Summary: 4 stars for good food, reasonable price, decent drinks and service *** I visited a couple years back with a party of 5. We were seated quickly on a Saturday at around 6:15 pm. Gao's Crab was full by 7:30 with live music. Most tables were small, good for parties of 2-4, but I saw a couple of tables reserved for up to 6. The vibes were fun with neon signs on the walls. Service was decent, though we didn't need much interaction with the staff since we ordered through mobile QR code. Our table finished when the restaurant got busy, so I walked to the front to request the check. DRINKS ORDERED - Homemade Yogurt Soju. The bottle was smaller than a standard carafe. It tasted good, like Yakult mixed with soju. The alcohol content might have been on the lower side. - Homemade Grapefruit Soju. The grapefruit juice was on the bitter side and not as sweet. It masked the taste of the soju even more. SKEWERS ORDERED Many items were topped with white sesame seeds. I enjoyed the taste of the BBQ seasoning (cumin, tangy, and a little sweet). All the meats had nice smoky flavor. - Mini Chicken Skin ($7.80 - 10 skewers). I enjoyed the paper thin cuts of skin, which were crispy but not difficult to chew on. - Small Lamb with Fat ($9 - 5 skewers). Surprisingly, I preferred the lamb to the beef. The lamb didn't taste gamey, and it was cooked well - soft on the inside with a crispy sear. - Small Beef with Fat ($9 - 5 skewers). The taste was fine, but the meat was a bit overcooked. - Beef Tongue ($3.58 - 3 skewers). If you like beef tongue, you'll probably like this. They slice it thin so it's relatively soft, but it still has the chewiness of tongue. - Pork Kidney ($3.58 - 5 skewers). I didn't try this, but my friend who likes offal thought it was yummy. - Chicken Gristic ($3 - 1 skewer). Small, juicy pieces of dark meat chicken with a soft center of something similar to cartilage, but not as much substance. It was good, just not what I was expecting. - Special Sausage ($3 - 1 skewer). A juicy, savory, and sweet pork sausage. - Bacon Enoki Mushroom ($4.20 - 1 skewer). While I liked the snappy texture of the enoki mushrooms, the thin cut bacon didn't taste like much. OTHER DISHES ORDERED - King of Eggplant ($13.18). I liked the flavor and the creamy texture of the eggplant. However, the skin was thick and tough. read more

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Gaos was a cool, quick spot to grab some affordable skewers. The eggplant was probably my favorite thing I got. Super savory and it had an amazing texture . I went during happy hour, so the lamb skewers were like a dollar. They weren't my favorite cut which was a little disappointing. My favorite part about lamb skewers is that they're normally succulent and fatty. These were a little chewy but the flavor was still good so of course I ate them all. Everything tastes better with shaokao. The Dan Dan noodles were a little different from what I'm used to, they were more acidic than sesame forward, as well as a little more liquid but I really liked it. The inside had a very young, cool neon lights vibe. Service was fast and they explained their interesting rewards system with ease. I'd come back with friends. read more

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This is located in Diamond plaza which has a super busy parking lot, but we got lucky and parked right in front. They have happy hour every day until 6:30pm if I'm remembering correctly so the lamb skewers are $1 each and the wagyu skewers are $2 each as long as you follow them on instagram. They had a QR code for us to scan so you order through the website. You can't change your order through the website after clicking submit, but we caught our waiter in time to change it for us which was nice No wait on a Sunday afternoon and it was pretty empty. Since it's more of a bar type place though, I'm sure it's more lively at night and I'd be down to come back later in the day to chill with friends. I would say the happy hour menu is def worth coming earlier though. My friend and I ended up eating 7 skewers each + shared a bowl of noodles Lamb skewers: 5/5 I love lamb and these were a pretty decent size Wagyu skewers: 3/5 also pretty big, I thought these were alright though Northern dan dan noodles: 5/5 I really liked these and thought they were super refreshing since they're cold. I was hoping but they'd be spicier but there are spices that you can also add on your own Note: they also have a food warmer at each table so your skewers don't get cold as you sit and eat which I thought was nice read more

Gao's Crab & Kabob - northern dan dan noodle - Chinese Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

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Cool decor, clean and great customer service. Order on the QR code and the kabobs were brought out to a warmer. Frog legs delish with so much flavor, lamb was so good, glad I ordered quite a few skewers, beef was also very delish. Peach drink was refreshing as rhe kabobs had a slight spice to them, we will be back! read more

Gao's Crab & Kabob - Frog legs, yum! - Chinese Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

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It's relatively inexpensive for a lot of food. All of the ordering is done on the app and there's aren't really descriptions so we had to call someone over a few times. The skewers are small so if you have a larger group, order more than 1-2 at a time. We really liked the corn on the cob and the cauliflower. read more

This skewer spot serves the food ready to be eaten, and the little grill on the table is simply to keep your skewers warm. The prices seemed a little pricey, but if you order strategically, it can be a decent meal. Our server was kind and knowledgeable. The inside looks like it'd make a good night scene, and they have a large screen they were playing Coachella replays on, which fit the vibe. read more

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Great tasting skewers and most everything else! Everything had that szechuan mala taste I love, the garlic flavor was strong, the Dan Dan noodles were delicious, if just a little bit overcooked. The squid was my favorite though, a little spicy and very flavorful! Service was also great, bring out our skewers efficiently! read more

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Tried the $88 for two special at Gao's Crab & Kabobs and overall it was alright! The wagyu skewers were definitely the highlight for me -- super flavorful and juicy. Lamb skewers were pretty solid too. The crab boil was a little different than expected since it was more soup-like, and personally way too spicy and salty for my taste. Felt like the crab was marinated a bit too long. But I did really enjoy the decor and vibes inside the restaurant -- cute spot for a casual dinner with friends. Service was decent but you will need to flag down the server yourself if you need anything. Overall, not bad! read more

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Came here late night and omg I LOVE this place. Their skewers are always a hit, but the cold noodles absolutely blew me away. I've never had cold noodles that good before, honestly 100/10, my favorite dish by far. They were so refreshing, kind of like the bright, tangy kick you get from kimchi. The noodles were perfectly cooked the way I like them: chewy, springy, and not soggy at all. The soup coated everything beautifully and had that sweet, savory, slightly spicy balance that keeps you going back for another bite. SUPER REFRESHING. We also loaded up on meat skewers and every single one was super tender. I love how grilling them right there keeps everything hot and makes the flavors even better. The seasoning on the skewers was on point; smoky, savory, and packed with 5 spice flavor. We got the mussels too, which were such a nice touch. They were so flavorful and juicy, and paired perfectly with everything else. We tried different types of beef as well and they were all super yummy, tender, well-marinated, and cooked exactly how we wanted. The ambiance really adds to the experience. It honestly reminds me of China with all the lights and the lively, bustling energy. It feels vibrant and fun, especially late at night. I also noticed they do karaoke, which makes the whole place feel even more authentic and entertaining. On top of that, the service was really good; they quick, attentive, and super nice. Overall such a great late-night spot with amazing food, great vibes, and flavors that actually hit. Definitely one of my favorites. read more

Gao's Crab & Kabob - Chinese Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

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Was craving skewers today and decided to try a new place. Other places open after 4:30pm. This is located in Diamond plaza and we came right at opening at 12pm. The menu and ordering style is via the QR code on the table and the server explained the free membership to accumulate points and happy hour until 6:30pm even on a Saturday! The flavor and portion size of the happy hour lamb and beef wagyu were great for the price point. Free sunflowers seeds and peanuts to snack on while you wait. They deliver meat and place it on a warmer on your table, it's best to eat it when it's nice and freshly delivered. We got the wagyu beef stick, lamb, chicken skin, golden buns, the small beef skewers, and the northern style Dan Dan noodles. The ambiance is dimly lit with neon signs and the service was friendly and helpful. read more

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The service was very nice however I was taken back by the fact that we weren't barbecuing our own meat. They didn't even use the grill except for as a plate so all the food comes out already cooked and you just eat it. I don't know how you would get the grill option of where they turn on the grill for you read more

Gao's Crab & Kabob - Green Bean Skewer 豆角 A Bowl of Ice Powder (Cold) 一碗冰粉粉Grilled Small Beef Skewers(12) 秘制小牛肉(12) - Chinese Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

Gao's BBQ & Crab has a variety of skewers. The Lamb, Beef, and Prawn Skewers were juicy. The Chicken Bone were crispy and well-marinated. The Beef Roll and Grilled Clams were great too. The live music created a fun atmosphere. read more

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Came here on a whim and so glad that I did! This place was so delicious! Everything is delicious but especially the Dan Dan Mian , Lamb and cabbage skewers. Service was good, ambience was nice. And the bathrooms had some quality toilet paper! For my kids they also got the free meal, which is always a nice touch. Food comes out cooked and put in a food warmer. Everything about my experience here was amazing: seated quickly, food came out at a good time, everything I needed was at the table, ordered the food from my phone, etc. Kid friendly, most food has a bit of spice but there were a few that didn't.. so ask about that if you can't handle spice. The spice level is also very low, but that's subjective. Anyways you will enjoy the noodles! Eat it!! It was also very affordable for my family, which is hard to find nowadays. read more

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Came on a Saturday night and there was no wait. This is yet another Chinese skewer restaurant with a hired karaoke singer until 9ish and then they play music videos. The volume of the music is quite loud but if you like kpop/cpop it's great. We ordered a whole lot of skewers. My favs were the pepper steak, lamb, chicken skin and beef tongue. The North Korean cold noodle was so good! It was just the right amount of spice with sour. The bbq clams were good too although a little dry. The lychee soda was surprisingly good. It's definitely got the lychee flavor down. Overall great meal and I would come back again. read more

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Pretty legit skewer place and it's right up there with Gui. Had a party of 8 and we were given a pretty large table in one of their private-ish room. So i would say this is a great spot for groups. The prices were pretty fair and flavors were hitting. Really enjoyed their eggplant too. As yall may know, parking at this plaza during dinner rush is horrid, so be prepared to drive around to find parking. read more

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The food was really good, and we even got to watch a World Cup match while we ate. We'll definitely come back in the evening next time--I'm sure the atmosphere will be even better! read more

Gao's Crab & Kabob - Chinese Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

Really enjoyed our meal again today with the new $2 Wagyu beef deals and the stir fry ramen added a nice complimentary carb for our meal. Stand out though is always the big lamb skewers. Also appreciated the new free braised edamame and peanuts that were brought out to us along with the sunflower seeds. read more

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It's a pretty good skewer place in Rowland! No wait on a Tuesday evening, but we did miss the $1 lamb skewer unfortunately by the time we got there (LA traffic ). The promo after the $1 skewer ends is $3 cold noodle with refills once you finish the previous bowl BUT everyone at the table MUST order the $3 noodle to qualify. You can't share. We didn't order the cold noodles but just sharing in case someone is interested! The vibes are nice and everyone gets a bowl of sunflower seeds. They're unsalted and unseasoned. Just plain. Good to keep your hands/mouth busy to kill time waiting for food. You order on a tablet and they'll come over and check it with you once you submit. The servers were all very nice and friendly. We ordered a variety of beef, lamb, tongue, gizzard, cartilage, tendon ...etc and everything was cooked well! I will say the flavoring is more mild than I'm used to but didn't see a seasoning option to adjust (I'm sure we can verbally adjust though so just noted for next time). There are seasoning shakers on the table so we just put a bunch all over. You just kind of get tired of the flavor after a while but I think it's like that for most skewer places anyways. The duck blood dish is my FAVORITE!! Usually it's not my thing but here they do it so well! Flavor is spicy and bold and it comes with bean sprouts on the bottom. The A-choy was REALLY nice and smokey too!!! Parking is really hit or miss (Diamond Plaza) but there's always the basement parking if all else fails. It's just a matter of how far you have to walk to get to the restaurant. read more

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Fun and vibey place with friendly service! Kai was very helpful explaining everything for us first timers! Meat quality and flavor profile on point for each skewer. Could easily come back and try their bigger fuller dish instead of just the skewers. Def a night time location, a big plus that it closes late :) read more

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量足管饱 不错 牛筋非常给力 Great lamb skewers. Also pretty cheap

Officially my new late-night obsession. If you love Chinese BBQ, seafood boil, or just a spot with great energy and solid food, this place checks every single box!! The skewers come out perfectly seasoned and sizzling hot, and the seafood boil is super flavorful without being overly salty like some places. The Dan-Dan noodles were TO DIE FOR. The vibes are great too: it's lively, clean, and the staff is really friendly. They also have live music on the weekends, gives a full experience instead of just a meal. I'm already planning my next visit. Highly recommend! read more

Gao's Crab & Kabob - Amazing skewers - Chinese Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

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Stopped by on a weeknight. There was no wait. Got the snow crab combo with mild homemade Cajun seasoning and the Dan Dan noodles and they were both excellent and too much food for two of us to eat. We added in three skewers just to try them: Wagyu, lamb, and pig intestine and they were all good. I could easily see ordering more kabobs and a beer and being very happy. Watermelon juice is exactly what you hope -straight watermelon thrown in a blender and it went perfectly with the food. Ambiance is fun -the decor feels like a city at night. We will definitely return. read more

Good food, great atmosphere. Highly suggest coming for the happy hour $1 lamb and $2 beef skewers. Pretty much everything tasted very good and wasn't it down with some bud light. It's like flavored water haha. Chef shrimp, garlic A choy..... The cost can creep up on your real fast though, so order what you think you can eat. Sunday night got packed and busy. read more

Chinese-style skewers have been popping up lately in the 626 area, and I'm all in for it. My friend and I had lunch here this past weekend, and we enjoyed our time dining in. The interior of the restaurant is filled with colorful neon lights and signs--it reminds me of the nightlife in Hong Kong. Menu items are ordered and placed through a QR code that you scan with your phone. You can order multiple items without checking out or closing the bill, which is a plus if you're craving more food. We ended up ordering a variety of menu items such as beef and lamb skewers, garlic chives, enoki mushrooms, wonton soup, and more. Service was generally good as well. read more

Gao's Crab & Kabob - A variety of skewers: beef, lamb, fish tofu, even silkworms! - Chinese Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

Ordered: - Cucumber Chicken Gizzard (5/5): My fav of the bunch, loved the spicy seasoning and the gizzard textures complimented the cucumber. - Fried Ramen (5/5): Despite the simple dish it really hit the spot. Loved the warming flavors. We got the garlic grilled oysters and used the extra garlic as a garnish for this to enrich the flavor even more. - Special Tofu (3/5): My first time trying stinky tofu. Smelled a bit funny but I got over it. Taste was just OK - I didn't mind it but it wasn't really special to me. I did like the crunchy texture though. My gf on the hand stayed far away from this dish. - Garlic grilled oyster (4/5): Loved how juicy and meaty this was. We also really appreciated the generous amount of garlic on each oyster which made the flavors super rich. - 2x Juicy Wagyu beef skewers (3.5/5): Was just ok. First few bites tasted good but then it just got a little too chewy for our liking. In our opinion we'd rather just get the lamb at half the happy hour price. - 10x Big Lamb Skewers (5/5): wow! Really underestimated the size of these skewers. Originally we were going to order 15 but settled on 10 for our initial order and it turned out to be more than enough in addition to everything else we ordered. The lamb as promised was super generous in terms of portion size. Some of the cuts were too fatty to eat but that was fine since there was so much to go around. My gf is sensitive to gamey meats but the lamb here was high quality so she was able to eat it. Overall (5/5): Came here on a Monday right at opening for the happy hour menu. We were seated quickly and after ordering our food came out quickly too. The staff were helpful and friendly and our entire meal was pretty quiet and peaceful since there weren't many people eating at that time. Overall really happy with the food for the price and would definitely come back in the future. read more

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I went here to celebrate my best friend's birthday and it was great! My favorite foods were definitely the skewers which makes sense because that's what they're known for. The lamb skewers were a crowd favorite amongst our group because they were really juicy. The crab boil wasn't bad for the price but be prepared because the Szechuan is really strong and might not be everyone's cup of tea. It was pretty loud inside which was fine for us because we were drinking, it was definitely giving a late night party vibe! There was also a guy singing the whole night which added to the overall noise volume. We had a large party of 8 and they were able to give us a larger table. We also had dropped off a cake to hold for us before we arrived because we had other plans before dinner, and they were very accommodating. Overall service was fast and attentive and I would come here again with friends! read more

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We've been getting into skewers lately and we just got to try this last night. Located in the Diamond plaza, it was pretty empty on a Monday evening, so we are pretty lucky to get parking quickly haha. We came in it was not busy at all, which we were seated right away. We were a party of 5, and they showed us to one of their rooms, but we wanted to be outside since the atmosphere and decor was more fun haha. They even have a large tv screen in the back, so that ambiance is really nice here. Especially with all the neon signs. We ordered a variety of items. Notable items that we all liked were the norther dan dan noodles (the peanuts were so crunchy!), the lamb skewers, beef tongue, and the golden buns. Everyone also enjoyed the cucumber here as well, but wish it had vinegar with it. Surprisingly most of the skewers here weren't even spicy at all, which is pretty nice. I also liked how the servers would also let you know that the salt on their skewers can be adjustable. The servers were very accommodating and friendly here as this was our first time. Especially since this maybe a very Chinese establishment, their English was also pretty good! I wish they had more refreshing veggies, but everything is bbq haha. Theres also crab and seafood here, but we mainly got the meats. read more

Gao's Crab & Kabob - BBQ feast! - Chinese Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

The dan dan noodle with that peanut sauce is so amazing. The noodle is bouncy and they pair it with spicy sauce, savory and sweet peanut sauce. It is perfect for night time snack, summer appetizer. read more

First time here.the lamb skewers and pork belly skewers very juicy .happy hour and cheap skewers. The server was very attentive and helpful. Happy hour is great value.we also ordered the Dan-dan noodles.tastes good. read more

Gao's Crab & Kabob - Chinese Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

Loved their $1 lamb skewers! We came in during happy hour there was no wait. We ordered both cold noodle dishes and they paired perfectly with the skewers. Only two items were on their Happy Hour Menu: $1 lamb skewers and $2 Wagyu skewers. We'll be back on a weekend for their live music! read more

Gao's Crab & Kabob - Chinese Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

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Over priced, service was veryyyy slow. It wasn't even busy when we went. Food was low key just okay. The skewers were good. Decor was really cute. A trendy place probably best with friends, but not the best bank for portions. read more

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So good! Everything we ordered was delicious, and the skewers were cooked perfectly with tons of flavor. Great quality food, friendly service, and a really fun atmosphere. Definitely one of the best skewer spots I've been to. We'll definitely be back! read more

Came here for lunch on a Sunday. We were seated right away. We enjoyed all the skewers we ordered. We also ordered the Dan Dan noodle. The flavor was good. The only problem we had was the temperature of the dish. I would prefer it was either hot or really cold rather than room temperature. They have great happy hour deals. We would definitely come back. read more