All Fired Up - Burlingame, California

Jason Yu

Being able to paint my own ceramics was fantastic. There was a good selection of underglaze colors and a nice selection of premade bisqueware to pick from. Unfortunately none of this matters, as the clear glaze is disgusting. It's full of little chits of broken bisqueware. A few pieces would have been expected, but at this point my piece feels more like sandpaper. The glaze was applied in, what appears to be, two quick dips with about a quarter inch of overlap. That overlapping area is by far the nicest area of my piece. On one edge, the glaze is underdeveloped and is texturally different from the rest of the plate. On the back of the plate, there are 3 areas with breaks in the glaze, presumably where it sat on posts to keep the piece off of the kiln shelf. Unfortunately, no work was done to smooth these areas and I would consider them uncomfortably rough. Luckily, the back rim of the plate is unscathed. I'd say, given the price of the pieces at this studio, try somewhere else.

Artisha Cheng

My experience here went from bad to worst.

I had made a reservation for 5 pm for my birthday party. Good thing I got there a few minutes before 5 pm because the girl #1 working that evening said she was about to close even though hours are until 7 pm. She said when they called to confirm the booking, they had somehow called a different number and that person canceled the booking.

I picked up the pieces after 6 weeks. Holidays were busy, and that's fine, but I did not get any call that they were ready like they said they would. I had to call to see if they were ready each time.

Upon picking up the pieces, 4 of the 10 had defects including areas of missed glaze, missing chunks, and extra chunks. I went back after 2 days to pick up the pieces and 2 still had issues, so again I left them behind to get fixed (by girl #2).

A week passes because I'm busy with work. When I walk into the store, the girl #1 said the bowl was cracked but not broken. The other vase was literally broken on the bottom which she neglected to say! She said it was a kiln error. There were 2 gift certificates left in the bowl and she did not know how much they would be for. I left to come back the next day with my friend who's bowl was cracked for her to decide what to do.

My friends decided to get a refund and I agreed as I would not want a gift certificate to come back here. A different girl (#3) was working this day and she was calculating and collecting cash, at one point going through her own wallet. When she handed me a wad of cash, I asked if she could break down how it was calculated as there was no receipt or proof of transaction. When her calculation was off, I asked for a piece of paper and pen to do it myself. Then she handed me a $100 bill that was more than the refund and did not say to just take it or ask for change for the difference. My friend ended up giving $5 back for the correct amount as I do not carry cash and I'm not looking for money, just to right the wrong.

I would NOT recommend coming here. There is a lack of proactive action regarding any issues that arise, and seemingly any adult workers.

Leah G. Hafer

My teenaged son and I went late February, he wanted to paint something for his gma who is sick. We were there for about an hour, enjoyed the nice ambiance, and the one staff member was very helpful. Note: you should always take a picture of your item before you leave, so you can identify it upon pick up.
When I went about a month later to pick up, his item was ready to go, but mine was missing. Someone else accidentally took my piece home! I felt heartbroken. The owner called me the next day and offered a variety of options, but ultimately the owner was kind enough to contact the other customers with the same item around the same time we visited. I had my fingers and toes crossed it would be found!
After a few weeks I followed up and my item was returned!! So grateful for Nancy’s variety of options and attempts to rectify the situation. She went above and beyond to have my piece returned. My son and I will definitely go back to All Fired Up in the future.

phyllis wong

Great place for kids! I bring my niece here and she loves it. The owner and staff are great and really helpful.

Blue Scott

THIS IS THE GREATEST PLACE ON EARTH. The workers are so kind and fun, and I had a wonderful time painting there. If you’re looking for a silly day out this is the place for you.

Kirsten Lindsey

My 3 year old son who doesn't like crafts loved this place. So fun to pick out your piece to paint them.

Maria Wang-Faulkner

We had a birthday party there. Very pricey for what you get which is just the pottery and paint, and no service or exclusive use of space. The booking experience was also not great. Email booking didn't work, had to call repeatedly, staff didn't write down or communicate information proactively, nor did they explain what was included (eg they charged per piece, not per child; we were upgraded to the higher package without agreeing to it; they charged a gratuity without telling us first).

When I asked staff what was included, I got sometimes contradictory information.

On the day, the one staff person present didn't direct or drive any of the activities on the day, and didn't interact with the kids at all. Parents did all the work.

I'm still confused what made the "party package" any different to showing up and painting pottery like any regular customer.

If you do do a kids party there, have them send you something in writing.

Doug Tschetter

This was a two day event for my nine month old granddaughter and myself. We made " I love" mugs with hand and foot prints, for dad and mom. The owner and both helpers were outgoing, helpful, friendly, and cheery. The environment was peaceful and family friendly. Working around a nine month old's agenda required this and All Fired Up delivered. I met a mother and daughter that have made this an annual birthday event, for each of their birthdays, since the daughter was five - what a great idea. They enjoyed hours of bonding time, as did my granddaughter and I.