Beach Pit BBQ

3.5 stars. Dirty south wrap was tasty, but not amazing. Same goes for the ribs. I feel like you have to drown everything in their spicy bbq sauce to make it flavorful. On the other hand, the sweet potato fries were bomb and the blueberry lemonade (free refills, woot woot!) is liquid cocaine.

I went here for the first time last weekend. My husband and I both love BBQ and are always on the look out for a new place. I loved the look of the place and the girl that took our order was very sweet and helpful. I got the pulled pork and my husband got ribs and chicken. Both dishes were perfect. The chicken was moist which is hard to do and the meat fell off the bones with the ribs. My sandwich was awesome. Cooked to perfection and seasoned well too.
I am not sure why other Unilocalers have problems with this place. I plan on going back the next time I am craving BBQ.
I defiantly recommend trying this place.

Last week I was hankering for some meat, BBQ to be specific. I was going to be in the OC to pick up my furry boy from the specialist and then head on to my friends house to kill time for the return traffic to the LB.
I found this review on Unilocal and decided to try them out.
I did a phone order and ordered the Texas toast sandwich which came with a side. My friend wanted brisket and I got pulled pork, a sample appetizer, and ordered blueberry cornbread. Sounded interesting.
Pick up my friend and his wife had gotten home and decided she wanted something as well, but we’d order it when we got there.
The smell when you just about close to the door was really good. They have outdoor seating, with a little fireplace, but it was too cold. We ordered for his wife and that came out prettty quick.
Get home and dig in. I have to say the sandwhich was pretty good and good size portion of meat in it. They also gave a container of hot or mild BBQ sauce. The side portions could have been bigger. The cornbread a little dry. I did like the fried pickles and hushpuppies in the samplers, The catfish nuggets seemed a little off. My Mac n Cheese side was good and my friend like the bakes beans enough.
Over all a good experience. Can’t say I’d rush back here, but I’d try it again.

A manager of this restaurant read my Unilocal review and asked me to give them another try. He acknowledged their shortcomings in the past and provided me with a gift card to cover most of the meal. My dining companion was Kevy who is an «eat to live» type guy and I am a «live to eat» type of guy.
The atmosphere is very inviting with a fire pit outside and high ceilings, faux brick walls and a warehouse or loft vibe inside. I love a fully functioning A/​C unit but they were blowing some hefty «Arctic winds» (its 6:30pm & today’s high was 80). The staff is friendly and takes our order of the following: beef brisket, sweet potato fries, a half rack of St. Louis spare ribs, blueberry cornbread and a banana pudding.
Our total without the gift card would’ve been $ 27.00. The sweet potato fries are decent, vary from soft to «nearly» crunchy and have a good balance of salty and sweet. However, I would rather eat TJ’s frozen bagged version so I could control the crunchiness/​temperature. The coleslaw was pretty good with vinegar, slight seasoning, a touch of sweetness and zero mayonnaise.
The meats are served at ROOM TEMPERATURE. The brisket is not aesthetically appealing to the eye. I place my hand on my water glass in anticipation of – «Mojave on a plate». I ordered the ribs «dry» (no sauce) but maybe they took me literally? I flashback to painful memories of thick lukewarm roast beef/​pot roast served at the buffet of a low-​end wedding. People, you need some fat on the meat to keep it moist during smoking or you end up with bland/​tasteless results.
Chef Charles from our work café makes a remarkable brisket (soaked in au jus). The meat tastes very tender, flavorful and is absolutely delicious. Truth be told, brisket is not an easy meat to cook. However, if you choose to serve it and you are a BBQ restaurant you must do much better than what Beach Pit has done thus far.
Again, the St. Louis spare ribs don’t need to be tasted to know they’re dry. There is no shine or char evident and all I see is a healthy amount of rub w/​cayenne. The ribs are individually cut which is one reason why the food fails to arrive hot. When I’m at Lucille’s the ribs are served as a full rack or a half rack. Oftentimes they are so hot that I have to pick them up with my napkin. It is pretty evident that Lucille’s smokes their ribs and then sears them prior to serving. That is why they have so much smoke, char and are served piping hot.
I suspect Beach Pit «oven bakes» their ribs and then uses a stove top smoker to add a slight «waft» of smoke. If they were boiling them they would be moister than they are. There is so little smoke that there is no way these were placed in a smoker (as their menu claims) and «slow smoked for UP to 12 hours» — unless «UP» is the keyword.
The blueberry cornbread has a blueberry hue and tiny blueberry shrapnel inside. It looks okay so I apply butter and dig in. I was hoping for a nice pop of blueberry but the coloration was more pronounced than the taste. It isn’t dry and it isn’t moist but it is decent.
The homemade banana pudding I mostly enjoyed. It is prepared in a typical American-​style in that sugar dominates and overpowers the banana flavor. There are vanilla wafers, fluffy whipped cream and a banana slice. The texture is thick and grainy which I prefer to the typical overly smooth instant variety.
Kevy states that he wasn’t that hungry tonight but would’ve left hungry and unsatisfied after spending $ 13.50. In conclusion, this restaurant is only good for the extreme «eat to live» type or the «lazy ass type» who are looking for something close to home. No self-​respecting Foodie would consider a repeat visit at this establishment. My wife is a major Foodie and said she would divorce me if I made her consume this food again. Thus, Kevy was chosen to fill in.
As limited as the dining options are in AV, I prefer «one-​stop shopping» when I go out to dinner. I’m disappointed that the manager had me waste my time and my WAISTline in giving this a second try when nothing has changed. I voiced a specific concern («char & smoke») and he never responded. Possibly he thought by «doing me a solid» via a gift card I would be inclined to pen a positive review?
The next day I ate at our work café and devoured the brisket made by Chef Charles. I wonder what Chef Charles could do with pork (a more ideal meat for smoking due to moisture). I wanted to have more positives about Beach Pit but I’m afraid they have an uphill (more like a MOUNTAIN) battle for themselves. Given this economy and how slow they’ve reacted to criticism posted on Unilocal thus far I have a hard time believing this location will survive much longer. Then again this is the «Concrete Jungle» and not LA so anything is possible.

I really like the selection and the food is always good. i like the place overall… i just have this thing for a real plate. i can eat out of a paper tub at the fair or swap meet… I would give 5 stars otherwise. Place has really good food for the BBQ enthusiast or for a good meaty sandwich. the Mac and Cheese is Stellar also… the atmosphere in this locale is good too!
how can you go wrong with pulled porK???

I am not a bbq fan in least, but tempt me in the parking lot with a bbq grill and tri tip tasters when I’m starving after the gym… I’m THERE!
The tasters were medium rare cuts of tri tip and after having a bite, I was sold on trying dinner there.
So you walk in, and the order set up is like Chipotle or Subway, except that the guy at the beginning of the counter tells you to order from the cashier at the other end… so why the bar? Oh, I guess it’s more set up like Corner Bakery or Panera. Got it. There’s booths, ½ booths/​chair, and table/​chair seating options.
The bf & I ordered the tri tip special which came w/​cole slaw and some pico de gallo. We also got to pick our choice of a side, like their amazing collard greens, and a drink.
Ok, here it goes… the tri tip was more on the medium to medium well side and it was not as tender as what was on the grill in the parking lot. There were 3 types of sauce in the condiment basket, a mustard, a mild bbq, and a spicy bbq. I went with spicy, of course, and I found it quite good.
As I mentioned, the collard greens were amazing but I will upgrade them to phenomenal (who knew I would find these in the O.C.!). The cole slaw was so-​so and not shredded up enough but I ate it. I didn’t try the pico de gallo, but when we were done, the manager suggested that next time I try a bite with pico de gallo and I would be indulging in true Santa Maria (CA) style bbq.
Having said that, the staff was nice and asked us about our food during out meal. It was like having waiter service without having to tip. And the manager came out to ask us what we thought and thanked us for coming in.
Back to our tri tip, I wished that we had had the option to pick the doneness of our meat. And I also wished that we had had steak knives to cut our meat on our plastic plates.
Other than that, it was $ 25 well-​spent on the 2 tri tip specials. Would like to try the pulled pork, cornbread, fried pickles, a beer, and watch some telly next time (there are 2 tvs on the side walls of the restaurant).
Yes, there will be a next time.

After the gang of sales reps visited the office, I was now the owner of a coupon book for Beach Pit. Gathered together 2 of my homies and we got lunch the following week.
First off, as you enter, the smell of smoke gets your taste buds salivating. Walk around the right side up to the counter and you can see the prep table where the cooks are making your meals. I was a bit disappointed when the guy just opens up the hot tray and pulls out a sausage to carve it. I guess that’s the price you pay when its the lunch rush.
We all ended up ordering the Big Love sandwich which was quite good. Pulled pork was juicy and the sausages, even though sliced, still had a snap when you bit into them. Buns were soft and absorbed the juices from the meats, but not all (you’re still left with some grease on your holding hand)
sweet potato fries — pretty good, especially when straight from the fryer.
jalapeño/​cheese cornbread — nothing special but provided the needed contrast in flavors between bites.
mac n cheese — according to friend — blah.
blueberry lemonade was good. Tart and sweet. Its very addictive and i couldn’t stop sipping it to the point my stomach was hurting. Free refills too!
Service was fast and the manager and waitress both came out to check up on us. I’d definitely go back to use up my coupons here.

Beach Pit BBQ is quite good. I have never ordered anything other than the Tri-​tip sliders. They never disappoint. Not the most moist meat but certainly good. The buns on the sliders are amazing and the BBQ sauce on the tables helps with overall taste.
I should be noted that the macaroni and cheese side is fantastic. It feels like it is homemade with creamy cheese that throws a party on your taste buds.
Overall, I believe Beach Pit is a little bit overpriced for what you get but has great dishes and great flavors. I would recommend Beach Pit but not too often.

Ok, went there again tonight, I’m just going to go straight into it, ordered the exact same thing as before.
Brisket, no smoke flavor, and damned if I got the part that I dislike the most, the moist «wet» side, oh well not their fault. lol portion was good.
Pulled pork, no smoke flavor, slightly on the salty side with the rub, was expecting a more sweet flavor.
Bbq beans, wow, what an improvement… I like the beans, it isnt the best I have had but it was good for what it was
Potato salad, better,
Banana pudding, hmmmm this was unique… not sure how it was made but the initial texture was like cream of wheat… better taste than before. But I have to still give it to hometown buffet for abetter product
Overall its getting better, btw, took 30 minutes for my family and I to get our food…

Look. I’m a native East Coaster with a love of Easter Carolina BBQ. I travel for work, and when I’m anywhere near a barbeque town, I find the best local smokehouse.
That said, my husband and I had a yen for not cooking one night, and ended up here. I got the pork belly special, and he got the wings. The wings were FABULOUS — crisp, smoky, and spicy. My sandwich was also awesome, but I really, really wanted more of the succulent pork belly. There was a solid serving, but it was good enough for me to want more. They have delicious, vinegary slaw that sets off the meat, although we weren’t a huge fan of the sweet potato fries — they could’ve been hotter and crisper. Blueberry lemonade was great.
It’s not what I’d consider authentic, but it’s real, recognizable food — not prepackaged slop, and I’d totally go back for a Sunday lunch or a quick dinner.
Did I mention we were there right before close on a weeknight?

I was staying at Renaissance Club Sport and just wrapped up a great workout of yoga and some weight training. Beach Pit BBQ is within minutes of the hotel but I was reluctant trying them after seeing the negative reviews on Unilocal.
When I walked in just after noon, to my surprise the place was super busy and only a couple of tables open. Patrons place the orders at the front counter and your food is brought to your table.
The interior has a couple of flat screens so I was able to enjoy the Boston vs Yankees baseball game. My order the Tri Tip plate, my choice of side — the mac & cheese and and order of Jalapeño corn bread.
My tri tip portion was decent sized and had a smokey flavored, tender and delicious. The mac and cheese was sinfully tasty, slaw pickled flavored good and the jalapeño corn bread was yummy.
I informed the friendly female server that I almost didn’t eat here after seeing the reviews on Unilocal and she mentioned this was the 3^rd manager here and business and quality has improved. I totally agreed with her.
I’m so glad I didn’t rely all the previous reviews. I learned a good lesson, I’ll be leery and won’t believe everything I read on Unilocal reviews. For less then $ 12.00, I enjoyed a super satisfying lunch with a bottomless ice tea.
I’ll definitely return here again and try the ribs.

This review is for the catering.
The company I work for was having a company party, and one of our coworkers really wanted bbq, specifically from Beach pit BBQ.
My coworker had made an agreement with one of the managers of the restaurant for the catering event. Later, when we contacted Beach Pit they pretty much went back on their word regarding the catering agreement because another manager disagreed… interesting.
I always thought that the first rule of business is that the customer is always right. We basically had to argue and play phone tag with the managers for a whole week. if it had been up to me we would have went with another catering company immediately but because it was getting closer and closer to the event, we had to stick with this place.
Overall, customer service was a massive fail. They pretty much didn’t keep their word and to me that’s just wrong and shady.
Honestly, the staff, with the exception of the cooks and hostess/​order takers were jerks. They couldn’t careless if they had our business or not.
The Food:
The meat was dry, in order to enjoy the food, i had to drench the meat with the BBQ sauce. I pretty much was eating BBQ sauce with a side of meat.
Oh, and completely OVERPRICED! They wanted to charge us 100 bucks for hawaiin rolls! We ended up going to Costco and spending less than 10 dollars on hawaiin rolls. ridiculous!
I don’t ever intend to eat from this place or have them cater another event ever again.

I really wished that I could give this place a better rating, as it was a nice clean place to eat. But what it really comes down to is that it is overpriced for what you get. I ordered the Texas toast with brisket. It was a bit small for Texas toast. The brisket was nice and tender, but there was very little of it. See the picture I took and look at the salt shaker next to the sandwich in comparison (
). The plate came with a little portion of mac n cheese which was pretty decent. The blueberry lemonade was also unique and refreshing since they use real blueberries. They even offered to give free refills at the counter.
But don’t offer it and then have everyone disappear to the back of the kitchen. I could not get a refill and called out for people 5 min, and no one came up to the counter. You are never never supposed to leave the front empty when there are customers in the place (or even one). I seriously could have jacked the cash register or even worse, made off with all of the cornbread.
The whole meal cost me $ 12. For that price I should have received a bit more food than what I could have gotten in a Happy Meal.
I will have to come back and try their AYCE rib night.

We ate here on a Friday night and it was not busy at all. I guess that should have been a sign, but my husband and I were both pretty hungry.
We order the 2 meat plate (Beef Brisket and Smoked Sausage) with the Mac and cheese and the Southern Sampler
They said that they were out of the catfish bites for the sampler so they could just give us extra hush puppies, okay not that big of a deal. Then we ordered drinks, but their soda machine was out of order, again not that big of a deal they had juices and teas.
When we got our food, the portions of the meat were so small! But I guess that didn’t really cause we ended up not eating much of it.
The beef brisket had no flavor and was soooo dry! And the «smoked» sausage tasted like nothing. Even when we tried to drench the meat with the bbq sauce it didn’t help.
The Southern Sampler was a good size. The fried okra wasn’t too bad, but the hush puppies and pickles were both way too salty even with the dipping sauce.
I don’t think that we will ever be coming back to this place.

gotta agree with the majority of reviewers here… like
Max M.
Kelly H.
Gary P.
and so on.
and so on… and so on…
Timmy’s Texas sandwich took 13 minutes (yes, 13 total minutes, on a Sunday at 7pm to make… well, maybe it was the side of blueberry cornbread I ordered too… who knows… but seriously 13 MINUTES??)
WAY OVER PRICED… WAY TO SMALL PORTIONS
was here once before and decided to give them a 2^nd shot…
bad mistake… staff is polite but so is the stranger at the bus stop.
$ 10 for a very small sandwich that took 13 min. to make…
never again !!!

BBQ joints are like pizza joints– what one person loves, another hates. I suppose the eternal argument about what is the «best bbq» or «best pizza» around will never be settled do the fact that everyone has unique tastes and different preferences.
That said, what is not up for debate is the fact that Beach Pit BBQ serves up some quality meat, well cooked (most cuts are grilled and/​or smoked) at a fair price. I think the menu recently underwent an overhaul– which included a reduction in the price of many items, a concern other reviewers had previously stated.
The food:
The pulled pork sandwich was huge and very moist and delicious.
The tri-​tip was good– nice smoke rings, but a little dry.
The beef brisket was nicely seared and full of flavor.
The Mac and Cheese = awesome. Nothing short of the exceptional.
The Sweet potato fries were good and crispy, but nothing special.
I preferred the jalapeño cornbread over the blueberry cornbread, although both were really tasty.
My only knock on this place is the layout and concept (think Chipotle style ordering line). Although the dining room is cozy enough and the outdoor patio with fire-​pit is awesome, I wish they offered table service.
I’ll be back.

As usual when I try a new restaurant, I got on Unilocal to find out what other people think about the food I’ve just had, mostly just to see if other have had similar experiences or if my visit was just a fluke. I gotta say, I’m surprised to find this place has a 2 star overall rating. This review is based mostly on a lunch in my office, of sandwiches and fries. I can’t speak on the ribs.
Pros:
— Selection. They have sandwiches, ribs, breakfast burritos, tacos, nachos you can get with meat on top, and about a dozen different sides. There’s more to the menu, too.
— Price. Come on, all you reviewers complaining that sides aren’t included. Have you ever been to a roadside BBQ joint? They almost never include sides in the price, and Beach Pit doesn’t have to either. For $ 7, my brisket sandwich was very adequately sized. All in all, lunch is about $ 10 if you get fries and a drink, and it’s plenty of food. Anyone who doesn’t think, portion-​wise, that the value is there, is expecting a bit too much.
— Taste. My brisket was excellent! Maybe a bit lacking in smoke flavor, but the flavor of the meat itself was spot on. They gave me about the right proportion of meat vs. skin, though I could have used a bit more of that outer char on the meat. It had a nice deep pink color at the edges, though. Everyone else in the office enjoyed their sandwiches too (a Timmy Texas Toast with beef brisket and a pulled chicken sandwich). The moistness was hit and miss, some of my brisket was too dry and some was just right.
— The sauce. I’m a pretty big fan of BBQ sauce, and I like to try new things. There’s a definite twist to their sauce. It’s not typical, and it is maybe a bit more like ketchup than your average BBQ sauce, but I really liked the flavor of the spicy BBQ sauce. If you come here expecting your standard smokehouse BBQ sauce, you WILL be disappointed.
Cons:
— Interior design. It basically looks like a Chipotle. Corrugated steel along the bottom of the counter, and a walk up ordering area – speaking of the ordering/​line area, it’s not like Chipotle. It looks like it, where there’s a long stretch of standing room before you get up to the counter where the cooks are (and the food is out in the open, behind a glass divider, just like Chipotle), but you don’t order where the food prep happens. You have to walk past them and order at the register, which makes it awkward for everyone involved if you’re waiting for food – the «line» area is supposed to actually be the waiting area, or so it seems – has to be, otherwise, there’s really nowhere to wait for a to-​go order.
— The sauce. Yes, I talked about how I enjoyed the sauce, but there is something I also didn’t enjoy about it: lack of variety. There’s only two sauces, mild or spicy. The mild is not very good. Has a weird flavor. The spicy is pretty good, not the greatest. Let’s call it an acquired taste. I would have liked to see a larger variety of sauce, particularly a classic BBQ sauce that you might expect to find at a place like this.
— The service: Ordered 3 sandwiches and a Texas toast sandwich, NO SLAW (it comes standard on the Texas toast sandwich). The guy who went to make the sandwich puts down the two pieces of cheese, toasts the bread, then promptly turns around and slaps coleslaw on the bread. «That’s supposed to be no slaw,» I said. He looked at me like I just asked him to explain quantum mechanics. «No coleslaw?» he asked incredulously. I answered in the affirmative and watched as he tossed the slaw-​covered bread in the trash, and put another piece on the rack to toast. Turns around and slaps coleslaw on it, AGAIN. Two perfectly good pieces of toast (and slices of cheese) thrown out, all while the manager stood there and watched disapprovingly. The cashier was nice and informative, however.
— The fries. Ever had fries at Daphne’s? You’ve had fries at Beach Pit. They’re basically the exact same consistency, and even have a similar orange powder on them that seems to lack flavor and is only useful to dirty up your fries’ aesthetic charms. Would have much preferred some fat fries like a classic rib place. They didn’t taste bad or anything, there was just nothing unique about them. When I look back on these fries, I’ll have a hard time remembering if I ate at Daphne’s or Beach Pit. At least they have the courtesy to only charge $ 1.50 for them.
Overall:
It probably sounds like I didn’t enjoy my food, but I did. The people there (with the exception of the Rhodes scholar who put our sandwiches together) were nice and helpful. The sandwiches were proportioned well and the sauce (not the mild) was good. Fries were OK, everything was reasonably priced. For $ 10, I could probably do better elsewhere, but when I’m in the mood for a BBQ sandwich at work, I could see myself stopping in again.

Two Stars. Way overpriced.
The food was good, but my 3 little sliders for $ 7.45? Ya kidding me? I was embarrassed for the guy who brought my plate. Maybe a price of $ 4.95 would be appropriate, or $ 6.95 with a load of fries or something. Not even a pickle on this little plate.
The place was empty (Monday evening), except for one couple watching football when we got there, and another couple that sauntered in while we ate.
The menu board is confusing and hard to read, since it’s spread out and has varying headings. Even the entrance to the restaurant was uninviting, as we weren’t even sure how to get in… you have to open an unmarked portion of the patio enclosure.
The staff was very friendly and offered samples while we considered the menu. The food came reasonably quickly, and, as I mentioned above, was fairly tasty. My partner ordered a side of fries for $ 1.50, a good price, though the portion couldn’t have been smaller.
We were bummed. We like barbeque, and this place is close to home, but I really can’t imagine us going back. My partner asked me if this place will last… it’s a chain establishment, but my answer about this location was, «Nope.» Bummer.

So after the last review I was contacted by the management and they offered to treat my family to a meal if I would give them another chance. But before inviting us back they closed the store for a couple days training.
Just had the chance to check them out on Tuesday. All I can say is the place is nothing like it was! Even the smell walking in was MUCH better. We ordered a couple of the same dishes and a few new ones.
We started with an appetizer sampler. This included fried pickles (which were quite tasty, not the same over-​battered mess from last time), fried okra (everyone loved them), fried catfish (only one of us liked them, but to be fair we don’t like catfish anyways), and hush puppies (which I don’t normally like, but these were really good — very moist).
I went for «The Salad» with Chicken, BBQ Ranch, and avocado. At first I thought it was a bit pricey (~$ 11), but it was easily 4 servings. Chicken was juicy, veggies were fresh. Just be aware when ordering it, you will have left overs.
My wife repeated her brisket sandwich. This time the bread was warm and soft, and the meat was juicy.
It was interesting to note that the BBQ sauces tasted totally different from the last trip as well. The normal one was the favorite for our group, we found the «spicy» to not really add much heat but it added a chipotle like flavor we did not really like.
We also go a two meat plate with brisket and sausage. Both were well cooked, but the sausage is a bit bland for our taste.
The ribs were a hit, lots of meat and flavor.
As expected the Mac and Cheese was still superb.
The dessert (pudding) was loved by the kids, the adults found it a bit lacking.
The service this trip was spot on. Appetizer came out quickly, followed with the kids meals, and very shortly later the adults meals. All in all a great experience and we will be back.
It is also worth noting that this was a late dinner for us (long day at the office) and near closing time for them. I point that out as many restaurants food quality suffers the closer you get to their closing time, but that certainly wasn’t the case here.
Also, to correct a note about not having Fried Green Tomatoes at this location: They are seasonal.

I really wanted this place to rock. There are several branches sprouting up around Orange County now, but the food just didn’t measure up.
The quality isn’t worth the price they’re asking. Ribs were tough and expensive ($ 19). For that price, the order really should come with a side of toast or vegetables. In my opinion, the sandwiches are the best in quality and value on the menu. Brisket ain’t bad either. The next best value is the Feast for Four special.
Way over-​priced and definitely not a 5-​star experience, not even a 4-​star. Can’t give it 3 either.