Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ - San Jose, CA | Downtown SJ

4.0

152 Reviews

$31 to $50

Japanese

Make a booking

2 people

17 Feb 2025

19:00

Booked 22 times today

Experiences are available.

Good for groups
Hot spot
Great for craft beers

Founded in Tokyo in 1996, Gyu-Kaku has become the world’s #1 Japanese BBQ brand! Thanks to our devoted fans we have reached over 700 locations worldwide. Each day, hundreds of thousands of people gather around the table-top smokeless grill, a centerpiece of our dining concept, enjoying selections of premium meats, just off the grill, and other freshly prepared foods from our kitchens, inspiring laughter, conversation, and a magical dining experience.

Our authentic yakiniku (grilled barbeque) dining experience crowns you the chef. Share a variety of delicious appetizers and premium cooked meats over a flaming grill, paired with Japanese sake, frosty cold beers, or other alcoholic and non-alcoholic options of your choice. We're the perfect spot to enjoy time with friends and family, organize an office party, or to spend quality time with your significant other!

Before you go, don't forget to taste our best-seller Harami Skirt Steak or Prime Kalbi Short Rib among other must-try dishes!

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Japanese, Barbecue, Tapas / Small Plates
Hours of Operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–10:30 pm Happy Hour Daily 11:30 am–6:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–5:00 pm
Phone number
(408) 320-2811
Website
https://www.gyu-kaku.com/sanjose/
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
28 N Almaden Ave 70, San Jose, CA 95110-2425
Area
San Jose
Cross Street
Almaden and W. Santa Clara St.
Parking details
Public Lot
Additional
Gluten-free Options

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Experiences

Prix-Fixe BBQ Courses for Everyone: Starting at...
US$40.00 per person
Multiple dates available
Enjoy our delicious prix-fixe Japanese BBQ courses for any occasion and for parties of all sizes! Our courses are designed on a reasonable budget and for beginners and fans alike. Try a variety of popular small plates, signature BBQ dishes with our unique marinades, and more. Selection and pricing varies between courses, and may not match the starting price listed. Visit our website for more details. www.GYU-KAKU.com

What 152 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.0

4 based on recent ratings

4.2Food
3.7Service
3.8Ambience
3.8Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ in Downtown San Jose offers a delightful dining experience with "amazing" food and a "fantastic" staff. While some reviews mention slow service due to understaffing, the friendly and helpful nature of the team, especially server Mustafa, stands out. The restaurant's unique DIY grilling concept adds an engaging touch to the meal.

152 Reviews

C
Christine
Vancouver
2 reviews
2.0
2 reviews
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
We came in 10-15 mins early for our reservation on Sunday. It wasn’t busy but there were a few other diners. Once we got to the host stand they asked us about our reservation and our host said he will be right back to get the table ready for us, after waiting for 5 mins another server came up to us and he asked if we had a reservation and we said yes that the other server said he is getting our table ready. However, when the original server came back he gave our table to someone else and the other server said he would take us instead to a different table. Our table that we sat at the grill wasn’t working so they told us they would move us to another table. The other table was a dirty table, previously it was from a party that left right before us and everything was still there from the previous party, they proceeded to just move aside the used dishes to the side and put the barrier back up. I think it was disgusting to just sit there for the hour right next to dishes that weren’t cleared after a party and also they didn’t wipe down the table we were sat at properly, it was still sticky especially the sauce bottles and the chairs. Very disappointing.
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G
Gary
Atlanta
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Great experience staff was nice, and I had a wonderful time.
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A
Andy
San Francisco
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 1
2. Food 5
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
Place is too small, little need to walk shoulder to shoulder.
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T
ToAnh
VIP
San Francisco
7 reviews
5.0
7 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
One of our favorite spots. The staff is great and takes care of us as regulars. Food is delicious!
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V
Vinay
Philadelphia
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on 2 February 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
They turned us away after we reached the restaurant claiming that they decided to close 1.5 hours early.
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J
Jade
Portugal
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 26 January 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We had Mustafa as our server, but multiple people helped and assisted with bringing out food as well as clearing out our plates. The food was amazing! We did the Pre-fix menu for 6 ($240)and everything was perfectly seasoned! We will definitely be back again!
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M
Michael
Las Vegas
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on 31 December 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Good service from our server, bad experience asking for assistance from the guy with glasses, and selection of meats was limited as they were out of some items. Food was okay, but could get better somewhere else.
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N
Natalie
VIP
San Francisco
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on 26 December 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
Bad lighting and slow service. The staff was very friendly but not worth the price at all.
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TR
TimothyR
San Francisco
4 reviews
2.0
4 reviews
Dined on 9 December 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
we signed up for an offer through Open Table for a Holiday Special to Buy 8 get 1 free. Nobody at the restaurant had ever heard of it. But they worked something out. But then they accidentally charged us for 12 people, instead of 8. So we had to rework the bill. One of the wait staff was friendly and attentive and worked to make sure this got sorted out, the rest of the wait staff wasn't much help at all and seemed like they genuinely didn't want to be there. This restaurant has a DIY element, with grills on the table to cook your own food. It would have been great for one of the staff to spend at least 10 seconds reviewing that with us. We had not idea what was coming, or when, or what to do with it. The first thing we got was 3 bags of foil dropped off, and dropped on the table with zero explanation. Anwyay, nice idea for a restaurant, but poorly executed. Would not return.
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D
Dyno
San Francisco
5 reviews
1.0
5 reviews
Dined on 1 December 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 3
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
This place has horrible customer service. All of the waiters are inattentive. This will be the last time we step foot in this establishment.
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FAQs

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ - San Jose, CA | Downtown SJ offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (408) 320-2811.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ - San Jose, CA | Downtown SJ is rated 4 stars by 152 OpenTable diners.