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Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ - San Diego, CA | Downtown Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, CA

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ - San Diego, CA | Downtown Gaslamp Quarter

4.5
4.5
267 Reviews
$31 to $50
Japanese
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!

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This restaurant is permanently closed.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Japanese, Barbecue, Tapas / Small Plates
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 11:30 am–9:45 pm Happy Hour Daily 11:30 am–6:30 pm Daily 8:30 pm–9:45 pm
  • Phone number
    (619) 310-5782
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    You are the Chef!
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Cross street
    5th Ave. and F street
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 267 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.4Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ in San Diego's Downtown Gaslamp Quarter offers a delightful experience with "great quality" meats and "excellent" service. Guests enjoyed a "fun" and interactive dining experience, particularly during celebrations. Although some noted high prices and small portions, the overall atmosphere and customer service were praised.

267 Reviews
  1. lucy

    San Diego

    11 reviews

    3.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on November 23, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Unfortunately this lunch to celebrate a birthday was not special. The servers were not trained properly. The place was quite empty. The host was not available to greet us although I had a reservation. The quality of the meats were not at Gyu Kaku experience I had before. Very disappointing...

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  2. Abdul

    San Diego

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 23, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing please don’t close the vibes are immaculate

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  3. John

    VIP

    San Diego

    100 reviews

    1.0

    100 reviews

    Dined on November 23, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Usually we can find something good to say about most any dining experience. This one, not so much. When we walked in we were greeted by an odd smell that brought thoughts of a dirty taco shop. We were seated immediately. However it took a while for a server to come by. We placed our order right away. We ordered drinks, soup, salad, vegetables, and a variety of meats. It took quite a long time for items to start coming out. We received the salad followed by some meat. However our drinks were not served. We ultimately had to ask our server for all of our remaining items and we still did not receive everything. Ultimately when the bill came everything we ordered and even the items that we did not receive were included. After asking, the missing items were removed. All in all the quality of the food was pretty bad. The meat was all greasy and tough. Everything seemed a bit overly salty. The cleanliness was pretty suspect. Our glassware had lipstick from a previous guest. The table next to us was left uncleared for over an hour. All in all a bad dining experience. We will not return and definitely cannot recommend this restaurant.

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  4. Cristina

    VIP

    San Diego

    24 reviews

    4.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on November 20, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Enjoyed a dinner cooking our meats and having a set course to introduce us to Japanese bbq. Really good quality food and fun

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  5. Marla

    VIP

    San Diego

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 18, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    The service was slow. The food was tasty but not enough vegetables.

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  6. Rebecca

    VIP

    San Diego

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on October 3, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    It was delicious and a good deal for the lunch menu.

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  7. Jessica

    VIP

    San Diego

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 28, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always a great choice. It was a great deal too and the food had great quality

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  8. Gloria

    San Diego

    29 reviews

    5.0

    29 reviews

    Dined on September 26, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The $25 lunch was filling and delicious. We loved the nice salad and dressing, the appetizer-fried and steamed chili dumplings, the spinach, and the level A with nicely seasoned beef and tasty basil chicken. The s’more was a nice sweet finish.

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  9. Tiana

    Orange County

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 15, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    live laugh love such a grand time, highly recommend.

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  10. Coco

    San Diego

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on September 14, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Good food and quality. But too expensive even for the good food.

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FAQs

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ - San Diego, CA | Downtown Gaslamp Quarter offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (619) 310-5782.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ - San Diego, CA | Downtown Gaslamp Quarter is rated 4.5 stars by 267 OpenTable diners.

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

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ - San Diego, CA | Downtown Gaslamp Quarter

801 5th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Additional information

  • Cross street
    5th Ave. and F street
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 11:30 am–9:45 pm Happy Hour Daily 11:30 am–6:30 pm Daily 8:30 pm–9:45 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Japanese, Barbecue, Tapas / Small Plates
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    You are the Chef!
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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