This was a bonus find after going to the Commons Marketplace. I saw a place called Primal and as a carnivore really wanted to check this out for lunch. There are a few lunch combos and options but I'm always interested in meat by the pound. I received confirmation the brisket is only rubbed with salt and pepper which is perfect. It was absolutely delicious and was a great ratio of meat and fat. The fat was rendered well and the salt and pepper crust had a great taste. It was tender, juicy, and this is my new favorite place to get brisket. We picked up a rack of ribs for mi madre, and also a side of coleslaw. We requested the order be packed to go so we could eat a little bit of it while there and then just take the rest with us. Everyone was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable about the food. Madre confirmed the ribs were really good too (since the ribs have sugar in the rub, I only stuck with brisket). We visit the island on a semi-regular basis and will be bringing bbq home with us from now on. read more

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Updating from the review I posted the other night - my husband and I both woke up ill after eating at this place. Never again.

brisket tacos were excellent. My wife had the chicken, cilantro, lime salad. both were excellent I especially like being in tentative Service. I would say the ambience is excellent. I prefer the outside seating but the inside has a nice look to it read more

Best queso and best brisket I've ever had. Primal has nailed it. My husband had the rice bowl with brisket (you can choose from at least four proteins). I had the beef brisket tacos. So good. And we shared the green chile queso and chips. I would come back just for that. Homemade right here. Delectable for what is usually an ordinary sauce. Don't live in the area or I'd be a regular. read more

Primal Taco - Rice bowl with beef brisket and burnt ends!! - Tacos Near Me - Camano, Washington

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This was a huge disappointment. The "brisket" tasted and looked like pot roast and not even good pot roast at that. It had zero taste of smoke. And I mean ZERO. We both tasted it first because it's our favorite when we hit bbq joints. Really not worth the drive. I choked eating it, was so dry and over cooked. The slaw lacked seasoning (basic salt and pepper even?), wasn't balanced in flavor. Not even much vinegar. No sweetness at all (which can be fine with the right slaw!!) this just wasn't appealing. I've eaten cabbage with plain mayo, & salt/pepper that had more flavor. How do you mess up slaw at a bbq joint?? It was fresh though. Everything was. The pickles were great! Homemade and crisp. The beans were delicious as was the sausage but again I didn't sense it had been smoked on site. It just tasted like stuff I pick up at the grocery store. Hit of smoke flavor? Not *smoked*. Even 10min on the smoker would have given it more flavor than this had. The flavor of it was good though. I would have preferred more of this over the brisket. I've tried many local bbq places, don't waste your time here. We noticed nearly everyone was getting salads. Cool. But probably a bad omen at a bbq joint. I guess this might have been why?? The locals already know? read more

Primal Taco - Brisket. Aka pot roast. Not smoked at ALL. - Tacos Near Me - Camano, Washington

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I've been here twice so far, and honestly was all I could talk about after the first time. Order at the corner, they will bring the food to you and clean up the tables after. I've done the food for you which includes two meats, two sides, and two sauces. The brisket is so tender with the right amount of fat left on. The pulled pork is also very good, and the sausage is worth a try. The baked beans are really something special. Not a lot of sauce and mixed with onion. I could just do a double helping of the beans! I've also tried the elote (Mexican street corn) and potato salad. Both are good but liked the elote better. I am undecided between the tangy and smoky sauces. There is also a hot smoky sauce that has a little heat but not very much. Great service, excellent food, and check out the plant store upstairs and the market next door! read more

Primal Taco - a variety of foods on a tray - Tacos Near Me - Camano, Washington

Can't believe I only tried it here now after being in Camano for awhile now. Taste really good, service was fast, nice staff, and I love the ambience next to everything like library and Camano Commons for an afternoon coffee and gift shopping after lunch. Highly recommended! Will try more from their menus for "shore"! Photo taken was a takeout as I have to go somewhere else. read more

Primal Taco - Primal Rice Bowls - Tacos Near Me - Camano, Washington

Primal Taco is amazing. I'm so excited this is down the street from my house (also dangerous I might become 500 lbs and poor- no regrets) I had the chicken nachos and it was one of those things you get in life where you're like "man I really hope this never changes and they never take it off the menu" cause it would be earth shattering to me if you did. I like how the nachos are laid flat, not in a bowl. Cause then you get a bite of the goodness in every bite. And they weren't stingy with the toppings, which I also appreciate. 10/10 They were SO GOOD! I also felt the same about the queso dip with the ground beef in it. Honestly just so good. I would have taken a picture for this review but I devoured it so fast I think I scared my husband a little. (I'm also super pregnant, so I'm sure it was a sight to see) I might go get it right now. Ps. I did also eat here when it was Primal BBQ, and I have to be honest it wasn't my favorite. So I'm super glad the owner switched it up! Good call!! read more

The tacos were very mediocre. We had pork, burnt ends and gringo(ground beef). The tortillas, blue corn, were not properly prepared and taste as though they came straight out of the bag. They are really missing an opportunity by not making their own tortillias, especially when you're charging $9 for a taco. Service and ambiance were satisfactory. read more

The brisket was my favorite. Baked beans were decent and elite was pretty good. They were out of Mac n cheese and ribs by around 5pm when we got there. Staff was pleasant and atmosphere was basic and clean. I would return if in the area just so I could try the items that run out the most often. I also wish I didn't have to beg for a teaspoon of sauce !! Just put sauce bottles on the tables? Hope you like it as well read more

Very disappointing. We went last night and definitely won't be going back. We were the only table eating inside at 6:30 PM on a Saturday night. Not a good sign. The 3 of us all ordered combo meals including brisket, ribs, elote, slaw and portobello mushrooms as sides. Brisket was not fresh- definitely reheated. There was a pool of grease under the dish. Ribs were not fresh- served dry and lukewarm. Elote was ok for a BBQ joint. Slaw had no flavor. Portobello mushroom has no seasoning and was most likely microwaved. The tangy and smokey BBQ sauces were very good. We spent $105 for 3 combos, 3 drinks and a $10 tip. Definitely not worth it. read more

Ugh. I wanted this place to be so good. To keep this review short-- the bowl had literally zero flavor, both my husband and I had carnitas and it was so dry and flavorless... and his two tacos, my bowl, and my kids cheese quesadilla came to over 50$ HUH???? For that price I was expecting way way better.... I'm super sad about this one, we've been wanting to try this for so long. It really disappointed. read more

WTF am i! An ANINAL? I was feeling primal hungry up on consume 2 tinytacos. For price if 8 tacohelltacos. Are you joking me? the server was not a comedianne. I dont find that humor. do you find it? Let's not forget thr uncooked chicken. Maybe that's what they mean by primal??? Webster dictionary help read more

OMG so so good! They must be brand new as the signage board of the commons still shows the old pizza place that was the before, just follow that sign and you'll arrive here. The restaurant is cute and modern with plenty of seating inside and nice small covered patio. Staff was super friendly and they got a good choice of combos for your BBQ craving. We got the ribs and pulled pork, very delish. We also loved that their side of slaw and potato salad had great seasoning. They got a big fridge of beers, soda, juices, plenty to choose from, we'll definitely be back. read more

Primal Taco - Menu - Tacos Near Me - Camano, Washington

Food is absolutely delicious and service is amazing! We ordered the "food for you" option which comes with 2 meats and 2 sides. The brisket is a MUST try, super tender, juicy and with a nice char. Elote (Mexican corn) is delicious too. They even offered the 5 sauces sampler for free rather than having to choose 2 sauces only. Staff are super nice and attentive. Def highly recommend! Has a parking lot in the front entrance. read more

Primal Taco seems clean and the food is reasonably good. Make no mistake, this is "Mexican Style" food, not Mexican food. Just like their other restaurant across the courtyard, "Tapped", it is decent food but not inspired. I will grade on a curve and give it four stars because this area doesn't have really good restaurants. read more

I was excited for nothing. You are closed now but if you re-open and actually slice your brisket I would go back. The staff was really nice.

Food was very good. Limited menu however it is good if you desire BBQ meat as entree. Service is limited and ambiance is island living, adequate, not fancy. read more

Awesome value for the combo "Food for You" ($26 at the time of this review). The ribs and brisket (the combo I ordered) are excellent, with the ribs slightly more impressive than the brisket, which was the shredded version vs. the sliced version (my preference). For the sides, DO NOT SKIP the beans... they are super tasty and could be a meal by itself. This combo is definitely enough for 2 hungry people (imho). The other side we got (potato salad) was not particularly special, and not as impactful as the beans, though by itself there's nothing to complain about. I could see making this a biweekly habit :) read more

Primal Taco is such a fun spot! These tacos are so unique & fun! The Bayou Shrimp taco & Korean Pork belly tacos were 10/10. And that queso was absolutely to die for! You can tell they put real thought into their menu. I'll definitely be back -can't wait to try the rest! read more

Food was great. Service very friendly. We will be back...and will spread the word about this spot.

Great food & great service! I came to Camano Island for the Northwest Glass Quest. This place was recommended. The staff was very friendly & helpful. The food was prepared quickly and tasted amazing! read more

Primal Taco - Southwest salad with pulled pork - Tacos Near Me - Camano, Washington

I came here today with a friend for lunch. We had ribs, brisket baked beans, and coleslaw. The food was delicious. Very good customer service. I think the place is new. I would definitely recommend it so I'm giving it a five star rating. read more

BBQ beans are excellent. Really good brisket. The staff is very friendly and helpful. A must, when visiting Camano.

I don't normally leave reviews but because there was only one other thought it might help! Food was really good! Got ribs and brisket and potato salad. Only odd thing was no bread to make brisket sandwiches and pickles is a side you pay for lol. Sauces were good! People were nice! read more

Tastes good. Not enough food for the number of servings the menu shows it would feed. Disappointing amount of $$ compared to servings and sides did not serve the # of people expected. read more

Excellent BarBQ. Brisket and shredded pork were both flavorful and moist. Serving size was generous. Staff was friendly, courteous and helpful. I will return again when in the Stanwood/Camano area. read more

This place was perfect in every way! We came in from rainy camping and we got to sit outside on a beautiful covered back porch with our dogs in tow. The service was spectacular-the cashier and chef were both attentive and helpful with our orders, and the meals were ALL so good. The Ban Mi bowl, bbq sandwiches, smoked portebello mushrooms and macaroni were all fabulous-we will be returning! read more

Absolutely loved this place! Friendly, attentive service. Simple and yet diverse menu. Not too many BBQ places make both amazing meat and also quality vegetarian options, but Primal BBQ completely exceeded what I was hoping for. My carnivore family really enjoyed their meals, and I thought the Asian bowl was phenomenal. It's located right in with a lot of other shops and a cool park, so we were able to spend a lot of the day there. Would definitely return. read more

We've heard good things and decided to give it a try. This may be our new favorite! Two of us shared the 1/2 rack of ribs with brisket mac n cheese and the baked beans. All of it was super delicious. read more

Eating here at Primal was heaven! Literally the BEST brisket we have ever tasted! Being offered a tasting sample of all the sauces was such an delicious experience. JC & Angelique were so friendly & helpful. We highly recommend! 5 stars all the way! read more

My husband and I just ate here and it was DELICIOUS! Service was great as well. We'll be back.

Best baked beans I've ever had . Brisket was also great . Tender . Good flavor . Stopped by here on our way to visit a friend but will definitely come back here again to try other things in the menu read more

Sausage links were undercooked (pink in the middle), ribs were incredibly dry and tasteless, and baked beans had been boiled down into a paste. The Bahn Mi salad was lettuce with a vinaigrette. The 1/4 rack of ribs I'd ordered extra was simply dumped on top of the lettuce. Won't be going back. read more

Had the meal for two $26. It included 2 slices 1/4 thick about ten inches long, some beans that were really good, 3 ribs (this remember this was their meal for 2 don't know how to split 1 rib), a little pulled pork and cheese over Fritos. Another person in our group had pulled pork, try to picture a piece of paper with 1 lb in a blob in the middle. Expensive for what you get, staff was nice. I will not go back read more