yakiniQ SJ

If you're craving Korean BBQ, you need to check this place out! The meat quality is superb. My family came here to celebrate my mom's birthday, and we were blown away. We had multiple rounds of pork and beef--everything was delicious. The pork was tender, but my favorite was the wagyu beef. It was perfectly fatty and flavorful. I highly recommend pairing it with rice paper for an extra layer of texture and taste. If you order rice, just keep in mind that it can fill you up quickly.A helpful tip: They don't take reservations, so I suggest using Yelp's waitlist feature to save yourself from a long wait. It definitely made our experience smoother. The service was good, especially since it was our first time, and the staff helped guide us through the process. The interior is decent but feels a bit cramped since it's a small restaurant. Despite that, it's absolutely worth the visit for the quality of the food.One small note: The QR code menu is on a loose piece of paper. Be careful with it--it can easily blow away, which happened to us when we got to our table and couldn't find it. Other than that, everything was great. Highly recommend!

YakiniQ offers decent AYCE BBQ for a good price. Their waits can be super long so definitely consider that when you come.The atmosphere inside is pretty loud and can be cramped at the small tables which is a bit frustrating. Overall the food was pretty good but also didn't necessarily blow me away. I'm not at all opposed to coming back but wouldn't wait multiple hours for it either. Definitely recommend asking for ice cream when the bill comes, as it is free and pretty tasty!

I've enjoyed eating here before, but will probably not come back again because I had a bad experience with the manager, "Manny," last night. Our party of 5 people got on the waitlist at 8:40 p.m., waited 1hr 30mins and were called in to be seated at 10:20 p.m. We asked if we would be able to eat this close to closing without any problems and Manny reassured us that kitchen closes at 10:40 p.m. and we would be allowed to sit and finish our food until 11:30 p.m.We placed 10 orders of brisket, 4 orders of bulgolgi, 3 orders of porkbelly, and 2 orders of short rib before 10:40 p.m. as told. We had to ask multiple times for the servers to check on our orders, and a server was sent to confirm what we ordered. We told the server, "Mercy," that we were missing 7 plates of brisket, 1 plate of shortribs, and the 3 plates of porkbelly but he only brought out the 1 plate of shortribs for us at 10:55 p.m.Finally after waiting 10 minutes for the rest of the plates, we asked the manager where the rest of our plates were but she insisted that everything came out and was given to us. It was not. We were missing at least 6 plates of brisket, 2 more orders of bulgolgi, 1 more order of short rib, and we did not receive ANY pork belly at all. The manager continued to insist that we received everything, her excuse was that it all came together on one plate which was not true but she refused to compensate us and adjust our bill/offer a partial refund at all. Do not come to eat here near closing, even if they reassure you that they can take your party, because they won't bring out everything that you order. It was a total scam and waste of money, we weren't keen on eating here near closing but we trusted the manager's word, although unfortunately she double downs that she trusts her staff, Mercy, more than us the customers about what plates we did/didn't receive. It sucks because we wanted to be considerate of the employees but we're so frustrated with being given the short end of the stick by the manager who refuses to make things right for us. Our bill was $194, for 4 out of 10 orders of brisket, 1 out of 4 orders of bulgolgi, 0 out of 3 orders of pork belly, and 1 out of 2 orders of shortribs. That's not fair, especially for 5 people.

Delicious, fast, and a wide variety of options. The brisket sauce and steamed egg in particular are 10/10.The side dishes are also really delicious. I love that they have so many different meats and side dishes like soups/stews, vegetables, etc. to choose from. The air is thick with oil and not super well ventilated. The floor is also a bit slippery from all the oil. I like the vibe of the place - it's very authentic and similar to bbq places in Korea.

Meat quality! I've been to a lot of AYCE kbbq places, there's always something the doesn't seem like it's the best quality. NOT here! The proteins were cut to the perfect thickness so it's not too thick, but not too thin where it just burns before caramelizing. We have our favs of the marinated meats and the ones to have plain and dip in sauces. Everything was just right. Service was good, constant grill changes to keep from being too Smokey. One of the things we liked most is how you order one their web menu and the items appear vs having to get someone's attention. Just remember to hit the SEND button after you've added it to the shopping cart. We really enjoyed our first visit and will definitely be back.

This is a great Korean bbq restaurant and I'm super glad my wife told me about this place! It's packed with lots of people on the waiting list and based on my experience on trying to get on twice, the average wait time is 2 hrs!! First off the place isn't that big and the parking lot is small so good luck finding one. I'm impressed by so many things here but the main ones are their online order app! You can select the meats, sides, and drinks from their app and select to order! Someone from the staff immediately comes to bring the food. It's not all perfect though; it can take a while for water to come, etc. we had trouble getting our waters refilled. Tables are pretty close together and the seats are sometimes tough to eat on. I do like the large tray for empty dishes to go but if your party is big like ours, your elbow can hit the tray and it's annoying. I really like the array of condiments such as the sauces, bon chon sides, etc. the quality of the meats are pretty solid too; thin slices with a good amount of fat trim on them. I highly recommend their pork jowl, beef belly, and beef tongue. This is a solid place for Korean bbq but if you're looking for a faster seating time, head to Gen Korean BBQ which is about 12 mins away. If you're looking for quality, head to Baekjeong at Valleyfair mall which is 5 mins away. I'd definitely come back again!!

If you've ever driven by this place or tried to join the waitlist you might be deterred because the wait is crazy long but it think it's totally worth it! If you can plan ahead and join the waitlist like I did it all works out. I took a couple friends with me because kbbq is always better shared. The sides were all very good and the perfect started to the meal. The ordering is through a QR code and all the dishes come out very quickly. The quality of the meat appeared very fresh and tasted great. The marinated dishes were my favorite! Along with the reasonable price for premium AYCE this is the spot for kbbq!

This spot has been my family's go-to KBBQ spot in the Bay Area! The quality of meats for the price is why we coming back. Be prepared to either go early when they open or check the yelp waitlist an hour or two beforehand. It definitely gets packed around peak dinner times.We always order the regular kbbq sets. They recently switched over from physical menus to QR code ordering so the experience is pretty seamless and fast. We make sure to order the short ribs first since they're limited to 1 order per person. The meats are plated beautifully upon their platters and there are plenty of appetizers / sides to choose from. I'd recommend the lettuce leaves & rice paper to wrap your meats in -- and don't forget the samjjang!It gets pretty loud and busy inside so be prepared to shout a little if you're a larger party. Also I'd recommend bringing a jacket since it gets quite cold inside especially if you're sitting next to the ac. Service is great, they're always very attentive at changing the grills when they get too burnt. Prices have went up since we first started going here, from $25 to $33 but we will keep coming back! Can't beat YakiniQ's quality ayce meats. Stay for a complimentary dessert too -- a scoop of ice cream & fried banana to finish off the night!

Came by for dinner. Parked plaza parking.I added myself on the Yelp waitlist and it look about 2 hours 30 mins before being seated.Staff were friendly.We scanned the QR code and ordered on the phone.Staff were efficient and they changed our grill 3 times, we didn't even have to ask.Food was alright, I was so full afterwards.My fav was the small intestine.Steam egg and soybean soup tasted good.Lots of side dishes to begin with.Inside is small, the chairs are stools and you do sit pretty close to others.We definitely smelled afterwards, that's to be expected.It's AYCE, we went with the premium menu.I would come back with friends or family.

We got lucky with joining the Yelp waitlist, but we joined around 5pm on Friday and were seated around 730pm, which worked out for us thankfully. We loved the service and how quick the meat came out and loved how we got to order everything from meat to sides to drinks on our phones. The ambiance is loud, but can seat many people. Would definitely come again and try to join on waitlist prior. Parking can be a bit tight as well.