Bad to the Bone BBQ

It’s Local with Capistrano Brewing beers. They closed down the San Clemente location. Bummer! This place is hidden in a SJC shopping plaza. You have to drive around in this poorly designed parking lot that sends you in circles. But once you find this place, I think you will enjoy their beer and fried okra.

Shoulda read the reviews before we came. Sunday night one other table. Always a bad sign when you’re the only ppl eating in restaraunt. Got pulled pork combo with beef ribs corn on the cob and mashed potatoes. Beef ribs were terribly dry. Sent them back and they upgraded me to baby back. They were better but not moist or falling off the bone like they should be. Service was so so. Had a live guitarist and his playing was so so. To be fair 2.5 stars. Would not come back makes me appreciate phils BBQ in SD

Decent, but not life-​changing.

Once upon a time I was driving home late and so i decided I dont feel like cooking. turned on my nifty quickpick via cellular ended up finding the best bbq chicken my little tastebuds could ever dream up :)
A marriage of tender fall off the bone scchiiccken and yummmy BBQ sauce… THE SAUCE is to DIE FOR! it’s a match made in BBQ heaven… I’m in LOVEE & will be back if ever I’m in this neck of the woods… and the sides are pretty darn good too. garlic skin-​on smashed potatoes… perfect finishing touches… YUMs!

WOWZA! We have had ribs from Rib Trader a few times in the past month and thought we should give B2tB a shot. SOO glad we did, I called in an order to pick up, the gal on the phone was very sweet and offered additional assistance, she said the order would be ready in 10 – 15 minutes (which I thought would be way too soon, and it was, I showed up 25 min after placing the order and had to wait about 5 minutes, no biggie. There were some really awesome cars parked out front, 50’s and 60’s vintage, I liked that! There was a notice posted on the door that this location would be permanently closing September 2011… bummer! There were 2 couples seated inside and a few older men on the patio (the owners of the bitchin’ cars!) No one at the bar. This is a really funky location, tucked into the back of a strip mall that houses a 99cent store and Staples, you have to know you are coming here, its unlikely that one would just stumble upon this spot.
Okay, we had the St Louis Style Pork Ribs. OMG…so smoky, tender and moist, I really liked the BBQ sauce, definitely on the vinegar-​y side, much to my liking:). Coleslaw was pretty good, also vinegar-​y, not complaining! Hunny had the onion strings, loved loved them, the BBQ ranch was kinda weird– but we loved everything else and it was good and hot. We will definitely be back before they close in September!

Visiting SC from the IE and found this on Unilocal.Good BBQ, good service. We were a little taken aback to see how slow it was as far as the number of customers was concerned, but given its locale tucked back at the end of a cul-​de-​sac next to a Midas, and it being 7:30 on a Sunday night, it makes some sense. Still, if in the mood for good BBQ after a rough day relaxing on the beach and swimming in the surf, this place more than fits the bill. And $ 4.50 for a pint of Stone IPA is always a good thing.

I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. Being a southerner, I have a high expectation for BBQ, and this place completly met it! My husband and I both had the st. louis bbyback ribs and they were out of this WORLD! They came out fast too! But the house salad I ordered was gross! The garlic mashed and sweet tater fries were delicious, but to be honest the service was freaking HORRIBLE!!!

Saw this restaurant on
…was like what the heck might as well give it a shot. So from having Lucile’s as my usual bbq haunt… for lack of an alternative location… this place really impressed me.
Went in after work… got there around 8… they close at 9. Though there was only one waitress and a bus boy running around I loved the feel of the place. It was filled with families sitting around and shooting the breeze. The waitress was super friendly and was really enthusiastic. Upon asking her what was good. she listed off tri-​tip, baby back ribs, brisket, and pulled pork.
We went with all four! So… four meat combo… with double brisket, sausage and tri-​tip, and baby back rib combo with pulled pork. For sides we got garlic mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, fried okra, and cole slaw.
The meal started with corn bread… I really loved it! I’m not usually a fan. but this one was more of a muffin feel with even the crispy muffin top. Paired with the room temp butter… delish!
Then came our order of onion straws. Meh… really good. but so greasy.
The food then came out on two ginormous platters! And to our shock we saw the tri-​tip was medium! yes folks… it was still pink!!! I took my fork and stabbed my friends plate before it was even down on the table! .The smoke was amazing! The meat super tender. The we proceeded to chow down… ribs were great… falling off the bone. and not overly sauced. Brisket was not as good as I’ve had… but solid for california bbq. Slight smoke ring… we later asked for an end cut to try… that was way better… slightly fattier and stronger flavors. Sausage was average… but im a huge sausage person. Pulled pork was solid too… not dry at all. The bbq sauce used on everything and provided as a side was pretty decent. It was definitely on the vinegar based side.
As for the sides, I passed on the mashed potatoes… they were good but I was so focused on eating the bbq that I didn’t want to fill up. The steamed veggies were all fresh and crispy! Which is ridiculously hard to get in most restaurants… cole slaw was okay. Slightly wilted. Okra was the same as everywhere else… probably preforzen and deep fried.
This whole time the service was superb. Refills on our drinks, extra ranch for the okra, great banter and guidance on what to order and the history of the restaurant.
The most awesome part?! They have smoked prime rib and a cowboy rib eye! … I’ll be going back. Whenever my body feels like it can handle another meat overdose.

I’ve been twice and have gotten the brisket both times. I always get brisket at BBQ places. Theirs is pretty good by all standards. I’m a Marine, originally from KY and I’ve eaten BBQ all through out the south, including Memphis maybe the most famous place for great BBQ. Bad to the Bone is great BBQ. The service is SLOW. If you have somewhere to be or are in a hurry go somewhere else, if you want good BBQ give it a shot.

Me and my bf stopped by here on the way to my apt in San Diego. We were sooo hungry and so we just got off a random exit and found «Bad to the Bone BBQ». We didn’t want to spend too much money but wanted some decent food. We got the 2-​combo with tri tip and sides of sweet potato fries and garlic smashed potatoes. Everything was DEEEELICIOUS, but I thought the garlic mashed/​smashed potatoes were to garlicky! (but the bf thought they were perfect). Also, the girl who took our order was sooo nice, extra star for her! She also gave us 2 cornbreads! They were scrumptious a well. And it was relatively cheap, about $ 18 for a BOMB dinner for the two of us!

I am part of a group that has to meet monthly between Orange County and San Diego and Bad to the Bone has been very accommodating to our group and is central enough that we have been here on two or three occasions.
The service is good especially considering the size of our group and I do enjoy the appetizers. Last night we got a few orders of their onions rings, sweet potato fries and for a twist some of their pulled pork nachos.
All were very good in the very bad for you sort of way.
So why not a four star review. Well, I guess it is because I have not managed to find an entrée that I really like.
Last night I got the Prime Rib Melt sandwich with a side salad and a baked potato. The salad was just OK the baked potato was all right and the sandwich was a minor disappointment.
The prime rib did not have a lot of flavor which I guess was OK because there was not a lot of it on the bread which was not as fresh as I would have liked it and the toppings of grilled onions and peppers did not add a lot of flavor to the whole thing.
So for right now I will give them a conditional three stars knowing that we will be back to try something new in about a month.

I’m really grappling with giving this place 2 or 3 stars, but i’ll give ‘em three because the service was quite good.
The food was OK at best. I ordered the two meat combo plate: pork baby back ribs and beef ribs with two sides: fried okra and sweet potato fries.
There was actually tons of meat on the baby backs but too dry for my taste. The beef ribs weren’t bad, once i slathered the BBQ sauce on it, but there wasn’t much meat on there. It’s like they had already sliced some of that meat off for their sandwiches!
The fried okra was nicely fried, but didn’t have too much flavor. Think the sweet potato fries were the best thing tonight.

Driving through Orange County in the early evening, BttB had some things going for it that made us hungry travelers happy: near to the 5 off of the Pico exit, no wait, quick kind service and good barbeque. I had the Carolina pulled pork sandwich with beans and cole slaw as my sides
. The sauce on the pork reminded me of Phil’s in San Diego — sweet and with some vinegar and the pork was tender with a mild smoke flavor. The cole slaw wasn’t my favorite. The beans were the best part of the meal. There was plenty of pork flavor (fat) in them.

Got a big meal to-​go for a bunch of us.
My chicken sando was alright… Nothing to write home about. The fries were a little soggy and the ranch beans were a little chili-​esque. Cornbread was average. My meal was just okay.
Other folks thought the: steamed veggies not so hot… Garlic mashed potatoes were good… and the Ribs were good and tri-​tip was good.
Yo Yo

After a year of not giving this place the time of day I finally caved in.
Thank god I did! The stuffed potato with pulled chicked in Delish! The chicken was flavorful and moist and not swimming in sauce it was perfect. Their fire roasted tri tip sandiwch add cheese and grilled onions with a side of bbq sauce was insane… my mouth is watering thinking about it. so far thats all i have been able to tackle but i cannot wait to go back for more. From the reviews it sounds like they have an awesome dessert menu i need to explore.
Plus this place has a full bar… need i say more? with HUGE beer mugs… perfect!

Lesson learned: Unilocalers with a measly one or two reviews are NOT to be trusted. Thank GOD my parents and bf instead trusted my instinct to ignore the 1 and 2 star reviews for Bad to the Bone and come for lunch anyway, because WE LOVED IT!!!
A row of parking spaces right out front for the restaurant plus a whole lot full of spaces offered us SUPER easy parking around 1-​ish on this gorgeous sunny Saturday.
We were seated on the lovely outside patio underneath an umbrella, and our adorable waitress Melissa brought drinks right away (note: yes, Ciara, they do have sweet tea here!!), and came back when we had a chance to peruse the expansive menu.
Our food came up within about 10-​ish minutes, and everything looked GORGEOUS:
Me: Rib combo (full slab) w/​beef ribs and baby backs, and 2 sides (cole slaw and fried okra) $ 21.95: the beef ribs could have been a little meatier, but all the meat was smoked perfectly, rubbed, and with just enough sauce to be flavorful yet not overwhelming. The fried okra pieces were DELISH — tender, not greasy at all, and great with the dipping sauce.
Bf: 4-​Meat combo w/​brisket (chopped), tri-​tip, sausage, pulled pork and 2 sides (steamed veggies and fried okra) $ 19.95: MY fave meat was the tender and juicy tri-​tip and succulent chopped brisket on bf’s plate. I traded some of my pork ribs for this yum stuff! The pulled pork was tender and smoky — and not overly sauced (a good thing!). The steamed veggies were a mix of carrot slices, whole green beans and broccoli florets, and were perfectly al dente.
Mom: 2-​Meat combo w/​St. Louis ribs, ¼ dark bbq chicken and 2 sides (ranch beans and onion rings) $ 15.95: the St. Louis ribs were a little meatier than the baby backs, but chewier — and the bbq chicken was smoky goooooood! The meaty tasting ranch beans were great, and the onion rings were thick and not greasy.
Dad: Baby Back combo — full rack of baby backs w/​pulled pork and 2 sides (fried okra and sweet potato fries with dipping sauce) $ 21.95: the sweet potato fries were the showstopper here — the slightly sweet and fruity mayo-​y dipping sauce was GREAT with the crispy brown (and not greasy) sweet potato fries. The helping was generous, as was the fried okra. And of course, the tender pulled pork and smoky baby backs were generous and AWESOME!
I can’t believe we had room for this, but we did:
Peach cobbler a la mode ($ 4.99 + $ 1.50 for a la mode): a warm ramekin of perfectly sweet chunky peach cobbler, with a top crust and ice cream scooped on top. Maaaaaaan, this was goooooood!
Red Velvet Cake ($ 7.95): yep, that is one pricey piece O cake, but it was a HUGE hunka! Multiple layers of moist red velvet cake, with a mild chocolate ganache and cream cheese icing in between the layers and frosted over the cake. Tiny chocolate chips on top were adorable and the two huge piles of whipped cream on either side were THE BEST!
To top that off, the ($ 2.95) bottomless iced tea was great, and the coffee was dark and strong and rich, both hot and iced! ($ 2.75 ea).
Ooof. We were all happy and full AND laden with plenty of leftovers for more than one more meal for the 4 of us!
The cherry on top of this awesome experience: a 20% off coupon that we found in the local paper. So, the total bill for four people, plus drinks AND dessert was $ 114, less $ 21 = $ 91 (not including tip). For all this great food, this was a DEAL!
Melissa, our server, was AWESOME — super friendly, attentive, got every detail right on, and made sure all our food came out fast. Plus, we noticed that the patio was dog friendly when another diner joined a group of friends with her sweet Corgi!
Really, what more could we ask for? My parents come to San Clemente every year for a week, and this is going to be our new favorite family place to go when we join them!
If we lived here, we’d take advantage of their 10-​minute guaranteed (or your money back!) lunch specials M-​F, their Sat and Sun brunch menu (til 2pm) and their happy hour (6pm-​9pm) specials. Locals, we’re jealous!
P. S.: FRYSMITH — THIS PLACE HAS AWESOME FRIES!!!

This place is good! Very good!
The gym that the patients at my work go to is in the same complex as this place. Dropped the patients off to work out for an hour, and I decided to grab some quick grub here since the smell alone was pulling me in. Seriously, the smell of BBQ is filling up the whole parking lot.
Ordered some ribs and some fries and a drink. The ribs were excellent! I mean, the best I ever had. I’m salivating now just thinking about them… and oh my gosh, the smell made them taste just that much better. Yummmmmy ribs. You made my day.
The only downside to this place, and the reason I deducted a star is because they seriously need better service. I mean, I was the only person in the place at 11:30am on a Friday… do I really need to wait 20 minutes for my order?! But, the tastiness of the ribs made up for the not so hot service.

Unfortunately, the service sucked big time. Not just for us either! Took 5 minutes to get acknowledged at the door. Took 15 minutes for a waiter to take our order. That’s ridiculous on a Friday night, especially a Friday night that’s slow. Our waitress was great though, she felt bad that their service was so upside-​down.
There were people at tables waving their arms to get the attention of their server, and phones were ringing, people starting to crowd around the door because they were not being acknowledged.
The food was alright; the main course was great but the sides were questionable… and that’s putting it nicely. It’s too pricey to try again, and by reading other reviews, it doesn’t seem as if their service has changed much over these past few months.
They had better get a handle on their service or they’ll lose all their customers.

The food here is exceptionally good! I’ve been to BBQ joints all over the US and been barbecuing for the past 20 years, and believe me when I tell you the food here is truly great.
My wife and I went last night and were surprised to find the place nearly deserted, probably a direct result of the economy. The first surprise was finding a very good and diverse wine list. There were a couple of guys at the bar enjoying what looked to be quite large glasses of frosty cold beer, but we stuck with a Merlot which was fine. We snacked on the cornbread biscuits, which were quire good, not at all dry, and made even better by the soft honey butter served on the side.
I tasted a bit of wife’s pulled pork sandwich and was very impressed. The meat was tender, moist and packed with slow-​cooked flavor. The sauces served here seem to be based on Carolina recipes, with more emphasis on the vinegar than on ketchup. I had the baby back ribs which were phenomenal. The helping was larger than I thought it would be, and the bones larger as well. Again, the meat was perfectly cooked, well-​done on the outside and just a little pink by the bone. The smell and flavor of the mesquite was delightful on the meat. I used a bit of the sauce just to taste it but the flavor of the ribs themselves made sauce unnecessary. I had fries, which made a perfect accompaniment.
Service was adequate but not noteworthy.
In sum, go here for the best BBQ in OC outside of my house.

I really like BBQ.
And I really like BTTB’s BBQ.
But the service needs help.
Phone calls to place orders go unanswered.
Answered calls get put on hold.
15 minute wait times inexplicably become 35 minutes long.
And all of this happens when the place has only 5 customers.
Whuuuu???
The concept is one needed in San Clemente.
The food is good.
The portions are fantastic.
The décor is lovely.
The service people seem nice.
PLEASE BTTB, get the organizational issues resolved. If you do, you’ll have a winner.