Thousand Oaks Meat Locker BBQ

Bang up BBQ! If you have not stopped at this local favorite you:
1.) are lost and don’t know your way
2.) missed it because it is so small
3.) don’t know good BBQ when you read reviews
4.) are a vegan or vegetarian.
This place had three types of BBQ Sauces:
a.) Sweet & sour
b.) Habanero
c.) Jalapeño
I tried a & c. They were both impressive. I had a plate of smoked or bbq chicken and tri tip. 2 sides: cole slaw & pesto pasta.
The meats were not sauced which made them enjoyable with and without. This place was absolutely fantastic. Head to this place and get there early! A line will form at the heart of lunch time, as i understand it from my colleagues that are local.
Enjoy!

Craving BBQ so gave this place a try again. I ordered the 3 pork rib and tri-​tip dish. Not expecting much since achieving BBQ nirvana in TX, it was ok. It wasn’t DA BEST but it wasn’t totally bad. I give it ³⁄₅ stars because of the sauce. If the sauce isn’t there, the place is a 1−2÷5. The tri-​tip was dry but the sauce made it more palatable. The pork ribs had the standard pepper/​salt seasoning that again with the sauce made it ok. The meat didn’t fall off the bone and was dry not moist like BBQ should. I was hungry so it ate it all. The sides were ok too. Had the pesto pasta which tasted old but the chili beans were ok. So, overall OK — not as amazing as a great BBQ should be, but good enough to have for lunch if you are in the area. It’s all about the sauce here.

good food, good customer service, the whole in the wall felling is always good. Its just a little expensive.

Best BBQ in town! Also great late night street tacos!

Wow, hidden gem on Thousand Oaks Blvd. They are literally smoking the meat as we are there out front. Prices very good and at night from 6:00pm-10:00pm, they have a taco truck outside. I got the Tri Tip sandwich, which was delicious and full of meat! My friend got one and another to go! I can see why.
Non-​pretentious place and ultra casual. A few seats inside at a counter, otherwise, picnic tables available outside with an awning.

I tried the tri tip sandwich. The meat had a slightly metallic taste and smell. Like meat does after it has been refrigerated and reheated. ??? I tried to eat it but could not finish the sandwich. I honestly have not tasted meat like this since I last ate cold roast beef which I do not care for. The beans were out of the can generic that had not even been jazzed up with something.
I wanted to like this place because it smelled great from down the street and I could see the ribs on the grill when I walked in.

I was referred here by my barber at The HandleBar Barbershop. I ordered the #6 Pulled Pork Sandwich with Baked Beans and macaroni salad… mmm the meat melts in your mouth! Sooooo Delicious! I am definitely coming back! Friendly service! My first time and was even offered a sample of the pulled pork… you have to come down to Thousand oaks and try it! I was sitting next to man who comes from Encino just to eat here.

Baby back ribs were seasoned appropriately and grilled to the point where BBQ sauce was an afterthought! These ribs need no sauce and were moist! Great job! Will come back for more! This is an old school original style old fashioned BBQ stop that I would definitely return to.

WHOA! Their ribs and sandwiches along with that habanero BBQ sauce was UNREAL! This place is amazing. I know it does not have a ton of competition but I believe it’s the best BBQ in Thousand Oaks. The meats & sauce deserve 6 stars BUT the place looks like it has not had a good remodel in 30 years and is in desperate need of it or just a serious cleaning. The sides also need work. I was not a fan. Coleslaw lacked flavor and was a bit bland and the potato salad was just okay. I would give it 3.5 with a potential for 5 stars. If I feel a place is 3.5 I go for 4. So there you have it. Plus it’s unpatriotic to give one of Ronald Reagan’s favorite BBQ places anything less. Lol.
Keep up the good work Meat Locker!

I give it 3 stars for the food. And 1 star for service. My first time there. My husband and I were the only customers there. Liz the person behind the counter was rude and seemed rushed. I told her it was my first time and wanted to take a look at the menu first. She seemed irritated that I was taking up her time. You would’ve thought I was holding up the line. I asked her a question about the burrito and she snapped back that the burritos only come with beans and salsa. We won’t be back.

A Thousand Oaks small business institution. Great BBQ with a variety of options, it’s decently priced and focused on simple food. Don’t expect haute cuisine with fancy foodie toppings, it’s meat and bread with sides of beans and picnic-​style salads.
Parking is a problem but there’s not much they can do about it. In my opinion it adds to the small business, hole in the wall charm.

Been coming here for over a decade but after years away it seems to have changed. The chicken I got yesterday seemed both overdone and undercooked. And it wasn’t as flavorful as I recall it. The bread was the same garlicky goodness. And all in all for the sammich and a drink is less than $ 10. I will try it again. The tri tip is more popular but over the years bites of gristle make me avoid it.
If you have a strong aversion to the occasional small piece of fat or gristle id say this establishment is not for you friend.
If you like authentic BBQ there are hardly any competitors for you to try so Give it a shot.

This used to be the best barbecue place in Westlake Village but I can’t say that today. The staff is not very friendly, in particular, the manager, who gives the impression of tolerating gas versus enthusiastically serving them

My neighbor took me here a few months ago, claiming the «BEST BBQ» in the area. Not sure what area he was talking about, perhaps the area surrounding the garbage can?
I ordered the much talked about tri tip sandwich, figured I would get what this place is known for. It was pre-​made and sitting in a styrofoam container waiting to be rescued from its tasteless dry abyss with Costco vats of generic BBQ sauce. I then went with the coleslaw and beans. The beans where definitely Bush’s baked beans, and the coleslaw was dry, and devoid of sauce. After struggling to figure out which open top drum garbage can to sit next to, I found a nice dirty bench. The décor/​filth outside AND inside are taken straight out of a horror film, and prob hasn’t been washed from grease stained walls since the 80s. Time to swat away the amusement park of flies that surround every inch of this place. I bite into the locally «famous» sandwich and the rubbery grey meat hangs from my mouth. The bread is so dry, it doesn’t tear apart even with the drenched supply of generic BBQ sauce. I tried to eat half of my sandwich, but I could not. Luckily I was within arms reach of the giant garbage drum, and tossed my offering to the flies.
Worst BBQ I’ve ever had in my life. I also honestly don’t know how the health department hasn’t shut this place down.

Great pulled pork. Combine it with the halipino BBQ. You got a to-​die-​for. Sandwich. Chicken is too dry. A hole in the wall throw back. Consist and and good for lunch. Or if you’re having a party, great to get a few pounds of pulled pork.
Would be nice if the put some TLC into to this place.

Stopped by today and had a #3 which is three beef ribs. Two of them I couldn’t even pull the meat off the bone. Totally dry. Even the side of chile beans and potato salad were less than desirable.
Needless to say, it was a total waste of money.

I give this place 3 stars because the portion size is pretty small for the price, if your gonna pay $ 9 for a small Tri-​tip sandwich that’s pretty small, I did like the meat it I felt I was nowhere near full for $ 9, the inside of place kind of reminded me of the movie saw, you know the beginning of the first movie when they are locked in the bathroom? It has that vibe inside, I think they need to remodel the place, and also give bigger portions, I bought my co worker the Tri-​tip sandwich plate that comes with 2 sides, she got macaroni and a salad, she said the Mac was really sweet and they didn’t give her any salad dressing, this place needs some work and updates. We got 1 tri-​tip sandwich by itself and a tri-​tip sandwich platter and it was $ 20 together, But the staff is friendly. 3 stars

Good thing I don’t like coleslaw and I’m not there for the coleslaw because it’s crap but the meat is on point! If you don’t get there early though you might end up with the end of the day results which may be kind of dry doesn’t negate that it has tons of flavor
It’s a secret gem hidden in thousand oaks and so well worth it if you can get there in time before they close for the day
There try tip is so tasty I crave it when I’m away from it!!!

This was my first time coming to this restaurant and it is a hole in the wall and it’s so hard to find this place. But the reward was amazing when I tried their tri-​tip sandwich and it was delicious. They barbecue the meat for hours and then they slice it to order and put it on the sandwich plain. They have a condiment bar if you want something on it. I highly recommend this place!

Came here the other day and tried their pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and potato salad. the pulled pork had some pieces of animal fat in it, but not many and they were pretty easy to pick out of the sandwich. The flavor of the meat was devine; sweet and tender. I am definitely a fan. The downside was the bread — the rolls they use are very soft, so it quickly became sort of gross with the meat juices. I threw all but one bite of the bread away but would recommend the pulled pork for sure.
Potato salad was also good. I don’t like onions and that’s typically my problem with this side dish but Meat Locker makes theirs with minimal onions. Yum!