Gen Korean BBQ in Tustin

Alcohol wall as you walk in

O M G! This puts the Gen at The Collection into SHAME!! This puts a wooden stake onto the heart of Collection Gen. We arrived there around 11:30 and we were seated immediately. It's smaller than the one in Oxnard and the chairs were fairly worn but it felt authentic. It was homey and very casual, we barely made it on time too because soon the whole place was packed.

31 items and it's only lunch. More to offer means more yummy meat to try ;)


They seated us down and took our drink orders and as we were waiting I noticed the menu had more to offer than the one in Oxnard. We ordered Jap Chae (glass noodles), short ribs, bulgogi, and brisket.

Banchan!!

Radish in the front, spices in the middle, and soy paper in the back

I was hesitant of the the brisket but once I had it, it was the only thing I wanted to try. It was marinated perfectly  and it was exploding with taste; then the Jap Chae arrived. This is when I knew how much Gen at The Collection is one of THE worst Korean BBQ places which exist in California. The Jap Chae looked like it was made with love and care; oh was it a mouth-gasm. There was a huge plates of meat at our table; nothing dinky as what we get at The Collection. For three plates of meat, it was plentiful; it was the beginning of a bountiful meal. ^O^

Brisket!!!! *DROOL*

We had one main server (Asian and blonde, forgot her name) and there were others who came in to check on us. If we asked one server for something they were able to come back our request, they didn't say "We'll let your server know." Another thing I saw with service was all the servers were actively busy. There was not a single person standing idly chit-chatting with another co-worker. This pleased me up the wahzoo. All the servers kept checking up on us every 10 minutes to make sure if we needed anything.  There was only one time we called a server over for more napkins but other than that they were on point with re-filling the salts and our drinks. ^_____^

We ended ordering another Jap Chae, steak, and two more orders of brisket. I know it doesn't sound a lot but as you see in the pictures, it was a lot especially with the banchan and salad as well. We were happy foodies. I was extremely happy and even though I wanted to persist on having more meat my body could not handle it and we had to get going soon to check in our hotel.

Blurry picture, too excited to start eating. =P

Oh how I wish the Gen at The Collection take plenty of notes of the original establishment AND apply it to their own place. It irks me there are so many people in Ventura County getting ripped off with the Gen at The Collection because what you pay for is more atmosphere and servers floating about (not being aware of their surroundings and not doing their job). After this entry I'll make a small comparison chart on the pros and cons of each place later today, as you see I am very opinionated about the matter. Little thing to add, since it was lunch it was $15 per person, ca-ching, awesome deal!!

Jap Chae with my awesome cousin cooking ^__^ <3

Gen in Tustin shows a little wear and tear and that's the best part of the place. There was such a diversity when I went ,there were families, young adults, business and casual, young and old, Asian, Caucasian, Latino/Mexican, so much diversity. The atmosphere makes you stay, the food makes you come back, and this overall experience is something I want to share with the world. Thank you Gen for reminding me what KBBQ is all about. <3

They sell ice cream sandwiched between macaroons for $3.75 a piece

Gen Korean BBQ &Yakitori Bar- 13741 Newport Ave, Tustin, CA

Value: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Overall: 5/5