phil’s bbq / san diego, ca

My friend, Laura, suggested we visit Phil’s BBQ one evening for dinner. A co-worker had been talking to her about bbq, and this inspired her craving for Phil’s. I actually hadn’t visited Phil’s BBQ since they moved from Mission Hills to their current location down in Sports Arena/Pt. Loma. It was a Thursday evening and we didn’t really think anything of it. She called me while I was still on the way over, asking if I was there yet. I told her I was almost there and she replied, “well, I’m in line. In the very, very back.” There aren’t too many places in town with lines this long on a Thursday night and Phil’s BBQ is one that is definitely worth the wait. The sign above did make us feel a little like we were at Disneyland, waiting to get on a ride instead of waiting in line to order our food.

I don’t remember how long the wait was, but it seemed to take a very long time. We finally ordered and grabbed a booth and not too long afterwards our food was ready for consumption.

What I remembered above my first visit was that I really liked the Onion Rings ($3.95), so I ordered up a “small” batch of those. They come with a side of ranch. They are SO GOOD. I craved these again the very next day. It’s a crisp batter, a little thick and the onions are moist and juicy inside and they don’t fall out after you bite into one. Just looking at the photo above makes me want to order them again…

I am a beef ribs kind of girl. I like meaty stuff and these beef ribs are super, duper meaty. They have a ton of meat on the bone with Phil’s BBQ sauce slathered all over them. The bbq sauce has got a little kick to it – but isn’t super spicy. They’re super tender and full of good flavor. Om nom nom! For some reason I thought I could eat more than one rib and got the Beef Rib Dinner ($13.95) which comes with three ribs and side dishes. I only ate one because these ribs are HUGE.

I got the baked potato with cheese, sour cream and butter as my side dish. I would forgo the cheese next time since I didn’t care for it too much. It’s a baked potato, you can’t really go too wrong with this.


Laura got the Baby Back Half Rib Dinner ($12.95) so she could have leftovers for lunch the next day. I actually ordered my own half rib (ribs only) to take over to Jake’s after I left (since I am an awesome girlfriend, I am repeating what Jake said). I just wanted to show you how delicious they look.

Everyone in San Diego knows about Phil’s BBQ. If you don’t, you should try it. If you don’t like standing in long lines, I’d order ahead if I were you.

Phil’s BBQ
3750 Sports Arena Blvd.
San Diego, CA
(619) 226-6333

Phil's BBQ on Urbanspoon


4 thoughts on “phil’s bbq / san diego, ca

  1. lol i love phil’s sauce…what i liked best though when this location opened up a few years back was that they served beer! i love their rings too. lolzees at the sign

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