Food - Skewers! So many and a good amount! - Tasty - Many options Service - 1 waitress and very attentive and kind. Ambiance - Casual - Great hangout dinner spot - Small and long table options - Feels a bit like Asia I've been here a few time, for dinner and a birthday. Many more to go! read more

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We had a great dinner here for our party of 4 some time back and I'm just getting to the review now. We had just come from attending my Aunt's wake at Cypress Lawn mortuary in Colma. We made our way to Millbrae and on to El Camino. We parked around the corner and were seated right away. It was a fairly busy Thursday night but we were glad we didnt have to wait. There was a rotating skewer-ready charcoal grill at each table and we ordered a variety of food. We ordered garlic oysters in the half-shell ($10.95). This was cooked in the kitchen and brought out. It was delicious. We ordered prawn skewers that were a big size and came one per skewer. We had Japanese wagyu ($25.95), prime beef ($6.95), pork jowl ($3.95), shitake mushroom ($2.95), chicken thigh ($2.95), pork sausage and marinated meat skewers. We enjoyed everything that came out. Service was great and attentive. It was pretty much one server for the entire restaurant so she was running around to all the tables... The meats were good and the ones that were pre-seasoned were good too. Otherwise the dipping sauces were tasty. They bring out the skewers little by little and you can place the cooked meats on this rack-like contraption that sits near the grill and eat them at your own pace. I really liked this concept. I would certainly go back again. read more

The food here was good but the service was so bad I couldn't give it more than 2 stars.. maybe the intent is for customers to be able to order alcohol and just hang out When we arrived, the server told us to take our time to order, and we waited over an hour before any of our food arrived, and we didn't even get our full order. The lamb skewers and the vegetable (achoy, string beans & okra) were good but there are other skewer places in the Peninsula that were so much faster. Additionally, the menu wasn't updated - we ordered what we thought were Shiitake mushrooms but got some other mushroom. We also got pork and cabbage "pancake" that came out as boiled dumplings. The waitress told us the menu wasn't updated and they just served whatever they had... we were okay with it, but it would have been nice if they informed us. read more

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My friend and I have been wanting to find a chinese skewer spot in the bay area. We randomly found this place online and it was opened late so we decided to try it out. There is street parking in the front. We ordered beef, lamb, mushrooms, fish tofu, and chicken cartilage. Everything was pretty food. The lamb and chicken cartilage was probably my favorite. The fish tofu did seem too cold though, like it wasn't cooked all the way from frozen so that was a bit disappointing. They gave a black pepper sauce to dip with which was interesting and the usual cumin dry rub. Seems like they used to have the self cook skewers with the grill but not anymore? This was a good dinner spot. It is probably a good spot to hang out and eat with a big group. Service was attentive. The lady working the front was actually mopping up with the front door locked when we arrived so we did feel bad. read more

Ai Grill - Skewers - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

Disappointed that they don't have rotating skewers anymore (their previous pics showed that), but the skewers they do have are delicious! Food comes out pretty fast and all of it was delicious. The lamb and enoki skewers were our favorite. The eggplant comes with lots of garlic and the zucchini comes with a Mentaiko sauce. The scallops with noodles also came with lots of garlic, it was yummy but a smidge greasy. The noodles also get a little stuck to the shell. You order everything on a QR code, so it's easy and chill. Definitely will be back since the skewer prices here are pretty affordable vs what's in the peninsula at other restaurants. read more

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Got the toast, noodles and skewers with some beer. Servers were nice and attentive. The Area was clean and parking was accessible on the street. I thought the food was alright I enjoyed the chicken cartilage but the beef was a little mid. Lamb was decent too. Food is decently priced but nothing really surprised me considering it was Michelin rated. Would like to come back and try again read more

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Great tasty seasoned Chinese BBQ grilled skewers in a modern new Chinese bbq restaurant! Think Yakitori or KBBQ but Chinese style bbq. You can bring a group of friends and cook your own meat or order grilled skewers and food from the kitchen! Best of both worlds! Definitely coming back! Lounge/club vibes for tasty food and drinks with great service! read more

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Food had good flavor but it was completely ruined by coming out completely cold. 8 out of our 10 dishes came out cold. As for other food issues: The ribeye skewers were overcooked, but, again, it also came out cold. The Chinese sausage was weird. It didn't taste like meat. Pros: the wing skewers were the best with a nice grill. The lamb skewers came out great, besides also being cold. The server was friendly and nice but it didn't save our Friday night from being ruined. read more

I'm sorry, I love supporting small businesses but this place let me down :(. First off the skewers are decent (hard to mess up spices), but overpriced. Usually it comes with 2-3, but full price for 1 skewer is about $4-6?! Got the glass noodles, tasted soggy and cold. A-choy was good Got the slices of beef and it was over cooked :( Service was fine and they were thankful. Overall the taste of the cooking needs to improve. Wish I could rate it higher read more

这里是城中少见的高档东北烧烤店，只在夜晚营业。我们把地道的东北味道带到都市，用最优质的食材和精致的环境，为您呈现独特的夜晚烧烤体验。 夜幕降临，却有东北烧烤的豪爽滋味。高档舒适的环境，让聚会不只是吃饭，更是一次尽兴的欢聚。约会、聚会都拿捏；羊肉串＋秘制蘸料，宵夜必入口就是烟火的灵魂味道； 再来一杯啤酒，快乐瞬间到位！ 艹 夜晚限定营业，更有"深夜食堂"的神秘感； 吃的是烧烤，享受的是精改的夜晚。 read more

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I tried manu of chinese food before and I liked them. But this restaurant has pretty bad service and ambience. I would not recommend it.

We went to AI Grill for the third time and brought our friends last weekend. While AI Grill is well known for its delicious skewers, not many people know about its hidden gem: Chef Gao's special menu. From the special menu, we ordered the sweet and sour pork, cabbage pork and tofu soup, and the fish dumplings. While I'm usually not a fan of American Chinese food, Chef Gao's sweet and sour pork was a delightful surprise. The pork was juicy and tender, with a very light coating of flour, just enough to carry the subtly sweet and sour flavor without overpowering the natural taste of the meat. Their pork and tofu soup is my all-time favorite, truly one of the most soul-satisfying soups you can have on a cold, rainy evening. I'm not sure how it's made, but my guess is that it's simmered for a long time to fully draw out the pork's deep umami flavor. My toddler loved the fish dumplings, despite being a picky eater. In hindsight, I'm not surprised. They're juicy and flavorful, without any noticeably fishy taste. My friends mentioned they weren't aware of the special menu at all. Looks like they might be coming back just for that in the near future. read more

My friend Brianda suggested this place and it was an excellent choice. We've never been to a barbecue skewer grill restaurant before so this was an experience. We ordered the abalone in secret sauce and the whole dish and sauce was delicious! We ordered a lot of the skewers like the abalone, quail eggs, chicken hearts, and some steak. We told our server (probably the owner) that we were new, and she told us how long to cook the food. She was very helpful! I liked the rotating skewers while it cooked. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was excellent. We also had the Momomo Peach Kotshiso which was delicious. 10/10 would recommend to anyone in the area and will definitely come back again! read more

Ai Grill - Abalone in special sauce - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

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First off, the quality of the meats are amazing. My parents and I ordered their Set A to try a majority of the skewers. I absolutely loved their beef and lamb skewers. After grilling it, it completely melts in your mouth without much chew. They even had a Bun Slice skewer that was surprisingly a very tasty delicacy after roasting! I tried their super refreshing passion fruit green tea, which pairs so well with skewers. The service was amazing as well! The owner served us and talked through the menu, recommending her favorites and must tries. She spoke to us about her restaurant right next door as well. She was super enthusiastic about growing Ai Grill, which added to the experience. When our skewers came, she thought us how to grill them to get the perfect consistencies of each dish. This restaurant seems like the perfect place to hit up on a cold night with friends! read more

Ai Grill - Chicken, Beef, and Lamb Skewers - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

My girlfriend and I have craving skewers constantly this year as our comfort food and found this unique place not too far from San Francisco. Unlike traditional skewer places where it comes out hot and fresh directly to you, there's an automatic grill at each table that rotates the skewers so that every piece of flesh is grilled to your liking. We ordered Set A for $88.88 (and also added some other skewers and and eggplant) which was actually a lot of food for two people. The act of grilling the meat was also quite fascinating and fun, making this not just an "eating" experience. read more

Ai Grill - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

Very flavorful dishes. Services on the slow side for a Friday evening. Would highly recommend though, woth the wait. read more

I had trouble locating this place on Yelp as they haven't changed the outside signage, which reads "Flame BBQ Yakitori Grill." But if you get inside, the wall etchings read "Ai Grill." (The QR code card reads AI GRILL in all caps, which makes it seem like the grill runs on AI, but no.) Anyway, the menu looks quite different from the one posted on Yelp. In particular, they've added items over and above the self-cook items and the skewers. Which brings me to what brought me here. They have 疙瘩汤! And a big window sign promoting a 2 for 1 deal. Here it's called Dough Nugget soup, and they have it in four different varieties: plain (I think), tomato with beef, "nutricious" shrimp, and cowpeas with pork. I had the tomato with beef. They tie for best 疙瘩汤 in the Bay Area! It was seriously delicious. The beef was fully cooked and only slightly chewy, but that's not the main star; the broth is just so-o-o-o-o good. And there are plenty of dough drops. I was delighted. Unusually, I don't think it had egg, but I'm not certain. If it didn't, it didn't take away from the soup. I only have one stomach, and it's a good size bowl of soup, so I didn't take them up on the 2 for 1 deal. I also don't know whether there are any restrictions for that deal. I will definitely be back to try the plain and shrimp varieties of 疙瘩汤. I also want to try the brown sugar "cookie". Service was pleasant. Menu seems to be Northeast/Dongbei/东北 cuisine, one that I've come to love in recent years. I'm guessing the plain Dough Nugget soup is vegetarian, but if that's important to you, be sure to ask. But they have lots of vegan items for grilling or on skewers. read more

Went there for dinner work my colleagues, we all liked the food, especially the bbq lamb and oysters , so good, freshly bbq, we chose all the meat with spicy(It's not that spicy). The Chinese pancake is good good too. Overall, the restaurant is very clean? Staffs are friendly, we will come back for sure. read more

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I liked this place. Good vibes. Clean. Not a lot of tables, but fairly spacious. This place is great for groups! Bring your friends and family for a good time. This place is a little confusing though because I think they go by 2 names - Flame BBQ and Ai Grill. The food was pretty good, flavorful. Their ingredients are fairly fresh. Service was good. They brought out our items at a reasonable pace. Price is decent. One thing that this place does poorly is that they have poor ventilation. For a grill place, good ventilation is highly important, and it got quite stuffy in there at some point. Parking can be difficult, as it's on the Main Street. Luckily, I was able to find parking right outside. read more

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Great amazing food definitely recommend food was amazing I'm definitely coming back AI grill as a place to go. The surface was amazing. My wife loved it. My kid had a great time and they also have high chairs for children. Thanks guys. read more

Ai Grill's charm is definitely the automatically rotating skewer system and the binchotan charcoal that they bring out just for your table once you place your order. Paired with the neon lights and stylish interior, a bbq dinner here definitely felt tasted like a premium experience while still supporting a local mom and pop restaurant. My friend and I had a great time here ordering via the ala carte skewers, wagyu fried rice, and a sweet potato fries side. The skewers were packed with smoky umami with our favorites being the lamb, US prime beef, and pork jowl. The sweet potato fries were also so light and crispy that we couldn't help but grab more - we finished this at lightning speed. Our server was so sweet and attentive, giving us detailed instructions on the best cooking time/sauce pairing for each meat, checking in several times with water, and offering free watermelon and coupons to finish off the meal. Overall this was a super satisfying dinner for both food and service quality. Just one minor critique I have is that Ai Grill's price point positions this to be a "once in a while" dinner rather than an easy splurge, despite skewers being a street food genre. I tend to think of beef and lamb skewers as the showstealers when it comes to Chinese bbq, but beef skewers starting at ~$7 here brings some hesitation to go big with the first skewer order. I genuinely hope that Ai Grill keeps growing their customer base since their weekend service still had space to fill when we went (granted we went right at opening time). read more

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Food was great! Enjoyed the beef and pork skewers as well as grilled chives and mushrooms! I also liked how some of the skewers can be spicy or non-spicy. Sauces on the side were great addition for the taste! Service was also pleasant. The sweet server gave us some free watermelon too! Ambiance was cozy and looks like your typical skewer place. Would recommend to other people! read more

Mixed feeling about this place. Pros - Quality is slightly better than most yakitori places. - new and fun concept - Mom and pop shop - love local small business - super nice and friendly servers - pricing is not too aggressive Cons - Not the most comfortable environment- seating is either hard benches or stools. AC is lacking. It's really warm inside the restaurant. - service is extremely slow. It takes a while for them to be ready to take your order and even longer to bring the raw food out. Glad I found this new place on Yelp and had a chance to try it. read more

Staff was very friendly and food was extremely good. I've had a lot of skewers/yakitori in my life, this is definitely within my top 3. The pork jowl skewer was my personal favorite, a must try! read more

Ai Grill - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

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Husband and I wanted to try something different so after reading the reviews we decided to give this place a try. We both got the beef ramen, the beef skewers an order of fried rice, a lobster tail and corn. The beef ramen had like 2 pieces of meat. Very small pieces and the rest was just noodles and broth. Not impressed. The beef skewers were really good! The marinade was delicious. My only complaint is that the pieces were very fatty and extremely small. The fried rice was my favorite. Delicious! The muscles were pretty bad. They didn't taste or smell fresh. We couldn't eat them. The lobster was delicious! Definitely recommend. Overall the food was blah. A couple good dishes here and there but nothing special. Also the prices are high! I won't be coming back. The check came back and we were both shocked at how much it was. We paid and left the server a good tip because he was nice. But we are both still hungry and will probably stop by somewhere for food. Really disappointing overall. read more

Ai Grill - Beef ramen, I added corn - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

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My bf wanted to try this place from seeing a coworker eat here. We tried the beef, okra, wagyu, pineapple, chicken wings, a few others which I can't remember the name of. Everything was well seasoned and tasted delicious. The place was empty and we were unfortunately the only ones there the 2 hours. I believe they had just reopened and gave us a couple free items to try and gave us a discount for their soft opening which was really sweet. The only complaint is that it does take time for some of these dishes to cook over a rotating fire but the wait is worth it! I'd recommend this place! read more

They finally re-opened! One of my favorite grill places. The meat is very tender and the grilled pineapple slices are generously sliced. The server who helped us was very nice and friendly and she gave us some sliced watermelons on the house. read more

The style of bbq was easily found in my hometown! But I have never seen it over here, It's so much fun to see the grill in the states, plus it tastes great! I especially love The lamb skewers and they told me it's from new zeland, and the my partner enjoyed the beef skewers so much, we ordered 2nd round! It's pretty fun chilling and enjoying the vibes here too. read more

Ai Grill - Grill Set up - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

We got food poisoning and the health condition of the food is concerning. We went there to eat on Sunday night and started to feel uncomfortable Monday afternoon. Major symptoms are nausea, diarrhea and stomach pain. The other party started to recover on Tuesday but my situation became worse. I went to urgent care because the pain was unbearable and there was gastrointestinal inflammation apparently caused by bad food. I lay in bed for two days before I could stand up and work normally. Today is Friday and I only feel I've recovered 50%. So be careful about eating here. read more

Didn't have too much expectations for Ai Grill, but they actually were serving good food!! I enjoyed my dinner thoroughly. Although the portions look somewhat small, they were filling. We ordered an assortment of grilled meats; beef, pork, lamb, and chicken gizzards. We ordered the cooked skewers, make sure you ask them for specific sets that allow you to grill them yourself. We also ordered their whole squid, seafood fried rice, wagyu fried rice, these were also small but tasty. My two favorite from the entire meal were scallops and oysters. I do like this place and will come back to try other stuff. read more

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I really like this new bbq skewer restaurant. Authentic, freshly-made skewers. The owners (next door) truly care about the quality of ingredients and tries to provide the best service possible. The only issue is that because the skewers are made one at a time based on orders, the speed is slower than skewers prepared in advance. The price is also not as cheap as some other restaurants. Overall, it is quality over quantity, so I would definitely return. 非常推荐的烤串儿店。唯一的遗憾是速度比较慢，因为是每一串都是后厨现做，而且食材本身是生的，所以烤的过程需要5-10分钟。特别饿的话会有点着急。除此之外，店家特别用心（隔壁的东北酸菜和饺子也很推荐）肉新鲜，味道佳，人不多，很适合和一两个朋友慢慢烤串儿慢慢喝酒聊天。 read more

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Leo's service is really good and the skewers are fresh and delicious ~ you can talk with friends and bbq at same time~ cool place to go read more

Ai Grill - Very cool automatic rolling bbq machine with fresh bbq skewers - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

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I really enjoyed the skewers. Went with my wife while we waited for our flight. Our favorites were pork jowl, chicken cartilage, beef and lamb skewers. You really can't go wrong with any of the meat skewers. We'll be back next time and try some of the other dishes. read more

Ai Grill - Pork jowl, lamb, and chicken cartilage - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

The inside of the restaurant is super chill with music and tv's. If you're looking for a place to cook your skewers and eat it fresh off the grill, this place has it all. All the skewers come out raw and you get to cook it on the grill! They will let you know how long to cook everything. Everything tasted amazing! The grilled oysters were huge! read more

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Tastes good and outstanding waiter service. But price is a little high. Will definitely return but won't be very often due to the price and limited food choice. read more

Ai Grill - 2 People Set Menu - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

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Good amount of food for set of 2 menu. Meat quality is great. Hands free for grilling. read more

Ai Grill - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

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**2.75 Stars** I saw Ai Grill featured in a post on BAE (Facebook group Bay Area Eats). The thoughts of skewers cooked on binchotan coal and cooked to perfection mixed with cooked dishes and delicious desserts had my hopes high. Unfortunately, the portion size, price point, and execution left a lot to be desired. The reality: Reservations only available on Tock. Given the high quality restaurants featured on Tock, I saw this as a positive sign. I also took the $10 pre-charge to reserve the table as reasonable given the group size we had. Reality: the restaurant was empty and they refunded the precharge after you leave versus deducting from your bill due to County tax ordinances. Set menus of $75, $80, and $110 featured an assortment of skewers and appetizers (chicken Karaage, edamame, braised beef) and accompanying cooked dishes (Maine lobster, Wagyu fried rice and Prime beef ramen) sounded like we'd have a feast. Reality: the set menus are meant for a solo diner and all of the accompanying dishes that could have been filler (rice, noodle, ramen) came at the end of the meal as they awaited more skewer orders (and the bill just kept going up). We left hungry and i even hungrily eyed a baby's toddler food. $75-$110/per person is a high price point but the disappointing thing is that the portion sizes are tiny at this price point (even for 1 diner). Skewers: A5 Wagyu - three small cubes. (~2 ounces) Salmon - ~2-3 ounces Pineapple - 3 small cubes Momo - ~2 ounces of thigh Giant Prawn - huge and a reasonable size Okra - 6 bite sized pieces Prime Beef - ~2 ounces Greenland Cod - ~2-3 ounces Scallops - 4 unseasoned pieces We had to order more skewers to supplement at $5 (chicken) to $8 (seafood) to $12-$22 (beef). The sad part is that most of the skewers (except lamb) are unseasoned and you're left to dip in your own spices, sauces, and salt/pepper. Appetizer: Braised beef and cucumber salad - delicious and highlighting the Chinese background of the restaurant Karaage - filled with batter and barely any chicken Edamame - mushy, frozen and steamed Dishes: Wagyu Beef Ramen - instant ramen quality with a few slices of beef Wagyu Fried Rice - average fried rice with a few slices of beef Garlic Noodle - small individual bowl Beef Shank Cold noodles - the tastiest noodle highlighting the Chinese cooking style and food Desserts: Matcha Adzuki Pudding Ozmanthus Coconut Pudding The desserts were the highlight. Beautiful and not too sweet. Highs: The desserts The auto rotating grill The binchotan coal The cooked Maine lobster tail The giant prawn Lows: Price point for the set menu for 1 (make it for 2 people and provide more food) Price point per skewer (these are higher than well established authentic Japanese Yakitori places like Sumika and Sumiya and the quality of the ingredients is neither as high nor as well seasoned/prepared) my 1/3rd full sparking water by accident The accompanying dishes coming at the end of the meal with the desserts Could you become full here? Yes, but it will cost you. A la carte is a better option than set menu unless you really want a cooked Maine lobster tail and mediocre sides. We spent $50+/person and everyone left hungry. Ai Grill accepts credit cards including AmEx. read more

Perfect place if you want to try authentic Chinese BBQ. The meats are marinated with favorable sauce! We ordered pork cheek, beef, lamb, Chinese cartilage & gizzard. They were absolute delicious!! You should also try the squid and oyster. The skewers didn't really take too long to be done than we thought. Fresh ingredients :) read more

The food is super fresh and good! Highly recommend the beef and cold noodle, so tasty read more

Ai Grill - Bbq - Barbeque Near Me - Millbrae, California

Food was actually pretty good. I came late night from a work trip and only this place was open. I do think the lady kept pressuring me to order more and more food. This is something I didn't like. I would come back again and update review but for now service is pressure driven to order more food than necessary. read more