Porter’s Taps & Ribs

I haven’t had good BBQ ribs unless I made them myself. Please check this place out.

This place is a true Rib joint! I would seriously recommend a taste!
The owner Steph was a wonderful personality and host! The vibe and overall hospitality made the experience a notch above most.
My one qualm was that though listed, soft drinks weren’t really available. With this being said other than beer most additional options were bottled. This is the one thing that I found a little frustrating but not enough to founder the experience.
My mom and I had ordered the Brisket sandwich, fries and my mom had the Vista beans and I the Mac N Cheese. Non a bad option, the flavors were wonderful! My personal favorite were the beans, such amazing flavor!!! The brisket was greatly flavored, and the sauce was superb!
Only complaint on the Brisket was it seemed to have been warned a bit, and be came a tad tough but not Un enjoyable. Steph came in near be end of our visit, and immediately came back with a sample of the baby back ribs. WOW! This immediately put to rest my qualms, not too many people go that extra mile to ensure an enjoyable and flavorful visit. For this I will be visiting again soon and exploring more of the menu!
I hope you enjoy your experience as much as we did!

I went in here after reading some reviews with an open mind.
I went with a friend during lunch on a Friday and the place was not busy at all. The male employee was the only one there and he seemed a bit creepy.
I ordered the ribs with a side of fries. The ribs were not bad. It was a very small portion. They do not come with sauce but they are still good for dry rub ribs. The fries did not taste fresh or good. They lacked somthing. They tried to cover them in what looked like season salt which did not help.
My friend enjoyed their plate of pull pork.
The atmosphere was not great and the place looks like they are still fixing the place. The waiter talked a bit too much and it got a little uncomfortable.
The whole time we were there we only saw 2 people come in. That made it a bit strange.
There were some local breweries on the tap which is a plus. They did not have soda just out of a bottle. Which was okay because the waiter poured it into a glass.
So 3 stars. I would try it again, but maybe after they get a bit establish. They have a way to go though.

We had bad service, there was a big party and they didn’t plan well for it. I had a discussion with the owner the next day and he was both apologetic and professional about the incident.

Loved the place as soon as we walked in! Customer service is 5 stars, food 5, beer selection 4, wine selection 3… ish. As soon as we sat at the bar we receive and complimentary taste of their choice craft beer. All in all, we’re coming back. Customer service is huge to me and they really out did themselves! Thank you guys!

Don’t judge books by its cover, cause if you do then your missing great story! Wouldn’t skip this place if I were you, food is superior and the owners are very welcoming. Our first night over there got the chance to try some things they make, man I would eat everything they got in menu. My next trip there would be very soon!

Been seeing the signs for this place for a while and figured it was about time to come in and try it out. Love bbq and was hoping this would be a new go-​to restaurant. Not entirely sure what to think after my visit.
The good: had some good beer on tap, the ribs were perfectly cooked and tasted great, and the server was friendly
The «opportunities for improvement:» no sauce for the ribs. Yes, I know the ribs should speak for themselves and they did! BUT, having an amazing sauce to go with the meat only amps up the experience. I’m glad the ribs were served as the were (don’t want them drenched in some goop) but there should be a few options for diners.
Not everyone loves molasses beans. Again, there should be options, or the fact that the bean sauce is heavy on the molasses should be listed on the menu.
The hot wings weren’t what I expected. Different than everyone else’s wings, but I’m not sure they hit the mark. Very small, in some strange batter, and the sauce was hot, but mostly in a tabasco kind of way. Cayenne and vinegar is so 90’s. Many more heat options in the 21^st century!
I know this sounds like a negative review, but I still ate the beans and molasses! They weren’t bad, but could use some tweaking. I’ll definitely be back. Want to try more of the ribs and some of the other sides.

This is just down the street from my house so we thought why not give it a go. My husband and I love ribs and Bbq so we figured why not. We were greeted and took a seat. As we looked over the menu and waited for our drinks the owner Stephen came by to say hello and offer us some Cajun shrimp. It was was good and who doesn’t like a free taste of something. We decided on the half rack of ribs and Mac and cheese as the side. We also ordered the brisket with green beans. The food was good. The ribs fell of the bone and the brisket was tender and the sides were very tasty. We got the bill and as we were about to leave Stephen stopped us and insisted that we try the ice cream and he even sent me home with a pice of the red velvet cheesecake.
This place is kinda like a hang out rather than a traditional restaurant. They want to get to know you. They want you to get to know them. It’s a change from the typical quick stop to grab a bite place be ready to hang out and chat. If your in the mood for quite personal time with your dinner partner this isn’t the place. But if you like to chat and be social head to porters!

Holy smokes — this place is authentic barbecue! The owners (Stephan and Moses) are SUPER FRIENDLY! They interact with their customers (but not in an overly intrusive way), talk to you about the food and the beer selections. A great environment and friendly place to eat
The food is fantastic. Stephan is from Alabama /​Tennessee and brings good old Southern cooking to Vista California. The smoked meats are delicious; the collard greens are the best I have ever had in a restaurant (my wife makes it better though — her’s are the gold standard. :-)). The cornbread recipe is passed down through his family.
Give this place a try; you will not be disappointed!

Don’t waste your time… even their special root beer was flat… Sandwich buns were old small and cold… kids portions… We read that the Porter burger had to patties… The one we got only had one… Way overpriced… Oh well

cue the sad trombones.
I was so excited to try this place. I wasn’t able to attend the elite event here, and so many of you raved about it.
But the real draw for me, was more of a sentimental one, you see, I attended UCSD back when the original pub was in operation. It was a great spot, with many great memories. When the campus opened the new student center, a chain pizza place got the campus liquor license, ergo, the pub closed.
Thank the heavens that Porter came along some years later (unfortunately, after I had graduated), and was able to get the regents’ blessing to create Porter’s Pub.
I’ve stopped in on many occasions to reminisce, and always enjoyed.
So, yeah, I was thrilled to hear they’ve moved up here, near me!
But, my experience yesterday was a bit of a let down.
They’ve got a great tap selection, so there’s a star for that.
Here we go, my litmus test; the house burger, side salad, and a pint of some bitter IPA!
The beer was great, and how cool they had collard greens on the menu, I’ll take that instead.
But then the burger, and my first red flag; «do you want American or Chedder?» Chedder, wait, what? Who still eats American? Oh, you do? Well stop, it’s not real cheese. And, hey, we are in a gastro-​pub, shouldn’t that question have gone more like, «do you want Gruyère, Gouda, or maybe some Danish Havarti?» Right?
Well, here it comes, and I can see from twelve paces, it’s not on some cool gourmet bun, of the pretzel or squaw variety, no, it appears to be some bleached wonder-​type product.
Sure enough, it is, and once I lift the top to investigate, I see a yellow warped square of plastic-​like imitation dairy stuff. Yech, they screwed my order!
But, that’s not why I sent it away. The true problem was the actual burger. I was anticipating a thick juicy hand formed grass fed angus beauty. No, there were two, yes two (I can only assume to bolster the thickness) skinny costo-​like freezer pattys. Hunh?
What I’m looking at resembles a neighbor’s back yard bbq burger. No, wait, my neighbors are better cooks than that.
What I wanted was a gastro-​pub burger, what I got was a fast food burger.
:-(
And, for $ 12? No way.
I don’t think it’s enough to have a good beer selection, the food on your menu has got to be special too.

Just left this establishment after I saw on social media one of my old co-​workers was now working here. I honestly am flabbergasted right now. I have never in my life been to such an embarrassing excuse for a bar and restaurant. This in fact is my first negative review I have done on Unilocal.I’d have half of a right mind to call ABC and John Taffer right now!
Here’s my night:
Walk in Friday night about 9:40pm. I’m alone, 27yr old female looking for a meal and beer after work.
First impression; awkward, spot light feeling, unfinished furnishings.
I see my old coworker and say hi! She walks me right to the bar and sits me, gives me a menu and a beer sample. Okay cool!
Not even a second later a severely intoxicated male patron at the bar stumbles over to me puts his hand on my waist and gets in my face to start saying something about himself. It’s myself, him and his friend at the bar and the owner, my ex coworker and another male employee behind the bar. I’m a bartender by trade and have no problem speaking up when need be in a professional manor. Easy!
I tell him «okay buddy but personal space. You don’t need to touch me.» And he backs off all dramatic and the owner intervenes and talks him away. Cool, whatever. I’ve seen a drunk or two in my time.
I get my food order in and I’m talking with my coworker. The owner calls her and the other server into the back for a talk. She comes back looking frazzled. Apparently, the owner now thinks he runs a strip club because he informed the 2 girls working that he’s going to collect ALL their tips for the night, take it home and distribute it back the them AFTER he takes 25% off the top for the HOUSE!!! Mind blown! Never have I heard of such a thing after being in the industry! I swear I can’t make this stuff up. As they come back out and the girls are in shock the owner is back behind the bar drinking self poured wine and he’s bad mouthing his servers to the drunk Parton and his friend. What???
I get my food, which in all honestly was the highlight to my experience; mac n cheese and Cajun chicken, yum! I’m just about to dig in and the drunk patron comes over LEANS INTO MY FACE with a huge face of nasty pube like facial hair and starts trying to talk to me again! I lost it. I. Lost. My. Shit. I told him to «Get the f*** out of my face!» He got dramatic again but this time the owner did NOTHING!!! He asked his staff to get him water. I was shocked he wasn’t kicked out. And more choice words followed. He backed off and I tried to eat something, I was starving. I looked to the owner for help. But what did he do. He grabbed his cell phone. Oh wait common sense he’s calling the cops. Nope! He’s calling his wife!!! Just chatting it up while a young female is left to fend for herself eating her meal while an over intoxicated patron batters and invades her personal space!!! WHAT. THE. F***??? Does it stop there? I should be so lucky. Ha.
Owner walks away on his phone and the drunk is singing guns and roses as loud as he sees fit. Which is obnoxious. He starts falling over almost knocks a chair over. And when the song ends he comes back for round 3! Ding ding ding! I was yelling at this point for him to get the F*** away from me. He was trying to touch me and get in my face. My old coworker, also a girl, was acting bouncer tonight and was trying her best to get him to go away. The owner the whole time just chatting it up on his phone in the middle of the restaurant. I paid my tab and tried to wait for the owner to now finish talking with a table that he took a seat at with, the only other people in there. Had they not had kids with them I would have expressed my deepest thoughts and concerns about his establishment. However, I took what little shred of control and unleashed it here.
Any establishment that A, over serves their patrons to the point of them becoming disruptive to other patron is unacceptable. B, drinking on the job and complaining about your staff to the over intoxicated guest, come on have some etiquette. And C, as upper management much less owner! you don’t EVER take a waitress, bartender, barback, host, busser, whoevers money THEY have earned! They are working literally dollar for dollar making ends meet. How dare you!

This place deserves my first ever review on Unilocal.Walk in and greeted like family. Not your average place with a hostess stand. Family owned with soul. Down to earth, fun and sweet ass service. Oh, and the food… bomb! I had the Cajun chicken and collard greens (my first soul food experience) but they have a nice little variety. Boyfriend had the pork sandwich and mac, also reaaal good. Always sketch to try a brand new place but no complaints on this one. And Steph is da man.

The food was delicious! Got the Porter burger, which has 2 thick beef patties on it and every entrée comes with 2 sides. Absolutely Delicious! Can’t wait to try more food here!
It is a brand new restaurant, so they are still trying to make a name for themselves and get up on their feet. The atmosphere was very inviting and relaxed, and all the people that work there were very nice and welcoming.
I have no doubt that Porters will continue to grow and become a loved restaurant in our community.

So this is a new place in vista, went here for take-​out and I have to say it’s good BBQ that’s for sure! The mac n cheese is not the great it was dry and the cornbread is not even cornbread, need to find both of those. The ribs are really good 100%. I do recommend trying this new BBQ place out! Owners and the serviced is really good.

So I happen to drive by Porter’s Tap and Ribs right before I was about to go on my trip to Maui. So when I got back I had to come try it. As I walked in I had a warm welcome. And very friendly staff. I tried the craft black cherry diet soda. which was very good. so good my dad had to order one. The food was so good. it didn’t need any extra sause and spices… the ribs were cooked so nice. .it fell off the bone. if your in area it’s a must try and for a great price… 2 thumbs up. ill be back. and if you know me. ittf I find a place I like. I tell all my friends..

I don’t know when the other reviewers were there but it wasn’t the same night we tried it. The food was pretty good. And that’s it. There was virtually no service. Had to ask twice for drinks. Had to grab a roll of paper towels off the bar so we had napkins. There was one person trying to cover the bar, take orders and buss tables.
We were a party of four. We waited 45 minutes plus before we got any food. Our plates came out one at a time and all the side orders were wrong. One of us ordered the baby back ribs. If they were «baby» backs it was one huge baby.
We never did get a bill. After waiting more than 30 minutes for it we left what we thought would cover it and walked out. We weren’t the only unhappy customers that night. Several others left before their food arrived and yet others complained about wrong or missing orders.
It’s really a shame. Vista could use some more quality restaurants. If these guys can’t turn their service around they will be gone in ninety days. I hope they can fix it.

Tucked away in the Vons shopping center, this little joint has the right spices to liven up the neighborhood! With a bright, open atmosphere, everyone is welcomed to come in and grab a either a table, a spot on the couch, or a seat around the bar.
It’s obvious the owner has a love of local brews. With a wide variety of beer options in bottles, cans, and on tap, every beer lover will find something yummy! I had this amazing chocolate porter that I’ll have to go back to enjoy again and get the name.
With ribs being in the restaurant name, I had to give the baby backs a try. They were melt in your mouth moist and well favored! I usually like my ribs with a bit more sauce, but honestly they tasted great just lightly sauced. The mac’n’cheese and the kale sides were the perfect dichotomy of rich and fresh. My husband’s baked beans were extra-​delicious.
One thing to note, potions are not your usual American monstrosities. The plates were just enough food to fill you up without going overboard. That said, if you are a big eater, you may want to get an extra side or two…
Now, lets talk cheesecake… Just wow… amazing… unforgettable indulgence. My hubby and I shared the apple cheesecake at the instance of the owner (who, by the way, made the rounds to every table and made us feel like we were visiting family!). Just take my word that you NEED some of this in your life ;-)

Checked this little gem out last night… Loved it!!!
It has a really laid back feel and the waitress (Joy) really lived up to her name! She was a sweetheart! They have a pretty wide variety of beers and wines and the food is super delicious! Amazing baby backs!
Stefan (the owner) came over and said hi and had a nice chat with us… He’s so funny and so great!
This place is definitely still getting going, they’re very very new! But everyone has to start somewhere and I tell you what, they’re going places. :) check ‘em out!
Oh yeah, super reasonable prices!!! Especially for how amazing the food is. And perfect portions!
We’ll be back!!!

As with many new restaurants, this one is struggling to get it’s feet under it. A chatty and charming owner (Stephan) eases the slightly longer wait for our food by bringing us a treat– gratis. It was a delicious catfish with caper sauce. We truly enjoyed our entrees– burger and brisket. The star of the dinner for me was the green bean side dish. I feel slightly nuts saying this but these are the BEST green beans ever.
My advice– go when you have plenty of time for a leisurely dinner. Have one of the many beers on tap. Enjoy the fun atmosphere Stephan creates. Do not pop in for a quick bite– not until Porters gains it’s footing! Just take time to enjoy the good!