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    Shinobu Japanese BBQ

    4.5 (1k reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:30 PM
    Updated a few days ago

    Shinobu Japanese BBQ Reservations

    Shinobu Japanese BBQ Photos

    Business Info

    SHINOBU JAPANESE BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Classy

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    Recommended Reviews - Shinobu Japanese BBQ

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    Aaron D.

    This place doesn't miss! The staff are all super friendly and helpful. They really stay on top of it! The food quality is excellent. It's always a great experience eating here. I'm glad I live so close to it! Loving the happy hour menu. It's a bit smaller than the other AYCE tiers but you still get great options plus BOGO sake and Kirin!

    Fried rice
    Mary N.

    I have not had AYCE bbq in a while so we decided to check this place out. We made a reservation online for a Saturday night but when we arrived, there were plenty of seats open. I was interested in this place because it was "Japanese" style but after our experience, it just felt like a more typical Kbbq. We got the gold menu and ended up only enjoying the marinated boneless shortrib and the limited 1 per person cut (forgot what that was). It was good but I am not sure if it's worth the price for just one really good cut of meat. There were also Korean sides like kimchi, rice paper, radish, and potato salad. The cucumber side tasted off for some reason but the experience just felt like I was at kbbq instead of Manpuku or Anjin. That said, the service was great! They were very attentive and checked up on us often. Maybe the platinum menu would have been better to try for more variety but we were still full at the end. The gold menu is 3.5* but the services is 5*.

    $10 happy hour cocktail
    Maria L.

    Made a reservation on Yelp for Friday happy hour at $29.99. They were already busy on the 1st hour! Love that they have a mobile cart of banchan/side dishes that you can pick and choose from to prevent wastage. 4 big TV's showing the Ducks game. The $29.99 deal is fantastic - still lots of choices of meats and shrimps up for grabs. They proactively change the grills timely. The servers and bussers are attentive, service is friendly and efficient. I ordered a $10 orange cocktail and it was yummy too. Ended the meal with a strawberry sherbet. Lots to like in this restaurant - we look forward to visiting its sister resto a few doors down : Shinobu Shabu.

    Shrimp buns
    Brigitte M.

    Not sure what happened at Shinobu. Came last night and got the platinum. Meat quality has fallen off. Kobe trio is still good, as well as the prime short rib, but for the price, this doesn't compare to the Chubby Cattle's or even Grams, more locally. Banchan is now by request and some of the recipes for them changed, and not in a good way. The other apps weren't the best either. For instance, the fried rice came out super salty, and the shrimp buns were underwhelming. We also noticed the servers kept turning down the grill, and it wasn't like we were going through grill changes. Think it's more strategy to slow down the cooking, and therefore eating. Still no wait, but a tad busier than normal. Not sure if there was a management change, but sad this place isn't like it used to be.

    Yum!!!!
    Tiana T.

    Still one of our favorite spots!!! Came and ran into Timmy!!! He was our first waiter here ever, when we first tried this place back in 2020!!!! It was so good to run into him and he remembered us They have a new happy hour $30 menu. So worth it if u don't care for too many appetizers. Friday night at 6pm, there was no wait ! Waiters are all attentive and kind.

    Donna L.

    I came here with some coworkers after work on a Monday night just in time for happy hour at 5pm, which is nicely priced at $29.99 per person. This place has always been on my list of places to try, but I was turned off by the pricing. I don't eat enough, especially red meat, to justify spending that much for their regular tiered prices on AYCE. So when I saw this happy hour price, I knew it was time to check it out. The place is clean and service was good. I was impressed by how the servers could keep up with our party of 11. They were nice enough to split checks to accommodate our large group. I was surprised by the amount of items on the happy hour menu. You do get a good selection of meat, appetizers, and ice cream options at the end. Happy hour also includes a BOGO with a selection of their drinks like beer draft and house sake. We ended up paying roughly $45 per person in total including tax and tip, which included a good number of drinks ordered.

    LINA M.

    This place was okay. I wanted to try Japanese bbq since I've never had it before and wanted to see what differences there were with Korean bbq. Honestly there wasn't much and I couldn't even tell. I'd assume that Japanese bbq uses coal over propane grills like Korean but these were indeed propane. I noticed there was a waitlist on Yelp which I signed up for just in case but when we went in it was pretty empty other than a couple other tables. The waitlist wasn't necessary so you could just walk in. We stopped in during happy hour for $30/person and that was the menu we chose since we're not used to eating so early. The meat options were small and no seafood options. All the sides were available. It was ok for the price point since they did have some good cuts of beef. I didn't understand their concept of ordering sides. The 1st round of sides you ordered on the cart. Then anything after that you can order through your server. That was kind of odd because either the cart should make its way around again or we should be able to initially order from the waiter.

    Gold and Platinum Menu
    Y L.

    I came by again and took advantage of the $5 off the normal menus for their happy hour. The Silver menu shines over the happy hour menu if you enjoy appetizers, wagyu, or short rib. Service was just as excellent as the previous time I visited, and the interior was somehow even cleaner! The bathrooms have mouthwash, too!

    Tien V.

    Been here for years. New happy hour menu is great ! I LOVE the corn cheese, they use mozzarella instead of that Mexican blend that some places use to cut corners. Ask for the garlic!! It was so good especially with beef belly after letting it soften in oil. Happy hour was $30 and had enough variety for me. Great quality meat and this place is never busy when I go, but I like that you can put reservations in (having the option is good) I've gotten the pricier menus before and they are worth it if you enjoy the more premium meats.

    Selection of proteins and side dishes
    Chien S.

    TikTok made me do it! Saw a TikTok for Shinobu Japanese BBQ so my friend and I went to try it out on Thursday. They've got a Happy Hour menu from 5pm to 6:30pm and then again from 8pm to I think 9:30 or 10pm. You scan a QR code at your table for the various menus. Banchan/ sides are brought over on a cart for your first round. You pick which ones you want and they give you little dishes of them. They're not pre-placed on your table which I really like. Because I don't eat half of them. So it's always a waste when they're already at the table and then just get thrown out. Less food waste is always a good thing. It was a limit of 4 meats per order. We started with the Waygu beef belly, beef brisket, garlic pork belly and garlic shrimp. I was actually shocked that on a happy hour menu, there was no chicken and only various beefs, pork's and shrimps. I would have thought there would be very limited beef, 1 pork and a few chicken selections. So was very happy that there were no chicken on the menu. The pork belly was the first thing that went on the grill. And it flamed up due to all the fat on the pork belly. Cooking to make sure it was fully cooked meant burnt pork belly. So that wasn't ideal. Next time... maybe will put it NOT on the vent but on the top portion of the grill perhaps? Beef belly and brisket were both good and delicious. Shrimp was delicious, but not very garlicky. Good thing I had asked for garlic, which came in a little aluminum cup with a little bit of oil and maybe pepper? Put that container right on the grill and let it kind of fry in the oil, then ate it with a bit of meat, wrapped in radish paper. So good! 2nd round, we got more beef belly and brisket. 3rd round, we got 2 other cuts of beef and the veggie platter. I was surprised they had asparagus on the platter. But loved them grilled. YUM! Wasn't impressed with either sauces. Both were a bit too salty for my liking. Good thing the beef with the garlic and grilled jalapeños went well together and I didn't feel like it necessarily needed the sauces. We made our reservations for 5pm when they opened for dinner so the place was empty upon arrival. By the time that we left about 7pm, it was fairly busy with some bigger groups. Over-all a good experience. Happy hour menu was worth the $29.99 price tag. Would come back again.

    Our first round of many
    Caroline T.

    It's my birthday and my cousin recommended me to try this place with her. It was definitely a great place to celebrate. Sunday afternoon with all AYCE Japanese Grill. It was so delicious. Their wagyu beef belly was something else. It was so good. I'll be back for more for sure. And ooooh... the marinated hanger steak was amazing. The pork belly with garlic was another outstanding contender as well. We came in right when it opened to I felt like a princess. They attended to us all the way through. At the end, one of the server saw us leaving and she stopped me and said.. "wait, it's your birthday, so let me give you the matcha tea cheesecake to go for you". I felt to loved. This place is super clean and that says a lot about a restaurant. They have the overhead exhausts to suck up all the smoke from the grill. Nice touch.

    Sides and a bowl of cabbage. Cheese corn is on the grill plate
    Melanie P.

    Food was really good. We got the Happy hour special and there was a lot to choose from. The service was good and they did come check on us frequently to see if we wanted more meat. The sides were good but very small in size and we didn't think to ask for more. I do wish they would have asked or prompted us in some way to ask for more of them. The only real thing I feel like they can improve on is changing the grill plate sooner, especially because they were not busy at all. We definitely would go back and eat there again.

    Garett Y.

    Melissa and Tommy to the rescue! We decided to give this place another try, and what a difference! Melissa and Tommy were amazing! The combination of great service and good food made this visit way different and way better!

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    6 days ago

    Meat already changed its color!!! Everything tasted too salty and sweet, even the one were not marinated.

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    2 months ago

    Love this place, food is good and staff is always friendly. Took some out of state family and they always want to go back.

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    Shinobu Japanese BBQ Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Shinobu Japanese BBQ

    What time is happy hour today sunday?

    Hi! Currently it is 3-5pm and 8-9pm $29.99 :)

    Can we order the bacon fried rice for takeout?

    Absolutely! We get orders Togo all the time for our cooked items

    Are you good with allergies? I cannot eat eggs, nuts,fish.

    Hi Madi, we are able to accommodate those allergies, just make sure to let us know when you dine with us, and we are able to go through which items can be modified appropriately, thank you

    Can you eat here alone? Order for one person?

    Yes

    What's kid pricing?

    for ayce, kids 5-11 are half price, under 4 are free

    Do you use oyster sauce or peanut oil on your marinades?

    We do not use either in our marinades. We do use oyster sauce in our yakisoba, but that can be omitted if preferred

    Is the Silver Tier available All Day M-Th? And what is on the menu? Your website only has gold and platinum.

    Hi Dee, it is available all day Mon-Thurs excluding Holidays. I just updated the website to include the Silver Tier items - thank you for letting us know and we hope to see you soon

    Do you have any weekday specials?

    Yes! $34.99 Silver tier All you can eat is back for a limited time only! Monday-Thursday only (excludes holidays)

    Going here for work dinner, I'm a vegetarian is there a meal I can eat here?

    Hi Andrea - we have plenty of vegetarian options and can make many of our dishes vegetarian friendly since things are made to order. Veggie fried rice, veggie yakisoba, Brussels sprouts, miso shishito peppers, grilled veggies and miso soup to name… Read more

    Do they offer table for 1?

    Yes we do offer table for 1

    What do you do when it rains?

    Theyre indoors

    Is there a discounted price for children on the AYCE? If so, what is the age?

    Kids 5-11 are half price, 4 and under are free

    Shouldnt this be called Korean Japanese BBQ since Korean items are featured on the menu? Since when is Kimchi, radish paper and corn cheese Japanese? I know Yakiniku was made by Koreans but its confusing

    Hi Tj, sorry for the confusion. We are Japanese owned and when we first opened 4 years ago we didn't have those items mentioned on our menu. After listening to guest feedback over the years regarding item requests, we have changed our menu many… Read more

    Is this place still doing all you can eat?

    Yes!!

    Do you have the radish paper?

    Hi Elana, yes we do!

    Are you guys going to be open on November 11th (Veterans Day)?

    Hi yasmeen, yes we will be open Wednesday nov 11th. We currently are open everyday except for Tuesdays right now. We hope to see you soon!

    Is one ounce the maximum of A5 wagyu that each person could get if they take the platinum menu? Or they could order more than 1oz

    Hi Tavia, We normally serve our A5 for $17/oz. on the platinum it is available as an add on for $8 for a 1oz order - which is limited to 1 order per person. However, the… Read more

    My husband and I dont eat pork or pig anything but we love the all you can eat concept. Is this place accomondating?

    Definitely! Our family also doesn't eat pork and we were able to get chicken, shrimp, and beef.

    Is the price for like Silver, Gold, or Platinum, single person or is the price a group price?

    The price is per person, and everyone in the group must do the same tier. Hope this helps

    Does this place use MSG?

    No, there is no msg used in any of the recipes. We make our sauces in house from scratch and we don’t add msg to any of our dishes or sauces.

    View All 41 Questions

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    Santa Maria bbq and Catering

    4.2
    (1.3k reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$
    Catering service
    Casual dining

    The food was great! We had the ribs and pulled pork sandwiches. Service was also good. The place is…read morequaint. If you like traditional ribs this place is for you.

    One of the best affordable BBQ places in OC and on our family's list of regular dinner choices…read more We've been going here for years but I was compelled to write a review today because of the extraordinary service I just received. I usually call in an order for pick it up but I needed to finish up some work before dinner and my family wanted BBQ. I didn't have time to drive over there but noticed they now offer delivery so I downloaded their app. I was having trouble adding an item to my cart so I called to ask for help. After trying to walk me through it without success, Cole just offered to personally drop off the order for me. I was totally thinking I was going to let my family down and have to figure out something else. I was shocked that he even offered because I know they are a small shop and can get busy. I assumed they partnered with door dash or Uber eats for their delivery. The cherry on top was that the food got here faster than if I had used door dash Anyhow, it is rare to experience this kind of hospitality these days and thought they deserved the kudos. Thank you for going above and beyond. Our favorites on the menu are the pulled pork, brisket, sausage and chicken.

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    Brisket Sandwiches
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    Lien Hoa BBQ Deli

    Lien Hoa BBQ Deli

    3.0
    (337 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    Forever my favorite Chinese bbq. They accept card now. It was cash only before…read more Storefront is small, but the line moves quick. Menu is self explanatory. Excellent roast pork with crispy skin. We love the pha lau. They also sell buns and baguettes for convenience.

    Before I get into it. I've never written a one star (wish they had a zero star) before nor even go…read moreon yelp often. Anyways, I've been coming to this place for many years and I do believe they do a great job when it comes to the food. However on my last visit, they gave me the wrong order. I ordered pork belly but received rib belly from another customer. The middle aged man and grumpy was the one that MADE the mistake. I didn't realized I have gotten the wrong order until driving home. I call them saying I got the wrong order and if I can get a refund or dispute because I am not going to pay for something I did not want. Upon calling, they asked if I can drive back and return it but I'm already an hour away on the freeway. They took down my name and number and said they'll redeem the same order in my next visit. Here I am visiting today, and I told them the situation and the same worker talked to me. He started lecturing me that I should've returned the food. "Food is food. If you don't like don't eat"... He continued to talk loudly and making a statement in front of this whole team and all of them looking like I was in the wrong. Excuse you? Did I ask for a box of bones? Weren't YOU the one that made the mistake? How RUDE and DISRESPECTFUL you are to the people helping your business. Please grow up and deal with situations more professionally. Hold yourself accountable for mistakes you made. Your customers are what keeps you in business Uncle. With that being said... I will never come back to this place ever again.

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    Grams BBQ

    Grams BBQ

    3.9
    (1.5k reviews)
    2.8 mi
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    Amazing food always hits, great service. Always has a good vibe always go with the family for sure…read moremy favorite bbq

    Went here twice, once with a large group of friends and another time with a friend, both times…read moreordering the late night AYCE happy hour menu (10 P.M - 12: P.M). We went when prices were still like $18.99/each AYCE at night but now I heard it's $23/each, which is understandable but unfortunate for us students. Both times we went, the portions each order was solid and the meat quality was good, better than expected. We ate tons of meat and some of us ordered sides, the wait for the orders weren't too long and the grill was being changed frequently. The staff were nice and the service was relatively quick even when they were busy. One order seemed to be forgotten but another server checked in on us and they went back to make sure everything was proper, which was nice. When I went with my friend, the two of us were challenging each other and we ended up being the very last party to leave. Unfortunately, we ordered more than we could eat due to our competitiveness and it was already past 12 p.m. They decided not to charge us the leftover fee so I tipped more to compensate. Shoutout to the kind staff that watched me try to scarf down the food at the end and seeing a duo last longer than a party of 11 . I recommend going here late at night to try out their, now $23, AYCE from 10 p.m to 12 p.m and note that their last call is 11:30 p.m. Another thing is that you have to sign up on the waitlist via their tablet in-person, so come around 9:15 p.m if you're going with a large party and hit up the H-Mart across while waiting!

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    Grams BBQ
    Prime Brisket 차돌 (but didn't seem like prime quality)
    Prime Brisket 차돌 (but didn't seem like prime quality)
    Fried rice cake without the sauce--I liked this!

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    Fried rice cake without the sauce--I liked this!
    Sookdal

    Sookdal

    4.5
    (554 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$$

    Sookdal is my favorite KBBQ spot when I wanna splurge or celebrate a special occasion! If you like…read morepork belly, you will love this place. Their pork dishes are DELISHHHH (i recommend skipping the beef brisket) and I love that they cook the meat for you so you can just DIG IN. Their meat is high quality which I think justifies the price. Combo A/B will feed 2 people and C/D/E is just enough for 3-4 people! I love the lil extra goodies they include like the pineapple, mushroom, and cheese... so yum.... For the combos, I prefer the kimchi stew over the soybean stew since the soybean is a little salty for me. Make sure to order the cold noodles too - they complement the meat SO WELL.

    Came here with a group and ordered Combo B and Combo D, which gave us a great variety of pork cuts…read moreincluding pork belly and pork shoulder, along with bean paste soup and kimchi stew. While we waited for the grill to get going, we snacked on the banchan. The pickled dishes and spring greens were especially refreshing and did a great job balancing out all the rich flavors to come. The highlight was definitely the meat. Everything was grilled perfectly and came out incredibly juicy, tender, and flavorful. What I loved most was how many different ways there were to enjoy each bite. You can dip the pork into the garlic oil sauce, add a little wasabi, pair it with the melted grilled cheese, wrap it with myeong yi, sprinkle on some salt, or simply enjoy the quality of the meat on its own. Every combination brought out a different flavor profile, so the meal never got repetitive. The soups were comforting and packed with flavor, making them a great complement to the barbecue. Overall, this was a really satisfying KBBQ experience. The quality of the pork stood out, the variety of accompaniments made every bite interesting, and the meal felt thoughtfully put together from start to finish. The restaurant was lively!

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    T - Kebob T 串

    T - Kebob T 串

    4.2
    (293 reviews)
    2.8 mi
    Women-owned & operated
    Free parking

    This was our first time here. We didn't have a lot of expectations mostly because we were the…read moresecond party in the whole restaurant. However, once we placed our order, a few more parties were seated. When the food came out, we were pleasantlysurprised that every dish was very tasty. Even my husband enjoyed it and he's a picky eater. The waitress who was also the hostess was attentive and very efficient.

    I was craving Chinese skewers one and happened to stumble upon this place located in Garden Grove…read more We got the marinated beef skewers, pork belly, and chicken skin which were all really good. Each skewer came with decently sized portion, although some of it does shrink when cooking. Depending on which meat you order, some will take a while to cook (i.e chicken skin), so would plan according. Each meal comes with kim chi and radishes which paired well with our skewers. Overall, it was a good meal. Although they primarily specialize in skewers (including lamb, beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and vegetables) there's also main dishes you can order such as dry spicy hot pot, fried rice, and stir fry beef udon. The generally vibe inside probably leans towards large group outings where you order soju or sake with some friends and just have a good time. However, it also a good place to bring family or kids and just enjoying watching the skewers rotate on the grill. The service here was good and the skewers came out pretty quickly. I could see myself coming back here again.

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    T - Kebob T 串
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    Shinobu Japanese BBQ - bbq - Updated July 2026

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