Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
| Address: | 510 Gray St, Houston, TX 77002, USA |
| Phone: | +1 713-750-9520 |
| Site: | gyu-kaku.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 10:30AM–10:30PM 10:30AM–10:30PM 10:30AM–10:30PM 10:30AM–10:30PM 10:30AM–11:30PM 10:30AM–11:30PM 10:30AM–10:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
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Justine Hernandez
Imagine if P.F. Changs and Kona Grill had a one night stand with an authentic Korean/Japenese BBQ joint... this would be their illegitimate baby. Im not saying Gyu-Kaku is bad per se, but it is definitely an Americanized spin-off of a "good" Korean BBQ restaurant. They pose as a Japanese BBQ restaurant, however, their menu is riddled with Korean items like kalbi, bibimbap, and "spicy cabbage".The service is fantastic. The food is sub-par and overpriced... The birthday song is... no. Just no. My boyfriend and I dined here for my birthday. Our server, Nick, was very informative, honest, and entertaining to boot. He suggested the Meat Lover option, which is $55 to feed 2-3 people, including 4 appetizers,6 meats to grill, and smores. The Cheese Wontons were a joke; small fried dumplings with the tiniest smudge of cream cheese inside. The Chicken Karaage was slightly better than the nuggets my daughter likes. Both were served with something like Sriracha mayo. Real creative. I was truly annoyed by how fast the food was flying to our table. Hot food was getting cold, and appetizers were coming out, while raw meat sat on our table, challenging the laws of time-temperature abuse. The Dynamite Tuna Roll was the epitome of American sushi. Canned tuna. Mayo. Fried. Stuff baked on top. I think Im going to perform a seppuku. The Spicy Cabbage is just their version of kim chi. Raw cabbage in a faux kim chi dressing. Fermented cabbage? Oh nooo... too scary for American taste buds. The grilling portion of the dinner was a fun experience. Our server explained that the meats must be cooked in a specific order to allow for proper marination. A 3 compartment saucer, identical to P.F. Changs, held dipping sauces for the meat: ponzu, spicy sauce, and a teriyaki-esque sauce. My beau and I took turns trying to set each other on fire, cracking jokes about one anothers lack of skill on the grill. A couple of the meats reminded us of what is used for bistek or fajitas. I wish we had opted for the a la cart option. There was so much food and much of it was mediocre. Midway through our meal, a group of young men sat at the table next to us. The restaurant is set up so that the person at the next table is basically sitting in your lap. I may as well have asked them to pass the soy sauce. The lesson here is dont come for an intimate dinner. You may end up with a frat boys fingertips brushing against yours and be forced to listen to his friends reminisce about last nights flip cup tournament. As for the surprise birthday attack... ahem. I mean... song - I know they meant well, and I know its not the staffs fault, but the birthday song antics are about as crazy and loud as a Pappasitos. I scream, you scream, we all scream for free ice cream i suppose. Aside from all the madness, I enjoyed my company and the wonderful service. There are too many good, authentic Asian BBQ restaurants available to have to return to Gyu-Kaku. Theyre about as good as buying a Luis Vutton bag off of Harlem. It might look good and seem like a deal, but ALL Asian knock-offs reveal their quality and flawed details in the end.
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Anthony Alvior
On a recommendation from a coworker we tried Gyu-Kaku for the first time for lunch. Its located in mid-town and its recommended you get there early (11-11:30) because parking fills up quickly during lunch. The restaurant is Japanese themed and each table has a gas grill in the middle for self-cooking. There is a wide variety of meats (including chicken and shrimp) and there are also options for non-self cooking. Lunch prices are reasonable and lunch combos start around $8 and go up depending on what you want. I did the "Samurai Combo" which consisted of four meats (Bistro Hanger Steak Miso, Toro Beef Sweet Soy, Angus Beef Ribs Sweet Soy, Spicy Pork Belly) and you also get rice, salad, and a miso soup. Not a bad deal for $12, in my opinion. The waitstaff will instruct you on how long you should cook each type of meat, so really it cant get any simpler than that. It was a fun experience and the food was delicious. The waitstaff is very attentive, always stopping by to ask if everything is ok, to remove empty plates, and refill our water. A bit of warning though, because you have grill being used in the middle of the table, you start to get very warm, and I think if they cooled the AC a bit more it wouldnt be an issue. Also, just like going anywhere else where food is cooked right in front of you, you will tend to smell like it once you leave, but thatt not necessarily a bad thing. Im definitely coming back to try the other meat options!
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Gary Hwu
I love Japanese style bbq (maybe bc I have a bias towards the Japanese culture)! But man did Gyu-Kakus food taste delicious! We came around 12:30pm on a Saturday and were seated immediately (no reservations made). They have several meat plate options and I recommend going with the 3 meat combo Power Lunch option if its your first time (I chose the Angus Beef Ribs Tare, Yaki-Shabu Miso, and Pork Belly Spicy Gochujang). From there you can decide which meats you like better and choose the 2 meat combo Quick Lunch the next time you come. My favorite meats are the Yaki-Shabu Miso and Angus Beef Ribs Tare (great marinade and the meat is tender). The experience is very much GYOM (Grill Your Own Meat) which was exciting to watch the meat sizzle on the grill. What better way to eat the meat with a side of Gyu-Kaku salad, rice, and miso soup! I definitely recommend coming here for lunch. Ive heard the dinner menu is a little more expensive and the portions arent that much more than the lunch portion. If you have room and are lucky, you might be able to try New Yorks own Lady M Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake for dessert (they tend to run out of stock though). Pricey but oh so good!
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Mandy
Delicious!! This place was SO fun! We did a course dinner so we could experience everything. The salad dressing was super tasty. Everything kind of came out at once and we were surprised at how much food we got! Definitely worth the money. They bring you everything raw and you throw it on the grill and cook to your liking. Everything is super fresh and well seasoned. They seem to have great lunch options and ala cart too, which can make it substantially cheaper and easy to eat here any time. Everything was SO tasty. Highly reccomend all the thin cuts of meat, I think the shobu beef was our favorite, but they were all very good! The only off thing was our added dessert, they were out of green tea mochi so we switched to chocolate. The ice cream was great but the mochi wasnt the right texture, maybe due to the cocoa added to it.
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Sandra Pham
Came here for a going away dinner with a couple of friends. The parking lot is right in the heart of midtown so if you come here on a weekend evening expect trouble finding parking. We had zero wait when we went inside and were seated immediately. The food is pretty delicious and open grill. You can order all the meats you want and cook it yourself. I opted for Kimchi bimbop type of dish. It was really tasty! You will come out smelling like a BBQ pit so be aware. Dont wear anything too nice or come here if you have somewhere nice to be after. When we cooked our meats, the fire went out of control for a bit. I am not sure if some of the staff is inexperienced but we would appreciate them being aware of the fire. It can be dangerous so not a recommend for the kiddos.
