Best Kept Secret BBQ

«Denied.»
For most people, including myself, the BBQ that was sold here will forever remain a secret.
This place is closed.
I went here yesterday for my birthday lunch, and I could tell when my wife and I approached that something was wrong (I could see that no lights were on). The chairs have been neatly placed on the tables, and there’s an eviction notice posted on the main door.
Based on other reviews, and on recently seeing a sign for the restaurant, this is a very recent occurrence.
I don’t know if this place just did lousy business, or if the rent was too high to keep paying. Probably the former based on all the negative reviews (I’m now surprised that the restaurant was around for 2 years).
I learned from other reviews not to expect much, but I’m a sucker for BBQ, especially ribs. There also aren’t many BBQ places in the East Bay (I was just talking about this with a friend of mine the other day).
If we liked the ribs enough, my wife and I were going to buy some for Christmas (we live fairly close by– the BBQ places that we’re familiar with in Hayward are too far out of our way).
Well, I tried. My wife and I ended up going to Jack in the Box (we knew for sure that it was going to be open).

It’s BBQ that won’t cure a craving but will give you more of an appreciation of really good BBQ. If something is a secret it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best.

Okay my third BBQ place in Hayward. Probably the best of the 3, but that isn’t saying much. The menu is small basically you have a choice between chicken, ribs, or tri tip.
I had the Tri-​Tip sandwich. It wasn’t too bad. The meat was moderately dry, the sauce was average, and the bun was grilled. It came with fries and a drink. Fries were good, drink was only a can of soda (I guess there fountain drinks were out of order.) Overall I wasn’t impressed, but it wasn’t bad either.
One good point, they did have a large screen T.V. to watch sports on.

I oh-​so wanted to LIKE this place… repeat LIKE this place. I know I am in Cali so LOVING BBQ out here is not going to be happening anytime soon. We ordered the tri-​tip (didn’t even know what tri-​tip was until I moved out here… we eat BRISKET in Texas Country) the chicken, and sausage. For our sides we got beans and patato salad.
First of all the meats was drenched in BBQ sauce… it was too sweet. The tri-​tip was blah, the chicken was ok, but the sausage was actually pretty good. The beans were ok and the potato salad needed salt and pepper.
I have pretty much given up in trying to find a descent BBQ joint… the place was empty so we should have just walked right out, but I must say that the place was super clean!

Compared to the other BBQ places in Hayward this one is ok. I had the ribs and chicken. The portions are big but i wasnt much of a fan of there mild sauce. Also when I went there, there was no one in there which must tells me that its not that great. Regular selections of meat but the sides differ like Spanish rice and other things.

I came here for lunch and ordered the lunch portion tri-​tip with the mild BBQ sauce and a side of potato salad. I got a pretty good sized portion of meat along with the potato salad and a roll. The sauce was good and the potato salad was excellent. I enjoyed my food, but there wasn’t much else to this place. At least there was a TV with a basketball game on.
Next time, I’ll probably try the ribs.

Potato salad and beans???
Its Best Kept BBQ– NOT best kept side dishes?!!
There was no smoke flavor on the meat and it was bland. Iv’e had oven BBQ better and OVEN BBQ is gross. Sorry, but I will not be back

Sides were the best part of the meal. Beans and potato salad were very good.
Location, not the easiest to get in and out of.
I had the ribs. I was very disappointed. I don’t know how they can call them BBQ ribs. The ribs were done on a gas grill and had been marinated in some sort of teriyaki or like marinated. It was kind of overpowering. I only ate a couple of ribs.
When I arrived at the restaurant there was a lady working the counter and watching tv. She took my order and money, went back washed her hands and prepared the ribs. Then came to the counter to get the sides. During this process individuals were filtering in, so every time someone came in she had to stop and help them. Was kind of surprised there was only one person working.
Anyway, The place is best kept a secret. I won’t be telling anyone else about it.

I always drive by this place on way to and from work. They have a sandwich board up on the sidewalk to let commuters know of this tiny BBQ place on Winton.
Anyways, decided I’d stop by during my lunch break on a Sunday. I figure, hey, I’m working on Sunday, I deserve some BBQ. I walked into an empty hole in the wall with sports memorabilia adorning the wales.
The guy running the place was sitting at one of the tables, apparently talking about some business deal. Maybe he was trying to figure out how to run this place with the lack of business going on.
I took a quick glance at the menu and decided on the Tri-​tip. I would have gone with the ribs but I planned on eating while working, and a keyboard slathered in BBQ and animal fat would probably be a big work deterrent. Anyways, I opted for the spicy BBQ and beans on the side.
I took the order to go and he was kind enough to give me a free dinner roll, which turned out to be Hawaiian bread.
The tri-​tip was decent, though nothing to be thrilled about. The BBQ sauce was okay; enough kick in it to call it spicy and not overly sweet. The portions were disappointing, though. For 10 bucks, you’d expect a tad bit more than what you got, but hey, the guy was working business deals on a Sunday afternoon, so I’m sure he’s gotta charge that much.
The beans were probably the best part of the meal. Which is unfortunate. I guess that’s the «Best Kept Secret» at this place. So-​so BBQ and the best beans in Hayward.

The sides were better than the main menu items. A star for the beans and potato salad. I totally agree with Liz, boy, the beans were delish! Obviously homemade and not your traditional baked beans out of a can that you usually get with BBQ. Too bad there wasn’t greens on this menu. I imagine they’d do a decent job on them. The potato salad was also homemade and tasty, but the BBQ itself leaves alot to be desired. The sauce is too sweet and the meat (both ribs and chicken), although very lean, didn’t have much flavor.
This is a one shot meal, we won’t be back. They are trying hard here to make a go of it, but with stiff bbq competition in this town (and a weird location) it’s doubtful that this place will be around long. Save your pennies and go to Carmen’s or E & J for great bbq.

MMMMMMMM… this place is yummy! Ribs and Tri-​tip, rice, bread, beans… it was all good! It’s a good spot for lunch and I’m pretty sure you can make it back within an hour if you’re coming from CSUEB.
If only it were easier to get into their parking lot. But once you’re in, you’re golden! It’s just to the left of the fabric store.

Whether I drive along W. Winton or Hesperian, I just can’t see this place. It’s in a little L-​shaped strip mall. I work in real estate, and this location should garner «badwill.» There is little or no indication that this place even exists.
For starters, I applaud Best Kept Secret’s use of King’s Hawaiian rolls. These, of course, were derived from the Portuguese who settled in Hawaii.
Others have already commented on the BBQ sauce being tomato based. Others may have a problem with that, but after I tried it, I actually liked it. I thought it complimented the meat well enough.
The problem is that, like many BBQ places, value is on the low side. For the given prices, some customers would prefer to get more, quantity-​wise. Or, if the portions are to remain the way they are, customers would be happier if the prices were lowered 1 – 2 dollars.
I thought that the rice really was Spanish, rather than, say, Cajun or Mexican. Again, it’s personal preference, whether you like it or not. I thought it was fine, but again, I wish the scoop were larger.
The beans were spicy, not enough to alarm an adult. But if you are bringing kids, be aware of this. My kids didn’t like the food here, so I had to get them something more palatable for/​to them. OTOH, I got to eat the entrees, and walked away feeling 50 – 50.

I don’t know why this place is keeping their BBQ a secret because it wasn’t THAT good.
The BBQ alone was a little less than OK, but still edible. The sauce is WAY too sweet without a smoke flavored meat. I ordered the tri tip and although the meat itself was cooked well (very tender and lean) I was missing that smoke flavor. The BF ordered the ribs and he wished he had ordered the tri tip. But both of us agreed the sauce was too sweet and the meat needed to be smoked (How is it BBQ if the meat isn’t smoked or tastes like it wasn’t even BBQ’d?) Putting BBQ sauce on cooked meat doesn’t count as ‘BBQ’. Also, the spanish rice was VERY dry and VERY underseasoned.
Enough with the negative, here’s the positive: The potato salad and the beans are DELICIOUS! Thee BEST by far!!! I took one bite of the beans and potato salad and thought I should have saved my self 5 bucks and had ordered just that alone!
It did take a long time for us to get our order taken (15 min, literally) because the lady up front taking orders was having a personal convo with the current people she was «helping» (it was clear they knew each other) and rather than putting off her convo to help the growing line, she continued to blabber. Also when we finally did order, the food took a very long time to come out.
Well I won’t be coming back for their bbq unless they find a new recipe, but will be back just for the beans and potato salad!

I was craving some BBQ so I thought I would give BKS a try. Its located in a strip mall. Its a nice clean little place. Its decorated with a lot of Sports Memorabilia. I ordered the Pork Rib Lunch which comes with a Side which I picked Potato Salad. 8 Minutes later it was ready. The Pork Ribs had a nice Bark on them and they were covered in a Spicy Sweet BBQ sauce that I really enjoyed. The Potato salad was pretty tasty too. I will definitely be back when I crave BBQ again.

It’s 0549. I am snacking on some leftover links. My husband had been buggin the hell out of me to try this spot. And now I’M eating his links. Muhahahaha!
Yesterday I was greeted by two cool dudes. They have family packs, but I ordered 2 dinners — links and ribs. They only sell pork ribs, but they have tri-​tip. It was also pretty cheap for BBQ — under $ 20 for two dinners. After I ordered I went to JoAnns for a few minutes to play, and when I walked back in, the guy behind the register walked my order to me instead of waiting behind the counter because there wasn’t anyone ordering at the time! =)
I wish I knew it was Portuguese BBQ, because then I probably would’ve ordered chicken to taste it with different expectations. But the man wanted ribs and links. At first I didn’t like the sauce. I told my husband it tasted like ketchup and pepper because its tomato-​ey. But eating it more, I tasted the wonderful bit of heat (mild sauce) and it is very good, just not what I expected. The meat was not smoked.
The roll is soft and fluffy like pan de leche. The sides are pretty good, Spanish rice was good, and the potato salad had a bit of black olive.
Maybe I should have been a bit more observant with the offerings and ingredients that this is a different twist on American BBQ, kinda like how there is Hawaiian BBQ, CharSiu, GalBi, Tandoori and Satay.
I will eat here again to try other things, I have no other Portuguese BBQ to compare it with, but the price, friendliness, cleanliness, convenience do it for me.

Absolutely DELICIOUS!
I order my chicken well done, I ask the cook (who’s super cool) to cook the chicken deep.
I may not know about BBQ sauce, but I know chicken son, and the chicken off the grill here is real good. Nice thick white meat chicken, not dripping fat. Just the way it should be.
Both females are always super nice to me, and like I said, the chef is a good dude.
I am sorry to read the negative reviews; I don’t know what they are ordering.

Last week I was craving some BBQ. So while I was headed up Hesperian on my way to a BBQ spot on A st. I spotted a sign that said «Best kept Secret BBQ» and an arrow pointing into a strip mall on Winton and Hesperian. So I made a quick turn into the strip mall parking lot and decided to try the place out.
As I pull up to the restaurant I realized that it was the same exact spot that used to be a Filipino joint. I go inside and there was nobody there to greet me or take my order. Then I spot someone in a back room office who looked as if she was surfing the web. She noticed me and continued to surf or maybe she just went back to the computer screen to minimize the window or something. She then asked me what I wanted. No frills, no smile, no hello, no nothing except for «what would you like?» So from this moment I realized that customer service from this woman was going to be less then par. I ask for a sample, and she was unprepared to answer me, so I saved her the some embarrassment and made a suggestion that she allow me to try the BBQ sauce. And so she gave me a taste of the sauce which was ok. A bit too sweet for my liking.
I ordered the pork ribs lunch combo with potato salad. The ribs were just ok, nothing special and the hot BBQ sauce was sub par. I felt that I could have done better. A worthy mention was the potato salad which was delicious.
Another notable mention was the customer service that the chef gave me when he served up my food. This guy was more welcoming than the woman that took my order.
Overall I’m probably never going to come here, I’ll just make the drive an extra few miles up Hesperian to Carmen’s BBQ. Same price, better service, way better food!

I love that this a family style restaurant. The lady behind the counter (looked like mom) was really sweet. I was looking forward to having some good smoked BBQ.
This is actually Portuguese BBQ. I did not taste any smoked flavor, nor did I see a smoke ring. I think that they char broil their meats. The sides tasted homemade and not store bought, which was nice for once. They were quite average in taste. This is the kind of BBQ that I would expect to get at a tail gating party or back yard BBQ.
I do not think that I would go back. Not because the food was horrible, but because the style of BBQ is not to my liking. Wish them luck.

It wasn’t until after I ate there and looked them up on Unilocal that I found out they are supposedly Portuguese BBQ. They do not advertise themselves this way and I guess that is what the secret is. They are definitely not American BBQ which I noticed from the flavor of the sauce from the 1^st bite. This flavor was not for me, but not to say that others wouldn’t enjoy it.
The meat did not «fall off the bone» as others mentioned. It was a bit of a tug-​a-​war with my teeth. The meat was cooked thoroughly though, however I did not get the sense that the meat was marinated, but just cooked in the semi-​watery sauce.
For the sides I tried the beans and potatoe salad. The potatoe salad was average at best and served at room temperature. I still can’t figure out what was going on with the beans. They were some kind of odd concoction.
I would not pass up Carmon’s BBQ again to go here, but would eat here if a friend or colleague really wanted to. As I mentioned, their flavor was not for me, I prefer a more traditional American BBQ and even Hawaiian or Korean BBQ over «Best Kept Secret BBQ», but worth a try if you want to try a twist to your BBQ.
I suggest they let everyone know what their secret is, that they’re Portuguese BBQ.

The Secret is out! Hayward’s got a new family owned BBQ spot.
I went on a Sunday afternoon, starved and instead of the usual Kasper’s dog, I wanted to try something new. The atmosphere is a little stark (bright white walls covered with some sports memorabilia) but already the place was filling up quick. A huge flat screen grabs your attention and eyes across the restaurant are glued to the game. The gal at the cash register was super nice and greeted us right away.
For just under $ 10 my sis and I shared the link special. Within minutes of ordering, a piping hot plate of nicely sliced link sausage arrived – swimming in killer BBQ sauce! We got the potato salad and beans for the sides and each meal is not complete without King’s Hawaiian Rolls! Ah! You can’t get better than that!
And it’s true, the sauce is amazing. It’s a sweet sauce that makes you want to lick your fingers and the plate. Other Unilocalers say it’s Portuguese and something tells me they’re right – sweet! Also, while I was here, I thought I heard someone say «Family Pack” – Oh my it gets better! The menu is simple and effective and the food is awesome. Sorry vegetarians and vegans, as you thought this place is only for the carnivores.