Gen Korean BBQ House

Great place, food is awesomely tasty, but the music is too too loud. I want to eat my food not get down with it!!! Nom sayin!!?

Jonathan was one of the best waiters I’ve had here at Gen. He’s always coming by to ask if we need more meat or any more side dishes and refills. Hope he’s my waiter again next time!

Jenny, if I was Forrest Gump it would make sense lol. My waitress Jenny was so awesome 30% was the only way for me to truly say thanks for the awesome service! The atmosphere and food were good but the service and the way she directed the team and guys who assisted her was the epitome of excellent customer service! Salute!

I grew up in koreatown LA so you know ill be surrounded by korean bbq places. If eat kbbq at least once a week.
Ambiance
Great! I didnt even have that really strong kbbq smell when i came out (a usual when i go to these places). The place was very roomie and seats were very comfortable. No one’s bumping with each other or anything. We were seated in the high chairs. Expect this place to be noisy. Chattering voices, music, so its not an ideal place if you’re looking for something serene
Service
GREAT SERVICE! Theres always going to be someone asking how you are or if you need anything. Servers are very friendly and very attentive.
Food
I love the food portions. They dont give you a big tray of meat, they give you small portions which is good… Coz you’ll have room to try other meat
Id say their meat is ok. I cant pinpoint it but its just ok. Maybe it’s their sauce that im having a problem with. I guess id say their food doesnt taste like authentic kbbq. But its my preference since i grew up eating this. This is a commercialized (chain) type of kbbq place, youll still love the food though.
Price
Decent (~$ 20) for ayce.

I shy away from leaving bad reviews, but after THREE bad experiences from 3 diff locations I just felt compelled to. I have no idea why this place has high reviews, let alone more than wang cho. Imo it’s very deceiving. Even if people think this bland food is good, then everyone should atleast be able to agree that the customer service is HORRIBLE. Ironically at all 3 locations we had horrible service, whether it’s their slow waitressing capabilities (repeating questions, forgetting orders, confused and slow responses) it has been their lack of professionalism or friendliness. I’m assuming the food is SO GOOD that no one cares about the service. However, imo and everyone else at our table the food was bland. It was good but we didn’t eat anything spectacular and in addition to that they lack variety. Literally 5 side dishes and four of them were similar. Only exciting side dish was their potato salad and then everything else was kimchee or pickled. Bulgolgi is my favorite and so easy to make good, so why is theirs bland? Even the color is bland. No dark rich colors. Honestly, I just want to know why people like this food. It’s ok but it’s nothing better than others. I’m just so confused!!! They don’t even have the egg soup, that’s like a kbbq staple!
Btw 1^st time the servers didn’t bring what we ask, ignore our questions sometimes, and bring us wrong orders. 2^nd time we went the server asked us if we wanted ice cream and then never freaking came back when he was the one that offered it, 3^rd time the server completely left us and as we walked out we saw him sitting at the bar talking to his friends. WTF never before have I seen something like this, it was like twilight zone!

I went here for lunch for my bro’s graduation. Had a great time. Servers were awesome always making sure we always have food on the table and always changing out the grill at the right time. The K.F.C was my favorite!
I would definitely come back if I was around Corona.

My go to place for Korean bbq in riverside. Lunch is especially affordable for only 14.99!!!
The service great and the food is awesome. Our waiter Kendrick was super nice and was spot on with his service.
I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who loves good quality ayce kbbq.

I didn’t even know that they finally opened the Corona location until 2 days ago!
Our server was Patricia, and let me say that she was the most amazing server I’ve ever had at any Gen that I’ve been too. She was always on top of things, running to get a grill change, always asking us if we wanted to order more meat when our grill looked a bit empty, and kindly smiling all the time. We had a party of over 50 and her mood was always on point. I’m so surprised that she was always happy to help us and never once did she look annoyed of our party (I mean I would’ve been a little annoyed of us haha). FIVE STARS TO HER, MAN!
For the Gen, this location is smaller than the rest but their service is still one of the best. The portions seem like they come out smaller, but more to order for your tummy right?
My best recommendation would be the Red Wine Pork Belly. ALL TIME FAVORITE AT EVERY GEN & this location did not disappoint.
Friendly service, great food, amazing price!
¹⁰⁄₁₀ would come back :-)

I went here with a couple of my friends a few days ago and we had a great time. The very modern interior design was really nice and made the restaurant look so aesthetically pleasing. We had all (except for one) bought the all you can eat and we had a lot of food.
We definitely had our bang for our buck. The meat was also really rich in flavor and good. They didn’t have as many options as I am used to because I love going to kbbq places, but the meats that we did order were very good. We ate meats that ranged from bulgogi to KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) and they were all amazing. Our waiter, Peter was very kind and polite to all of us.
We ate until we hated ourselves and we were okay with that. We practically had to roll ourselves out of the restaurant because we all ate so much. Everything was very clean and they changed our grill multiple times which is good because nobody wants to cook meat on a dirty surface. It was all nice and I will most definitely be back for more soon!

Selina was great! Food was outstanding. Definitely coming back.
Ordered some ribeye, shrimp, Hawaiian steak. All of it came out really good. Also, the wait was really quick. Happy hour on Saturdays 9-​close.

Solid Little place for the Corona/​Norco area. First off let me say how amazed and shocked I was to learn that there was even a KBBQ place around here, right next to the Hometown Buffett no less!
Things I did not like: too loud! It was seriously like a club in there! In addition to that the lighting was weird which makes the meat look funny. Ehhh. Also the lack of authenticity at times was disappointing. No galbi with the bone??! What the heck??! Also the dak bok ee (rice cake) was fried and strange to me with a May Ploy sauce instead of the real stuff.
Positive things! The service was pretty good. Though this random server kept coming after our server to ask if we needed anything and yeah the answer was always no buttttt that’s not bad I suppose. Most importantly ALL YOU CAN EAT!!! For only $ 20 that’s not bad, and honestly for the location and price I can’t complain. Great job.

I love Gen. Its the place where i had my first kbbq. Ive been to a few locations now and have never been disappointed… until now. This location could be so much more. Its in a store front and you get that shopping center vibe the very moment you walk in.
As for food, expect the same quality as from all Gens.
I want to end this on a high note… the service here was amazing!
I do recommend thos place.
Until next time…

This is probably my favorite Gen location. I’ve been to the one at Cerritos and Tustin, but this one has my favorite selection of AYCE. I came with a huge group of about 15 people and to our surprise we were seated pretty quickly on a Saturday night. We only waited for no more then 30 mins. The service was great. Our waiter was very attentive to our table. We were very needy and wanted a bunch of plates at every minute because we were all very hungry. Although our waiter kept a positive smile the whole duration of our stay which was very nice. You bet he got a really good tip from our party!
Our table’s most popular orders were the brisket, KFC (Korean fried chicken), and beef tongue. I also loved their Jap Chae glass noodles. The only bummer was that we had to wait 30 mins for rice. So by the time the rice was ready we were close to being full, but it was able to come out before we were all done. Other than that, we all had a great experience here!

As a Korean I have high expectations when it comes to service, freshness and quality of the food, and authenticity. And it seriously pains me to say this but this Corona Gen location just wasn’t doing it for me.
First off their hostesses were super rude. I had a Starbucks drink and one of the hostesses, I believe her name was Andrea, if I remember correctly told me I couldn’t bring it in. Now I totally understand this policy and have no problem abiding by it but she was super rude when she said it and when I was looking around for a trash can to throw it away she rolled her eyes and snickered with the other hostesses.
Our waiter was super nice though and very accommodating. He was prompt, welcoming, and answered any questions we had.
The meat portions were noticeably smaller than what they serve at rancho. I asked for a tofu soup and they brought it to me in a super tiny bowl, and not the traditional Korean hot pot. And it was cold and watery and didn’t taste the same. The garlic chicken had like NOOO flavor and I was super bummed.
Rancho it is.

I’ve been to other Gen Locations but this one is the newest one in Corona. My family came on a Saturday night around 7p and (no) surprise! There was an hour+ wait. Luckily, they have this text/​app program so they are able to alert you on how many people are ahead of you.
In terms of interior, it’s pretty dark with bluish pendant lights over head. The restaurant is pretty spacious and it seems like there’s a decent amount of air ventilation, because I didn’t smell like meat when I left, which is how it usually is at a Korean BBQ restaurant.
Dinner price is pretty cheap compared to other KBBQ places. Even though the wait was too long (IMO) the service was extremely fast once we sat down. Most of the servers here are young and they’re not even korean, which is a nice change of pace. You can call out the meat or pork choices, they type it into an iPad and in a matter of a few minutes, guys are bringing out the raw meat ready to cook at your table.
The side dishes were overall decent, pickled cucumber, kimchee, etc. The japchae wasn’t that great but I ordered it for my daughter since she loves noodles. They have the rice paper side which is must! and of course the salad that is paired well with the meat.
After 9pm, they offer happy hour prices on alcoholic beverages.

To say that I am a kalbi junkie would probably be the understatement of the year. And having that addiction here in the Inland Empire, has truly been a burden. Why? Because finding great kalbi in these parts is nearly an impossible task. But I’m always up for the challenge so I was very happy to find that a GEN Korean barbecue opened within two minutes of my house.
Like the GEN in Rancho Cucamonga the décor is modern and contemporary. You can tell they put a lot of thought into designing the place and the music is lively and modern as well. Tonight we had a group of 14 and we were quickly seated at a long table comfortably. Our wait help was pleasant, courteous, and very attentive. It’s really not until I ordered the food where I have to deduct a couple stars for a few things.
The meat selection is good, but the quality level is certainly not prime or even USDA choice. I found the marbling to be nonexistent in the steak as well as the kalbi. The marinade was mediocre at best. It needed more zing, pop, sweetness, and saltiness (and I never thought I’d say this, but more KOREANESS). The rice, which is dear to my heart, was done almost correctly, but a little under-​cooked. They probably could’ve soaked the rice for at least an hour before turning it on to get it to that nice consistency. So for food I am taking away one star for those reasons.
The next star deduction is for a couple of requests I had. I asked our nice waiter if they had two things which are pretty standard to Korean barbecues: «Kim» (seaweed) is fairly standard as well as «Oden» (Fishcake), but when confronted with those requests, the waiter looked at me strangely and almost arrogantly replied, «what? no we don’t.» He then and went and found a menu to show me. WTH? I knew it wasn’t listed on the menu, but if there were Koreans working in the back, you better believe they would’ve AT LEAST had KIM. (good grief, half of them have that last name for xst sake)
Well, I guess I just answered my question as to why the food was mediocre.
My hope is that they enhance their menu and take a little more time to do the marinade more authentically as well as rice preparation so that I can go back and enjoy the ambiance w/​my group again.
towachuseyo.
kamsahamnida

Love that GEN is in Corona now, our go to All you can eat spot from now on!
LOVED the service here, the host, servers, simply everyone here is on top of their game, friendly, knows their stuff and quick at keeping the food coming.
It can get really full here, best to go at lunch to save $ 5 as well as skip the wait if you go right when they open like we did.
Very cool vibe, especially for the area, you feel like you are in a night club even at 11 am at a strip mall in Corona.
The food was excellent, very good quality meats and a great selection, even for kids and picky eaters.
We will be coming back over and over Im sure!

I came on a Saturday afternoon for a late lunch with my girlfriend, the wait was not long as it’s only 3pm, 15 minutes wait for the booth or 5 minutes for the high tables, I took the booth instead as my girlfriend is running late.
German (our server) made sure I have some drinks to start with, he even gave me some recommendations on what the best sellers are. I ordered the sweetened iced tea for drinks and it was delicious, I’m always a fan of sweet tea and this tea didn’t disappoint. There were some food to start with on the table, some salad, some kimchi, potato salad and other stuff that I didn’t even try.
We started off with shrimps, steak and pork belly. The plates where you cook the meat heats up really fast and now I can understand why German recommended to start with the non-​marinated meats as the plates gets black and burnt as the marinated meats does that and it does contain sugar.
I like the dipping sauce that they have and the recommendation of putting the sesame oil with the salt is just brilliant. Dunk your meat in your sesame oil with salt then proceed with dunking it on the special sauce that they have. It’s heaven on every bite!
I think we’ve sampled each and every meat here but my favorite ones are the shrimp, pork belly and the steak. We also ordered the green Tea macaron ice cream for dessert, I like the green tea ice cream not much the macaron, I hope they have some plain ice cream soon.
Overall, the experience is really good. Thanks to German who made sure that our lunch was more than exceptional. I can’t wait to take the whole family here. Make sure you go check it out and bring your appetite! Highly recommended!

Yet another gen opens up! The location is pretty nice. It’s in a plaza so there are plenty of parking. The restaurant itself is pretty small. The rancho location is way bigger.
For lunch it’s around $ 15 which isn’t a bad deal. Lunch ends at 3. But the lunch menu doesn’t have some meats from the dinner menu. The beef belly and brisket is a must get! The steak is also pretty good, if you cook it correctly. Our server, Will W., was very attentive and got everything we wanted.
The only thing I didn’t like was that the tofu soup didn’t come in the stone pot! It’s just comes in a bowl. The rice paper was also pretty stiff. It wasn’t soft and easy to eat. It was chewy and broke easily. Other than that this new place is pretty good. Would definitely be back for more :)

Well, time to get on the band wagon, boys! Barely open a month, the raving reviews were a’pourin in faster than a dump truck can unload a cartload of grain. The frantic race to be «First To Review» was lost as quickly as a prostitute loses her virginity (Sorry, the husband was watching a bar scene in a Western while I was writing).
The allure… big, modern décor and trendy lighting that causes the pillars and ceilings to become red, green, blue, purple, contrasting with black and white and orange walls. It’s impossible to compare this AYCE to the traditional Korean BBQ. Nothing like it out here in the «not OC».
First came the techie hostess with her iPad seating and ordering system. Cool. We were told we had a 30 min wait, this at 3:30 pm on a holiday influenced weekday. But many names simply ended up as no shows. So we were seated in about 15 minutes. Impatient guests, your loss, my gain. You probably went to Hometown Buffet next door. Eww.
Then the next (unsettling) impression: long, tall tables and tall chairs that were capable of holding up to 12. In the alternative, they could seat multiple smaller parties (and they did, since one table has three grills). Sure hope you don’t mind elbow rubbing and you happen to be greater than 6’2″ or magnificently spry. Me, I am just short for my height, and not particularly spry anymore. For us vertically challenged, at least they had booths.
Next, sheesh, was it loud. Either everyone forgot to turn up their hearing aids, or they were having a yelling competition to see who could drown out the overhead jazzy music, Not my choice of atmosphere.
The servers were über efficient (well, most of the time). We were handed a long menu containing a list of 40 proteins, mostly uncooked meats, poultry, and seafood, plus a few items already prepared (fried) back in the kitchen, and a glass noodle dish with tofu, and rice cake. You are allowed to choose any or all of the 40 items, given a 2 hour limit, and you better be a member of the clean plate club when you quit. They do not take kindly to those who over-​order. $ 19 gets you an AYCE meal, but if you don’t play by the rules, it can assuredly not be your final bill. Yes, you grill your own, so no excuses about the degree of doneness.
We had prompt and constant visits by whichever server happened to pass by, most efficiently staffed until the magic hour…4 pm… when suddenly we apparently became invisible. Something happened, change of shift? Nope. Ate too much? Well, isn’t that supposed to be my determination, not theirs?
So what was the best? I would order the Shrimp with head #35, pork steak #2, maybe the pork jowl #5, marinated smoked pork belly #22. They all cook up nicely and are not over-​seasoned.
The worst of the worst, marinated garlic calamari #37. Rubbery before, rubbery x2 after.
Just so you know, there were many many Asian families there! I see that as a big endorsement. And there were many holiday parties going on, nice for big groups, both in value and entertainment.
Won’t be there often, but most likely will do it as a family thing because it is cool and quite flexible for individual preferences.