After about 2 1/2 years in Jacksonville, an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue has abruptly closed its first and only Northeast Florida restaurant.
GEN Korean BBQ House quietly shut its doors at 4880 Big Island Drive, Suite 6, in The Markets at Town Center on the Southside, leaving the Cerritos, Calif.-based chain
with just two Florida locations: Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, according to the company's website.GEN Korean BBQ House is the latest restaurant to close in the trendy St. Johns Town Center area on Jacksonville's Southside. Earlier this year, Bahama Breeze Island Grille closed, ending a 15-year run. And in June, Sugar Factory American Brasserie closed after just three years.
Ownership couldn't be reached immediately for comment. The restaurant
was no longer listed on the chain's website, and its phone went unanswered on Aug. 2. Yelp and Google each listed the Jacksonville location as permanently closed.
Gen Korean BBQ House opened in April 2024 near Sugar Factory, the posh and expensive confectionary-themed restaurant.
GEN Korean BBQ House offered a large menu of traditional Korean and Korean-American food.
Customers served as their own chefs, preparing meals from a selection of meats, vegetables and seafood on embedded grills in the center of each table.
Gen Korean BBQ describes itself as one of the nation’s leading Asian casual dining concepts, "known for redefining the Korean barbecue experience in the United States."
Founded in 2011 in Los Angeles by two Korean immigrants, the brand has rapidly expanded to more than 50 company-owned locations across the country, the website also said.
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: Korean barbecue chain quietly closes Town Center restaurant
