Review - Phil's B.B.Q.

OMG it’s good…Phil's B.B.Q.

Phil’s B.B.Q. has only been around for 11 years but it is already a San Diego institution. Phil’s originally had a small location in Mission Hills and there was always a line to get in. In 2007 they moved to a much larger location in Point Loma and there’s still always a line to get in. Once you’re a block away from the restaurant you’ll start smelling the wonderful smoke coming from the building so you‘ll have no problem waiting knowing that you‘re about to get some really good food. When approaching the restaurant from the parking lot you’ll find a sign on the corner of the building telling you there is a 21 minute wait from that point, just like Disneyland. You can watch the line before you get there on their website‘s BBQueue cam. We went shortly after they opened at 11:00 and the line wasn’t out the door yet but it was to the door but the line goes pretty fast. There is a copy of the menu board outside the restaurant to help you make your choice before you get to the order counter which helps the line move a little faster.

Once we reached the head of the line we were greeted by a friendly woman with a larger-than-life personality who explained how things work. First you go up to the counter to place your order. You’ll be given a pager which will go off when your order is ready. If you order a soft drink, you’ll be given a glass which you take to the beverage station and choose from a large variety of drinks including several iced tea choices, lemonade and of course a number of different sodas. All soft drinks come with unlimited refills. For those who want beer, wine or sangria you can order some in the bar. You can choose any table except the large tables in the middle which are reserved for parties of 5 or more. Patio seating is also available. Then you’ll wait for your pager to go off, but it didn’t take very long. By the time we got our drinks and settled in it was only a minute or two before our order was ready. Even though it’s mostly serve yourself, there was also a waiter who brought utensils and a plate for bones. The one in our section was very friendly and funny. The service here is just as good as the food.

The menu is extensive, offering several sizes of dinner plates featuring baby back or beef ribs and chicken plus sides. You can also order meat only without the sides. A variety of sandwiches and a couple of salads are also available as well as sides by themselves. Their servings are large but they also offer Ticklers which include a smaller serving of meat, cole slaw, french fries and 2 onion rings (no substitutions).

What did I get?

I ordered the Baby Back Rib Tickler. The ribs are great and topped with a vinegary barbecue sauce. The fries are thin-cut but fresh and the onion rings are very crunchy and aren‘t overly breaded. The cole slaw was good basic slaw. Even though the Tickler is a smaller meal I was still stuffed when we left and I didn’t eat most of my fries. My roommate ordered the BBQ Broham. As much as I enjoyed my meal, next time I’ll probably order the Broham. The Broham is served as a sandwich, but you’re not going to be able to pick it up to eat. A huge pile of pulled pork is set on a bed of cole slaw and covered with BBQ sauce. There was a large bun included, but it can easily be left aside since there is so much meat and slaw. The pork was very tender and had a wonderful smoky flavor.

What's cool?

Even though this is a BBQ restaurant and their fries are thin-cut, they have malt vinegar on the table.

There are separate lines for to-go and eat-in orders and you can call your order in ahead for take-out.

The coolest thing though is the wash up station. You’re going to get messy eating their food and will need to wash up before you leave. Instead of having to squeeze into a small bathroom and wait for an open sink, they have a large, double faucet sink with soap and paper towels outside the bathrooms for those who just want to wash their hands.

Rating...The best BBQ I‘ve had in San Diego, and a good time as well.