Phil’s BBQ

Tried this place with a friend that recommended it. We both ordered ribs with fries. It took about 10 minutes for our food to come out. The ribs were the biggest that I’ve had. Half the plate was covered with fries. The bbq sauce was pretty damn good. My plate cost me $ 19 and it was well worth it.
There’s parking up front and they have plenty of large tables to accommodate your feast.

The Beefy Ribs are out of control. Deliciously Seasoned and cooked to perfection. I particularly like their BBQ sauce. My choice 3 Beefy Ribs with a side of coleslaw and baked beans and don’t forget a side of their famous «deli-​sliced» tri-​tip.

The food is definitely great! No complaints here. We are used to there being a line out the door for this place, but the San Marcos location was a little too busy. After we ordered (to eat in), we could not find anywhere to sit and we were only a family of 4. Not sure how bigger groups managed to find seating. They kept taking people’s order even though the place looked like if it was to capacity.
I do recommend this place, but like I mentioned, expect a wait.

Having been to Phil’s BBQ on Sports Arena Blvd. in San Diego, we decided to try this location today. My fiancée called in at 2:45 to order for pickup and we arrived at 3:10. Not only was the food not ready, but their credit card system was unavailable to pay. After that we had to wait another 15 minutes for them to have the food ready, mind you that it wasn’t even busy.
The quality of the food is good as the other location but we will probably not be ordering here unless we sit and eat. I have never had to wait for a pick up order longer than expected before and I don’t understand why it took about 40 minutes to have the food ready when the receipt clearly states «TO GO 15min-​20min.»

Phil’s BBQ has always been my favorite BBQ joint in SoCal. I love their baby back ribs and their BBQ chicken. When it comes to deciding on the side dishes I LOVE their macaroni salad, potato salads, and of course their baked beans. I can care less for their fries though because there has been more than one occasions where I ordered the fries and it tasted a day old. Of all their locations this one is my favorite just because the lines here move very quickly and the services has always been an A plus for me. I would highly recommend this joint if you are ever in the area.

I had been meaning to try Phil’s BBQ for nearly two years but I had never had the time since I was rarely down in San Diego. So the moment I was, I knew I couldn’t let my opportunity go to waste.
My girlfriend and I arrived at around 7PM and there was a slight wait to order. It was only about 10minutes or so. Parking was also plentiful as we were able to get one as soon as we pulled in the plaza. There were also plenty of tables to be found despite how crowded it seemed to be.
I was actually quite disappointed in the fact that they didn’t really have meat platters in which you get to choose whichever kind of meats you want paired with some sides like most BBQ places do (As in, I couldn’t get a platter of tri-​tip, pulled pork, and sausage if i wanted that). Instead, they’re preset combos.
I ordered the Baby Back Rib & Chickless Dinner and my girlfriend ordered El Toro (Tri-​Tip Sandwich). I got cole slaw and potato salad as my sides for plate. I also added a side of small onion rings. My girlfriend ordered corn on the cob.
Baby Back Ribs; The ribs were good. It was tender but wasn’t really fall of the bone. It had a nice smokiness to it. Though it didn’t really seem fresh as it wasn’t hot; wasn’t even warm.
BBQ Chicken; I got boneless chunks of chicken breast. It was quite orange yet really lacking in flavor. The chicken itself was quite dry. I understand it’s white meat, but it shouldn’t be this dry. The only thing I got from it was the smokiness. It really needed the BBQ sauce to enhance the chicken.
El Toro; The sandwich was really filled up with tri-​tip. However, the tri-​tip itself wasn’t that amazing. It was bland and a bit dry. The saving grace would be the BBQ sauce that was smothered on it. It was a lot for the price which was good but it wasn’t anything spectacular.
PULLED PORK; I was able to try this from another visit and it was pretty dry. I’ve had better. Since I had gotten it as an extra, it was 6oz of meat for a price of nearly 5 – 6 dollars or so. Not too bad.
BBQ Sauce; Their BBQ sauce is good. It has a good tang which I love in BBQ sauces. It was also pleasantly sweet. Although, the «spicy» one wasn’t really that spicy.
SIDES; The cole slaw and potato salad wasn’t anything special. The corn on the cob was steamed but not even buttery. However, the onion rings were amazing. They were honestly my favorite part of the meal. Even though we ordered a small, which comes with around 7 pieces or so, they were HUGE! I’ve never seen onion rings so big before. They were also extremely crunchy and the onions itself had a nice sweetness to it.
SERVICE; There isn’t really service here besides the people working at the cashier and the people that walk around and take empty plates from you every now and then. Everything else is do it yourself. You pick up your own food and get your own drinks. They were nice though so that’s a plus.
TLDR; To be honest, this place is mainly hype. It’s good but it isn’t anything amazing. It feels more like a fast food for BBQ. The meats are not even hot when they come out. They’re mainly room temperature. The BBQ sauce is good which is what saves everything. Probably the pretty cheap prices too. There isn’t really variety since you can’t substitute from their combos.

Super quick n ez Phil’s BBQ — no line, super fast quality customer service. Phil’s tastes like Phil’s, the best! Outside seating is a nice touch however I think they could user more shade.

Phil’s BBQ is amazing no matter which location you go to. Didn’t expect anything less from the San Marcos location AND we didn’t have to wait in a long line! Came with a few Unilocal friends after spending the morning hot air ballooning over Temecula. This Phil’s is located in a super huge lot with a ton of other restaurants and stores, but it’s easy to miss the turn if you’re not paying attention (make sure to enter the correct left turn lane!).
I was very surprised that there wasn’t a long wait on a Saturday afternoon during the busy lunch hour. In fact, the restaurant was pretty empty, making me wonder if maybe this Phil’s location wasn’t as great as the main location in SD. But since we were there, we decided to make the best of it and order a few items. Same way of ordering as the other Phil’s — get to the cashier to place your order, you’re given a device that will vibrate when your order is ready, and you pretty much seat yourself and grab the utensils, water, etc. that you want.
The four of us shared the full meal of baby back ribs along with baked beans and potato salad as our sides. Along with that, we ordered one beef rib and a small order of onion rings. Despite feeling airsick after the ride, I still made it a priority to eat one baby back rib and some of the beef rib. The food was definitely as good as I remembered from San Diego. While I prefer the beef rib, the baby back ribs were cooked tenderly and smothered with their popular barbeque sauce. Meat was cooked perfectly — not too chewy. But the beef rib was even better — definitely meatier and a bit smokier, giving you more meat to your bite.
For the sides, I highly recommend the baked beans. I’ve had it in SD and was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted, and yep, they tasted just as good in San Marcos. Smoky with just a hint of spiciness, the beans were soft and went well with the meat. The potato salad was nothing special and I’d probably opt for corn or French fries the next time. Onion rings are also a must if you’ve never had the opportunity to try them. They’re pretty huge and fried right there on the spot, so eating them fresh makes each one taste amazing. It comes with a side of ranch, providing the perfect taste combination.
Love that they have a ton of paper towels on the side as well as a sink to wash your hands. There are also a lot of moist towels if you don’t want to wash your hands. The workers are super nice and friendly and usually come by to check on you several times during your meal. Don’t forget to ask for extra barbecue sauce and ranch sauce, especially if you’re taking items to-​go!
tl;dr — Same great experience that you get from Phil’s in SD, but in San Marcos! Quality food, quality service — seriously need to have one in LA. Recommend the beef ribs and baked beans, but the onion rings and baby back ribs are just as good. The portions aren’t small, so make sure you’re not over ordering (although you can always take the food to-​go)!

Bomb food. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE to go service.
I called at 10 am to place my order for pick up at 11 am. The way the organize their pick up system is terrible. People were just standing around after they paid waiting to be told what to do next and when our orders would be ready. Employees were all over the place, confused about packing the food and how to give it to customers. I got my food 30 minutes, even though I got there at 10:50 am. Very sloppy work.
Again, food was great.
Beef Rib and Chicken Dinner — $ 16.95 — 2 meaty beef ribs and a quarter chicken. Not many places can cook a good beef rib that falls off the bone, but Phils does it. Chicken was nothing special, typical BBQ chicken. Potato Salad was meh. Macaroni Salad was a step up from meh.
Baby Back Tickler — $ 7.25 — 3 ribs with onion rings, slaw, and fries. Ribs were fall off the bone good. Onion rings and fries were good, but anything fried is usually good. Slaw was watery mess.
Phils, great BBQ, crappy sides!

Every time I make the trek down to SD from LA, I always try to stop at Phil’s! Their pork ribs are THE BOMB. The tangy barbecue sauce and meat that falls off the bone is totes droolworthy. I usually split a full rack with someone.
Beef ribs are good too, but they come in pieces of 3 or 6 (Not full or half racks). They definitely have a good beefy taste, but it isn’t as tender as the pork ribs.
Sides, I usually get fries or steamed veggies. My cousin LOVES the onion rings, but that’s a little too greasy for me.
Bartenders and servers are always really nice. Last time we went, we found out our waitress was at the same NYE party with us! She was super sweet. We were all nursing hangovers so that was a giant plus.
Can’t wait to go to SD again so I can stop by this joint!

Great Baby Back Ribs and great sauce! Not much more you can ask for at a Ribs place. The meat doesn’t exactly fall of the bone, but it comes off pretty easy. A half slab for one person is plenty, but if you’re hungry, a whole slab would work. My rating is based entirely on the ribs and sauce.
They’re onion rings were pretty good, the beans were ok, and the corn was mediocre. The bussers did a great job in putting together a table that would fit 13 – 15.
But again, the rib sauce! Yum!

If you love BBQ ribs, this is the place to be in San Diego. Every time I go to Phil’s, I always leave with a smile on my face. :)
The menu has all types of meats to to choose from and will satisfy any ribs lover. If you don’t like ribs, they have other great selections to choose from as well. There are two places to get Phil’s, one at the Sports Arena and in San Marcos. They’re a bit far from each other, but considering that they’re a local favorite… the drive is completely worth it.
You will definitely have your patience tested here because you will most likely wait 30 minutes to an hour on busy days. If you are in a rush, they take call in orders. That’s usually what I do when I scout the lines and see that they’re not moving.

I came here on a Saturday for lunch around 11:30, and there was no wait.
I am usually a pork ribs kind of gal, but at Phil’s, I stick with their beefy ribs ALL THE WAY. They’re always super tender and tasty. I always get the sauce on the side, because to be honest, their beefy ribs don’t even need the sauce… it’s THAT good. My philosophy is that the best BBQ is so good that it does not even need sauce.
My favorite sides here are the beer battered onion rings (one of the only times I will eat beer-​battered onion rings, because they get it perfectly crispy) and the potato salad. We always regret not getting enough potato salad here. Because there was no wait, I actually went back to the register to order another side of potato salad lol.
I love this place, and I can only hope that they’ll bring another location closer to LA!

This location is less packed and newer. It also seems smaller. The line goes from the right side of the building and comes out. We waited about 30 minutes to get to order and the food came out within 10 minutes so it was quick.
The beef ribs are seriously the best.
Make sure you go before you are hungry so you don’t get hangry while waiting in line!

Love this BBQ joint! The sauce is delicious, ribs are tender, fries are like in-​n-​out but a bit bigger and tastier, onion rings are big and fried just right! Last but not least, the service is GREAT for a fast/​casual restaurant.
FOOD —
BBQ Chicken — IMO, the white meat was a bit dry but the wing and leg (dark meat) was delicious. If you decide to order this, I would go with dark meat unless you like dried white meat (personally i would avoid the chicken)
Pulled Pork Sandwich — this sandwich was recommended by one of the cashiers up front. I usually like to eat pulled pork but this one was too saucy, too salty, and too sweet. If you mix some BBQ sauce into it, the pulled pork sauce doesn’t taste as sweet (recommend doing this if you find the pulled pork sauce too strong). The portion is great and good for splitting.
BBQ Ribs — my FAVORITE dish here. While the «full rack» seems smaller than it should be, the meat does fall off the bone and their BBQ sauce has a great sweet and tangy flavor. If you like the sauce, you can even buy some up front.
French Fries — Think of In-​N-​Out but even better. Cut a bit larger and not as oily, the fries here are fresh and taste really yummy.
Onion Rings — Decent portion which was nice. The onion rings tasted freshly cut and fried but the oil seemed a bit old to me. I still enjoyed it although it could have been a tad better.
SERVICE —
Josh was the waiter working our area. He was very attentive, friendly, and went out of his way to ensure we were having a great experience aND enjoying our meal.

When it comes to BBQ, I expect nothing less than a finger licking, lip smacking experience where a bib may or may not be included. I left Phil’s Barbecue satisfied, happy, and smelling of a smokey barbecue.
For a party of 4, we ordered the full baby back dinner with a large order of fries ($ 19.95) and a pulled pork sandwich with a side of coleslaw ($ 4.95?). The ribs were so juicy and tender that the meat was basically falling off of the bone. The sandwich consisted of just pulled pork on bread. There are condiments on the table that you can add to your sandwich but eating it as is is delicious too. For a party of 4, I would recommend order 2 full racks of ribs or, at least, 1 full rack and 1 half rack.
The customer service is great here. Employees are readily accessible. Even though you pick up your order at the counter, the employees walk the floor to check up on you throughout your meal.

I am not much of a rib eater but this place is delicious! I’ve been to this location and the one in San Diego and I haven’t been disappointed yet! We came here on a Saturday afternoon and fortunately, there was no wait! This place gets pretty busyyyyy, especially the one in San Diego.
My boyfriend and I always share because the portion is pretty big and I can’t eat that much. We get the full baby back rib (10 – 12 bones) with French fries and drink combo. Heads up, it comes with a lotttttttttttttt of French fies! We never end up finishing them, but the ribs, of course we do! So I am not much of a rib eater bc most of the ribs that I do order form other restaurants are hard to eat and you try biting the meat off the bone, then it gets stuck in your teeth… hate it. BUT Phil’s BBQ is super tender and it just melts in your mouth! It even just slides right off the bone. Their sauce is really good too, tangy and a little bit sweet. We love the sauce so much that we get an extra order of it on the side. I always want to mention that we’ve ordered their onion rings too and theyre also HUGE and good! lol
The staff is super friendly and welcoming, especially when they know its your first time. Both locations we’ve been to are very spacious and lots of tables. You have to get in line and order your food and then have to find your own table, a little bit of a hassle when its crowded/​busy but we were lucky this time around.
I had to deduct a star from them at this location because when my boyfriend went into the men’s bathroom, he said that one of the employees was in the bathroom shaving his face… i asked, how did you know it was an employee? He said he was wearing the uniform. Unprofessional and kind of gross… no?

I’ve gotten catering here many times for work lunches but this past Saturday, I felt like it was time to actually eat in! We stopped in here after Legoland’s Brick or Treat at 9:30 and it was a good time because the line wasn’t too long.
My husband and I shared the full ribs dinner which came with two small sides so we got macaroni salad and the baked beans. For our kids, we got them to share chick ticklers which came with onion rings, fries and cole slaw. They couldn’t finish it so we ended up eating some of it ourselves.
Tables were easy to find since it was a little late already. The sink was nearby for us to wash our hands, very convenient when you have kids and they don’t need to use the restroom but need to wash their hands. The door for the restroom has the anti-​bacterial option on it, very cool if you ask me!
I’m glad we finally got to sit in and eat here, I’ll be coming in more often now.

«Sometimes you feel like a nut… sometimes you don’t…»
I was asked if I liked pork ribs or beef ribs better. My answer? It depends on what you’re in the mood for. If you prefer a moister, more tender experience, the pork would be the one for you! Some people prefer to chew more and have a heartier sensation — the beef rib may be more to your liking.
The camera on my phone wasn’t working too well, so I don’t have any evidence of the food that Phil’s is so famous for. I remember that we shared the «full meal» of Baby Back Ribs that came with 2 sides (we chose Potato Salad and Baked Beans) and had an order of the Beef Ribs. We also got some Onion Rings for fun! The four of us were pretty full!
We almost went to the San Diego location, but we were between appointments and this was closer to our next stop. It was clean; the service was great; there was hardly any wait! There was a trough-​like area to wash your hands — that was very convenient and useful! Let’s go back for more!

Phil’s BBQ.
I love it. I really do. Even though they aren’t as good as the ones in Texas, supposedly. But that’s alright, you’ll do.
Phil’s BBQ, located in San Marcos near the 78 Fwy, in a plaza, was a place that was kinda far off from where we were. We were at the ⁵⁄₈₀₅ split in La Jolla and drove through Carmel Valley to get up the 15 to get here. Because we wanted Phil’s BBQ :3
We arrived around 5.30pm on a Wednesday and it wasn’t actually all that full here. There was a line to order, yes, but none of that really long line that you see in the Sports Arena location.
I, already knowing what to order, got the El Toro burger for $ 7.95. I had just eaten a snack an hour earlier and this one would fill me up! Their meat is tender but it’s all about their tangy sauce. It’s still the best and I love them for that. Putting it all over the burger made it oh so much tastier. It’s a little sweet underlying, but a kick of tang comes for you. And you will love it. Thank you for not having dry meat either, as that would not do any favors.
Don’t put the BBQ sauce on the side, have it on the meat. On the ribs. My friend who had just eaten with me earlier– he finished a decent/​good amount of his 10 – 12 pieces of ribs. Was really surprised: D He must have loved it.
This is also the location most closest to LA, which, somewhat makes me cry. Unless I come from the 15, it’s not really «on my way»…but at least the I-​5 to I-​15 gap is about 15 – 20 minutes long… unless there is traffic.
A person does come around to bring you forks and plates, along with asking if you need anything else.
But they never grant my request.
Come to LA/​OC/​IE.