Every combo grill has the same dirty secret. Split the cooking surface between a grill side and a griddle side, and you end up with half of each — not enough grate space for a real cookout, not enough flat-top for a proper smash burger session, and burners stretched thin trying to serve two masters. Anyone who’s owned one knows the feeling of wishing the whole thing was just one or the other.
The Grilla Grills Primate takes a different swing at the problem entirely. Instead of splitting the surface, it converts. Pull out the stainless grates, drop in the full-size griddle top, and the same 4-burner engine powers whichever mode you’re in. As one reviewer put it neatly: it’s not 50/50 — it’s 100/100. So the question this Grilla Primate review needs to answer is whether that idea survives contact with actual cooking. Between hands-on testers and an owner who’s run one for over a year, there’s enough real evidence to say.
The spec sheet, quickly
Because you’ll want the numbers before anything else. The Primate runs four burners pushing over 60,000 BTU total. In grill mode you get three removable heavy-duty stainless grates — about 663 square inches of grilling space, with the grates built from 5/16-inch stainless rods thick enough that Grilla claims you’ll never need to replace them with basic care. Swap to griddle mode and you’re working nearly 490 square inches of flat iron cooktop.
The body is stainless steel throughout — lid, cart, cabinets — with a double-wall insulated hood that holds heat in cold or windy weather. It ships propane-ready and converts to natural gas with a separate kit, which is genuinely rare in the combo category; most competitors are propane-only, full stop. Warranty is 4 years. Base price sits at $1,099, though it’s been spotted discounted into the high $800s, so it pays to watch for sales.
What a year of actual cooking shows
The most useful evidence here comes from an owner who’s cooked on the Primate for over a year — weekend pancake breakfasts, weeknight smash burgers, family cookouts, the lot. His verdict after all that: yes, it’s worth it, with strong heat performance and even cooking in both modes.
The independent testers land the same way. One took it through searing smash burgers and a full fajita dinner and came away saying something you almost never hear about a combo unit — that the Primate is a really good outdoor griddle and a really good gas grill, not a compromise pretending to be both. The double-wall hood, the heavy lid, the premium feel of the stainless build — these come up in nearly every hands-on account.
A few details that only show up when someone’s actually lived with the thing:
- Assembly is genuinely quick. One owner had it built in a little over half an hour. For a full-size grill, that’s nothing.
- There’s a built-in paper towel holder. Sounds trivial until you’re flipping greasy food on a griddle and the roll is right there. Owners specifically call this out.
- Heat zoning works on the griddle. A common technique from an experienced owner: run the two right burners hot as your cooking zone, keep the left low or off as a holding zone. The iron top spreads some heat across, so food parked on the cool side stays warm without cooking on. The grease drain sits on the left, so some prefer flipping that arrangement — either way, the four independent burners give you real control.
Now the flaws — because there are some
A review that skips this section isn’t a review, and the Primate has real ones.
The side shelves get hot. Both a tester and the long-term owner flag this. With the burners cranked, don’t rest your bare hand or your phone on the shelves next to the cookbox. You adjust, but it’s a design quirk worth knowing.
Storage is thin. For a $1,099 unit, the onboard storage is limited compared to some similarly priced gas grills. If you keep a lot of tools and accessories at the grill, plan for that.
No standard partial-griddle option. Some owners want a 1/3 or 2/3 griddle setup — half grill, half flat-top at the same time. Grilla teased attachments along these lines, and with the right pieces you can grill and griddle simultaneously, but at least one forum owner ended up fabricating his own partial plates after the promised option never materialized for him. If a factory split-surface setup is a must-have on day one, verify what’s currently sold before ordering.
Not everyone’s a fan. That same forum thread includes an owner who called his unit overrated and had to “fix” things himself — a single voice against mostly strong reviews, but it exists, and with any grill purchase you should know the dissent is out there. Others in that thread also noted the low-slung lid gave them pause for taller cuts.
The grease tray sticks out the side. Fine on the cart. But if you’re planning a built-in outdoor kitchen install, that side tray complicates a flush countertop. Grilla’s answer is their own modular outdoor kitchen line — the Primate slots into their cabinet system alongside the Silverbac pellet grill and Kong kamado — which solves it, but through their ecosystem.
Who this actually makes sense for
The Primate earns its price for a specific person: someone who genuinely wants both a gas grill and a griddle, has patio space (or budget) for only one unit, and refuses to accept the shrunken half-and-half compromise of typical combos. If you’re doing griddle breakfasts on Saturday and grilled chicken on Tuesday, this is the rare machine that does both jobs at full size and full power. The natural gas option and the outdoor-kitchen compatibility around the $1,000 mark are bonuses almost nothing else in the category offers.
Skip it if you only ever grill or only ever griddle — a dedicated single-purpose unit will cost less. And if a permanent half-grill-half-griddle surface is your dream setup, confirm the current attachment options with Grilla first rather than assuming.
The verdict
The Grilla Grills Primate mostly pulls off the thing combo grills always promise and rarely deliver: two full-size, full-power cooking appliances in one stainless body, converting between them in the time it takes to lift out three grates. The heat performance holds up in both modes, the build feels premium, and a year of real ownership backs the durability up. The hot side shelves, thin storage, and the partial-griddle question are honest dings — but none of them touch the core function. If your cooking life genuinely needs both a grill and a flat-top and you’d rather buy one great machine than two decent ones, the Primate is one of the very few units that deserves the shortlist.
Common Questions
Is the Grilla Primate worth it?
For someone who wants both a full gas grill and a full griddle in one unit, yes — a year-long owner and multiple independent testers confirm strong, even heat in both modes. If you only ever use one cooking style, a dedicated unit costs less.
How big is the Grilla Primate’s cooking area?
About 663 square inches of grate space in grill mode across three removable stainless grates, and nearly 490 square inches of flat iron surface in griddle mode, powered by four burners totaling over 60,000 BTU.
Can the Grilla Primate run on natural gas?
Yes — it ships propane-ready and converts to natural gas with a separate kit, which is rare in the combo-grill category where most competitors are propane-only.
Can you grill and griddle at the same time on the Primate?
With the right attachments, yes — though the standard setup is full-grill or full-griddle. If a permanent split surface matters to you, confirm the current attachment options with Grilla before buying.
What’s the Grilla Primate’s warranty?
Four years, with the grates built from 5/16-inch stainless rods that Grilla says shouldn’t need replacing with proper care.
Can the Primate be built into an outdoor kitchen?
Yes — Grilla sells modular outdoor kitchen cabinets the Primate installs into, alongside their Silverbac and Kong. Note the side grease tray complicates non-Grilla flush-counter installs.
