KAOKAO Grill

Finally stopped in and had the most amazing dinner. Value here is A+++! We started with the marinated cucumbers, spicy and refreshing. I could have eaten 3 plates. The eggplant, such a luxurious texture and mouth feel. I could have eaten 3 plates again! The sauces on both shared plates were fantastic. The star of the show was the char sui, and WOW some of the most amazing rich, sticky, sweet flavors. The pickles with it -perfect. How is there not a line out the door?! Server was super nice and attentive. This is an order at the counter place.Very excited for the next time they offer Peking duck. I will ABSOLUTELY be ordering

Small portions, slow service, somewhat bland food. Fairly standard price for college but still felt a bit much. Honestly, it was mostly the portions that brings it down for me. There could have been a bit more pasta in my dish or rice in others. I should not be paying more than 20 and leaving still hungry.I do enjoy the small room and atmosphere.

Super quaint hole-in-the-wall spot, came here on a Sunday around noon, and was surprised to find it empty! You order and pay at the front and then find your own spot. Not a huge selection of options so we went with what seemed to be the staples--KaoKao Chicken ($20) and KaoKao Char Siu ($24.5), and seated ourselves upstairs. There were quite a few flies buzzing around, so do wish they had some sort of mild bug control. The decor also was incredibly minimal; definitely didn't feel much in the way of charming atmosphere.Once the food arrived, though, I was blown away! The service brought it up pretty quickly, and both the Chicken and Char Siu were well-presented, and well portioned. The Chicken came with a chickpea curry and white rice, and was cooked perfectly with a nice smokey flavor, and the Char Siu was melt-in-your mouth, and crispy on the outside. Definitely one of the best Char Siu I've had in the US. It came with cucumbers and rice as well. Splitting the meal between two relatively hungry people, we still had enough to take home leftovers. Overall, great spot, super underrated, and well worth a visit!

The menu is limited but the food was outstanding. We had the pork char sui and the Kaokao chicken. There was enough food that we could have ordered one of them and a side salad. The 5 spice flavor added to the chickpea curry which accompanied the chicken. The pork was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy in. The accompanying pickled cucumber salad was sweet and crisp. I have never seen cucumber sliced so thinly. The restruant itself is tiny. We ate upstairs. It was a little warmer than downstairs but not crowded. The decor is nonexistent. The service was good. You order at a small stand and they bring the food to you. The staff was polite. If you are in the Elmwood district looking for somewhere to get a good meal this is the place.

Loved the pork with the sauce. Place is small with a small menu selection. Owners are nice. Place is a little on the dark side but overall I was pleased

My partner and I were in the area visiting a plant store and happened to walk by this place on our way home. It smelled amazing, so we decided to try it out! It's a small place; there was only one woman working there when we arrived (she took our order and also prepared the food). We were also the only people there. There are a handful of tables inside, as well as a lofted area with more tables above the kitchen.We ordered a KaoKao sandwich to split. It was really tasty, with crispy caramelized meat that is smoked in-house, according to signs on the window.This seems like a really unpretentious place that is low key excellent. I'd love to go back and try more menu items in the future!

The SF Chronicle article https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/fikscue-barbecue-bbq-alameda-18637563.php begins as follows:"The West Coast has emerged as a special breeding ground for new growth in American barbecue, with many enterprising chefs incorporating flavors from their respective heritages to great effect. Here, KaoKao Grill in Berkeley uses wood smoke to tweak Chinese char siu...."Reading it made me want to visit College Avenue as soon as possible. I tried ordering takeout over the weekend, but the possible pickup times kept receding whenever I revisited the website. I concluded that the good move would be to visit the brick and mortar shop at noon in the middle of the week. This plan worked well: I was able to step right up to the register and order a bowl of char siu for consumption on the premises. The cash price for my lunch came out to $23.50, including tax and a very modest tip; if you pay with a credit card, you'll be charged a bit more because of the card companies' processing fees.Waiting for my meal, I quickly understood the receding pickup times -- dishes take long to prepare in part because the meat needs to be reheated in their oven. I had plenty of time to look around the interior; the place is very minimally furnished and seems kind of grungy. There are tables upstairs, but I wanted to stay down on the ground to watch the action. The most natural places to sit seemed to be the front window alcoves, but the alcove I chose had a big bunch of flies, who had made the same decision as me. Moving to the center of the dining area, I left the flies behind.After about 20 minutes, my meal was ready. Served in an attractive bowl, it consisted of a bed of rice, a hefty portion of heavily smoked pork and quite a large number of thin pickle slices. Though I loved all the tastes, I was quite relieved that I wouldn't be due for my annual cholesterol check for another 51 weeks. The meat was very rich (ok, fatty), and also both salty and sweet. (The glaze on top of the barbecue had a sugary crunch to it.) Water is available -- you'll need it!Overall, I loved my Kao lunch. If I lived or worked in this area, I'd come by regularly, though perhaps not super frequently. Once per month would arguably be perfect.

I've had this spot bookmarked for a while now, so I was excited to try it since the ratings were high. I was surprised that only one customer was inside the entire restaurant when we walked in. We ordered two items - Kaokao Chicken and Kaokao Char Siu. The price on the menu for the Char Siu was $18 but it rang up as $21, so when we asked about it, he said their price changed. I think it is important for businesses to make corrections on their menu, especially when they plan on increasing the prices, so customers are not surprised when they get the bill. Both dishes were very pricey for the amount of food that you get. The char siu wasn't flavorful and tasted burnt. I was surprised when the chicken was mixed with curry sauce and tzatziki. I wasn't expecting that combination so it threw me off a bit. The chicken was also just ok.

Came here again on a Wednesday afternoon and the restaurant was almost empty. Service here is amazing, and the workers at the front are super personable and accommodating. Unfortunately, they were completely out of the chicken that I had last time, but I'm honestly glad because I got to try their Char Siu bowl. The menu here is still limited to basically two main dishes, but the simplicity is justified by how consistently good every component is. We ordered the eggplant salad and char siu bowl with extra meat. The cold eggplant salad is dressed in a slightly spicy sesame chili oil, 5/5 as always. The char siu is crusted in a sweet savory glaze, sitting on top of a hearty bowl of rice and curry sauce. So so comforting and satisfying.

Had the char siu pork and beef brisket noodles with a friend. Food was good, meat well cooked and noodles chewy. There is an upstairs for additional seating.Looks like made to order and small crew so does take time as others have noted. Price is on the higher side but somewhat expected for the area I think.