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

4.2

157 Reviews

$31 to $50

Japanese

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 17, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 27 times today

Experiences are available.

Good for groups
Innovative
Gluten-free-friendly

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!

Dining areas

Additional information

Location
28 N Almaden Ave 70, San Jose, CA 95110-2425
Phone number
(408) 320-2811
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
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Public Lot
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

Gift card

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Experiences

Prix-Fixe BBQ Courses for Everyone: Starting at...
$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 157 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.2

4.2 based on recent ratings

4.4Food
4Service
4.1Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ in Downtown San Jose offers a blend of "great food" and a "fun dining experience" with a unique all-you-can-eat BBQ concept at your table. The "premium quality meats" and attentive staff, particularly standouts like Mustafa and Matthew, enhance the experience. However, service can be slow during peak times, and some guests noted a need for better management. Despite these challenges, many patrons appreciate the "delicious food" and the restaurant's ability to accommodate group dining.

157 Reviews

J
James VIP
Baltimore12 reviews
1.0
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
The food quality was really bad and we could not eat all of the beef due to its poor quality. They were running a tonkatsu special that was inedible.
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D
Danielle
San Francisco1 review
5.0
Dined on March 1, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our server Mustafa was great!, the food came fast and overall we really enjoyed our evening
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B
Brett
San Francisco3 reviews
4.0
Dined on February 27, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
The food was outstanding. Wait staff was very friendly, but seems critically understaffed. There appeared to be 2 people staffing the whole floor
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J
Jennifer VIP
San Francisco70 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 26, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had a great experience here to celebrate our daughter's birthday. The server was wonderful in helping us figure out the gluten-free options for my husband. Though they didn't acknowledge the birthday, they were very accommodating and friendly. We will be happy to return.
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E
Erick Jake
Central Coast1 review
5.0
Dined on February 18, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
My gf and I came in for an early birthday dinner and we were treated with the Valentine's day deals they still had running. It wasn't available on Open Table but when we got there they handed us the Holiday Specials Menu. We got 3 apps, 6 meats, 2 rice bowls, salad and a Fondue Dessert all for a great price! We were both happy with the outcome of the meats and the service was great. Our server took care of us especially when our grill kept dying. We went around 5PM and it was pretty mellow and not until an hour later it started to get packed and busy on a Monday evening.
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C
Christine
Vancouver2 reviews
2.0
Dined on February 16, 2025
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
Atlanta3 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 15, 2025
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 Francisco1 review
1.0
Dined on February 15, 2025
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 Francisco7 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 15, 2025
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
Philadelphia1 review
1.0
Dined on February 2, 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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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 4.2 stars by 157 OpenTable diners.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ - San Jose, CA | Downtown SJ does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.