Gyuyaki — Restaurant in Markham

I came here for my birthday after hearing it was opened by the same owners as Ichiban AYCE Sushi, which I've always liked. Booking was easy, and we got a 7:30 PM Sunday spot. We were seated quickly, and service was friendly and fast.

The place isn't huge but fits a good number of people. One thing to keep in mind is that groups of five only get one grill, which isn't ideal when there's a 1 hour 45 minute time limit. It also felt a bit cramped. Our table had a divider down the middle, and the three wide chairs on one side barely fit unless everyone squeezed together. Their biggest table seems to seat about eight comfortably, maybe ten, and those get two grills. That said, the waitresses were great about changing out the foil grills regularly without being asked, which was a nice touch. And if the lights at your table feel too bright, it looks like they're able to adjust them. I saw them tape over the lights for the table next to us to help dim it.

You order through a QR code, but the system could be better. The menu is split into separate tabs, and opening one closes the others, which makes it slower to browse. Some items are labeled "coming soon," which just adds unnecessary clutter and confusion. Most dishes are one to two servings, so it would make more sense to use smaller plates, especially with how limited the table space is. A few times we got large plates for just two pieces of sushi, which felt a bit excessive.

I tried almost everything and was happy with the quality, especially the sushi and steak. Here's what I'd recommend: Beef: 108 Angus Steak (Thick Cut), 101 Prime Kalbi Chicken: 203 Signature Chicken Cartilage Foil-Grilled: 507 Honey Glazed Sweet Potato, 504 Clams with Sake & Butter, 503 Salmon with Sake (these do take up a lot of grill space) Sushi Roll: 604 Christmas Roll Box Sushi: All of them Tataki: 701 Smoked Beef Tataki with Ponzu, 702 Smoked Salmon Tataki with Tamarind Sauce Snacks: 802 Shrimp Tempura, 810 Takoyaki Staple Food: 901 Stone Pot Beef Bibimbap

Here's what I wasn't a fan of: Beef: 109 Signature Short Ribs (burns fast, not much meat), 103/104 Brisket (very fatty), 105 Beef Tendon Strips (tiny pieces that burn quickly), 107 Beef Roll with Cheese (cooks unevenly) Foil-Grilled: 508 Baked Tofu with Crab Roe Sauce (couldn't taste any crab roe) Staple Food: 904 Fresh Lime Soba with Seafood (flavor was off)

They also have a self-serve salad bar, drink bar, soups, and desserts, similar to Ichiban. I liked the drink options (AYCE soft drinks, green rice tea, herbal five flower tea, and plum juice), but keep in mind that the soft drinks might only be free during their soft opening. I also liked the creamy lobster bisque, even though it didn't really taste like lobster. I just wish it was plain like a typical lobster bisque and not filled with so many mushrooms and crab stick. For dessert, there's DIY shaved ice with a toppings bar, an assortment of pudding (my favorite was the pomelo mango pudding)/mousse/yogurt and ice cream (green tea, mango, and vanilla). No crème brûlée or melonas!

There's a 2% discount if you pay cash. No birthday perks or senior discounts. Price is fair for what you get. There's still room for improvement, especially with the seating and ordering system, but for a soft opening, it's off to a decent start. I'd come back but probably with a smaller...

Visited as a party of four after seeing IG reels promoting their soft opening and all I can say is, they are really inconsistent with both food and service, and I cannot recommend this restaurant.

We visited on a particularly hot summer day, and I think it’s unacceptable to not have air conditioning running, as we were sitting in 35+ degree blistering heat trying to grill meats.

Maybe it’s also largely in part of the hot weather, the service was extremely poor. We waited for a while before a server came to take our order, given incorrect items- or incorrect quantities, and servers were loudly complaining about customers (and possibly other coworkers!) right by our table.

The meat quality is on the low-mid tier, and a lot of inconsistencies for the same cut of meat. The beef was either too thin for premium cuts like prime kalbi, or too thick and was extremely difficult to cook through like beef tongue. The marinates taste pretty much all the same, so even between different cuts, there was little flavor distinction. The desserts were partially melted due to high temperature. The drink machine was out of specific sodas, and I was not able to get the bingsu machine working either.

Seating limit is only 1 hour and 45minutes, and the concept of having to get up and serve your own soups, salads, drinks, and desserts, AND grill your own meats, means for a very rushed experience. There was no last call given to us until the 1 hour and 45minutes were ALREADY passed, and as our table was trying to quickly scarf down ice cream, we were asked to leave as they “needed the table for the next group. bye!”, and also took away foods that we had not yet consumed as we had “run out of time”.

The restaurant is not big, and I was walking around dodging kids and servers with a bowl of hot soup. It was a noisy atmosphere, where every 10minutes or so, a group of servers would start clapping and singing “happy birthday” loudly as the music was interrupted to play the song, as customers trying to get back to their table will have to dodge the group.

To conclude, the pricing is pretty standard for bbq all you can eat, at least. They also offer 3% cash discount… but if I’m expected to serve myself everything, I see no point in providing tips or even giving them business when the only interaction I’ve had with servers is either telling them I got the wrong order, or being asked to...

Tried this place as it is all over social media. Reviews on Google are good but this is all lies. Personal taste is very subjective but there is nothing appealing about the meal I had here.

The menu items and pictures provided online are completed different than what was served. The meat cuts came out unseasoned or under seasoned. Some of the beef had freezer burn and some portions of the protein has turned brown/grey, indicating it is not fresh. Each order of meat comes on a plate that has 3-4 pieces, wasting valuable space on the plate and taking up a lot of room on the table. The side dishes and dessert were all self serve. Korean bean sprouts tasted like dish water or just water they washed the sprouts in.

The table we sat at had 1 grill in the middle for 6 guests. Tables around me had 1 grill for 7-8 people as well. Would have been nice to have two grills but there are other dishes like sushi being served. The grilled meats is not the star of the restaurant despite having the word “gyu” in their name.

Their shaved ice machine was easy to use but the toppings were lacking. Just condensed milk with a few types of jellys. Ice cream was just typical ayce large tubs. I did appreciate the all you can drink fountain drinks.

The restaurant is very tight and the workers have no spatial awareness. There have been times here workers are walking in the walkway confused of where dishes go. Meanwhile there is a single file line behind them trying to get by. The washroom was extremely tight. If there is more than 3 people in the washroom, the 4th one would have to stand in the doorway.

Service… the servers were not very attentive. They were worried about clearing plates as they repeatedly interrupted the table and asked us to hand them an empty plate which was out of their reach. Changing the grill was so unprofessional and disrespectful to the food. We had just placed meats on the grill and the staff wanted to change the grill. The grill was not charred and it could have lasted another few rounds before I would want it to be changed. The server took a tinfoil off the grill then proceeded to change the grill. Our meat which was still on the old grill was then shaken off and scrapped off with the tongs. All the meat fell onto the new grill in clumps.

Save your stomach space. Debit or cash only. You get a 2% discount if...