Kaokao Grill

This has been a spot I saw months ago before it opened! Logo was very nice and cute was what caught my attention! The menu is very small but it makes choosing food easier in my opinion! Very new as of writing this. The chicken I had was amazing, the smell of barbecue brought a lot of joy to me haha! The skin of the chicken was very crunchy, while the meat was very juicy! AMAZING sauce! The workers there are super nice too!

Wei Z

Cute little restaurant. We ordered cucumber salad, bbq chicken set and bbq char siu set. Everything tastes so good. Very very high food quality. A lot of flavors. The spicy and numbing cucumber salad is the BEST I have had in the US. Not exaggerating. It’s counter service and they have discounts for cash. Staff is very friendly. Great neighborhood restaurant for everyday eats. Would come back again when we are in Berkeley next time.

Shirley Moats

Ordered takeaway from here - got the char siu and green beans! Both were excellent. The only drawback is that it took a while for our order (about 35 min). Definitely recommend calling ahead and getting takeout if you live in the area!

Amy Martyn

Casual vibe but really excellent food. We got the chicken set and the brisket noodles, which were both delicious. The combination of American-style barbecue with Asian elements works well, and the barbecue was grilled nicely and properly smoky

Ton T

We went a little late and they were out of their popular chicken dishes so we defaulted to the pork. The ‘char siew’ pork was very well done - tender, juicy with a nice shiny glaze on the outside. The cold cucumber salad was also good but could have used a little bit more marinading time.

Julie Kang

Mouth-watering smoked charsiu pork and South Asian-flavored chicken. Generous portions, nice accompaniments for each, delicious house soda. I will definitely visit regularly. Their flavor profiles are so fresh, attention-grabbing, and savory.

Scott Sweeney

Eggplant salad affordable & FLAVORFUL, jam packed, very slimy but the slime works here ! Curry, spicy & a bit sour not my personal fav but my friend loved it. Very rich so looks like small bowl but packs big punch in your tum. The crispy pork bowl was so so so good, love the pickings and rice they used with it all. Love the color of the pork and sweet crisp it has on the outside but tender juice on the inside 10/10

AJ

Food was awesome. We had cold eggplant salad, chickpea curry and char siu that comes with cucumber, black bean sauce and rice. Wonderfully seasoned and spiced. Guy was nice and food came reasonably quick. The only improvement I would look for is with the place. Needs a good scrubbing and a coat of paint, but it really doesn't deter me. Thank you KAOKAO we will see you soon <3

Yunsie Chung

The food is really good! The chicken is so tender and tastes so delicious. The char siu pork was so good too. I highly recommend coming here!

Monica McCown

If you want to get smacked in the face with delicious flavor and the perfect amount of spice, this is the place. I told my partner that this is one of the best meals I have ever had. Crunchy, tender, perfectly smoked meat and the eggplant salad sauce was to die for. The owner treated us with as much care and attention as I treat guests in my own home and was so happy when we told them we liked the food. You can tell it means a lot to them. I will be coming back and bringing friends to support this great restaurant and the lovely young couple who own it.

Wei-Yang Weng

This is an amazing place. Their Chashu is sooooo good😭I highly recommend everyone should try this fantastic food.

Jackie Hui

This has been a spot I saw months ago before it opened! Logo was very nice and cute was what caught my attention! The menu is very small but it makes choosing food easier in my opinion! Very new as of writing this. The chicken I had was amazing, the smell of barbecue brought a lot of joy to me haha! The skin of the chicken was very crunchy, while the meat was very juicy! AMAZING sauce! The workers there are super nice too!

This place is crazy good. The Char Siu is the star of the show, the BBQ Brisket Noodle is delicious and the veggies are very good. When we have foodies in from out of town, we get takeout from KaoKao grill. It's something special.

Stunningly good food. The char sui set is amazing--and very generous portion. Eggplant, cucumbers also delish.

The food is spectacular for a small local place. There are so few items on the menu that each one has been perfected. They recently added noodle dishes and so far we’ve tried three of them . The noodles have great chew and lots of flavor. The grilled meats are so smoky, tender and flavorful. This is my favorite place on College Ave and I really wish other people would discover it. One note: it takes a while (not a long time) to get the food. It’s casual so it feels like the food should be out faster, but it’s got restaurant pacing. It’s not fast casual. It takes a reasonable amount of time to make food that good.

The char siu pork is incredibly tender. The cold noodles with peanut sauce and chili oil had plenty of sauce and were perfectly cooked. The bbq brisket noodles with soup was delicious, the broth was amazing and the meat and noodles were also cooked perfectly. The staff was working tirelessly and were very accommodating. Highly recommend!

Lori Pottinger

Stunningly good food. The char sui set is amazing--and very generous portion. Eggplant, cucumbers also delish.

Brendan Cox

This place is crazy good. The Char Siu is the star of the show, the BBQ Brisket Noodle is delicious and the veggies are very good. When we have foodies in from out of town, we get takeout from KaoKao grill. It's something special.

Chloe Cobb

The char siu pork is incredibly tender. The cold noodles with peanut sauce and chili oil had plenty of sauce and were perfectly cooked. The bbq brisket noodles with soup was delicious, the broth was amazing and the meat and noodles were also cooked perfectly. The staff was working tirelessly and were very accommodating. Highly recommend!

CT Trojan

The food is spectacular for a small local place. There are so few items on the menu that each one has been perfected. They recently added noodle dishes and so far we’ve tried three of them . The noodles have great chew and lots of flavor. The grilled meats are so smoky, tender and flavorful. This is my favorite place on College Ave and I really wish other people would discover it. One note: it takes a while (not a long time) to get the food. It’s casual so it feels like the food should be out faster, but it’s got restaurant pacing. It’s not fast casual. It takes a reasonable amount of time to make food that good.

Good service. We had the BBQ brisket noodles and the egg plant salad with a side of rice. Everything was very flavorful although a tad salty. The brisket was very tender and delicious and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The sauce on the egg plant has a delicious nutty and mildly spicy flavor.

I’ve been here three times already! I went twice with my wife, and we both loved the char siu set and the BBQ brisket noodle soup. The soup was super flavorful! The char siu set is seriously some of the best pork you can find in the Bay Area, especially if you’re looking for a laid-back vibe. The only thing is that it can take a bit of time for your food to arrive, but it’s totally worth it!

Char Siu pork plate was decent but not phenomenal. I like the juiciness of the pork and a lil crunch on the skin. Decoration was cute, cucumber pickles were rotten/had a bit of foul smell. Not sure if it’s worth $23-24 after tax. I can easily get this dish at a Chinese restaurant or Chinatown for cheaper. I also wish the eggplant salad had less sauce because the aroma of star anise or sth was too much for me.

Eddie Will Ashley III

I’ve been here three times already! I went twice with my wife, and we both loved the char siu set and the BBQ brisket noodle soup. The soup was super flavorful! The char siu set is seriously some of the best pork you can find in the Bay Area, especially if you’re looking for a laid-back vibe. The only thing is that it can take a bit of time for your food to arrive, but it’s totally worth it!

Californiadiver Diving (Californiadiver)

Good service. We had the BBQ brisket noodles and the egg plant salad with a side of rice. Everything was very flavorful although a tad salty. The brisket was very tender and delicious and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The sauce on the egg plant has a delicious nutty and mildly spicy flavor.

Emily Zhang

Let me preface this by saying the food is Absolutely Delicious, the pork was tender and sweet and flavorful while crispy on the edges. The rice and the cucumber salad pair very well with it. I'm leaving 4 stars because the menus that I found online suggest severe price inflation (the pork was 12$ during soft opening, 16ish less than a year ago, and now it is 21 + tax and tip = 25 to 30$. We had no idea of the price increase before walking in so we were surprised at the large price difference. My partner and I ended up ordering only one bowl to share. The portion sizes are perfect for one person but definitely not for two (this makes sense). I think that the food is worth the money!! It's delicious and takes a massive amount of time and effort to make. Probably some of the best pork I've ever had. But my experience could have been made better if there was better price transparency online.

Dang Dang

Char Siu pork plate was decent but not phenomenal. I like the juiciness of the pork and a lil crunch on the skin. Decoration was cute, cucumber pickles were rotten/had a bit of foul smell. Not sure if it’s worth $23-24 after tax. I can easily get this dish at a Chinese restaurant or Chinatown for cheaper. I also wish the eggplant salad had less sauce because the aroma of star anise or sth was too much for me.

-This place is nestled between other eateries, on the same block. ☆The staff was friendly and the place has a second story, kinda like a loft. -Tables available downstairs and upstairs, that's a plus, lots of seating. -The food was ok. A bit too salty for my own taste. Tried the cold cucumber salad, kinda bitter. The char siu plate included rice, meat, curry gravy, and a bit pickled cucumbers. The meat was too salty and the gravy was not that great tasting. -Over all, kinda pricey for a salty meal.

Paula Saenghoi

-This place is nestled between other eateries, on the same block. ☆The staff was friendly and the place has a second story, kinda like a loft. -Tables available downstairs and upstairs, that's a plus, lots of seating. -The food was ok. A bit too salty for my own taste. Tried the cold cucumber salad, kinda bitter. The char siu plate included rice, meat, curry gravy, and a bit pickled cucumbers. The meat was too salty and the gravy was not that great tasting. -Over all, kinda pricey for a salty meal.

Workers are nice, but we waited over an hour for for our first dish for dining in for the two of us. The place is small and was half filled, and atmosphere is overstimulating and loud. Parts of the chicken was overcooked, char siu was good, lots of fat, noodles were overcooked. Lost appetite after waiting for so long.