I had a great experience at Gen today. Usually when I come I don't expect much from the service but our server Brayden really went above and beyond. He was very attentive and my water cup was never dry. Previously when i came my water cup was dryer than the Sahara but with brayden that was not the case. The meats came out fast and brayden got my 10 crazy sauces, 10 potatoes, and 7 cucumber kimchis faster than i could say gen korean bbq! He is the epitome of a great server and really turned my view on gens around. This other staff member, I believe his name was Jerald or Jeremy or Jerome or something, he was awesome as well and brought me a fork. 10/10 experience at gens today and i'll definitely be coming back to try the premium menu as mentioned by brayden. Gen needs to make sure all of their servers are trained as properly and as well as Brayden. He was the GOAT! read more

Our server, Nicole, was busy when we first came in but she made us feel taken care of 100%. She was taking care of a big party as well as our table and others. She always apologized for the wait when coming back to the table when it hadn't even been a long wait. Nicole was very kind when I had brought up a question about the check as well! She is great at her job. The staff seemed to work together quite well and the food was very good too. Highly suggest this location and the honey soy beef belly! Will be back :) read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - I made an onion volcano - Korean Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

See all

Our server Michael was very attentive to our table and checked on us regularly! He was very friendly and communicated with us throughout our whole dinner! read more

Food is always good and has lots of options. Service was great- Nicole Aulani was our server; she was one of the best servers we've had in our several past visits. Usually we have to remind our server(s) about forgotten food or flag someone down to order but Nicole was constantly checking in on us, didn't have to wait too long for anything and refilled our drinks without a wait. (thanks Nicole!) The only negative to our visit (which doesn't affect the 5 star rating) is that the vent was dripping oil in the booth section we were sitting in. My husband got grease drips land on him about four times during our meal. We did notify Nicole (our server) and said she would let her manager know. Otherwise this place is definitely a frequent go to! read more

Pretty disappointed by this location of gen. I have gone to a couple in California and the quality of meat is significantly different here. We mainly got brisket and pork belly because I prefer non marinated meats but the meat was a mushy texture when cooked. The rice paper was also clearly mushy and over steamed. They were also out of a lot of things that we ordered and it was only 7:00. In terms of service normally things like banchan and sauces are already on the table but we didn't get ours until our meat was cooked and our server was reminded. I could tell she was slammed so it wasn't too big of a deal but in general it seemed we were forgotten since our table was near the door. read more

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

See all

I'm disappointed with our recent experience at Gen Korean BBQ. Our waitress, Nicole, was unfriendly throughout the meal. She was very short with us when speaking and we didn't feel cared for. The bigger issue came when we received our bill. We were charged the dinner price at 12:00 PM on a Friday. We weren't aware of this pricing policy, so we politely asked about it. After the explanation, we accepted it and went to the front to pay. While paying, I mentioned that the menu combines both lunch and dinner options and does not clearly indicate which pricing applies. I suggested that either the host stand or the server should inform guests when they are seated so there is no confusion. Another employee standing nearby nodded and agreed with my comment. However, Nicole repeatedly insisted, "The front told you when you walked in." We explained that we had not been informed and were simply seated. Rather than addressing our concern, she abruptly responded with, "Have a good day, thank you." At that point, we asked to speak with a manager because the interaction felt dismissive and unprofessional. Throughout the entire conversation, we remained calm, respectful, and polite, yet we were met with rudeness and a lack of customer service. I understand misunderstandings happen, but the way this situation was handled left a very negative impression. Better communication regarding pricing and more professional customer service would have made a significant difference. read more

Been here several times with friends. Always good service and this past time our waitress was awesome!

Gen Korean BBQ House has multiple locations across the island. I particularly enjoy the Kapolei location which is located at Ka Makana Alii Mall, facing the Foodland side. I like this location because the wait times seem to be quicker, which I think is due to the speedy service. Every time that I've dined at this location, the waiter/waitresses are very attentive. Sometimes they can be hard to find when they are busy, but that is expected. We came on a Wednesday night as a party of 5. We had to wait about 15-20 minutes to be seated. The waitress took our order as soon as we were seated. Because who doesn't already know what theyre first order is when they go to a Korean BBQ place?! Haha. The side dishes were brought out to us, along with the waters. Soon enough, the raw meat was being brought out for us to cook with. They were attentive on how burnt the grill was getting and were doing a good job of changing it out for us when it was convenient. You can never go wrong with an "all you can eat" place when you are hungry. Since this Gen is at a mall, parking is ample. But can get quite busy if you go during a peak mall time. But the parking lots are gigantic so you are bound to find some spot! If you're in the Kapolei area and craving korean bbq, this is a worthy place to swing by. read more

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

See all

We had a highly uncomfortable experience here due to our server, Nicole. Her attitude was dismissive from the start. Our first meat order took nearly 15 minutes to arrive, and our appetizers never showed up. When we politely followed up twice for the appetizer. Because of the 4-item ordering limit and the fact that we were a table of adults, the meat was not enough. And the next order of meat takes a couple of minutes again before it gets to your table. The third time, she said okay, turned abruptly, and gave me an intensely hostile glare that made me feel completely uncomfortable. We had to call the manager, to changed our server. The manager, immediately brought out our missing food also. Courtesy and respect goes both ways, but it was entirely missing from Nicole. She needs immediate retraining. This indifferent demeanor gives the clear impression that she is unconcerned with the risk of disciplinary action. While we understand restaurants get busy and order limits exist, there is no excuse for a server to treat paying guests with open hostility. read more

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

Menu now is a lot smaller. Sill ok. Service was good but every time we come at 10am no staff opens the door or let anyone know they're ready and open. Patrons just walk in guessing. Restaurant is showing its age. read more

We did a yelp waitlist and when we got there they took us right away. This was our second time here. Staff is super friendly and helpful on the choices. All recommendations that Vincent told us we took it. Well train customers service. I would stay family and couples read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - My kids cooking their food! Best for parents lol letting our kids cook there own food - Korean Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

One of my favorite place to come. Lots of parking n place is clean . The workers are great . Our waitress is awesome n amazing. Great customer service n very polite and friendly I don't eat more than 1 bowl rice n I won't get full fast. I pound 2-3 bowls salad always. Just meats most of the time or always . Everything here is good n flavorful. We tried JJan soju, lychee n watermelon. Taste like candy n want more Bathroom are clean. This place is always clean . WE WILL BE BACK AGAIN & AGAIN read more

See all

I wanted to give this place one star because of my experience as soon as I stepped into the restaurant. The saving grace was when our server greeted us and saved the night. I came in around 7:30 and asked how long the wait will be for 6 people. The host blankly stared at me then stared at her screen and said I guess we can seat you now then? But told me they have to get a table ready for me? I told them I was still waiting for my party who was finding parking so it was no rush I didn't mind waiting and with an attitude said no let me bus and wipe your table for you. She ran off and my party arrived and we sat at our table. We had a long table that could fit 8 people but there were only 6 of us so they wiped only enough for 6 people while the end of the table had food, sauce and trash all over the table! And the "wiped" portion was soaking wet and sticky. That's when our server greeted us and was disappointed by how the host left the table. He cleaned the end of the table and took care of us the rest of the night. He was great and saved our experience. We have also been served by him multiple times and can say he's definitely who we prefer when we dine in. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - You can see my mom wiping food off the table - Korean Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

I am in complete disbelief of this establishment. I usually go to the Pearlridge and Ala Moana location, which are of higher standards but I was at Ka Makana so I tried out their Gens there. My server Kainalu was horrible. He checked on every table he had numerous times and did not check up on mine. He never changed the grill when it was black and burnt. It seemed like he was not putting in any of the orders by the way they were coming out super late and I had to keep asking him to double check on my food. He did not keep up with refilling my water leaving me parched while I was eating. Not to mention, I ordered something and he came out with a different order. I was puzzled. I am very furious and this seems like some nefarious dream because I am in utter disbelief. read more

Nichole is the best server that I've experienced in my 30 years of life. With Nichole there I felt like I was actually in Korea eating at a bbq place. If she isn't the fucking manager of the gen in kapolei then yall should fire the current manager and make her the manager. Nichole was not fucking around with her service today. I asked for 4 different items and she just made them magically appear in seconds, she also delivered a baby from a women at the booth next to mine. Keep up the good work Nichole :) - BIG DAWG read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - All the protein from gens in my arm - Korean Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

This is the worst Gen KBBQ I been to. Bad customer service. They don't come change the grill for you until is dark black and smoking. Then 30 min into eating they say they ran out of the grill to change but yet they keeps on taking ppl in and give them the grill. My kids was not even full from eating. This lace was a disappointment I will never come back read more

We enjoyed our experience at Gen Korean barbecue. It's never a bad time when you are anticipating an all you can eat Korean barbecue experience. The star of the show for me was the Korean pancake. I did a rookie mistake and drank too much water and ate too much rice that seconds was impossible for me. We did order everything under the sun on the first round so I would say we got a plenty amount of things to try! You can never go wrong with ordering the steak, Kalbi, bulgogi, and pork belly. I also ordered quite a few appetizers so that the wait time for the food to cook wouldn't be too long. I enjoyed the Korean fried chicken. The katsu was ok. The Korean pancake.... I ate four... I tried the two soups and didn't have much of an appetite for them. My favorite banchan is always going to be the cucumber one. Dinner option for two was about $71 before tip. The only discomfort I felt was that we were seated next to a party without separation or without being asked if it was okay to share a long table with other people. Other than that, it was an enjoyable experience all around and our server was very attentive. read more

See all

We love enjoying a gen visit when family visit. Otherwise, AYCE is not worth it for hubs and me. We often can't even finish a single meal between the 2 of us. So the only way an AYCE visit is with family to balance us out. Home delivery (3rd party services) is hit or miss. Serving sizes are inconsistent. Quality of the meat is also inconsistent. When it comes to actual restaurant AYCE visits, it's consistently fresh, delicious, and of course generous servings. Plus all the sides AYCE! Service is very attentive; not only at refilling drinks and resupplying protein but also swapping out the grill plates as needed. Always an enjoyable visit! read more

See all

I liked it here when I came in the past but tonight really has me sitting in the fence. They seemed to be very short handed. It was a wait before our waitress took our orders, then a wait for the food to come out, we had to ask for sauce twice, some of us waited for the sauce so was eating cold food. They did leave us to stay longer than 90 min though since our last order never came out. I'm not gonna be mad that they were short handed. I'd definitely give them another chance. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Our table after 2 rounds of orders. - Korean Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

We've been here multiple times and I just haven't gotten to writing a review but recently our service has been theee best! We usually like coming on the weekdays as it is less chaotic and busy lol our service the last 2 times was Dee and she was on top of it! lol always came to check on us and made sure we left with full bellies lol We don't ever go to any other location because this location is the best lol read more

Been craving bbq so went on a solo lunch today. It's lunch time during weekday so not too crowded. i got seated immediately and my server Liz was very attentive. 5 star aervice for sure. Ordered the short rib, bulgogi, and some veg, meats are well seasoned but portion is a little small, it make up points by being AYCE, so order multiple. i also recommend the tofu soup, not too spicy but still have a kick to it. overall was a great lunch for only $22.95. read more

This is one of my favorite ayce restaurant in Kapolei. Its conveniently located in Ka Makana Ali'i Mall. I usually dine in during lunch on a weekday for $22.95 which is a great price! From 3pm-close weekdays, weekends and holidays the price is $35.95. The place is a decent size and I love their music playlist. The service is always friendly. However, it's a hit or miss when it comes to receiving the food/drinks in a timely manner. I think its because they're short staffed and their are new hires in training. My favorite appetizers are the kimchi fried rice, and deep fried mandu. For the meats, I usually order the steak, garlic pork belly, pork cheek, beef belly, kalbi and their crazy sauce is bombbb!! For dessert its must for me to order the Korean pancake sooo yummy! read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Menu - Korean Near Me - Kapolei, Hawaii

See all

Medicore food. Pros Japae was awesome Steak was good Other meats were okay Service was good Plenty of parking Plenty of choices Cons Rice was hard Sauce was okay Soda was horrible I couldn't drink it Extra $20 for premium menu Overall, wouldn't return only if someone treated me. read more

This review is for Ariah specifically. I have five stars because Ariah has gone above and beyond to ensure our experience got salvaged. She was so kind and so understanding. We waited almost ten minutes just to be greeted (I have the photo receipts). We also were doing the "all you can eat" but only got two rounds of food orders in by the one hour mark... We were disappointed, to say the least. When Ariah, the manager came to help us, she was so understanding. She was also very apologetic and helped us IMMENSELY. The ambiance was solely based on the environment Ariah created for us. We went from upset and confused to understanding and willing to wait (patient). Overall, the management had been holding this place up. Ariah specifically. read more

Was so disappointed coming here and paying $117 for two. The server offered us the premium meat which is $20 more on top of the regular ayce price. We were already super hungry prior to coming here. So we started ordering what we want from the menu. The initial service was good. Then the service started going downhill. We ask for more banchan and it came like 15mins later. The. We ask for ramen it didn't come at all, and when we ask for it toward the end they said didn't have all the ingredients so we can't have the ramen. Next we ask for the special drink, 10mins later the server came back and said that again it's missing one of the key ingredients The. We ordered calamari, they said they ran out, like what????!!!!!. So my friend asked for another fountain drink and we had to keep asking for every 10mins that our server comes to us !!!!!!. So I finally ask for the manager, because I feel like what we are paying for is not what the service we are getting . So Emily the general manager comes back and I mentioned to her all that is going on. She said I'm really sorry, I'll get the drink of of your tab. And I will give you my number so you can text me when you do come back next time and I will take care of you. Sounds like something that would make up for the bad service right?! Well guess what none of that that Emily said happen!!! Thanks Emily! Love the title, but you need to live up to the title . Overall experience 1 star from the food m, to the server and to the General manager. read more

Went here for dinner with the fam. Floors were definitely slippery and dirty. Our waiter seemed a bit stressed and that was probably because she had a lot to tables. She came to check on us and when we need something like napkins and ordering other items, she'd forget, which was a bit frustrating. While eating the fire alarm light was going off (no sounds, just blinking light). I noticed other people around were leaving and here we are still sitting and eating, the others on our side had no clue they were evacuating EVERYONE, nothing was said till we asked what's going on. After it was clear to go back in, we try to continue to eat and not even 15 min later another evaluation. No apology, no discount, no nothing. The manager that night was saying can't give anyone any discount because the money they lost due to people being evacuated and leaving without paying. The oil on the vent was dripping on our grill, the waiter said so sorry she'll take care of it when she took my card. She didn't give me my card back, another person did and it was with just a receipt with the total. I walked to the front asking for an itemized receipt so that way I know what I'm paying for. No discount due to the drippings either. An apology would be fine if they said sorry for all the interruptions. This place doesn't have good ventilation and they are definitely understaffed. read more

The food was amazing! The honey soy pork belly was so good! Had 3 of us and we usually can put some food away, but we was halfway in to cooking our ONE order and we was already tapping out!!!! Liz was so good to us, she kept checking on us and refilled our drinks and sides right away, not that we was pushy--we was enjoying our food, but sis was on it. She is the sweetest!!! Was super busy too, 4:30pm on a Monday afternoon...but she was on it! Thank you, Liz!!!! read more

Went to Gen to celebrate a couple birthdays tonight and our party of 4 was seated right away. Nicole was our waitress and she was very attentive, speedy, and sweet. I never felt like I was waiting to grab her attention. She swapped our grills timely & our drinks were always filled. I was excited to see they have boba now! I got the brown sugar milk tea and it was very good!! Our food came out quickly and the quality was great. read more

Not bad. Pretty average across the board. The staff is friendly. The steak we got was a good cut. Not sure if it's worth the price.

No wait time at 5:30 on a Friday but packed up line out the door after that. Prompt service on first drinks waters etc. no explanation on ordering or use of bbq at all. GF options very limited basically had to upgrade to premium to get my niece meats that weren't previously marinated in wheat products she can't have. Salad could not be eaten even due to dressing containing wheat. Due to no explanation even though being asked if it was our first time calamari steak was brought out and started popping sizzling everywhere tried moving it and it fell in the fire under the bbq plate. Had to basically stop a server to get help with a piece of meat in fire at a table with a three year old. Food at the price offered especially at an upgrade was lacking. Appreciated the straight up garlic herb upgrade sauce. The sauce and salt amount given for regular use is an insult to say the least not even a half inch of each how do you dip that. Get salad dressing on the side then add the garlic to it use it on everything read more

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

See all

Food is ok, but customer service is lacking. The employees have bad attitudes and look miserable. Management should retrain them and get more training themselves. read more

Listen, I'm not a KBBQ frequenter, and I actually kind of like it, but this spot kind of disappointed, mainly in the service department. We did go later in the evening at about 9/930pm, but they were out of a few of their limited sides. To that as well, we ordered those sides, and they just didn't come, and when asked, they just plainly said "oh yeah, we're out". Kind of rough paying full prices that includes sides, but the few and only sides we wanted were unavailable. We also had to ask for drinks a few times, etc... The cuts of meat were good and the space is large and smoke was pretty well ventilated. The only side I tried was the fried mantoo, which were fine. Overall, solid, but service left something to be desired. read more

We come here a lot and the food is always great, but our server Brayden made it that much better! He was so attentive and just made the whole experience amazing. I 100% recommend coming to this location and if you do, you should definitely request Brayden. You won't regret it. read more

I believe the waiters name was Brayden on point service.. we had a party of 10 and he was on it keep up the good work

If you haven't tried Gen yet, I'm not sure what the hold up is. I'd have to say that they've established themselves as one of the better KBBQ places around. A chain that you can find on the mainland as well, whenever you walk in there you count on the same experience. The ambiance is somehow upscale. With the steel accents, blue ambient lighting and modern music. It's almost like an ultra lounge that allows you to engorge yourself with some of the best of barbecue choices. As far as the Kapolei location specifically, the service there is normally pretty good. Do know that we normally go during the early hours for the lunch special (which is $19.99 and well worth it!), so I can't really speak much to the evening staff. But we've come across some great servers. I feel horrible because I can't remember their names off hand, but two in particular were female servers with traditionally male names. But they were great! This last time, we had Jaycie and save for the fact that she completely forgot our cheese Katsu order, she was quite great as well. Always present, very accommodating and very quick with the dishes. You don't understand how important that last one is until you've cooked and ate through your last order and you wait for another 5 minutes before your next dish gets there. To make the most of your Gen experience, do your best to avoid those types of lulls. And I will say that for the most part, the staff tries to help you avoid those moments as well. But all in all, especially for the lunch special, Gen is well worth the money. They meats are a good quality, amazing selection and the service is what I would say is: hit, hit, hit, miss. I can take those odds! So again, if you haven't already dined there, this your advisory to get up out from under your rock and live a little. Better I tell you now than someone you know later. You're welcome read more

I have been to the other Gen locations but had a good experience here compared to other locations. The staff were friendly, helpful, and communicated well. The Saturday night was busy and filled with customers. We got our meats quickly and our server gave us heads up and communicated well if certain items would be taking longer than others and if we still wanted to continue with ordering it. Meats were tender (brisket, pork belly, steak) and I enjoy the cheese chicken katsu, which came out hot and crispy! Come here if craving ayce yakiniku. read more

Brennen and Dominic made sure we were well taken cared of from when we were seated. Food and drinks came out right away. We needed to be moved because of a water drip and with no hesitation we were moved. Appreciate the servi read more

See all

Char was amazing very attentive and kind! Thank you for being so sweet and taking care of our family!

Good spot but be ready for a wait time as they are always busy! There was a lot of space open for seating but we still had to wait

Honestly amazing food over here, but the service is bad for dinner time. They give you VERY false estimated wait times, and when you get seated, you don't even get your food for quite awhile. If you come for dinner time, you get maybe 2-3 orders (if you're lucky) out of them and they don't come back. In addition, they rarely even refill your water, take your plates, etc. Better to go during lunch as it is cheaper and has way better service. Unsure whether this is an understaffed thing or something else. read more