Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
| Address: | 329 S Ellsworth Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401, USA |
| Phone: | +1 650-343-3255 |
| Site: | gyu-kaku.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–10:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 17
MI
Michael Hraba
A very small chain (read that: mom and pop that has systems and service in place), hip, contemporary, and DELICIOUS. Its a Japanese Bento vs Korean BBQ spot, and every single thing is delicious. The Wasabi shrimp are as near to Shrimp Tempura that they have, but delicious. The Gyoza are brutally fried but tasty. The Miso Ramen was A+. The Waekame salad was delicious (a big plus compared to jarred/canned/old seaweed). Edamame was cooked perfectly and tasty. The Ahi Poke was fresh, and you could taste the freshness of the fish rather than spices to cover old fish. The BBQ shrimp and Filet Mignon were SO YUMMY. San Mateo has a glut of dirty, low end Japanese places. Let alone Thai, Chinese, etc. For every 10 restaurants, there is 1 consistent, solid, always delicious spot.... and that is this one. You wont be upset. Apparently dinner reservations are impossible, but daytime happy hour lunches will kill the rest of your business day with tasty food and revelry.
RI
richard mupfudze
Great food but terrible service. I had read that the place had some great food and chose to have dinner there. Upon arrival I am seated and my order is taken. Soup and drink are brought out shortly after but after 30 mins of waiting for the meat, I asked another waitress if there was a hold up as I had been waiting 30 mins. After going back to check on it, someone promptly brings it back and acted like everything was ok. The meat was brought with nothing for me to cook it with. After asking for utensils, the manager came to apologize but decided 15% off was the best he could do. I lost my appetite. An establishment that is highly rated like this needs to do better. Do better !!!!!!!
NN
Nnn Iii
The food here is delicious; however, I did have an issue in my previous visit. They somehow ran out of rice and had to get their source of rice from outside! I thought that was really weird considering rice is one of the most abundant food sources, at least locally. But yes, it was bizarre because the rice they brought from the outside was already cooked like they bought it at the store. Either way, my experience here is *usually* a very good one. The meats and other food are quite good. Service is sometimes on the slower side but not too bad.
EL
Elbert Lim
Theres a lot of good food to choose from. You cook them yourself which is pretty neat. They do give you general instructions on how to cook them, so its not something to worry about if youve never cooked before. The staff weve met are always cheerful and quick to serve. They change the grill often (for health reasons, a gesture that I really appreciate). They also do a lot of promotions/discounts through happy hours (and a super happy hour), and through a point system you earn through past purchases. Really a great place to eat with friends!
KE
Kelly Graham
Japanese version of Korean BBQ. Many cuts of meat and some fish, lots of sauces and veggie options. There is a little grill in the center of the table. You put your raw slices of seasoned meat on the grill for a couple of minutes, then move to a dish with your dipping sauces. I really like the butterfish. My husband loves the filet mignon. A good variety of cooked appetizers and alcoholic beverages. This place is always busy so call ahead for a reservation or be prepared to wait 45 mins to an hour
BI
Bill Pollock
This is like some sort of weird wannabe franchise. The quality of ingredients is poor. Meats are low quality and poorly trimmed. The ingredients should look great and be top quality. Not here. I kept picking stuff out of my teeth so I just cooked everything well. The best thing was their so called sukiyaki, but it was a poor excuse for one. Our server asked half a dozen times if we wanted to "add an item." Thats what I expect to hear in a bubble tea place, not a restaurant
NE
nelson wong
Meaty beefy goodness japanese bbq cook it yourself style. Come on monday when its super duper happy hour. Just dont go when i do cause i dont like crowds or waiting lol. High quality meats, veggies and delish salads and soups. Service is decent and theres tons of street and garage parking. Within walking distance of movie theater and great coffee and desserts. Walk in fresh come out smelling like a slab of med rare beeeef.
JI
Jianqiao Li
Gyu-Kaku is a nice Japanese chain BBQ restaurant and this place delivered expected flavor without exception. The waiting time for a party of two at Friday night is around 50 minutes. They do take reservation through open table, so thats a plus. The food is good, but portion may be small. And parking here is impossible, you need to drive around for several blocks to find a good spot or you can utilize parking lot.
ST
Steve Maxson
Good food but overpriced and small portions. You can get around this by taking advantage of their specials. You get less variety but the value is at least reasonable. Check the website and sign up for the newsletter because the service doesnt let everyone know. Their bibimbap is really fried rice. If the rice isnt at all crispy then it isnt bibimbap. Good flavor but not what I ordered.
AL
Alice Jn
I love how you interact with the baristas at Philz before you even go to the register to pay. They also ask you to take a sip to make sure its made to your desire; theyll add more sugar/cream if you need it. This location has an area in the back with tables and chairs for studying too! The downside is that you have to pay for parking in Downtown San Mateo...
LI
Liz Montalvo
Last time here I had the duck and the fried pork chips, the duck is one of the best things they have, the chips I enjoy them but between the chips and the dumplings in spicy sauce I prefer the dumplings, service was k but not the greatest so if you come here during happy hour you need to come prepared to wait a bit for your food.
JO
Jonathan Nguyen
Excellent food and a great spot to get some meat! Just be ready to pay a premium for your food if you go during non-happy hours. We fed around 4 people for roughly 120 bucks and we were all stuffed! We also got to try a large variety of meats (go for the Happy Hour special!) and my parents wished they had this back in NJ.
TH
Theodore Wu
If you have a party larger than 6 youll have to call in to make a reservation. They also require that you place half your order to ensure that the kitchen does not get overwhelmed. Good food and pleasant atmosphere. Great staff and many thanks to Christie for working with our last minute changes from a party of 6 to 9.
DA
Damon Fong
Great experience. They have extremely nice hosts/servers. Not sure if it is because it was new when we went but everyone seemed to enjoy what they were doing which gives us all a more enjoyable experience. They have very attractive specials so make sure to sign up for the mailing list.
TO
TORU YOSHIDA
味付けは日本のものよりちょっと濃いですが、お手頃な価格です ランチやハッピーアワーが特にオススメ 何故か店員はみんな早口
BR
Brandon Dixon
The experience of grilling your own food is great, but this place feels like a chain even though its not. Several of the meats were excellent and the vegetables were delicious. The draft beer fell flat, stick with bottles despite happy hour prices.
CH
Chantal Chantel
Best bbq place I have been to so far! Order the crispy garlic sauce to put on your cooked meat. They also give you coupons at the end of your meal that can be 5$ if your next meal, free meat or appetizer on your next visit. Best to go in groups!!
