Food is always amazing here; the Beef Bugolgi is my all time favorite! It's a great trendy vibe for any special occasion or casual meal. Service was a bit slow, but probably just because of how busy and popular this place is. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Went here on a Friday night. Do expect a wait, it's a popular place. They do have a waitlist that you can join, but you have to be within 15 miles of the establishment to join the waitlist. Staff was friendly and attentive. Food comes out fast. It's also a relatively loud place with loud music. My only negative is we had poor cell service and were not able to load the menu, as they provided a QR code at the entrance to scan. It took some time to finally get a paper menu and it wasn't the complete menu. Overall delicious food and would visit again. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Gen is always a good experience to take visitors too, or if you're feeling very hungry. The meats are pretty standard no matter what location you are at, so the service and experience is the only thing that differentiates locations. At Tempe marketplace, there is always a LONG wait, so make sure to get there early or join the wait list. Luckily, there are many other shops to peruse while waiting for your table, and you can even take drinks to go as you walk around. Our server was very attentive and quickly switched out our grills and put in our orders quickly. I've quickly learned to shower immediately after getting home and throwing your clothes in the wash as the smoke and meat smells from the atmosphere quickly find themselves trapped in the fabrics. read more

Pros: Location Fun atmosphere Decent menu selection Kind server Cons: RUDE hostess We've been here before and this experience was enough to not return. Chose this spot to celebrate with all our kids together, as a centralized location. Don't get me wrong, our server Michael B was awesome. Very friendly, quick service, and probably the main reason we didn't simply walk out. Our older daughters have been in food service and have worked as hostesses so food service always has a soft spot for us. But this hostess was beyond, even to the point of making the little kids uncomfortable with her frequent dirty looks and side-eyes, even after we were already seated. Our older girls are very familiar with all the eye-rolling things that patrons do, so they're always making sure the whole party is there, that we tidy up our area, tip generously, etc so I'm not sure what we did to upset this particular hostess, but we definitely won't be back. We'd rather have family drive the extra miles and meet at Jin or Manna in Mesa instead. read more

This place is ALWAYS hopping! Do yourself a favor and just put yourself on the wait list here on Yelp. It's a first come first serve wait list at the door so save yourself the aggravation. I don't know why they just don't take reservations but hey it is what it is. THE FOOD is plentiful, the servers could be a little more attentive but it's always busy so I get it. I'd also like the servers to be a little more knowledgeable about cooking the odder choices on the menu. My kids wanted the spicy octopus and as I'm not a guy who cooks a lot of octopi...I had to ask IS THIS EDIBLE YET? They had to ask around until a guy from the back came out and gave us some tips! It's a great family night out, makes your kids try new stuff just due to the novelty of cooking it ourselves. This is probably my favorite Korean BBQ in the east valley of Phoenix so give it a shot! read more

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If you like Korean bbq and who doesn't, this is the place for you! Great variety of meats and so many side dishes to choose from that you'd normally not try as this is AYCE. Price is very reasonable and service is always excellent too. read more

There's a great selection of food options! The service was prompt and our server kept checking back often so we could keep ordering more food. We ordered almost one of everything and it was all delicious. I recommend the Beef Bulgogi, KFC and Hawaiian Steak. It's definitely very loud here and they're always playing heavy club music which is fun but makes conversation difficult so just know that ahead of time. I came here with my parents and they couldn't really hear anything. One thing to note is that there's always a huge wait, so make sure you plan appropriately and join the waitlist. On weekends, the wait list can be several hours. read more

Worst service I've ever had. This was my second time here, the first time the service was okay but this time? TERRIBLE. The host asked upon me checking in what kind of table we wanted and after a 30 min wait still tried sitting us at the bar. Then we didn't see a server for 20 mins. Once he got there the poor kid was so overwhelmed. It wasn't his fault, he was over sat. We put in an initial order, never got it. Got a pitcher of drinks, no cups to drink said pitcher out of. No straws. My final straw was finding multiple hairs in my dipping sauce. After asking to speak with a manager (who clearly didn't care) I said "I'm just turned off completely and need to know what I need to do to get out of here" he said "you wanna go? That's fine, you guys can just go" I will never be back. Service was terrible, food is SUBPAR AT LEAST: read more

I understand it's all you can eat but the quality of the meat is a disgrace. If you want something resembling a Korean barbeque place this is not the place to go read more

LOVED! The ambiance is accompanied with great service and music. The food was sooo good I came for my first time and they had the premium menu with lots of new delicious things like the Al pastor and premium center cut short rib. Those two were def my favorite although it was a little pricey it's definitely worth it! read more

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Still one of the best spots. But since there's still Covid.. their rules kinda changed. You can only eat for 90 mins which we totally extended that. Can't seat a party with more than 10 people together and I was told the extra person will have to be seated one chair away from the party.. which is kinda lame coz I usually dine here with family so.. and I came here and celebrated my birthday (yesterday) and I had a party of 11 and we're seated on the high tables and instead of turning on another grill, we had to squish ourselves and use two grills.. See doesn't make any sense lol but whatever. I enjoyed my time and I love KBBQ! Just another thing I gotta say though is don't be so stingy on serving the sesame oil and salt (dipping sauces) coz I was like what is this a pinch? That's like the good stuff right there! read more

So as I'm writing this I am currently sitting in the restaurant and I am gravely disappointed. They are very clearly understaffed. The poor server has to serve out 26 people by herself. There are two managers on the floor who are not helping the clearly struggling server. Instead one is sitting at the bar on his phone and the other is walking around playing with his hair and touching this food. The manager who was touching his hair (Fabian Nieves) looked at me like I was burdening him with a simple request for extra kimchi. Our server was great she was very kind but she was clearly overworked which is very disappointing because the two managers should've been able to help. Me and my friend were there for over an hour but only had 1 course of meat before we decided to leave. And as we left i saw Fabian look at a 10 dollar tip and throw it to the side like it wasn't enough for his "hard work". The music was also very generic and the restaurant had a very odd smell to it. I can't believe I left a kbbq restaurant hungry I'm very disappointed. read more

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Always a good time here! The servers are polite and helpful. Great music and ambience lighting

First ever yelp review, and I wish I could say it was positive. I want to preface this with: we have both worked in the service industry and customer service all our lives, so complaining like this isn't my style. But I just couldn't let this slide. My fiancé and I dined in tonight and were severely disappointed. We were originally heading to a different kbbq restaurant, but hearing there was a 45 minute wait (my partner is diabetic and that wouldn't have worked for us, my bad for not making a reservation) , we decided to head to Gen since we were only 2 miles away. We normally go to the chandler boulevard location and have wonderful experiences every time. This location, however, was like a culture shock. we knew it was busy so we tried to take everything in stride. But when multiple little things add up , it's hard Actual review time: 1: our drinks came out after the first round of meat was brought to us, AND we had to ask. Our server also informed us that half the things we ordered, they were out of. No biggie, we'll just order other things we were going to order. He said he'd give us a list of what was 86'd but never did. 2: second round of ordering, more things didn't show up. Assumed they were out but was never told. 3: other tables meats were delivered to us, this happened 2 times. First time we told the waiter, he had attitude (the first two items were things we had previously ordered so we understand it could've been seen as we were just being difficult.) 4: we had ordered a steak on the second round of ordering, but never received scissors at the beginning of the meal, so we had to ask for those. 15 minutes after the steak was done cooking, to which our server responded "working on it." And gave me the dullest pair of scissors I've ever used (not his fault, just annoying) 5: the floor manager checked on both tables surrounding us, but never us, making me think the waiter warned him we were difficult, when in reality, we just wanted our things we had asked for, but wound up having to ask multiple times for. 6: the bathrooms were absolutely disgusting. It was upsetting that the quickest service we got was when our check was dropped off and picked up within 5 minutes. I don't know if our server was having a bad night(which I totally understand) or whatever, but if you're going to serve my food on chipped plates , not give me the proper tools to eat, not tell me when things are out or just plain forgetting things, please don't act annoyed or like my fiancé and I are the problem and slowly become more deadpan when we're just asking for what we ordered in the first place. I hate feeling like a burden, but tonight really made me feel like I was one of the pain in the butt customers I hate dealing with. I firmly believe tipping should be based on total of the check and not performance, but tonight, I had to forego that. And I hate that, because I also make tips at my job. Won't be returning to this location. I'll stick to the chandler blvd one. read more

Very annoying to want to give them business but when you try to get in the waitlist for a table for six, the Yelp waitlist page tells you to call the restaurant. Nobody helpful ever answers the phone as every time, whoever picks up directs you back to the waitlist. It's as if they don't understand that 1) you can't add more than 5 on the wait list and 2) instructions direct you to call the restaurant. We have been told to come into the restaurant to have our party of 6 added to the waitlist. Hmm, this defeats the advantage of getting on the waitlist as we live 30 minutes away. Though we have taken numerous groups there, we are finally giving up. Service is subpar, you are made to feel rushed, and it's hard to enjoy the meal. Pick an off time, but don't expect to be impressed. read more

I took my mom and her friends here to celebrate her late birthday dinner. Since they do not take reservations (and we didn't want to get stuck waiting hours for a table in the evening) our group agreed on an early 2:00 pm meetup. (Yeah, I know that's crazy early. But that also allowed the group enough time to eat and head over to the casino for some bingo; which turned out to be another funny adventure- but, I digress.) Let me tell you... trying to get a group of Filipinos to coordinate and actually ADHERE to a meetup time is pretty much impossible. It's like herding blind cattle. We came pretty close to losing our table, but the staff did an excellent job working with us. Anyways- everyone got there juuuust in time. I'm talking we had seconds left! But luckily, we were seated and able to get our KBBQ on. The food is what you would expect: your usual plates of sliced meats and veggies over a small grill and fire. Yum! They don't serve the traditional banchan sides like other KBBQ spots. You know... the little sides of tofu, kimchi, and other assorted treats that are usually spread across the table as shareables. But they do have a couple of other sides you can order (i.e., gyoza, glass noodles, etc.), but not too many. However, salads are provided! Regardless, we ordered A LOT. And everything was delicious and flavorful. Aside from that, the staff was super awesome!! From dealing with our "time-coordination fail"- to the exceptional service they provided... pretty much everything was ON POINT. My only wish is that our grill would've been switched out for a new one once; but by the time I noticed our grill was smoking, we were just about done anyways. So that wasn't that big a deal. Additionally, they get the servers to do a birthday shoutout- where they get the restaurant's attention, yell "happy birthday" and cheer, then play 50 Cent's "It's Your Birthday". Welp, apparently there were a lot of Virgos celebrating this day (at least 5 others), so we heard the Bday Shoutouts throughout our meal. By the time we were done eating and it was time for Mom's shoutout- we got the yell, the bday announcement... and only 3 seconds of Fif's song played. We weren't mad at all. We actually died laughing because we knew everyone was tired of the song. Even us. Haha. We all appreciated the effort and the belly laugh!!! In summary- it was a fantastic meal! The staff... the food... the atmosphere... and of course our group (like a Jo Koy comedy dinner special) brought everything together. Thank you, Gen KBBQ for a great time! read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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This was our second time in but has been over a year ago. We were seated right away and the service was great. Never felt like we were waiting around for a server or food. The food was pretty delicious. Definitely would come again. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

This was my first time trying out a Korean BBQ spot here in Arizona. We were a party of 2 and the wait time was 45 minutes, we accepted to be on the waitlist because we wanted to experience the infamous Korean BBQ experience. We went out to the local shops to explore to kill some time while awaiting the text message update. After about an hour, we came back to the hosting stand to get an update. We were told 5-10 more minutes so we went and sat at the bar. Another 15-20 minutes go by until we follow up with the hostess stand to see what the delay is. We were told another 5-10 minutes. We were finally sat after 1 hour and 45 minutes- according to the first text message we received after signing up for the waitlist. At this point we were starving. We were sat down and the staff gave us the run down on how it works since this was our first time. The servers were great, they ensured to check on us and gave us tips and tricks. The food was great along with the ambiance. It is all you can eat so come hungry! They do serve alcohol and the menu options are extensive. Other than the wait times, the experience was great. read more

We very much enjoyed our lunch at this place. Everything was good but they were out of all but two of the side dishes so we were short changed on the pickled vegetables and this was disappointing. The ventilation system is lacking fans so you leave smelling of smoke. Otherwise, we will likely return to see if we might get the full experience including all the sides. read more

I've been going here for years and it was really good. However, I went here today and the menu has changed. The lunch menu has certain items removed. The gen salad is no longer a spring mix, it has downgraded to cheaper greens and the sauce is not the same. Most of the meats I ordered all had the same flavoring. The pork bellies were chewy and of course we did get some cartilage in them. The meat quality has downgraded. The japchae tastes different and is not flavorful. The Hawaiian steak and teriyaki pork loin have the same flavor. I also had the short rib and it was extremely tough to eat and also same flavoring. They seem to be out of a couple items. I wouldn't recommend it as the quality of everything has changed. The only good thing I ate was the hotteok. read more

This was my first Korean BBQ experience, and I can't wait to come back!! My brother and I were given a recommendation by a local to come check out this place, and I couldn't have been more impressed. When we visited the week of Christmas, I expected to have to wait for a table, but as soon as we walked in, the host brought us right to a comfortable and spacious table. The atmosphere was so fun, with cool lighting and loud pump-up music. The atmosphere added so much to the experience, since I wasn't sure what I was getting into at first. I was so happy this was a AYCE experience, and for the price!! I can't even believe how good of a deal it was. There was also a BOGO drink deal which was a steal! I think it was around $9 for 2 huge (super cool juice pouch looking) drinks. We tried the mango and strawberry flavors! As for food, neither of us had ever done Korean BBQ before, and our server was great at explaining the process and giving recommendations. Our friend who recommended this place said we HAD to get #6: Gen Beef Bulgogi. It was by far the BEST option we tried. The sauce, the texture, everything!! We also tried: #1: Gen Premium Steak #8: Gen Signature Bulgogi #12: Spicy Chicken #17: Mushrooms & Vegetables (Yum 3 plates!) #27: Cajun Shrimp Make sure to order extra garlic, rice paper, the gen salad, edamame and any other sides you think you might want! I did think it was strange we only got one tongs and one scissors for the table... and no silverware. We did ask for silverware but they don't have knives and they brought a plastic fork. I just thought it was a little awkward to keep having to pass the same scissors around all night. I am overall soooo impressed. I left so satisfied, so happy, so full, and wanting to come back soon! Thanks for a great first Korean BBQ experience. read more

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I come here quite a bit and the service has always been pretty on point, but this most recent visit was shocking. We barely ever saw our waiter. So many items we ordered took so long to arrive. Even just having our grilled changed, we had to ask someone else entirely. I don't know what changed in the last few months, but the service had a noticeable drop in quality. Everything is so much slower and takes longer. No one from the staff was rude or nasty or anything, the delays were just so much. They also kept bringing us things we didn't order, while we were still waiting for the things we did. It took so long just to get a bowl of rice (we asked for two and they only brought one by the way). My friend didn't get his soda until at least half an hour. Our server didn't tell us that the sides of kimchi needed to be asked for, so we were kept waiting until i said something and even then it took some time for it to arrive. The food was still great, don't get me wrong, but the waiting was ridiculous. Might have to let some time pass before coming back again. Very disappointing. read more

The food is tasty Specially the premium steak really juicy I will really enjoyed it. I will recommend this Gen Korean BBQ House the server is very friendly nice great customer service!! read more

They were out of a lot of the menu items and the service is bad, lots of untrained staff.

Self cook, delicious food, fast service. I strongly suggest to make a reservation to guarantee your spot. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

This is my usual KBBQ spot in the valley. The most recent times I've been here, the servers have been attentive and bring things in a timely manner. In the past some servers forget things and it's hard to eat KBBQ without things like kimchi or more rice. Our server last night was AWESOME and very fast even for our table of 7 that had so many requests. I see that the menu changed a little bit since the last time I went, for sure I noticed they added Seoul fries and removed the iron skirt steak. It's okay because the iron skirt steak is similar to the chadol, but really the iron skirt steak was more high quality. The Seoul fries are very yummy! A great side dish option. My favorite dishes here are; premium steak, spicy pork bulgogi, chadol, galbi, beef bulgogi, japchae, gyoza, spicy rice cakes, and Seoul fries. Don't forget lots of extra kimchi and cucumbers! The cocktail drinks are buy one get one for 1cent! The piña colada one was amazing. Strawberry tasted like Fanta. Some differences for COVID-19 precautions: no menus are handed out and it must be scanned on your phone instead. Honestly the menus are so big and bulky and I hated having to fit them on my table before. But beware if you have T-mobile you'll get no service in here. You have to request the kimchi and other sides, which I love because it's less waste for people who don't like all of the sides. You also have to request seasoning and sauces, but I don't like how they come in plastic disposable containers because that's wasteful. I will always be back here! read more

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Me and my family have been going to Gen for many years and today was probably the worse experience I have had with them. They are usually very attentive and fast service. We waited about 45mins before any main course meat came out. There looked to be one server and about 5 tables full of guest. Waitress seemed newer, writing down orders instead of on the tablets. Overall the service was very different than what I am use to seeing. We ordered 2 rounds of appetizers before our drinks came out. The menu has definitely changed a lot, not sure if there is new management. But I'm very disappointed in everything today. It was not the Gen I remember read more

If you've not been to a Korean bbq they are a social experience where you cook your own food right at the table. I've tried this specific place a few times. The service is hit or miss. The food is good, because you cook it! If it's good service your food comes out pretty regularly and they change out the burnt grill in a timely manor. If it's a miss you can order something and it never comes. The items on the menu also seem to be "out" quite frequently. I'd suggest you ask before you get seated what's not in stock as they will start service without telling you. They also seem to randomly charge for dinner even at lunchtime. read more

So, we had a reservation for 10 @ 6pm... Apparently, I didn't fill out and return some paperwork to make the reservation official, so they canceled it without notice of any kind. My party showed up only to find out we had no place to eat. They then offered to put us on the 2+ hour long wait. I was embarrassed and generally pissed-off. Last time for this ridiculous place. read more

My husband and I came here for a date night. We really enjoyed ourselves and left leaving full and satisfied. I really liked how the staff all worked to get her to bring out food, drinks, and bus tables. We got to try most of the menu, some things we liked, some things we did not like. The one big thing I didn't like was that a lot of the plates were chipped and looked very bad. It's definitely time for the place to invest in new dish ware. read more

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The food is worth the cost ... on a side note brought my daughter here for her 18th birthday.... She ordered a Shirley Temple and they have her an alcoholic drink instead.... ‍‍‍ read more

The worst place, the server and manager, very disrespectful, spent money somewhere else, the worst GEN Kbbq, in LA Gen we're awesome, not this place, the management is suck, don't even spend money here, I'm warning you !! read more

The wait time is always long. There are plenty of other Korean bbq joints in the valley that provide excellent food and service. Food is okay read more

I love this place. They have good meat, not top tier but it's goood! If you come in the evening expect a wait but you can check in early on Yelp so join the waitlist so you do have to stand around for an hour. If you're a chadol lover order ahead and often to make sure you get your fill and not wait a long time in between orders. They play great music and the staff is friendly. I like to finish with the gyoza!tor a nice finishing crunch at the end. Caution: when it gets busy, the floors in and around the bathroom become very slippery. Pro Tips: - ask for a tin if you plan to order and cook garlic. It will stop it from falling through the grill. - order sesame oil and us a bit of that to add flavor and to cook the Vegetables you'll order. They will sauté more quickly. -cook the jalapeño with the veggie to stop them from falling through. - if it's your birthday tell them! Pull get a nice birthday song. - place your meat order then ask for Japchae the glass noodles. They will bring it out without it counting towards your main meat orders. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Just getting started ! - Korean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

So good!!! Went there back in June and we thoroughly enjoyed the food as well as the swift service! Super clean and nicely appointed. I'm gluten free so we cooked the plain meats first and then the kids went to town with their marinated meats. I was safe and enjoyed the meal as well as had no reaction! Looking forward to the next visit there read more

Service was terrible. 30 minutes and Steven couldn't get out table our drink order of waters. Food quality was poor. The rice was dry. Will not be returning. read more

We walked by this place a few weeks ago on a Friday and it was a 3 hour wait so we decided to go on a week day to avoid the waitlist. Luckily you can join on yelp and see your place in line which I highly recommend doing. The food was great, the experience is fun, and it's all you can eat for 90 minutes. You can order any 4 items at a time plus any sides. Only additional cost is alcohol. Reason 1. for the 3 review is that there was no instruction on how long to cook anything! We were nervous we would undercook chicken or overcook shrimp. When we asked the server he said "I don't know, you have to eyeball it" Reason 2. The restaurant itself was dirty. Bathrooms were gross and the booth we were at was ripped, wearing shorts it was so uncomfortable I had to put napkins down. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Sake and Sapporo - Korean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I'm kind of disappointed with the visit today. I love korean bbq, but today was probably a reason Gen isn't the spot. I get the COVID precaution. Their precautions were done & It was appreciated. They check your temperature and require masks upon entry. Which is amazing! They didn't handout menus, so they had QR code's with the menu. The table was empty for four people, you had to request everything from sides, to seasonings, and the tongs. Which was understandable. But the server had an attitude from the beginning, and the server got annoyed with us asking for a set of tongs, asking how to order sides, and for straws. He didn't turn on the grill even after the meat arrived. The fact when we asked for anything from someone else you'd get a quick response that "I have to clean it" + eye roll. Another server took over and he was amazing. Right on top of refills and meat. He did a grill change with raw meat on the grill as it was cooking. So there was a mix of raw meat & cooked meat. read more

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Balled out and ate from the premium menu for an additional $20. Staff were very friendly and informative which I appreciate very much. My grill top was frequently changed too, for a clean cooking surface. My only gripe was the non-deveined shrimp! read more

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What Kind of a restaurant makes you cook your own food?? Only the very best kind!! I put my name in on the wait list from their website , around 7:30 and since it was a long drive from our hotel ,we decided to just hang around in the area and wait . There is a lot to do in the vicinity of this restaurant but unfortunately most of the stores and bars had already closed by that time . Finally around 9:30 we were seated and our server told us that they close at 10 so we wont be able to order at our pace but would have to put in everything at once. I felt that was a little unfair but it is what it is . We ordered a bunch of things and starters that he recommended and proceeded to cook and eat simultaneously but that's not an easy task when you have just two people and limited time , due to this I felt my experience was a little less fun . Our server also recommended soju drinks that come in bags instead of glasses and glow. The best part was that they tasted as good as they looked. Food was excellent, sides were amazing but the part where we had to rush though the whole thing was not that great . Service was excellent to say the least, very attentive and really fast. Pricing is also fair considering I have been to some Korean BBQ places where they charge you a bomb. Come Hungry!! This is not a place where you half a** your eating efforts, also come wearing your stretchy pair of pants because the buttons are coming off by the end of the meal . LoL read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona