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    Smiling BBQ

    3.0 (129 reviews)
    ModerateBarbeque, Chinese
    Open 5:00 pm - 11:30 PM

    Order Smiling BBQ Takeout or Delivery

    Smiling BBQ Photos

    SMILING BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Alex Z.

    Authentic Chinese BBQ Skewers Open Late at Night for Great Value How do I know it's authentic? My Fob friend told me! Cuz I'm the only ABC speaking person here. Ni keyi jiao wo shuo guo yi hao ma? When I speak English, I can feel the judgement and horror of not speaking Mandarin! Dui bu qi. Wo de mandarin is non existent. I'm thankful for getting called Fatty by my grandma as a kid! I got Roast Pork skin! I'm surprised this San Bruno Hole in the Wall BBQ Restaurant isn't more packed during dinner time because of its cheap, affordable prices! I come here after MMA gym sometimes to get that protein! Best value, tasty & fatty lamb skewers! 3 for under $5! Love this Chinese Street Food Vibe Hole in the Wall BBQ Spot! Reminds me of China! Easy to use QR App to order between you and your friends! You can easily see who ordered what when splitting the bill. Perfect for stingy frugal 50/50 Americans, Europeans, and gym bros on a date! Get them gains in your chest and your wallet! P.S. If you don't mind translating, Wo men jiao pong you hao ma?

    Sweet and sour pork
    Roy W.

    Not recommended. The bbq is too dry with burnt meat. Also the sauce is way too strong and just superficially brushed on the bbq. The cold dish and sweet sour pork are iconic northeastern China food but the quality is a bit disappointing.

    Awesome squid bbq
    David H.

    Bbq here is akin to the Taiwan night markets, poor quality ingredients included. Beef and lamb is chewy and hard but the squid is rather tasty and flavored with seasoning. Difference is Taiwan gives you an entire squid about 6 inches long not parts like here. The spinach and nuts is marinated cold and good. Pork belly isn't bad either

    Gid A.

    I don't even know where to start. When I came inside the restaurant, I felt like taking shots of tequila because it felt like a bar but I ended up getting wonton soup and egg noodles - it was actually good :)

    Cold Noodle

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    3 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    11 months ago

    I like the food there and people there are nice! Lots of their dishes are surprisingly great!

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Worst experience ever have, their service is so rude and pushing, foods are under average but the price is still expensive. Don't go

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Ambiance is not the best but the sweet and sour pork was fantastic and the fried rice was very good!

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    2 years ago

    Authentic Chinese BBQ. Beef tendon is my favorite. Cozy place with family business. Owners are very nice!

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    2 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    This place is a hidden gem! It's my go-to Chinese BBQ skewers place for late-night food.

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    2 years ago

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    Page 1 of 4

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    Z-One Kitchen - Pork & beef Chinese sandwich

    Z-One Kitchen

    3.6(70 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    I've always saw this restaurant in the corner of my eye when driving, and I finally got the chance…read moreto try it for their Chinese burger! This dish changed my life, the pork was so savory and it had small chopped up pieces of a spicy green pepper. I can't recommend it more! My dad also decided to try their chicken fried rice, and he told me it was delicious and packed with flavor. This is definitely a hidden gem, but I believe it deserves more hype! Staff were kind, and chef was humble and even took the time to walk over and deliver our food to us when we were just ordering to go!!! Give this place a chance if ya can!

    Where do I start...from the casualness to the beer to the just the overall vibe...it's reminds me…read moreso much of my hometown Tianjin in the north. This place is kind of a hole in the wall with its self proclaimed "Texas BBQ" and location. Parking can be tough if the parking lot is full, and I wish they picked a better spot to open this shop. It's off the beaten path for most Chinese restaurants in the area. The prices for BBQ aren't exactly cheap, however that can all be mitigated since they offer AYCE at a price starting at $35 a person with drinks. I love their lamb skewers and chinese hamburger. Lamb skewers were seasoned to how I expected them - with a spice mix mainly consisting of cumin. I also like how they include a fatty piece just before the last piece, which is They also offer spicy powder on the side that you can shake on your order to make it more spicy. The Chinese hamburger was very flavorful and authentic and very cheap for the price - much more value than ANY fast food restaurant and a lot healthier! We also ordered a liangpi and cumin chicken, both which were decent. This place offers very fair prices for chinese BBQ if you consider AYCE, since I have yet been to a chinese BBQ place that offers AYCE. Food comes out pretty quickly, and service is welcoming, especially if you're familiar with northern chinese hospitality. If you can look past the fading decor, colored utensils, and overall hole in the wall vibe, this place is actually pretty good if you're from northern china and looking for a homely vibe! Just don't expect Texas BBQ even if its in the name.

    Photos
    Z-One Kitchen
    Z-One Kitchen - Cumin Beef Ribs

    Cumin Beef Ribs

    Z-One Kitchen - Full container with the 2-meat combo and pork feet noodle soup

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    Full container with the 2-meat combo and pork feet noodle soup

    Seoul Kalbi Korean BBQ - The spread

    Seoul Kalbi Korean BBQ

    3.8(1.3k reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$$
    All you can eat
    Takes reservations

    I've been to SK a handful of times over the past couple of years, and I haven't been the biggest…read morefan, but after yesterday, I definitely enjoyed it a lot more than past visits! My biggest gripe from past visits was the lack of ventilation, which for a charcoal grill kbbq can really make or break the experience, but it seems that they've worked on ventilation and it's not as stuffy. We had a reservation at 6:30, and we were sat really quickly, and had banchan ready for us at the table. I'm not too picky with meat quality, but I did enjoy the selection, but keep in mind each portion is pretty small, which can be nice if you're looking to try a wide variety of meats. We decided to stick with the regular menu, and we were happy with the selections. The service here was excellent! They were extremely attentive and quick to check on us and refill our water and meats. We tried to reorder galbi, but didn't know we were limited to one per person for the menu we chose, but they brought out extra on the house which we really appreciated! It seems that they've improved dining experience here, and look forward to visiting again in the future!

    came here for a friend's birthday, it's ayce bbq. as a pescatarian, options are kinda limited but…read moreyou can still get full off things like shrimp, fish, and all the sides (banchan, tofu soup, egg soufflé, etc). not the most variety for us but still works for group dinners. also heads up, it can get very smoky in there, so maybe don't wear anything you care about too much.

    Photos
    Seoul Kalbi Korean BBQ
    Seoul Kalbi Korean BBQ - The signature item! Seoul KALBI LA style, marinaded bone-in flank stead.

    The signature item! Seoul KALBI LA style, marinaded bone-in flank stead.

    Seoul Kalbi Korean BBQ - Unlimited side dishes

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    Unlimited side dishes

    Mokutanya - Teba (Chicken Wing Mid Joint)

    Mokutanya

    3.9(2.5k reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $$

    We went here on a Friday without a reservation and probably waited for about 15-20 minutes since we…read morewanted the nice booth where you have to remove your shoes. We were definitely cool with this because they gave us the option instead of just sitting at a regular table. Parking was bad. Their lot is very small, so expect to park on the street or the train station lot. Just don't get ticketed. We definitely did not expect their setup here; it was actually really cool and very cozy. This is the first time my boyfriend and I have actually tried yakitori izakaya, and it was really good. We ordered a couple of things; some were good, and some were okay. Service was good, and the servers were pretty attentive. Appetizer: Geso Karaage (Fried Squid Tentacle)- We ended up returning this dish. It wasn't very good. Honestly, it was too chewy for our liking. Miso soup, Edamame- Both are good. The miso soup was tasty and not at all salty. Meat: Akaushi Beef (Salt & pepper, sweet) Butabara (pork belly) Kurobuta sausage (non-spicy) Salmon Snake River Wagyu (salt & pepper, sweet) All the meat and pork were very tasty. I do think it is a bit pricey per stick. The salmon was okay. The sausage is a must; I highly recommend it. Dessert: Vanilla Creme brulee- really good and not too sweet. I definitely recommend this place. Is it pricey, yes, but the quality of the meat is pretty good. I also like that this place is open late, especially on the weekends.

    It's been almost a decade since I've came back and from what a recall I used to enjoy this…read morerestaurant. Unfortunately much has changed within that time and quality of food and service has went downhill since. I ordered the salt and pepper beef and asked for it to be well done due to being pregnant. I'm unable to eat any meat that is undercooked. The waitress appeared extremely annoyed with the request to the point that my relative had to speak up and tell her I'm pregnant. I don't feel I need to explain the reasons why I'm asking for the food to be recooked and with that experience alone, it already ruined my appetite. Then my husband proceeded to order two more skewers. And of course, the waitress completely forgets to put that order in and we end up waiting almost another hour for it to be cooked. Mind you, it was not busy at all. The whole experience was terrible. I won't be coming back. Only reason I'm giving it two stars is because of their fries which was the only thing I enjoyed out of their entire menu.

    Photos
    Mokutanya
    Mokutanya - Momo w/ Wasabi Wagyu Beef (Salt & Pepper) Wagyu Beef (Sweet) Momo w/ Yuzu Honey Glaze

    Momo w/ Wasabi Wagyu Beef (Salt & Pepper) Wagyu Beef (Sweet) Momo w/ Yuzu Honey Glaze

    Mokutanya - Shochu

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    Shochu

    bb.q Chicken San Bruno

    bb.q Chicken San Bruno

    4.1(234 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Did a huge order for a NFL watch party and I'm so happy to have discovered this place because the…read moreflavors did not disappoint! While the location itself is tiny, the menu is enormous and every flavor packs a huge punch. I'll be disappointing health addicts here since I noticed that most of their boneless chicken is made with dark or thigh meat but that's what makes it soooo flavorful and delicious. The fry is perfect, light and well seasoned. The sauces are bomb dot com except hot spicy. Watch out lol it's delicious and will be giving you heart burn and vengeance later! Def looking forward to my next batch of secret sauce! Deeeeeelish!!!

    This is an updated review of bb.q Chicken San Bruno location. My first visit and review of the…read morelocation was in Nov 2024. I have only frequented this location maybe 3x's and wife 3x's separately bringing her friends for their first try. The chicken itself in consistent, but the FRIES are not. bb.q is a franchise and it was my understanding all franchisees were to adhere to corporate guidelines for consistency. I looked into this and my assumption was correct, that all franchisees need to adhere with what corporate hands down. As for the San Bruno location it's apparent they may not be adhering to guidelines regarding the type of fries they should be using. Back when they first opened in Oct/Nov 2024 they were using the correct fries, but somewhere down the road they changed them. When I first noticed the change I mentioned it to whoever was in charge and their response then was they had run out of the coated fries and were using a different type as a substitute. My sister-in-law who frequents the Apple Park location (nearly every two weeks) with us, went to the San Bruno location with her daughter and came back complaining; the fries weren't the same and although the chicken was cooked perfectly, it didn't have sufficient sauce. I said regarding the fries, "really? they told me they were out last week and had to substituted it for another. I would have thought they would have resolved it by the next order." A couple weeks later my wife who can't help talking about how good bb.q chicken is, brought one of her friends to the San Bruno location due to the shorter distance. Naturally my wife was deeply disappointed because the fries are what she bragged about most because they pair so well and really compliment the chicken. Two weeks later I had a craving for bb.q and stopped by the San Bruno location also due to distance and ordered the Lunch Special (my definite go to!!). The chicken was great as ever, but again, the fries were not the same. I asked the person in charge after repeated visits the fries are still not as before. I was then told they were no longer using the coated fries. So, unless corporate gets involved to make a change, I will no longer frequent nor recommend the San Bruno location. It appears to me the franchisee wants to cut back on cost at the expense of the brand image. Hopefully someone at corporate investigates and makes the necessary change. As a customer who has found consistency in Las Vegas, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Hawaii, why not San Bruno? The staff at San Bruno is still very nice and the chicken consistent. Again, my only complaint is the fries that have been substituted for the real McCoy.

    Photos
    bb.q Chicken San Bruno
    bb.q Chicken San Bruno
    bb.q Chicken San Bruno

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    K. Grill & Tofu House - Banchan

    K. Grill & Tofu House

    4.1(889 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    I was in San Bruno today and was craving Korean food. Korean cuisine ranks high on my list due to…read morethe awesome variety of flavors and textures you get with your meal. K. Grill and Tofu House is an excellent, family run establishment that serves up delicious food. The space is very nice and the service is very friendly. I ordered a Dolsot bibimbop because I love food that comes to your table and it's still cooking! I also love that your entree is served with several Banchan (appetizer) dishes. One thing I love about any dining experience is getting a lot of different flavors and textures in one meal. The banchan here had seven different dishes! Of course you get your kimchee, bean sprouts, fish cakes and then some other pickled fruits and veggies. They also gave me what seemed like a roasted sardine? In any case, it was delicious! The Dolsot Bibimbap was a hit! Crispy rice, vegetables, beef and a fried egg on top. Plus, some gochujang sauce to go on it! So yummy! I feel like the prices here are pretty standard for the area, but I do think it's 100% worth the money. Check them out if you're in the area!

    Great neighborhood spot. My parents love it here. We usually get the soondobu, pancake, japchae,…read moredol sot and bulgogi (or galbi). The fish cake banchan is so good and we get at least 3 refills. Service is good put parking is annoying in the area because its not free! Wth, San Bruno Ave... Anyways, a solid 4 stars, no frills type of place!

    Photos
    K. Grill & Tofu House - Indoor ambiance

    Indoor ambiance

    K. Grill & Tofu House - Banchan

    Banchan

    K. Grill & Tofu House - Galbi $38

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    Galbi $38

    Smiling BBQ - bbq - Updated May 2026

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