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    Friendship BBQ

    3.9 (88 reviews)
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Friendship BBQ Photos

    FRIENDSHIP BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Friendship BBQ

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    Dinner spread
    Rongan C.

    10/10 service. Restaurant itself is very cozy and tucked away. Food came faster than I blinked, and everything was delicious. Highlights include the eggplant and Xinjiang style lamb skewers.

    Store Front
    Hanna H.

    I came here with a friend for dinner and had an okay experience. It was a weekday, so surprisingly there were some tables filling up still closer to closing time. We were caught off guard a bit since there was one large party that was getting pretty drunk also. The food was just okay overall. A bit pricey, and each skewer is tiny. The skewers are all brushed with the same seasoning. However, I was just not impressed by the flavors and quality of the skewers since they tasted a little bland. For a table of 2 we spent about $40 each to get full. Points to the unique concept of Friendship BBQ since there are not really any other Chinese Skewer spots in Boston though. What we ordered: - Northeastern Dan Dan Noodles - Set of 10 tofu skin skewers - Scallion Pancake - Lamb skewers - Beef skewers - Chicken skewers - Pork Belly Skewers - Squid Tentacle Skewers - Bowls of rice

    June M.

    I went here for dinner and here is why I gave it 3 stars: The restaurant was packed when we arrived, the staffs are nice and fast. Restaurant are decorated like a street vendor in China. I like the interior and the vibes here. Laid back, this is the type of restaurant you would go, when you want to catch up with your friends, through a quick meal. They have a QR code for u to scan and order food right on your phone. We ordered a bunch of different skewers to try and it was not good at all. They will bring the skewers out for you to grill at your table. However, the meats are too dry, the marinated neither absorbed to the meat or tasty. I haven't been back since so I don't know if the quality of the skewers are better. But I would not recommend the skewers here.

    Chives, Tofu Skin and Garlic Eggplant
    Jimmy H.

    The perfect place to unleash your inner carnivore. This spot is my guilty pleasure for a huge cheat day. Each order usually comes with multiple skewers so it adds up pretty quickly. The meat skewers come cooked and placed on a tray that keeps them nice and warm for later. There is a nice rub that comes with each of the meats. It's a little spicy but not unbearable if you don't have a spice tolerance and so salty. For vegetables I recommend the chives which have a similar spice as with the meat skewers for something a little more refreshing. The tofu skin skewers are not to be missed and they come with a whopping 10 per order! Definitely a flavorful experience but the rub can become tiresome quickly as it's scattered on every dish. I think it'll be a nice touch if you allowed the diner to add their own spice via a shaker so they can switch things up themselves.

    The grill ( not on they just use it to keep the meats hot)
    Srey Y.

    Very friendly, very good food. You go downstairs and you got this underground feeling where you can order some soju and shoot the shit with some beef sticks. I brought my non Asian friends here and they LOVED it. Flavorful meat sticks and the cold noodles were pretty good! Again this spot is really a good place to drink a few and eat bar food.

    jojo

    I love this place!!! Amazing customer service all of them were so nice and would highly recommend. WOULD COME BACK. Food was good too, might have to wait a little for it to heat up but that's okay cus it's def worth the wait. LOVEEE THE WORKERSSS SOO NICEE

    Melanie W.

    I did not expect to dine here again because I am not a big fan of cumin seasoning but my friend want to eat skewers. The food is better than last time I dine here which was few years ago. My favorite was the grilled eggplant and corn in bucket which the seasoning was just right... but not worth me to come back again unless my friend want to come.

    Carita H.

    Eating here brings back memories of hong kong street food and stands. At first I thought we cook them ourselves, but the kabobs you have to order and they will bring it out to you. The waiters were really nice and helpful at explaining what to do and how to order. The place was kind of small not a lot of room, but that's how it is in Hong Kong. My family liked it and we'll definitely come back.

    Oyster
    Tiffany D.

    First time here. I like gizzards on a stick. Servers were fast friendly and attentive. Food comes fast. The food was flavorful in terms of spices but needed some salt. I wish there were some sauces and condiments. I would definitely come back.

    Green beans and pork belly wrapped enoki mushrooms skewers
    Julie N.

    We came on a rainy Saturday evening for dinner and had zero wait. It's a fun casual spot, great for some good bbq and beers. The skewers were deliciously seasoned, maybe just a little overcooked. The little heater on the table for the skewers almost wasn't needed since we devoured them as soon as they came out. We also loved the easy system of ordering food and asking for the check with our phones. super kind and friendly staff as well! If we lived in the area, this would be a regular spot for us for sure!

    Chinese BBQ Lamb skewer
    Bill S.

    This is authentic Chinese BBQ, if you love authentic Chinese BBQ then bully for you man! Me, I'm just a gringo looking for a place to eat. Lots of restaurants are closed, some are offering outdoor dining. Friendship BBQ has their restaurant open with plastic walls separating the other tables. It's late and I just want to eat some chow. I don't want a seafood pot, I simply want a dinner special with rice. Friendship BBQ isn't that type of spot. Its authentic (Whatever that even means) so General Tsos is not one of the options. I ordered a few lamb skewers, ate and left. The lamb skewers were too salty for me, it wasn't enjoyable.

    Chu H.

    Fun experience and atmosphere to enjoy a variety of skewers! The loss of points are lack of variety in marination of flavors in the meat skewers. They are all spicy flavors which is yummy but will be nice to see more marinated options to choose from. The other part is that the bill adds up quickly while selecting the meats and veggies and range of skewers to enjoy. This area is easy to get to from public transit and located in the heart of chinatown.

    Yummy food!!
    Vicki M.

    The food was great and quite different from the usual - more like street food! First time ordering from this restaurant. Delivery took a while, but all the food was piping hot and fresh which was awesome! Skewer chicken was so tender and well-seasoned. Chicken wings were really good too. The garlic eggplant looks exactly like its pictured on the grubhub menu page and tasted really great - perfect blend of garlic and cilantro with the soft eggplant. Grilled buns, corn and green beans were flavorful and tasty. Shredded potato fried rice was very good. The scallion pancake was a single small round slightly thick pancake, quite different from the usual ones we're used to, and no sauce. Hot and sour egg drop soup was too spicy - had too many jalapenos and red chili peppers. Could only eat one spoonful of it. Wondering how we're going to eat it considering its a large container full - probably diluting it waaay down with water or broth :). They should have a "mild" spicy version of it imo. Overall great experience with slightly different style of food. Will absolutely order again - a new favorite hands down!!

    Chives. Tofu Skin. Garlic Eggplant.

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    1 year ago

    I loved the mushrooms and cartilage on a stick. Nice atmosphere. Friendly service. Lots of cool exotic meats to try

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    2 years ago

    Great unique experience! It's hard to beat meat on a stick. The only thing I didn't care for was you had to order on your phone.

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    2 years ago

    You will regret not going here. Amazing food. Even better service. Get the lamb. Must go to in Chinatown!

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    Friendship BBQ Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Friendship BBQ

    Do they take reservation?

    Yes you can call ahead if the party is large, but you can also just walk in and not have to wait long if the party is small

    What kind of bbq?

    BBQ skewers with a variety of meat and vegetables.

    View All 4 Questions

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    Mountain House

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    This place transported me to a whole other location! I didn't feel like I was in Massachusetts…read moreanymore. The decor inside and the quality of their food here takes you away! From the very attentive and supportive staff to the intricate details that they have throughout the restaurant , it is truly transformative experience. As for the food, if you're in the mood of something spicy, especially that Sichuan type of heat, then the beef soup is the one for you! I personally would recommend the green pepper pork because it was absolutely delicious! I could not stop eating it and it was just perfect in every which way! Looking forward to coming here again to try many other delicious foods and will probably bring a couple of more friends because their group seating is absolutely stunning!

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    JiangNan - Boston

    JiangNan - Boston

    4.4
    (348 reviews)
    0.2 mi
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    Xiao Long Bao (5/10): Not worth ordering. To their credit, at least there was soup inside. The…read morefilling was not very flavorful, though. I had this with my Shanghainese relatives and they thought it was so bad Fish Slices w/ Pickled Mustard Greens (6.5/10): This tasted fine. The fish itself was not memorable. The spice level was ok, but could've been spicier. Crab Roe over Rice (7/10): Pretty tasty, but more of a side dish. Peking Duck (7/10): Honestly, I never order Peking duck unless I'm with my relatives. It tasted good to me, but pretty comparable to other Peking ducks I've had in the US. I think this is their #1 specialty dish or something, so knowing that, it doesn't really live up to the hype. tl;dr Too expensive for the quality of food you get.

    Photos
    Main dining area
    Main dining area
    Stir fry spicy beef
    Stir fry spicy beef
    Steamed Pork & Crab Meat $10.95 Soup Dumplings (4) 蟹粉小笼包

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    Steamed Pork & Crab Meat $10.95 Soup Dumplings (4) 蟹粉小笼包
    Five Spices House - Boston

    Five Spices House - Boston

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    Glad one of my favorite restaurants reopened so decided to try some items I've never had and also…read moremy usual favorites. They renovated the inside but not too much changed inside with the same table set up. They had a spend $55 get free dish so we hopped on that and got the dan dan noodles. The noodles and wontons were decent nothing special. A new favorite and a must get is the steamed pork with garlic which is the wrapped meat. The sauce is absolutely delicious, got this togo as well and was dipping other food in it. Got our usual favorites of cumin lamb and sautéed string beans, these are a classic can't go wrong although when we ordered the lamb togo the portion seemed much less especially for the cost of $22. We tried the fresh fillet in spicy broth which cost $54. It came with some vegetables but the ratio was a little off, there were barely any bean sprouts and they were difficult to get. Wish there was more for the price we were paying for the fish. Overall a great place that will always be a favorite for a family dinner night.

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    2nd floor
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    Cubist Circle

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    The best of the best!! The fish in a pot (干锅鱼)is the best!! It was crispy outside and very juicy…read moreand tender inside, the flavor was perfectly balanced with salty, peppery, and chili seasoning. Beef and tripe was very well seasoned and no weird taste at all. The duck blood is the best duck blood in Boston, very tender and delicious. The cost of the dishes surprisingly a little bit cheaper than other restaurants. Even though the restaurant was super super busy, a lot of people waiting for a seat, and there was only one server, a very friendly man, we had water refilled and all the dishes arrived quickly. The service was great. Because the food was so good, many people willing to wait for a seat. I love the small busy restaurant kind of ambience. I will definitely go back soon!

    A solid Chinese restaurant for the area. I have been to its Weymouth location. Not sure if this…read morelocation is newer than Weymouth or not. Limited street parking out front, but there are more street metered parking on the side street (next to the green line). The restaurant is much smaller than the Weymouth location, and the menu selection is also different. The server asked me to scan the QR code on the table for the menu, so I'm not sure if they have a paper menu. You can place the order directly via the QR code. I requested one dish to be non-spicy, and they were able to accommodate that. The only thing was that both dishes were a little bit too salty than my liking. I came here during a weekday lunch, and it wasn't super busy. I would return again.

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    Chongqing noodles (重庆小面)
    Chongqing noodles (重庆小面)
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    Mala Restaurant

    Mala Restaurant

    3.9
    (395 reviews)
    3.6 mi
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    Came on a very busy Sunday night but managed to get seated with no wait. However, it took an entire…read morehour for our food to come out which was a bit frustrating given the lack of communication about any delays. However, the dry spicy pot was great (though a bit too greasy to have often) and the food was tasty overall. I would probably come back, but order takeout to avoid the long wait from dining in.

    I checked the reviews before I wrote. As everyone commented, the food is not bad but the service is…read morehorrible. They don't even have any service and ask you to tips at least 15%. The employees like to gossip the customers. I sat right next to the front desk. I heard they said the big table didn't order too much food and didn't order expensive food (there was a table with 6 people). I didn't order the rice with my meal on purpose because they will bring my rice first before the meals come. They didn't happy with it. They were complaining about it in the front desk and I heard it. I ordered the soda after the meals came, they didn't like it either. One of the waitress pushed another waitress and said, I don't want to go to grab. The other waitress said, I don't want to go either. If they don't like to work or they don't like servicing people, they don't have to work as waitresses. I don't understand why the owner hired them or maybe the owner agreed what they do? I ordered the food from chowbus. They just delivered the food out. They even asked for at least 15% tips? They didn't even want to deliver my soda or rice, they asked me to tip them??? DONT GO IF YOU WANT TO HAVE SERVICE DONT GO IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A HAPPY DINNER

    Photos
    Sidewalk views
    Sidewalk views
    Fish Fillet in Chef's Special Chili Sauce
    Fish Fillet in Chef's Special Chili Sauce
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    Friendship BBQ - bbq - Updated July 2026

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