If you are looking for a laid back Korean BBQ experience, Gen is the place for you. McKenna, the general manager was so attentive to our table. She explained everything to us and made sure we always had what we needed. The selection of meats at Gen is fantastic, and if you are a kalbi fan, don't sleep on the Nook Gan Sal (marinated beef finger short rib) and the Woo Baesal (premium short plate beef belly). Also, the dessert option of Hotteok is a great way to end the night on a sweet note. read more

I I am a regular customer at Gens and have visited locations in five different states without ever experiencing any issues. Unfortunately, my visit to the Cary location on Mother's Day was extremely disappointing. My wife, children, and I visited for dinner, and as someone who is currently 8 1/2 months pregnant, I was especially looking forward to a pleasant dining experience. Upon arrival, we were not greeted, and throughout our visit our server, Anasha, provided very limited service compared to what I have come to expect from this restaurant. Our drinks were never refilled, the grill was never changed, and unused plates were left stacked at the end of our table for the duration of our meal. Because the grill was not changed, there was excessive smoke and much of the food tasted burnt or overly charred, which made the experience even more uncomfortable. I also noticed the manager seated at a nearby table eating and talking on the phone during service, which appeared unprofessional given the lack of attention to customers in the dining area. Before leaving, I addressed these concerns with the woman at the front and asked to speak with the manager, only to be told that she herself was the manager. The response I received was simply, "Oh, I'm sorry," with no further effort to address the situation. This was by far the worst experience I have had at any Gens location, which was especially disappointing on Mother's Day. read more

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I was craving Korean bbq and asked a friend for a rec. turns out I have been to another location from their franchise in California, and that's where I first tried kbbq so I knew I was in good hands. There was no wait time and we ended up getting a carafe of pomegranate soju and we both had the premium dinner. Unless you are a fan of everything listed in the premium, we ate more from the regular list when it was all said and done. The cuts of meat were great! Marinated just right and delicious! All of the sides that came with the meal were great too. Definitely a must if you want some authentic kbbq. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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What we liked about Gen: the variety of the menu, the price for what you get, some of the meats, and they do have ssamjang (I immediately rule out kbbq places if this is not an option...) What we didn't like: - Service was very slow. Granted they are new but I've gone to most of the AYCE KBBQ places soon after opening and never had to wait 45 minutes being after seated to get our hands on the meat (which is the whole point of KBBQ)?! We did have to ask the server to check on several items, which isn't too unusual for a new restaurant. - Food tasting off and not quite Korean. We noticed this with multiple dishes--soft tofu stew, kimchi fried rice, KFC, the house spicy sauce(?), et. which was sad since the flavors sort of negated the purpose of the large menu selection for us. - It's really loud inside so you have to lean over the table and scream in order to have a conversation which is not the right vibe for KBBQ imo. I'll be open to coming back in a couple of months by then hopefully the slow service will not be an issue anymore though I won't be rushing back to come back with all the AYCE KBBQ options we have in the area now. read more

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This place has an amazing atmosphere, very trendy, huge TVs, ambient lighting. The food selection is huge for the protein section of the menu. I was not at all thrilled with the side's selection. They didn't offer many vegetable options or side options. The service was ok. We had Gio as our server and he was super nice and Joseph was the runner who was also great. It just seemed like he had a lot of tables all needing his attention at the same time. Couple of points to think about: They don't have any oils for the grill so food burns super quickly. They don't have seasoning per se. They only let you order the number of meat selections for the amount of people at your table in rounds (to reduce waste). read more

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Overall: Really good spot for KBBQ. $31 per person for the dinner menu. I think this is a pretty good deal and it comes with a lot of options. Food: Food here was pretty good, some of the items were misses, but for the most part the meat cuts were all very good. Service: The food comes out fast; I was very surprised by how quickly our waiter was able to get the food out to us after ordering. They were also very on top of swapping out our tray whenever it started to get burnt. Ambiance: Nice open space with lots of seating. We came during an event so the energy was probably a bit more hype than normal. read more

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The food was pretty good. It's the service I had some issues with. It seemed like there was only 1 server waiting on every table. Waited over half an hour to get our drinks: we got our entrees and appetizers faster than our waters. Then when we ordered more they forgot one of our sides. We went around 6:30 at night. By the time we left around 8, it seemed like the staff had doubled so maybe go closer to 8. read more

A great place for dinner! The food was great, I loved to ordering their brisket and carne asada, those were my favorites from Gen. I would say I wish they would provide a greater variety of veggies. I got their KFC appetizer, which is fried chicken, and was really good too. It looked like they were understaffed when I went, so service wasn't the best but I understand! Overall, great place for Korean BBQ. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

We came here for dinner, and right from the start , the staff were friendly and welcoming. This isn't my first time dining in Gen Korean since we have it in California- so I'm already familiar with how the ordering works. This location was spacious and the staff remained attentive and accommodating throughout our visit. The menu was well designed, easy to navigate and came with clear instructions. Overall, we are really satisfied and definitely recommend! We will be coming back whenever were in the area. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Amazing food and service!!!!!! The drinks are the best and it's so clean and smells fantastic read more

Restaurant and service was really good. We definitely got our moneys worth. You could order four appetizers and four entrées at a time. Once you finish those you can order four more of each. I thought the food was good and we will definitely come back, especially for the price that we paid. read more

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When I heard the Gen was coming to Cary, I was so hyped to know more asian chains were coming to the area - my first visit on their opening day did not disappoint. A live DJ, red carpet, and raffles on opening day definitely made for a unique experience while waiting to get in. Gen offers the quintessential AYCE kbbq experience, with a solid basic selection of meats that includes marinated short rib, my personal favorite. For an extra $20, you can have their premium selection, which includes wagyu cuts and other specialties. The staff work fast and are attentive to the tables, maintaining grill changes and new orders at a solid pace. Definitely will come back in the future! read more

Was so excited to see this finally open. They just literally opened the door tonight with their planned grand opening this Saturday. By far this is the best AYCE kbbq in the triangle. Ambiance - the vibe is cool modern with brilliant blue neon & black decor. All the tables that we saw are grill topped tables. Alcohol wasn't available since they haven't gotten their liquor license yet. Service - considering it's their first day, service was excellent. Our server, Yang, was very attentive and helpful guiding us through the menu and making great suggestions. He checked up on us constantly to make sure we were ok & to see if we need more food. He saw that we were familiar with the kbbq concept so he left us to cook our own food as we preferred. I noticed that for customers not as familiar with the concept the server kept an eye on the grill, checked & served the food. Our server also changed out the grill several times to ensure that our food didn't get burnt. Food - There were 2 levels...the regular and the premium. We opted for the regular since there were plenty of selections to choose from. There were kitchen cooked items (jap chae, kfc, dumplings, jjigae). The quality of the meats were excellent. They have many more options that some of the other kbbq places. Kalbi was included in the regular price unlike the other place which upcharges for kalbi. If you're not stuffed by then, do get the hoeddoek for dessert. it's a fried mochi pancake filled with cinnamon sugar & peanuts. Delicious!! read more

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Tried out Gen, I used to get this place in NYC so super excited to see it near by. The food was pretty good and they did a great job with changing out the hot plates often. The service was good, pretty fast, and someone checked in often. The inside was so cool with the chill blue lights, set such a great mood. I do wish they had toothpicks at the front read more

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Had such a great meal at Gen Korean BBQ today. The short ribs were so good--tender, flavorful, and just the right amount of sweet and savory. We loved mixing up all the sauces and spices--seriously, everything tasted amazing together. The kimchi and pickled cucumbers were perfect sides--spicy, crunchy, fresh. Loved that everything came out fast and the staff was super friendly and helpful, especially with getting the grill going. It was such a fun time with friends and family--lots of laughs, great food, and honestly a really good value for how much we got. Did I mention the mocktails and dessert????? Definitely going back. read more

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This place is amazing.You must go mid week during lunch when it is not busy. Trust me you will love it. Is in such a great value! read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Great price and all you can eat! - Korean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Came out full and taste buds satisfied Splendid!!! Service was great!!!! We had three hungry just came from the pool grandkids!! The menu was great for the kids and adults easy to read!!! The restaurant was very clean even the bathrooms!!!! The food was delivered quickly and was seasoned very well!! The kids really enjoyed cooking their own food Definitely would go back !!! When kids say they have had enough!!!!You go back !!! Sorry forgot to take pictures when there. ! read more

This is our 2nd visit to this establishment. First time we dined at Gen BBQ was in Honolulu. 2nd time at this place in Cary and it was much different than the 1st time. First time was excellent, good food and service ! This time food was good but service lacked. Even though it was a Saturday it was not busy but you couldn't tell by the service. Our initial server was slow and appeared to be new. We sat in our booth a long time before he arrived and had to remind him wanted beverages. Our entree arrived well before getting drinks. We had to constantly remind him on what we needed and it still was wrong. I think he finally became frustrated and told us he could hand us off to another server, we assumed he was leaving but he never left and continued helping others, not us. We probably had 3-4 different servers who had no idea what others had done, we had food delivered to our table that we did not order and the meats we did order we had a long wait. Upon getting our check yet another server accepted our payment and asked how are meal was. I told her food was good but service was not, I thought she would ask what was wrong and she shrugged it off as if she didn't care. We want to return but hope that we don't have sub par service again. I have them a 2 rating due to poor service. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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Alright, I've been to way too many KBBQ places and seen it all. This place has one of the largest selection of meat (for the triangle area). So if you like protein or just finished a good workout. This place is for you. Now, if you're looking for some veggies - try somewhere else. The green options are VERY limited which I'm not a fan of. I think a good balance would've been great but hey man, if constipation is the goal this is ya place. Side note: make sure to try the crispy dumplings. read more

Finally made it to Gen here in NC! I was truly excited as I came from the West Coast and I love me some AYCE Korean BBQ as I miss the West Coast eats. Our server was really nice but service was slow. Everything took quite sometime to come out. We had to follow up a few times to make sure things were on the way. I dropped my chopsticks as my baby grabbed them and had to ask three times for chopsticks from two people. I understand it's busy and they're getting their footing but I basically was eating with my hands for 20 mins. The meat quality was great and we had a good time, just wish things moved a bit faster and that something as simple as chopsticks would be a quick turnaround. read more

I've been to the Gen in California and the Gen that just opened in Raleigh is amazing! They have multiple meat options and are very helpful when you need help choosing. Our server Andrew was very knowledgeable of the menu and had great customer service. The vibe of the restaurant is super fun as well! The neon lights give it a great ambience. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Shrimp and galbi - Korean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

This is a chain buffet started from Cali. Unfortunately other than service and strong grill, the foods are suboptimal with poor meat cuts and not authentic Korean. They seasoned their meat heavily to mask the poor cut of meat and limit the number of order per round. We will unlikely be back read more

This was our (3-person) first time at a self-service barbecue. We got the Premium Dinner menu (additional charge), a soda, and a mocktail (greatly appreciated that they had a whole section for these). Food was unbelievable! The wagyy was SO savory and the long-bone was pure heaven. I HIGHLY recommend you take a sharing approach where you anything you order is shared among the group. It's all-you-can-eat (for 2 hours) so it's worth it to try everything your able. There are only two negative recommendations; stay away from the raw chicken and shrimp. Not because they're bad, but because the chicken is harder to cook and takes forever and the shrimp is way too difficult to remove the shell. If you're an expert, go right ahead, but not my first choice. They were both delicious, though. The appetizers were equally great. My dad was a big fan of the dumplings (mandu) and I have my eyes on the fried fish, for next time. Ramen (soup) was fun but I think your stomach space is better spent on the other food. Desert includes a set of peanut, sesame, cinnamon buns. Lightly sweet, kind of like fried mochi. Service was kind and attentive, constantly checking on us and switching out our grills. I was quite amazed the whole staff was active and focused. Kudos guys! Cost is a bit much, but reasonable for what you get. The premium menu is certainly premium and high quality. Looking forward to next time. Good luck guys! read more

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If you haven't please don't walk but run and try them out!!!! The food was delicious, fast service, and the MANAGER LINCOLN WAS AMAZING! The music is a vibe and the restaurant is just amazing and such a vibe! The prices are amazing! Tell them I'm the girl with the guy who needs two straws!!! We love YOU GEN KKBQ And we love our waiter his name was Seku read more

If you're looking for a KBBQ spot that hits every mark--this is it. From the moment we walked in, the staff made us feel like royalty (the kind that wields tongs and rules over short ribs). The meat quality? Top-tier. Every cut was marbled perfectly, tender, and fresh. We went with the PREMIUM all-you-can-eat option and had zero regrets. The bulgogi and marinated galbi were standouts--flavorful, juicy, and grilled to perfection right at our table. read more

We came on a Tuesday and it was slow. They only had one waiter, Chan. After we came in, three other tables came in and he took care of EVERYONE effortlessly. He was so kind and attentive! He was even the bartender! The food was very good! We'll definitely be back. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Beef Bulgolgi - Korean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Very consistent and accommodating. Same experience i have in Concord CA i just had 3000 miles away. It was a pleasure

Andrew was great and attentive. The food is good. Servers are super friendly. Food came out quick, same with the banchan. I'd give 10 stars if I could. read more

Maybe we just came in on a bad night but honestly this place was just not good. The appetizers came out lukewarm and the cuts of meat were fatty and too thick for k bbq. There's no iPad or any system for ordering food besides the waiters who didn't manage to come back around after our first order. I ended up grabbing the manager who was very kind and understanding. Cary has incredible options for kbbq this just isn't one you should waste your time on. Will say the playlist was fire. read more

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I came here with my family and we all ended up sick. I've been to plenty of kpot places and this unfortunately did not meet the mark

Went to this restaurant for the first time this past weekend with my family. We have been to many Korean barbecue joints, but never this place. All I could say is wow. The service was amazing. The food was amazing. The atmosphere was amazing. Best part of the whole meal was one of the managers, Lincoln giving us guidance and how to order the food as well as how to clean the grill great. He was very entertaining and passionate about his restaurant. I would recommend this to anybody. The price was good. The selection of meats were amazing. Will definitely be back. read more

Just moved from LA to NC me and my boyfriend were so happy to see Gen Korean BBQ. Drove 2 hrs to this place great service and vibes only thing missing was rice paper. Thank you to our server "Kat" providing great service! read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Kimchi fried rice, salad, bulgogi, Hawaiian steak - Korean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Lincoln the Manager is one of a time humble in control and super genuine. And sekuo our server he's new but I can tell this ain't his first rodeo solid 12/10 I will be back very soon thanks Gen! read more

Food and Services were amazing I love an all you can eat KBBQ and it was a great price. Henry was awesome.

Hands down the best kbbq brisket in the area and the pricing for AYCE is the lowest compared to others without sacrificing the meat quality. Lincoln is a fantastic server and always is around to help us with grill changes and getting our orders in asap! As someone originally from Southern California - this place always hits the spot! read more

We got abandoned at the table. We had been seating at the table for 45 mins and they didn't bring our orders. Only one chef and two waiters. Then they would walk right by us and ignore us. The waiter told the manager that I was upset and I wasn't then he was refused to clear the table. read more

Amazing food! Jonathan gave great suggestions! Such a vibe and great service from everyone

Had an opportunity to try this newer Korean BBQ spot. Scotty was our server and he was fantastic. Very attentive and took good care of us. The restaurant is beautiful. Very modern and trendy. The menu is broad and the food is great. There is definitely a lot to choose from. We enjoyed some selection more than others, but with over 46 menu items to choose from there is something for everyone. My favorite was the calamari steaks. If you are looking for something a little different, I recommend giving this place a try. read more

Manager reached out to me and offered me to come back for a free meal for the bad service. The second time around it was night a day better. I will for sure come back now. ____________________ I had the worst experience. I don't understand how after 4 months of being open this place hasn't gotten a grove together. I have been to other Gen BBQ locations and never had an issue. Yesterday I went to this location for dinner and the service was basically non existent. Our server and the bar didn't even bring us drinks until our first round of food was cooked. and she even brought us the wrong drinks. The rice we orderd had a hard crusty top that was cold to the touch. We would wait 30 mins just for our food to be brought to the table, and after 2 rounds of trying to order food we just left. They were out of the sauce I had asked for and the appetizers we ordered came out just as we were about to leave. It also looked like no one new what their job was. It was entirely chaotic. The bartender at one point was bringing out food, and our waitress couldn't even cash us out because she didn't have "permission". This was after the manager spilt a drink on the table behind us. As we left we noticed that 4 or 5 tables had not been bussed, and you could tell they had been sitting out for awhile. read more

The worst Korea BBQ I have ever seen. Only one waiter for 10+ groups. I waited for 15 minutes but did not get even a glass of water