Gen Kai Japanese Restaurant

Best Japanese food in Albuquerque! Small, limited seating but exceptional food, beautiful presentation. One of Albuquerque's best kept secretes!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Everything about the restaurant reminded me of the years I lived in Japan: From the table set up to the food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Shrimp Tempura, Sushi, Tempura, Chicken Katsu Curry Rice

I'll start with the positive. The service was very good.The negative list is unfortunately longer. I dined around 12:30 on a Friday, which should be peak lunchtime hours. The restaurant was empty when we arrived, which could've been a harbinger of things to come, but I'd heard good things.My husband and I were seated immediately at a makeshift bar made of seven single tables pushed together that make up the only seating in the restaurant. Kinda odd, but ok. We both ordered the chicken katsu curry. The portion size was pretty fair for the price, but both the curry sauce and fried chicken were deeply disappointing.Each were barely warm, and the chicken had clearly been reheated rather than freshly fried. The curry flavor itself was pretty ho-hum, with a lack of depth or seasoning. Basically, it just seemed like everything was from a package, which whether it was or not, is not good cooking. I will not return and I do not recommend this place.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken Katsu Curry Rice

4 out of 5 stars only because the atmosphere is a bit off-putting for someone coming in for the first time. They have several tables put together across the room, cutting the room in half. So there is limited seating, but this layout lends a hand to faster service and a more personal experience. The service is 10/10 and the food will have you doing a happy dance. I had the fried chicken don and was really impressed with how tender the chicken was with a satisfying thin crispy layer. The rice was perfect and the sauce had been drizzled over top and settling in the bottom, allowing me to mix the rice and chicken into it as much or little as I wanted. I don't regret anything about this meal. I don't need a fancy dining room when the food is this good.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken or Pork Katsu Don, Miso Soup, Spicy Chicken Teriyaki Don

This place has the best udon! It was really delicious when I came here for lunch. If you do take out, they package everything really tight so nothing will spill. Highly recommend trying this place!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tempura

The folks at Gen Kai were nice and very helpful when I told them I was gluten free. They made delicious GF ramen for me! It's right next to Talin Market, too. Great space, although a bit small, but again the food was delicious!

Dietary restrictions: Gluten Free options

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Miso Ramen

A really odd place in a very not good neighborhood(kept watching our vehicles to make sure the homeless weren't breaking in and watched someone using drugs on the drive into the parking lot) We were traveling through and as usual searched up what's good in the area. I really debated about reviewing this one at all, but I just can't believe it has such high ratings. The older lady that waited on us was finally friendly once we were paying to leave, almost like she was bothered to be there. The thermostat was set to 91 degrees, and that was the only thing that was hot. The soup was cold, and the sushi was just ok. The seating arrangement was still weird from covid, shaped like an L along the front of the restaurant with only maybe 6 or 7 seats. The restroom was out of order, and there was Hispanic music playing in the background. The whole experience was odd. I'm hoping we just hit them on an off time, but ?‍♀️

Kid-friendliness: Not a great spot to take children, parking was free and nearby but I did not see any kind of ramp.

Parking: Bad neighborhood

Wheelchair accessibility: None available

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Recommended dishes: Sushi

They serve authentic Okinawan dishes here in Albuquerque! Food taste wonderful.

Parking: Don't forget to lock your vehicle.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chicken or Pork Katsu Don

Tiny, but mighty! This gem NEVER disappoints. Go to favorite is the chicken katsu bento box with tempura veggies. So absolutely delicious. You will find yourself craving the crunch of the chicken! Everything is superb, but be prepared to enjoy your meal and go, as the seating is in very short supply (counter-style arrangement, 7 seats).

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu Ramen

First of all, they only serve takeout after lunch, so if you're looking for a sitdown dinner, try one of the surrounding restaurants, all of which are good. We tried three dishes. I liked the Udon. The chicken in the teriyaki bento box was dry and overcooked. My wife's soup was average. The overall dining experience was middle of the road.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

This place is so good we had to come here twice on our one week trip! First time I got the bento box with chicken and my partner got a bowl. It was so good and so flavorful. The chicken was crispy and juicy, sushi was fresh, soup was flavorful, and salad was fresh. Second time we both got the shoyu ramen, mine with a garlic bomb and my partners was with chili oil. The pork in the ramen was so delicious and the garlic bomb was so flavorful. My partner wished his was hotter on the spicy level but he likes his food to burn a lot. Either way he would get it again because of the flavor. This place is so good and the employees are so nice and attentive.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Sushi

This place is so good we had to come here twice on our one week trip! First time I got the bento box with chicken and my partner got a bowl. It was so good and so flavorful. The chicken was crispy and juicy, sushi was fresh, soup was flavorful, and salad was fresh. Second time we both got the shoyu ramen, mine with a garlic bomb and my partners was with chili oil. The pork in the ramen was so delicious and the garlic bomb was so flavorful. My partner wished his was hotter on the spicy level but he likes his food to burn a lot. Either way he would get it again because of the flavor. This place is so good and the employees are so nice and attentive.

Great vegan options! The vegan ramen was delicious with a lovely creamy broth. There is minimal seating in the restaurant, it’s mostly for take-out.

I ordered curry Chickren rice for the lunch today the curry tasted okay and but can be a bit strong the boiled Chickren nearly no flavor and also a bit hard not tender on the curry rice. So very sure they haven't cooked chicken in the curry paste but just put the curry sauce on top of the rice. The miso soup is okay but the tofu inside almost no taste.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

The lady and the cook are Japanese so the food definitely tastes like food you’d find in Japan. They’re only doing takeout right now because of an issue with the building. Definitely give them your business. The green tea boba tea is really good—actually Japanese green tea, not fake imitation green tea like 90% of American products. The gyouza, pork katsu curry, and miso soup were absolutely delicious. めっちゃうまい！