Amarillo Grilling BBQ and Catering — Local services in Oakland

Ken Johnson of Amarillo Grilling served perhaps the best barbecue dinner I've ever had, and for 45 guests at our wedding reception, no less.

Firstly, the food was excellent: we enjoyed brisket, pulled pork, and chicken breast with all the homemade sides, such as mac n' cheese, corn on the cob, baked beans, salad with organic greens, and slaw. The meat was juicy and savory (and as the groom, I got first pick of some sinfully delicious end pieces!), deep with flavor, and there was plenty of it. The corn came on huge ears and was so succulent I didn't have to pick one bit from my teeth. I can't ever recall having baked beans (made with bourbon) so rich and tasty. We did have one vegetarian at the table (luckily for her she wasn't vegan) and her plate was packed with salad, mac, slaw, and beans.

I found Amarillo Grilling by searching for "Catering" and "BBQ" on google maps near our reception location and came across his website. After seeing the menu, it didn't take much convincing for my fiance to agree to reach out to them.

Ken responded promptly after our first email and the process of negotiating our final menu was a pleasantly collaborative experience. He was also very flexible with the personal touches demanded by our family style dinner plans. While Amarillo Grilling traditionally serves buffet style, Ken easily agreed to let us pass the sides and to serve the entrees himself at the table, plate by plate, so everyone could remain seated and in conversation among the tight quarters of the backyard where our reception was held.

There was also no push back to letting us provide our own appetizers and dessert (homemade antipasti and pie, among them!) and Ken was very clear as to what were his duties and what belonged to the rental company or to us. This was very valuable to newbie event planners who, by financial necessity, took on a lot ourselves.

His help was fully professional and had no trouble constantly clearing leftovers and drink glasses throughout the evening once we moved on to dancing. We used real plates and silverware, and even glassware, and his two servers had everything washed using the house dishwasher. The bartender, John, was at home serving beer, wine, and our cocktails, and his personality added a lot to the evening. Everyone deserved generous gratuity and they certainly got it.

The entire event was a magical experience - from the rain blowing through the morning of and leaving us with clear skies and stars, to Ken's friendly, booming voice asking us if we were ready for the pulled pork and saving the leftovers for us to take on our familymoon beach vacation...yes, parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, all of us enjoyed a huge second helping on Sunday night at the rental house.

I highly recommend Amarillo Grilling for your next event - especially a wedding! The barbecue dinner was essential to making our backyard family party last forever in our memories. Leave the Chicken Fricassee for the real estate convention and go with some real down home cooking with Ken's...

TOP QUALITY, FIVE STARS!!! I came across chef Ken while searching for local NJ bbq catering companies, and I knew right away he was the guy for our tailgate event. This is home cooked made with love bbq, better than any bbq restaurant I have ever been too! No seriously! Chef Ken was super responsive, kind, and helped me with menu selections. He even advised that I was “over ordering”. Everything was beyond delicious, our guests were ranting and raving as each dish came off the grill. But most importantly the quality of the food was FIVE STARS. Everything had its own special and unique bbq flavor so each dish was completely different from the next. Personally, it was the best pulled pork I ever had. The shrimp and pineapple kabob appetizers were devoured after they came off the grill and the filet, I can still smell the melted garlic butter. IT WAS INSANE!!! After I came home from the event, I re-heated the ribs and Mac, and they were honestly just as good! I can go on and on about all the amazing things. We were just so blown away on how fantastic everything was, including chef Ken and Denise who was supporting him. Thank you Amarillo grilling for everything! Everyone will be talking about that tailgate menu for a...

Absolutely exquisite barbecue... bar none. I threw a surprise milestone birthday party for my wife and found Ken thru searching for "master barbecue near me". He was at the top of the list which, as it turns out, is a perfect metaphor.

On the menu were shrimp skewers, barbecue chicken, Memphis style ribs, hot dogs, beans and mac 'n cheese. I am not exaggerating when I say that all the food had me closing my eyes and savoring every single bite. And it wasn't just me. The compliments just kept flowing in from my guests. Not only was the meat perfectly cooked and salivary, even the sides had people raving. Even reheated 2 days later, I'm still closing my eyes for each bite of mac n' cheese. And the pickles... don't even get me started. He must cure these himself in his own barrels because I had people playing rock/paper/scissors to take them home!

Ken is a master at is craft and beyond that, is also extremely accommodating. With a great personality and sense of humor backing up his simply perfect culinary skills, I can't recommend him enough. We'll definitely be...