Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ

Update… this original review was from several years ago. Now this place sucks! They have completely chained out and all of the ingredients, menu and prices changed. There is a noticeable difference in the quality of the ingredients… so disappointing. This place used to be my favorite BBQ place, now we don’t even bother going.

I actually discovered this place at E3 this year in LA. They came out and catered, and I became an instant fan. I only had their fries so take this review for what it is worth.
I’m from the east coast so I grew up on board walk fries. Cali is great for having a few places that replicates em. My favs are In-​n-​outs, Islands, and 5 guys. I will defend their fries with a passion if need be. Of the 3 I mentioned I’d say five guys was the best, but their serving size was WAY too much (I think over 1,000 calories per serving alone), you don’t need the burger. In-​n-​outs’ is good and they give you a good serving, not to much, but it doesn’t match the taste of 5 guys.
But after having these fries at Joey’s I got the best of both worlds. Perfect taste and the perfect portion. I didn’t have any bbq but if its anywhere near their fries, I’ll take them over Phil’s any day.

The BBQ at Joey’s is okay, but the execution couldn’t be worse.
Both times I’ve been, it’s taken an extraordinarily long time for the food to come out. I’d be cool with that if it took some time because they were literally just pulling it out of the smoker, but it’s unacceptable when the food served is on the border of lukewarm and cold.
Last time I had to bring my plate up to the counter and ask them to microwave it. They were at least 10 times less concerned about this than they should have been.
Also, what’s up with there not being BBQ sauce or wipes on the table? Come on.
On the plus side, once warmed, the food is somewhere between mediocre and good (which is better than I can say about most restaurants Aviara), and they have a pretty cool bar attached with lots of beers on tap. Live music and comedy nights on occasion make Joey’s some of the only entertainment La Costa has to offer.

Stopped here tonight simply because it is within a mile of home and weren’t interested in any of our usual haunts. I should have known by looking at the very confusing menu out front that this wasn’t the place for us. They have a BBQ menu, and then another side menu with random stuff on it, like «grilled onions and veggies» (not as a side, as an entrée) and salmon salad. If you are a BBQ joint, stick to BBQ.
I ordered the beef ribs with cole slaw. I have never tasted coleslaw so bland in my life, I took one bite and didn’t eat anymore. The carolina sauce and the cornbread were good, but the beef ribs were so fatty, I only got a few bites of actual beef off each bone. Definitely not worth $ 15.99. My husband had the 3 meat plate with beans. Beans were good, brisket was good, the shredded pork and pork ribs were blah. It would also be nice to have some condiments offered for the cornbread, such as butter and honey.
They brought out my order wrong the first time (apparently «pork» and «beef» ribs sound very similar?) but they were quick to correct it.
For $ 50, I will definitely not be back. Brett’s BBQ will get my business from now on.

I’ve been here several times and keep waiting for it to get better before writing a review. Not sure it’s going to happen.
Each time I’ve gone to dine in it’s been an excruciating wait. When it’s busy, as it often is, I can understand. But at my most recent visit there were only 3 other tables occupied, and they were almost done eating. Yet it still took over 30 minutes for a sandwich and a kids meal of chicken tenders. The food is good but not worth the amount of wait time. The service is meh — very matter of fact take your order, bring your food, take your plates. The one time I called in an order for pick up they forgot part of the order and I had to drive back to get it.
I want to like it here because it’s the closest bbq place near me, but I’m just not feeling it.

Ever since going to Nashville last year, I’ve been on the lookout for a fun and delicious bbq spot in SD. Combine it with a bar, and *now* we’re talking. Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ and Doc’s Saloon, you have my full attention!
Here’s why I love this place: You always have that one friend (NOT NAMING NAMES) who skips barbeque to get grilled this or that or, to my shock, wants to eat something *green*. I want to eat ribs, and someone’s desire to be one with salad should not stand in my way, right? Joey’s has worked around this by offering a bistro menu for Healthkick Holly, so the rest of your group (read: me) doesn’t have to pass up the opportunity to eat like kings. This is a restaurant that has your back!
Add to that some nice drinks and friendly service and I’m one happy Unilocaler. Carlsbad is a trek for me from downtown, but I’ll be making it, and I’m pretty sure you should too.

So, I get a gift card from a friend that has «Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ» right on the face. My wife and I drive over from Poway to have lunch there and use the card. We ordered our food, I hand the cashier the card and she looks at me and says, «Oh, we don’t take these.» Then hands the card to a person I thought was the manager and he says the same thing. I grabbed the card out of his hand, and left so mad. We drove over to San Marcos and ate at Phil’s.
I have never been so mad. I drove 29 miles out of my way to try this place and they wouldn’t even take their own gift card. Never again. I even left a message with the owner on facebook afterward and he hasn’t had the courtesy to even reply. I have already begun to spread my bad experience to all my friends and co workers regarding this place.
Don’t waste your time!

Great BBQ place. I was able to try the pulled pork sliders the last time I visited and they were pretty amazing. The BBQ sauce along with the quality of the meat and the toasted buns made the perfect meat sandwich.
Also, the place really seems family oriented with a separate bar area to drink beer and watch football. The deck is also has a nice view of the street and west La Costa ave.
The service was quick and friendly. Can’t wait to come back here and try more of their food. I heard the ribs were amazing. Stay tuned for my next review. :)

Normally, I would give this location a 3 star. It’s service is fair but the food is good. However, the service we had today is hardly worth a single star.
My office calls in lunch from Joey’s once a month or so. Today when I called the girl/​lady who answered the phone (Carolina) said she couldn’t hear me, so I spoke up, still coudln’t hear me, so I spoke up even louder, still couldn’t hear/​understand me.
Eventually I had to practically yell my order (office mates found this hysterical so maybe this will warrant the star). Once she could hear me, she couldn’t find anything I ordered on her screen. Ordering 2 salads w/​extra dressing and a hot dog took nearly 8 minutes.
I also tried to order a Chicken Noodle soup (my lunch) but at 12:40pm their «soup wasn’t ready yet». At this point I gave up on ordering something for myself. When Carolina asked for the pick-​up name I gave my co-​workers name who would be picking up (Karen), I’m still yelling so she can hear me and she says «Ok Ken we’ll see you in 5−10» I had to spell out the name like a cheerleader.
Once she had the pick-​up name right we were again given a 5−10min pick-​up time. My co-​worker arrived at the 15min mark. Upon arrival the restaurant was completely empty but none of the staff acknowledged her. No «Hi», No «I’ll be right with you». Nothing. Apparently they were too busy wiping down the counter to pay her any attention until she asked for some assistance. Then, she waited for another 15min before asking how much longer it would be until the food was ready. She was told they were waiting on her salads which at this point we had ordered 30min ago. If they had been busy it would have been understandable but they didn’t have a single customer in the restaurant.
The drive from our office to Joey’s is 5min tops — once she got back to the office and opened her food not only was her hotdog cold (she had to reheat it in the microwave) but it was put into the bag upside down so all of the chili and toppings and the hotdog itself had spilled and was all over the inside of the container.
When my boss called to speak with the manager, he apologized but didn’t offer to make amends in any way.
After this experience, I won’t be back anytime soon and neither will my co-​workers.

As far as BBQ goes I’ve had better, I’ve had worse. We chose this place based on location and the fact that it didn’t look crowded on a Wednesday night. The menu seemed pretty standard as far as BBQ places go and the guy at the register was super nice and friendly. The food was average but had a school cafeteria feel.
My baked beans didn’t taste fully cooked but my chicken on my sandwich was good. (The bun seemed cheap and blah) and I was sad that they didn’t offer corn on the cob.
My boyfriend ordered the onion rings which were OMG I dont even know what to call them. They served six HUGE onion rings on a plate which were practically halved onions! Becuase each piece of onion was so thick they would totally fall apart when you tried to eat them (leaving you eating chunks of onion and/​or chunks of friend bread crumbs.
I might come here again if I’m in the neighborhood but would never order their onion rings again. They are part of the reason america is fat: oP

Was in the area and decided to give this place a try. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with a side of cole slaw. Both were good but not great. It was a bit on the pricey side I believe around 8 dollars.

This can be a hit and miss, but I would say its probably the best fast food bbq in the area. Everyone is super nice, place is always clean and quick. I come here for once every other month craving.
Baby Back ribs and Kobe burgers are the favorites.

WOW THIS PLACE HAS GONE DOWN HILL.
Been here a few times in the last couple off years and the food was well done. I was in the area today and since it was good in the past decide to get some good BBQ.
Menu has changed a lot. They now serve breakfast and have a bistro light menu HUH !?! Not really sure what this place is? It’s like three restaurants in one and a bar. Also at noon it was empty, not a good sign.
Anyway ordered off their BBQ menu, didn’t feel like ordering any bistro?
Got a pulled pork sandwich combo ($ 7.99) w/​BBQ beans. They delivered me the food and I think they spent to much money on plates, such a big plate, wait a minute the pulled pork sandwich is very small, tiny. The sandwich was greasy, little fat on it and nothing like the great sandwich I had here last time. The beans were average.
I guess what I read in the other reviews is true Joey sold this to someone else and the new owner has tampered with what was working great before. Sad to see a good BBQ place go down, since their are very few good BBQ places in S.D. LAME.

–The baby’s back ribs were pretty fatty.
Mac ‘n cheese was eh, not unlike Kraft brand. I prefer the homestyle baked kind (see Brett’s)
Beans were forgettable.
+Hot link samich was spicy and had natural casing which provided that snap that you’re looking for. Caramelized onions + peppers were sweet.
+They added a bar on the side and the bartender is nice.

:-/​
Wow!
What a disappointment. :-(I pass this place often when I drop off dry cleaning, or go to my credit union, or shop at Von’s. I see it there… and smell the BBQ… (mmmmmmm)
So today I opted to give it a try…
I order the Beef and Pork Rib plate $ 14 with the screamin mama’s baked beans…
Wow… what a disappointment… the baked beans were better than the «previously frozen» tasting ribs, and the bone dry corn muffin. They were right about their baked beans though, but not so right about their BBQ ribs. :-(
It’s no wonder most people give this place a 2 or 3 star review.
2 Woofs. Meh. I’ve definitely had better (though I’m willing to give it another try… maybe. The breakfast dishes sound comfortingly good.)

There are a lot of ppl out there that need to stop thinking they are critics just cause they r unhappy.
I really enjoy this place, its good for charger games because its not too crowded. The staff is always friendly and answer whatever questions I may have and there is someone going around checking to see how you are doing.
I enjoy the food, it’s good, beans are awesome!!!
I haven’t tried all of the menu, but some items are bland.
I still rank this as one of my top lunch places cause its so conveniently located

I’ve had this place on my Bookmarked List for some time now. Finally decided to give it a try this weekend. I wanted to try a sample of a few items and was close to ordering two regular Sandwiches, when I saw their Southern Sliders which was 3 Sliders (Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket, and Hot Links)…perfect!
I ordered the Southern Sliders ($ 6.99) and a Stone IPA ($ 4.50). The joint is split into two areas… the regular dining area and a bar area. Since the bar was packed, I opted for the regular dining area and saddled up to a table near one of the TVs in the corner and watched the Rangers clinch the ALCS over the Yankees while I waited for my food.
After a short wait, they brought out my food… it was the bottom of the 9^th Inning and as I took the 1^st bite out of the Hot Links Slider, I watched Alex Rodriguez strike out to end the game and kill the Yankees’ run at another World Series… ahhh…what a great bite! Back to the food… the Hot Links were a disappointment. The Slider had Peppers and Onions topped on the Hot Links… the only problem was that they weren’t Spicy! Come on! It’s Hot Links! Make it Spicy!
The second Slider I went for was the Pulled Pork Slider… this was the best out of the 3… it was awesome! The Pork was smokey and juicy and went well with the somewhat sweet BBQ Sauce. I normally don’t like sweet BBQ Sauce, but it went well with the Pork. The Buns of the Sliders were very soft and doughy… delicious.
The last Slider was the Beef Brisket. I thought the Brisket was overcooked and too soft. I like some texture when eating Brisket and it was too mushy for my taste. It had a nice smokey flavor and had some potential, but unlike the Pork it didn’t go well with the Sweet BBQ Sauce… IMO.
Overall, it was an OK BBQ joint. I’d like to come back and taste some sides. Did I get value from the $ 12.49 I spent on the meal? I thought so… especially since I got to try 3 different Sandwiches with one order of Sliders.
Will I return? Probably.

So I was with my realtor and we were looking for breakfast in Carlsbad without going down to Paseo del Norte. We happened to walk by this place and there was a paper sign that said «breakfast served.» At a BBQ place?
Oh well, we were in a hurry so we went in and tried it. Apart from the fact that they didn’t yet have any jam for the toast («we’re going to the market this afternoon») the breakfast wasn’t bad. Just the standard eggs, fried potatoes and toast. Not great but not bad. If you’re in this location and need to have a quick b’fast on a weekend, it works. Very casual place, but they have a few wooden booths that are nice.
But they gotta get some jam. Will try the BBQ some time.

Ehhhhh, you can do better.
My love for BBQ runs deep within my veins, and I’ve tried this place 3 times hoping that I would find something I love since it’s so close. But, I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.
Pork Ribs and Beef Ribs were tender, and the meat did fall off the bone, but they didn’t taste like BBQ. No smokey deep flavor. The Pulled Pork sandwich was DRY, and also void of flavor. I didn’t understand. I asked the dude taking my order to bring me whatever sides were the best. He brought me fries. No bueno. They were clearly from a freezer bag, and whatever. Fine. Freezer fries aren’t always bad, but come on guys, how about throwing some seasoning on? The «cornbread» was awful. AWFUL. I rarely write that something was awful, but truly – there is something way off in that recipe.
And the Sweet Tea lived up to it’s name. Sweet. Toooooo Sweet. It was gross. I’m a Sweet Tea fan, but this was just too much.
The best thing about this place was the service, because everyone was really nice, and the food came out fast.
BBQ is expensive, and I’m willing to throw serious cash down when I’m craving ribs, but it’s just not worth it here. I feel like I threw some serious cash down **the drain**.

I was headed up to Carlsbad to meet with my mentor about a project I was working on and we decided to grab lunch at a local BBQ joint known as Joey’s. Since it had my name right in it I couldn’t resist and absolutely needed to give it a try.
I went with their large 3 meat platter and selected the pulled pork, beef ribs, and pork ribs, with Cole slaw. My favorite part of this dish was the pulled pork. It was extremely tender and had great flavor. The two kinds of ribs seemed to be a bit overcooked and were a little tough. I also really enjoyed the very crisp Cole slaw and the corn bread as well.
My mentor was extremely helpful and kind, and even treated me to the fairly pricey lunch today. I’m thankful for the support and advice, as well as the tasty meal, and look forward to checking out new menu items soon!
Food: ⁷⁄₁₀
Service: ⁷⁄₁₀
Price: $$
Atmosphere: ⁷⁄₁₀