Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Great food and even better service. We got the dinner for 6, more than enough food and we can eat!! I thought the value was excellent. $240/6. The beer is frosty and the S'mores were a real hit for our out of town guest. They need to improve the ventilation as your clothes come out quite smoked and when the place is full, the air quality suffers.

They have happy hour every day and the price of draft beer during HH is reasonable. Foods were good and fresh, fully fusion style. But strange that their entrance was very cold! The servers were not as attentive (I guess they were new) as the restaurant was not busy at the time.

The restaurant is not purely Japanese. There's Korean and Japanese food on the menu. We opted for the chefs combo + ala cart Bibimbap and there was plenty for food for 2. Shrimp wasn't cleaned properly - the poo sac was still in. Service is very good. Nice meat cuts.

Please note, the web says you need a reservation. We made one, and they were able to seat us 15 minutes early. Overall, the service was good. The wait staff share checking in on you and am did it with a smile. We ordered the Chef's choice for two and shared a pitcher of Sapporo. The food comes in waves that are pretty well timed. You are cooking your meat, but that is the experience. We had a great time.

Had a pretty great experience here. Lots of food for a good price. Good service, and decent atmosphere. We had the Meat Lover’s Bbq Course for $96 ($48 per person). It came with miso soup, salad, Gyu-sushi, chicken karaage, a bowl of white rice, 6 plates of the bbq meats, and then smores for dessert that you also cook on the grill. There were also three types of sauces for dipping the bbq meats: one that was sweet, one that’s citrusy, and one that’s soy sauce based. Everything was great, and some meats were pretty juicy and tender, especially if you cook them well and depending on your preferred doneness. I will say that the smores to me didn’t really fit the course in terms of continuing from eating mostly bbq meats. Marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate wouldn’t be my preference to cap that off and make it seem like a thoughtful pairing. I don’t often come to Japanese bbq places, so it was an interesting experience for me. The heat from the grill is pretty intense on your face. Some of the meats are also pretty fatty and cause a lot more smoke to come up. There’s a good amount of smoke that you’ll get exposed to throughout the course and it would’ve been cool to have hoods that extract some of that from above the tables - not sure if that’s a thing though. In any case, wouldn’t mind coming back and trying this again.

Very good BBQ very authentic. We ordered set of 3 got lots of food and all dishes were very good 👍🏼😋

Ordered the meat variety for 3 people despite just being the 2 of us. The meats were decent but the flame got so intense and burned the pork belly quickly. Some of the ancillary items are odd (weird salad, beef sushi) but a good experience regardless. The server was accommodating and happy to help. Generally speaking, it's probably worth it to go to Gyubee (or Shinta if Gyubee isn't available) rather than Gyukaku. I'm not sure I'd come back to Gyukaku unless someone I knew really wanted to try it. Liked the s'mores at the end. Nice touch

I liked their BBQ Courses. Friendly servers. Fast and efficient service. I went for the Value Course. In the future, I would get just the meats Download the App to be a member and get discounts on future visits if you live close by

Great food and even better service. We got the dinner for 6, more than enough food and we can eat!! I thought the value was excellent. $240/6. The beer is frosty and the S'mores were a real hit for our out of town guest. They need to improve the ventilation as your clothes come out quite smoked and when the place is full, the air quality suffers.

They have happy hour every day and the price of draft beer during HH is reasonable. Foods were good and fresh, fully fusion style. But strange that their entrance was very cold! The servers were not as attentive (I guess they were new) as the restaurant was not busy at the time.

The restaurant is not purely Japanese. There's Korean and Japanese food on the menu. We opted for the chefs combo + ala cart Bibimbap and there was plenty for food for 2. Shrimp wasn't cleaned properly - the poo sac was still in. Service is very good. Nice meat cuts.

Please note, the web says you need a reservation. We made one, and they were able to seat us 15 minutes early. Overall, the service was good. The wait staff share checking in on you and am did it with a smile. We ordered the Chef's choice for two and shared a pitcher of Sapporo. The food comes in waves that are pretty well timed. You are cooking your meat, but that is the experience. We had a great time.

Had a pretty great experience here. Lots of food for a good price. Good service, and decent atmosphere. We had the Meat Lover’s Bbq Course for $96 ($48 per person). It came with miso soup, salad, Gyu-sushi, chicken karaage, a bowl of white rice, 6 plates of the bbq meats, and then smores for dessert that you also cook on the grill. There were also three types of sauces for dipping the bbq meats: one that was sweet, one that’s citrusy, and one that’s soy sauce based. Everything was great, and some meats were pretty juicy and tender, especially if you cook them well and depending on your preferred doneness. I will say that the smores to me didn’t really fit the course in terms of continuing from eating mostly bbq meats. Marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate wouldn’t be my preference to cap that off and make it seem like a thoughtful pairing. I don’t often come to Japanese bbq places, so it was an interesting experience for me. The heat from the grill is pretty intense on your face. Some of the meats are also pretty fatty and cause a lot more smoke to come up. There’s a good amount of smoke that you’ll get exposed to throughout the course and it would’ve been cool to have hoods that extract some of that from above the tables - not sure if that’s a thing though. In any case, wouldn’t mind coming back and trying this again.

Very good BBQ very authentic. We ordered set of 3 got lots of food and all dishes were very good 👍🏼😋

Ordered the meat variety for 3 people despite just being the 2 of us. The meats were decent but the flame got so intense and burned the pork belly quickly. Some of the ancillary items are odd (weird salad, beef sushi) but a good experience regardless. The server was accommodating and happy to help. Generally speaking, it's probably worth it to go to Gyubee (or Shinta if Gyubee isn't available) rather than Gyukaku. I'm not sure I'd come back to Gyukaku unless someone I knew really wanted to try it. Liked the s'mores at the end. Nice touch

I liked their BBQ Courses. Friendly servers. Fast and efficient service. I went for the Value Course. In the future, I would get just the meats Download the App to be a member and get discounts on future visits if you live close by

The only beef (pun intended) I have with this place is that there was too much food which is not really an issue. Went here in a group of 4 and asked for a combo for 4. The meats were all amazingly seasoned, the sides were filling and delicious (specially the garlic noodles) and the experience itself is very well organized. Service was attentive and fast . We didn't make it to the last course and dessert but they allowed us to pack our food to go.

It is my favorite place to eat in downtown Toronto. The food is amazing, and the staff is incredible

I went here for their lunch special ($15.95) which comes with salad, rice, Miso soup and 2 meats of 100g each. I recommend the umakara beef or any of the less fatty ones. The fatty ones are good but the oil will drip onto the grill and create a lot of smoke. Overall a great deal! There are also a ton of add ons you can choose. Service was also fantastic and seating is comfortable. I do recommend to download the app as there are some offers and freebies there.

We all could do with an early Japanese BBQ meal in April so we used our son's bday as an excuse. Excellent service & food! We got the Lunch special of 3 choices of protein and picked from the regular items for $19.95. The lunch deal comes with miso soup, salad, & steamed rice. If we liked the standard protein we would do premium options on our next visit. Good baseline for the restaurant. We did upgrade our steam rice for Beef fried rice and garlic fried rice (+$5 each). The specialty rice comes in a hot pot and the server mixes it up for you. We all loved the standard options especially the nicely seasoned Umakara Ribeye and Yaki-Shabu Beef! The thick cut pieces of Angus Beef Rib was a nice balance. My son choice the Toro Beef which was like thin slices of bacon. Not bad. We loved our lunch and was filled to the brim! Definitely with try the other 7 premium upgraded meats options next time. There were 3 poultry, 2 pork. & 2 seafood options. Complimentary Birthday ice cream was vanilla or matcha. Matcha was mild and creamy perfection with a S'more! We will be back as this was so good!

5 star flavors, 4 star seating, 5 star service! Ok, so we are visiting Toronto, and I read the reviews others have left about this place (thanks, Yelpers!), so we came in to check it out. Food was awesome! We did the 4 person all-in choice, and it was a LOT OF FOOD! To be honest, for 2 adults and 2 kids over 9 (but not teenage boys...) we could have probably done the 3 person or even 2 person with 1-2 additions. Cooking is a hobby of mine, and grilling even more so - so this was awesome! I could have my kids (9 & 13) safely help to grill the cuts as we worked out way through this great meal! Salad was tasty, meats were of quite excellent quality, and the s'mores at the end were a GREAT way to finish the experience! My only recommendation for improvement would be to have a little more comfortable seating, which could be a challenge because of the frequent grilling. Would definitely recommend - don't be off-put with plasticized menus or the casual decor - the food experience here is fun and a nice change of pace!!! Totemo oishii desu! Domo arigato gozaimashita!

Great experience. Spent slightly over 100 CAD including alcohol for 2 people. Order the Gyu-Sushi, spicy tuna volcano, garlic fried rice, prime kalbi short rib, harami skirt steak, pork belly. Did not need to use any sauces provided. Meat was tender and well marinated. Everything was excellent but would say the garlic fried rice was garlicky which we loved. Typical Korean/japanese bbq setup which was expected

A pretty good japanese style bbq located in core downtown. We got the varuous cuts all of which were fresh and tender. Servers were very attentive and had changed our grill at least 34 times.

Went here for the lunch and had a great experience. We were a group of 3 so we went for the lunch menu instead of the course for 3 (which was not as good of a value as the lunch option in my opinion). The food came fast and fresh, all the meat was well-seasoned. And the servers were very nice and helpful. This location was not as big as the last one I went to (in Mississauga) which was expected in Toronto downtown. Overall a great place to eat if you're down for some Japanese BBQ.

Gyu-Kaku has been on my list to try for awhile now and finally trying it out was an exciting experience. I came around 4pm with a few friends so there was plenty of seating to choose from and happened to be the Happy Hour time. There was an extensive menu from BBQ, rice dishes, ramen and more, which is perfect for people with different food tastes! I mostly stuck with JBBQ items from what I've tried. The service for the BBQ was really quick and the staff were attentive. I got a mix of beef, pork and seafood that all came in good quality at reasonable price point. Also note that this place is an a-la-carte BBQ place. 100% worth visiting this JBBQ place if you're craving some delicious food at reasonable prices! Especially since Gyu-Kaku always has specials, it's definitely worth checking out the menu beforehand. If you're looking for a social spot to eat, this spot is perfect for both small and large groups.

Last night I went out to eat at this Japanese Yakiniku restaurant of which there are 3 locations in Toronto, we went to the one downtown on Church St. Though I would not compare the quality or ambiance to the Yakiniku restaurants I have eaten at in Tokyo, for the price they offer very good value and good quality meats. Certainly I had a much better experience here than when I at the overrated Shinta restaurant on Yonge St about a year ago. The staff were friendly and helpful, we did not wait long for our servings, and all in all it was a very pleasant night out. I would want to come back here with a larger group of friends next time who are in the mood for drinking a little as well. That would make it a really fun night out. Unfortunately I only took a photo of the table with the grill and forgot to take photos of the meats prepared for the grill, next time.

Hard to believe with gyu-kaku being in the GTA with multiple locations that only recently I've tried it. Always interesting to see how these bbq chains compare to one another since their offerings are identical (though shinta and gyubee are AYCE). Went with 2 other coworkers for lunch and ordered the 2x of the lunch course (which serves 2 people, $49.95) since we were pretty hungry. Basically, 4 portions for the 3 of us. The lunch offerings that they have here are quite value imo. The set included a handful of starters (salad, miso soup, rice and chicken karaage) along with kalbi chuck rib, filet mignon, bistro hanger steak, garlic shrimp and a mushroom medley. Personally really liked the chuck rib and filet mignon, just packed with a ton of flavour and when dipped in their selection of yuzu/soy sauces it's really good. Everything else was pretty standard. They also offer a bunch of daily specials on alcohol, with Tuesdays offering a pitcher of sapporo for only $12. Unfortunately went on a Wednesday and sake was not really of interest before heading back to work after. Service was also pretty excellent, as they guided us through the menu and how to best cook each of the meats on the grill. I'd definitely come back for lunch as the dinner menu seems a tad pricy.

This place is phenomenal!! Wonderful service, wonderful staff, wonderful food, and wonderful drink! You will regret it if you dont come try Gyu-Kaku. The meats were so delicious it was out of this world! They welcome everyone that walks in and the atmosphere is upbeat and friendly! The reservation process is all online with no hassle or phone calls at all, I wish all places had this feature! The staff outdoes themselves with the service they provide, the recommendations and explanations for everything make the dining experience so much better! Next time I'm in Toronto I will definitely be coming back and I will be recommending this restaurant to everyone I know for the rest of time!

Fantastic!!! I had such a great time. Had quite a bit of everything meat and indulged in their sake. Waitresses were super nice and accommodated us perfectly. Warm and inviting environment as well. You need to try it at least once!

Crystal was an excellent server! The portion of food is not that large/ we got the meal for four. The good was tasty. The piece of steak had quite a bit of fat. Nice ambience, fun cooking experience. I would probably go to the AYCE Korean bbq restaurants for better value next time! They did give just a heads up that they were closing but also stood and stared at us until we got up to leave because they were closing which made it very uncomfortable for us at the end:/ I wouldn't expect that from a place where we spent $300!!

Visiting from Kingston, Ontario, we weren't that hungry so we ordered from the Small Plates section of the menu. We had the steamed chilli dumplings, Japanese chicken karaage vegetable spring rolls and Spivey addicting cucumber. All were good but my favourite was the Japanese chicken karaage! Yum!!

Food was really great and the staff was even better than the food! They worked really will with my food allergy (citrus) and were so friendly and welcoming. Would definitely go again when I'm in town!

Been here a few times precovid, and once during covid (takeout). Precovid dine in was great. I really like their lunch special which is convenient for folks even in the financial district to come over and enjoy. Everything is delicious and there are tons of meat/sauce/marinade options. However, my friend and I found their takeout to be disappointing. Honestly, I don't recommend it... the meat in both our bentos was dry/overcooked? but the container was still quite oily. I liked that it included soup and salad (esp love the salad!) but it still didn't feel value or worth the price of $20+. I like how you can control the doneness of your meat when you dine in and BBQ the meat yourself. I also got the garlic noodles for takeout. I asked if mine could come with beef instead of chicken (the menu offers chicken or shrimp) and they said okay... but then I got it with 5 pieces of chicken :/ I am okay with eating chicken but I wish they disclosed that when I ordered that it had to be chicken or shrimp. It was also a disappointing amount of chicken. The protein to carb ratio was not good.2 I would avoid takeout here in the future, but look forward to coming back when dine in resumes!

Enjoyed our time here. Food was delicious, and while it was a pricier meal, the quieter atmosphere and attentive staff were worth it!

My colleagues recommended this place for lunch, but we need to go at 2pm, they said. It's because they offer the super happy hour menu. When I got to the restaurant, I was surprised at how busy it was at 2pm in the middle of the weekday. I ordered the combination menu $17.95 that came with rice, soup and salad, along with short ribs, fillet mignon and pork belly. Sapporo was $3. It was a great deal for these great food. The server was efficient and friendly. The food was fresh. And I want to go back again.

I've been here 26 times in the last 2 years. Surprisingly, I never took any pictures. However I can now sit down to write this review and give solid, tried-and-true recommendations :D Their lunch specials are an amazing deal. 13.95 for two plates of meat, choice of seaweed or miso soup, Gyukaku salad (big fan of the dressing), and a bowl of rice. 17.95 for three plates of meat with the same sides. (i usually get the seaweed soup because it's rare to find in restaurants. If you worry about MSG, keep in mind that MSG is derived from seaweed. So, I mean...i don't really mind. idk) I got the hanger steak 25 out of 27 visits, so yeah I can confidently say its very very consistently good. It's the most flavourful cut I've tried on the menu. While the harami miso steak is also good, it is $$$ and not on the lunch menus. If you want to try the more expensive cuts go to the dinner options which include 2-8 person courses, good for groups who don't know what they want, or if you want to try everything. The 2 person Sakura course is good for dates :) Once you know which cuts you like, however, i would recommend that you go for their Monday to Friday 11AM to 4PM lunch special. Chicken takes too long to cook and I never want to risk poisoning myself, and pork just reminds me of at-home pork belly bbq sessions. To me, i's the beef cuts that shout quality and flavour. -hanger steak: 1cm thick slices, meaty, flavourful, perfect chew-time, eat on its own for maximum wow-in-your-mouth -toro beef: thin, burns easily, think thin beef bacon that's not crispy -yaki-shabu beef: thin, good with rice, may get a bit too greasy mouthfeel -new york striploin: tough, it's just normal steak -filet mignon: cubed, tender, not too much flavour -ribs: well-marbled and thinly sliced. Good flavour -the horumon though!!! basically beef/pork offal (insides). Very fatty but so good once they are cooked. Grill these on the edges of the grill so the flames don't jump out at ya. I think they mentioned they're gonna take horumon off the menu though because many people got flamed. Remember to try the Gyukaku ice cream! They add soybean powder to it (like the ones on Korean shaved ice) and maple syrup to two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Go during lunch special hours and it'll be 2.50 instead of 4. You're welcome :) Download their app to earn points! Mondays through Thursdays you get 2x the points. 1$ = 2 points. 350 points = 15$ off. 500 points = 25$ off. You can also redeem meat plates or ice cream or their beef bibimbap for 100-300 points. I have more to say but this is already so long. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.

Came here with a friend for their Monday all day Happy Hour special - holy cow! If you do it right, you can maximize the bang for your buck. My friend and I was so full that we practically rolled home. First off, their Monday specials are quite good - lots of the dishes are discounted. We also had downloaded their app, and were rewarded with free food off the bat. My friend got the beef sukiyaki bibimbap as his free plate, while I chose the Gyu-Kaku salad. Since we both checked into Facebook / Yelp, we got an additional edamame appetizer on the house! Finally, my app offered us $10 off $30, so we ended up ordering near $50 worth of food but only paid $24 for the two of us! Insane! I found the service excellent at GyuKaku; our server was so friendly and patient with all our deals and discounts. However, I wasn't too impressed with the quality of the food. Compared to Shinta (the last JBBQ place I went to), the cuts of meats are definitely fattier and not as premium. The edamame was so salty and crunchy, exactly what you want and need in an appetizer. The Gyu-Kaku salad, however, was a real disappointment. It was such a strange mix of flavours - slightly bitter from the radish/dressing, slightly tangy from the mayo based dressing, slightly sweet... it was a super confusing taste. Would not recommend. We also ordered some specials from their seasonal menu. The horomone (beef intestines) was too fatty - when placed on the grill, the flames kept jumping up to lick the dripping fat. It lacked flavour and was just a blob of oil. We also got some sort of nabe, a hot pot of soup filled with enoki mushrooms, intestines, meat, tofu, and lots of minced garlic. Though tasty, you could just see that thick layer of oil floating on the surface! Definitely not something to eat often. In terms of meat orders, we got the pork neck (a fatty cut of meat resembling bacon), kalbi chuck rib (best cut of meat that we had), and toro beef. The beef sukiyaki bibimbap was also pretty good and very hearty! A little too sweet I found, but the rice was oily and slightly crispy. We were absolutely stuffed by the time we were done - I couldn't even finish all my food! A very good deal and of great value. Will likely come again as it's a great cheap eat place, but if I'm looking for something more upscale and high quality, will likely go elsewhere.

This past weekend I finally picked up some yummy menu items from their restaurant. It was worth the drive over because the weather was beautiful and the bbq items were so yummy! I got their bento box that came with: rice, soup, salad and 2 meats (chicken teriyaki and miso toro beef), a side of takoyaki & chicken karage. All the meat options were juicy and tender. It made me miss kbbq. The takoyaki and chicken karage were my favourite. The inside of the takoyaki was chewy and flavourful. The salad had a slice of egg, cherry tomatoes and lettuce. I was so full by the end of the meal. Can't wait to come back and try out their other menu items. Follow @debeats_ on Instagram for more reviews on local businesses!

We arrived at 3:30pm on a Saturday, and got seated after waiting 40 minutes. I would definitely recommend making a reservation ahead of time to avoid the wait - it seems like they have quite a few tables held for reservations specifically! You can also check in on Yelp or FB to get free edamame. Their happy hour runs from 11:30am-5pm daily, where many items on their menu are $1 off or more. We ordered the happy hour set for 2, which included the Gyu-Kaku salad, 2 miso soups, beef sukiyaki bibimbap, steamed chilli dumplings, bistro hanger steak, filet mignon, yaki-shabu beef, toro beef, chicken thigh basil, mushroom medley, and broccoli. We also ordered the harami skirt steak, Gyu-Kaku kalbi short rib on the side. Our favourite was definitely the kalbi short rib, but everything tasted great in general. For dessert, we got the taiyaki with vanilla ice cream, and s'mores. It was really cute grilling the taiyaki on the grill. Overall, the service here was great. It did get quite pricey though (almost $60 per person after tax and tips), so I probably won't come back often. The meat here was of similar quality to Gyubee, an AYCE JBBQ restaurant, so if you have a big appetite, I'd recommend Gyubee! If not, Gyu-Kaku has more variety.

Would I recommend? yes, definitely! How's the food? This one is easy, the food is great! Really loved the thin slices of beef, that was especially tasty. everything from salad, to bibimbap (rice mixed with beef), to karage, fried dumpling, and the bbq items and desserts were all tasty! How's the service? The servers were very patient, helpful, and friendly. I would say their service quality is pretty up there. I loved the way they serve the food, they will wait for you to finish and slowly serve you all the food so your table does not get all filled up. They take their time to explain to you all the dishes and how to properly enjoy them. How's the environment. the environment is what you would typically expect for a bbq restaurant. loud and lively. but different than most bbq restaurant is again that their food is not overly seasoned and their staff is friendly.

I came here my first night in Toronto & this place blew me away! I'm not going to lie our wait time was close to an hour, but it was totally totally worth it. I first started off with the fried calamari as my appetizer. The sauce (some sort of spicy mayo) that it came with was so delicious, I want to dip everything in this sauce LOL. Then I had the New York steak & shrimp. The steak was so delicious, the shrimp was also good but I felt like the steak was just so good I barely paid attention to the shrimp. To end up I had some of my bfs pork sausage bibimbap (it's enough for 2) & that was the cherry on top. The bibimbap was so flavorful, I've never had fried rice like that. I tell you this place is going to become one of my new favorites, everything was just that delicious! My server (white guy with tattoos) was very nice as well. My bfs & I bill came up to around 80 CAD (we also had one drink each) every dollar was so worth it.

This spot is located in a perfect location in downtown and it's very accessible to people. The food was seasoned well and the beef was bot chewy. The rice was a bit bland however but the entire order made ma happy!

Are here a few months ago and really enjoyed it. Back in Toronto this weekend and tried to reserve a table. They said they don't reserve for tables of 2. Really? What are we supposed to do, invite strangers to share our table just to get seated. This place is really popular now but as they do things like this, there following will dwindle and they will be asking why?

Tip, ordering set menu only gets mediocre meat. Order the better quality beef separately, they are pricy but taste much better! Huge difference in texture and taste! It's a lot to offer from the menu, we enjoyed the separately ordered meat much more. The service was friendly. I got a table on time according to my reservation. I give 4 stars because I think the set menu meat can have improvement, it's not all you can eat after all. Also, I ordered a kids combo, but the combo comes with things that charge me extra that I didn't ask to add on.

Lovin Gyu Kaku! Comfortable seating, great marinades, high quality meats and lots of awesome side dishes or additional dishes to choose from if you want a little bit of everything!! Came here for regular weekend bbq and their happy hour/ super happy hour on Monday! $3,$4,$5 dishes of meats to choose from and the regular happy hour is usually $1 or more off the reg price for certain meats. We have so far tried their Garlic Noodles and Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbop which both came out deliciously. The garlic noodles has an amazing strong smell of melted butter and tastes sweet& savoury. Noodles cooked just right ! I will say their meat is so tender and flavourful, and especially along with the crunchy spicy garlic or their spring onion sauce! Another plus is their grills are the thicker metal types which I always found cooked the meat more evenly. Great attentive servers. Super nice, knowledgeable and willing to help you especially when there is a bbq fire lol. And dont forget you can never order too much, you can bring home the extras for your lunch or snack later. Highly Recommend, as close to Japanese bbq as it gets in Toronto!

We came here on a Wednesday night and were delighted to find out that the Happy Hour special was going on all night! For $60 you get a big japanese w seaweed salad, gyozas, and a bunch of meats! The meats are well marinated and super thin. Not too fatty. I enjoyed the three different dipping sauces with the meats! This was my first time at a Japanese Bbq place and I enjoyed it! Be prepared to come out smelling like Charcoal though!! :) Tip: go on a Wednesday or during happy hour for their special!

I have been to Gyu Kaku numerous times before in NYC. In fact, I even had about 490 rewards points to spend in my app! The BF has never been - and has not had Japanese BBQ before. So when I discovered that there is a branch in Toronto, I offered it up as a dinner option. Honestly, we had so many options for dinner that I'm not even sure how we decided on this one! We had 8:30pm reservations and arrived about 5 minutes after. They seated us right away, no problem. Last call is 9:00pm, so we had to make our food decisions quickly! I picked 5 meat dishes and 1 bibimbap. The bibimbap and the kalbi short rib dish ended up being free after I redeemed my points. A+ for the app and how incredibly easy it was to use to redeem rewards. By the time we finished our meal and I had scanned our check, I was already back up to 300 points! All the meats we had were good and it's actually kind of hard to figure out which one was the best. I think we both agreed it might have been the hanger steak? We also had their taiyaki with ice cream, which I've never seen on a NYC menu. BF really enjoyed this as he is a taiyaki fan, but he doesn't get much of that in Michigan. Service was friendly and prompt. Both our servers were very nice and helpful. Tip: There is a parking lot just a block or two away and it's pretty cheap.

Oh my. We ordered the bbq for 2 and it did not disappoint! I love that they let you cook it entirely by yourself (some places will only cook for you) so you can entirely have a private meal cooked exactly to your liking (because you did it yourself). Every cut of meat that came out was more delicious than the last and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience here. Absolutely worth the wait (they get busy). Wish I took more photos of the food but we got too excited and had to get cooking and eating!

I love this place. Very casual atmosphere, great, attentive servers and very clean. The food is fantastic. The pre-cooked items were perfect. The karaage chicken is to die for. Every course they brought us had care put into the taste and the presentation. The uncooked courses were of great quality and the servers were on top of making sure our cooking grate was replaced with a clean one as often as necessary. The time flew by when we were there, but we will definitely be back. Highly, highly recommended.

I've been to this place two times now and each time was very enjoyable. First of all you should make a reservation. They were very busy both times that I went and had to wait for roughly 40 minutes the first time as we did not reserve a table. The selection of meat and other dishes are quite extensive. You have the option of ordering a la carte or off their combo menu. I recommend ordering a combo as they come with a good selection of different meat and side items. I personally prefer the items that come with the samurai combo which is listed as for 4 (also tried items on Shogun). The side items were all delicious and the meats were very fresh and flavourful. It was a lot of fun grilling the food and it was hilarious watching everyone stare at the grill hoping the food would cook faster. The service was excellent. Our server was friendly and helpful explaining the menu to us and recommending a choice. Our grill was changed regularly and our cups were always filled with water. One thing to note is that there is a 2 hour limit to the tables. The person at the front actually came to let us know we had 10 minutes to finish up which I was kind of annoyed with as we were not finished eating. Our server however didn't mention anything and allowed us to continue. If you like meat and enjoy grilling it yourself then this is a no-brainer. Food was delicious and service was excellent. Definitely recommend.

This place is normally a little expensive but during their lunch and happy hour specials you can get a really good deal! Meats are a la carte. Their lunch special allows you to try 2-3 different types of meat at a fixed price. Since we tried a whole bunch of meats, I don't actually remember the name of all of them. It was marinated well and there was also 3 different types of dipping sauce for you to try as well. Most of the meat cuts were more on the chewy side, which isn't exactly my preferred type of meat tbh. But if you like steak-type meats you will probably love it!

Great place for a quick lunch stop or an evening for an ayce bbq ! I was here on a weekday lunch break and there were lots of lunch specials going on , also you can download their app for free stuff ! Food was really good here would come back !

If you are looking for a high quality Japanese BBQ place, look no further. We were so impressed by the customer service from start to finish. Our waiter explained the menu and we opted for the 80$ choice for 3 people... even though we were only two. I thought it was a lot of food but definitely not an inordinate amount. It came with about 5 protein dishes including chicken, pork and shrimp which were all EXCEPTIONAL, 2 veggies and rice. I've attached a photo of the option we chose. Now, I am a sucker for saucy foods. Each table comes with three sauces. A spicy, the ponzu (which is a citrus type of sauce) and the sweet sauce. ALL ELEVATE THE DISH. USE EVERY ONE! If you are really hungry, this place is great!

My friend wanted to come to this place after going to their location in Vancouver and said it's super yummy and they have Happy Hour. I came here on a Thursday for lunch and decide to order the Sakura Course for $39.95. It came with: -Gyu-Kaku Salad -Chicken Karaage -2 Miso Soup -2 Rice -Premium Rib Eye Steak -Filet Mignon -Bistro Hanger Steak Miss -Shrimp Garlic -Mushroom Medley -2 Ice Cream And we also ordered Toro Beef and Cheese Fondue (omg, so good when it's mixed in with the meat but you have to eat fast cause the cheese will dry out and harden on the sides if you leave it in the grill for too long) Side note; their green tea ice cream was so rich in flavour it had that slight bitter taste and super yummy! I asked our server and she said they order from their supplier. I wish I knew lol. In total it was about $30 person with tip and tax and the portion was decent. If it was ayce I'd like it 10x more though haha. The service was amazing; our server explained how to order from the menu and told us how long and how we should cook our meat and veggies which was really helpful. She also brought out the dishes depending on how fast we ate so that we wouldn't have every single dish crowding the table. I would definitely come back again!

My favourite Japanese bbq place. The server was so friendly! Food was amazing. Meat was fresh and the seasoning was prefect.

Sometimes the best meal is when you cook it yourself. Here at Gyu Kaku, they serve you up some really tasty cuts of beef. Some of them are marinated while some are just lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. Recommendations are highly recommended because this place will get very busy and it's usually an hour wait to get a table. Grill your own food places aren't new in Toronto but Gyu Kaku brings that Japanese sensibility for: -offering a great environment (casual like an izakaya); -equipment (grill that has a strong and quiet fume hood underneath); -menu (offering a pretty wide selection of premium grill items); -price ($40 per person which includes tax and tip should leave you feeling stuffed); -and even a loyalty app where you can get $10 off $30 when you sign up (best thing ever). The menu here is quite large with appetizers, noodles, soups, and of course a wide selection of different cuts of beef while also offering pork, chicken, seafood, and veggies. You can order a la carte to your heart's delight or go for the one of the pre-built combos that can serve 2, 4, or 8 people. We ordered the samurai combo for the four of us and we were left feeling beyond full. The samurai combo offered appetizers, salad, noodles, rich, and a selection of 8 dishes (mix of beef, pork, chicken, and shrimp) for the grill. The tastiest cuts was the ribeye steak and filet mignon while the toro steak and skirt steak were marinated lightly and very tender too. The atmosphere was very comfortable and lively. I would love to come here again.

Delicious food - excellent service. Highly recommend for a fun night out! Something yummy for everyone.

I've been craving BBQ and after seeing so many good reviews about Gyu-Kaku I came here on Family Day with my boyfriend for dinner. We arrived at 4PM hoping to avoid the mad dinner rush but we were informed that it was a 1.5 hour wait for the next table for 2. No problem, that gave us enough time to go to the gym across the street and shower before we came back. I received a text about 20 minutes after we left the restaurant saying our table was ready - and the waitress at the restaurant had told us to be back within 15 minutes of receiving 'the table is ready' text. I called the restaurant to explain I couldn't be back within 15 minutes (still have to shower). The waiter who answered my call was very courteous and understanding and told me they'd hold the table as long as they could. We got back to the restaurant ASAP and was promptly seated. Pablo, our server was great. He explained the menu to us and made recommendations. We ordered the Meat Lovers (for 2) and swapped out the pork for chicken thigh. The meats arrived from 'thinnest' to 'thickest' - or can also be seen as from quickest to cook to the longest to cook. This helped the table from cluttering and allowed us to pace ourselves when eating. The meats were very high in quality but I felt like there wasn't a lot of depth in the flavor. The marinades were very subtle and it didn't satisfy my cravings for taste. (I do love the spicy sauce they have on the side though!) The beefs are definitely the best options here - they all tasted very similar to each other for me, so the texture of the meats will definitely dictate how I order here next time (fatty & chewy vs. thick cut). Pablo came by halfway-through our meal and changed the grill for us without us having to ask even though the restaurant was packed. Overall, I definitely loved the experience here and the food that was served but this isn't a place I would crave to come back to. When I do come back however, I have the Gyu-Kaku app - I received points from signing up and our bill this time I'm planning to order the beef suiyaki when I return (for free!). +1 star for great service! We paid: 70(ish) dollars + tip.

The good: yes! Finally been craving for a new Japanese place to open. Although I did not expect the hype that came along with this restaurant, I was lucky enough to get in... Just over an hour..! But the good is about it is that it is the first supposedly authentic Japanese BBQ in Toronto (but so sooo similarly to chako - except with the premium meat). The greatness about this place was the service! It was great!! Promo for their soft opening is 20% off their set menu - which was totally worth it imo (but if it's regular price, we hitting a tad pricey). I had the geisha set. The sukiyaki bibimbap was totally unexpectedly the best dish out of there. S'mores is always good no matter where you eat it (I found it fun actually roasting the Marshmellow over the grill). I love their soft opening promotions and the upbeat personality of their staff. However... The bad: it is exactly what Chako offers except with the premium meat, but even with that sometimes I feel that the meat taste like anything else. As much hype surrounds it, it's exactly what it is, Japanese BBQ (but BBQ is pretty much the same everywhere). I didn't experience something that was mind blowing or something that would make me go, ohh I have to come again. IMO this place is a one and done place. Gave it a try and onto the next one. The ugly: wowwww the wait is ridiculous!! I went at around opening time at 5:15, but had to wait 1 hr and 20 min. People that came in at 5:30 had to wait 2 hours. Like I said, it's worth going to try once people, but don't get too hung up on it! Neutral: go early! If you want a table for a big group. If not be prepared to wait hours (lucky it's close to Eatons). Good to go with biggggg groups because there is a set menu for groups of people with more items to try and a cheaper price (yay!).

This was a great experience to have; I took my fiancé who had never been to a Japanese bbq, and my cousin and her husband the wait time is long if you don't reserve ahead on yelp, but they do their best to be quick. The service is nice and there are multiple people checking on you to make sure you have everything you need. Some servers are better, explaining sauces or the menu a bit differently. But overall the experience was good and the meat was yummy. If you are a rice gal - order more. Also the bibimbap is a small rice side- make sure you wait to eat it with the cooked meat!

I am a big fan of Japanese/Korean bbq so decided to try this place. Ordered the Premium Meat Lover set. When the dishes came, I thought the portion would not fill me up but that's not the case. At the end, I had to walk around to digest. All the dishes are so fresh and good. I like how they gave you 6 different types of premium meat to try. The only drawback was the price, it could be all you can eat at another place but again, the meat they offer is different.

For a chain restaurant, it is consistently good. Monday to Friday lunch specials are a deal! We ordered the 3 item for $17.95. Meat quality is there, I just felt it didn't have as much marinade on the meats as I am used to in Los Angeles. The complimentary salad is a third of the size than what I get in LA, but I love that they offer seaweed soup as well as miso soup. The seaweed soup is chicken broth with some seaweed and a touch of sesame oil, garnished with sesame seeds and scallions. It was nice. I tried the Pork Belly Shio White Sauce, which isn't offered on the lunch menu in LA. This is one is our favorite restaurants, no matter what country we're in.

I've been getting the umakara beef donburi for takeout, and it is absolutely bombastic. Love it. Edit: I've also been here several times before quarantine for lunch and dinner. Restaurant experience is consistent with my rating: delicious food with hospitable staff. Love their salad dressing and dipping sauces. Yum.

Service was fantastic!!! Also, food was amazing too. Unfortunately, I went there when they're not licensed yet. Definitely will go back. Btw,I went to North York location.

The "Premium Meat Lover's for 2" BBQ course included: Starters -- Gyu-Kaku Salad, Chicken Karaage, 2 Miso Soup, Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbap; BBQ items -- Harami Miso Skirt Steak, Kalbi Short Rib, Filet Mignon, Toro Beef, New York Steak, Chicken, Corn, Broccoli; and Dessert -- Maple Syrup Gyu-Kaku Ice Cream. It had a value of $91.50 but their regular price was $75. I thought this was an amazing deal for the quality and quantity of food for two people! The Miso Soup was really good! It was a big deep bowl of miso soup with small cubed tofu; the soup wasn't too salty or thin. The Chicken Karaage came with spicy mayo and a slice of lemon. It was good chicken karaage too; it was slightly salty and seasoned well. The shapes of the chicken karaage pieces were interesting though lol. The Edamame was good. The Kim-Chee was also really good. Apparently, Gyu-Kaku manufactures and purveys its own brand of kimchi in Japanese supermarkets. The kimchi wasn't too spicy either. The Gyu-Kaku Salad had a mixture of cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced egg, and peppers. It was a very refreshing salad and the dressing was very good too. We started grilling the meats by this point. (By the way, I LOVED their barbecue tongs! How is it that something so simple as metal tongs could give me so much satisfaction and contentment?) I was so impressed with the meats!! The Kalbi Short Rib was really tender and marinated so well that the flavours shone brightly. The Filet Mignon was incredibly tender. The Toro Beef was more firm but still you could taste the quality beef in each bite like the other two meats. I was so impressed! The Scallops were very squishy and chewy and fresh. When the Corn and Broccoli were done, these were delicious too. The Corn was buttered -- mmm, so good. The Broccoli had sopped up a bit of the barbecue meats flavours and were cooked really well. We took our time enjoying the food and meanwhile, the servers came by constantly to change the grills for us. The process of changing the grills was so much more simpler than the Korean barbecue kinds -- at least to me, it looked very simple and was faster. It helped a lot to have a clean grill to cook our meats so that we wouldn't have any extra char on our food from the previous grilling. I really liked their attentiveness and service. After our first round of meat, we tried the other items on our table too. The Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbap was brought to our table with ingredients fully intact in the hot stone bowl. This was also a really good dish! So tasty and the beef was thoroughly marinated in the sukiyaki sauce. Some people might found the flavour a little overpowering. I'm so glad I ordered the Spicy Tuna Volcano to try. This was spicy tuna on top of a inari sushi (sushi rice wrapped inside a seasoned deep-fried tofu). By this point, I was getting full but this was definitely a must-try item on the menu because it was so good. I'm also glad we ordered the Yuzu Shishito Pepper to try. These peppers were grilled so perfectly, weren't spicy at all, and a great complement to the meats. The Harami Miso Skirt Steak was the #1 bestseller on their list and I absolutely agreed with this! Even though I didn't get to try all the meats on their menu, this was definitely the best one we tried that night. The Harami Miso Skirt Steak was so, so juicy and tender and fantastic! It was entirely due to the quality of the cut of meat. I highly recommend this one! The New York Steak was still good but when compared to the Harami, it just couldn't compare. The Chicken was marinated with yuzu, basil, and spicy miso. This was also good chicken that was tender after being grilled. The main stars of that night though were the different cuts of beef. We finished off with a sweet note. The Maple Syrup Gyu-Kaku Ice Cream was vanilla ice cream dusted with soybean powder with maple syrup. It was a really sweet scoop of cold ice cream that sealed off the night of meaty goodness. I was very impressed with Gyu-Kaku and understand why they have expanded to so many locations all around the world. They have 600 locations globally! I thought that their prices were very reasonable too -- especially the BBQ course for two. Spending about $100 for good quality Japanese meat is so worth it. I'd much rather come here for good quality BBQ than to an all-you-can-eat BBQ restaurant. They also have Happy Hour where the deals are even sweeter. I recommend you to try Gyu-Kaku if you haven't tried it before. Make sure to make a reservation! When we left at 8:15 p.m.-ish, there were so many people waiting for a table.