Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Uncle Lau's Island BBQ

    3.1 (54 reviews)
    InexpensiveBarbeque

    Uncle Lau's Island BBQ Photos

    UNCLE LAU'S ISLAND BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?

    You might also consider

    More like Uncle Lau's Island BBQ

    Recommended Reviews - Uncle Lau's Island BBQ

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    spicy shrimp scampi
    Jenny B.

    Found this truck today @ Pennsylvania and Stewart a.k.a MTV Parking lot along with Yum2 Bowls and BooL. Ordered: - Shrimp Scampi (spicy) - $7 came with 6 jumbo Shrimps and 2 scoops of rice - Kalbi Burrito - $6 came with some chips I was expecting a spicier scampi from the smell, however, it wasn't exactly that. It's sweet and spicy garlicy jumbo shrimp, a bit too sweet for my palette. The burrito was okay, a bit bland for the taste, could use more sauce and seasoning for the kalbi. I like the fact that they gave u a card for buy 10 get 1 free, it's like an incentive to return, however, unless there's no other better truck around, then I will come back for this. Be warned, it took about 15-20minutes for ur order to come out if there's some crowd around.

    Bill C.

    5 stars for the portion size 5 stars for the flavor 5 stars for the rice 6 stars because they use paper "clamshell" dishes instead of the ubiquitous Styrofoam ones This was a nice surprise last minute audible call on my part. I stopped on Santa Monica's foof truck alley fully expecting to try India Jones; but two of the three employees were standing at their truck (under the overhang) sucking on tubes of burning tobacco and exhaling customer repellent into the environment. So I kept walking down the block and came across Uncle Lau. Almost ordered a Moco Loco until I spied Shrimp Scampi on the menu??? Hawaiians eat Scampi? well not the same way Italians do, but nonetheless Uncle Lau serves up one heck of a good meal. Normally, the Scampi I am familiar with is on a bed of rice in the scampi sauce; but today it was served Hawaiian Style, that is served up from an ice cream scoop. 2 big mounds of white rice. Plain white rice. Boring old rice. what the heck I 'll try the dumb old rice. Man this is good rice. the fluffiest white rice ever. Man I wish I had more rice. And the shrimp, there were 6 and they were humongous, and the were fried in a sweet spicy, Asian Garlic sauce. And they were good too. As it "happens" I have had shrimp burritos that cost more than the 7.00 I paid today where the whole burrito had less than half of one single shrimp from Uncle Lau. And he gave me 6 of them. Thanks India Jones; if it wasn't for your inconsiderate boorish behavior (which by the way is against Santa Monica law) I probably would have spent my money at your truck and missed out on the wonderful shrimp. "Gourmet Food Truck #43 on my never-ending quest to try every truck in So Cal" .

    Spicy Shrimp taco on the left, Kalbi short rib on the right
    Mary H.

    I decided to go surf and turf today to get a feel for what Uncle Lau's has to offer. When I received my order of one spicy shrimp taco and one Kalbi beef taco I immediately noticed that the beef taco looked a little dry. So I went back to the truck to squirt a little of the red sauce on it. In the middle of saucing the second taco I realized the "sauce" was ketchup. I'm an idiot, fine, I'll find a way to deal with the situation. Since I was eating by myself I was free to try to lick off the excess ketchup, but I was less successful on the shrimp taco. I loved the shrimp taco though. I spied a bottle of Sriracha in the truck, and that is where I assumed the spiciness comes from. It had only a mild to medium spiciness, but it was full of flavor, freshness, and the shrimp were cooked nicely. On the other hand, the Kalbi beef taco was just okay. I wish it was deeply marinated and had some type of sauce on the meat. Besides the meat, there was just a little kim chi and some red lettuce that wasn't really needed. I think the next time I come here I'll try the shrimp scampi.

    Spicy Shrimp Taco
    Kat K.

    The spicy shrimp taco was standard issue. A couple of grilled shrimp which were slightly overcooked and chewy, with a salsa of cilantro, onion, and tomatoes. I ate it like I would eat a McDonald's big mac. Which reminds me...why was it so damn greasy? There was a pool of orange grease at the bottom of my tortilla and it was kind of gross.

    a slice of rainbow bread with ice cream
    Connie L.

    Loved their new item of Fried Spam. Not too salty but definitely yummy with the perfect crunch on the outside. I have tried basically everything on their truck and I have to say that I am always coming back for more. My favorites are their shrimp scampi. I love the spicy garlic butter sauce. And to the person who thought it was all grease, it is not. It is all delicious yummy butter and garlic. I can't forget their chicken sandwich with the spicy mixed peppers. Always hits the spot any day. What can I say. I love this truck.

    See all

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 12
    Thanks 0
    Love this 12
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Bill C.
    144
    585
    2472

    16 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mary H.
    99
    87
    204

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kat K.
    1003
    435
    594

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Connie L.
    59
    180
    1788

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of T F.
    393
    822
    169

    15 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Alan W.
    538
    55
    37

    16 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    I got their beef brisket. It was ok. Not super tender, not super anything, but ok. If I have choices, I'd probably skip this one.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Min T.
    416
    2154
    544

    16 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dennis Y.
    287
    220
    68

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of George L.
    40
    27
    11

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Aaron A.
    476
    99
    533

    16 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of lisa h.
    29
    82
    7

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Bec P.
    220
    217
    1

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Marie P.
    30
    229
    75

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jordan D.
    31
    158
    4

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Melissa N.
    115
    167
    33

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jonathan N.
    656
    218
    77

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Harry G.
    10
    322
    0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Uncle Lau's Island BBQ

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Barbeque 52,128 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Baby Blues BBQ

    Baby Blues BBQ

    3.9(2.8k reviews)
    4.1 kmVenice
    $$

    Baby Blues has been my go-to barbecue spot in LA for years. I have so many great memories here with…read moremy daughter, from celebrating her birthday to marking the end of the school year and other special occasions. Yesterday's visit was not quite a five-star experience. I would rate it a 4.5, but I'm rounding up. I have always enjoyed the ambiance here. It's cool and a little quirky, which feels very consistent with the overall vibe of Venice. Also, the service was excellent, as the employees were friendly and attentive. And, as we've come to expect, the food was absolutely delicious. The only issue was that my cornbread, beans, and ribs were all served at room temperature. The mac and cheese was the only item I ordered that was served hot. This was a bit disappointing. Anyone can have a slightly off day, so we will definitely be back, and I'm hopeful this issue will be corrected. I still believe the incredible flavor of the food here can't be beat.

    THIS FOOD HEALED US. Service was absolutely incredible/personal. Didn't know it was the OG Baby…read moreBlues location. Tasted identical to the Philly one (I haven't been since 2016). Will be going back for nostalgic BIG reasons specifically $1 wings weekdays 4-6pm (mon to thurs OR mon to friday - sorry my memory is fuzzy for the range perhaps call first before heading if you want this deal) Memphis ribs - 9/10 Brisket - some parts dry tough but the parts that weren't were GOOD 7.5-8/10 BREAD PUDDING 10/10 Fixings- corn bread 8/10, Mac and cheese 8/10, corn 5/10

    Photos
    Baby Blues BBQ
    Baby Blues BBQ - Memphis Style Ribs with Pulled Pork

    Memphis Style Ribs with Pulled Pork

    Baby Blues BBQ - Decor

    See all

    Decor

    Holy Cow BBQ - Santa Monica - Ribs

    Holy Cow BBQ - Santa Monica

    3.6(581 reviews)
    2.2 km
    $$

    I am disabled…read more DoorDash delivered an unacceptable order that I had to dispose of last night as it was inedible. I had spinal surgery and the incision became infected. Besides the AB's, it calls for uber doses of protein for healing. The order was all protein. I had to throw it all away and went to bed hungry. I called and spoke to Miguel and Polita, the manager, this afternoon at HC. Not only was Polita incredibly gracious and apologetic, she and Miguel made good and bagged up my protein for tonight - with a few extras to make me smile through the pain. When I showed up with my walker - they were all smiles, love and gratitude to help someone in need. And, peeps, the grub was awesome. Probably 'cuz of all the love. This town can be pretty selfish - but these two young'uns showed up for the future. Amen!

    We are visiting Santa Monica from Palm Springs and wanted to have good barbecue. After doing the…read moreresearch in Santa Monica, Holy Cow Barbecue was the restaurant we wanted to try. Unfortunately, when we got there, we were turns away by the cashier. We got to the restaurant between 820 and 8:25 PM. knowing the restaurant closes at 9 PM, which we felt there was enough time. Went we decided what we wanted to eat, the cashier said we can only take out and not sit in the dining room. We were so upset because we drove 20 minutes out of our way to eat there. There was nothing posted about not being able to eat in the dining room after 830PM. This is a very bad business practice and the owner should talk to their employees about turning away guests. This review represents our experience trying to get a meal at Holy Cow, not on the food because we never had the opportunity to eat there. By the way there were several table occupied by guests eating. Very frustrating!!

    Photos
    Holy Cow BBQ - Santa Monica - Love the vibe in here always clean, always impeccable

    Love the vibe in here always clean, always impeccable

    Holy Cow BBQ - Santa Monica
    Holy Cow BBQ - Santa Monica - Holy Cow BBQ

    See all

    Holy Cow BBQ

    Bludso's BBQ

    Bludso's BBQ

    4.1(3.7k reviews)
    15.1 kmFairfax
    $$

    I grew up in Hollywood, but I had no idea that some of the best barbecue has been happening a few…read moreblocks down in Fairfax for the last 15 years. Luckily, my younger brother turned me on to Bludso's recently and we just finished a family lunch there. Since they only serve their sandwiches on weekdays, we opted for Fried Okra, "2 Meats 2 Sides"(chicken and brisket), two sandwich buns. At the suggestion of our server, Beto, we added an extra quarter pound of sliced brisket. Beto really knows what he's doing... and because of him it was a perfectly satisfying amount of food for the three of us. He definitely went above and beyond. We're looking forward to heading there on one of the next weekdays our teenager has off to try their sandwiches.

    Wow, this BBQ spot really surprised me! I work so close by and can't believe it took me this long…read moreto finally try it. The customer service was great--super friendly, welcoming, and easy to talk to. I also like how active and engaging they are on social media. The place has a nice, relaxed atmosphere too. But let's get to the important part--the food! The tri-tip was tender and full of flavor, the baked beans were delicious, and the mac & cheese was definitely on point. And that watermelon lemonade? WOW! That might be worth the trip by itself. If you're looking for good BBQ and great service, give this place a try. I'd definitely recommend it, and I'll be coming back!

    Photos
    Bludso's BBQ - Interior during Sunday lunch.

    Interior during Sunday lunch.

    Bludso's BBQ - 1/41b Brisket $13.00 2 Sandwich Bun (ea) $4.00 2 Meats 2 Sides $35.00 Fried Okra $10.50

    1/41b Brisket $13.00 2 Sandwich Bun (ea) $4.00 2 Meats 2 Sides $35.00 Fried Okra $10.50

    Bludso's BBQ - Pitmaster's Punch and Low and Slow

    See all

    Pitmaster's Punch and Low and Slow

    Manpuku Japanese BBQ Dining - West LA

    Manpuku Japanese BBQ Dining - West LA

    4.0(846 reviews)
    5.0 kmSawtelle
    $$

    I've lived 10 minutes away from this place for years and I'm so mad I didn't visit it sooner. Dined…read morehere yesterday with a friend and we ordered the traditional omakase since it was my first time there. It was a good way to try a little bit of everything and the portions were just right. I left feeling full enough to be satisfied but not like I ate too much. I also really appreciated how the waiters brought out the food a few at a time so we could eat at our own pace. Our server was very kind and accommodating to us and the guests around us, which made for a very comfortable atmosphere. I genuinely don't have any pictures for this review because it looked so good that I couldn't wait to eat. Overall 10/10, will dine here again!

    The Bottom Line: 5 stars: A nice Yakiniku (Japanese Barbeque) spot for high quality food and great…read moreattentive service. Location 4 stars: In the busy Sawtelle area. Surrounded by many competitors and many great Asian restaurants and Japanese novelty shops. Parking can be a challenge. There are limited metered parking spots on the streets and many paid parking garages nearby which I would recommend. Parking on residential streets is at your risk only as they have complex rules about when the parking is allowed and when it requires a resident permit. You may get a ticket worth several trips to paid parking garages :D Venue 4 stars: Medium-sized facility with indoor seating. Japanese style smokeless grilles at the table. You cook your own food. They take reservation on Open Table which I highly recommend. Service 5 stars: Staff were friendly, attentive, and super helpful. Food and Drinks 5 stars: Japanese-inspired food with some Korean influence as well. Excellent, high quality meat and vegetables and good selection of beer on tap and bottle, sake, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. They offer AYCE (All You Can Eat), packages and à la carte. We went with à la carte. We had the Spicy Beef Soup, the Garlic Fried Rice which comes in a hot pot and is mixed at your table, the Kimchi Cold Tofu, the Yakiniku-style Cabbage Salad, the Ikura Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelet appetizer with Salmon Eggs on top), the Angus Trip Tip, the Prime Skirt, the Prime Hanger Steak and the Chicken Thigh. All were excellent and highly recommended.

    Photos
    Manpuku Japanese BBQ Dining - West LA
    Manpuku Japanese BBQ Dining - West LA - Father's Day Special Lobster Tail

    Father's Day Special Lobster Tail

    Manpuku Japanese BBQ Dining - West LA - Shrimp

    See all

    Shrimp

    Uncle Lau's Island BBQ - bbq - Updated September 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...