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| Home | Memphis |
Kansas City |
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Los Angeles & San Diego |
San Francisco |
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA –
First, before you read any further, you
have to understand that the best BBQ in California still isn't as good as the
worst of Memphis, Kansas City, and Texas. Probably because most places in
California seem to use oak... although mesquite, hickory, and fruit woods give
more flavor to the meat. Oak also tends to burn hot... good
for fast grilling, bad for slow smoking. So, positive reviews are relative
to other California 'Q.
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Bludso's
B-B-Q (www.bludsosbbq.com
and
Yelp)
deep in the heart of Compton is a complete hole-in-the-wall... no
tables, just a counter with space for 6... and it has the best Texas-style BBQ in Los
Angeles, and probably in all of California. The reviews on Yelp
are off-the-charts... and accurate. Pork ribs, thin-sliced brisket, and chicken were all very tender. Pork shoulder was sliced, not pulled/chopped. Beef ribs are only available on the weekend. The pork sausage was great, but the beef sausage was a little dry. This is Texas-style BBQ, which means that it's not all about the sauce... the meat has to be good enough on its own. And it is, with a great rub, and smoked over a combination of oak, pecan, and apple woods. That said, the sauce – served separately – is great too. All the sides are made from scratch in-house. The beans were particularly good, with bits of brisket in it, but the cole slaw and potato salad were just standard. The peach cobbler was very good. $28.50 gets you a sampler platter of all of their meats, which can easily serve two people for two dinners, and there will still be plenty of leftovers. Best in Los Angeles for "Dry BBQ" and Best in California if you factor in price. |
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Jay Bees
Bar-B-Q (www.JayBeesBBQ.com
and
Yelp)
in Gardena is a hole-in-the-wall... no indoor dining, just
four picnic tables outside... and definitely worth the trip to almost-Compton. Jay Bees is run by the sister of Jim Neely (as in, Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Q in Memphis) and she uses his rubs and sauces. Fall-off-the-bone pork ribs, slathered in sauce. Very good beef ribs, pork shoulder, and chicken; brisket was slightly dry; no BBQ spaghetti; desserts were sold out. $18 for two.  Watch
Jay Bees Bar-B-Q
clip from "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."Best in Los Angeles for "Wet BBQ." |
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Phillip's
Bar-B-Que
(http://www.wix.com/phillipsbbq/menu
and
Yelp). There are three locations
on the West Side; I went to the original one on Leimert Blvd. The pork ribs were very tender, almost clean off the bone. Chicken
and brisket were very good but just a little dry. The meat had
excellent flavor, but, for the first time, a BBQ joint wouldn't tell me
what kind of wood(s) they're using! The shredded pork (not pulled)
is served only in a sloppy-joe style sandwich; okay, not great. Be
warned – even the medium-spicy sauce packs quite a kick. Excellent
value; $26 bought enough for 2 dinners and a lunch. Note: take-out
only, absolutely no place to eat. Although you can eat
standing up in the parking lot with takeout containers on the trunk of
your car en route to LAX and attract some strange looks. I'm just
sayin'.
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Baby Blues BBQ
(www.BabyBluesVenice.com
and
Yelp) in Venice serves up Memphis-style
ribs, which means a dry rub and a wet mop of sauce. Yummy.
The meats are smoked first with hickory and apple wood, and then
reheated on a grill before serving. Not the "purist" BBQ, but
still very tender. Brisket is shredded, not sliced, which is
unusual but still very good. Grilled shrimp are good, but the
catfish was dry/overdone. Baby Blues is a little on the pricey
side; $30 for two. There's a new West Hollywood location too but I haven't been to check it out. |
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Woody's
Bar-B-Que
(www.WoodysLA.com
and
Yelp) in Inglewood. Excellent sauce. Really, really
excellent... tangy and flavorful, and 3 levels of spicy. The
meat, however, was mixed. The ribs were a
little tougher, and the chicken a little less tender, compared to Jay
Bees. But the brisket
was better (not as dry) and the pork was really good. Cobbler
filling was artificially sweet and the topping was soggy. $22 for
two. Paraag Lal makes his second appearance
as Dan's LA BBQ Buddy. Update: A return visit was somewhat disappointing. Everything was good, but nothing was great. I was hoping to convert my friend Angela – up visiting from San Diego – to a BBQ hound, but I don't think Woody's did the trick. Next time I'll go to Pasadena, Anne, I promise. |
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Dr. Q Fine Bar-B-Q cuisine (no website; no Yelp) on Crenshaw. I stumbled upon this place on a Sunday when Phillip's was closed, and it was pretty good. The meat came off the pork ribs fairly clean. The links had a bit of a kick, and the brisket was very tender but nothing special on the flavor. All of the meat was swimming in sauce that was good, but drowned out the apple wood smoke; I would order sauce on the side if I were there again. The homemade cole slaw had a peppery touch, and the baked beans had brisket and pineapple for a nice tang. Prices are quite reasonable; only $13 for a 4-meat combo. |
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Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que (www.LucillesBBQ.com and Yelp) in Torrance, Long Beach, and other locations. We went to the Torrance location. Lucille's is, well, "standard"... everything was good across the board, but nothing was outstanding. Lucille's is more upscale/family restaurant... definitely not a hole-in-the-wall. The waitress was friendly and helpful; service was excellent. $28 for two. |
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Dr. Hogly Wogly's Tyler Texas Bar-B-Que (www.HoglyWogly.com and Yelp) in Van Nuys. Disappointing. The restaurant uses a combination of hickory, cherry, and oak, so the meat had decent flavor, but everything was tough and dry, especially the beef ribs. Instead of pulled pork and sliced brisket, both were cut into 4" diameter circles. For leftovers, the waitress just put her hand into a plastic bag, grabbed three different meats all together, and tied it up, like a fish market. Avoid. |
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Mr. Cecil's California Ribs (www.MrCecilsCaliforniaRibs.com and Yelp) in West Los Angeles. Overpriced, and not that great. Avoid. |
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– SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA –
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Phil's
BBQ (www.PhilsBBQ.net
and
Yelp)
may have the best damn baby back ribs in California: perfectly tender,
and left absolutely clean bones. Angela wasn't the biggest 'que
fan after Woody's, but Phil's taught her the pleasure of pork.
Phil's doesn't have brisket, but they do have deli-thin sliced tri-tip
("El Toro"), which is awesome. The chicken was tender, and the
sides were good too. Phil's uses mesquite for a great smoky
flavor. $75 fed four to absolute capacity. Watch
Phil's BBQ clip from "Man vs.
Food: San Diego." Best pork ribs in California. |
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Here's a website I found focusing on SoCal BBQ:
http://www.bbqjunkie.com/
Video clips are for
teaching and research purposes, 15 U.S.C. § 107, and promotional use only.
These reviews are my
own opinions. I have received no consideration, monetary or otherwise,
from the restaurants reviewed here.
