Northern China BBQ

Located in a super convenient spot in SoMa, this skewer place is open late and pretty cheap for the SF scene! Most of the skewers are about $3 each, and if you've had Chinese skewers before, it'll be a recognizable taste of a lot of spices like cumin and peppers.We ordered a ton, and they were quick to bring our food out! It was very good, and I'd come again for sure!

Good spot in SF for skewers!I came by Sunday evening around 7 pm and it wasn't busy. They use Yelp waitlist, so we added ourselves while we were on the way, but we really didn't need to. We were able to easily find street parking right around the corner, and it was free because it was Sunday.Ordering is done by scanning the QR code. Everyone can scan with their phones and add separately to the order, so it's super convenient. It's easy to add additional food/skewer orders later too.The three of us tried a variety of skewers as well as the duck blood + vermicelli in tinfoil ($18.99). My favorite was definitely the duck blood, as I'm obsessed with the stuff. Very flavorful and the vermicelli soaked up all of the flavor.They have a wide variety of skewers which range in price from $2/skewer to $3/skewer for the meats. From the skewers, my favorites were the lamb, beef, and enoki wrapped in bacon. Our first order of skewers were very flavorful, but the second order was very bland. Not sure what happened there. We also got two bowls of rice for $2 each.We spent around $30 pp here on a respectable amount of food. That's not too bad for SF!

I had high expectations for this place, and it completely delivered. I went with a friend who used to live in northern China, and they were impressed by how authentic it was--they absolutely loved it. The variety of skewers was great, and every single one was delicious.The restaurant is spacious with plenty of seating, making it perfect for groups. The staff were incredibly friendly, and the food was fresh and full of flavor. I'm already looking forward to trying the mala xiang guo on my next visit.The only drawback is the parking--you have to park on the street, so finding a spot can be a bit challenging. Other than that, everything was fantastic, and I highly recommend it!

Came to this Chinese bbq spot a few times and really enjoyed their skewers. I was craving some duck blood jelly after a trip from Asia and was very surprise they also have a duck blood stew! we made a trip to the restaurant around 9:30pm for a late dinner. It was pretty empty on a Friday night, service is minimal but efficient. Basically scanned a QR code on table and order on your device type of thing. We got the duck blood tin foil vermicelli, lamb shank, a few miscellaneous skewers (tendons, beef/lamb, chicken skin, fried stinky tofu and the wood ear mushroom salad. I loved the duck blood texture and the flavor paired really well. It's a bit gamier than the ones I had in Taiwan but still very tasty and cohesive as a dish. Just wish it's a little spicy and mala:)The lamb shank is a bit underwhelming though. It's good but I thought it was going to be more tender given the price. Wouldn't get it a second time. Same as the stinky tofu, it was a bit greasy and the texture wasn't too good either, but the flavors were there Everything was good and will definitely come back for the duck blood stew and it's skewers when I have a late night craving after 9pm!

A little gem were glad we found! My partner really wanted Chinese skewers and we were pleased to find this one only 10 minutes away. He's tried ordering from places in Daly and s. Sf, but having one closer is great since the best part of eating skewers is how hot and fresh they are when they come off the grill. Not too crowded for a Friday night, there was always a table open at any time throughout the night. You order through a QR code on the table and they bring it out as it's ready. Other reviews talked about the beef being really good and I have to second that. Chicken was fine, lamb was pretty good but a little leaner and more mild, the pork belly is always tasty because I can't get enough, and the beef was super juicy and soft! Chicken gizzards were interesting to try, my partner liked the pork intestines (said they had a nice crisp) and the tofu wrapped enoki and bacon wrapped enoki were very similar so either is a good option if you want some mushrooms. For veggies we got the Chinese chives, a choy (nice skinny strips of bok choy in like a chili oil/rice vinegar), and green beans. All pretty good with different variations of the same sauce. My partner wanted to try the duck tongue but it comes in an order of 10 pieces and I'm not the biggest fan so he thought it would be too much for him to eat on his own. Bring friends! Drinks are all bottled. Overall ordering was super easy, servers pretty much left us alone but can't over when needed. The music switched between Chinese Idol/daytime drama theme songs and clubbing. I kinda dig it. Apparently they had a party for Halloween night so the club music was a hint of how things can go down later in the evening.

Adulting is enjoying lunch alone. Because eating in PEACE is top-tier. Plus, you can order whatever you want and not have to act all proper...Because imagine holding a big 'ol lamb shank in your hands like a drumstick...in front of your coworkers silently judging you. Awkward.Northern China BBQ is a new shaokao resto in SoMa (took over Izakaya Dash). They're currently open for takeout and indoor dining only.M E N UNorthern Chinese BBQ Skewers (shaokao) with an array iron pot (dry pot) and tin foil (entrees). No alkie at this time. Suggestion to owner: Kindly consider adding a lunch special for nearby workers; e.g. a bento box/lunch plate to include several skewers, a vegetable side, and rice. O R D E R I N GContactless ordering through QR code on the table. You can add more skewers/dishes as you go. F O O D With Northern Chinese BBQ, all the skewers are usually seasoned with the same cumin and chili powder mix. With this resto, I noticed the seasoning is much lighter and they serve the seasoning powder on the side for dipping. Also, maybe because I had a small order and dining solo but everything came at once versus skewer by skewer. * 炭烤小羊腿 Lamb Leg (Small - $18.99) // 3.5 Stars: https://tinyurl.com/45dpn2j2First time seeing an entire lamb leg offered at shaokao resto so it was a must order. They also have a large beef rib but they were sold out since the weekend. I enjoyed the crispy charred edges. The meat didn't easily pull off the bone with the provided fork and knife so had to hold it like a drumstick to eat. I think it needs more time braising before finishing on the grill. Skewer spread: https://tinyurl.com/3rh6uaez* 牛肉串 Beef Skewer ($2.99) // 4 StarsJuicy and tender but you don't get the smoky char since they use a gas grill. * 烤牛筋 Beef Tendon Skewer ($3.99) // 4 starsDelicious and meltingly soft but not warmed through on the grill. * 豆皮香菜卷 Cilantro w/ tofu skin ($3.99) // 4.5 starsFav item - the tofu skin gets crisp on the grill with the cilantro adding a freshness to complement the meat skewers. * 烤玉米 Sweet Corn ($2) // 3 starsBoiled too long as the corn kernels were soggy. S E R V I C EKind staff, minimal contact since nearly everything is done via QR code. I was the only diner at the time and my order took 20 minutes which is standard for shaokao. A M B I A N C ETwo dining areas with 10-12 tables and three booths. Mandarin pop and rap playing. P A R K I N GWalked over from the office but metered parking is doable in the area. Overall, looks like Northern China BBQ is the first shaokao resto to open in SoMa (bold move). If you're in the area, craving Chinese BBQ Skewers, and don't want to trek to the avenues, give them a try!

I've been to Northern China BBQ a few times now since it opened earlier this year and it has not disappointed! My favorite Chinese skewer place in SF by a lot. I've been looking for one for the past 3 years!! You order through a QR code that leads to the menu selections. There are so many options of skewers to choose from. Not all the photos are from the same visit :) Totally recommend!

Came here with six other friends while visiting the Bay because I'd been craving some skewers and it's not as much a thing I want to do alone.The food here was very tasty, flavors not EXACTLY what I was expecting (in particular, I didn't expect the vegetables to be so saucy, and I expected the grilled buns to be a little sweet rather than just tasting like toast). One important note I'll make: you do ordering on an app, and everyone can add things to the same cart. At the end, one person submits the order. The ordering system itself has one box where you can add notes, but the note we added was removed. I suspect what happened was one person added the note, but a different person submitted the order, so person B's empty note overwrote person A's note. Which was extremely unfortunate, because the note we had was "allergic to peanuts". And we found out by eating that there was maybe more peanut in this than other Chinese skewer places I've been to. The staff said the vegetable sauces that were brushed on had peanuts, and that the dry spice blend also had peanuts. It seemed like my allergy friend didn't consume a crazy amount, so he wasn't sure there was really much in the dry spice (only felt it after we got the A choy), but it was a bit of a damper.But! The staff was extremely kind about it. When I went and explained it all, they went through the trouble of checking the receipt (where the note wasn't, hence the note about the app), and then even though there wasn't a note, provided my allergic friend a plate of dumplings. Later, when we added more food, she came by specifically to verify and asked if we'd like to skip the seasoning (and just have grilled meats), which we did, and my allergic friend (and my friend who apparently isn't a fan of cumin!) were both able to happily enjoy the unseasoned meat. ...I also enjoyed it, the meat was delicious even without the seasoning, and since the tables provided seasoning, it was totally fine to add it separately.I really appreciate how above and beyond the staff were to making the experience nice for us despite some dietary restrictions/concerns. The food alone would've had me coming back anyway, but I would definitely recommend coming here.(That all said, if you have a serious nut allergy, I'm not sure how clean their grills are and if it's actually safe to eat, so please do not take my review as a go-ahead for that. But if you're only mildly so or if you dislike flavors in the classic Chinese BBQ spice, this place is happy to skip the spicing for you!)

This is one of my favorite bbq spots of bay area. And it's very close to my home so I came here 4 times in the past quarter. I love the food here that they grill for you instead of deep frying like other restaurants. The service is great. Me and my family and friends all love the food here.

Frog legs were the best thing we ordered because they were cooked perfectly. The okra was great. Don't remember which pork item we got-I thought they were good - my partner said they were overdone. The fried rice was on point. I am not familiar with this kind of cuisine but do love chicken gizzards but they were overdone for my tastes. I do want to come back and try the duck tongue. Oh, I tried the scallop and yes tasty but texture was not to my liking maybe because they were overdone. Place is clean and service was good.