Overall, a really solid spot that the whole family enjoyed--the kids especially loved the beef tongue curry. Most of the seafood and skewers hit the mark, with just one miss on the veggies. The Highlights: Abalone in Shell with vermicelli (5/5): Fresh, tender, and perfectly prepared. Scallops in Shell with Vermicelli (5/5): Fantastic flavor and texture Beef Tongue Curry: Rich, comforting, and a huge hit with the kids. The tongue was cooked just right. Skewers & Sides: Abalone Skewers (4/5): slightl larger pieces than the ones served in the shell, tasty and well-charred. Shrimp Skewers (4/5): Well-seasoned and cooked properly without drying out. Corn Skewers (3/5): A bit of a letdown. Heavily over-seasoned to the point where the natural sweetness of the corn was completely lost. Definitely worth a visit for the seafood and curry--we'll be back, but will likely skip the corn next time. read more

Exactly what you're expecting when you want skewers. Everything was flavorful and well-cooked. Favorites were spicy beef skewers, mochi bacon, scallop in butter sauce, grilled oyster with garlic. The mentaiko udon stir fry was ok. I would skip the duck breast as it was kind of dry and not as flavorful as the other options they have. Price is borderline on still being somewhat reasonable but can add up quick if you have a big appetite. Decor made the ambiance nice. Service was fine. Food may be a little slow to come out depending on how busy they are. There is street parking but may be hard to get a spot during dinner time. read more

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I love this place! I particularly like it because it's open late and the menu offerings are just great for a late night spot. Being Japanese, I love skewers! Lots of options here, the seasonings are a little different from Japanese skewers though just FYI. The mentaiko udon is a must!! The menu is quite large and I haven't tried everything (and I have my favorites, all here) but I always look forward to going back and trying something new. read more

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Food wasn't terrible but on the sweeter side. I typically like my food to be saltier and spicier when eating skewers. Service was spot on, really attentive and friendly. read more

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Just wow!!! My family and I were in the area looking for a place to have dinner and stumbled upon this spot. We originally had another place in mind, but the wait was over an hour, so we just decided to add ourselves to the waitlist at 7:30PM on a Saturday and we were seated within 20 minutes. Loved the decor and reminded me of a street style eatery. We order a variety of different skewers, but my favorites were chicken gizzards, grilled gristle, and beef tendon because of their textures. I was pleasantly surprised that I also enjoy their shishito peppers and A Choy. It has been a while since I've had skewers and it brings back so many memories. We also ordered fried bun with condensed milk for dessert and it was delicious. The buns were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. So glad we stopped by to give this place to try. If you're a fan of skewers, I'd recommend coming here since they have different types of meat. Prices are reasonable but of course everything adds up when you keep ordering. There are so many restaurants in this area, and I can't wait to come back in again! read more

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Would be a four except the service is not friendly or professional. Water refiller ended up spilling water on one of our diner's - poured from too high of an angle and initial pour splashed on our companion, additionally Kimchee and Seaweed salad is one small double condiment size dish per table regardless of number of diners per table, a table of two gets the same portion as a table of five, we asked for one more but was told one per table, additionally servers bring out the food with no enthusiasm or smile on their faces. They will also rush you out after completing your meal. We tried a variety of dishes from appetizers like Fried Chicken Skin (addictive and likely bad for you but so are many other things), Skewers, Wagyu, Okra, Lamb, Chicken, etc... all the food was good, just a turn-off due to the service. read more

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Place is nice and neat, clean Food is tasty but portion runs small, real small. It's like kids meal when comparing to other bbq stick places. Server - all three running around: Forgot to light up our toaster Did not refill our water or drinks I was told I must do this and that on the menu in order to get the daily special. Customers spent $$$ on skewers would not care to do this or that for an extra one, your daily special meant to attract customers instead inconvenience drives customers away. read more

Prime BBQ - Vermicelli Scallop w/ Garlic was the size of a nickel - Barbeque Near Me - San Mateo, California

Overall, everything was good and delicious. The only exception was the Wagyu beef with uni, which is quite expensive at almost $18 per skewer, but unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I expected. That said, I would still recommend this restaurant. The charcoal ribeye skewers were definitely the best--so flavorful, tender, and delicious! read more

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A bit fusiony for a typical Chinese bbq place with some Japanese yakitori options. My personal favorites were the beef tongue (JP), chicken hearts (JP), Gizzard (CH), Lamb (CH), Beef (CH), Achoy, and Green chives. Semi sweet glaze over complimented well with some of the bitterness of the veggies. Spice powder on the side was also a nice addition! Barely spicy but good to add with the meat. Honestly everything was not bad. My biggest gripe though was that these hot plates were heated by two tea lights and basically did little to nothing. You can hold your finger there and it will feel barely warm at all. The food is already cooked so it's not like it did anything other than to "warm." There were other tea light candles underneath and if the other ones lit up, it might've actually did something. If I could, I would've lit them all up since I prefer my food hot. Otherwise, these hot plates are pure aesthetic, near zero function. read more

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Who knew a vegetable could become the star of the show at a bbq spot? While all the skewers here are excellent (especially the lamb) the fire eggplant fries are a must. I could eat the whole dish myself. read more

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First time trying this place for my sister's birthday. I made reservations for a party of 6 about two weeks in advance, and I'm glad I did because when we arrived around 7 PM, the restaurant was packed and busy. Just a heads up, they only accept phone reservations for groups of 6 or more. If you have fewer than 6 people, it's walk-in only. Ordering is done through a QR code where you can add items to your cart. I actually liked that multiple people in the party can scan the QR code and add items themselves instead of having one designated person order everything or having separate carts that no one else can see. The only downside is that it can be easy to accidentally over-order if someone adds something you were already planning to get, so I recommend reviewing your cart carefully before submitting. Since this is a skewer restaurant, you probably won't get super full from just ordering skewers, so I recommend getting some main dishes as well if you want to feel satisfied without spending too much on just meat. Service was pretty quick and the skewers came out in a reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately, they were sold out of a few items we wanted to try, which was a little disappointing, but maybe that's a sign I'll have to come back again. Everything we did try was delicious. The skewers were well-seasoned, and they also have extra seasoning available at the table. They allowed us to bring a birthday cake, stored it in their freezer for us, and provided plastic forks and paper plates, which was a nice touch. Our waitress was also very friendly and attentive throughout the meal. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and would consider coming back when I'm in the mood for skewers. I don't think it's somewhere I'd crave all the time, but I have no major complaints. Parking can be a little difficult, but luckily we were able to find public parking at the garage on Flores Street. read more

Prime BBQ was nice. We visited on a Sunday around 5:30pm and were seated quickly. There was ample street parking. Skewers ranged in price from around $3 to $6. We also ordered some side dishes for around $7 to $9, Cucumber Salad, Chicken Karaage, Grilled Eggplant, and Agedashi Tofu. After ordering the food came out quickly. They were all pretty good. For what you get, we found the side dishes to be the best value. The skewers were good, but some can be pretty light. Okra, for example, is $3.45 but only has three pieces. We liked the ribeye skewers which were $5.99 and had four pieces. Overall, it was good. But there are so many good places to eat in San Mateo. We'll probably try some other places before coming back to Prime BBQ. read more

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Oops, previous review was for the skewer shop next door. Prime has izakaya options as well as Chinese skewers. Also I think they sprinkled sugar on the skewers which was weird. The Chinese skewers I believe is available during dinner only. Leaving as a note for myself. read more

Recommend the fried eggplant. Beef (chinese style) and beef tongue (japanese style) are also highly recommended. read more

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Ordered a bunch of different skewers for takeout yesterday (spicy lamb, spicy prime rib(?), spicy chicken, negihama, lobster tail, bacon lychee, and some veggies). My dad was a huge fan, and I was pretty happy with all of the chicken skewers. Unfortunately, as expected, skewers aren't great for takeout since by the time I got home the red meat skewers were already a bit cold/stiff. I'll probably come back another time to try them fresh in house, especially since my dad was really happy with them! We decided to try the bacon lychee one specifically because it's a really weird combo. I wasn't the biggest fan (it tastes exactly what it sounds like though, lol), but my dad thought it was pretty cool so I'd recommend trying it. I also ordered the fried salt/pepper green beans on the side, but wasn't a big fan. I think these were also impacted by doing takeout since by the time we got them the fry was not that crispy. Overall, I'm sure it's a great pick for dine-in, but not so much for takeout. read more

After trying both skewer spots on 25th Ave, Prime BBQ has the edge. The izakaya selection has a good variety of meats and veggies alongside rice dishes, and small plates that make it easy to share. The drink list is strong too, with plenty of unique teas, juices, and sodas. They also have a ton of sake and beer options. Service was friendly and attentive, and the decor is warm and cozy with a surprising number of labubus hanging around the bar area. The only downside is the price, which runs high if you are ordering multiple skewers and drinks. Still, for quality, variety, and vibe, Prime BBQ is a solid pick for a fun night out. read more

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This place stands out from its skewer competitors around! Compared to some other places (one even down the street), Prime BBQ offers so much more variety, unique dishes, and even different flavors of the same meat to keep things diverse. Curry Chicken Katsu: pretty basic but we liked the offering of actual dinner plates instead of just skewers; rice was watery though Lychee Bacon: something we've never seen combined and it surprisingly works! We even ordered a second skewer Meats: out of all that we tried, I recommend the pork belly the most; second favorite was chicken skin but the one with the sauce on it vs. the plain one; chicken heart was also really flavorful They have daily specials - we came on a tuesday and got the buy 1 get 1 50% off ribeye skewer and that wasn't bad, just a bit chewy. There was a BOGO beer offer too. Service was sporadic. They do a really good job explaining each skewer they drop off so you know what you're eating, but we weren't checked on and it took us getting up and heading to the bar to even get a check. read more

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We were looking for a place to eat on the way home and saw this place which was perfect. My friend and family likes eating skewers but we usually never get to eat the Chinese skewers. This place happened to have both which was different for us. The skewers weren't overly seasoned where all we taste is the seasonings, which is a good thing. The food actually came out fast in our opinion. We usually have to wait awhile and only 1 ir 2 item comes at a time. They did come and check on us a couple of times, cleaned our table and gave us refills. According to my husband, it was slightly loud but we think it's fine. He just might be getting old. They did play some older music when we were there, which was nice. My little one actually enjoyed the food and they had cartoon playing on tv. We all agree that we would definitely come back and try it again one day. read more

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Been here a couple of times now and overall it's been a solid experience. Prices are reasonable for what you get. The rubs on the skewers aren't too spicy, but they do lean on the saltier side. We ordered the yakitori set along with the lamb skewers; both were cooked well and came out quickly. Their grilled eggplant was also a hit. The decor is nice, the place is clean, and service was fast and efficient. Overall, a nice, quaint Chinese BBQ spot that's easy to come back to when you're craving skewers. read more

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Great spot for skewers and drinks at night. Staff here are super friendly and the place has a nice cozy vibe. They offer a mixture of Japanese and Chinese skewers and you can easily order via a barcode/app! Ordered a variety of skewers of beef tendon, beef ribeye, Wagyu, pork, chicken gizzards, scallop, Japanese scallop, enoki, shishito pepper, and cucumber salad. Everything was tasted great, seasoned nicely and had a good amount of spice to it. Would skip the tendon though, a lil too chewy for my taste. Had the consistency of mochi but otherwise would come again! read more

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Had such a great time at Prime BBQ in San Mateo! We ordered the veggie fried rice, cucumber salad, mentaiko stir-fried udon with shrimp, vermicelli scallop with garlic, grilled oyster with garlic, and a bunch of skewers -- shishito pepper, wagyu steak with uni, beef tongue, and chicken meatball. We also tried the Thai tea (with the cutest bear on top ) and a bottle of Kubota "Senjyu." Everything was tasty, but my absolute favorite was the mentaiko udon, the beef tongue skewers, and the chicken meatball. Also, don't miss their $2 lunch specials (Fri-Sun) for oysters, abalone, and scallops. Super cute space with Labubu decor and a big sake selection. Highly recommend! read more

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Our friend really wanted us to try this place and I can totally see why! They have a large variety of items including yakitori AND chinese skewers. Their seasoning on the chinese skewers is sweeter and less salty than other places I've tried. They also have this jar of chili powder that tastes a lot like oxtail which was so unexpected. Only complaint is that food came out slower than preferred and it also took a while to get our check. Probably not a quick bite to eat if you have somewhere to go. Also I believe it's only street parking. read more

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Stumbled upon Prime BBQ after seeing that they have almost 5 stars, but I personally do not feel the same way after my experience. A cool, fun vibe - definitely a millennial's playlist playing in the restaurant! Came in on a slow Sunday afternoon. There was very little interaction with the service staff as we were only greeted once and never checked in on for water. The floor was extremely slippery/greasy and the table was sticky. We ordered a little bit of everything... Some yakitori, noodles and a bowl. From what we ordered, we enjoyed the Gyudon the best! (Even though the side veggies were not evenly cooked) read more

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solid food and experience burned my fingers on the handle of a hotplate. it might be to wrap it with something and make it easier to move the hotplate for the scallop dish around the table good curry read more

Tucked away on a quiet side street in San Mateo, PrimeBBQ is a peaceful little gem -- though street parking can be tricky during peak hours, so plan accordingly. The lunch deals are a great value, especially for grilled oysters, scallops, and more. The skewers are on the smaller side, true to traditional Japanese style. The food itself is solid -- everything is well-marinated, the meat is juicy, tender, and clearly high quality. I paired mine with the dry udon as a side, which was a nice, lighter option that complemented the meal well. One thing worth noting: the stoves or tables at the grill stations seemed slightly uneven, causing juices to drip to the side when lifting skewers -- something the restaurant should look into. Service was a mixed bag. Food came out at a reasonable pace with good timing between dishes, but the staff weren't very attentive -- you'd need to flag them down yourself, and we had to remind them about a missing order. Nothing dealbreaking, but there's room for improvement. That said, it's a fantastic spot for group hangouts. They have comfortable sofa seating and the restaurant is clean and well-kept. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area! read more

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A yummy place offering a combo of Japanese and Chinese skewers. Located along the street with no dedicated parking, so street parking might be a bit difficult to find! I had spotty service inside which made it difficult to place orders, since they have you order through QR code. I had to go outside to submit our order because they said they don't have wifi. Perhaps they could consider offering wifi for people who have trouble ordering with data. Cutely decorated interior with lantern and string lights. Cozy ambiance seating about 50 people - not too big inside. Might be harder to accommodate larger parties. We ordered: Scallop butter yaki: delicious and tender scallops with super flavorful sauce and thinly sliced mushrooms! Highly recommend Gyutan (beef tongue yakitori): my boyfriend loved this and said it was very tender Lamb skewer: Chinese style flavor, tender. Very good Prime grilled rib eye: Chinese style, this was my fav skewer! Prime house crispy pork belly: good but there was too much fat for me to enjoy (over half of skewer) if you like fat then this is for you. Also not as flavorful as other meats A choy: slight cumin flavoring, crunchy and yummy! Good portion Grilled abalone w vermicelli and garlic: delicious, highly recommend. The vermicelli was stuck to the shell and the abalone was pretty small but overall good. Mentaiko stir fry udon w/ shrimp: this wasn't as good as I hoped, it was a bit dry. I wish it was creamier and saucier; the flavor was there though. Friendly and efficient service, minimal interaction other than dropping off food since you order through QR. Overall prices were fair for the portion and quality of food! read more

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I was excited to try this place out after seeing such good reviews, but I was not as impressed as I was expecting. My biggest issue is that the spice rub for the meat and chives was just too salty, which severely detracted from the experience for me. Also I'm used to the vermicelli scallop being more steamed and less grilled, so I was thrown off by how some of the vermicelli had crusted onto the shell. But I really enjoyed the beef tendon (there's A LOT of tendon) and the mentaiko stir fried udon with shrimp!! read more

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Seriously our favorite place to go out. For literally any excuse. The options are perfect - Asian fusion + small bites + big bites. All great for sharing! Their seasoning on their veggies and some of their meat is so good. Just the right amount of spicy! The servers are always so attentive, kind and efficient. The decor is so fun and they're always playing Fairly Odd Parents!! The apps and desserts are our fave. I pretty much recommend everything on the menu! read more

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Hey munchkins! Hope you all are well. The sun is shining and you can feel the summer heat here in the Bay. But that's not the only thing hot here today. I recently went to Prime BBQ to celebrate "The Plower"s birthday. Happy birthday thanks for being a great friend! It was really good! The Beef tendon is very soft and good. It melted in my mouth and the heat and spice were the perfect kick. My friend got the mochi bacon. Truth be told I was a bit surprised by the combination myself but my friend said it was pretty good. It's crispy with bacon wrapped around the mochi. Imagine something with the texture of mochi and the texture of bacon. There was also stir fried Udon. It was quite good. It was certainly flavorful. It was thick and hearty. It took me back to high school when I used to carbo load before my football games. The vegetables were just like my jokes very corny. I asked my friend how the green beans were and he was too busy wolfing them down to give me anything other than a thumbs up. One of the best touches was the Thai tea which came with a cute bear made of Thai tea. It was the little spark of craftsmanship that really made me smile. As the ice melts the bear melts into the tea. I could tell I ate a lot here because when I walked out people asked when I was expecting. read more

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I've been wanting to try this spot for a good minute now so I thought why not pull up so here I am. I ordered the Uni ajitsuke tamago, the yakitori combo five, mentaiko stir fried udon w/shrimp, and the Thai iced tea. The highlights for me was the creaminess of the mentaiko udon and the yakitori. The food came out pretty fast. Ordering here is also very easy thru the QR code. The restaurant is also nicely decorated and has a lot of available seating. Try it out if you like. :) read more

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We had a fun first dinner at Prime BBQ! The restaurant has a cozy atmosphere, beautifully decorated with cherry blossoms, we even spotted some labubus hanging from the bar lights, which added a fun touch. The menu offers a diverse mix of yakitori and Chinese-style skewers. It's a popular spot, so we recommend making a reservation if you're in a group of five or more, smaller parties are walk-in only. We waited about 30 minutes for a table, which wasn't too bad given how busy it was. Once seated, the service was a bit confusing. A younger male server handed us menus and walked away, and we ended up waiting another 10 minutes before another staff member let us know we needed to order via a QR code--which was hidden under the menus. A clearer explanation upfront would've been helpful. That said, the food more than made up for the initial hiccup. Everything we ordered was delicious! Our favorites: Mentaiko shrimp udon Grilled garlic oysters Lamb skewers Gyutan (beef tongue) Chicken hearts Rib eye Scallops Pork cheek Pork neck We'll definitely be back to try more! read more

Prime BBQ - Vermicelli Scallop w/ Garlic Grilled Oyster w/ Garlic - Barbeque Near Me - San Mateo, California

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This place has very high ratings, and we decided to check it out for ourselves. They don't have paper menus. You need to scan the QR Code to place your order. We ordered the Chicken Karaage, Seafood Stirfried Noodles, Prime Combo Five, Abalone With Vermicelli and Garlic. They were generous with portion of Chicken Karaage. It was fried perfectly and the chicken was tender. However, some of the pieces were very salty as if they didn't mix the seasoning. The Prime Combo Five was barely warm when it got to our table as if they were sitting around for sometime. We like our meats to be hot. The meats were tender, but nothing special about it. The Seafood Stirfried Noodles were very, very salty that it was almost inedible. It was the worst we ever had. The Abalone With Vermicelli and Garlic was the best out of the four items that we ordered. After dining here, we were very thirsty for the rest of the day. read more

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Came during a late lunch with my fiance. The ambiance is like a more modern bar with some cute foliage inside. There's about 20 small tables. There's modern music playing in the back with a cute arch. You order with a QR code and it took a little but to get our stuff but that's normal for yakitori :( I ordered the chicken yakitori set. It was pretty expensive, costing almost 40 after tip and tax for the set. You get 6 skewers and an egg. The skewers were each not bad, but the price is pretty steep. The negima skewer was actually quite dry for me too, which is unusual given it's usually the most tender. The other skewers were good. It's solid, but for the price, I was hoping for more consistent quality, and larger portions. Having been to a lot of yakitori in the past (in and out of Japan) it landed at average for me. read more

Prime BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Mateo, California

Came on a weeknight and the place was surprisingly empty (3 other tables besides ours). They serve both Japanese and Chinese skewers and you order via QR code. The server explained Chinese skewers are dry and spicy, while Japanese ones come with a sauce. We ordered vermicelli scallop with garlic, grilled scallop, beef tongue, prime grilled ribeye, lamb, beef tongue, kamo, pork cheek, and seafood fried rice. Food arrived quickly and was generally tasty. The Chinese skewers were a tad spicy and the seasonings tasted very similar. The fried rice was a bit wet but had good wok hay. By no means are these the best skewers I've ever had, but it was decent for the price and satisfied my skewer craving. I would return. read more

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For a dining experience this was far too all over the place for me to give it a higher rating. Food- We arrived at 7p which I feel is pretty good but at that point some of the more premium meat cuts were already gone. Oddly enough my favorite thing was the grilled enoki mushrooms. One surprisingly good bite was the mochi wrapped bacon. But then again...bacon! Sweet and salty always a winner. Beef, shrimp, scallop skewers were okay but nothing spectacular. Hamachi collar was dry...really big boo They have a "warmer" on the table which is a little tray with some tea light candles but when things pile up it really doesn't help. Service was friendly but I felt stretched too thin having to flag down servers frequently to follow up on orders. Which brings me to my next point...work flow in the kitchen seems like it could be more efficient. Mid-meal we ordered just two more skewers and it took 30 minutes for them to come out. A waiter even thought we were done and was going to bring the check because we were just sitting around waiting. read more

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Swung by on a Sunday night as a 2 part dinner since it was open later. Half full with younger crowd and a few families. Nice chill ambiance for hanging out and music is audible enough but dialed in so you can have a conversation at normal levels. 1 of 2 skewer places on 25th - the other being Dynasty BBQ. Parking is plenty out front on 25th Ave strip dotted with other restaurants. Gyu Don - 2/5 few fatty beef slices layered a large bowl of rice; if the flavor was meant to be subtle - quite subtle such that lacking flavor Skewers OTOH were very well executed and flavorful; all skewers were nicely seasoned with a juicy interior-5/5 Whole fried eggplant-3/5 slight crisp exterior; inside was slightly bland but sweet and sour sauce drizzled on top makes up for it Staff was very quiet but kept an eye on keeping the water topped up. Overall, atmosphere depends on the loudness - that being said it was a Sunday night. Would come back for skewers when the craving arises. In terms of price, you will rack up the cost pretty quickly if you're looking to fill yourself. Would consider this a late night snack place with friends after a full evening out. Go straight to skewers for the best experience! If it weren't Sunday, grab a beer to pair with skewers! read more

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Interesting decors with yummy skewers. I would say they are a Chinese/Japanese fusion style of skewers with a stronger Chinese accent. We were greeted at the door and seated right away on a weekend night. They do get pretty busy, so if you have a large party, you should probably make a reservation. We got the yakitori combo five, seafood fried rice, prime grilled ribeye and beef tendon. The combo came relatively fast, but the other two skewers took a while. Everything from the combo was very good, chicken and beef were both tender and juicy. Pork belly was grilled the right amount as well. I'd avoid beef tendon, it was too chewy in a difficult way. Fried rice was decent. Great service and friendly staff. read more

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Pretty reasonable prices and the food were pretty good. I love the fried mantou with the condensed milk, so crispy, light and fluffy. The grilled squid was pretty good, with just a mayonnaise dip, lacks a bit of flavor. Love the fried chicken skin and the skewers were decent. Service was fast and staff were attentive and friendly. The decorations are so cute and welcoming. Will come back to try other food. read more

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Food was awesome. Highly recommend the Chinese bbq beef and chicken skewer. The real home run was the yakitori combo. Simply the best yakitori I've had, maybe ever outside of Japan. Love how they take their time to get the food out. Service wise, they seemed attentive, but understaffed. They could use more staffing with the amount of customers they get. Ambiance was fun, lively. read more

Prime BBQ - Yakitori Combo Five - Barbeque Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Had date night here with my boyfriend. The restaurant is a date night vibe. It was a bit pricey for what you get. Overall, it was pretty good and quick service. I recommend getting one of the combos. read more

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