This place opened more than 20 years ago, and it was a great and convenient spot when I was in college. Nothing fancy, but a simple and efficient setup. And the food was good. I'd never really had teriyaki bowls before, and they hit the spot. Service was usually pretty quick, and the meals were inexpensive. read more

The Flame Broiler on Nobel drive is Quick, easy, friendly, good parking and delicious! Their sauce is extra good.

Great fresh food! Always delicious and perfect for an all protein diet after workouts! Just ask for veggies instead of rice ! I eat here 3 times a week! read more

I love this place. They are super fast, the staff is super friendly and the food is great and healthy. I always get my chicken done well done. The Magic Sauce is so good. (Their version of Teriyaki Sauce.) I usually get the mini chicken bowl with brown rice and everything on it. read more

The food satisfies for cheap. The beef is usually dry, so I always get the chicken. What really bugs me is all the trash they waste. Every order gets a plastic bag (I thought they were banned!). And lids on every bowl and sauce. Why not use trays?? Just goes into the landfill! read more

My boyfriend came here and got the beef plate. The plate was a small plate (I'm a girl with smaller hands and I took a picture of the plate) and the rice and beef was in only one side of the plate! What a rip off. The bowls looked like it had more meat than the plate. We mostly got dry cabbage. What's the point in paying $13 for a plate when it's not even more than a bowl???? We ate it in less than 4 mins and I don't think either of us feel close to satisfied. I guess this place makes you pay a lot of money for small portions. Go here if you are rich and on a diet. Also they don't have sriracha. read more

Flame Broiler - $13 for half a plate of rice and 10 pieces of small beef . Bowl has more meat - Fast Food Near Me - La Jolla, California

Great inexpensive place to get lunch while at work. It is a very small location but I am just going in to quickly grab a lunch and go so it doesn't bother me a bit. Staff are always friendly. I like the fact that they let you customize. Never was a fan of cabbage so I always order my bowl with vegetables but no cabbage. read more

First time here and was pleasantly surprised! Got the beef bowl with brown rice and steamed veggies approx $8. Pretty balanced and healthy as they do not add any sauce they provide it on the side which I appreciate. I ate about half of the bowl and was full. Great for a quick and affordable lunch on the go! Service was pleasant and quick! read more

Flame Broiler - Yum! - Fast Food Near Me - La Jolla, California

I've never been here before today, so I can't comment on some of the previous reviews regarding the "what it used to be" debate, but I gotta say... I really enjoyed my experience. If I lived or worked in the area, I would definitely be eating here a few times a week. I rocked the chicken/veggie bowl with brown rice. The chicken was BBQed perfectly. Just the right amount of crisp from blackening the sizzzz-auce atop the poultry. The veggies and brown rice had that perfect consistency of not-too-soft, but not completely al dente either. It came out of the kitchen about as fast as I could pose the question, "did anyone see my wiener?" I realized that my fly was down as I was standing in line. Oops. I like how they've got the nutritional information posted on the front window. It sure beats clogging your arteries with deep fried fish next door at Rubios. Nothing like a healthy meal to give you that mid-afternoon pick-me-up, ya dig? They've also got free wifi! In fact, I'm writing this review from the patio right outside the front door at this very moment. Some geezer just walked into a palm tree and yelled told it to "get out of the way." Haha. Comedy. read more

Ok, the review I wrote before this one described how much of a fatty I am. Let me redeem myself and write a somewhat "healthy" review. Flame Broiler offers a "healthy" alternative to your typical fast food joints. GOOD: - The Works Bowl: Beef. Chicken. Veggies. Brown Rice. - Portions: They pack the bowl with food! (enough to share, I'd rather not though!) - Fast Service: Order is ready within five minutes! - Prices: For 5 bucks, I'll pass on a footlong and get myself a bowl. BAD: - Magic Sauce: First of all, covering your food in a sauce that is also the nickname of "my sauce that brings life" is gross. Second, they allow you to fill cups (like taco shops) I always leave with too many sauces!! It's good, yet so bad. Ya feel me? - Hot Sauce: same reason why the magic sauce is bad. UGLY: - Bringing my leftovers to work for dinner. 12 hour shift + cabbage filled bowl = gassy night!! Sorry coworkers!! Only 5 more hours of bubble guts! Here's the healthy part of my review: The WORKS BOWL Serving Size: 1 bowl; Calories: 480, Total Fat: 11g, Carbs: 46g, Protein: 48g I guess those numbers don't mean a thing when you drench your meal in Magic Sauce and Hot Sauce! read more

Whenever I come to the plaza, I never think to go here. And honestly, I don't know why. I just look at it and think, nawww, I'll eat something else. Well I finally decided to eat here today. Apparently this place sells meat and veggies served over rice in bowls. I decided to get the half and half mini bowl, which comes with beef, chicken, and rice (your choice of white or brown, I got white). The mini bowl also includes a drink. It was a so-so price, at $5.75. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food despite the quickness in which I was served. I liked the chicken better than the beef, but both were delicious. They also offer extra sauces which you can add to your liking. The random thing about this place is the "grand opening" sign hung over the door. Didn't this place open years ago??? lol read more

GRAND OPENING! That's funny, because I remember The Flame Broiler being here since I moved to San Diego in 2003. Anyways, this place is your standard white or brown rice bowl with grilled chicken and/or steak with or without vegetables. It's every combination, and now they have mini bowls, which are about 62% the size of a regular bowl, but come with a drink. Both a regular bowl (with no drink) and its counterpart mini bowl (with drink) is the same price. The Flame Broiler used to have single serve squirt packets of Sriracha. Now they don't. -1 star. But besides all that, it's a good place to get your rice bowl fix, and I recommend their brown rice over white rice. It's more flavorful, has better texture, and apparently it's better for you. read more

Back in college, this place was like heaven! Why? Cheap prices, great food. That magic sauce is sinful stuff. I often find myself loading up on that stuff. Anyhow, if anyone here is visiting for the first time, I would recommend getting the half and half [half beef half chicken] with green onions. If you're a big guy like me, I would say splurge for the plate. I usually always satisfied. BTW: Patrick L. put in a plug for Yoshinoya. Compared to Flame Broilers, I have to say that the quality of meat there is inferior. Anyhow, that's just my opinion. read more

Always delicious this small little place serves healthy food fast, very simple rice, vegetables, and different kind of protein I like the beef. read more

I ordered a plate with half chicken half tofu. half brown rice and half veggie. While the chicken is a bit dry, it stills taste pretty decent considering this is fast food. Price is friendly as well. Could have been better if they serve miso soup. lol. I know it is a bit weird combination:) read more

I'm shocked by the negative reviews. This is definitively the BEST restaurant in the UTC area. (Which isn't saying much, but it is nevertheless the truth.) I'm mostly going to address the other reviews while drawing comparisons with Chipotle, as it is one of the only feasible alternatives to Flame Broiler for UCSD students. Regarding meat quality: The chicken is very edible, the beef not so much, and the veggies are excellent. Get the chicken veggie bowl with brown rice and green onions. One good thing about the meat is that I have only witnessed one occasion in which it was burnt. By contrast, Chipotle consistently burns their meat. Burnt meat is carcinogenic. Regarding parking: There is always parking. I have eaten here over one hundred times. There is always parking. Regarding Price: When controlling for just two variables - healthiness and proximity to UCSD - there are practically no alternatives. I recommend Chipotle and the Subway on campus when you're in the mood for something different, but Flame broiler is your bread and butter if you're a UCSD student that doesn't like to cook. If you have a car and you're willing to drive a little farther, you can check out places like Sitar Indian Cuisine. If you're willing to supersize yourself, Flame Broiler cannot compete with McDonald's prices. read more

You know you're a UCSD student/faculty/affiliate/somehow connected when you can speak of the joys of Flame Broiler. Flame Broiler is simply a small hut in the La Jolla shopping square that offers rice bowls--whether vegetarian, beef, chicken, or a delicious mix of any of the three is your pleasure, FB is the spot for you. The seating is a bit limited outside, and on a cold day, it's a little tragic, but it's a fast and tasty place to eat. My personal favourite? A half and half bowl (what can i say? i like my lunch like my ethnicity), with green onions, with two teriyaki sauces and one spicy red sauce. Best way to get a quick and relatively healthy lunch. GO! read more

I think its cheap and generic. Cheap as in not high quality. Generic as in its nothing special. I dont like teriyaki to begin with and I would never seek out this place. If you're a fan of this bastard child of Japanese comfort food then thats your prerogative. I would say this spot is one notch above a Yoshinoya and that is not good. This type of establishment is akin to all the awful generic Chinese restaurants thats infested San Diego. read more

Back in the day, like literally in the 90's, I used to hit up Flame Broiler on the reg because it was so close to UCSD. Me and 20,000 undergrads can't be wrong, right? Yeah. Then I got all growed up and moved south of the 8 and frankly never thought about UTC ever again, except every once in a while I'd reminisce about college, and Flame Broiler, and how nerdy UCSD was, and how cheap and delicious Flame Broiler was. And skateboarding. Anyway, now that trabajo finds me back in the UTC area I've been rekindling my old fling with Flame Broiler and let me tell you it's getting HOT! Lunch hour is when I get my romance on with that veggie chicken bowl slothered in delicious secret sauce, pumpin' some shots of hot sauce all up in that shiz, going to pound town on those steamy vegetables and brown rice, handling chop sticks like a champ. Definitely NSFW, you know? Man, I'm in LOVE again! I'd recommend you stop by and check it out for yourself, but I'm not into sharing, so stay the hell away from my lunch spot man. Serious. I'll fight you. Hint: parking SUCKS and getting in and out of that lot is like navigating a giant car maze with a thousand other cars scrambling for 3 hidden open spaces, but you can bypass all that by parking on the west side of the lot or behind the buildings. There are usually some open spots and you won't get sucked in to that black hole of an excuse for a parking lot. read more

Great option for fast food. A perfect solution when your trying to feed your kids something that isn't so bad. It comes out fast, again waiting with kids every second counts. I love that it has lots of veggies, the chicken is always tasty and there is an option for white or brown rice. They even have vitamin water on tap :) read more

Flame Broiler - Chicken and beef no rice - Fast Food Near Me - La Jolla, California

Well let me start off this Little Flame Broiler is Pretty good !! The Food is Not that expensive for what you Get !! Also I have to say What I Ordered was Pretty Fresh and the Meat was Tender also was the Chicken !!! I Ordered the Flame Broiler Chicken and Beef Bowl !! It comes with Rice And Vegetables in a Bowl and they give you A Good Amount of Meat !! I have to say More meat then Vegetables comes in your Bowl !! But Tastes Good !! It Comes in Small , Large or a Plate which the plate comes with Some Salad and Oranges but I feel just the bowl is worth it because it allready comes with Vegetables so That's what I Got !! For the Large Bowl it Costs 7.99 and The Plate is like 12 Dollars . The Location is Located in The Corner of The Shopping Center next to Rubios Fish Tacos !!! In the same Shopping Center as Whole Foods In La Jolla !! The Parking here is not a Problem. Plenty of Parking Spaces !! So if you are looking for a Good Meal . Please feel free to give this place A Try !! I for sure will Return and Enjoy More !! read more

Flame Broiler - The Flame Broiler Chicken and Beef Bowl !! Large Size !! - Fast Food Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Flamebroiler is a chain. As such, the appeal is that it is utterly consistent no matter where you - the same tasting chicken, the same tasting sauce, the same rice, the same veggies, etc. As such, there isn't much to review. The flavor all taste the same - it's the same bland chicken grilled and thrown with veggies over rice with sauce to compensate for the void of flavor. So eat here if you want to be somewhat healthy - after all, the lack of flavor seems to indicate that there is less sodium and the veggies and rice are better than fries and onion rings. Get a ton of sauce to get some flavor and you have what replicates teriyaki chicken. For the same price. TL;DR Eat if you must; eat if you stuck. read more

This was "OK", but not what I expected based on the great aroma emanating from the establishment. Chicken was delicious, veggies were so-so and rice was very uninspired and stuck together in clumps. Will probably not return. May have been better with sauces added, but I don't go that route. Service was very friendly and helpful. read more

Flame Broiler - Fast Food Near Me - La Jolla, California

My first visit to Flame Broiler was the other day - so I'm not too sure how this place was "before", but I thought this place was good. I ordered the half+half - chicken and steak. I wasn't feeling like stuffing my face with rice, so I ordered the MINI bowl, thinking it would be a good size... then it turned out to be too "Mini" = it was a SMALL styrofoam bowl filled with 75% rice, 25% meat. And for $5.00 that was a little expensive. Other than that, the teriyaki sauce was good and the meat wasn't too fatty. read more

I have no idea how this place got an A rating. If I wrote this review a couple months ago, I'd probably give it 3-4 stars, the food was pretty good, the price was pretty good, overall, everything was pretty good. But I didn't write this review a couple months ago. Basically, I've gotten kind of sick the last couple times I've come here, I'm not going to go into detail, but I'm sure you can guess how someone gets sick from a restaurant. I don't know what happened, but both times I got sick I noticed something was kind of off with the food. Oh well, needless to say, I won't be coming back here again. read more

I moved from San Diego 3 years ago and still DREAM of this place. There isn't anywhere else quite like it. Veggies steamed just perfect. Teriyaki sauce that is not too sweet, not too thin, and coats all the veggies and beef, trickling down to the rice. And the beef. Mmmmmmm the beef..... Cut so incredibly thin but still so tender and delicious with the perfect teriyaki flavor. I still consider hopping on a plane just to go eat a beef and veggie bowl from Flame Broiler and sit in the La Jolla sun during lunch. Enjoy this one every moment you can UCSD students. You will miss it. read more

Wilmar D. asked me what kind of a place I thought this was. I said, "burger joint?" My bad. This place is pretty yum. I got a bowl with "the works." The chicken was a little bit dry, but the beef was about as good as teriyaki beef gets, and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. It tends to be not very saucy, which is why I guess they give out little containers of extra teriyaki sauce in case you're a fan of the ooey gooey ish. But I like my teriyaki not swimming in sauce, so The Flame Broiler's fare suited my taste well. My only complaint is that I had a lot of rice left at the bottom of my bowl. Not that it wasn't good rice, I just didn't want to eat straight up steamed rice on its own. Also, for the health freaks, brown rice is available at no extra charge. read more

I really like coming here for their mini chicken bowls! It's under $5 and always fills me up. The concept is simple here - chicken, beef, or combo bowls or plates. There's no MSG and their menus show you how many calories are in each choice. You have the option of having brown or white rice, or both. Their secret teriyaki sauce is never served mixed in with your dish and is placed outside where you can put as much of this yummy sauce as you want. I personally love adding equal parts secret teriyaki sauce and hot sauce. read more

Flame Broiler - Mini chicken bowl with brown rice - Fast Food Near Me - La Jolla, California

The only... and I really mean the ONLY thing that could make this place better is a little better flow of the line (i.e. add another cash register, even just for phone order pick-ups, to allow lunch breakers to check it out without wasting the majority of their lunch breaks waiting in line). Nice peeps, great location and simply deliciously healthy teriyaki bowls... the best I've ever had, anywhere. The hot sauce tops everything off very nicely. read more

My sister has been telling me to try this place out. I guess it never looked appealing to me. Its a tiny shop in the middle of a La Jolla shopping area. I finally did and I like it. I got a beef bowl with brown rice and green onions on top. I packed myself some magic sauce and soy sauce on the side. It was a good bowl but I didn't finish it. Maybe I should've gotten the mini. The menu isn't huge and it doesn't have to be. Its cheap, fast, and healthy. Can't wait to come back! read more

Every time I'm in Cali I go here. Simple rice bowls of beef, chicken & rice but add a mix of the hot and magic sauce, it becomes a crack bowl. So effin good I'm hooked on the bowls, I could eat here every day. read more

Flame Broiler - I this place It's like crack - Fast Food Near Me - La Jolla, California

This place is not bad, but if you go make sure you get coupons for it, for UCSD students the dollar stretcher has coupons for this place and sometimes the guardien does too. the prices without coupons are a bit too much of a rip off, the food is not bad, rice is sort of hard though and beef is too dry as well as the chicken, but with the teriyaki sauce it helps a lot and is not bad, for the price i would expect a bit more meat though, i felt that the meat vs rice proportion was way off. pretty friendly cashier usually though which is nice. read more

Love the magic sauce here! Its really teriyaki and their hot sauce is yummy too. Chix and steak bowls. White meat is an option for an extra $1.25. Simple small place but good food. Great sticky rice topped with vegetables and chicken and sauce on the side. Will run you about $6 for a small bowl. read more

5 minutes from work. 5 minutes to get my lunch/dinner. 5 dollars to buy. 5 minutes to kill the meal! AND ITS A DELICIOUS and HEALTHY OPTION. I always get the works in a mini size bowl with brown rice. The works comes with chicken, beef, and veggies. Satisfies me at all points! I top it off with their magic sauce which really just looks like teriyaki sauce. But when you mix it with the siracha sauce, it's OVER. I'm done devouring this in 5. Yes! read more

Looking for a filling meal on the go? Want something tasty, savory, and possibly healthy (more like not unhealthy), come here! Located in La Jolla Village Square next to Rubios and Elijahs, The Flame Broiler offers a selection of chicken/veggie/beef bowls for some cost (7 bucks for my beef bowl) but mucho taste. The first time I came here, the woman taking my order was so friendly and helpful. The bowl came with veggies, beef, and your choice of brown or white rice. The beef if tender and tasty. They offer spicy sauce and extra teriyaki, if needed. I also ordered a mango smoothie (with what they say is made with real mango); I wouldn't order it again. It was more of a slushie than a smoothie. The joint is small, but has character. The bowl is very convenient and well packed (no spills!), and filling. Would recommend this place. read more

Guy that works the register is rude; I have seen him 4 times be a total a hole to people; cant support anymore. beef is dry but pretty good. Chicken has no flavor read more

Basically a Hawaiin food place that doesn't advertise itself as one. You get tons of food, but only so-so taste wise. The "magic sauces" are all very salty so be careful. Gave an extra star for the great service. They didn't have enough white rice and so we had to wait an extra 5 minutes. The apologized and gave us free drinks while we waited. Free stuff is always worth a star... read more

2 stars for attempted robbery! Cashier guy shorted me an entire dollar! It's not until I counted my change that I realized it and asked for the correct change. Service was quick though and the food was ok. Beware of incorrect change given at this location. read more

"Hey Bro, I'm next!" I enjoy this place for what it is. A semi-healthy teriyaki bowl. I get the works bowl with brown rice. It is unbelievably quick and cheap. The hot sauce and jalapenos add a nice kick. It is good, not great. A three star place on any other day. The reason I give this four stars is that on my most recent trip, the cashier that works the register made my week. The cashier appears to be Hispanic, maybe late 30's. Short. Very nice. Customer service at places has gotten abysmal over the years, and the customers are no better, so it was refreshing to see someone who gets it. Here's what happened: A young Persian guy was in line in front of me. He had a cell phone glued to his ear. It got to his turn, and he actually held up his index finger to the cashier, as to indicate that he would be a moment and she should wait, and he kept blabbing on his cell phone. Her face said it all. She was pretty surprised by the brazen attitude of this knucklehead. She and I locked eyes and I started to step around the guy and proceed to order. He looked at me incredulously and said, "Hey Bro, I'm next!" I said, "And you still are". He opened his mouth to say who knows what, but the cashier cut him off, looked right at me, and said, "Sir, what would you like?" Atta girl! The knucklehead just stood there with his mouth open, catching flies. It absolutely made my week. read more

If you want to grab a quick lunch (sort of like fast food but healthy) this is the place for you! The staff is always friendly! It's a very time place with no where you really sit and it but it's cheap and great teriyaki! I am a condiments girl and other places are stingy with their sauces...but not here! They encourage you to take as much as you want and ohhh I do! I even take some extra to go home and then mix it in my own meat and stir fry it! Scandalous, I know but I've offered to buy the sauce and they simply tell me to take as much as I want..so I don't feel as bad! At least when I come here I am ordering for 4 or more people!!! read more