My family and I dined at Gen a few days ago. And we were pleasantly surprised that they offered a new sushi menu! The rolls were beautifully crafted and the service was top tier. The general manager, Corey, was amazing and really promoted the new items. He even came back and asked for feedback from customers on how the rolls were and how they can be improved. Gen is always a staple when we go out to eat so having new menu items to explore and try is always a nice surprise. The staff works hard to accommodate all of the customers, and it's truly a great experience every time. We look forward to dining there again and their new menu items in the future. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Spicy California Hand Roll & California Hand Roll - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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It's been a while! Came for a late lunch eat dinner possibly one meal for the day for Mother's Day. Arrived at 4pm and seated very promptly. It was busy! We were waited on by Matthew. Courteous, prompt, attentive service. Our orders came in good time, we didn't have enough table space for all of them! GEN is good fun for grilling your own food. I did notice the banchans are now even fewer than before; looks like now potato salad is available only upon request. Rice tho is still automatically given; we stopped the runner from giving us more than one (coz first rule of buffet is no starch!!) As usual we out-ate our neighboring diners haha! We chose the regular menu (dinner price all day on weekends). Ordered our usuals (brisket, boneless kalbi, bulgogi, spicy pork bulgogi, soy honey beef belly) and tried one thing new: gochujang beef belly. And as usual, we ate our money's worth. read more

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Caution, attached video may be loud. Service was fine and food was good but the music was way too loud. We went to eat around 1100 on Sunday. The place was almost empty, but kept playing loud music exceeding 80 decibels (measured from Apple Watch). Understandable if it's Friday, Saturday night for more club vibe but honestly prefer more toned down music if it's lunch time on Sunday. Music was so loud to the point I can't hold a conversation without having to repeat myself and difficulty hearing the server. Would not recommend if you want to have some sort of conversation. Only recommend if you don't wanna talk to another person. read more

Stopped in for lunch for son son's preschool grad. I love this place because of the value, where else can you get all you can eat for $20.......DEAL. Our favorite is the meat is the honey beef belly, I also like the spicy pork. The onion, jalapeño, and radish dish is our favorite side. Then add the salad sauce on the side to dip meats to make it a great meal. Today's marks come in lower because the exhaust system is down right bad right now. When we first walked in it just smelt of smoke, at our table it didn't seem the overhead exhaust was working. So it was like eating around a Smokey camp fire haha. Not that it's a bad thing, but surely not at a sit down restaurant. Also they were somewhat under staffed, but it is a random weekday Tuesday haha. All in all it's still great value and a good meal. We'll be back again. read more

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Great food and the price is reasonable at this time (same as California) The service was nice and fast The restaurant was clean and well maintained only the blowing fan was not strong enough so when we got out like the smell of burning meat We enjoyed our dinner here read more

I've never had a not-good experience at Gen besides this one. I come here (and to the Pearl Ridge location) at least once a year and usually the service and food is good. But this time, it wasn't. We came at noon on a Wednesday and it was pretty empty. Our server wasn't the nicest and the 'clean' grills came out pretty gross with residue still on it. The Hawaiian steak got so thin from the last time I was here. They also set the tables with banchan super early so while we were eating, there was banchan at the other tables where no one was at. So who knows how long it's sitting out there. I need to find a new go-to spot ): read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I haven't been here in a long time so decided to try it again. We were taken to our table and noticed the floor was slippery like grease. The ventilation was also not very good. It was also quite warm inside and we got sweaty just sitting. The table also already had the banchon on the it. Not sure how long it had been sitting out there. The dish with the seasonings had salt in one of the wells that was wet from moisture. The service was good but the tongs and scissors for cooking had dirty food caked on it before we even used them. They took awhile to replace the utensils so sat staring at the food we could not cook. The food was ok as not much taste but the rice was terrible ( including the sushi). The rice was like mush. The only thing good was the salad. I definitely will not go back. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Writing this as I'm still sitting at the table and years later still 2 stars . Service is sub par. Our waitress came by several times and saw empty drink cups but didn't offer refills, we had to ask. Ordered a couple items that we never got. When asked to check if they were coming out the waitress said they should be. About 30 mins later nothing. Asked again and she said they were out. The white rice was pure mush. The Banchan was good. The table and seats were dirty when they seated us. I ordered a Jasmin green tea and returned it because I didn't like it. I had to ask for it to be taken off the check. I ordered an unsweetened tea and had to ask about it after waiting at least 10 mins with no drink. Not a good experience at all. I was hoping after years that I could have a better experience and write a better review but unfortunately it's not so. read more

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Waited to talk to us and then turned us away at 9:01 saying they stop seating at 9. 4-5+ FOH staff standing around. Told us "yeah he doesn't want anyone in his section" but the entire restaurant was empty. I get it, policy, but service is generally not great here too read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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For our last day here we decided to stop here. We have this place here in Arizona so I'm not new to the chain. Upon entering, it took 10 minutes to get seated. Looking at the restaurant, it was not busy so I'm not sure why we waited so long. When we were seated, the banchan was already on the table. We waited another 15 minutes before a server came and grabbed our drink order. I ordered our food and drinks immediately as to not wait a long time again. Our food came out within 10 minutes and I began eating. After waiting for so long and then watching people who came in after me get service first, it left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't eat much and decided to leave. I would still recommend this chain but not this specific location. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Haven't been here for many years. I remember coming for their grand opening and the place was packed. We came a couple times after and I remember the service used to be top-notch but today it was just meh. The server girl was on top of things but the waiter was slow. At one point we didn't even know where he was and for that matter no one else knew too. If he went on break, he should of notified someone as well as the customers as we were not the only table waiting to order. After awhile, we flagged down someone who took our order. After we got what we ordered, our waiter showed up out of nowhere. No apology or anything. The quality of food is still good from what I remembered and the prices were not bad either. Things to consider about reservations is that only parties of 10 or more is allowed to make reservations. read more

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I like Gen; I've been to both Ala Moana and Pearlridge locations many times. For a chain restaurant, they are not very consistent in food, service and cleanliness. The food tastes and look different most of the time, service is hit or missed, and the restaurant sometimes can be quite filthy. A few items are consistently good - beef bulgogi, pork bulgogi, kalbi, calamari steak, and Hawaiian steak. Parking are at the malls, so depending on day and time, it maybe very busy. The prices are reasonable for AYCE, so if you're at the mall and are hungry for Korean bbq, Gen maybe a good place. read more

The meats are fine and pirk chop amd garlic chicken is so good the minuses - room temp rice that they give at beginning - lack of ban chan variety and the kim chee looks unappetizing - chap chae - false advertising had zero veges just plain - server was fine but had to wait due to lack of staff Meats were all good tho and Costco sells the gift cards at a fraction so worth a try and worth for the meat - read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - PLAIN CHAP CHAE - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This is place went DOWNHILL! Meat quality, service, and cleanliness went down. We went there yesterday and a server who seemed high tried to serve us. His hair was a mess, he told us he didn't have his tablet to take our order, and worst of all he had his finger wrapped in a paper towel and said he cut his finger. He then proceeded to show us the wound, blood and all! How appetizing. We asked to be moved to another section. Service was better, but meat wasn't. The brisket and beef belly fell apart and became crumbs. The other meat was tough and chewy. I know it's only $21 for ayce, but I woiod rather pay a little more and go elsewhere. read more

We were thoroughly happy and satisfied with all the meats brought to our table. The servers that checked on us were pleasant and prompt . Also, the Staff sung Happy Birthday and that was fun!!!!! The ambiance was pleasant and clean. (Clean restroom too & that's important!) We will, for sure, visiting Gen soon!!!! read more

No plates or chop sticks but the rice had arrived! Very nice people but not good with people who weren't familiar with their menu or service. Very delicious food but slow service and again no information was available or offered to us as first time Korean BBQ experience goes. Again the people were nice and the little food we ate was good but the experience was not! read more

I love Korean bbq, and Gen definitely hits. We were surprised to be seated immediately with no rsvp given it was around dinner time. I started off with the cheese tonkatsu and it was perfect. The breading with the cheese on the inside was something I've never had before 10/10 recommend as an appetizer. We went with the beef and spicy bulgogi and gen steak. All were super tasty. The one thing I would change is having the meats cut a little thinner so it's easier to cook. Our server took a little while to get our check after but it was busy. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Beef Bulgogi, Spicy Pork Bulgogi, Gen Steak - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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If you're even *thinking* about coming to GEN, do it. This was hands-down one of the best dining experiences I've had in a long time, amazing food, nonstop energy, and service that made the entire night feel effortless. The food was unreal: fresh, flavorful, and consistently hot off the grill, with everything coming out fast and perfectly timed. Nothing felt rushed, nothing was forgotten, and the whole experience stayed smooth from start to finish. And Randy.. seriously, give this man a raise. He was the definition of a top-tier server friendly, sharp, attentive without hovering, and always a step ahead. Drinks refilled, plates cleared, requests handled instantly, and he still managed to keep the vibe fun. That kind of service is rare. What made it even better was the overall team. Everyone at GEN was amazing - you can tell the staff works together and actually cares about the guest experience. The cherry on top: Manager Andrew stopped by our table just to say hi and check in, which says a lot about the culture there. It felt welcoming, personal, and genuinely well-run. GEN Ala Moana is the kind of place that turns a regular meal into a full-on experience. 5 stars without question can't wait to come back. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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A reliable AYCE korean bbq place. We usually go around 6 for an early dinner and there is little to no wait to be seated. Being in Ala Moana means that there is lots of parking. Staff are very attentive and are good about seeing if you want to order more food and changing out the grill. Good selection of meats to grill and appetizers. read more

The food at this Gen location was pretty good. We ordered the normal dinner for the three of us. All of the dishes came out to us correctly. The service from our waiter and the bus help were excellent. Our waitress was very helpful and friendly. She always came Arii's to check on us, got our orders in a timely manner, filled our beverages regularly, and changed our grill top three times for us while we were dining. The ambiance was pretty good. The floor was clean and not sticky or slippery. Our booth was clean and not dirty when we arrived. The only complaint I would have was that the exhaust vent system that sucks out the smoke was working properly at our table. We were sitting at one of their newer tables that had the exhaust vent in the grill and sucked the smoke into the grill and not above the grill. read more

Not the best but good place to enjoy Korean BBQ. It used to be far better 5 year back as they used to offer many sides and unlimited sides. Now they have limited it. No change in meat menus. I enjoy unlimited meat. read more

Went for lunch on a random weekday. Service was faster, order came out fast. Place wasn't too crowded. The food is always good. The plates and utensils are getting older though, quality and management should take a look. The floor was slippery (as expected in bbq places) but it was too slippery. Ambiance is mid level loud but seating is not too close so that's a plus too. Could have been five stars if plates weren't chipped and plastic glasses were not greasy. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Premium Gen Steak 1lb, Brisket - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Good food, fun vibes, and pretty good prices! The servers were friendly and helpful, although we were asked to "upgrade" our AYCE and buy some jerky so it felt strangely sales pitch-y. Still had a great time! I really love the pork belly, brisket, and the kalbi! Left very full and satisfied. read more

10/04/2025. Dinner $33.95. AYCE. Good price. Went early Dinner 5pm. No wait. Excellent service by server William K. Tossed salad, 4 sides, 3 sauces, cooking tongs, scissors to cut meats were brought to table when seated. Drink orders taken. 4 orders at a time. William K. Suggested the 1st round. Garlic chicken, Bulgogi, Pork belly, spicy pork. And he also Suggested the 2nd round. Premium steak, garlic pork belly, beef belly, Al Pastor. Our party of 3, went through 4 rounds = 16 orders. Quality of meats were decent, good. Dessert included, Korean pancake , mochi texture with filling. (Not good if Nut allergy) Place was bustling on a Saturday evening. Full house. Workers were working hard. Highly recommend. Noticed a lot of large groups, celebrations. Free parking in Ala Moana Shopping Center. Restrooms located inside restaurant. Note: Wear something cool. AC didn't seem at highest, gets hot with grills running. At home, got that sticky kind feeling after leaving. read more

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Kevin K. Provided exceptional customer service at the Alamoana Shopping Center GEN!! Great service and great food - happy customer!

Amazing and kind staff! On the day we went they had a few things that were sold out which was slightly heartbreaking but nonetheless the hosts informed us prior to being seated. If you got BAD asthma perhaps this place is not for you. Honestly I have no idea how the workers here manage to breathe the smoke everyday , definitely troopers lol. Food always comes out quick, on top of that your grills are changed out regularly so you don't have to suffer with a sad and burnt grill. Great price and well suited for small parties read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Get the spicy bulgogi and Hawaiian steak guys - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Gen is a super reliable place to eat. Ambiance is great. service always exceptional + with very attentive staff. I recommend the honey soy beef belly They also have recently added sushi items into their dinner menu. Nice! Korey is always the best! read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Gen Ala moana! - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I want to start by saying 100% of our positive experience came from our server Megan. She was very respectful, professional, and had such a kind tone of voice. She did forget our rice order at first, but she came back and apologized sincerely. Honestly, I appreciate an apology more than anything because she owned up to the mistake. That takes integrity, and I give her major props for that. Because of her service alone, she deserves 100% satisfaction. What we also noticed was that Megan was working the mauka (window) side section completely by herself, while other sections had 2-3 servers or helpers. No one seemed to help her at all. Despite that, she handled everything like a champion. She stayed welcoming, polite, and never showed any signs of stress. It was very noticeable to us and the other tables around us. In my opinion, management should recognize her hard work, apologize for leaving her alone in that section, and honestly give her a raise. The food quality was okay. We went during lunch around 2 PM, so it wasn't even peak dinner rush. My wife was a little worried about the rice taking a while because when you wait too long sometimes you lose your appetite. But after seeing how busy Megan was handling everything alone, we completely understood and didn't make any fuss about it. Our biggest complaint is the floors. They are very slippery. My wife is pregnant and she actually slipped twice while walking. That's a serious safety hazard for both customers and employees. I really think the restaurant should consider fixing or renovating the flooring to prevent accidents. Because of the floor safety issue and average food quality, we're giving 3 stars. Honestly it could have been 1 star, but Megan's kindness and professionalism completely changed our experience. Thank you Megan for your awesome service and hard work. You deserve recognition. read more

This place is ok. I am not a massive fan. It's expensive and so hot. I wish they would turn the grill On immediately when you sit down to get it ready to heat up. If you have large party it seems to take forever to cook the food. Especially chicken and veggies. The ambiance is fine. Decent decor. But we find it's a lot of work coming here and cooking. Also if you want premium meats the entire table has to purchase them. So, half our party didn't want to spend the money to upgrade so we couldn't enjoy the other meats. We felt it took a longtime for our foods to come, since you can only order a limited amount each time. We came here at 2pm so it wasn't crowded. Not sure if it's worth it in our opinion. read more

This spot located on the to floor of Ala Moana Mall was my go to for years... And then I had kids and had to scale back. Wife and I went for lunch yesterday (Veterans Day). Was terrified the line would be ridiculous as CPK and Jade had ridiculously long lines. Surprised to find that there was only a15 minutes wait. Oddly enough, while there is a hostess, you need to scan a QR code and put yourself into a digital queue. The hostess is just there to...I dunno. Anyway, we got seated near the bar. The place looked full, but not overly crowded. Music is still a tad too loud for my taste, but whatever. Service was a little slow, but our server was the only one I saw really busting his butt and running all over the place. The rest of the staff looked... Honestly? They looked bored. Food is still good, weird tho that you now have to request the salad as they no longer bring it out as soon as you sit down. Tofu soup took nearly an hour for some reason and it wasn't only after that amount of time were we told that the bulgogi fries we ordered weren't available... Not sure why it took them an hour to figure that out, but whatever. Due to the holiday there was no lunch special and it was just regular dinner prices/selections. Surprised to see that it was only like $37/person. I had remembered it being pricey but I guess the rest of the world caught up and they didn't raise their prices. Good on them. Definitely recommend getting the gift cards at Costco if you're a member. Basically free money. read more

Thank you Janelle for a 5 star service. Our food came out quick, the drinks were out fast, her recommendation was perfect. I would definitely come back to eat here and ask specifically for her to be our server. Environment was perfect. Thank you. Destiny also was a great help. Thank you ladies for an awesome night. My girls enjoyed it much. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This Gen location blows Kamakana Ali'i out of the water! Portions are generous, the service is on point, and the food is top-notch. After giving the Ewa location multiple chances--and getting the same slow service, tiny portions (sometimes just 2 pieces of meat!), and being ignored--we swore we'd never go back. But the Ala Moana location completely restored our love for Gen BBQ. Heard Pearl Ridge is also really good--guess we should give this location a try next! read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Gen @ Ala Moana. Everytime we've been it's a 10/10 experience. First time here we were a bit apprehensive being we didn't really care for the one in Kapolei left feeling unsatisfied. However gave them a chance. From the beginning such a different experience. Host/hostess was welcoming & sat us pretty quick. Riley was our server quick, kind & attentive. Fast forward a few days later we go in for lunch & find out they have a deal Monday-Thursday like 21 bucks until 3 I believe(call & double check lol don't quote me ) we get to meet TJ!! Hella funny, attentive but not hovering , super friendly & put us on to some great choices. Went back 3 times because of him!! Definitely makes the experience enjoyable. Gen has a wide variety of cuts of meat you can cook & lots of already cooked items. The sides are great as well. My kids always get extra Kim chee Jordan was the manager we got the pleasure of meeting him on one of our family lunch dates. There was a little hiccup with the fire component & he was so quick to fix/resolve it. Definitely makes things go smoother in a restaurant when you have your manager/management touching tables, running orders, fixing problems & keeping the team morale up. Me & my Ohana know if TJ & Jordan are working we gonna enjoy our time out 10/10 recommend Gen @ Ala Moana Music Playlist also ALWAYS on Point!! read more

This place was recommended to me and when I first got here, I didn't even know how to order or place a drink, and Brad my server was so nice and patience and recommended a bunch of things on the menu and gave me options which was now less intimidating, and I started enjoying the experience of cooking my own food, which I have never done before usually when I go to like Korean barbecue places I always bring somebody with me and they always cook, but I came alone this time and it was beautiful. You're so patient so attentive always make sure my drink was refilled and my tables clear and any items that I would request for if he would bring it out immediately and just love this place I'm definitely gonna recommend it to a lot of people when they come down here to Honolulu. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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The sides were okay, I wish there were more of a variety given to us. The quality of meat was also decent. I wouldn't come back to this location though. The place was really smokey, I would've expected better ventilation. But the service was great and made up for the rest, they were great to our big party. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Excellent all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ! Lunch is $20 some and dinner is $30 some, with an option for a $20/person upcharge for some special items on a premium menu. If you can put away a lot of food like I can, the upcharge is definitely worth it. I enjoyed this as my last meal of 2024, and immediately followed by making all sorts of new year's resolutions to go to the gym and workout like a mad man. A few notes... the peach soju is delicious! Respectfully, the japchae is terrible (see what I did there). The stars of the show were both from the premium menu. The Premium Marinated Long Bone Short Rib Steak was delicious. It's a large, bone-in cut of beef, so it will take a while to cook. My absolute favorite was the Premium Marbling Center Cut Marinated Short Rib. This is thinly sliced beef, marinated to perfection, and is limited to two orders per person. Being in the mall, there is lots of free parking available. If you go here, be forewarned and expect to leave smelling like a whole Korean BBQ plate, especially if you are the designated chef of the table. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Kalbi and bulgogi - Korean Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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While I wouldn't call this a super authentic experience overall, the meat and flavors were tasty. There is a large selection available. I wish we would have taken advantage of the half orders to try more options. We didn't need the "premium" menu or flavors. The restaurant was pretty busy, we waited about 20 minutes for a table at about 1730. read more

Staff were friendly/hardworking & good service! But dang, the food was disappointing and the grill! The grill didn't get hot enough to cook the food, the staff tried fixing the grill but I guess that was the only temperature or something because it did nothing. Place was dirty, menus were sticky but we made the most of it and drank some alcohol to make up for it. I used to come here all the time! I don't get what happened... I felt bad because I spoke so highly of them to my friend before we came and then wow totally different experience. read more

Very good place to eat when you don't feel like eating in the food court and plus you spend the same amount of money going here then going to food court read more

First I want to make a disclaimer - I have visited S Korea six times and also have lots of Korean friends. It is very hard for a restauraunt to compare to food from the nation and also home cooked goodness on a smaller scale. With that being said my favorite part of my whole dining experience was the cocoa coconut cocktail I got. I'm still dreaming of it today lol. Wasn't too coconutty. The drink was creamy, sweet and pretty!!! The flavors were subtle and blended well together. Our grill caught on fire and the servers were quick to help us out and ensure everything was taken care of and set us up right away to keep enjoying our food :-). We ate a lot for the price - our favorite was the gochujang beef belly. It was very flavorful and moist. Melted in your mouth. 2/5 Jap chae - there was only bell peppers sprinkled on top. No other veggies, sesame seeds. Not very flavorful 1/5 soondubu soup - not good. Tasted tomato soup. Never have I tasted a tomato soup that was called Korean. 3/5 prime steak (dry) 5/5 Spicy pork 5/5 bulgogi 3/5 Marinated chicken The restaurant seemed clean, music wasn't glaringly loud, we were seated by a table that prolly had too much to drink and were talking loudly. They did keep us entertained with their colorful language and drama filled stories. Just gotta roll with the flow ya know ;-). Staff was friendly but service was very slow - twice we thought our order had been forgotten because it took that long and then we'd have to cook the food after it was brought. Prolly will try another spot if we want Korean BBQ. read more

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