Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Disclosure: This review was based on the Dineout 2015 Menu and thus there may be differences in quality.
Yakiniku is review not on how well cooked the meat but the quality of the cuts and variety in selction. Gyu Kaku has created a reputation for being the golden standard for Yakiniku in vancouver as well as a hotspot in downtown compared to competitors.
Gyu Kaku like JinYa is a franchise, with locations across the world. Gyukaku signature beef skirt with miso marinade will win any fan of beef over. But this was what we ordered.
I had the kimchi and fried chicken nuggets. The Kimchi was nicely drenched in its spicy pickling juices. the nuggets was juicy and mayo has heat.
The meat lovers consists of Sirloin, Kalbi and steak and an extra order of fillet mingnon. The first two items with a Tare (soy and fruit juice marinade) for the Sirloin and Kalbi while the steak and tenderloin had a miso marinade. Of the three I felt the NY steak was the best as it cooks well while the short rib was prone to overcook
For $ 3 extra we upgraded from a plain bowl of rice to Sukiyaki don. A stire fry rice with cuts of beef and sukiyaki sauce served in a stone bone. It helped in making a meal worth its money in portion size
The vegetables did not compliment the meal as the mushrooms were quite bitter tasting. Could have went with the surf and turf but this is personal preferences.
Desserts ended with another $ 3 extra for Taiyaki. Meant to be grilled the hot red bean paste compliments ice cream like pies.
Overrall I recommend GyuKaku and trust that even as a franchise it is a place for celebrations

GGGYYYUUUU KAAAKKKKKKKUUUU why must you taste so good. why? The food here is so good. Although if I’m cooking it am I giving myself 5*? I’ve been here a number of times for their dinner and for the late night deals. The food here remains the same high end quality no matter the time of day I’ve been. I highly recommend the steaks. While a little pricier than the other cuts of beef, the quality is extremely high, and there’s nothing better than little chunks of rare cooked steak! The duck is also very tasty and great on the grill. Be careful when you order the pork belly though, as it tends to have a lot of flare ups and can lead to a few hand burns (owchy!). The staff do warn you of this though. By far though, my favorite thing to order is the beef here. The smell and taste of bbq’d beef. The Kalbi chuck especially is a great bang for your buck!

So delicious. You may end up waiting a bit, but it’s never a letdown. The buttered corn and the dessert pancakes, are some of the unexpected favorites. Also, majorly huge beers for just $ 9 CAD. It’s hard not to have a good time at gyu kaku, but just keep in mind you’ll need to wash your hair once you return home.

Three of us went for dinner last night. Recommended by a good friend, it was our first visit. A very busy place, however the wait wasn’t too bad (10 min) — perhaps bc it was a mid-​week night. For Fri-​Sun, I suggest to make a reservation. We had $ 70 set menu (portion for 2) plus pan fried noodle. The meat and mixed rice were great, and the noodle was ok to my taste. I will definitely go back, can’t wait to try their happy hours!

So my co-​worker and I decided to go out for dinner and she has been craving this Japanese BBQ for a while and so we went.
Atmosphere
A very large space with many big booths. The booths can seat up to 6 people, but there is a flaw in the design. Only one grill per table. I mean sure, it’s great for 3 – 4 but once you hit 5 – 6, there’d be a bit of a wait.
Food
I always almost prefer A la carte menu because set menus usually always has a dish here and there I don’t like. Sure, sometimes you get more bang for your buck but if you can’t finish everything you may as well order A la carte and be satisfied with all the dishes.
Pleasers:
— Kalbi short rib — tender and flavorful
— Zucchini — it is what it is
— Mushroom medley — it is what it is
— Broccoli
— Garlic noodles — chewy and yummy. a bit too salty. good for sharing
— Toro beef —
Disappointers:
— Pork belly — I had high hopes, it was like chewing bubble gum. I only had half a piece.
— Filet mignon — not as tendered as i hoped it to be
Overall: I would not come back. There really is nothing special about this place except for their sauces. Also, what really ticked me off was the manager purposely gave me a $ 5 bill for change when clearly I wanted coins. I did not want to tip you 30%, buddy. Thumbs down. Next!

Our experience here was amazing. Thank you Pat for recommending us the amazing food choices.
The atmosphere was simply amazing. Clean, good décor, and amazing music. Great spot for a date.
We went during happy hour so were able to receive discounted price on certain food. The serving was not a lot, but it was grade A type of food. It was flavourful, presented nicely and fresh.
The staff was great! Pat our server gave us recommendation that were spot on. They were prompt and polite.
I would recommend this place to others and would be back again. Great place to dine in!

Arrived on a busy day. Super packed, no reservations, party of 4, maybe waited a good hour but worth the wait. The entire meal was delicious as I couldn’t get enough of salad. The meat was fresh and tasted great. The food just kept coming and the service was on par. Can’t wait to come back!

This is our go-​to place when we come to Vancouver. Every time we go the staff is super nice and welcoming. If you plan on coming during their busy hours, call ahead and make reservations because wait times can exceed an hour…
Their meals are both fun and very yummy! I love grilling and eating their food. For those wondering, their bbq is quite different from Korean bbq. This place gives you small plates of meat of different flavors. It allows you to try a lot of different flavors and meats. My family also loves their peebimbop.
If you’re in the area, you’ll want to drop on by and try out this place. You won’t leave disappointed.

I love this place! I had the chicken karaage with rice. It’s delicious. Will definitely go back to try the rest.

It’s always good!
Great concept, i love to go With My family. My daughters love it.
Food: I’ll give them a 9 because the quality is always good and consistent.
Service: they are always busy but they are really kind and there with a smile to help you. well, you now how is the Japanese service. The best.
Ambience: big tables good space, so you can enjoy with your family/​friends.
If you are going during peak hours make a reservation or be patient.
Price: fair

I would say this place is mediocre. I have come here twice. Once for happy hour at night, and once for dinner.
Dinner ended up being pricey because we ordered a bunch of food and beer, but overall it was an OK experience. Food was tasty, and seating was plentiful.
Happy hour was good too as the prices were cheaper, the portions were decent size. I had a lot of the meat and fried foods. which you can probably guess why. Downtown, late, probably drank a bit.
I’d come here again for happy hour, not so sure about regular dinner.
I have also been to the hawaii honolulu one. That was decent, kinda smaller portions though.

I want to be very clear here that the food here is great. It’s awesome. Wonderfully marinated meats, bold flavours, great prices and two happy hours (evening happy hour begins at 9pm).
The service, a comedy of errors…
While the staff is super friendly and very welcoming, the night just seemed to be filled with missed requests, delayed food/​drink orders, and malfunctioning equipment. Our garlic noodles did not arrive till the very end of our meal. We ordered the butter corn which just didn’t arrive at all (so we cancelled it) and then it showed up on our bill. We also had to ask several times for more water or refills which seemed to be forgotten about. In addition to all this chaos, the bill had to be redone three times and when we tried to use a gift card bought at their location, the initial response was — «Sorry we don’t do that»…What?!
Anyway, it all worked out in the end, but sadly, this experience has left a semi-​bad taste in my mouth amongst the delicious BBQ flavours that want to draw me back.
I’ll still go back because the food here is great, but I am lowering my service expectations to the bare minimum in order to do so.

Prices are a bit steep. Me and my friend paid $ 40 each for a set dinner for 2.
Best way is to eat here during happy hour. We should have gone on a monday for their all day happy hour.
The service was quick and reliable. Food wise, pretty okay and has flavor.
The only thing that irked me the most was the crowd/​group of people seated beside us. They were so loud and obnoxious. I can tolerate loud and boisterous laughing, but this one… Can’t even explain. Carlos, our server knew that we were bothered but I’m sure as he wanted to move us in a diff table, he just couldn’t cause of the crowd.
Btw, if you want to eat here, reserve a table first to avoid waiting 45mins-​1hr.

You can’t go wrong with ALL DAY happy hour Monday’s. Everything on the menu is the happy hour price the entire day. Need I say it again? ALLLLL DAY HAPPY HOUR!
It’s my favourite place for BBQ grilled meats with Japanese fare. I went to shabusen last night and it just didn’t cut it. Here though, it was bang on. The chicken karrage was delicious and on part with the ones at Guu, and the gyozas were great. The meats were delicious and great quality. We ordered the toro (pork belly), Kalbi short rib, filet mignon, and spicy pork. They were all cut up into individual portions and were the perfect size. The dippings that were provided on the table (a citrus vinegar sauce, spicy sauce and a sweet sauce) went so well with the meats, and I devoured the spicy sauce. The mushroom medley was so good and I definitely recommend it if you’re a mushroom fan and I recommend dipping it in the spicy sauce as well. Lastly our sukiyaki bibimbap did not disappoint. It came in a piping hot stone bowl and was ample amount for two people. There were also a good amount a beef slices in the rice as well.
Altogether we had an awesome dinner for just over $ 50 for 2, including a drink and that’s tax and tip inclusive. Way to go gyu-​kaku, you always kill it in my books!
Oh, and service was excellent. Our server came by and changed our grill 3 times in an hour and he was very attentive. You must try this restaurant!

This is one of my favs when it comes to Japanese BBQ!!! Their meat is so flavorful! They have lots of different combos if you can’t decide what you want, why not try them all??! Their dishes come in small sizes so you can sample different kinds of meat and appetizers etc. Service is ok as theu are always busy running around. Make sure you dress light or in layers because it can get pretty stuffy and hot in there sitting in front of the grill. Street parking available.

Jae and I went in on Sunday during lunch, and to our pleasant surprise, it was «happy hour»! which meant that we received 20% off our food. The servers were very friendly there. Our server was training and although he didn’t know the answers to some of other questions, he tried very hard to make our experience enjoyable.
Can’t remember exactly what our combo was called, but I think it was the Meat Lovers’ combo. It came with Gyukaku salad, edamame, chicken karaage, 2 bowls of rice, about 5 different cuts of beef, and 1 spicy pork. For dessert, 2 scoops of ice cream. We also order a sukiyaki bibimbap on the side even though we already had so much food. Everything was delicious! I loved being able to grill our meats to our liking and I loved all the side dishes that came along, so the entire meal was perfect from start to finish. The only thing that I would complain about is that the sauce is already heavily marinated. it made me crave white rice. if it had a little less sauce, or even without sauce, I’m sure the true beef flavor would have stood out more.
I’d love to go back here. unfortunately, I’d have to drive atleast 3 hours to get here. but it miiighhhhtttt just be worth it.

Came here with 2 friends last night (my second visit this time) and we waited extra 20 minutes for reservations. Turns out he phoned Broadway location instead of downtown and waiting time wasn’t long as expected. We were told to wait at least 30 – 45 minutes and thank god we didn’t wait THAT long. Also service was efficient and prompt. Servers filled out water as they came by and also gave cooking instuctions after bringing our food.
We ordered Kobe Beef, Beef Tongue, Shrimps, Beef Sirloin, Pork Toro (aka pork jowl), drinks (Cinderella and Pina Colada), Takoyaki, Garlic Mushrooms and finished it off with Macaron icecream ($ 5.95 each).
Takoyaki– nicely cooked, no bonito flakes on top but why soaked with ponzu underneath? It tasted like mayo with soysauce and should have tasted sweeter. It was alright.
Beef– Kobe beef was tender and yummy. I’m not a Kobe beef fan, but it’s good to eat once in awhile. Most sirloin pieces were good, but few pieces were thick and had to keep chewing it. I thought all pieces would be tender. Beef tongue slices were amazing, delicious and tender.
Pork Jowl– tender, juicy and delicious. I loved pork jowl, beef tongue and Kobe beef a lot.
Macaron Icecreams– gooey, soft and yummy. We ordered both green tea and mango they tasted good. I personally prefer green tea more. They also have raspberry flavour and have limited quantity so make sure to ask servers.
Drinks were good too. Got our prize ballot forms and felt lazy filling them out. I already got their promo emails on my inbox already. I find it that A La Carte menu is quite useful if you don’t want course menu and select certain meats or cuts according to your taste.

Joyce is the best server I’ve had at Gyu Kaku :) very thorough, polite, capable, and friendly.
Hmm, all meats we ordered were fine, but have to call out that the pork belly was very good this time. Also the calamari appie was well made and well presented.
Not sure if the good service is an individual thing or if Gyu Kaku has stepped up the game. Will be back to find out :)

Took a spontaneous day trip to Vancouver yesterday and stumbled upon this restaurant on Unilocal.My boyfriend and I both have never had Japanese BBQ. Before we came to this location, we called the location on Broadway to see how long the wait was and wait was long! Next open seating was estimated to be 8ish. The wait on Nelson street was only an hour. I would definitely recommend making reservations because they are really busy.
We ordered the geisha combo for 2 which is $ 60 for the best cuts. We also added beef bacon. First, the salad and tuna came out and both were delicious. Next, were the meats! You can definitely taste the freshness in each of the meat. The sukiyaki that also came with the meal wa everything! My favorite dipping sauce is the spicy. I wasn’t too fond of their ponzu sauce. Service was fantastic! Never once did I have to ask for my water to be filled because our server had magical no more water instinct. Lol. The geisha came with the option of either smores or chocolate banana ice cream. I chose the ice cream. I thought it was maybe chocolate covered bananas with ice cream but it wasn’t just that simple. You actually grill the bananas on the grill in foil for about 3 minutes. Then put the warm bananas on the plate with ice cream and hot chocolate. Omg it was amazing!!!
All in all, my experience here was absolutely great! I would definitely recommend everyone to come here to try their BBQ! They also have a few other locations in the states.

The first gyu-​kaku location in Vancouver in a fairly «upscale?» Part of town, downtown. While it may look expensive, it is actually very affordable, with various set menus available for all price ranges and tastes. Gyu-​kaku is a japanese yaki niku eatery, basically what most of us in the lower mainland has come to know it as korean bbq. Yaki-​niku restaurants are not uncommon in japan, rather they are one of the most popular and common kind of restaurants in japan. Gyu-​kaku brings that love for meat and service to the land of beavers, orcas, and lumberjacks.
I have been to both gyu-​kaku locations (broadway) before, and if i had to chose which one offered a better dining experience, the broadway one is better. Why? The nelson (this one) lacks the number of necessary ventilation units to properly disperse of all the smoke created by the food. That night, on new years day, it was quite packed and cold! Everyone was cooking food and the smoke and smell was quite strong when you just walk in.
The food was comparable at each location, but the timing in which each dish was brought out is questionable. The beef dishes were brought out quite late, in comparison to the broadway location but bway has its own issues which will be highlighted in its own review. The service at times is quite shoddy but thats due in part to how crowded it can be.
For this particular location, its quite average.
A self-​cooking Three, out of Five.

wouah un régal, un must do à Vancouver, bbq japonais avec happy hours tous les jours jusqu’à 18h
on a pris un menu dégustation pour deux et on a mangé à trois dessus largement, il était composé d’une salade, de poulet frit, d’edaname, du mais grillé, plusieurs sortes de viandes marinés, des pâtes et en dessert de la glacé
les plats arrivent les uns après les autres, on fait tout griller au fur à mesure sur le bbq situé au milieu de ta table
c’est super bon, les différentes marinades sont très bonnes, on s’est régalé
le service était excellent, on nous a même offert la troisième glacé
il est situé en plein centre donc facilement accessible

La comida es deliciosa, es divertida la experiencia de cocinar en tu propia mesa la mejor carne, pollo, pescado, mariscos o vegetales, preparados de la forma mas exquisita y el servicio es único…
Los precios son muy razonables y siempre que te vas, piensas en que quieres regresar pronto.