Gyu-Kaku

Feel scammed with the food here. Saw a bowl full of stew. But when it came it’s a third of the bowl. If they do this with their side dishes, you know what they’ll do with their main dishes. Costs did not go up 100% for you to cut my food by 50%. That bowl size is a small rice bowl. Obvious P&L and costing in play here. A big middle finger to the customer. I was that customer today. Don’t be like me.

The overall experience fell short of expectations. The quality of the meat was inconsistent—some cuts were decent while others were noticeably subpar. Service was also slow and unresponsive; we had to keep asking for items multiple times, which made the dining experience frustrating. Another major issue was the setup: two grills for six people meant long wait times just to cook, and the table felt overly cramped, leaving little room to eat comfortably. Considering the premium set menu is priced at $68.80++ per person, the value just isn’t there. For that price, you could opt for a hotel buffet with better quality, variety, and comfort. There are definitely better BBQ options out there, especially for larger groups or those looking for a smoother dining experience.

We’ve been regulars at Gyu-kaku for years. And I’ve always liked the fact that they offer premium meats (Japanese Wagyu) at a value (premium buffet). It’s been a regular place for celebrations and days that we feel we could use a pick me up treat. Imagine my shock when I had dinner here recently to find that they had totally changed the menu. I couldn’t recognise half the items on the menu. The premium buffet was no more (only Australian Wagyu and no more Japanese Wagyu). The items we usually order were no longer on the menu (from salads, to onigiri to ice cream). They introduced strange new items which after trying I would not recommend. And it made me wonder if the change was driven by data and proper consumer research? Service was also slow which is surprising since the outlet had very few diners. In the entire 90 mins of dinning, I did not even get an offer for a tea refill and eventually had to ask for one. Plus, my wet napkin was actually used and empty when I tried to clean my hands. Plus, ice cream used to be part of the buffet (which mind you is upwards of $68++ per person) but is now offered as an incentive for doing a survey. Really? I would have gladly done the survey (which I did) without the ice cream carrot. But it would really have been better if you left the ice cream as part of the buffet options to avoid creating this highly unsatisfactory experience. Suffice to say that I will not be making this one of my regular spots anymore. Disappointing because this used to be one of my favourite brands.

meat not up to standard. Got the $94++ wagyu buffet but taste like any other yakiniku chain can do better with normal beef only gave an additional star for the service as the staffs are rly nice will not come back again

Visited after I have heard few people mentioned about Gyukaku. Ordered their most premium buffet priced at $68.80. I was excited that i can tried their diamond cut misuji which the marbling looks decent, but came out this (as shown in the pic below, you can see how different it is in the self ordering page and how it came out). There was no marbling at all, and the sinew tendon in the middle was very coarse and tough. I give service a 2-star because of a hardworking young guy try to help me see if there is a better meat replacement in the kitchen and it seems like he is the only one working on the floor. I only finish the food because I already paid for the buffet, but its a really dissapointing meal. Definitely wont come back.