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    The Skewers Bar

    4.7 (55 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 1 month ago

    The Skewers Bar Photos

    THE SKEWERS BAR ATMOSPHERE

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    Great appetizer
    Sir C.

    News Flash!!! New owners, new recipes! Great service, Above and beyond my expectations! Hands down! Great atmosphere.

    Beef and Lamb
    Edward D.

    The spot is relatively new and replaced the old Skewer Spot. The food was great and the portions were sizable as expected of a quick eat and Service was very homey and comfortable.

    green been, mozzarella stick
    Hannah R.

    my favorite restaurant in the bay! i come down from SF every chance I get. recently got new owners- food is still bomb, food comes out faster now. they use the same delicious seasoning for everything, it is like a cumin / spice so so so so good! the staff is SO FRIENDLY. excellent!

    Skewers
    Kevin T.

    Change in ownership again for the better. Food tastes like how it was when it first opened. Their seasoning is slightly sweeter than Gao bbq. They serve beer and soju again. Service is friendly and welcoming. They completely remodeled the inside and it looks like a new restaurant. I do notice that menu is smaller than the other skewer bbq places but they still have the core dishes one would expect from a skewer place.

    Fish ball, beef, gizzard, squid
    Megan L.

    This spot has changed ownership a few times so this review is for the most recent owners as of Aug 2026. We ordered a variety of skewers so it can get expensive depending on how much you get. To order: you scan the QR code on the table and add the things you want to the cart. Here's the ones we liked: Juicy tender beef Grilled beef tongue Grilled chicken gizzard Grilled crispy chicken skin Grilled lamb Grilled pork collar Fish ball w filling The new owners were so nice and they even gave us plums to eat. Overall it was pretty good and would come back again.

    Kevin T.

    New chefs and owners since 10 days ago!! If you were disappointed in the past, I'd highly recommend giving them another try. The skewers had really amazing flavor. Our favorites were the chicken heart and the beef skewers. Would definitely come back

    Takumi A.

    If you are looking for authentic Chinese BBQ and Chinese skewers, The Skewers Bar is a very good representation of the casual barbecue culture found throughout China: skewers, cold drinks, friends, conversation, and repeated rounds of food coming to the table. What impressed me most was actually the process control. Unlike restaurants where customers cook the skewers themselves, everything here is grilled in the kitchen and delivered fully cooked to a heated tray at the table. From an engineering perspective, this is a much better-controlled system. The kitchen controls the thermal process, seasoning, and endpoint instead of introducing a different human variable at every table. The heated tray is also more important than it looks. With skewers, surface area is high relative to mass, so they lose heat quickly. Once the temperature drops, rendered fat begins to solidify, the perceived aroma decreases, and the texture changes. Keeping the finished product warm reduces that thermal drift. More importantly, we ordered multiple rounds during the meal, and the batch-to-batch consistency was remarkably good. The later skewers had essentially the same seasoning intensity, doneness, texture, and cumin/chili profile as the first batch. In semiconductor language, their process window seems pretty well controlled. The lamb and meat skewers have the classic northern Chinese BBQ profile: cumin, chili, salt, rendered fat, and high-temperature browning. Good surface caramelization without turning the interior into dry material. The vegetables were also properly seasoned rather than treated as an afterthought. One item I would absolutely recommend is the garlic vermicelli scallop. This is a classic Chinese seafood preparation and works particularly well here. The scallop sits over glass noodles with a generous amount of garlic. The vermicelli essentially functions as an absorption matrix for the scallop juices, garlic, seasoning, and oil. From a mass-transfer standpoint, wasting those noodles would be irrational. The restaurant itself has the atmosphere of a modern mainland Chinese skewer bar. There are Chinese decorations, jokes, and little pieces of questionable life wisdom everywhere. You don't need to read Chinese to enjoy them -- point your phone camera at the writing and use translation. That is part of the entertainment. This is also not a restaurant where I would order everything at once. Order in batches. Get some lamb skewers, meat, vegetables and seafood, have a drink, talk for a while, then initiate the next production lot. That is where this restaurant's system really works. Batch 1 eat. Batch 2 drink. Batch 3 continue the discussion. Batch 4 somehow order more lamb. And remarkably, the process remains reproducible. For Chinese BBQ, lamb skewers, cumin-spiced meat, garlic scallops and late-night food with friends, this place gets the fundamentals right: controlled cooking, good thermal management, and excellent lot-to-lot consistency. Low process variation. High repeatability. Good yield. As for the restaurant's final contribution to quality management: "If you don't have the ability to clean up the mess, don't indulge your fickle emotions." Apparently SPC applies to relationships too.

    Andy S.

    Amazing late night skewers when I was sick of waiting in long line for a bowl of pho nearby. I didn't expect the quality of food here is that good! Give this place a try and you might be surprised! But your tummy will definitely thank you!

    Grilled stinky tofu
    Clare C.

    Very tasty skewers, Grilled stinky tofu is juicy inside, clean environment,friendly staff. First time to try Wusu beer , we all like it!

    Juicy tender beef skewers
    Davin C.

    New ownership but same quality! Actually enjoyed it more, as they've really improved the quality of their skewers. Service is super friendly and attentive, shoutout to the super sweet and fun auntie running front of house! The beef skewers were the main highlight for me, had to order another round of them!

    Kaitlyn P.

    Everything we ordered was so tasty, especially the beef skewers! (definitely the highlight -- super flavorful, tender, and cooked perfectly) We also loved the egg fried rice and cucumber salad, which paired really well with everything. The service was awesome too. Everyone was really friendly, welcoming, and attentive, which made the whole experience even better. Great food, great service, and we'll definitely be back to try more of the menu!

    Guixin S.

    Great BBQ Really enjoyed the Chinese BBQ here! The meat was flavorful, perfectly roasted, and had that delicious smoky aroma. Everything tasted fresh, and the portions were generous. The food came out hot and the service was great too. Highly recommend if you're craving authentic Chinese BBQ!

    Stef V.

    First time coming and definitely not the last, and has made its way onto my top 10 south bay places to bring friends for unique local finds. Super flavorful skewers in whatever delicious seasonings they use (lamb, beef, lamb kidney all superb), but surprisingly their veg dishes were a huge hit too (cumin cabbage and eggplant). The lovely (husband and wife) staff is delightful too. This place hits all the notes!

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    16 days ago

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    23 days ago

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    4 days ago

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    18 days ago

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    9 days ago

    All the mushrooms are good. The squid was our favorite. The fried rice was fresh and delicious. Will visit again.

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    9 days ago

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    9 days ago

    The lamb & beef skewers are good. The plate of cabbage is very big and flavorful too.

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    16 days ago

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    3 days ago

    Great ambiance! The food was delicious! Great large selection of foods very fresh juicy and tasty!

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    19 days ago

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    3 hours ago

    Beef skewers are juicy and I love the spices on them. Came out pretty fast and service was quick too. Would come back again!

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    15 days ago

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    11 days ago

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    2 days ago

    The Skewer Bar is hands-down one of my favorite late-night spots for authentic Chinese BBQ!

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    Cajun Crack'n

    Cajun Crack'n

    4.5(1.6k reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$
    Happy hour specials
    Large group friendly

    Seafood, seafood, and how about a side of seafood? This is a very popular place . Yes, it was a…read moreSaturday evening, but at 8 PM, they still had a half hour wait for a table. I didn't know that you could call for a reservation, or get on their waitlist with Yelp. I was going to do my order to go, when I was asked if I wouldn't mind sitting at the bar. Not at all. I was seated right away, and I was helped by Allison, who was also tending bar. She was a very nice lady, and she took very good care of me. The restaurant has. A nautical theme to it. I decided to go with the Cajun chowder, and the softshell crab po' boy. . My food comes quickly, and the order was huge! It was a very good, rich chowder, with just a tiny bit of a "zip" from the Cajun spices. They definitely gave it a good flavor. There were lots of goodies inside. The one thing about the chowder, was they didn't take out the bay leaves, and I did get a couple.. I just put them off to the side. I'm not going to take off a star, because the chowder was so good. Hey, It happens.... The po' boy was huge! The softshell crab was not over breaded. I could taste the crab with no problem, and it was a little bit sweet, a little bit savory, with that wonderful "crabby" flavor. The roll was a soft roll, , but it still held up to the sandwich extremely well The lettuce, and tomato were crisp and fresh . The Cajun fries, had a little bit of a zip to them, but not too much. they came with ketchup, and their house Cajun sauce. I didn't even touch the ketchup. The sandwich already had some Cajun sauce on it, I put a little bit more. The rest, I used to dip the fries. I only made it halfway through the sandwich, and the fries. The rest came back to my room with me for another great meal. I also got another little "tub" of that sauce to take with me. The entire time, Alison was so personable, , we chatted a little bit about this and that... She is definitely an asset to that restaurant. (Tell her boss to give her a raise...:). The price was extremely reasonable for such a wonderful meal, and they also have a military/veterans discount this was such a great meal, I would gladly come back here again. Thank you so very much

    Highly recommend! 10/10 service and food…read more Yelp waitlist is helpful too. Normally a small group of us go. But I often see large parties too!

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    Yaichi Japanese Restaurant - Tempura udon

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    FeedMeiMei posted about this place and I've been meaning to try. I ordered the ume bowl with the…read moreochazuke set. It doesn't look like much food but it's actually very filling! I liked how fresh the fish was, and all the seasonings / sides / dashi broth blends together so well. I appreciated the multitude of places where they tell you how to do the ochazuke! I would also be interested in coming back to try their udon as well too! The service is quick, and servers are attentive. There's not a ton of seating inside, but I like the decor! This area of Milpitas has so many options for food (and dessert)!

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    Claw Shack - Clams w/ Shackie Sauce ($15.99/lb) - 3/5 stars

    Claw Shack

    4.3(1.6k reviews)
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    Plaza parking available, but it fills up quickly…read more Restaurant isn't super huge so try to get there right when it opens, even on weekday for dinner, was filling up when close to closing! Garlic noodles are delicious, must order whenever I'm here Got their Combo Deal and was plentiful for 2 persons Can't wait to be back!

    This was my go-to seafood boil spot for the past five years. I'd always recommend this place to…read morefriends because it was consistently one of the better seafood boil spots in SJ. After today's visit, though... I finally understand why the second location closed. Ordered: Shackie's Sauce (Hot) Shrimp & Mussels Combo Snow Crab Clusters Garlic Noodles Garlic Fries The seafood boil was nowhere near the quality it used to be. The corn tasted old, the shrimp and snow crab didn't taste fresh, and the snow crab clusters had barely any meat. By the time I cracked everything open, it felt like there was more shell than seafood. The mussel shells even had barnacles on them, which I've never seen here before. It made the seafood feel like it hadn't been cleaned as well as it should have. The garlic fries were crispy, but that's it. It was weird--I could see the garlic and was literally eating it, yet there was no garlic flavor. The garlic noodles used to be one of my favorite items because they were bold and packed with garlic. Now they've definitely toned the flavor down, and they're just not the same anymore. It's honestly disappointing because this place used to be one of my favorite seafood spots. The food quality has clearly declined while the prices have continued to go up. I hope they can get back to what made this place so good, but based on today's experience, I can't recommend it anymore.

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    The Kickin' Crab - No sauce , little to no meat in crab.

    The Kickin' Crab

    3.6(2.3k reviews)
    0.8 miNorth Valley
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    Here's a version that keeps the disappointment clear without sounding like you're just ranting:…read more My wife and I used to be loyal Kickin' Crab customers before we moved to the city, so I was really looking forward to having it again. Unfortunately, today's experience was nowhere near what we remembered. We ordered a pound of king crab, snow crab & shrimp, and snow crab with Cajun fries -- definitely not a cheap order. We were also told we couldn't order or pay over the phone because of the cost, which was already a little frustrating. But the food was the real disappointment. The sauce was extremely watered down, to the point that the seasoning wouldn't even stick to the shrimp, crab, potatoes, or corn. The crab itself was flimsy and somehow tasted dry like it wasn't fresh, and several of the claws had little to no meat in them. Being a pescatarian, and I can honestly say I've never thrown away a pound of king crab until today. For what king crab costs, that says everything. We used to love this place, which is why this experience was especially disappointing.

    This was probably one of the best visits I've had here so far. Usually I complain about the service…read moreand the lack of attention given to my table after the food is dropped off. This time we ordered combo #3 with the snow crab legs and 2 lbs of shrimp, and 1 lb of mussel. They were out of clams but it was okay. The sauce and the flavor were superb and everything was cooked to perfection in the kickin sauce, mild. My friend whose favorite is boiling crab, really liked this place. Staff actually came around to check on us and to refill our waters. It's been pretty slow every time I come in here but there's plenty of tables to choose from and sit at. They still play some really good music and it's a vibe. Still one of my all time favorite places to eat.

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    Custom Cut Butcher - Kamal has added A5 Wagyu to his roster and it's dialed. Still the best butcher in San Jose, no question.

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    4.9(98 reviews)
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    They stock a variety of fresh herbs, artisanal spices & butters…read more Alfonso provides great service. I've been relying on him to cut my steaks to the perfect thickness for years.

    If you're looking for a shop with a variety of high quality meat at a reasonable price, look no…read morefurther! The shop isn't very big but feels super clean inside and it doesn't have a meat smell. There's two huge meat fridges showing you what they have, plus couple fridges and shelves filled with stuff that you might need to cook with your food like spices, aromatics, seasonings. The staff here are really nice and helpful too. They even give you complimentary containers of their salt rub. My partner and I specifically come here specifically for their Picanha steaks which are extremely high quality and affordable. They're great to cook using the reverse sear method or grill like they do at Brazilian steak houses. They taste fantastic with chimichurri or even just with flaky salt because of how buttery the steaks are on their own. The last time we were here, we got 10 steaks for around $150 and we seriously thought we'd be spending way more. Of course the cost will depend on what you, like the prime rib here is very expensive, but weigh out your options! I do think everything else here seems to be a great price for the quality compared to mass grocers. I'd highly recommend anyone to check out this shop!

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    Custom Cut Butcher - Grilling in the dark is easy, with an instant read thermometer!

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    K & C Food Wholesale - Oyster + Uni = wow!

    K & C Food Wholesale

    3.9(519 reviews)
    4.1 miDowntown
    $$

    We were planning to cook some oysters for Father's day and decided to pick some oysters for K&C. My…read morefriends would come here 10+ years ago to get their raw oyster fix. I was worried they would be close by the time I get there since they close at 5pm and it was 4:45pm when we got there. There is parking in the back that you can drive in and park. I told them I wanted 120 Pacific oysters and the worker brought it out right away. They were $120 but since I used my card to pay, they tacked on $5 to the price. I think you have to spend a certain amount to avoid the $5 credit card charge. They asked if I was ok with it and I told them it was fine and proceeded to pay. They have newspapers on the side that you can use to put in ur car so the water from the oysters doesn't get on the car carpet. The oysters were really good and tasted fresh. We ended up killing all 120 oysters last night. Highly recommend this place for oysters. I heard certain hours of the day, the place can be packed so be prepared just in case you can't park inside and have to find street parking.

    Happy customer: A…read more Call first to see what they had in stock and for pricing. Grabbed a box of live lobsters for the fam. Service was quick and efficient. Lobsters were fresh and meaty. Cash and cards are accepted. -John

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    The Skewers Bar - chinese - Updated September 2026

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