Gen Korean BBQ House

Reviews 3

SC

Scott Norwood

The first time I had this was back in October of 2015. A buddy of mine and I had decided to go up to San Jose for a number of reasons in order to get away from San Luis Obispo County. In order to plan ahead for dinner we decided to look at the Yelp listings in San Jose and Gen had been listed on the front page. I had been to the one in Oxnard and loved it, so I figured we would be good to go to come here. As a result at the time I have posted this, we have now been here twice now with one of the times being a special trip from San Luis Obispo County just to eat here. The Wait Now one of the things that needs to be discussed before coming here is that one needs to be prepared for a very long wait time. The first time my buddy and I came here, we were waiting for a table for an hour. This is primarily due to the restaurant being so popular in the area. Its so popular infact that when I work the check lanes at my local Target and talk to people from San Jose, almost every one of them knows about Gen. So that says everything about its high demand for getting seats. But dont let that keep you from coming here because it is completely worth the wait time. The Food The food is to die for. It is as high quality as it gets for well prepared Korean dishes. Some would think that the food is somewhat Americanized, but with how high quality the food is Im willing to let that go in this case. You have things that include beef bulgogi, the Gen Chadol (beef brisket), Hawaiian Steak and much more tender delicious beef and other meats to choose from. Everything on their menu is tender and full of flavor. The Customer Service In our first visit back in October of 2015, we had a waiter and a runner. One was named Justin and the other was named Michael. These guys were amazing. Now to go into their quality of service I have to describe how this place works. When you are seated you are sat at a table with a mini stove and you cook the food that is given to you in an all you can eat fashion. You have to put in the requests for food to whoever is waiting your table of course, but these guys that helped us we by far the best. These guys would always come back to us and ask us if we wanted more food after every 5 minutes or so. This was not the case at the Oxnard location where it would take a little while to get a waiter flagged down for more food. We absolutely loved being a part of that amazing experience at this location. The funny thing was that on our second visit, one of them actually recognized us and said hi to us, and we arent even from San Jose. So props to Michael and Justin for doing such an amazing job. For our second visit we had decided to come up to eat here just because we hadnt had it in awhile. So we decided to take a special trip from San Luis Obispo County just to have it. This time around we had LN and Jeremy as our waiter and runner. We had a very similar experience as last time. However, my buddy had to use the bathroom and didnt like the quality of the mens restroom. So he asked someone if someone could go in and do a quick cleaning of the bathroom, and no one had done it. So he had to hold himself in for our entire ride home as a result. I thought that was pretty disappointing since we had come a long way to come up there to eat and then he had to hold himself in till we got home. Final Thoughts All in all though. Despite the wait time and the restroom problem, the pros definitely outweigh the cons for this place. If you are dying for a good all you can eat restaurant, one should definitely shell out the extra few dollars to eat here. As for all of you up in San Jose, you guys have a gem in your possession and should definitely take advantage of this place as much as you can while you are living there.

S

s p

Tonight was my 1st time there - not because I didnt want to go sooner - but it was best time to go - around 5:30 pm on a weeknight. The other times we tried to get in, there were usually 2-3 hour wait times. Dont like waiting that long. Price: Most excellent! You cant beat this. I mean a large mango soju for $11.98!!! Seriously! Thats great! It was enough for the 3 of us. Food: Excellent. The short ribs, the Galbi, and the spicy pork - all good quality. The calamari steak was good, chicken was good, the soup was so-so (spicy tofu wasnt spicy enough, but for a "general palate," it was decent Ban Chan: So-so - not that much - not a lot of variety, and I didnt like their sweet mashed potato I would like to see a bit more variety. I did like the sour kimchee. Some people dont like "older" fermented kimchee, but I love it! Service: I loved our wait staff - Kim and Albert! They were very polite but very personal. Albert was very attentive - he kept coming back to check on us. Kim was so cute and funny, I found myself easily joking with her as if Id known her a long time - she was that friendly and easy-going without crossing the line or boundary. I asked if they pooled their tips and they informed me that they do as a unit or a section - which is great, in my opinion. My friends tipped them more than 20% - happily so. :) I appreciated that they changed our grill frequently. Ambiance: nice - not too dark, not too bright, tables amply spaced apart and while it was packed, we could hold our own conversation with relative ease. Parking: yes, its a big lot, but not that easy to find parking except at the far end of the lot, and I understand why - the popularity of this restaurant in this strip mall thats been anchored by Ranch 99 is growing. Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed my food and experience here. We met the GM, Jonathan, at the end, and he was charming. We told him of our positive experience tonight, and how much we appreciated the high quality of the beef! Yea, Im a carnivore! :) I would definitely go back - many times - but theyve got to improve on the Ban Chan. I will say, however, where else but a Korean restaurant gives you all the Ban Chan you can eat - even if this is an all-you-can-eat BBQ, you cant find this anywhere else. As I told Jonathan, I will be back!

KE

Kelvin Nguyen

I used to frequent the location in Irvine/Tustin and I was super excited when I heard Gen was opening up a location in San Jose, my hometown. After moving back a couple of years ago, I had felt nostalgia for the delicious KBBQ that could only be found in so-cal. I was happy to find that the food was just as great as I had remembered it (albeit a little more pricey). My friends and I had gone two days after opening day for a send off dinner for a friend. The quality of meat, the variety of options, the attentive staff, and the relaxed ambiance truly made this dinner one of the most memorable experiences Ive had to date. Best AYCE BBQ for sure. Im a big fan of their brisket, beef tongue, and pork belly! However, everything on their menu is delicious and cater to all palettes. Their side dishes, sauces, rice paper, and salad are all great compliments to the meat. If you also happen to be there around Happy Hour, their drink options are awesome and super cheap (their flavored soju is half the price of VIP oriental during normal hours!!) Although you can tell that the restaurant is still trying to optimize their service and workflow, thanks to the the attentive staff that include Kevin, Loren, DM, and the hostess at the front (unfortunately didnt get her name), it was still fantastic. Id like to give specially call out Loren, who was extremely patient, attentive, and overall a great server who worked with us. Its a shame shes only at this location temporarily, but if you happen to have her, youre in great hands. As a native to San Jose, Ive seen this building go through a long history of cursed, mediocre, and boring restaurants that have tried and failed. However, I truly believe that Gen is here to stay. There will be a long wait and I dont see the wait shortening, but if you plan/prepare accordingly, it will be worth the wait. ----------------------------- My General Rating Criteria: 5 - I will go out of way to visit this location and spread the word to others. 4 - This place comes recommended and I would suggest this place when asked. 3 - Didnt have a terrible experience, but I would neither recommend nor avoid. 2 - I am not a fan and will probably never come back; I wont suggest to others if asked. 1 - AVOID AT ALL COSTS. I will tell others to shun it.