BEST DINNER EVER!! and i put that on my MOM! Andrew was our server tonight(quick, nice, helpful, etc.) and let me tell you... not only does having good food make an exceptional meal BUT having great service and a friendly face to make you feel welcomed and taken care of is really what makes the experience. Would 100% come back ask for andrew when coming in:) read more

We had a fantastic dining experience at GEN Korean BBQ in Tustin, and a huge part of that was because of our server, Romeo. From the moment we were seated, Romeo was attentive, friendly, and on top of everything. His attention to detail really stood out. He consistently checked on us, made sure we had everything we needed, and kept the entire experience running smoothly without ever being intrusive. What impressed us most was his great attitude and genuine commitment to providing excellent service. He made our dinner feel effortless and enjoyable, and his service truly made the difference between a good meal and a flawless dining experience. We were extremely pleased and impressed with Romeo's service. GEN Korean BBQ is lucky to have someone like him representing the restaurant. We will definitely be coming back, and we hope Romeo is there next time! Thank you, Romeo, for making our dinner such a great experience! read more

Unfortunately, our experience started off on the wrong foot. The hostess came across as rude and unwelcoming. She never smiled or greeted us warmly, and as the first person guests interact with, I think it's important to make people feel welcome. We were visiting the area after an event and aren't locals. After waiting about 40 minutes, we were seated at a shared table with another couple who spent most of the meal complaining about how close we were sitting. I understood their frustration, but there wasn't much we could do since that's where we were seated. We ordered a couple of appetizers, but only one ever made it to the table. By the time we realized it, our meat had already arrived, so we didn't bother asking about the missing dish. On a positive note, our server, Olivia, was friendly, checked on us several times, and provided good service throughout the meal. Overall, the food was just okay and didn't really stand out. One thing I also noticed was that the floors were very slippery, which could be a safety concern. While the service from our waitress helped, the overall experience wasn't enough to make me want to return. I think I'll be taking a break from Korean BBQ for a while. read more

I finally gave Gen Korean BBQ a try after seeing over 7,000 Yelp reviews and a solid 4-star rating, and unfortunately I left wondering if we visited the same restaurant. The experience started off on the wrong foot. Our booth wobbled every time I shifted in my seat, and the tabletop still had greasy residue from the previous guests. That's not a great first impression. The banchan was probably the biggest disappointment. It felt like very little thought or effort went into it--just a handful of basic sides that lacked the freshness and variety I've come to expect from Korean BBQ. It honestly felt more like an obligation than something the restaurant took pride in. We usually order brisket at every AYCE KBBQ restaurant we visit, so I ordered three servings here. To my surprise, each plate was enormous. Most all-you-can-eat places serve smaller portions so guests can sample different meats without creating unnecessary food waste. Serving such oversized portions right away seemed counterproductive. Throughout dinner the staff repeatedly celebrated birthdays by banging metal plates together. I know some people enjoy that kind of atmosphere, but I personally found it loud, distracting, and a bit tacky when you're just trying to enjoy a meal and conversation. Overall, this restaurant felt like it prioritized serving large quantities of food over attention to quality, cleanliness, and the dining experience. If you're simply looking to eat a lot of meat, you may enjoy it. If you're looking for the kind of Korean BBQ experience where the banchan, service, and overall execution are just as important as the meat, this wasn't it. Personally, I'll gladly drive a little farther for Moran Gak next time. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

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I really enjoyed the Bulgogi, the Garlic Pork belly, the short ribs (this one literally melts in your mouth) . The KFC is my favorite but I forgot to order it today. The beef belly was kind of dry not going to lie. I wish they would leave a bottle of brisket available to the table. Love the potato salad side as well as the cucumbers. Service was excellent. The waiters were attentive and worked together nicely to change our grills and to get us what we needed. It's a very dark environment and your eyes will need to adjust to the outside haha just a heads up. If you're easily overstimulated consider wearing earplugs just because it can get loud or ask to be seated outside. Ooo I tried the pancake dessert and I must say that was a 10/10 :D Floors are slippery :( Beware If you want to save $$$ aim to come for lunch. Honorable mention: The women's bathroom has a baby changing station which is awesome news as some places don't read more

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It was a birthday occasion so we ordered the premium tier. Gen doesn't serve the highest quality of meat but is a reliable ayce Korean bbq Restaurant. The banchans make up for it! read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Premium meats - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

2 hours eating limit. Felt unwelcome and rushed during weekday lunch. Slippery floor. Staff did not welcome our party of 5 upon arriving but sounded a little irritated because 6th person was not there. She asked how many people in the party and started explaining all the rules. It didn't feel welcoming. No smiles just straight up rules and here's your table. She said "oh you'd be surprised how many people stay past 2 hours". Well, I don't care for others, I'm not others. We have 6 people but was told only 1 grill. If you ever eat Korean BBQ - 1 grill is best for 4 people or less because of the space. First grill was turned on almost immediately but the second grill didn't get turn on until 30-40 minutes later after a male waiter noticed that the 5th and 6th person was just sitting there in front of an empty grill while everyone else eat. It was just awkward. Only one order of each meats at a time. So if you want 3 orders of short ribs , you would have to order, wait a long time for waiters to bring it out, grill, eat and then order again and repeat. Yes your two hours clock is still ticking while waiting and waiting for your food and waiters. Staff rushed to take our order and take long time to bring out food especially side dishes. I didn't even finish ordering and they had to rush off so I felt rushed ordering. Lost my appetite honestly. It is hard to enjoy any food because it felt unwelcome and rushed and the waiting for food to come out. Staff running around and never made eye contact unless you call for them. The girls like house steak, bulgogi, fried shrimps, kimchi fried rices. All the side dishes are similar to other places- nothing stand out. I personally like the short ribs but here it was not tender or well marinated. For $28 lunch (tips included)- I won't be coming back after such terrible services and meats are not any better than other nearby Korean BBQ places. Be careful- their floor is slippery. read more

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First time to a Gen BBQ. I'm Korean, and while the meat was fine,some of the other sides & appetizers are definitely not authentic Korean food. For instance, the hottteok is basically a beignet. The doenjang soup wasn't good & was too thick. If you're looking for authentic Korean BBQ and experience, don't go to Gen. Many issues with this restaurant, specifically the service/attitude of the staff that night. There was a hair in one of the appetizers I asked for, and it was never replaced with a new one. Our waiter forgot to bring a drink, never came back to confirm if something wasn't on the menu, and we were later charged us for a drink that wasn't even in stock. This same waiter disappeared for 15 min so we had to flag down other waiters & waitresses for service. Seemed like the staff were harried and ignoring us at certain times. They didn't change our grill after a long time. They'd forget to bring necessary utensils for soups we ordered. The final straw was when trying to check out, some of the employees were blocking and goofing around in the hallway and accidentally stepped back onto on one of our friend's feet (he was wearing sandals), so the grease/grime from the employee's shoes got all over his feet. The manager apologized and ultimately gave us a discount. The environment felt very disorganized & unprofessional. Nobody in our group that night wanted to go back or had a pleasant experience. Just because the staff are feeling rushed and stressed doesn't mean you should make the customers feel stressed too. Will not be returning due to poor customer service and treatment. read more

Our server, Riley, was fantastic today. He was incredibly attentive, making sure we had everything we needed. Even when we had to ask for things multiple times, he remained patient and pleasant. We appreciated his kindness and dedication to providing excellent service. But it was hot today. They left the doors open so that was good. Food tasted yummy ambiance is good for day time eating read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Beef belly - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

had a fantastic experience at this location a few days ago! the food was delicious personal fav is the galbi and bulgogi fries everything came out fresh and flavorful what really made our visit stand out was our server ozzy He was friendly and made sure we had everything we needed throughout the meal. His great service and positive attitude made the whole experience even better. We'll definitely be coming back and highly recommend asking for ozzy read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Yangyeom Galbi 1lb - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

The worst sevice and place to go, rude management, dirty place, the whole floor is slippery because of too much fat, other than terrible service your physical health is in danger of falling and they will accuse you not paying attention, the whole place is slippery the whole time. Any order you make takes forever or forgetten, if you're a big party don't go to this place at all read more

A solid choice that's not anything premium amongst the AYCE KBBQ greats of LA but at under 30 bucks, it usually delivers. If you're tryna pig out after a big workout or run and wanna just get six or seven.. orders brisket or bulgogi then cant go wrong with gen. if you think you're down for ayce lunch then its not a bad deal either. the wait is LONGGGG almost every day for dinner and if its the weekend just be prepared to wait like 2 hours lol. service is usually top notch especially considering how busy they get so servers always coming around and making sure you got everything you need. Food: 7/10 Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Value: 7/10 read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

It was okay. I've gone to many KBBQ places and Gens used to be at the top of my list, but the food at this location just seemed too sweet. I went around 1pm so it wasn't crazy busy, they were attentive, but you could tell the workers were understaffed. I was in the room without fans and my seat, along with the one next to me, had sauce splattered all over. Wish I could get my money back. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Japchae, rice bowl - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

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Dined 9/2, Andrew was our Waiter. Made sure we were taken care of, food came out hastily. Good service.

Came in on a Friday early afternoon and online shows they have lunch menu and prices but when we got here, they said they only have dinner prices. We decided to still stay and do the dinner prices since we were already there. Our server was KYLE R, We ordered our sides & proteins. Our proteins came out consistently fast, however or sides didn't come out until midway thru & towards the very end. I kept having to ask for the tofu soup & I asked for it 3 times and when we were getting up to leave the 3 soups finally came out. We were told they were out of white rice and soup so we had to wait more time. I think the timing of everything was off. We asked for lemons 4 times. Spoke to the MOD and she said she would check with the kitchen. Lastly the floors here are extremely slippery here. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - No soy sauce... this is what we got instead - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

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Food quality is amazing, they have the best kimchi out of every Korean barbecue I've been to. I will say that they are the most reliable and the safest bet as these restaurants tend to vary in their meat and side selection. I HIGHLY recommend you try the honey soy beef belly! I've been served by Romeo who was very helpful in recommending drinks and specialty meats; and most recently I was taken care of by Francisco. Francisco's service was so perfect, I felt compelled to leave a review. He anticipated our needs and met them quickly and accurately. I was blown away by his service. I have been a loyal customer for a few years now and Francisco's exceptional customer service warranted a 5 star review for the establishment. The environment is clean and well kept, they're usually playing good music and the lighting adds to a beautiful atmosphere. Since they are so good, they tend to be popular especially during weekend evenings. I highly recommend making a reservation especially for larger parties read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - (L to R) Kinchi, Soy Beef Belly, Soju Capri, Radish paper, short rib, pork belly - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

All-you-can-eat AYCE. Came here for Christmas lunch and had a good experience. The staff was incredibly kind and attentive throughout the entire meal. ​We ordered from the dinner menu, and the galbi and beef bulgogi were the highlights. I appreciated how proactive the servers were with changing our grill at regular intervals. It's a good selection for the price. ​The only downside was the restroom. There was a very intense smell even before entering the door. read more

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Kyle was awesome! He was super friendly, attentive, and made sure we were taken care of the entire time. He provided great service and made the whole experience even better. Definitely five-star service. Thanks, Kyle! read more

Amazing service from Kyle 10000/10 always attentive and super nice. No matter how busy it is he is always there to get us what we need

My husband and I had such a great experience at Gen Korean BBQ! Our server, Kyle, was amazing and gave us excellent customer service. He was super friendly, attentive, and always made sure we had everything we needed without us having to ask. He definitely made our dinner more enjoyable and made us feel very welcomed. Great food and even better service! Thank you, Kyle! We'll definitely be coming back! read more

To begin with my experience started off bad. The hostess was rude, wanted to have her way and gave the nastiest attitude to my husband. Just for asking the approximate wait time for our table that according to her they had to accommodate us because of my baby that needed a high chair which seemed to be a huge inconvenience that she did not care to hide in her face expression. Not only that but she proceeded to talk sh** with a customer who was signing in for a table, saying "a little patience goes a long way" for a simple question that she turned into an argument. After that the server took about 20 mins to come to our table. He did however make everything better for us so shout out to Aldo cuz he changed our whole night! Place was pretty loud, I didn't hear any music playing but there was a lot of loud talk. The food was tasty this is why I keep choosing GEN for my Kbbq. So little advice for the manager at this place. Have your host with the blonde streak on the left side to have a change of attitude. Maybe some customer service classes? She's in need of some. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

I love Gen BBQ and their premium menu. This was our 6th visit here and let me tell you ... KYLE needs a raise ASAP! When I tell you this was the absolute BEST service I ever received. I did not have to worry about one thing during my visit, Kyle took care of everything before I even asked! I was honestly stunned and would definitely recommend this place just because of Kyle. read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Premium menu - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

Came during lunch to get at lunch price since I haven't been here in a while to reconfirm if it's mid, unfortunately Gen didn't redeem themselves :( Meat quality was pretty bad. Steak and short rib was so chewy. Beef belly was cut like beef fatty shaved ice?? So it was like tiny minced scraps when it was cooked. Rice paper was hard like it was left out Brisket sauce was lacking flavor They were super short staffed leaving 1 poor waitress to fight for her life on the floor. So things took really long, I don't blame her. Water was absolutely terrible like unfiltered bad tap. Even a lemon couldn't save it I'm sorry I would not recommend or come back. 5/10 read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Beef belly...minced??? - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

Kevin was an awesome host, he was great in attending us and helped the experience be great. Food was good aswell, first time I've seen a KBBQ place service alpastor read more

Gen used to be good YEARS ago but unfortunately there's so many better places now. Bad service from our server who clearly did not care to be there and the sides were not good - rice was hard, "Korean fried chicken" were chicken nuggets with ketchup on top, kimchi rice was inedible. The meat was good which is the only redeeming thing about our visit. read more

It was our first time at Gen Korean BBQ. We enjoyed our dinner. We had the most amazing waiter...Kyle. He was so patient with all of our questions. His recommendations were spot on and he did an amazing job. He is an asset to this restaurant. We will definitely be back. read more

This review isn't necessarily for Gen, it was pretty hot in there today and I was dying. But as always the food was killer. HOWEVER Kyle! Kyle was impressive beyond all measure. Amongst the blazing heat today inside and outside this guy was RUNNING and killing it. He was serving us at a moments notice with zero staff to help him, a huge smile of confidence and grace on his face. Polite and respectful. Hilarious and very professional at the same time. Wish all servers had this guys attitude and strive to put the best foot forward. If I was able, I'd give 10 stars to Kyle. This guy deserves a huge raise and a management position if you ask me. Our table was proud to have him as our server and watched in awe at how this guy ran around with EASE and performed like it was his craft. Huge props. Thank ya Kyle! read more

This my third time here and they never disappoint. I always do the premium menu and somehow Everytime KYLE ends up being our server. He is the sweetest guy who has the smile on his face and cares about nothing but giving the best service. We appreciate you and will see you soon. read more

Price is much too expensive for this type of food. I understand the price of beef has launched higher than the stock market, but this is absurd. The meat quality is not equal to the price and Gen has lost its original luster it had in the 2010s. read more

This place seems to be going down. We came for early dinner hoping to beat the rush and there was no rush. The last 3x they have fat ass at the same table in the room on the right in the back corner. You share a table with another group if you are smaller than three people. However, it is not a shareable table. In order for the personwho is sitting on the bench side closest to the wall, they can't get out without your party having to get out and move. Absolutely ridiculous. I'm not sure why they do this. But we always seem to sit here. This last time, we asked for 2 corn cheese & it never came until a manager came over and we had to ask her. Even then, they only had 1 available. Supposedly they were making more but it was never brought to us. They changed our grill once during the whole time which doesn't work with galbi. I also asked for hot sauce, they were out! Umm. Really, it's 5pm. I would have liked more salad but never saw our waiter. The galbi has gotten fattier and there was hardly any meat. I'm amazed they hadn't increased their prices too much throughout the years but there's soo many competitions out there now. SYOY! read more

It's a total coin flip on what you're going to be experiencing on any given day, and it entirely depends on the team of servers and runners that are assigned to your section. Sometimes the server is a seasoned vet, sometimes the server is in way over their heads. It's probably just the nature of high maintenance dining, but be prepared to flag down your serving team many, many times if the team isn't that good. However, the food quality is decent and the place is as clean as can be for an AYCE establishment at this low price point. Sometimes your meats come out presented nicely, sometimes it's thrown onto the plate. The only reason we go here is because Costco offers discounted gift cards. read more

Andrew helped us during our visit and was very attentive and on top of our refills and making sure if we were ready to order another round. The food was delicious and great atmosphere. read more

Kyle is the best server I have ever had at any restaurant ever. My family from Spain came to visit and he made sure to give the utmost, best, fastest service ever. We felt welcomed and appreciated for being at Gen. We're like family here. We will only be at this location because of Kyle. Give this man his flowers for all his hard work and willingness to be the best server he can be. read more

Came here with co workers and celebrated our close friends birthday pig out like crazy. And drinks too. Server was superb attentive. Recommend this place better than other gen spots. read more

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This place used to be the it KBBQ spot... back when I was in high school 2015. Quality of meat is not the best and they dilute the dipping sauce. My favorite part! Service here is okay and overall the restaurant is fine. Also, if you get take out they don't even give you any sides... Best to spend your money at Ican Barbeque, Honey Pig or Shik do rak! read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Gen to go - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

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The floor was really really greasy and oily. I was slipping and had to hold onto chairs and tables so I don't fall down. It was extremely loud Mexican music playing in the background which I don't mind. It's just I came here to enjoy a meal. It's very dark in here, but there's sunlight blaring in through the partially open partially closed window blinds. There's an exit door that looks like it's from old shed somewhere else stickers and mismatched paint all over the door sunlight barbarian the food was good but sitting down, trying to order a meal and I have to yell to my wife just to talk over the music blaring out of the kitchen just makes me feel as all this place is extremely unprofessional can't believe they would let people working in the kitchen glass music so loud it's ridiculous read more

If I could give negative stars I would. Everything was pretty terrible. We had a really large party for a birthday and we had a long wait though we had scheduled a reservation ahead. When you go in, we had a basically private room for the party, which is pretty cool! But when you go in, it's freezing cold. It's like the AC was blasting so hard I was in a freezer. My toes literally felt frozen. It was so uncomfortable.!!! Then the amount of people walking around inside to help was decent, but the time in between getting meat was a little longer than I expected. But the meats were terrible. There was like no quality no taste and some more like Chewy or like even really tough. The kicker was that though there were four separate tables, they charged us all the same price. I understand that if everyone at your table needs to get the same menu. But they really should've told us that it's the whole room and not just by table and if it was the whole room, then they should've also let us know that one table got the premium so we might as well get premium at we're getting charged for it anyways. So not only was the food bad, the service was ok best. But not informing customers was just a kicker. I wouldn't wanna come back. I'm not sure. I'd even try another Gen's again. Their quality has gone significantly downhill. I feel like they're just running on their reputation that was there before. Don't think I'd recommend this place. read more

My partner and I went to Gen Korean BBQ on a Friday night around 9 PM. We were pleasantly surprised to be seated right away- especially for a weekend. I had looked online and through Yelp to make a reservation but couldn't find the option, so not sure if they don't take them or if I just missed it. Once seated, we scanned a QR code for the menu. Our server was super nice and attentive- checked our IDs for the soju capri suns (fun touch and yummy touch) and explained the premium dinner deal. We stuck with the regular AYCE and started by selecting five meats and two appetizers. If it's your first time at KBBQ: you cook the meats yourself at the table, and the staff brings everything out raw. The waitstaff here was really on top of things, switching out the grill grate after each meat, which we appreciated for cleanliness. They brought extra tongs and scissors right away when we asked. Great service all around. The vibe inside is lively and a bit chaotic- loud, dim lighting, and lots of staff check-ins. It can be overwhelming if you're not used to it, but once you settle in, it's a good time. The beef bulgogi was definitely our favorite. Pricing is on the higher end, but for all-you-can-eat and the experience, it's worth it for a special occasion. One note: the floors are VERY slippery. I was in Vans and felt like I was ice skating on the way to the bathroom - definitely something to be aware of. I would avoid heels if you go there on a date. We'd come back again- quality meat, fun energy, and super attentive service! read more

Gen Korean BBQ House - Table - Korean Near Me - Tustin, California

Andrew was an awesome server and kept coming to check on us. Would definitely recommend this GEN!

It was understaffed on a Sunday for dinner. The side dishes were so tiny, minimal, and unappetizing, that I didn't even try them, and there were like three of them. The meat was on the fattier side. There were several moments where the grill was empty because the meat was not getting to us. The servers were trying to do their best, and I felt bad for them. We ordered soups, and they didn't get to us until the end. There is no steamed egg option. It was $31.99 for dinner, and they didn't have some options available like the Korean fried chicken and hotteok. The fried dumplings, fried fish katsu, fried calamari, and spicy calamari were good. Ambiance was okay, but the ventilation wasn't too great. It was too smoky in there. With several other options for AYCE KBB, I will not be returning. read more

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