Outstanding service. They don't try to break check you when ordering meats. Grill changed often as soon as it gets black, they come out with a new one. Premium meats, endless side dishes, tons of choices. read more

I love AYCE Korean bbq. I've been to many of them all over the bay. YakiniQ is great and I would come here again. This place prob has the best service out of any ayce Korean bbq I've been to. Food was good, but some of the meat quality and flavors could have been better. For example, the pork cheeks were chewy and had no flavor. I prefer the pork cheeks from Gen where they season it lightly for you. My partner didn't like the tofu soup and said it tasted like straight up tomato soup. read more

YakiniQ - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

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I usually don't leave reviews, but the servers were so so nice! Very prompt and kept checking on us. Thank you for the kind service! You don't see that everywhere read more

Service: For how busy they are, waiters are very attentive! Constantly changing our grill with new ones. I haven't had this much meat at one time and can't remember the last time I went to an AYCE place. All the meat were standard tasting to me. Would be a good spot for meat lovers. You must make reservations otherwise wait time is going to be too long. We left close to 9pm and there were still people coming in. It was Saturday night though. Parking: their lot is pretty small but you should be able to park on the streets. 2hrs limit. read more

YakiniQ - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

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YakiniQ is our go-to KBBQ spot in Livermore. We always go for the premium option because it's just a few dollars more than the regular. They have a lot of seating inside which is nice even for the busier days because the wait times aren't too long. Service is always quick - staff always changes out the grills without you having to ask. You order using a QR code on your phone and the food always comes out super fast. They also give you complimentary ice cream after which is really nice after eating all that meat. read more

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This is now our go to place for Korean bbq. Both the quality of the food and the service was impeccable. Both visits we have had Ethan as our "server" as his energy and personality makes a great worker and makes us want to come back more often! The parking situation has been a little of a challenge on Thursdays with the farmers market across the street but it is still definitely worth the walk! read more

The service was amazing and ordering was really simple. Also, I got a complimentary ice cream at the end which was so sweet. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The music they had was also cool and I liked the interior too.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

2nd time going and we loved it both times. If you're not looking to wait skip it but well worth the wait in our opinion. On normal day we waited maybe 20ish minutes for a table. Valentine's Day is busy anywhere so we expected a long wait. Join the guest list if it says long wait time! It totally helps. We waited about hour and a half as to be expected per the wait list. [[HIGHLIGHT]]fast service, clean atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Everything is delicious. Stuffed by the end and then omg the ice cream and fried banana to end the meal.. chefs kiss read more

WE LOVED THIS PLACE! The service, the food , the ambiance, everything was excellent and exceeded my expectations. My nieces and nephew (ages 4,6,8 and 10 years) were doing the happy dance, and even started making future plans to visit for their birthdays! THANK YOU TO THE BEAUTIFUL BAR TENDER, AWESOME HOST , and OUTSTANDING SUPPORT STAFF (Gracias por todo) ! See you soon. read more

YakiniQ - Table for 4 kids 2 adults. We LOVED it! Kids won't stop talking about it. - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

Delicious with amazing ambiance! Small menu that covers all the bases. I will go again!

Went on a weeknight to try and avoid waiting for too long, but unfortunately it was still packed. We were a party of 2 & waited about 30-45 min after checking in @6pm as staff let us know that they were waiting to open the rest of the tables in the restaurant. Meat selection was standard and banchans were just okay. Service was great though as staff constantly checked on us to replace our grill. read more

The food was very tasty. Lots of options. The price was reasonable, under $100 for 2 people. That includes taxes and tip. This is my favorite Korean BBQ place now! read more

YakiniQ - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

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Food wasn't what I'm used to, beautiful king shrimp, brought in with heads and tails, they're grills at each table a brief and short lesson would have been helpful. All the food looked fresh. I won't be going back it was just not my taste but there were a lot of customers enjoyed it, good luck.YakiniQ read more

My FAVORITE KBBQ AYCE spot! AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS FOOD! And AMAZINGLY QUICK service! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Only downside is with kids they don't have a changing table in the bathrooms.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]They tend to also seat guests with babies away from the crowd which can be nice to now worry about sounds but also can mean slower service?[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Regardless 10/10 dining experience and food! read more

They are good until I try the Chubb cattle, and this place wont let me in by myself, I have to go with someone(end up I'm paying for both), I want to have my own space and own time, I can go Chubb cattle by myself and the Food is very good too read more

YakiniQ - The food is awesome too - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

Super chewy meat by the end of service. Ended up charging for "leftovers" when we had two pieces of this really chewy brisket at the end of the meal. read more

I went here last week on a Saturday around 2pm and was instantly seated. The first thing i notice was how efficient the layout of the place is. I used to be a server at an AYCE kkbq so i know how hectic it can get. I think the layout is pretty genius because you will walk by every table on the way to bringing out the food! As for the food, the quality was pretty bomb! I love that almost everything is included with your AYCE price. I normally see extra charge for lettuce but not here! Love the potatoes and the rice paper. I absolutely loved the wasabi mustard sauce! It pairs well with everything! Great and speedy service! Love that you can order with a QR code! I would definitely come here again since I just moved into the area and crave kbbq often (: read more

YakiniQ - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

Environment: Very hustle and bustle. It's very lively during peak hours. Service: Service was amazing. I've never been to an AYCE KBBQ place with such attentive waiters. They gave us like 5 grill changes in 45 min. They also bring out the food and sides super well! Food: Amazing sides! They mastered their sides very well. Steamed egg & potato salad was my favorite and my husband's was the fishcake. Kimchi is on the spicier side. Meet was very good. We enjoyed the pork jowl and brisket a lot! My husband really liked the seaweed soup as well! Overall, will come back FOR SURE! Just hard to find parking during prime time. read more

Best food and service for Kbbq it was awesome and amazing favorite kbbq spot from now on!

As a Korean, YakiniQ has hands down the best Korean BBQ! They have locations in SF Japantown and SJ, both of which have been open for over a few decades. I remember growing up on YakiniQ before other Korean BBQ chains came around, such as Gen. I was super happy to see a Livermore location open up as it's closer to me. I check-in the waitlist via Yelp on a Saturday evening and was able to snag a table in about 30 minutes. The inside is super clean and modern, but it's definitely on the smaller side. One thing I will say is that their ventilation isn't the best... I hope they can fix this in the future! Once we were escorted to our table, I was pleased to see all the sauces and banchan were already set up. We were able to order through our phone which is AMAZING! Ordering on the phone just makes the process so much quicker and smoother for everyone involved so I'm super happy they opted for this option. Once we put in our orders, the meats and food came out immediately. They have wagyu brisket, galbi, and ton of high quality meats. We opted for the $35 option which had more choices, although our favorite was the spicy and regular bulgogi (perfectly marinated like my moms)! They have the usual Korean dishes to accompany K-BBQ such as kimchi fried rice, ramen, rice paper, corn cheese, garlic and peppers, and MANY MORE! I absolutely love this place because of the authenticity of this spot, all for a very low price. From the kimchi to the fried rice to the marinated beef, everything is spot on. I highly recommend! We were in and out within 50 minutes. Service was PHENOMENAL! Best service I've ever received from a Korean BBQ spot. There were a few people that were new and in training and they all did amazing. They were all very kind, attentive, and fast. I hope they share the tips equally/fairly because everyone including the bussers were all very hard working! I never once had to ask for my grill to be changed either. I have nothing but AMAZING things to say so go give it a try! read more

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My new favorite bbq! I love the Chinese cumin seasoning that they have on the table. It is a must try if you have never tried Chinese bbq. And if you don't like it, there are a variety of sauces on the table. Meat was also good and we kept ordering. My bf loved the kimchi fried rice and could eat it all day. Service was great and by that i mean, you can "order" a server to come rather than flag them down cause it's always busy. I do like the booth side more than the traditional kbbq side since the vents were built in. read more

My princess wanted to eat Kalbi after gymnastics competition. So I decided to check this place out. Ample parking and more importantly in a safe area, then again there's no safe place. We had a late lunch at 4pm and soon after I got there the place started to fill up. The atmosphere was nice not your typical Korean BBQ place. The hostess was very witty and nice. You got 2 selections, either regular ($31.99) or premium ($35.99)... everything is done on your phone....you can order as much as you like with no restrictions! Which is awesome! Unlike some places you can order a max of 3 entrees.....however there'll be a surcharge if you're wasting food. Ordering was easy and food comes out FAST!!!! I love it! Food was fresh and presentable. I will definitely recommend anyone wanted to come here. You'll not regret it. read more

YakiniQ - Amazingly good Korean BBQ! - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

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This Korean BBQ buffet is absolutely amazing! The ingredients are fresh, the service is excellent, and the line moves really quickly every time. Highly recommend! Everything is so well-organized, and the overall experience is always enjoyable! read more

YakiniQ - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

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My family visited during soft opening, and it was a delightful experience. The attentive staff made the evening enjoyable from start to finish. The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the exceptional quality of the meat, which, in my opinion, surpassed even the renowned Gen's KBBQ. What really stood out was the opportunity to order cold noodles, a rarity after the summer season, and the fact that it was available as a side for just around $1 was a pleasant surprise. However, I would recommend trying it as it was a delightful addition to the meal. The only drawback I noticed was the relatively small interior space, which can get a bit smoky due to the tabletop grills. Nevertheless, they have effective air vents that help clear the air swiftly. All in all, Yakiniq LV offers a fantastic dining experience with top-notch meat quality and a unique menu, making it a must-visit for any barbecue enthusiast! I would go again and again and again! Also, ice cream on the house :) read more

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I'm Korean and I approve this review. Service was excellent and the restaurant was very clean But here's where it goes down hill. They don't know how to cook Korean rice. The rice was extremely dry and undercooked. All of the marinated meats were over marinated to the point that the pork and beef were almost like ground meats that you'd find in a burger The kimchi was ok but the rest of the bonchon(side dishes) were below average. I wouldn't go back again. I'd rather spend $50-60 per person at a Brazilian bbq and get high quality meats. Ssam Korean bbq in dublin/pleasanton is much better. On a side note, the electronic ordering is fast. But spending $150 for three people left me very disappointed read more

Excellent service and the food was incredible. Overall great experience and will come back again :) read more

YakiniQ - Side dishes, Soju, thin beef strips, salad. - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

Rib eye and a few other cuts were frozen solid. Marbling was boarder line. Staff forgot somehow a few of our dishes. Floors were very very slippery. Otherwise very friendly service. read more

Me and my girl love YakiniQ! We have Ethan several times and he always makes our experience great! He brings great energy as well as all the other workers. Food comes out fast and is delicious! read more

Updating the review due to a a narcissism and passive aggressive manager-like staff. She gives a complete different vibe with the rest of the friendly staff, and not in a good way. read more

I would have to say the quality and the service is top notch. Korean sides were bomb and we chose the Premium menu and all the meats were so good. They remove all the empty plates right away making space for more of that yummy meat. The servers and even the ones who bust the tables are efficient and fast. Everyone was also friendly making it enjoyable to eat at this establishment. Came here for my significant others birthday and I can't thank the staff for being so efficient, friendly, and welcoming. read more

I would give YakiniQ a solid 4.5 overall but definitely a 5 in the TriValley area. This is probably the best KBBQ in the area by far. I've been here multiple times before but felt like it was time to drop a review as they've also just expanded the restaurant and upgraded their wifi. There's now larger tables to fit 6 and the wifi actually works reliably! (there's 0 cell reception) So you order using a QR code and there's no limit to how much you can order at a time. Huge +1 on that. The portions that come out are also decently sized for 3 people. (Some other chains each portion is like enough for one and have an order limit so you end up wasting time ordering). The portions also come out really quickly. The only issue that sometimes comes up is if you ask someone to bring something without using the QR code, they may forget. All of the meats have been pretty good quality. The marinades are not too sweet and the spicy options actually have a bit of a kick to them. They also properly give you thinly sliced bulgogi that melts away as you cook it. It's not like a bunch of layers of beef. The kalbi is also decently marbled without too much fat. The pork belly is also nicely scored so it cooks evenly and doesn't burn up, which is more common with a la carte and not AYCE, huge bonus! The sides are all also decent, definitely try the kimchi fried rice. Skip the cold noodles. They were overcooked and stuck together. They also have rice paper which is a rarity in the area. The spicy squid though is the best damn squid I've ever had bar none. It's so extremely tender and they give you giant squid. I order at least 4 portions every time. The grills can also get decently hot and the staff come around to change your grill often (sometimes a bit too often and you get a cold grill). The only main downside is it does get real smoky. More smoky than newer kbbq restaurants. If you've been to an older kbbq joint and see that haze of smoke around the ceiling.. this gets up to that level. read more

YakiniQ - thinly sliced wagyu beef brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

Arrived on a Sunday evening for dinner, area was not well light. Parking lot on the smaller side. Was checked in, plenty of tables Sunday evening. Asked whether we wanted premium menu or regular, no explanation. Went with the premium menu, we were led to our table. Very slippery floors, not good for klutzy people or seniors. Our table was set up with various banchans. Table was clean but the metal plates that we had were slippery, very difficult to eat and cook at the same time. For AYCE the tables are on the smaller side. Difficult to navigate the banchans, our plates and the plates of meat from the kitchen. Very easy ordering with the phone and QR code, food brought out very quickly. Plenty of servers and we already had 3 grill changes even before we completed cooking our first round of meat. They have different accompaniments compared to other kbbq restaurants. They had kim chi fried rice and steamed eggs, we had the raw beef which I thought was seasoned pretty good, the contrast between the red onions and the apple or apple pieces made it tasty. The marinated short rib was ok, had uneven cuts of the meats and not all of the meat had the marinade on it. Same goes for the chicken as well, parts of were well seasoned and parts of it not. Pros... easy ordering, excellent wait staff, and plenty of grill changes. Cons... the slippery floors and lighting outside of the restaurant especially in the dark. read more

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Came here with the kids and was seated right away! (Luckily!!) We also joined the yelp waitlist just in case. When we were leaving there was a bunch of people waiting too. Service was great! You order the food on your phone and they bring everything out. We never had to wait long for any items. Onto the food, delicious! Everything was so good and such good quality. The tofu soup was actually really spicy too haha. I'll definitely be going back! read more

Good meat selection especially having both thin pork belly and beef belly strips as well as banchan dishes like daikon wrap that aren't available in nearby KBBQ places Easy order app Fast and good service AYCE price comparable at $30.99 Free strawberry ice cream for dessert TIPS: join waitlist thru yelp before leaving your home or before heading to the restaurant so that there's less wait when you get there. Waitlist estimated seating time between 7:15 pm and 7:45 pm and we got seated at 7:40 pm. It's an all you can eat restaurant so expect long wait especially during weekends and dinner hours. Also, be patient with waiting! They only have a waitlist so it doesn't mean reservation, and therefore wait times really vary! There were two groups that were mean to the host for waiting. read more

YakiniQ - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

Probably the best service I've ever had at a KBBQ spot. The meats were great, and the sides were so good. The staff was really on it, not once did we have to request a grill change or plates to be taken away. Ethan was our server and he was the best! read more

Service: The girl at the check in table was not welcoming whatsoever, seemed like she just hated being there and was in an unfriendly mood. I thought great, hopefully the other people are nice. And they were! The guys were quick to change out our grill every time. Their English was minimal with Spanish being their primary language so we were able to communicate with them better. Nice guys. Food: We ordered from the QR code and food was brought out. We chose the standard menu which I think was perfect for us because I got everything I wanted! For $5 more you can get the upgraded version. They have plenty of sauces at the table so you don't have to ask for refills. We were given a free dessert: a fried banana chunk over a scoop of green tea ice cream. The fried banana wasn't freshly fried but still tasted good. I saw other people get a different kind of dessert. Perhaps that was the one if you chose the upgraded meat version? I don't know but it looked pretty. When we went, their sign outside said it's a 2 person minimum. I really wish they would change this because some people enjoy eating alone. Hopefully it's just for their soft opening and change this rule soon! I would definitely return for some Korean BBQ! read more

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The food was a 4/5 but the service we received the night we visited felt more like a 2/5... I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt though and will likely come again because seeing a AYCE KBBQ restaurant in Livermore open up literally made my YEAR haha. Seeing it be YakiniQ was even better! I'm so happy to see that they've opened up in Downtown Livermore and so close to home too. Starting off with the positives of the food: the quality of meats here were phenomenal. I'd recommend the beef brisket and the beef tongue especially! The marinated meats here like the bulgogi are also just as good. Everything tasted so well made and tender. Not only that, but the side dishes like the spicy cold noodles, fish cakes, etc. were also phenomenal and flavorful. Nothing that we ordered had anything wrong with it and that was just so impressive! As for the service, the host who checked us in was nice. It did suck a bit when joining the Yelp waitlist, since it initially told us it'd be ready in 20-30 but that turned into more than an hour. We never received the formal banchan set when we were seated at our table, and ended up having to order each individual item through their website. And even still, we didn't receive all of the banchan we ordered. The website ordering in general just wasn't so great, we started to become super frustrated when items didn't arrive. Our entire table was super parched; we would order water from the website and it'd just never come. We resorted to asking the employees coming around, and they were super forgetful (asked the same person for water 3x, and not once did they come back with water or acknowledge how many times we had asked). It almost got to the point where we were just so tempted walk all the way around to grab it from cart ourselves at the kitchen entrance lol. They're getting busier by the day, and I definitely think they need to hire more people or just dedicated servers to tables. The QR code ordering system was just so frustrating for us because no matter how many times we'd enter items in to order, they'd just never end up coming. Our table was getting piled with empty plates because people weren't coming to pick them up frequently, and grill changes were also very infrequent so we'd just sit every so often hoping that someone would notice our request from the website or just walk by our table since we were in the corner. This made our experience less enjoyable; it could've been because we were sat at the veeeery far back corner of the restaurant? I know that they're newer, but they can do much better with the service. Note also: the ventilation isn't so great here, they don't have a very good ventilation system. On busy days, the dining area tends to be suuuper smokey. The bathrooms that night didn't have any toilet paper nor hand soap which was also meh :( I'll give it a little time before I come back again, but I definitely hope they make some improvements and are better equipped for busy nights and weekends! read more

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Wow!!! This place seats so many people! We had a table that fits 8 people while we only had 6. We ordered so much food and they were all delicious. Big kudos to making tasty side dishes, that took up a good portion of my stomach. Food came really quick after being ordered from your smart phone through a QR code. The service was outstanding. They're always making sure our table was properly cleared, grilled constantly changed, and orders correct. They really took care of us and we felt welcomed. My favorite has to be marinated beef short ribs. To end the meal, we had strawberry ice cream with fried bananas, the kids really enjoyed that. One of the best, bang for the buck and food the stomach Korean BBQ! read more

YakiniQ - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

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Food gassss Easy as hell to order over the phone. Their premium menu a must! That boneless prime short rib. A1! read more

YakiniQ - Wagyu Beef Belly - Barbeque Near Me - Livermore, California

I have been desperately WAITING for this place to open as soon as that sign went up on the store. My prayers have been answered and I am so happy it's finally here! YakiniQ in San Jose was my go-to spot and ever since moving to the east bay, I always prayed that there would be a decent kbbq spot and somehow one of my all time favorites is here! First off - this location is so much nicer and more modern than the other ones. The menu and taste is all the same but I mostly love the cuts of meat they have to offer (especially intestine!) their sides are all delicious and the extras that they charge are dirt cheap.. $1 for cold noodles? Hell ya! My only complaint is that over the last year, all the locations serve thinner boneless short rib which dries out more easily and is less tender. Service was great. Food came out as soon as you ordered it (which are all ordered through the phone). This opening in Livermore was the best news I got all year! read more

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