50 Best Barbeque Restaurants near Lemon Grove

“The food and service and always amazing!!! And so got to meet Mr Coop himself today!!!“

“I recently visited Xinjiang BBQ, and it was a fantastic experience! The restaurant has a warm and welcoming atmosphere, perfect for a casual night out with friends or family. The staff was friendly and attentive, offering great recommendations and ensuring we had everything we needed.

Food: The menu offers a wide selection of skewers, from classic lamb and chicken to more unique options like grilled prawns and vegetables. The skewers were all grilled to perfection—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and packed with flavor. The highlight for me was the lamb skewers, which were seasoned just right and had that authentic smoky taste that’s hard to beat.

The restaurant also serves some great side dishes, like refreshing cucumber salad and crispy flatbread, which complemented the BBQ perfectly. Their homemade dipping sauces were excellent and added an extra layer of flavor to the skewers. If you’re a fan of spicy food, definitely“

“I rarely come to this area due to no parking along 30th. You’ll have to snatch one along the side streets in the residential area.

It was well worth it and be sure to call in to make a reservation. They don’t have on line version.

We each ordered our own plate but had a chance to sample all. Four of our six items were their signature items, circled on the menu.

We ordered a mixture of pasta and meat dish. 3 of us had placed our order while the 4th came late but surprisingly, all of our dishes made it out at the same time! Kuddos to the chef!

-Arugula salad: refreshing

-Beef cheek pappardelle: my fav type of pasta. It’s handmade! The beef cheek was the winner in its tenderness.

-Picanha steak (the entree): this was a preset entree with your steak smothered in a mushroom topping. Although you could sub out your sides.

-From the grill choose 3: I chose picanha steak, peperonata which is a stewed vegetable dish, and bell pepper chimichurri sauce. I expected more from the sauce, it was mainly bell peppers.

-Pistachio Campenelle: very nutty and cheesy, the pancetta was really thin and almost dissolved

-Eggplant croque (4 pieces): I was getting full from eating 2!

The picanha steak is on the menu twice. Both same price. Once as a pre set entree where your steak is topped with a mushroom sauce.

If you choose picanha from the grill list then it’s just a plain steak and you pick your sauce and side.

I have to say, I enjoyed both. I ordered my plain steak medium yet it was more tender than my friend who ordered medium rare from the entree version. Both of our cuts were extremely chewy. Although more fatty, the skirt steak might have been a better choice.“

“great food and BBQ sauce 🙂“

“It was my first time there food was amazing!“

“Loved everything we got tonight, the chicken sandwich, pulled pork, amazing! So were the fried Mac and cheese balls!!!!“

“One of our family's favorite places to eat and celebrate! Food is fantastic. I recommend it to all my friends.“

“Papalo is my new favorite restaurant! Everything is delicious! Five stars!“

“Our boy is raving about u guys!“

“Every time we’ve gone, the food is good. They also have a good choice of craft beers on hand rotating. The service can be either really good or really bad. They have forgotten about us and left us waiting for a check for 40 minutes. I ordered a hamburger with two slices of cheese, when they served it the hamburger only had one slice. I asked the waitress if she could just take it back and add another slice of cheese. I am more than happy to pay for it. She blew a huffing sound, shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes and said whatever and walked away with the plate. When she brought it back, she sat the plate down and said, “Do you have enough cheese now”. My wife and I have actually enjoyed going to this place, but that waitress has turned me off for a while for sure.“

“LuckyFlip Brand U Need Furniture? Take a Wild Guess ? The owner Proprietor Mr Eddie is a US Air Force veteran buy from him obviously hello Mr furniture since 1977 is there anywhere else you want to go to that has that kind of credibility huh nobody tell him Michelangelo sent you and tell him that I'm not going to take that against him LOL nothing wrong with being an Airedale that's for sure thank you for your service Mr Eddie! 9092447310 Call for more MERCH! #veterans #merch #filipino #asianbulldog #englishbulldog #smallbusiness“

“Overall, this La Mesa location it’s not too bad. It’s pretty good. The barbecue beef again. This is a college area and yet this one in La Mesa beats the one located in La Jolla so something‘s going on over in the expensive area where they’re cheating the value or the quality where you have El Cajon and now here in La Mesa much better quality service is pretty good in the atmosphere. It’s it’s giving me that Hawaiian vibe a little bit so watch out expensive living areas you gotta pick up your game and stop being cheap.“

“My new favorite kbbq spot in San Diego! The meats are all great quality, melt in your mouth. Loved the skirt steak, prime cut, short ribs, and the marinated beef. The ny steak was also good but I preferred the other meats. Over all just really tasty, the charcoal really makes a difference in the flavor and it cooks quickly too“

“I love this place , The Beer is good and cold ! The Brisket is the best for me , nice and juices, never dry w/ just a touch of char that gives it the best taste ever ! The portions seem like there smaller but I blame covid and all the other things that have gone on in our country, like the cost of living anymore is getting bad, we feel it and I'm sure the management feels it to ! And trust me ,Phil's is good but, Cali has it beat hands down !
Thanks you guys !“

“I picked up some ribs and a sandwich for dinner last night and the food was awesome as always. Portions were big enough that I had leftovers. Corbin O'Reilly and Vince always make me feel special!“

“Took a wrong turn on the freeway and that lead us to this place. We had been wanting to come in and took this as a sign. We went for the two meat meal- brisket and pork ribs with bbq beans and cole slaw. Delicious!! Brisket was fork tender and full of flavor, pork ribs were seasoned perfectly and just right. The baked beans and slaw were just as good. We liked that they let you put your own sauce on. The tables have their house made sauces, bbq and a bbq mustard. Both fantastic! They have beef ribs but only on Sundays, so we’ll need a return trip( oh darn!) Definitely have some new fans here. Oh and worth noting, we got one meal which was plenty for the two of us.“

“I haven't had BBQ this good in San Diego. If you are craving legit smoked meats this place is awesome. service is as good as the food.“

“Man I’ve been coming to this place for years now and even still it never ceases to amaze me.

Let’s just get it out the way, the food is great high quality for such a reasonable price. That’s something you just can’t find these days in San Diego. Sure there’s other BBQ places that some may say have better BBQ, but Phil’s is a staple to San Diego just like Hodads (who also some could argue there are better burgers here, but they will never be Hodads).

Once my daughter Turned one years old, I took her here on a little father and daughter date. She absolutely loves the french fries and most days likes the rib meat from the ribless tickler ( beef rib meat without the bone, easier to feed daughter). With a decent tip we both leave happy and full for around $20 depending on tip and it “da-da” gets a beer or not… which also they have insanely good drink prices ($5 rotating beers monthly, and not bud light but good ass beers).

Today was an especially good when it comes to the service. Our food buzzer was broken or was the wrong one or something like that so we waited a little bit longer for food than normal. Samuel (god I hope I remembered this name right) noticed my daughter and I waiting and figured something was wrong. Totally helped us out. He then, super intuitively asked if I wanted a separate plate for my daughter, and a kids cup full of water. He also brought back plastic utensils for her to play with which she loved.

After all of that, I find out that Samuel is 19 and doesn’t have kids of his own. That dude is on fire and is super intuitive and on his mark. I don’t know when he gets paid, but I can tell you right now if I Own the company I would hire him in a heartbeat and pay him as much as I could physically afford. He is one of those assets to companies that’s so many bosses oversee.

I recently lost my job, And with the new job having hard times to catch up on bills. these are rare times I can take my daughter out now. I would tip this guy $100 bill if I could. And one day when I get back on my feet I will. Keep going strong, sir. You are a beast and you will succeed at everything you do in this life with the attitude and work ethic that you have.“

“Best barbecue I've ever had in my life - definitely make sure you get there if you're in the area.“

“How much fun! Great selection of meats and sides, some you wouldn’t expect like tortillas, cheesy corn, cheese fondue and French fries. Try the brisket and spicy chicken, you won’t be disappointed. Pricing is reasonable for all you can eat, so come hungry and get your money’s worth.“

“Yumm. No cayenne heat in the sauce which I appreciate, just flavorful spices. Idk if there is cayenne or not it’s just not hot. Liked potato salad and loved the beans n fries.“

“the beef sandwich, the pork ribs, hot links, the chicken and the sides“

“We ordered lechon and it was so good! The skin was crispy and sesoned very well! Their home made sarsa was the best! 💕 we will be ordering again soon!“

“Good food great customer service fast my go to for Kbbq“

“Family friendly, delicious, flavorful entree's, full bar, quality entertainment, parking, a destination in North San Diego, Oceanside!“

“Our boy is raving about u guys!“

“There is a wait if you go inside the restaurant but it’s worth the wait! I ordered the Sampler plate the #1 it had a big portions of each item everything tasted delicious the cornbread was moist and the garlic bread was toasty. The fountain drinks they sell there taste really good 😌 I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes bqq 😋“

“awesome food. highly recommend“

“I always like great ribs and like coming here but unfortunately today's service wasn't very satisfying no side orders drinks no eating inside I can't give a great review until you fix this easues 🤔“

“Second time here and it's still amazing. They have great service and are very friendly. I love how they keep asking you if you want more. I think the prices are good for the quality of the food . I love their steaming egg pot it has great flavor. My favorite bbq place.❤️👍😊“

“Sushi is DELICIOUS! Customer Service is Awesome! Place is Mellow and Relaxing and very Enjoyable!“

“Very lively place. There are some fun games to play on one side and the other side has the line dancing. The bartenders are usually pretty attentive. There's a $5 cover charge, but if you sign up the night before, you can get on the list to do the free line dancing lessons and get in for free.“

“Koms Barbeque is good ?? ribs taste so good leaves that good good grill flavor in your mouth I get sauce on the side cause I love that grill flavor and the Owners Mrs Kim and Mr Wilbert is very friendly and her peach cobbler is EVERYTHING I recommend you give them a visit if you want some Real Barbecue thank you Kims Barbeque See you soon“

“This is a “Great Spot For A Brat” when at Petco Park watching a San Diego Padres Game. They offer Sauerkraut or cooked Onions also on a tasty bun. Condiments such as 2 types of Mustard is available and Ketchup. Napkin dispenser is available. Service is good. They could be friendlier. I recommend the Bratwurst Sandwich, too bad you can’t get the fries at one time. They told me to go somewhere else for the fries. I ended up changing my mind like some people and didn’t get any ($7)“

“The food is a 10. Fresh, cooked to order and fast service ...“

“The only negative I have to say is the location. However the food was great. I got the short ribs. The meat was tender. My partner got that katsu and it's the crunch that gets me. Delicious. The Mac salad was good too. No weird after taste of fish oil that I've had at other places.“

“I wanted to try this spot but now I am worried if I take my wife and kids to this restaurant they could be assaulted in the bathroom by te owner and the staff will stand and smile. Plus multiple reports of failing food safety, yikes.“

“This has been my number one place to go to for the most delicious and most freshly cooked, roasted pig, regular, whole-roasted duck, and whole roasted-open duck in the whole San Diego county!! I also like their roasted pig feet and head!!😋 I have been going here for about over two decades. I have not tried their other dishes though. My favorite dish is their whole, open roasted duck!! It's really tasty and has a lot less fat than the regular, roasted one, but it still has the right amount of moisture and flavor in the meat, except the head. The duck head is sometimes dry if it is later in the afternoon. I usually get it during their first batch in the morning when they first open at 9:30am. The Cantonese lady who's also fluent in Vietnamese and English would always ask me if I want my duck to be cut. I like to watch her cutting the whole duck into nice bite sizes and all into a box nicely and neatly. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who likes the dishes I mentioned here!“

“Coffee, Smoothies, Salads, Burritos, Breakfast. You can really pick anything on the menu and it'll be good. But the Shack has always been known for their BBQ plates which are my favorite in SD. The wait can be long sometimes during their peak hours but its better to order online anyways.“

“I am so happy happened to walk by this GEM! $37.99( More choices) for each person and half of for children. The meat sizes are huge! The quality of the food is top notch! I am willing to drive from LA to San Diego just for this! I forgot to mention they also include a 6 oz Rib eye. Yes!!! I know!“

“I had the catfish and fries with cornbread it was simply amazing it was so good nice and hot fresh I'll definitely be back again and I will recommend this restaurant to all of my family and friends“

“Located near the sdsu campus, this location is accessible to students and community members alike. The food was fresh and the katsu had a delectable crutch that left a good taste in my mouth. The cashier was a kind soul that made our L & L experience one that we’ll never forget.“

“Fantastic service! Great prices. Loved the outdoor eating area and the vibe!!!“

“don't miss the May Ride Road Glide burger before the month is over! a portion of the proceeds from this burger goes to the Armed Forces YMCA.“

“Came here for lunch with my mom on a Wednesday. Normally, this place has no parking availability. The place is very small but cozy. But during lunch, there were plenty. Walking in, we were seated right away. You can tell how good a restaurant is when you see most of their customers were Korean. My mom ordered the kimchi jigae. She said the broth was very good but was very disappointed that she only had 1 strip of pork belly in the soup. I ordered the galbitang and it came with 2 large beef ribs with the meat so tender it fell off the bones. The broth was also very good that i finished the broth before the meat and noodles. This is a definite place to go to again and again.“

“Delicious food and great atenttion“

“Very good price for all you can eat premium waygu meats. Very simple and to the point menu. Only wish their sauces was a little better and they had one extra side like steamed egg or japchae. It's just missing one or 2 things that would make it excellent, but for the lunch price of $35 and dinner for $40 you get your value. The parking isn't too bad either compared to other spots in clairemont.“

“Amazing , Authentic and Smoked to perfection. Must try his Original BBQ sauce.“

“Good quality of meet, good customer service,“

“Las costillas de puerco súper ricas!! El mac and cheese con muy sabor, el lugar agradable y limpio, si regreso a probar más cosas del menú 😋“