Wagyu Factory | Lake Forest — Restaurant in Lake Forest

Worth the money? YES!

I'm not a wagyu connoisseur by any means, but I can say that the meat quality here is excellent. I enjoyed all of the food that we ordered.

It wasn't hard to find the restaurant, though I am embarrassed to say that on my drive to and from work I hadn't noticed the place :'). I'm glad I tried it out though, because this is my new go-to when I've got those AYCE cravings.

My girlfriend and I arrived around 3PM on Friday (Factory Premium only on Fridays, $69.99/person) and were seated immediately. Surprisingly only 2 other parties were in the restaurant at the time. The server (whose name I forgot, but wish I did) explained the menu to us and took our drink order. With 70 minutes of dining time and the allotment of 6 items per order (which can be submitted every 2 minutes), we quickly got to work.

We tried the following: M9 Chuck Ribeye M9 Wagyu Steak A5 Wagyu Ootoro A5 Wagyu Brisket Signature Wagyu Plater M9 Wagyu Short Rib (so good!) M6-7 Wagyu Brisket Truffle Fries Whole Shrimp Gyoza Mini Seaweed Rice (I do not recommend, a little dry) Unagi Handroll Salmon Handroll Salmon Sushi Yellowtail Handroll

(Almost) Everything was good, and the fish was fresh!

One thing to note, there's a little tray with little pieces of fat that they give you. You use that to grease up the grill so that meat doesn't get stuck to it :).

The restaurant seems well ventilated, you can see the grills suck up all of the steam as you cook.

There's a good amount of seating, but I could imagine it getting packed during weekday evenings or on weekends.

There's plenty of parking near the restaurant and further into the plaza.

Service was good by all of the staff. They constantly checked up on us, refilled our drinks, and changed the grill when necessary or requested. Orders that we submitted came out quick.

Overall it was a good dining experience and I will most definitely come back (as a regular) to try...

My husband and I were really excited when we heard a Chubby Group restaurant was opening near us in South County! He’s a Chubby Group member, so we’re very familiar with their restaurant concepts. We decided to check it out during the soft opening before crowds picked up.

Unfortunately, we ran into some confusion beforehand. The website only listed “Coming Soon” under the menu, and when we tried calling the number listed in the app, no one answered. We had to dig through Yelp reviews and their Instagram posts from food influencers to find any details. That’s where we learned about their pricing: a regular tier at $49.99, a premium tier at $69.99, with discounts for members.

Despite the lack of clear info, we decided to stop by. When we arrived, there was no host at the front, so we added our name to the waitlist and looked over a laminated menu. After about five minutes, someone greeted and seated us. That’s when we learned that Wagyu Factory is a sister restaurant to Chubby Cattle and that they only offer the premium tier for weekday dinners and all day on weekends. That was surprising, since Chubby Cattle offers more flexible tier options, even on weekends.

The premium tier menu also felt quite limited given the price point. Compared to other spots in the area, $69.99 seemed steep for what was being offered. We ultimately decided not to dine. While we’re confident the meal would’ve been solid, the experience felt a bit like a bait-and-switch — especially with no clear notice about the weekend premium-only policy.

We might give it another shot down the line once things are more established, but for now, it feels like they still have some kinks...

This spot just opened!! I went this week—couldn’t resist checking out a buzzy new place haha~ It’s a new concept from the Chubby Group. You know how AYCE usually limits A5 Wagyu to just one order per person? Not here. Everything is unlimited!!

Tons of options too—not just BBQ, but also hot pot! I included the menu in the last three pics. Didn’t manage to snap it all, but you’ll get a good idea. Most of the meats are A5 or M9 grade, and they’ve got plenty of veggies, seafood, sides, and carbs. One great thing: staff help grill the whole time, and after every round, they immediately swap out the grill plate. There’s a smoke extractor right by the grill, and the space is huge—good ventilation too. I didn’t smell like BBQ at all after leaving. Love that.

The hot pot currently has tomato beef broth and tom yum options. Staff said more broths might be added later. They even have wagyu slices specifically for hot pot, which you can also grill if you want—totally up to you. Appetizers include items you’d see at Gyuu Samurai, like seaweed salad and sesame tofu—super refreshing.

And the meat quality? Genuinely impressive. You can see the marbling clearly. We started off with the Thick Cut Box to get a feel, then ordered more of what we liked. The A5 Wagyu Brisket and A5 Wagyu Ootoro were standouts—sizzling the second they hit the grill. Dip them in the sauce and… wow.

Honestly, with this price and quality, what more could you ask for? I chose the Premium option at $69.99 per person—and could order all this??

And Gia is really nice!! Thank you~...