Bretts BBQ

If you like to drown your dry, flavorless meat in ok sauce, then this place is for you. If you want smoked, moist, flavorful BBQ or anything close to what they advertise on their website and menu, don’t bother. They say they offer «juicy, tender brisket & chicken, flavorful pork, meaty ribs» and «If It’s Not Smoked, It’s Not Barbeque», and on their menu they have a whole preachy paragraph explaining what a pink smoke ring is. I was so excited — a place in SoCal that understands moist, smoky meat and smoke ring — score! So I ordered the $ 27 sampler plate to make sure I get to try out all their goodness. The instant I opened the to-​go box and saw the meat, I was worried, because nothing had the right color. I looked closer and the brisket was brown all the way through, the pork was gray, the chicken was solid white — not a smidgen of pink to be found and it all looked dry. Sure enough — no flavor at all (not even smoke flavor) and it was all so… so…very…dry. Beef Brisket — dry, hard, melted in my mouth like sawdust. Pulled Pork — dry, stringy, 0 flavor, so very sad. Chicken — hard on the outside, completely flavorless with just a tiny bit moisture near the bone, but again, it was like chewing sawdust. Baby back ribs — well, they were somewhat falling off the bone and somewhat moist, but really no flavor. Sauce — it was ok/​not too sweet, not too spicy/​but not good enough to bother drowning the sad meat in. I should have taken back my meal for a refund, but I was already home. All but the 3 ribs went into the trash — what a waste. I know this is a harsh review, and I would understand if one of your meats for the day accidentally got overcooked, but when you go so far as to have a paragraph on your menu explaining the smoke ring to customers so they do not think your food is undercooked but instead is pink from the smoke ring and your expert smoking skills because you think people who eat BBQ in SoCal don’t know any better, yet what you serve is 4 flavorless meats, 3 of which are visibly dry and overcooked, well then you’ve got it coming.

I use to like this place, so I stopped here for lunch the other day. I ordered 4 beef ribs and salad. I can’t tolerate carbs, so I asked for no sauce and vinegar and oil on the side for the salad.
They brought out the salad, and it was very fresh. They even had red wine vinegar. (Hallelujah, a lot of restaurants seem to have never heard of this). I asked for oil. Sorry, we don’t have oil. WTF? You serve salad, and you don’t have olive oil?
I turned my attention to the ribs. They were black. Tough. Almost inedible. No wonder they frowned at me when I said I didn’t want sauce. That’s what covers up the burnt taste and makes you think you’re eating something other than charcoal.
Never again,.

After passing up the obnoxious line at Phil’s we headed north looking for a BBQ restaurant. With 4 stars on Unilocal I figured this place would hit the spot. It was pretty average. The set up is like Phil’s, order at the counter and pick your seat. I ordered the baby back ribs and expected the meat to fall off the bone. Not the case. The baked potato toppings were sparse and the potato was really dry. It wasn’t bad, but we won’t venture back this way.

Excellent barbeque! The baby back ribs are tender, sweet and tangy. The best I’ve had. We also like the pulled pork sandwiches. Service (even take-​out) is prompt and friendly. I highly recommend this place!

I really wanted to love this place. The building and ambiance is nice, clean and very spacious. The smell when you walk in the door is smokey goodness.
The food however was very disappointing.
The pulled chicken sandwich was very very bland. The chicken was stringy and tough. The chicken didn’t taste smoked at all. Heck, it didn’t even taste seasoned. Costco chicken is more tender and flavorful. And at $ 10 it is very overpriced.
The bbq sauce is good on the meat so it gets caramelized. The sauce on the table is just ok.
The pulled pork was alright. Had better and I’d try something else next time.
The coleslaw tasted fresh and seemed homemade. This was actually very good.
Sweet potato fries were served to order, hot, crispy, standard fare. Very good.
Baked beans had chunks of bacon. They were fine.
A few hits but big misses here. Too bad.

This is a must if you’re in San Diego and especially in North County. The smoked baby back ribs, coleslaw, and sweet potato fries are out of this world.
Management, staff, and service all super.
Thanks guys.

Brett’s chicken tenders are my son’s favorite lunch, along with the corn bread. The pulled pork is one of mine. In addition to consistently excellent quality, Brett is almost always walking the dining area ensuring everyone is happy. The combination of great food and a welcome home feeling makes Brett’s BBQ a rare find.

The food is amazing and there customer service is a plus. I’ve only been there 2times. The lady I take care of is 93yrs old and she LOVES there ribs. I’ve done the pulled pork sandwich. Delicious. Usually going in I always see a group together either family or friends so this could be for anyone into bar b que. They also have a outside patio area. Paper towels on every table.

The pit master salad was OK. It comes with jicama, corn, black beans, tomato and your choice of pork, chicken or beef. The salad is tossed with ranch and BBQ sauce. The flavor was great but the meat was cold. I know warm meat can wilt the salad but cold pulled pork just isn’t at its best. The fat in the near starts to congeal and solidify and just a little gross. Salad was $ 13. I realize that good BBQ is a labor and you have to pay for the good stuff but I didn’t get any good stuff. I just kind of picked through and left the cold meat.
Next time I think I’ll get a piping hot pile of BBQ and a salad on the side.
Restaurant was kind of dumpy and drab but lots of TVs. Service was great.

Disclaimer: My husband and I are from Texas.
This place is okay.
My husband and I were craving bbq… which is just hard to find in California. Its difficult to find something that satisfies our craving. This place satisfied it, but not completely.
I think for California, this place is very good. But, if it were in Texas, we wouldn’t go more than once. 1) the food and 2) $ 17 dollars for a plate of brisket would never fly in Texas, LOL.
Also, you can’t really be a legit BBQ place without some type of cobbler on the menu. No cobbler here. I think they had bread pudding, but I don’t really understand why.
We may go back from time to time, but it will never replace the real deal.

Being from Texas I had to try the BBQ Brisket that said «Texas would be proud!» underneath it… Texas would not be proud… Texas might award a participation medal, but that’s about it.
First off, I understand BBQ is expensive, but this place is outrageous! $ 17 for a brisket plate is just insane! The meat was tender, but dry without being smothered in bbq sauce. The seasonal corn on the cob was fair and the corn pudding wasn’t something I would order again.
The restaurant was clean with lots of seating and they have a big trough sink to wash your hands in before leaving. There was only one chick taking orders and running food, but that’s all they really needed considering there were maybe 4 other people in the restaurant. She was friendly, so that was a plus.
Overall, I won’t be back. Save your time and money.

Having relocated to San Diego from Texas four years ago, I have been very badly missing my BBQ. I have tried a variety of places where they think BBQ brisket and tri-​tip with barbecue sauce sauce are the same thing! That is just wrong. As they say at Brett’s, «It ain’t BBQ, if it isn’t smoked.»
Considering myself a BBQ connoisseur, I have had the good fortune of eating at some of the nation’s top BBQ joints. I can safely say that Brett and his team could beat a lot more well known BBQ establishments in the South with the fine food they meticulously prepare.
Ask Brett what he recommends, but I’m partial to the brisket sandwich. You really cannot go wrong with anything on the menu, and the casual atmosphere and outstanding customer service make Brett’s a spot I highly recommend.

This place was definitely a good choice. We wanted to order some barbecue chicken to go that looked as good as chicken grilled at home. We picked a pulled pork sandwich and a pulled chicken sandwich with mac and cheese as sides and a quarter chicken. The sandwich got tiring at the end because the chicken was bland without very much sauce already in it. Never the less, the bread was tender and fluffy. I loved it.
The chicken was what I was looking forward to. Tender and juicy meat and flavored better than the sandwich, slathered with the sauce. The mac and cheese was not exceptional, just good. Not the most savory.
We’ll be coming back!

I didn’t look at the Unilocal reviews until after we ordered so I was a bit nervous when I did see a few of them, but I was glad we stayed anyways. I ordered the tri tip dip, and was very pleased. My boyfriend ordered BBQ Brisket sandwich, and loved it. The fries were great, but the pickles left something to be desired. Mine was too tough, and his was mushy. Overall, I’ll probably go back.

I’m usually disappointed by BBQ places in CA but I was really surprised with Bretts!!! I had the pulled pork sandwich with BBQ beans and really enjoyed the meal. The pulled pork wasn’t soggy as many places seem to serve, the sauce had a great flavor and even though the beans could have been cooked a little longer (still a little hard) they had a great taste. I had the «Southern Sweet Tea» which was anything but!!! It was a fountain drink with a neat little dispenser to make you think it was fresh brewed. FYI not self respecting southern person drinks fountain sweet tea!!!
I will be dinning here often but without the Sweet Tea.

My job catered a 4^th of July BBQ from here and I got to try a few things…
I had BBQ chicken, but my fave was the brisket. Yum! You could tell it was wonderfully smoked. No way that was just liquid smoke. If so, I need the recipe. Their sauce is decent. Not too sweet.
I’m pretty good at making potato salad and I’m typically not a fan of «store bought» potato salad, but theirs surprisingly wasn’t too bad at all. Never been a fan of coleslaw, so I skipped that.
Despite my roots, I’m not normally a big cornbread eater. There were mixed reviews amongst my coworkers about it (many saying it was too sweet). I gave it a try as a and yup, it was sweet and I liked it. Tasted a bit like a dessert muffin or frosting-​less corn cupcake. I’d save it for the end. Some topped it with a little pad of butter.
Nothing wowed me, but it was pretty good BBQ. I would stop by If I was in the area.

Brett’s what happened! We know you’re not phils but you used to put out solid bbq with good pricing.
Today was a baddddd experience. We ordered two brisket sandwiches with a side of fries and beans. We grabbed our coke cups and went to fill up and by the time we got to our table the server was on our heels rushing to place our food. Me and my date looked at each other and thought what the heck, but thought well it is bbq. Well then it all played out. How can you make decent fries in 30 seconds, you can’t. They were lukewarm, floppy and the serving was small. The beans were also very small like a kids size and also lukewarm. The brisket sandwiches were warmer but they too were on the small size and the meat was just about commercial at best today. We left still hungry and while we only spend $ 22 for 2 that should never happen at a bbq place. Even the pickle on the side looked very sad. We’ll probably try one more time but then again maybe not since we drove all the way from Oceanside.

After trying other BBQ places close by, and always having some disappointment or another (long waits for take out, no beef, less than remarkable quality etc) we followed a recommendation to Brett’s last night — again only for carry out, and a 20 – 25 minute drive to get there but well worth it!
We both ordered the beef brisket — and as sides I had the BBQ beans and coleslaw. Called ahead to place the order said my GPS predicted I would be there at 7.33pm and I arrived within a minute of two of that. Our meals were waiting for us and marked «7:30». Piping hot, fresh and ready to go. The manager greeted me with a big smile and a little chit-​chat and then asked if I wanted utensils etc — said that I wouldn’t need a knife for the brisket (he gave them anyway) as it had cooked/​smoked overnight and would melt in the mouth — and he was right!
Delicious, tender and the sauce was excellent. Plentiful portions too — dinner last night and I just warmed the rest for lunch with the second pot of sauce that he supplied. Delicious. I will be back!

Went here for my birthday last night my family & I really enjoyed this BBQ spot! The food was excellent probably the best smoked style ribs I’ve had in a very long time!
The service was great too food came out in perfect timing. Although this wasn’t too populated on an Tuesday evening I VERY much enjoyed being able to have a conversation without having to repeat myself due to loudness around me (I cant stand very heavily populated restaurants in which you cant even hear yourself think)
Employees were very nice as well as the owner who was stopping by each table checking on the customers, I appreciate that! I was recommended to come here by a fellow coworker & I recommend anyone else to try this place as well!

I have a pair of blood relatives who dote over the North County answer to Phil’s.
Stopped in on a rain soaked Wednesday afternoon for chow. My friend and I were the only two paying souls in the house.
My friend ordered the Beef Brisket with a side of French Fries and Hush Puppies. Love the guy but his diet is mostly made up of brown and beige, Russian roulette style. I snatched a forkful of the brisket before he shoveled it in and found it to be a little tough and Betty White dry.
I ordered the Pork Spare Ribs and had BBQ Beans and Vegetables for sides. The beans were decent and Brett’s sauce has an interesting flavor depth, perhaps some coffee in the mix? The vegetables were sitting in a small dish drenched in oily margarine and I barely picked at it. The Ribs were my focus and the ones selected for my plate were NOT good. When the plate was set in front of me I noticed right off hand that they were abnormally dark. I hoped it was from a nice smoke ring or the caramelized char of the succulent swine but after taking a couple bites it was clear that the ribs were just burnt, I’m guessing from the reheating process. The singed sauce on the outside of the meat gave off a putrid, bitter taste.
Due to my family’s (some) affinity, I am sure I will have another go of their Que, but this trip to Brett’s left a bad taste.