Today was our second time coming here. Arrived around 12:30pm on a weekend and there was a slight wait, but luckily it wasn't too long. The service today was outstanding! They were super attentive, and asked if the modifications for different orders were the same. And when they made a small mistake, they quickly noticed without me even pointing it out, and resolved it. I was very impressed. Skewers are tasty. Note for self: between the beef and the lamb skewers, we actually preferred the beef. Maybe because it's a bit more fatty. Garlic sauce on the eggplant and vermicelli scallop is slightly spicy, but not too bad, probably from the garlic kick. Would come back again! Also it's super kid friendly surprisingly. Lots of high chairs and lots of kids eating there. read more

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

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

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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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prime bbq does both yakitori and chinese bbq but neither very well. if i had to choose, yakitori is slightly better but not by much. their tare is really sweet, probably hasn't had much time to develop if at all. beef tongue was the best. beef uni was overpriced, quality of both beef and uni was middling though uni was briny. nothing of note for the other yakitori. chinese bbq lamb skewers were unfortunately way underseasoned, we had to ask for more salt. meat quality was also just ok. a choy, enoki, and oyster mushroom were more enjoyable. read more

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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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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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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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

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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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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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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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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Asian BBQ Yummmmmness if you're in the area! You order skewers and try one and then order more of what you like. Mochi bacon is delicious between the bacon & mochi fluffness. Pork belly is also another must-try while the ribeye was tender and cooked just right! Not a fan of the Kamo(duck) as it lacked flavor but the lemon was great to offset the richness of the meat. The Fried Udon is a star with the shrimp & Tobiko (orange fish roe) to give it some crunch. Friendly service. Restaurant front isn't much but it's got a cutesy vibe inside. read more

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We came on a Friday night for dinner! Parking is limited in this area but there is a small underground parking lot around the corner, the spaces are really tight in this lot though. If you are coming in a large group I would suggest you to call and make reservations, its not a a super large restaurant. The interior inside is super cute! I love the cherry blossom decor. They have qr code menus here which I have a strong like / dislike for. It makes it easier to order but at the same time I prefer looking at a menu where I can see everything on the same page. They have a combination of izakaya / chinese skewers which I love!!! The majority of restaurants are one or the other, this is the only place I've gone to that has both. We tried most of the skewers on the menu, and didn't order any of the rice or noodles to share. My favorites were the pork cheek, wagyu, fried eggplant skewers, and chives. They also give you extra chili powder on the side if the skewers dont have enough flavoring for you. Great place to come with friends !! Free ice cream as well for dessert :) read more

This is a late review but I had to share our Prime BBQ experience with you all from 12/20/25. Food was yummy!!! The wagyu was pricey but each bite was delicious. The food warmer in the karaoke room is smart to have... since you are there for a while and may graze the food while you sing away. This is the first time I have been to a karaoke room and I didn't think you could have so much fun. We all ended up singing ... There is no charge for the room but there is a minimum charge for food and drinks. They reminded us until we made the bill. Since there were only 8 of us, it felt expensive but you can have up to 12 in the room. But honestly... the fun, food and laughter was priceless! read more

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One of the more appealing places I found in the greater San Mateo area. We went for dinner on a Wednesday and there were plenty of tables available. We got the yakitori combo five, yakitori chicken combo, chicken liver, prime grilled rib eye, lamb, gizzard, enoki, mentaiko stir fried udon with shrimp The skewers were nicely seasoned and I loved the prime grilled rib eye and negima (chicken with green onion) the most. The stir fried udon was creamy but disappointingly small portions for the price. The combos have good value compared to ordering a la carte and are presented in a separate plate that is fairly aesthetic. I wished the plates had stronger fire to keep the skewers warm all across. 5 stars for the food, but prices for skewers were very high and you need to be careful or you will suddenly end up spending $50+ a person on skewers for a satisfying meal. If you have no budget, this place is a must visit. read more

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Came by here with the family and was able to sample several of their offerings let me breakdown everyrhing sampled and how it all faired Chicken skin - seasoned drizzled with semi sweet sauce, definitely a must try if you like chicken skin super fried, super crunchy with decent flavor even without the semi sweet sauce A5 wagyu skewer - delicious, buttery slices of beef Primerib skewers - delicious chewey, flavorful, tender we like this so much we ordered another Chicken hearts - sampled and loved this Chicken combo skewers - i think only i appreciated this dish, hearts delicious, gizzard chewy and flavored perfect, slice of the butterflied chicken wing flavorful, and two other cuts of the chicken all was flavorful and delicious Seafood fried rice - sadly not really flavored I would have to passs on this item for next time Seafood noodles - this dish was impressive, almost thickness of udon noodles and seasoned very well, this dish was heavy, definitely sample with more then 3 people House sake served hot was delicious, shares with the wife paired perfect with everything Thai iced tea - delicious sugar bear on top that each of kids drowned and tore apart during drinking The whole experience was delightful definitely come here with friends so you sample a little of everything, definitely will ne back to try more of their offerings Food **** everything we sampled minus the fried rice was delicious Price $$ Service **** helpful and friendly Ambiance **** clean, loud, helpful read more

Food delivery was very fast! Cozy place, not cheap but that was expected. Would come again if in the area, but meat is too salty for just regular meal. read more

Prime BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Mateo, California

The beef quality at this joint was supreme! If you're looking for good high quality skewers, this izakaya will satisfy all your meat cravings! The beef was very tender and well-seasoned, and the lamb was just as good. It was a bit pricey for skewers, but the food was good and hit all the right spots, so go try it out for yourself if you don't believe me. There is also happy hour with good beer pricing, may also be worth checking out. All in all, a great meal and a nice atmosphere! Not too far from the freeway, on a side street. read more

Prime BBQ - More beeeeeef - Barbeque Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The skewers were good, decent price. Skip the chicken karaage though. There was a 5 min wait on a weekend. I'd come back again but wouldnt say it was exceptional but decent. read more

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