Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

This location needs better leadership/structure. It’s disappointing because there are clearly hardworking employees, but the lack of direction shows in the service. Basic things were missed-forks, drink refills, and having someone available to help. There was no clear server to us, we often waited at the table unsure who to ask. Assigning a dedicated server to a table or sections or clearly defining that role would greatly improve the experience. The restaurant appears understaffed, and management needs to be more present on the floor supporting the team. The busser worked hard but seemed limited in what they were allowed to do, better training or flexibility could help during busy moments. One concerning moment was seeing an employee in the back kitchen repeatedly touching his hair, which raised food safety concerns. Literally palm all up in his head, very gross.

I like Japanese style bbq and this restaurant chain has been my favorite since college. However, this specific restaurant is mediocre to be best. The speed of dishes are slow, dishes were just okay, quality of meats are not great cover by marinate so overall it is just okay. It is not worth the price tag anymore

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazing food and excellent service! The staff was attentive, friendly, and made the whole experience even better. The food came out quickly, and everything was fresh and flavorful. The all-you-can-eat menu is definitely the way to go—great variety, high-quality meats, and a reasonable price. Perfect for a fun, interactive dining experience. Highly recommend!

Not sure what all the bad reviews are about, but we really enjoyed our experience at Gyu-Kaku. The food was amazing, very flavorful and with great quality ingredients. You get to grill meats, seafood and/or vegetables of your choice. The salads and appetizers are delicious as well. Would definitely come back.

Won’t be coming back. This was my second visit, and both times the restaurant was surprisingly empty during normal meal hours. We chose this location because it offers AYCE, but the overall quality feels noticeably lower than the other branch. The staff, mostly younger employees, were not attentive and even stepped outside for a smoke break right in front of the entrance. The grill also wouldn’t stay hot enough to cook the meat properly. Overall, I’d avoid this location.

I am very appreciative of the delicious food and considerate service. There was an unexpected situation with our seating, and the manager graciously comped our meal. This level of service was exceptional and made us feel very happy and well taken care of. The dishes were also delicious - highly recommend!

We have a good time with our friends here, meat and appetizers keep good quality, but the quality of service is just ok, they have problems about short of staff & training about Japanese BBQ service. The grill should be checked & replaced while been using for a while, but they didn't, the server or our table staff are so busy for running between tables and kitchen for delivery dishes. She forgetting checking about the drink & food satisfaction status at our table. Our drinks are way too sweet for us but we don't have a chance to talk about it with our server. I believe if this location hire more server and runner, or the manager can check each table at least onece, the service quality will getting better. We will definitely come back, hope they get better improvement while we back next time.

Our server was very nice. He deserves a five star review. However, this is the weirdest review I have ever left. The meat seemed inedible, the grill would not get hot, the tea did not taste good. We literally did not eat anything and when we requested our bill early because we told them we wanted to leave without eating, the manager didn’t even come over to ask what was wrong. I’m very surprised they were not curious about why we were leaving tremendously early. Definitely do not go here until they make some real changes to their operations.

Mustafa and Bri were awesome servers! Music playlist was on point too. Food was amazing as always and will definitely come back next time

I visited in the morning, and it was busy, but the service was excellent. Aung was my server he explained the menu clearly, checked up on us, and was very helpful. The food was great, and I had a wonderful experience. I would definitely come back!

Took a minute for the meat to get to our table, but for my first time being here, very solid service.

I came here for the first time. This place was very convenient. It is in downtown SJ and there is lots of parking. We went on a Saturday afternoon and were seated right away. We got the AYCE regular option. This option was good for us because it came with lots of meats and dessert. My favorite meat was the toro beef miso. We also ordered other meats like New York steak, pork belly, and Yaki-Shabu beef. If you want to eat a veggie, I definitely recommend the garlic spinach. It was so good. We got at least 3 orders of it. The corn cheese is also a good side dish. I like how they had s'mores here. I think the meat quality was good, but wasn't the best I've ever eaten. The service was great in the beginning as we were seated quickly. We also were able to place our order quickly. We stayed for about 7-8 rounds and by the 3rd round of ordering meats/sides, it was taking a little long for the food to come. The restaurant was not really full either so not sure why it took a little long towards the end, but overall still great experience and a nice meal.

Sometimes, it's the people who go the extra mile who make the experience great beyond the food. Mustafa brought out a molten lava chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream because i mentioned that it was my daughter's 21st birthday. His suggestions for our BBQ experience there was very helpful and we really enjoyed our BBQ dinner over other K style BBQ places. Not saying any names. The meat cuts were bite sized and made cooking and sharing easier. LOL we're always looking for kitchen scissors at the other spots! It's pricy but the quality and cleanliness of the place was very good. My Queen was saying she liked that none of the chinaware was chipped! Her pet peeve I'm picking up on., Highly recommend the spicy cucumbers and the gyozas as well as the egg rolls for sides . I know who eats sides at ayce? lol eat some veggies it'll let you eat more meat and spend more money in the long run! Oh one more thing, for some reason, the smoke form BBQing at the table wasn't all over us like other places.

Mustafa and Bri were amazing for my wife's birthday. Despite a busy Saturday evening, they were able to serve us and allowed us to sit at our preferred table. Food is amazing. We opted for the meal plans so we can double order our favorite Prime Kalbi. Mustafa and Bri our go to servers!!!

Best Japanese BBQ spot in San Jose! We went as a group of five and did the AYCE option. The meats we enjoyed: -Pork Belly -Toro -Yaki Shabu Beef -Bistro Hangar Steak -Umakara Yaki Beef The service was excellent! The staff checked in on us regularly and were super friendly. They even swapped out the grill when needed, and we had no trouble placing our orders. The only downside was that it took a bit of time for the meat orders to come out--but hey, good things take time Parking: there's a parking garage right in front which was very convenient Big thanks to Mustafa and the dinner crew for taking such great care of us. We'll definitely be back!

Hi, I wanted to leave a review about my visit today (03/03/25) I had an absolute amazing experience I was welcomed by Lynard my waiter. I was very impressed on how well he paid attention to details. From explaining the difference between meat cuts he also let us know about his personal favorites. I ordered Bistro / harami / prime kalbi / beef sukiyaki it was all amazing! I am very thankful for Lynard for letting enjoy a great experience and fantastic food!

My friends and I came here for dinner on a Sunday evening. It was not busy at all, and we were seated right away. Food: We opted to do the all you can eat experience. I had asked if I could opt out of the ayce since I am vegetarian, but it was not possible. That was understandable. The food was good for what I had. I really enjoyed the cucumbers and the beyond bibimbap! I would come back for these items, but not do the ayce if my party wasn't doing it. My friends enjoyed the food available in the ayce. They liked the filet and the brisket. Service: Unfortunately, service was incredibly slow. Our waiter let us know that there was 2 hour time limit for ayce. This time got extended because the kitchen was working very slow. It wasn't our server's fault as he told us that several kitchen staff called out sick for the evening shift. Everything was coming out of the kitchen very slow. TL;DR - Decent food but had very slow service. Maybe another time it'll be better!

My first visit here was good and the service was just as good, however, my second visit here is my last as there are other KBBQ spots that have better service and food. The wait time was like 5 minutes for them to clean a table when we walked in, but after we were seated, we had our order taken fairly quick. We came on a Sunday and it wasn't even busy as it used to be. We ordered off the AYCE menu but some of the menu items were out of order. Also ordered appetizers, cucumber salad, rice, soups, salt and pepper, butter, ice cream, etc. All of which either came out too late or did not come out at all. We had to ask to double check on our order/requests that were missing two times before actually getting the dishes. While dining (and waiting for our food), we glanced up and saw that the workers were just around the kitchen area chatting. Like other reviews, the food is ok, but service is lacking too much. Overall 1/5 stars.

Had an awesome time at Gyu-Kaku. Mustafa was the only server there, but he still made the experience top notch. From the start, he was super friendly and made sure we were taken care of the whole time. He offered different marinades for the meats with his secret connections with the back kitchen He also surprised me with the mochi options. There were 14 flavors for the mochi ice cream! That's insane! We had an ice cream mochi sampling party! The food was amazing, and his recommendations definitely took it up a notch. If you're lucky enough to get Mustafa as your server, you're in for a treat! Highly recommend this spot! To give a back story, I did the same ultimate AYCE option two weeks ago at a gyu-kaku in Orlando, and my experience was sloooow. Food came out at a rate of 2 dish per person with a 15 minute wait time. This came to 6-7 orders at the end of the night. We were not full... but here, we got 5 times the amount with some secret options! We were satisfied here!!

Overall it was good experience for the ayce lunch! Getting the rounds of meat was a little slow but our server Hein was always checking in on us and making sure we were taken care of.

Best server Hein greeted us with a warm smile and promptly provided menus. He is very knowledgeable about the specials . Food is good .

My frenz took me here for my bday & I was impressed. She made reservation for 4 so the wait wasn't long. Service was great and staff were attentive. There were a good meat selection & variety of desserts. Beef fried rice was also super yummy and the s'mores were a nice addition. Def coming back!

I've been here a couple times since they opened and the concept of ayce Japanese bbq is a good idea. You would be good with just the premium tier when coming here, but you could always select a higher tier. The main things I always order when coming here is the garlic spinach, corn cheese, dumplings, toro and yaki-shabu. We also ordered the garlic noodles with chicken, but it was a lot saltier than I remember today. Although the guy-kaku here isn't as good as the original, it's still good for all you can eat since they're mass producing. Service here is always friendly, polite and quick. Order ice cream and smores at the end of the meal! You're definitely going home and taking a nap after haha.

One of my favorite spots to get BBQ!! I went to the Cupertino location first but I prefer the dt location because it's AYCE (don't know if cupertino does that now). I've probably been here about 4-5 times already but I think about it a lot! Honestly I can't really tell the meat apart sometimes but I always enjoy everything that I'm eating. At the end of the meal, you have a choice between the s'mores or the ice cream (i like s'mores more!) I've always had a good experience with service! During our most recent visit, our server, Mustafa, did a wonderful job! He was always making sure that we either had meat on the table, or an order on the way. It's great having an attentive server so you're not spending most of your meal trying to flag someone down. Overall great meal and quality service, would visit again :)

First time for AYCE Japanese BBQ. Overall was a good experience. Nothing in particular stood out for me food-wise, perhaps because I've become accustomed to Korean AYCE BBQ?! Service was good. Prices one of the highest. Paid parkings only on the streets (meters), in nearby parking lots if available, or in garages. Downtown San Jose!

1st time I came here on the weekend w my family, I really loved this place. Services n foods were great. Staffs were nice n foods delicious 2nd time, last Thursday was shocked. the quality of the foods was not as good as before. Meats were salty, server forgot our soup until I told her n she brought them after 5mins later. The lunch menu w/NO side dish (waitress did not tell us nor we couldn't see it written down on the menu). What was the points of having Korean BBQ w/NO side dish we had to order side dish ($5/each - tiny one) and the server brought it out when we almost finished our lunch would never come back to this restaurant. I like the other location better

This is my first time back at gyu kaku in years, you can order ala carte or from three different tiers of all you can eat meats. The meat quality was good, but nothing amazing, besides that the grills are so tiny. The meat portions are also not that big, depending on what ayce tier you choose there are limits to the number of premium cuts you can order per person so be aware. What really stood out to me had to be the sukiyaki bibimbap bowl, delicious we ordered two! The service was good, our server was very helpful when we were ordering suggesting items we should try.

I decided to try the DTSJ Gyu-Kaku location with my friends as this one offers All You Can Eat which was something I have never tried before at Gyu-Kaku. I reserved through their online system for a table of 9 and we all arrived at around 7:30pm, the time of our reservation. However, we were not seated until closer to 8pm. Once seated, we all decided to choose the premium ayce menu which comes to around $58 for 45 items, which is a pretty good deal. I enjoyed all of the meats and dishes at Gyu-Kaku! My personal favorites were definitely the sweet soy toro beef, umakara yaki beef, cheese corn, and shio negi cold tofu. The only thing we ordered that we did not enjoy was the spicy pork; there was an odd sour taste to it. The downside of this experience was definitely the service. For every round we ordered, the wait for food was 15-20 minutes and they barely checked in on us. After we paid for the food and notified our server for which desserts we wanted, we probably waited another 15-20 minutes. Another con was that one of our grills was malfunctioning the entire time too and we had to keep calling our server to fix the grill for us. We also did pay 20% gratuity charge for a big group and although I understand the mandatory charge, I felt as if the service wasn't worth 20%. I think next time if I were to want to eat again at Gyu-Kaku in the South Bay, I would eat at the Cupertino location.

I went here with my friends and we got the Ninja BBQ course. Ninja BBQ Course(5/5): The course was very filling and made us think that we should've gotten the course before this one. The meats we had in the course were very delicious! It was tender and flavorful to the point where I barely used any sauce! Mango Cocktail(4/5): It was good, but was very strong tasting for alcohol. Service(4/5): Our server was nice, but wasn't as attentive. It was difficult to call for our server and try to wave them down. Overall, a good place to eat at for dates/hangouts!

Gyu-Kaku AYCE?! YES PLEASE. Meat quality is always on point so the fact that this location is AYCE definitely makes it worth it. My personal favorite meat is the Bistro Hanger Steak; so tender with great flavor of the marinade! Big thank you to our servers- Mustafa, Krista & Raf! They were very attentive and quick to send our orders as well as brought them out in a timely manner. They were always checking on us to make sure if we needed anything else. Mustafa even talked to our party about the recent NBA trade info, so that made it super fun and enjoyable for our experience! We'll definitely be back!

I came in with a party of 4 & Mustafa had great service and gave us everything that we needed to have an awesome experience here! All the reccs for meats that he gave us were outstanding and tasted the best - Thanks, Mustafa!

Gyu Kaku is always a good idea for dinner. We came on a Wednesday night and got seated right away. I've never experienced a long wait when I go to the downtown location. Shawnica was our server and she was the best! Very attentive, friendly, and was great with my toddler. Our order came out fairly quickly. We usually get the Meat Lovers combo and it's more than enough for us. Shawnica provided awesome customer service and will definitely come back.

Came here more than 10 times Food quality is always good. Our servers Mustafa and Bri are very sweet! Thank you guys :)

I'm a big fan of bbq places and am on a journey to find the best place in terms of cost and quality. They have a really great lunch deal and happy hour. They have a good selection of meats and set menu options. In terms of quality the meat itself is pretty good. I'm not a fan of their house salad dressing but the cucumber appetizer is so addicting. Service is usually very fast. Every time I've gone it's never really that busy. I think it's a good spot for a casual lunch with friends or even just 2 people if you choose to go a la carte (I know which meats I like here so so prefer a la carte vs set menu). I like this place specifically because they use a flame grill

I love this place so much! It has a great all you can eat! I come here at least once a month!

I love Gyu Kaku and this is my first time here at this location. The ambiance was super nice and and fancy. We got the AYCE Ultimate and it was so amazing. Shoutout to our server Ardan and Shannica ( sorry if I spell the name wrong) they were super friendly and amazing even though we went on Thursday for dinner but it still super pack but they all tried their best to help us out. Thanks again

Hein was sooo great! He was very quick and kind. I appreciated his service. The food was also super delicious. We didn't do the all you can eat, but man was that A5 waygu just melt in my mouth. The place was very clean and modern.

Gyu-Kaku was a really great restaurant! My boyfriend and I did the 2-person Valentine's Day special and it was a really great deal! They had other combo deals as well that included similar items as the meal that we got and I'd say that for the price of $80-$90 it was worth it! Our server Krista was really sweet and she constantly checked in with us to make sure that our dining experience was going smoothly. The dessert was good too and they gave a coupon for our next visit. I would most likely come back again!

Food take a while to come out until we complained and it turns out the kitchen misplaced our ticket. Our favorite was probably the toro but anything with the umakara sauce will probably remain as the most foul thing I've ever eaten.

Fast service, great selection and a good amount of seating! Came in for happy hour just to get a few quick bites in. I ordered the Gyu sushi (the meat does come cold), sukiyaki bowl and spicy addicting cucumbers! The cucumbers and sukiyaki bowls were definitely the favorites! The cucumbers aren't that spicy (if you can't handle spice), and it's refreshing and crunchy. On the other hand the sukiyaki bowl is my favorite just because i love crispy rice (i let it sit in the hot bowl longer), and beef. Would definitely come back for their lunch options and dinner.

came here with a friend for my birthday. we booked a reservation online. once we came to the establishment we were asked to wait for 5 mins. and when we sat down we got everything set as we also didn't want to hold the staff since our booking was nearing closing time. the place was very nice as well as the food. most of the selections we ordered were really great. they even sung happy birthday once they served our desserts. by the time we left there were still customers eating. i loved the experience and if you're ever around san pedro square definitely visit them.

I forgot to take a lot of pictures. I came here for a friend's birthday. I love that it's AYCE. There are so many choices including appetizers. We literally ordered so much appetizers. We did the premium meat. We followed the waiter's recommendation to order certain meats. I loved the fried calamari, kimchi, cheese wonton, peppers, their birthday cake, and literally all the meats (toro, beef tongue, skirt steak, etc.). I was so full and I wish my friends didn't order so much appetizer so I could've enjoyed the meat. I will definitely comeback.

Service was top notch. Steph was very knowledgeable about their large menu and the different options. Friendly and they worked well with a team. We had not just one person taking care of us but the whole team touched base with us so they really work together and they could anticipate our needs. We never really had to ask for anything except for water near the end, but everything else is fantastic. The food is great. It's delicious meats. I think I prefer to Korean barbecue as the appetizers are a little more filling overall, great place. Give it a try

The quality of the food was average, pay a moderately high price for all you can eat, three different levels. I chose the least expensive of $53. You get 90 minutes. 55 minutes I've only gotten one small order of meat. They slow play you on purpose. I ordered side dishes , Waited 22 minutes and it never came. Avoid this place. Anthony

Mustafa was great & attentive! The booths were spacious and clean. The food was quality and delicious. Highly recommend!

Tried this place for the first time. Located here in downtown San Jose near San Pedro Square. Great accessible parking across the street. Free for first 90 minutes. Large, clean restaurant. Great selection for every appetite. We did the meal for 2- Flavor of Japan which included some special meats. We were so hungry and everything tasted so good that I forgot to take more pictures. Our server Mandy was soooo nice, friendly, and knowledgeable. Great for newbies because she explained everything, gave us options, and her vibe was right on. Loved her energy and lashes! lol! Will definitely come back and try the other options avail.

A great restaurant on San Pedro! We've been a couple of times now. We had a reservation each time and I would recommend making one as when the area is busy the restaurant gets busy as well. We ordered off the a la carte menu the first time and the second time tried their Dine Downtown menu. Their pre set menus are a good deal, but you have to come hungry! If not that hungry you could just do a la carte. Every food item we've tried has been delicious, and we want to come back a few more times to try more. Some of my favorite food items I've tried so far have been the steamed chili dumplings and shishito peppers. All of the beef I've tried has been great as well. They also have a small bar with Japanese beers on draft. The service we've received has been good but not perfect. The first time it took us calling over a few different employees to finally get the grill lit, as it kept going out. It can also take some time to get all of your food items and drinks out.

Would recommend, we made last minute reservations the night of and our severe Mustafa was super welcoming and attentive! Food was great and the ambiance was nice.

I almost didn't go here after reading the reviews but I was pleasantly surprised with amazing service! Arden was professional, super friendly, and highly attentive. We basically had the whole place to ourselves towards the end of happy hour with guests sprinkling in. Food and drinks came out fast and he knew exactly when it was time for a grill change without us having to ask. 5 stars for this location, I will definitely come back and hype this spot to my friends.

My friends & I came here on a Sunday night & the place was pretty busy. We ended up ordering the Ultimate AYCE which also includes all the items from the Premium section as well. Unfortunately they were out of a bunch of different items the night we came - I believe they were out of at least 8 different items which was a bummer. The server we had was super friendly & food came out rather quickly. They were also super attentive to when we would need a grill change. We ordered about 3.5 rounds of food before we were all full. Our favorite meats were the Bistro Hanger Steak, Beef Tongue & Toro Beef. If you're really hungry & want some Japanese bbq - come check this place out!

Great service from Mustafa. He pays attention to detail which makes a difference these days. We will be back and hope he serves us again.

Went here today with my party of 6 and we had an overall great experience! We got the Ultimate AYCE package and came with hungry stomachs. I think this is the best bang for your buck out of the 3 options although $62/person can sound pretty steep, there are a ton of options included in the package from the meat choices, appetizers, vegetables, soups, and even desserts! The highlight of our experience was our very helpful and attentive server Ardan! He tended to our every need and made sure to get all of the items we ordered, even when we ordered a bunch of items at a time. He even did a fun birthday celebration for my friend. The kicker was that my group and I already walked all the way to the parking garage. We hear Ardan running all the way behind us because my bf forgot his credit card. That effort was seriously unexpected. Gyu kaku is lucky to have a worker like Ardan! Definitely appreciate this location. Thanks again Ardan

Delicious JBBQ location in San Pedro Square Market! My friend and I arrived around 1pm on a Wednesday after we saw ads for the lunch menu. The restaurant was half empty, and we were seated immediately. We ordered the 3-meat BBQ lunch special (spicy pork, umakara pork, toro beef) and the crunchy garlic shrimp noodles. The 3-meat BBQ lunch special came with a side salad and miso soup, and the crunchy garlic shrimp noodles came with the miso soup only. Overall, the food was delicious, although the spicy pork was too hot for me. My favorites were the umakara pork and crunchy garlic shrimp noodles. Service was fast and very friendly. They regularly checked in with us and offered to swap the grill routinely. Very happy with our experience here.

Food was great! Service was amazing! Shoutout to Mustafa and the staff! Super attentive and friendly!

A very unfortunate experience dining at this location. We had to ask for water and for our grill to be started 20 minutes after our food had been set at our table. The establishment had 3- 4 tables occupied at the time and was not busy in the slightest. Orders were being sent to the wrong tables or not being served at all. Overhearing all the wrong orders other tables got just made things more awkward for us as we were dealing with the same issues. Our party had to remind staff of our missing orders multiple times. Overall, it was frustrating to have to keep track of all our orders. Our final bill came out wrong three times!! Duplicate orders and random items found on the bill. Glad we checked! Service needs a lot of work.

Only 4 stars because the pricing was a bit high. Though the place seemed relatively lightly staffed, the service we did receive was exemplary. Bri and Mustafa in particular were very friendly and cordial, making a bit of small talk when we checked in. Despite getting a bit busy, they made intentional table touches to ensure we were doing okay through our meal. They were attentive and helpful- Mustafa went above and beyond to make sure my family and I had a great experience and weren't waiting too long for plates to drop. Good food and great service, thank you for a nice first experience!

It was our first time here celebrating a graduation. We did the 3 meats for $19 per person as opposed to the AYCE because it felt like the most for your money. The servers were friendly and catered to our needs nicely. There were definitely some hit and miss meats but nonetheless we enjoyed it. It was cool to know that they had s'mores as an option for dessert because it made the experience much more enjoyable and fun. Only con was that there were no scissors so we had to eat the meat in big slices and that was a bit difficult especially since we were using chopsticks. The ambiance of the place seemed very modern and spacious. Definitely would recommend if in the area and craving some good meat.