As a 5th time returning customer of Gyu Kaku, I am greatly disappointed by the recent decline in the quality of food, service, and overall management at the restaurant. Our meal experience was marred by several issues from the start.First of all we were quite disappointed with the Beef Rice Bowl. The server mixed the rice and the sauce in front of us upon serving at our table and the entire bowl was excessively salty, making it almost inedible. The overpowering saltiness completely overshadowed any other flavors of the beef itself.Now moving onto the meat, despite following the server's recommendation to cook the beef for 30 seconds on each side, the meat remained raw and cold after 10 minutes. We raised this concern with our server, but she dismissed it stating that each type of meat requires different cooking times. We then explain that we had been timing the cooking duration on our phone and noticed that the beef was still raw after 10 minutes according to the timer which is well beyond the recommended 30 seconds. Our server ignore what we said about the beef and she suggested to offer us a pair of scissors to cut the pork belly thinner to cook the food faster, but the issue with the slow cooking process was not caused by the size of the meat.After politely expressing our concern at our 2nd attempt the server's responses were dismissive and unhelpful. She said the grill was already at full heat so she couldn't turn it up any higher. However all of us at the table notice that the flame was consistently at the bottom, there were no sizzling sound, and the grill plate was cold, leading to improper cooking of our food. She says if there were too much meat on the grill it will cause the cooking process to be slower, however we insisted that the issue with the slow cooking process was not caused by an excess of meat because we didn't put that many meat in there at the first place as we notice the grill wasn't hot.We were seated in the middle aisle near the serving area but still struggled to get another server's attention, leading to further delay. it took us 30 minutes to grab another server's attention as no one made eye contact or passed by. The only time you can really get someone's attention is when they take your order and when they deliver your food, other times no one is around and we didn't spot any managers on the floor either although it was 6pm. It wasn't until a different server intervened that the problem was resolved by addressing the lack of air circulation in the grill. She started blowing air into the grill then the problem was resolved within a couple minutesEven though the food was finally cooked right, the whole experience was ruined which detracted significantly from what could have been an enjoyable meal. ?As we attempted to escalate the matter to speak with a manager, our requests were also ignored. Our server offered a table change as a belated solution. She said we didn't need to talk to a manager because she can move us to a nearby table that had remained unoccupied. We explained that the table next to us had been empty the moment we came in, why didn't she offer to move us when we first report the problem. Now we had already finished most of our meal and the grill issue had already been resolved so there's no need to move us to a different table now.The lack of prompt and effective resolution to our concerns, and the dismissive attitude towards our feedback only added to our disappointment. She could have asked a coworker or manager for help if she didn't understand how to resolve our issue.Promptly resolve the problem with the correct solution should have been a priority. It took an extended period and multiple attempts to finally resolve our issue with the grill, causing unnecessary frustration and delay in our dining experience. We wasted 45 minutes when the issue could've been easily resolved in 5 minutes. With better attention to detail and responsiveness to customer needs, the overall dining experience at Gyu
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
Vladymyr Klym
The food is really good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bladen 777
Unique meal experience, also great ramen!Came here for ramen, but got the bonus of the unique "do-it-yourself" grilling of meats over a fire.This created a cozy atmosphere, on top of probably some of the freshest meats you can get (as you literally cook it and eat it immediately).The ramen was also delicious and very reasonably priced.All in all I would definitely recommend going here at least once, for a unique experience that is also properly priced!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Noodles
VARUN WADHWA
Food was really good with self cooking aspect creating a real fun conversation starter amongst team members.Had great fun. Must try once
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Brady Plante
absolutely awesome place to go for good food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Les Evangelista
Always a pleasant experience at this restaurant. That harami beef is the best. Will be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Noodles, Japanese BBQ, BBQ
Mark Anthony Tocmo
Best go-to barbeque in downtown, mostly open until 10, excellent option for a group dine out.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gyu-Kaku Salad Dressing
Garth Slaney
We got the Yakiniku Party platter which was pretty good for 7 people later at night. The food arrived quickly and wasn't bad.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Brandon Dull
Went here the other night under a birthday reservation for 5 people. Off the get go, the front server wasn’t there and took a solid 10 minutes to confirm our reservation before putting us in the very back spot next to the washrooms.Perhaps it was short staffing, but our server did not come for another 15 minutes to grab waters before leaving for another 20 or so. It took somewhere around 45 minutes to be able to actually order our food.The menu is filled to the brim with tons of offerings, but lacks any clarity into portion sizing, so it feels like a gamble on what you should order if attending with multiple people. Our server was extremely unhelpful about sizing when we asked and brushed off our request to double our order. Restaurants loss I suppose.Food itself is very tasty and the grilling portion is quite fun.Had it not been for the miserable experience, I think I would have been a normal go to for bbq cravings but taking about 2.5 hours and only spending about a half hour eating and grilling made the whole experience not worth while and unenjoyable. If this is a standard Wednesday night experience, I fear for anyone who attempt going during a more busy evening.Highly do not recommend.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 2
Marc-Antoine Desbiens
Tried to go there 3 times and it's always fully booked even though all the tables are empty and it just opened and it's the middle of the week.Please keep some tables for walk -in.
Food is quite good, but the portioning I think It might need a little
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
JV S.
food is great, and service as well. only fall back is the interac machine, took awhile for payment to
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Kaylee Britton
I go here often and it's an amazing experience and magnetic atmosphere. Love love love!Parking: There is parking along the street right beside this restaurant but it is paid unless of course you go on the weekend, there are also multiple paid parking lots around but you will need to then walk a bit!Wheelchair accessibility: Ramps on and off sidewalk, no raised areas making it difficult for wheelchair access
First time going there, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. The staff was very nice, helpful, respectful, the food was good, and to top it all off, the playlist...!! Just wow!! It felt like a resto-karaoke combo! Great vibe, for sure!!I would definitely recommend if you just want to vibe with friends or family around good food and music! ;)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Demi Pham
Really small portion for the price. However, they did have some good dishes
As a 5th time returning customer of Gyu Kaku, I am greatly disappointed by the recent decline in the quality of food, service, and overall management at the restaurant. Our meal experience was marred by several issues from the start.First of all we were quite disappointed with the Beef Rice Bowl. The server mixed the rice and the sauce in front of us upon serving at our table and the entire bowl was excessively salty, making it almost inedible. The overpowering saltiness completely overshadowed any other flavors of the beef itself.Now moving onto the meat, despite following the server's recommendation to cook the beef for 30 seconds on each side, the meat remained raw and cold after 10 minutes. We raised this concern with our server, but she dismissed it stating that each type of meat requires different cooking times. We then explain that we had been timing the cooking duration on our phone and noticed that the beef was still raw after 10 minutes according to the timer which is well beyond the recommended 30 seconds. Our server ignore what we said about the beef and she suggested to offer us a pair of scissors to cut the pork belly thinner to cook the food faster, but the issue with the slow cooking process was not caused by the size of the meat.After politely expressing our concern at our 2nd attempt the server's responses were dismissive and unhelpful. She said the grill was already at full heat so she couldn't turn it up any higher. However all of us at the table notice that the flame was consistently at the bottom, there were no sizzling sound, and the grill plate was cold, leading to improper cooking of our food. She says if there were too much meat on the grill it will cause the cooking process to be slower, however we insisted that the issue with the slow cooking process was not caused by an excess of meat because we didn't put that many meat in there at the first place as we notice the grill wasn't hot.We were seated in the middle aisle near the serving area but still struggled to get another server's attention, leading to further delay. it took us 30 minutes to grab another server's attention as no one made eye contact or passed by. The only time you can really get someone's attention is when they take your order and when they deliver your food, other times no one is around and we didn't spot any managers on the floor either although it was 6pm. It wasn't until a different server intervened that the problem was resolved by addressing the lack of air circulation in the grill. She started blowing air into the grill then the problem was resolved within a couple minutesEven though the food was finally cooked right, the whole experience was ruined which detracted significantly from what could have been an enjoyable meal. ?As we attempted to escalate the matter to speak with a manager, our requests were also ignored. Our server offered a table change as a belated solution. She said we didn't need to talk to a manager because she can move us to a nearby table that had remained unoccupied. We explained that the table next to us had been empty the moment we came in, why didn't she offer to move us when we first report the problem. Now we had already finished most of our meal and the grill issue had already been resolved so there's no need to move us to a different table now.The lack of prompt and effective resolution to our concerns, and the dismissive attitude towards our feedback only added to our disappointment. She could have asked a coworker or manager for help if she didn't understand how to resolve our issue.Promptly resolve the problem with the correct solution should have been a priority. It took an extended period and multiple attempts to finally resolve our issue with the grill, causing unnecessary frustration and delay in our dining experience. We wasted 45 minutes when the issue could've been easily resolved in 5 minutes. With better attention to detail and responsiveness to customer needs, the overall dining experience at Gyu
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
The food is really good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Unique meal experience, also great ramen!Came here for ramen, but got the bonus of the unique "do-it-yourself" grilling of meats over a fire.This created a cozy atmosphere, on top of probably some of the freshest meats you can get (as you literally cook it and eat it immediately).The ramen was also delicious and very reasonably priced.All in all I would definitely recommend going here at least once, for a unique experience that is also properly priced!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Noodles
Food was really good with self cooking aspect creating a real fun conversation starter amongst team members.Had great fun. Must try once
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
absolutely awesome place to go for good food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always a pleasant experience at this restaurant. That harami beef is the best. Will be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Noodles, Japanese BBQ, BBQ
Best go-to barbeque in downtown, mostly open until 10, excellent option for a group dine out.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gyu-Kaku Salad Dressing
We got the Yakiniku Party platter which was pretty good for 7 people later at night. The food arrived quickly and wasn't bad.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Went here the other night under a birthday reservation for 5 people. Off the get go, the front server wasn’t there and took a solid 10 minutes to confirm our reservation before putting us in the very back spot next to the washrooms.Perhaps it was short staffing, but our server did not come for another 15 minutes to grab waters before leaving for another 20 or so. It took somewhere around 45 minutes to be able to actually order our food.The menu is filled to the brim with tons of offerings, but lacks any clarity into portion sizing, so it feels like a gamble on what you should order if attending with multiple people. Our server was extremely unhelpful about sizing when we asked and brushed off our request to double our order. Restaurants loss I suppose.Food itself is very tasty and the grilling portion is quite fun.Had it not been for the miserable experience, I think I would have been a normal go to for bbq cravings but taking about 2.5 hours and only spending about a half hour eating and grilling made the whole experience not worth while and unenjoyable. If this is a standard Wednesday night experience, I fear for anyone who attempt going during a more busy evening.Highly do not recommend.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 2
Tried to go there 3 times and it's always fully booked even though all the tables are empty and it just opened and it's the middle of the week.Please keep some tables for walk -in.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Food is quite good, but the portioning I think It might need a little
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
food is great, and service as well. only fall back is the interac machine, took awhile for payment to
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
I go here often and it's an amazing experience and magnetic atmosphere. Love love love!Parking: There is parking along the street right beside this restaurant but it is paid unless of course you go on the weekend, there are also multiple paid parking lots around but you will need to then walk a bit!Wheelchair accessibility: Ramps on and off sidewalk, no raised areas making it difficult for wheelchair access
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gyu-Kaku Salad Dressing, Steamed Pork Gyoza Dumplings, Soup, Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbap
First time going there, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. The staff was very nice, helpful, respectful, the food was good, and to top it all off, the playlist...!! Just wow!! It felt like a resto-karaoke combo! Great vibe, for sure!!I would definitely recommend if you just want to vibe with friends or family around good food and music! ;)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Really small portion for the price. However, they did have some good dishes