Guests are the chef at newly opened all-you-can-eat Town Center restaurant

Teresa Stepzinski, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
Updated ·2 min read

A high-end, all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue is welcoming guests to the table where they become their own chefs — cooking their own steak, pork, chicken, seafood, veggies and more — at the newly opened restaurant in the St. Johns Town Center area.

Cerritos, Calif.-based GEN Korean BBQ House has opened its first Northeast Florida restaurant at 4880 Big Island Drive, Suite 6, in The Markets at Town Center retail center, near Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, BurgerFi and Sugar Factory.

GEN Korean BBQ House is known for its large menu of traditional Korean and Korean-American food.

Customers serve as their own chefs, preparing meals from a selection of meats, vegetables and seafood on embedded grills in the center of each table.

Topping the menu offerings are Gen Signature Yangyum Galbi, a marinated beef bone-in short rib, Spicy Pork Bulgogi, which is thinly sliced marinated spicy pork; Nook Gan Sal, featuring marinated prime chuck roll; and Spicy Calamari Veggie Bowl, a spicy barbecue calamari with assorted vegetables.

Appetizers range from bite-size Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) to Japchae, a sweet and savory dish of stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables, deep fried mandu, a pork and vegetable dumplings paired with a savory soy sauce, and Hotteok, a Korean sweet pancake topped with powdered sugar, the menu shows.

Traditional banchan — side dishes — such as Kimchi, Saeng Chae and others also are offered.

GEN Korean BBQ House opened its first Northeast Florida restaurant at 4880 Big Island Drive Suite 6 in The Markets at Town Center in Jacksonville on April 12, 2024. The high-end Korean barbecue chain based in Cerritos, Calif. is an all-you-can-eat, cook-it-yourself concept.
GEN Korean BBQ House opened its first Northeast Florida restaurant at 4880 Big Island Drive Suite 6 in The Markets at Town Center in Jacksonville on April 12, 2024. The high-end Korean barbecue chain based in Cerritos, Calif. is an all-you-can-eat, cook-it-yourself concept.

Lunch is priced at $24.95 while dinner is listed as $30.95. The Premium dinner is an additional $20, according to the menu. However, menu items and prices may vary by location and are subject to change without notice. In addition, some offerings are available only for dinner, according to the restaurant's website

Founded in 2011 by two Korean immigrants, GEN Korean BBQ is one of the largest Asian casual dining restaurant concepts in the nation. The restaurant chain lists 39 open locations in eight states — Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, New York, Texas and Washington — on its website.

Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale are the only Florida locations.

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GEN Korean BBQ House at Town Center is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Lunch is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: GEN Korean BBQ House opens in Jacksonville at Markets at Town Center