Gyenari

Although this place is owned by Koreans, the must not have hired a Korean chef, or someone who understands how to make Korean food. The BBQ is lacking in taste in everyway, and the bunchan and the other food on the menu definately does not taste like it's korean. I've gone back a few times to give them the benefit of the doubt. What the heck happened to all the flavor??? Why would I know what Korean food taste like, well hell I am Korean and a foodie as well. Let me tell you it's probably one of the worst unauthenic places in los angeles. The owner should know better, should be ashame!!! I even emailed the owner of Gyenari, to let him know if changes would be made to the menu, as it is a far cry from any real Korean food. He said they are going to offer Shabu shabu, again not Korean but Japanese! The food at Gynenari is really subpar and should not be a reflection of the bounties and flavor of Korean food. They should be ashamed of serving unedibles! Head over to Wharo in MDR to have a taste of korean food. It's got SEOUL!!!! Or just drive over to Korea town and taste the food before heading over to Gynenari again. Please don't waste your $$$, it's precious especially these days. Pros: Atmosphere Cons: Food more

I want to echo the sentiments of the other reviewer who had her ATM charged several times... as we had shared the bill. My credit card was charged twice (both initially appeared as pending) and when I called to talk to the manager I was told this happens all the time in restaurants. When I told him it had never happened to me before in 30 years, he didn't respond. As of today, the correct charge has gone through, the incorrect charge is still pending. But as with the other reviewer, never once did the manager offer an apology or say that he would comp anything on the menu should I return. He did tell me that the owner would get back to me the next day but of course that never happened. Beyond this aggravation, though, the service was lousy. After our group had been seated (about 10pm on a Saturday night), it was at least ten minutes before a waitress came to take our drink order. And ten minutes later, we still hadn't received our drinks, so we managed to flag her down, and she asked us, "Oh, did you want me to serve them to you now?" The food is good but comparitively overpriced. When I was on the phone with the manager later, he asked me if I liked the food, and I said yes, but I wouldn't be coming back to his restaurant again, and he got rather indignant. more

The food isn't bad, but not worth the subsequent aggravation. My ATM card got charged 4 different times, for different amounts. I called the restaurant immediately, and made a point to be polite and understanding. I figured this must be a fluke, since they are a fairly new establishment. The words "we are sorry" NEVER crossed their lips. Instead they explained to me that "this happens all the time", and that because the charges appear as "pending" on my bank account, there was no cause for alarm on my part. How is the bank to know which is the legitimate charge? I asked. By now I could sense the gentleman was getting quite annoyed with, what he perceived, as my lack of savvy in matters of banking. His answer was: Because we will post the correct charge! Really??!! I am just supposed to trust the people who just charged random amount on my card?! I think not. I will never again eat there. Another one of my friends, who dine with me that evening, had his card charged twice as well. In these days of great fear over identity theft, I doubt anybody would have been fine with a simple apology. In my case, it certainly would have gone a long way. more

I had a cocktail party at Gyenari last night with about 50 people. The owner, Jimmy was the most gracious, accommodating person I have ever had the pleasure to deal with. Our waitress was on top of it and worked her tail off with a smile on her face the whole time. The space is amazing and they treat you like royalty. Everyone from my party was very impressed. You guys made me look good! I highly recommend coming here and definitely having a party here. more

In addition to the great food...this is the only bar I have been to that serves Landy Cognac. I've seen it online, but never found a place that serves it! more

I would have to say for my first time ever trying korean food, i was truly spoiled. The setting was fascinating, the food was delicious. I brought my date, and she asked me when we would return to the location to dine once more............. awesome experience!! more

Ive come back here several time and every time its a great experience. The food here is amazing everything it's fresh and tasty. The ambiance of the restaurant is chill with a blend of class. The bar drink are great and are not expensive. Great place to bring a date or have a group dinner. Pros: Tasty, Cool, Classy more

Gyenari is the bomb!! I love the ambiance, the popular location in the city, and the cuisine. The layout of the restaurant is very contemporary especially the bar. It allows you to enjoy what they have to offer as well as interacting with their services via the insulated grill at the tables to prepare your dinner meals, and host a work party with their secluded conference rooms and state-of-the-art technology. The service is impeccable, and the people are tending to your desires and your needs. more

the food was great, the service was awesome, and the prices weren't too bad! i love the atmosphere, in the front they have a fountain and a nice lounge area if you want to sit and wait for some friends and have a drink, or back to the booths were to your right and left is brick walls and in the back a nice yellow background! the korean food is more of a starting point for people who have yet to try it. more

It was a GREAT Christmas Eve dinner spot with my spouse!! The server was super nice and helpful in picking out items off of the menu. He came by often to see how we were doing. Ambience is very clean and cool. Food, some of the best if not the best Korean BBQ on the Westside! Try it out!! :) more

Very swank inside. With a full bar and a great ambiance. I didn't think the food would be that traditional, but it was more than amazing! You can tell these guys know their Korean food, tasted like it came from their grandmother's old recipes! Everything was fresh and had lots of flavor. My whole experience here was great, from the food to the most delicious desserts and the cocktails were amazing! Not to mention the outstanding service from all the waiters. Definitely a place to go when you're craving great Korean food. I highly recommend this restaurant! more

so i went with a couple of friends for our own holiday dinner last night, and this place is awesome! i love it! the service was great, our waitress made sure we had drinks at all times, she was on top of it! the food is great, the quality of the meat is BOMB and it was great for people who were afraid to try korean food. they kind of americanized it a bit, but it was delicious. they also had many other things on the menu like burgers and such if you didn't feel like trying the korean. their drinks were awesome, i had this rasberry acai cocktail and it had lemon and other things it in, but it was incredible! their mixology is great, the prices were reasonable. after dinner, we got dessert and it was so hard for us to choose! so many things, i got this green tea donut with some pink sauce and that was suprisingly really good. my friends got a flourless chocolate cake that was really good too! Pros: the food, the drinks, the service Cons: parking more

My fiance and I went in on a Saturday night and were pretty surprised at how much we liked it. The decor was beautiful and we love the layout of the restaurant. The food seem pretty authentic (I've had Korean food before but I'm no expert) and the menu wasn't intimidating at all for someone new to Korean food. We ordered the kal bi and bool go gee and it was super flavorful and delicious. I didn't love cooking at the table myself but I guess it's part of the experience. Overall I would go back and would recommend it to anyone who wants to try something new and different. By the way, you HAVE to order the green tea donuts... wow, so good. Pros: great korean food in a swanky atmosphere Cons: not a huge fan of cooking my dinner myself (minor issue though) more

The Food: Quality all the way. Try the GALBEE beef - nice strips of perfectly marbled grilling splendour - and try the spicey chicken & pork. They also bring you all these little dishes as part of the experience (i.e. dim sum). Half the menu is BBQ that you grill yourself, and the other half is food they cook in their kitchen and bring out to you - so either way you are covered. Atmosphere: Hip and casual. You don't have to dress up, but you can... Exposed ceiling with metal air ducts, lots of wood, water, colorful lighting, a yellow wall lit up to show Gyendari flower prints. You get the feeling that this place was designed by some famous designer - who knows? And this gem is located amid all the Culver City action, so you can walk around and people watch. The movies are a few doors down. And Free Parking abounds! Easy in and out. Pricing: This is not an 'expensive' restaurant - middle of the road pricing. Just high enough that you trust the quality, but low enough that you will go back. Perfect for special occasions but also affordable enough for regular visits. Your bill will of course depend on whether or not you drink, but I would say the average cost to each person is about $30-$40 when all is said and done - so a couple can get in and our for well under a hundred bucks with tip. The owner and head Chef can be seen walking around greeting customers, making suggestions - Chef Robert is the star of the show. You can tell he really loves what he does - and the menu was clearly the result of a lot hard work and creativity. I am going back just for the odd chance that we might get to bump in to him again. And is there anything better than a head chef that also owns the place? And as you would expect, he has assembled a staff that is welcoming and professional - they are 'on it'. Pros: parking, food, ambience, quality, price more

Put a lovely couple on either side of the table, so they are facing each other, and then let the food and fun begin! Most foodies know this, but in case you don't, Korean BBQ has a grill in the middle of the table - you get to cook your own food. Don't for a second think this is going to be 'work' - it gives your table something to do - like being on a camping trip, except this time you are the friggin' King of the World! (because everything is clean and prepared and made easy for you) - trust me, this is the perfect way to combine eating with an 'activity' - you will all remember this for a long time to come. The Food: Quality all the way. Try the GALBEE beef - nice strips of perfectly marbled grilling splendour - and try the spicey chicken & pork. They also bring you all these little dishes as part of the experience (i.e. dim sum). Half the menu is BBQ that you grill yourself, and the other half is food they cook in their kitchen and bring out to you - so either way you are covered. Atmosphere: Hip and casual. You don't have to dress up, but you can... Exposed ceiling with metal air ducts, lots of wood, water, colorful lighting, a yellow wall lit up to show Gyendari flower prints. You get the feeling that this place was designed by some famous designer - who knows? And this gem is located amid all the Culver City action, so you can walk around and people watch. The movies are a few doors down. And Free Parking abounds! Easy in and out. Pricing: This is not an 'expensive' restaurant - middle of the road pricing. Just high enough that you trust the quality, but low enough that you will go back. Perfect for special occasions but also affordable enough for regular visits. Your bill will of course depend on whether or not you drink, but I would say the average cost to each person is about $30-$40 when all is said and done - so a couple can get in and our for well under a hundred bucks with tip. The owner and head Chef can be seen walking around greeting customers, making suggestions - Chef Robert is the star of the show. You can tell he really loves what he does - and the menu was clearly the result of a lot hard work and creativity. I am going back just for the odd chance that we might get to bump in to him again. And is there anything better than a head chef that also owns the place? And as you would expect, he has assembled a staff that is welcoming and professional - they are 'on it'. Regarding those few reviews that try to compare this place to Korean Town restaurants - they are entitled to their own opinions. I would guess though that they are looking more at their wallets than their palettes. Ain't no nervy meat served here folks! Pros: parking, food, ambience, quality, price more

This place is so dissapointing. Culver City is booming with good new eateries. Gyenari misses the mark big time! The food is not prepared fresh, it is microwaved and passed off as fresh cooked. For the $15-$20 per meal take the drive to Koreatown and get yourself some real, fresh and delicious food. Not worth the money or the time waiting for your microwaved food. Blah! Pros: nothing Cons: bad food ,bad service what more needs to be said. more

The quality of the meat and veggies is so good and fresh. Some places in K-town would serve you old meat but this place is high quality in everyway. Try the sampler BBQ you get 2 kinds of beef, pork and chicken. Another best thing about this place is that the tables have some high tech smoke thing that all the smoke goes down not up to your hair and clothes. The best lunch spot also. I had braised short ribs for $13 and it comes with bunch of other stuff. They have cheapier things too. You get so much for your money. LOVE this palce. Pros: Fresh and clean. more

Went 4 times for Happy Hour & always very good. Also sat at the bar & had noodles. I do not think I would sit in the dinning room though because it is expensive and I would rather go to a more authentic place in Korea Town. Pros: Happy Hour Cons: Price for dinner in the dinning room more