The Flame Broiler

This is my go to place for a quick lunch break since I work nearby. They have a fast service and most employees are nice. The place is pretty clean as well. For food, it is cooked well. I usually get a mini bowl with chicken and/​or beef, veggies, onions and brown rice and I never had a complain about it.

I enjoyed my meal. I had a chicken plate with brown rice and salad. Chicken had a good flavor. I think going forward I will order a bowl as the salad with the plate option was just ok.

I arrived late in the afternoon to get an order to go. The place was pretty empty with only one family of four sitting at one of the tables. I was greeted right away by the cashier who took my order. Order was quickly filled and the cashier thanked me as I headed out the door. When I arrived at home, everything was still piping hot and a good portion was served on my plate. I was very satisfied with the works plate. The rice was a little mushy but there was a healthy serving of meat and vegetables. The coleslaw and fruit was quite fresh. My daughter enjoyed her beef Angus with white rice bowl. I did not encounter any of the issues posted on other reviews. I will definitely be back.

The lady in at the cash register gave me serious attitude. Not friendly at all! She was on her phone texting while my order was sitting on the ledge getting cold. When she decided to put away her phone she literally shoved my food at me. The customer service is just awful. These are the nicest words that I can use describe the situation. Good food though!

Bad customer service, will not return. Ordered bowl with no rice as shown on ticket. Also asked for a Diet Coke but server, Sara, said she already rang me up, I asked if she could do a separate charge for Diet Coke and she said they don’t have Diet Coke. While waiting I noticed Diet Coke was an option on the machine and the following customer was dispensing drink fine. When I received my to go order there was rice at the bottom. I don’t expect a fine dining experience but I was treated as if everything I said or asked was a huge inconvenience for staff there.

Always wonderful when I come here. They’ve upped their meat standard which is good. No more weird tripe looking beef.
I’ve never had a problem here unlike some other reviews, and I ate here quite often when I worked in town. I still frequent on my days off because it’s one of the few places I can get a clean meal. Sometimes I’ll opt for veggies instead of rice, and they don’t charge me any differently.

I don’t typically do fast food restaurants as they aren’t healthy. I was preparing to break my fast and didn’t feel like driving too far to pick up something. So I opted for the local Flame Broiler. They are a fast food chain that prepares Korean-​style beef and/​or chicken in a rice bowl with no dairy, trans-​fat, added msg, or frying. The meats are marinated and then cooked in the backed. Magic sauce (soy sauce based) along with hot sauce dispensers are available at the front of the restaurant to pour over the bowl.
I opted for the chicken bowl with extra chicken ($ 9.15), which is served in the exact same bowl as the standard chicken bowl ($ 6.40). Supposedly it has twice as much chicken, but it’s really hard to tell if that’s the case. They offer a choice of white or brown rice, and I went with the healthier option, brown rice. The small grain brown rice tasted ok, it wasn’t the best that I had, but I can’t complain a whole lot as I’m at a fast food place. The chicken was tender, but not as juicy as some other chicken bowl places that I have tried. The cashier asked if I wanted green onions with my bowl and I said, sure. It definitely adds to the flavor profile.
The menu lists the option of getting veggies with your bowl. If you happen to order a chicken veggie bowl, what they will do is replace some of the rice with steamed vegetables. There is also an option to get a half and half bowl (chicken and beef) or the works (chicken, beef, and veggies). The cost is about the same for all the bowls, unless you are getting extra meat, in which case there is a $ 2.75 up charge.
They do offer plates which have some salad and a slice of orange, and a little more meat as compared to the standard bowls. Overall this is a decent and quick option if one is on a budget and in a hurry. Food tastes a-​ok. I was definitely full with my chicken bowl and extra meat.

For a fast food place this is not bad at all. I like it. Good bowls for a reasonable price.

The worst. Chicken is old and rubbery. WAY, way over priced. Tried it twice. Never again.

The sign says they open at 10:30 a.m. I came in at 10:50 and it looks like they just rolled out of bed… They asked me to come back when the grill is hot. I can understand one employee being late but an entire crew shows me this location is sub par. It also makes me wonder what else they are doing poorly behind the scene that I can’t see…

I love these bowls! The half & half bowl with steamed rice is excellent! The staff are always very easy going, friendly & helpful! I would honestly go here more often but parking is difficult at times, at night, during the week. It’s just a very busy plaza. There is some seating inside but there are also tables outside, if it’s a nice day or night & you prefer sitting outside! All & all the good is excellent & I would recommend it to anyone in the area!!!

Absolutely horrible service. My son and I arrived here at 8:40 pm and placed our order to eat inside. 15 minutes later they had our food ready but said they are closing in 5 minutes so we have to eat outside. I wouldn’t mind that if it were the summer time, but today is December 18^th and its freezing cold outside! I am writing this as I am shivering and eating outside the restaurant while he workers started cleaning before closing time. Other customers are sitting around us also freezing outside! There are no heaters outside either. My advice to Flame Broiler is that If you’re going to take take our money, at least let us eat inside, and don’t start cleaning until you actually close. Poor customer service!

I don’t know if there is a worse Flame Broiler in south Orange County… Not only is the food product substandard and prepared acrimoniously, but the staff are glaringly discourteous to the customer base and maladroit in their presentation. I can’t begin to stress how bad this restaurant really is.
I patronized this location twice during the past week… The first time was due to pure curiosity because I love The Flame Broiler’s meat bowls and the location was close to home; the second time was out of concern that my first visit may have been a rare mishap in service and quality, and I was hungry.
My first time in the store was for a weekday lunch stop. The restaurant was relatively busy and there were a number of guests sitting in the dining area eating and watching CNN on the TV. I approached the counter and was pretty much ignored by the cashier until the employee standing next to her started speaking very loudly into his phone. The cashier noticed this and then looked to me stating «what can I get for you?» with a stare I can only describe as contemptuous… I ordered a beef bowl and she gave me the total. The employee on the phone started rambling again very loudly and vehemently exited the store…
Staff were roaming around throughout the store with little regard for appearance. It seemed like more of a hangout than a workplace… Weird.
My order was up in less than 20 seconds, and although I did appreciate the promptness, I was also baffled as to how this was achieved… Every other time I’ve ordered a meat bowl from Flame Broiler it has been made to order, usually taking a few minuets to prepare.
This time around the cashier was quick to pack it to go, and this was with good reason… The meat was flavorless and lukewarm, bone dry and chewy, and I suspected that the bowl had been an order that previously been prepared wrong and she simply passed it off to me as new…
I asked to eat the bowl in the dining room and the cashier scoffed at me, tossed the lid off the bowl and threw the plastic bag aside. I then asked for a tray and was met with «we don’t have trays!» Whoa.
I kindly asked for napkins and she a matter-​of-​factly pointed to the other side of the soda fountain… After that she turned her back, pulled out a smartphone and sat in the corner hidden from sight. Wow. Something I said?
My second time visiting the store was on a Sunday at exactly 3:00 p. m… I only know this because I watched the minute hand of the clock they have on the wall move from 12 to 1 while waiting at the register… The cook in the back saw me come in but made no attempt to even acknowledge my standing there until a lady walked in the door to pick up a carry-​out order. He eventually made his way out to the front and said, just like on my first visit, «what can I get for you?» as if I had insulted his mother.
During our exchange the lady behind me pumped out around ten little containers of Magic Sauce and the cook was visibly annoyed with this… At that point the employee that was on his phone from my first visit came out (with smartphone in hand no less) and canvassed the dining area…
The cook completed the transaction for the carry-​out order and then went in back to prepare my chicken bowl, which again came out fairly quickly because the chicken was more than likely precooked.
The employee who was on the phone during the previous visit, and who I’m guessing was the shift manager on that day, tried to bag up the chicken bowl to go after I’d asked twice to eat in; he then just pushed the bowl towards me and walked away… The bowl was packed with an overabundance of white rice and steaming hot chicken that was way overcooked and unbelievably dry. It took four trips to the Magic Sauce pump just to add a little moisture to the meat. It was bad.
In the middle of my meal while watching an expose involving college fraternity gang rape on TV, the shift manager wheeled out a mop and bucket and began haphazardly scrubbing the floor with a mixture of soap and bleach that filled the restaurant with an unbearable vapor…
A note to Flame Broiler in Rancho Santa Margarita: Bleach mixed with an ammonia based cleaner is toxic to you and the guests health…
With that unremarkable and unnecessary display of «cleanliness» I quickly got the message loud and clear… I happily left.
Pros: The TV was turned on.
Cons: The lack of business integrity conducted at this franchise.
I don’t think I have ever entered a more antagonistic or less hospitable fast-​casual establishment. I’m still unsure if it’s antipathy or pure ignorance on the owners part that allows this franchise to be run the way it is… Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

The food is okay but why is the service so bad? The girl at the register didn’t bother to say hello or smile or say thank you. She looked like her life sucked and that she’d rather be any where else but here. Basically her facial expression was «just tell me what you want.» It makes for an unfriendly eating experience.

Below average, neither the chicken or beef are great. If u are in the area there are many healthier and better options. They do have a TV if u wanna catch a world cup game.
Toilets were clean, staff is nice. Unfortunately food isn’t great

Love this place! Super fresh and filling food that you feel healthy eating it. Getting it right now before a gymnastics meet. It will keep us full and energized for this. lpng day of competition. Staff are super nice too. Not a great dining space though. Small inside. Great outdoor space to eat but on a cold day it isn’t fun.

Worst service and food in the chain. No avocado or sirracha rude cashier, stay away from this location.

I go here quite often as it’s a pretty healthy alternative if you’re in a hurry.
Food quality is consistent and tastes pretty good. I usually get the chicken bowl with brown rice and white meat, or the half/​half bowl.
Pricing is pretty good running around 7 bucks for a normal-​sized bowl which is enough food for a grown man.
I recommend.

Food is decent and the meat is pretty good. If you’re craving a rice bowl, this is your spot. I usually get the mini bowl with half beef and half chicken and load it up with the special sauce. I like how they offer white or brown rice. The mini bowl is the perfect amount of food. During lunch the food comes out quickly and is pretty fresh. They also have some coupons in the local mailers for discounts on bowls and what not. A lot of reviews have talked about the cashiers having poor customer service skills, I have not experienced this because I am in and out so quickly.

I come here sometimes for lunch which ends up being closer to dinner time depending on the shift. Food seems good, love the fact I can get brown rice without an up charge is always nice. The gentleman who works behind the counter is always nice and friendly.

Horrible service from the cashier Jessica! She needs to be friendly even if she doesn’t like people. For some reason she always gives me attitude CHECK URSELF GIRL! Don’t upset the wrong person

We had a coupon from our Entertainment book for this place, so thought we would try it out for the first time. The worker looked at our coupon and mumbled quickly that it’d work out better for us if we didn’t use the coupon barely explaining why. As we took back our coupon we tried to quickly reread the fine print while he impatiently stared at us waiting for us to make our decision. My friend felt rushed and frustrated, so she just put the coupons away and we ordered our four chicken and beef bowls. We were able to order brown rice in all of our bowls at no extra charge, which was a great option to have.
Our meats were pretty tasty, but a few noted that the chicken was a little dry this time around. I didn’t know what to expect since it was my first time here. My husband didn’t like the fact that his bowl of «The Works» had way too much cabbage.
I’m looking forward to Panera Bread opening just across the way, so I can have a much healthier option for lunch or dinner.

Not bad. Rice and teriyaki-​style chicken or beef. It is what it is. The meats could use more seasoning for flavor. Ask for the brown rice (no extra cost) to be on the healthier side. Then, add copious amounts of «special sauce» and Sriracha hot sauce to offset the healthiness.
Decent amount of food (they really pack the food into the little bowls!), quick, and freshly-​cooked!

I am a NorCal native and I always make sure I take a trip to Flame Broiler every time I go down to Orange County. I’ve been to this location multiple times and it’s pretty decent. However, I’ve noticed several times that I’ve gotten burnt/​harder pieces of chicken in my rice bowls, making my food not so pleasant to eat. I’ve experienced better cooked chicken at the Foothill Ranch location.

I eat at Flame Broilers constantly. What a shame this one is not up to par.
My first complaint was that the eating and condiment area was filthy. My shoes stuck to the floor when I walked across it, and there was food littering the entire area. The soda fountain’s drain was clogged, so there was soda spilling over and dripping down onto the floor. The condiment area was disgusting and sticky, with sauce everywhere.
My second complaint was the service. The girl behind the counter seemed bored to death and I had to repeat that I wanted chicken and vegetables twice, because she charged me for just chicken and then just beef (?). She looked at us like we were completely ruining her life and when our food was up, she didn’t call our number. She just left the food on the counter and shrugged when we asked, «Is this ours?»
And my final complaint: The cabbage in my bowl was rotten. I completely lost my appetite.
I would recommend taking your business elsewhere.