Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Dining

10/17/09

A very goodevening

by vin1019

A very close friend brought me here for my birthday. I was really surprised at being here. She had been here before and thought it would be a nice treat. We were not disappointed. Our waiter was helpful in helping us choose a bottle of sake, guided us on some of the different course choices. The real surprise came when I was brought a birthday ice cream followed by the waiters singing. Truly a satisfying experience

• Pros: helpful wait service
• Cons: none

11/25/08

Amazing Group Experience

by HungryinNY123

I can't express how much I love this restaurant. I've now been to Gyu Kaku 6 or 7 times and have never been disappointed. Being one of my favorite restaurants I decided to host a large group dinner event there on a Saturday night. I was able to secure a great price fixe menu and collaborated with Joji on a fantastic menu. If you've never been here and want to spoil yourself a bit, I recommend the Miyabi Course (price fixe for four people). Each course is better than the last however you'll have to roll yourself out of there because there's just so much food! If you're looking for something a little bit more manageable and cheaper though, I'd suggest getting an order of the Premium Kalbi Short Rib, my favorite item (the restaurant suggests the Taro marinade but I prefer the Miso). Needless to say, everyone left the restaurant fully satisfied.

The service was phenomenal and Lianne took wonderful care of us. She was incredibly attentive and all of our requests were accommodated, no easy task with a party of 19 hungry and thirsty people. As the night progressed and our party continued to drink and get rowdy she maintained her professionalism and positive attitude. Despite their busy night she even let us stay at our table for an extra half an hour.

Overall I was incredibly impressed with the service and quality of the food and can't wait to go back...if they let me.

• Pros: Value, Service, Food
• Cons: Not recommended for parties over 15 (although it was still manageable for my group)

03/08/08

Wonderful food, great service

by vikinnyc

This is a great spot to eat. You can cook your own meats over open fire, enjoy great drinks and sides. I love to take Out of Towners here. The Service is real great and you just gotta love the meats and fish. Ask for a window table to look down on 3rd Avenue.

09/07/07

Good upscale do-it-yourself food

by mr_meursault

We've come here for dinner a couple of times. Reservations are a must. The service is generally good and the decor is pleasant. The food is expensive, the portions small, but the quality is quite good. Personally I prefer the feel of a much less sophisticated, less expensive and tastier Shabu Tatsu. Still, I have enjoyed by meals here. If you are looking for trendiness over authenticity, and don?t mind slightly overpaying for good food, give this place a shot.

• Pros: Sophisticated
• Cons: Expensive, a touch pretentious.

08/24/07

much better than korean bbq

by victoria

this place is great. it's japanese bbq. the food is very good and i've been there way too many times already. the staff is very friendly and attentive. and best of all....you dont smell like bbq when you leave the restaurant. i hate going to K town and every time i leave i smell like the place. so gross...but not at gyu!

• Pros: you dont smell like bbq when you leave

08/01/07

Once and no more.

by kj118

I went to Gyu-kaku for a birthday dinner w. a group of friends(10). The restaurant looked better inside then from outside. Its on a 2nd floor so its not noticable and the entrance is NOT on 3rd ave. You have to go around the corner to see the entrance. They seated us on a table for 12 but it was tight even for 10. I was very disappointed when i saw the menu because it seemed as if most of it was a korean dish. Waitresses were quite friendly but they kept on pushing us for the group meals on the back of the menu(assorted meats and seafoods, etc). Don't order the GROUP MEAL! The portions were TINY and their kobe beef was tougher than ribeye. Lobster tail was extremely salty that no one touched. Price was very high for the amount of food served. 10 small pieces of rib-eye for $18 was not worth it and $6 for Kimchi. Only good thing about the meal was that the table had a vacumn on the bottom sucking the smoke away from us.

• Pros: Good Decor, Good Drinks, No smell of BBQ on your clothes when you leave.
• Cons: Overpriced, Hard to find, Hard and tight seats.

06/12/07

BBQ Tabletop Grilling Done Right

by qtgurljny

First off, if you don't like tabletop grillling, skip this place altogether, you'll have sparse options. That being said, everything else is fantastic. The bibimbap is excellent when paired with the meats. The clay bowl comes out piping hot, hot enough to burn the rice just the right way. The meats are great, kalbi in particular. Tuna is great when seared for about 40 seconds. Chicken I heard to stay away from. The beer comes out great, slightly iced in the summer in frosted over mugs. Best beer I've been served in a while. I prefer the Cooper Square locale but this one is great as well.

04/15/07

My New Favorite BBQ Restaurant in NYC

by msa23ic

Gyu-Kaku has simply the best BBQ in all of NYC. I have been to several Japanese as well Korean BBQ restaurants in the city and this is the best by far, in fact there is no close competition.

The restaurant has great decor and is a good place for a date or for getting together with friends.

The service was excellent and very helpful as they told us exactly how long to cook each meat on the grill.

We ordered five different kinds of beef, shrimp and several vegetables. Every single one was outstanding. The miso marinade was my favorite but the garlic was also great. The mushrooms medley was incredible. What's so great about mushrooms? Wait till you try this dish. We tried the ice cream with pancakes for desert. Also cooked on the grill. This also was unique and very good.

Overall, I highly recommend the restaurant. From the moment you walk in to the moment you leave you will enjoy every minute of it.

• Pros: Amazing BBQ, Great Service, Good Drinks, Cool Decor
• Cons: A little bit pricey but not ridiculous

04/12/07

I LOVE THIS RESTAURANT

by grejas

My friend and I went for Japanese Restaurant Week and we ordered TONS of food (being that the prices of certain items were greatly reduced) and EVERYTHING was SO INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS!! And EXTREMELY tasty, so I have no idea what the person below me is talking about. We ordered 5 dishes of variously marinated meat (garlic, shio, harami miso - I personally LOOOOVED the harami miso flavored meats). Everytime we put a piece of that deliciously marinated beef in our mouths, we closed our eyes and actually moaned! It was that good. We also ordered the salmon scallop tartare for appetizer, the rice bibimba, and this green tea cake for dessert. We left totally stuffed. Not to mention that our waitress was friendly and extremely helpful. The host was great too! We arrived late and it was their policy to give the table away after 15 minutes, so of course we were really bummed. We were told that it would be another 30 minutes or so for a table to open and that we could seat ourselves in the waiting area (which was REALLY small). But luckily for us, we were seated within 10 minutes by a window with a great view of the street ! It was a great experience and this place is now one of my favorite restaurants.

• Pros: Great service, delicious food, beautiful interior
• Cons: May get a little pricey once you start ordering and go crazy

04/10/07

Terrible Food - Nice Decor

by felicia73

The place itself is decorated very nicely and quite inviting. However the food was terrible. Nothing had any flavor. I would never go again. There is a reason it is so cheap!