Phil’s BBQ

It was an honor to come to Phil’s and eat their 5 rack of beefy ribs with sides with my homies. We were hesitant at first, but after one of us took up the challenge, the rest of us manned up and joined the ranks of the big boys.
When our very large racks of ribs came in, we all were pleasantly surprised to see that it was a lot more meat than we expected.
The initial bite into those ribs were a beefy, juicy, fatty heaven. The meat was just tender enough to slide off the bone, but not too soft. The dark brown bark of the ribs gave that beef a smoky charred flavor that good bbq does. On top of all that (literally), was the sauce. The rich dark sauce was slathered all over the ribs, giving the meat a nice vinegary bite to offset that rich fattyness of the beef.
That bite was the highlight of the meal, perhaps of my life. But we soon realized that first delicious bite was the just the first of increasingly less delicious bites to come.
We went full cavemen and grabbed the ribs with our bare hands, slamming it in our faces and chewing profusely. I think i even heard some grunts and wolf cries from my homeboy Alex.
I got the coleslaw and the mac salad which help keep things under in contrast to that meat.
Eventually, i did complete my delicious meal and have received my man card in the mail.

I get the full rack of ribs, they are the best ribs anywhere. No complaints at all. Also the pulled pork is
the best anywhere.

The food is great and the service is great too! I do want to believe that there is better BBQ in San Diego but I have yet to find it.

Phil’s just ain’t what it used to be like when it was first near University avenue. Even when it was just down off Sports Arena it was still awesome. Maybe it is just the Santee location, but it has become just average now and not as awesome as it was.

Well, I’ve FINALLY tried Phil’s and it was real good, as expected. Came here for dinner with a few friends and, of course, there was a line out the door. It moved pretty quickly though and you get to peek out the menu while you waited. I also got a free sticker because it was my first time there, which I was very very happy about because I love stickers lol. So after waiting in line, you go straight to the counter to order your stuff. Then you get one of those vibrating pagers to let you know when to pick up your food as you go find a table. It was pretty busy in there, so we had to search a little bit for a table.
I decided to get the Baby Back Rib Tickler. This dish has 3 of the baby back ribs, 2 of their famous onion rings, cole slaw, and a crap ton of fries. I think the Ticklers are perfect for someone’s first time at Phil’s because you get to try a few of their sides and it’s only around $ 8! Alright, let’s review the food now:
— Baby Back Ribs: Small but amazing. Comes right off the bone, delicious meat. The BBQ sauce is pretty tangy, which I’m usually not a fan of, but it’s really good here.
— Onion Rings: HUGE, gosh. No wonder you only get 2 in this meal lol. It takes a few bites just to finish one, but every bite is great. My friends also got a large side of onion rings. The lady at the counter laughed at us for ordering the large, which became pretty apparent why as we struggled to finish it!
— Cole Slaw: I never thought that I would enjoy cole slaw in my life, but Phil’s may have converted me.
— Fries: Alright I love me some fries, as a connoisseur of potatoes. They give you a LOT in this place, way more than I could finish. I’m usually adamant about finishing fires (No Fries Left Behind mandate), but I couldn’t even tackle half of it.
I see the reviews and I think they are justified. Phil’s is awesome and a must-​try in San Diego. Just be prepared to wait in line and get your fingers sticky!

Phil’s proclaims to be the «Best BBQ in Town»… I claim to differ.
The food is definitely good– the Pulled Pork, Tri-​Tip and Brisket are all very succulent and tender. But once you SMOTHER bbq sauce on anything… It instantly becomes unbelievably better!!!
The portions of their sandwiches are worth the price (the proteins are bountiful!) but for that price you should get a small order of fries… C’mon how much are fries!!! 10 cents???
They don’t take reservations… It’s strictly first come/​first serve. And there’s ALWAYS a line!!!
Food is MEDIOCRE and taste like EVERY OTHER «BBQ Joint»!!!
Get Out More People–
It’s Not That Great!!!

Came in later at night to grab a light bite, ordered the Caesar salad with chicken and an ice cold beer. I have to saw that was probably one of the salads I’ve had and the chicken was super moist.
The bartender helping us was also really great.
Love Phil’s and the service!

It’s kinda loud and packed, the food is good and tender, but there’s only one type of barbecue sauce and it’s so incredibly unspicy I could pour it on a baby’s eyes to make it stop crying, probably because it’s too bored to live anymore. Not a lot of selection on the sides. I ordered a baked potato and got one cut in half with some american cheese sticking out and a sealed pack of sour cream. «Give me the works» I guess means the same as shrugging your shoulders here.
But the beer selection was great, I kept the food down and still had money at the end of the night, so I guess it’s not THAT bad. Just nothing as good as the Roadhouse Grill it replaced, which was like exponentially better.

Always great to come here. I have never been disappointed with anything i have ordered. Great flavor and great ambiance. I highly recommend the El Toro fries… you will not regret it.

Its Phils BBQ
Do I need to say more?
Customer Service is great
Sound — its kinda loud [which I dont care for]
Speed of getting food is great — they are always busy
Price is good for what you get
and Onion rings are to die for… get the large so you can take them home too and rewarm them up in the oven… yum!

Excellent sandwich! We split a tri tip sandwich and regular order of onion rings and us two grown men are full! Really good flavor and the sauce is great as well. We sat in a booth and the waiter came by three times to see if we needed anything. We didn’t.
I don’t know if is the best in San Diego but it is very good and this is from a Texan. We know BBQ.

Well… it’s not Bretts ;-(I think BBQ is one of those things that people feel strongly about their favorite place, and judge other places by it. Maybe I’m just projecting.
We came to this location with another couple last week. We went up to the counter to order (line was long, but moved quickly), and the order taker was helpful and friendly. We were pleasantly surprised that they actually assign a server to you after you find your table, who refills your drinks, answers questions, and makes sure you have everything you need.
Phil’s is good. But, their sides — especially the beans — were mostly uninspired. The coleslaw was good. I always get beef ribs when we do BBQ, and I thought theirs were very good. Either you like a place’s BBQ sauce, or you don’t. I liked theirs. My husband, using the «Brett’s standard», didn’t like them as much as I did — he thought they weren’t cooked with as much care & thought as he would have liked, which affected the texture and flavor of the meat. Our friends liked their chicken & beef BBQ combo and their BBQ sandwich.
BBQ isn’t as cheap as it used to be, (this was $ 57 for the two of us, with the combos, Sangria, and a beer), but the portions were generous, plenty of meat on the bones, and the «three-​bone combo» is plenty, even for a big eater.
The friends who accompanied us live in Santee, and I’m sure they’ll be back. We would join them if we were in the neighborhood.

Always love Phil’s BBQ.
The best thing about this location, short to no lines even on the weekend.
Beat the lines, go to Phil’s in santee. But Phil’s never disappoints.

Although I’m not a BBQ aficionado, I love this Phil’s. I have been to the San Marcos and the original Rosecrans area location. The Santee location is very open and super clean. Plenty of room, large bar and great food. The lines at Phil’s can get rough, but weekday lunchtimes are awesome.
For lunch I had the quarter chicken with cole slaw and beans. It was just the right amount of food. The chicken was tender and perfectly sauced– coleslaw was on point and beans were flavorful and warm. My date had the sausage sandwich. I didn’t taste it, but I stared at it and really wanted to. ;-)
i am a fan of Phil’s. Go and have a beer and some good food.

I just keep coming back to Phil’s…Phil’s like a great relationship you just can’t get enough of.
Excellent customer service + quality food at this location.
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I have to give props to Osha. We dined in at this place, and ordered to-​go but ended up waiting 15 ish min longer than they had mentioned the to-​go would take and she not only apologized, but she comped us the to-​go meal. All $ 20 of it. She also communicated the situation and that it usually does not take that long for to-​go and that they have been backed up in the kitchen, but that is no excuse she wanted us to have a good experience. Way to go Osha! This is true customer service… exceeding expectations without having to ask.
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Their BBQ sauce is what makes their pork ribs!, tender, fall off the bone ribs but not too too soft where you wonder if this is meat or not.
Besides their famous ribs, they also have other meats (chicken, tri-​tip, pulled pork), sandwiches. They even have a burger AND Gardenburger for those that are vegetarian/​vegan or want a «healthier» option.
Sides are also delicious. I recommend the ginormous onion rings and the potato salad (fresh, yummy, not too heavy and will real big thick cut potatoes and dill). BBQ baked beans are also good.
I am still waiting for Phil’s to have Mac N cheese, then I would feel complete. Maybe some cornbread too.
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I’m sure the debate over whether Phil’s is real BBQ and whether or not it is overrated will continue until every last advocate and every last naysayer go blue in the face. People either love it or hate it. With that said, as a person who prefers to cook and smoke his own barbecue, I’ll admit you can still snag yourself a pretty good meal here and even pretty quickly depending on when you go.
I came here around lunch on a Monday and unlike their Sports Arena location, it wasn’t even remotely busy. As a result, service was prompted and food arrived quickly.
As for the food, I opted for the «El Toro» because you really can’t go wrong with Tri-​Tip, right? I also paired it with a «small» order of both fries and onion rings. If I recall correctly, it came out to right around $ 15.
The portion size of the El Toro was very generous with sauced up meat spilling out from between the bun and for a «small» order of both onion rings and fries, you’d probably assume that I just ordered a large. The fries covered the rest of the plate and the onion rings filled a separate basket. I’m not going to lie, I was actually impressed.
Additionally, the El Toro’s flavor was pretty good (it must be the sauce) and the fries were perfectly cooked. The onion rings albeit on the fairly greasy side were also pretty tasty as well. I managed to finish all of the food although I didn’t expect to initially.
So love it or hate it, I actually like it and would more than likely return when I crave that El Toro and/​or don’t feel like spending the prep time at home to smoke my barbecue. To make things better, it’s comforting to know that you don’t have to fight the ravenous crowds like you would at The Sports Arena location.
Hey, but what do I know? I just eat.

It’s always scary to try a location other than the OG location for any restaurant/​store for fear of difference in service, food, ambience m, etc. The bar is already set and it’s difficult for the new locations to meet the high standard.
I’ve been the the Santee location a couple times now and it’s GOOD – staff isn’t as superb as the sports area blvd location, but they’re still great, food was good, wait times are shorter. I came on a Sunday with a group of about 10 people and waited max 10 minutes possibly, and came with my boyfriend and did not wait at all.
FOOD l 3.5:
I usually split the full rack of baby back ribs with the BBQ sauce on the side, with fries and mac salad, and ranch. Ranch is extra but you slather that ranch onto your plate and hit some red hot, and dip your fries in it, mmmh. Phil’s, you’ve converted a ketchup lover to a ranch and hot sauce lover. Unfortunately for the ribs, it was slightly burnt too much and I swear the ribs get smaller and smaller with each visit, BUT the meat was tender and full of flavor, minus the burnt pieces of jerky. The Mac was great and the fries were slightly soggy.
SERVICE l 4:
I had bar seating and the bartender was good, my bad, not great. She was quick to get drinks ordered and a bit slower to bring and get the check
AMBIENCE l 4:
The Santee location is less crowded than the original location, but it can definitely get warmer since it’s more inland. Other than that, great TV screens to watch football for bar seating, plenty of seating available, including some «outdoor» seating
PRO:
— good food
— bring 3 friends to cut the line with on your birthday week if you sign up for their email
— shorter lines than the original location
CON:
— if you come with a larger party than 3 for your birthday week, you’ll have to wait in line because what’s the point of cutting in line if everyone else has to wait? Basically a useless pass unless you come with an intimate party
VERDICT: I’ll always be back for baby back ribs, especially Phil’s. But if I’m already heading more South, I’d rather get the Phil’s by sports arena blvd.

Phil’s will fool you a bit from the outside. I thought it was some large chain that was moving out west and starting south and moving north. Turns out theirs only 3 and the are all in the SD area. After walking in you order at the counter get a pager and sit down while they prep your food. It is pretty much self serve once you order but who cares, this place is all about the grub. Nothing fancy and frankly that is exactly how good BBQ should be, focus on the food!
Let’s just get to it, the best baby back ribs I have ever tasted! Fall off the bone goodness.
These ribs were so meaty, tender, not fatty, with a killer bark and an amazing BBQ sauce, it was sublime. Healthy portion and the chosen sides (coleslaw and fries) were right there with the ribs.
Holy mother of BBQ I wish I could go back right now, in fact my mouth is watering just writing this review. I guess am somewhat thankful Phil’s is in Santee and not in L.A., my cholesterol level would be doomed. Phil’s is the real deal.

Awesome bbq, no lines if you go straight to the bar. Super cold draft beers! Staff are very friendly and the service is super fast. This is a great location to go to in general because parking is better and it’s not as crowded.
I like the onion rings, but my heart belongs to that delicious broham pulled pork sandwich with side of Mac salad. I get it every time and it never disappoints! Phils is one of my fave restaurants in San Diego.

We went to phil’s after hiking potato chip rock. I have also seen pictures of phil’s through my social networks. A lot of my friends have posted about it so I decided to give it a try.
Thank god we ordered before they got a line. I got the half rib dinner with macaroni salad and French fries. I regret getting half rib because it was A LOT they offer such a big portion especially when it comes to their sides! Half rib dinner is definitely shareable. Once again, I ordered with my eyes. My eyes are too big for my stomach…
Anyways, In the middle of my dinner the sauce on the ribs got way too overwhelming, they put so much of it. They give you a choice of sauce on the side or sauce on the ribs. Next time I am definitely choosing sauce on the side. The meat on the ribs was really soft which I love. I decided to try my boyfriends plate since he got ribs without the sauce, and the rib itself without the sauce was well seasoned. I believe it didn’t even need sauce. So, I would recommend getting the sauce on the side.
Cashiers were nice and service was quick, we got our food 5 minutes after we ordered. Maybe because there wasn’t a big line behind us. They treat first timers really well and they even give you a sticker (:
Try this place out when you are in the area!