'm really craving it or for special occasions.

Went with a group of friends for the AYCE ultimate menu - around $68/person. More on the pricier side of AYCE Japanese bbq. Service was slow, difficult to catch the servers attention to order more meats to refill and had to wait a little longer for other main entree dishes to come out. We did leave feeling very full at the end of the night but not sure if it's worth the high price for the service we experienced here. :/

Celebrated Christmas dinner here with high expectations since we LOVED the Berkeley location. Although the food was good, the experience was sadly not up to par. The appetizers were served way after the meats so by the time we got to them, we were already full. Definitely missed the timeline as far as service.

My cousin was in town visiting and she wanted me to show her the good spots in the city. I had heard so many good things about this spot so I thought it was a good chance for both of us try it. Upon arriving, the restaurant was pretty packed but there wasn't a wait: There was so many options to choose from when you open the menu, we decided to do the Gyu Kaku Stars & Wagyu. I like how the tables come with info cards to tell you how to cook different kinds of meat. It came with so much food, we were super stuffed. Everything was soo bomb! The wagyu was super delicious as well as the bibimbap. Their drinks were really good as well! We got the mango tango which tasted like straight up juice so I recommend! Will def be coming back here!

Way overpriced.. 3 of us $150. The meats were low quality, small portion, tasteless, and rough. The grill ended up burning the meats. The lunch special is such a trick for $19.95 because you have to order so much more. All the additional meats are ala carte. This location is way worse than the San Mateo. But overall I will not return to this place again and do not recommend unless you have extra money to burn. You can get much better experience and quality of foods at Fogo de Chao with cheaper price.

Everything tastes pretty good, meats all look pretty fresh despite the fact that some are still half frozen when served. The spicy pork they got tho was really spicy, and as Asian it's pretty rare for me to say this about any food I've had in the states, so be aware. And their Mojito was really sweet, which is not to my liking, I was expecting something more refreshing. The sauces are mid. Our server was really nice, he gave us a great deal when we ended up not finishing everything and wanted to pack the leftovers home. Generally we would consider coming back if we are around the area and craves some Japanese BBQ but imo Korean bbq seems to be a better choice price-wise and variety-wise.

Union Square is my favorite area to stay in when im in San Francisco. Gyu-kaku was located near my hotel. The short walk was safe and void of any hills. The food here is amazing. I opted for the all you can eat menu. It consisted of a selection of meats and various side dishes and other grillables. My server was super helpful and upbeat. She ran me through the oprions and got me well prepared for my meal. I had 90 minutes but since i was dining alone I didnt need that much time. I ordered pork belly, kalbi beef, brisket and some kind of beef. 2 orders of dumplings. Obviously not all at once. I feel like two meats at a time was a great pace for me.

They have solid gluten free options, and the waitress even checked in with me multiple times to ensure everything we ordered was safe for me to eat. We had several beef dishes as well as a shrimp dish, and everything was delicious. Broccoli with cheese sauce was also a surprising standout. The restaurant interior is well worn, and could use a refresh. That would bring the experience up to 5 stars.

We went in an hour before closing, and we are very grateful that they allowed us in and served us the complete set including the s'mores dessert which we almost forgot. This is our go-to place for yakiniku in SF, and has always given us out money's worth. The place is spacious and love that ventilation is good that it smell of meat won't stick to your clothes.

Delicious meat! Would definitely come back for more food. The setting was a little bit lackluster but it was good from a food perspective.

Came here after the Easter egg hunt with my boy and a friend. Didn't do an appointment so service to get a seat was a little slow. Once we were seated they gave us time to see what we wanted. We got the meat combo order for 3 people and it didn't disappoint. My boy who is a little picky really enjoyed their food. Just so you know, they run the restaurant a little cold because the burners are on constantly. Overall it was a great first time experience for my little boy and eating with friends is also a great thing. Lastly they have those large alcohol tubes for large tables (like they do at Dave and busters).

Food was amazing the spicy shrimp was very spicy. Very fast service. This is a great place to take a group of friends before a night out. Very group oriented atmosphere. All of the sauces were especially goods I recommend anything spicy and the shrimp mushroom garlic dish

5/5! A couple of friends and I were craving some JBBQ, and after looking around Yelp/Google, Gyu-Kaku fit the description perfectly. The Food: Food was incredible. we went with the $52 Premium AYCE option. The quality of meat was excellent and the flavor was accentuated from using the grill. we got about all of the beef options on the AYCE menu and it was well worth it. Although, each dish comes with only a few pieces of meat, it was very tasty. The side dishes that are offered were good as well, there were so much to choose from. Honorable mentions are the Toro Beef, Bistro Hanger Steak and the Angus Beef Rib The Service: Service was good, but not great. Granted, they were short staffed, but they didn't tell us that things were slow because of that until halfway through our meal. So we had to wait a while before our dishes came through. Even though we only had 90 minutes to dine. The Atmosphere: Very nice and clean restaurant! There is plenty of seating around for small or large groups. Overall, a 5/5! Absolutely enjoyed my time here. The food was incredibly delicious and the quality of the meats were amazing. Highly recommend checking out Gyu-Kaku!

You can't miss this place with its name in neon lights along Howard street. Parking can be an issue. A very busy restaurant on Christmas Day. They have different sets available. Food was good.

Normally love this chain but this location had its challenges. Service was slow. Table felt sticky. The sauce bottles were super sticky. The bathroom was all gender but smelled like ammonia and the floors felt sticky. I think the best person there was the man who took our dishes. He was so sweet and looked out for us. Otherwise I'm not clear why everything was so sticky at this location. At least the meat tasted good.

Went for the Premium all-you-can-eat package, and it was a good decision as it presented an extensive variety of meat selections - a total of 37 items to choose from. I particularly enjoyed their toro beef, Angus beef rib, kalbi chuck rib, and pork belly! The shrimps were a standout for me - perfectly cooked and flavorful. However, on the downside, the miso soup was a bit too salty for my taste. What truly impressed me was their delightful ice cream - a must-try! If you manage to find room in your stomach after indulging in the barbecue, don't miss out on their tempting ice cream or the delightful s'mores.

This place was wonderful to eat at! The service was absolutely amazing, all the waiters were so attentive and everything came out so fast. I love that this location had the all you can eat option!! The meat quality was great and I had a great meal! The environment was also very clean and spacious! Definitely recommend this location over the Cupertino one!

I came to gyu kaku for restaurant week with friends and the entire experience was lovely. Every single meat item we ordered was buttery and packed with flavor whether or not the meat was marinated. Each meat portion while quite small was unlimited and was extremely juicy and tender. The corn cheese was also absolutely delicious and was more of a creamy corn cheese sauce you could dip the meat into. While this bbq place is definitely on the pricey side at around $69 per person, the quality of the meat speaks for itself and is definitely worth the price!

This review is for the service not the food. We went to dinner on Thanksgiving day, the place just doesn't have enough help. The orders tend to get delayed. I feel bad for all the servers being overworked.

With the variety of meats provided the quality always came out on top, our server Pang provided excellent service and was very prompt! I've been to all locations except the San Jose location, SF location being one of the only once that does AYCE. Surprisingly we went on a Saturday and were seated quickly. While seated it did get loud a-bit when more people came although can't knock them for having a good time, the vibes and the looks of the interior were nice nothing too crazy. Notables: Beef Toro 4.5/5 - quality was great portions was small. (it's AYCE order as much as you want!) Kalbi Chuck Rib(sweet soy) 4/5, Harami Skirt Steak 4.3/5 Angus Beef Rib 4.7/5 Gyu-Kaku salad 5/5 Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbap 3.8/5 - good but on the sweeter side Shio Negi Cold Tofu 4.8/5 - love the sauce it comes with and helps cut anything spicy (scallion sauce can be purchased/requested as standalone) Filet Mignon 3.5/5 - tender and yummy usually, this time around a bit dry. NY Steak is better (Variation may depend on location.) NY Steak 4/5 - Juicier than the Filet Mignon, just not as tender. Again, portions for this serving is small, but order as much as you want cuz it's AYCE! +++Metreon parking garage is a block away +++ great and speedy service

Came here for lunch with some friends and ordered from their restaurant week menu. It was late afternoon so it wasn't busy and got seated right away. It doesn't feel like anything fancy inside but it's clean, friendly service, and food was good. The salad was decent size and dressing was delicious, rice and soup were standard and what you'd expect. We got karaage and gyoza as appetizers, they were out of spring rolls. For veggies we all wanted shishitos but they were out of these as well. We tried a variety of the meat and was good and filling. We finished with the smore dessert and was nice to have something sweet and fun. We all left full and would come back again.

The food tasted amazing, but the servers effused a sense of contempt towards me and my mother. I am aware that there is a minuscule population of African-Americans within San Francisco, but that does not excuse circling the gratuity on the bill and attempting to deny us a seat through repeatedly extended wait times. (Was told that we would have to wait around half an hour, which transformed into fifty minutes, and then an hour, complied to each time mentioned, and then was buzzed in merely fifteen minutes.) I am not enraged by this behavior, but rather disappointed. Ignorance and prejudice will always exist, though it does not have to within someone if they will it to.

Hands down the best Japanese bbq in SF. Came here for SF Restaurant week and it did not disappoint. Food, service and atmosphere was outstanding! Although it was a busy night, the waiters were quick and attentive. The set course included: Gyu-Kaku Salad, Gyu-Sushi, Miso Soup, Rice, Tuna Poke Nachos, Chili & Yuzu Roast Beef, Bistro Hanger Steak, Toro Beef, Yaki-Shabu Beef, Umakara Ribeye, Premium Sirloin, Harami Skirt Steak, and S'mores for dessert! We also ordered: Jumbo size hot Sake, a glass of Asahi, and a glass of Karin Beer. A successful date night! Bon appetite!

Came here in a large group for Thanksgiving so extra props for being open and the hospitality we received. Appreciate the staff! There are so many menus here where the choices can be overwhelming - AYCE, pre-set, ala carte etc. The paradox of choice. We ended up going with a holiday pre-set menu and glad we did because our large group would not have been able to keep ordering while catching up. Also for the holidays, get beer towers for extra festive fun! We did the premium holiday magic course for 8 and there was SO much food! Started pretty chill with miso soup, salad, and beef sushi till our server gently mentioned that there was a lot of meat coming. Which was our signal to start grilling. Favorites from our group included the kalbi short rib and the umakara pork but special mention to the beef bibimbap. Thanks to the staff... efficient and thoughtful despite the holiday crowd.

My boyfriend and I came in on a friday afternoon; it wasn't busy at all and got seated right away. The layout was very modernized and spacious, as we had a lot of space to sit from other parties. Food: The food here is great! My favorites were the beef tongue and the umakara ribeye. The beef tongue also came with lemon, which was a refreshing touch that complimented the beef tongue well. We had two orders of the beef tongue that afternoon because of that. Service: The food was great, however the reason why I give a 3 star is because the service. It wasn't busy however the service was slow- I ordered two items which never came, and my boyfriend had to ask three seperate people for a check, which took probably around 30 minutes~ to close out. Don't get me wrong, the food is great, I just wished the service was more responsive.

We literally paid for the all you can eat special amount. Our waitress didn't serve us at our table for over 30 minutes. When she finally did she brought us our first course and then didn't return for about 20 minutes. No drinks, no food, and bad service. When the other people who got seated next to us got their order, drinks and then second order before us. There waitress asked how we were and said she'd help us. She didn't know where our waitress went. Ohhhh but I found her taking pictures of herself near the kitchen. At the end I gave the waitress who helped us a $25 tip. I gave our waitress $10 because she at least got us something. The lion, the witch the audacity of this Bi$&@. She came up to me and asked me why I gave her such a small tip....... And I very much explained it to her in detail...... F this woman. but the food was good when we got it. I won't let that one waitress trash ruin my judgement on a nice restaurant. Eat here just don't get the short hefty waitress.