Genwa Korean BBQ
| Address: | 5115 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, USA |
| Phone: | +1 323-549-0760 |
| Site: | genwakoreanbbq.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 12–10PM 12–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
CJ
CJ Yu
WOW!!!! Even mentioning the name of this restaurant makes me salivate for more! Usually with good Asian restaurants theres two categories: the hole-in-the-wall super cheap places with bad service; and then the super-fancy "Americanized" restaurants that are clean but extremely expensive (ie Mr. Chows). Fortunately, this place was neither, and as a rare exception, truly is the best of both worlds!!! My friend Andrew had been raving about this place for weeks, and eventually we found a night to check it out and I was amazed at how great the food tasted and how reasonably priced this place was. Rather than get the set combo meals, we opted for two a la carte orders of the Galbi for around $27 each (two are enough to feed three people altogether), which I think is the best way to go (unless youre a fan of Bulgogi too, which is the stewed meat thats a bit more watery and shredded), and also an order of the grilled mushrooms which were AMAZING. Immediately upon ordering, the waitress re-appeared with almost (or more than?!) twenty small dishes, double what Ive been used to seeing at Korean restaurants around LA. The service was top notch and the decor was very sleek and modern which gave the place a nice ambiance inside. Whats even more cool is that rather than the traditional ceiling fans found at Korean places in LA, this place has reverse suction fans so the smoke never escapes from the grill (leaving your clothes smelling normal, rather than the smoky meat smell that typically clings to your body after Korean bbq). While all you can eat places like Manna Korean BBQ will still have their place in my heart, Genwa is hands down my new favorite go-to place for Korean BBQ in town--and thats inclusive of other places in Koreatown as well. Not to spoil any surprises--but at the end of the meal, they also bring out a sweet syrupy sugar cane/corn drink that can be sipped, along with these "magical towels" that youll have to see for yourself. :) Also--free parking in the back!!!!
JR
JR C
This is NOT All You Can Eat KBBQ. This is FAR better, more expensive, and a notch bit more fancy. With that disclaimer, do not worry about the non-AYCE part, you will be satisfied from your meal. -=- A+ Combo -=- You have the option of ordering a combo per person price, or individual dishes. I know my Korean food, but its just so much easier to trust that decision to the restaurant. We did not go wrong with ordering the Combo A+ which was a step up from the basic Combo A. Some of the combos included Soju, but this one didnt. No matter, wed buy a pitcher of Hite anyway to wisk away this week. You get the basic meat favorites like beef brisket (Chadol) and Bulgogi and really thats enough of a taste to get your feet wet here. -=-Banchan-=- The insane amounts of banchan that they give here are well documented in the pictures. Its true, you get a ton, and you can just keep requesting your favorites. My faves ended up being the Fish meatballs, fish cake slices, and potato salad. I think I ended up requesting at least 4 more fish meatball servings. The sauce that they were in were so savory and flavorful. -=-Service-=- What immediately differentiates Genwa from other KBBQ is the level of customer service. It really is on a whole new level that goes above and beyond that of the fanciest steak houses. Shane would be our main server, but that did not stop the other servers from coming and helping us cook our meat. With the attention that you receive here, the servers will not let you burn your meat and will basically take over the grill if you end up in a deep conversation (points to self). While this is a self-cook place, there was a period of time where Shane would stand over our grill and start cooking, cutting, and serving our plates. It really was full service to the max which made this one of my best experiences at a KBBQ restaurant.
KY
Kyle Johnson
Service, Ambiance, Value, Food, Ventilation - 5-stars all around! Value - 4 for dunner, 5 stars for Lunch -which I went to. When you first walk-in, the place looks so fancy that you feel your wallet throb. Then you open the menu...whew! Lunch Menu - WIN! But seriously folks, the dinner menu isnt inexpensive. If I had a Korean mother, Id probably opt for the lady (manager?) who was taking my orders and helping me grill my salvia-inducing bulgogi. Furthermore, the guy who switched off with her is welcome to join my inner circle of friends - what a nice guy! I was like, "Can I have some of that, salt and sesame oil thing?" Hes like, "Sure, I got you." Haha, thats cool. The lovely Rebecca W. ordered soondooboo jjigae which on the menu is called simply Soon-Tofu - spicy soft tofu stew. Its not really my bag but she thought it was purty darn tasty. And meanwhile my bulgogi bubbled and brimmed with special house sauce, cooking up delectably with some grilled onions. And oh yeah, count em 21 banchan.… They asked me which one I liked best...I mentioned 1 or two and they brought another few out. I coulda kept my banchan buffet going but, obvsly i was full after 21 frikkin Korean tapas. i heart seaweed. The complimentary cinnamon tea shots to conclude the meal capped off a perfect long-lunch. Bonus! - I went back to work without smelling like i just came from a cookout :) Genwa delivers delicious and authentic Korean cuisine in an elegant, and perhaps romantic, setting. Straight up.
ES
Esther Kim
My friend Crystal W. has recommended this place to me several times so I finally went there for lunch with my friend NH. We did valet parking for $3 in their parking structure, which is shared by the businesses in that block, since it was easier than driving around trying to find street parking (we were short on time). We shared Course A, which comes with House Salad, Soon Tofu, Rice (Brown or White), Japchae, Prime Galbi, and Choice of 1 item: Bulgogi, Bulgogi Chicken, or Cha Dol. We chose White Rice and Cha Dol. The chadol was a bit disappointing since it was just okay. The soondubu was even more disappointing because not only was it meh overall but it also tasted a little weird. But what made this lunch worth it was the galbi! That was really good--next time I would get just that for the meal. The rest was a waste of stomach space. Although I did appreciate all the various banchan they provided. Service was really good and the best part about this place is that you do NOT smell of smoke afterwards! I hate that part of KBBQ which is why Crystal kept on recommending this place to me. It is more expensive and a bit out of the way, but I would not mind coming back for their delicious galbi.
MI
miranda pan
Are you kidding me? !? This place is ridiculously delicious. Yes the food is a la cart and Yes its pricey but here is why: the meat (all the meat) is so freaking tender like it was beat in the womb, beat all its life and then just to guarantee its tenderness they gave it an extra beating right before it arrives to your table. They have 20+ sides that are all delicious. I know everyone likes the rice paper (which they serve) but I was extra stoked that they had the daikon radishes. I prefer to have my meat with the radish in lew of the filing rice. The staff is amazingly friendly and will have an actual genuine convo with you. They were also very attentive, making sure we had refills, sides, our meat cooked. After talking with one server, he offered us complimentary soju apple shots to try. Amazeballs!!! Dinner was followed with a chilled sweet cinnamon tea and lollipops were in our check book. This is a must try Korean Bbw if youre in L.A.!!!
