T-Rex Barbeque Restaurant & Bar

I had been here before and the mac and cheese was amazing! This time however, the beans were NASTY, and the potato salad was TASTELESS! The nachos we just ok, and the baby back ribs were average. The drink (The Walker-​similiar to a tequila sunrise-​rum, orange juice, house infused strawberry triple sec, float of don q 151 rum) was good! The tortilla soup was a 7 out of 10. The music was all old classic tunes. Not sure it matches the BBQ atmosphere.

On the positive side
Great place to hang out! The food was very good. The Chicken and Waffles were excellent. The fried chicken had good flavor and juicy.
On the negative side
Only one bad thing — one of the cooks was speaking Spanish very loud to another. My wife and daughter are Spanish speaking. The cook was saying very loud explicit descriptions of a male’s genitals. He kept laughing thinking he was safe to talk so dirty. Many families with small kids within hearing distance. If only they knew what he was saying — disgusting! A big disappointment!

No wonder T-​Rex is extinct! The service absolutely sucks!
Or, let me just say «What service?» It was a beautiful day in Berkeley so we decided to enjoy a beer on the outdoor deck at T-​Rex. First, the place was half empty and the upper deck only had one guest out of 4 tables. When we asked to sit on the deck, we got an argument from the hostess, something about checking with the waitress. Finally, after some begging, we were seated on the nearly empty outdoor deck with a menu and a beer that we had to get at the bar. And that’s the end of my story. The waitress never said hi, never asked for our order, never offered to get us another beer… Another table was seated next to us but left after 20 minutes of being ignored. Don’t get me wrong, the waitress did service one of the tables on the deck, just not ours or the other new table. She came out, looked at us, and went back in. And it doesn’t stop there! I offered my feedback to the GM who could only say «At least the beer was good».
Our car was parked in front of the restaurant, just under the upper deck. When we left, the busboy briskly swept one of the tables on the deck knocking food debris onto our car! As if to say, thanks for dropping by, come again soon.
I don’t get it.

I’ve been here twice now and both times were amazing. The first time I was with co-​workers and we all pigged out. The interior is inviting, modern and feels very open, but the smell of barbecued meat and the large tvs still give it a casual sense. I ordered the dry rubbed baby back ribs which were great although I didn’t care for the potato salad and coleslaw it came with. Then again, I never care for that part of a BBQ dish. The bacon wrapped shrimp was fantastic and my drinks came out timely and pretty strong.
The second time I went, my girlfriend and I split the BBQ spareribs and again the food was phenomenal. They were super meaty and went well with the kale, fries and Mac and cheese we ordered with it. I couldn’t stop eating. This is definitely my go to for bbq. I’ve seen many reviews complain about service, but my service both times was great. The only downside is that you may leave smelling like smoked meat, but I consider that my way of bragging that I just had an amazing eating experience.
Go there hungry, leave there happy.

What a great server we had! She is honest and respectful. Full of positive energy. Maybe because of Saturday night we waited more than a regular amount of time to get our food but the server is really nice so we didn’t mind waiting. The kids burger was burned so we had to send it back. Second one was burned also but slightly less burned so we went with it. Caesar salad is really good. Of course the barbecue is the main attraction.

My family decided to try this place out on a Sunday afternoon. We were in the mood for some BBQ. We had never been there before. So we drove the 30min. to go. When we got there all they had out was their Brunch menu. No where on the website said anything that you can’t order from their regular menu and that they only serve brunch on Saturday and Sunday until 3. We were very disappointed. When we asked the server if they had the regular menu she told us that it was only brunch and then asked her if it said anything on their website and she just said that it haven’t been updated. Well Management… time to update it. The only good thing that came out of it is now we know where philz coffee is! HA!

My friend and I were looking for a dog-​friendly restaurant, and T-​Rex was listed as dog friendly on the Bring Fido app.
When we got there, we saw a woman sitting in the downstairs patio with a dog, yet we were told we wouldn’t be served if we sat there, that we’d have to come in and to the upstairs patio. We expressed our confusion with the other dog owner, who had clearly been served. But the hostess walked us through the restaurant to the upper outdoor section (much to my surprise, given dogs aren’t usually allowed inside restaurants).
Our server was quick with our drink orders, but not at all enthusiastic about telling us specials, to the point of going in to ask, and then disappearing for a long while.
The deviled eggs were pretty good, although the salad was drenched in dressing.
My friend and I had planned to split both our orders because we were having trouble deciding.
I ordered the pulled pork which was WAY too sweet for my taste. The potato salad and coleslaw that came with were passable.
My friend ordered the burger, medium rare, with garlic fries. When the burger came, it was as if they’d slapped it on the ass and ran it through a warm room. So rare I couldn’t eat it, and ended up giving most of the meat to my grateful pup. The fries were kind of sad and soggy, with a paltry amount of garlic.
Finished with the peanut butter silk pie, which was disappointing because there was no peanut butter taste to it.
As we left, the same woman was still on the downstairs patio with her dog, and had clearly been served dinner. They need to get their policy straight!
The portions were huge, which is good, for the price, but the quality was meh. I won’t be going back. There is much better barbecue to be had in the Bay Area.

A nice place.
Liked the atmosphere. Pretty relaxed.
My lunch was fine, not great, but fine. I had the eggs benedict,
I will go back and try some other items.

I ordered from their happy hour menu! Delicious fries, pull apart pork sandwich, and mac & cheese. Great vibe and good drinks too :) This place is easy to get to via bus as well.

They give you so much food 3 ppl ate off a large order of Kansas City Ribs and had leftovers… Jesus was a great Host!!!

This is my first one star recommendation. The food has really gone down hill at this restaurant. Ribs were dry and the brisket was dry. Shepard pie was okay as was the chicken tortilla soup. Service was terrible. Cornbread was dripping in butter and non edible. Nachos were a bright spot.
I would be shocked if it is in business a year from now.

The food was great came in box packages and tasted delicious. We ordered thru
and the driver forgot to include utensils however otherwise I’ll be sure to eat at T Rex again when I’m in town.

Service and staff were super sweet. Food was good. Shepherds pie was on point !! Wish the shrimp bacon came in more than 4 piece for the price. Good seating, nice view and great parking. Thank u again to Quin. She was a sweetheart

Average brunch food that you can make at home for half the price. Server did not get three orders correct. Had to remind multiple times and continuously ask. They ran out of mugs for coffee and served us with paper dixie cups.

The happy hour specials are good, particularly the brisket slider. Ok, I don’t really like anything except the brisket slider, but I really, really like the slider. Unfortunately, my friend and I got food poisoning after eating there last time. I hadn’t planned on spending Saturday afternoon in close proximity to a bathroom. Oh well.

Blah. I came here for brunch and I knew we were in trouble when I ordered coffee and when it came he did not bring a spoon or sugar with it and looked at me strangely when I asked for them. The service did not improve from there. The food was… Ok. Nothing nearly as good as the menu would suggest but passable I suppose. Blah.

Yes they are open! One of my favorite happy hour places. Great food and drinks, very cool staff — always remember my favorite cocktails. Full diners also very good but hard to beat the happy hour sliders.

Zero Stars — did not even get the chance to try the food. Walked in sat down ordered a beer. Waited 10 mins to get a menu. Finally the server came by again 15 mins later. She took our order. 40 Minutes of waiting. The server was to busy taking to her friends at the end of the bar to see how we were doing. Finally asked the bar tender, «can you check in our food. It’s been 40 mins? «He called the server over to the register. Finally called the server over and she says. «oh sorry I forgot to put in your order. I’m covering the dinning room as well .» Seriously you are going to make up some stupid excuse. Plus to top it all off. The place was not even busy .
Maybe if she was doing her job instead of visiting the whole time with off work employees sitting at the bar drinking it might help.
Never again .
Don’t even waste your time.
Hopefully the will close soon and we can get a real restaurant in the space .
Zero stars

I share the same feelings with my fellow Unilocalers. The food is tasty, mmmmm we ordered the Shepard’s pie. Cheesy potatoe topping, filled up with brisket goodness with carrots and onions. Soooo big my wife had to take half of it home.
Southern fried chicken tasted awesome, actually tasted like it was pan fried, not from the fryer. Perfectly sautéed kale with garlic on a bed of soft mashed potatoes.
Soup: it was cold, and awful. That was one failure. We asked for two bowls and they put combined the two into one bowl for us to share??? W T H
Service was by far the worst. Denis, if that is your name, as I can’t tell, you didn’t tell us your name, I got it from the check. It looked as though I was punching your face every time I asked for something you didn’t bring us. BOO for you.

Great food but their service is atrocious. They’re lucky I love BBQ food, because that’s the only reason why I’d come back here. It’s honestly a shame that their service is awful because they have a lot going for them: great ambience, cool vibes and a solid menu. Their entire staff runs around the restaurant like a chicken with its head cutoff, and one time the bartender asked me to «close out my tab» before my food even got to me (I also didn’t order any drinks, so I have no idea what «tab» she was taking about lol). They’re well-​staffed (numbers-​wise) so I honestly have no clue how a team of 18 people can deliver such crummy service… Management should really look into that.

Blech. You know the food is blech when you consciously decide to leave your doggie bag behind. The dining experience sucked too because it was freezing in the restaurant. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe the heater broke down or unexpected cold front but not unusual for November. It’s not very ladylike to scarf down your food for fear of it getting cold– oh wait it was already cold when it got to the table.
My hubs love brisket burnt ends– I guess their definition of burnt ends is literally burnt ends-​charred to the point of being inedible — most BBQ spots burnt ends are usually burnt on the outside but moist and edible in the inside. Not here– it’s literally coal with BbQ sauce. I tasted the pulled pork sandwich– mostly bread and shredded pork. It was ok. We also ordered the fam style Mac and cheese– the Mac was cooked well but the dish itself was bland. The fries was sparse oh man. I can go on and on but know this– I will not be back. Sorry T-​Rex, we tried and it was a $ 100 trial with no money back guaranteed.

Was willing & able today to give this place a 2^nd chance for lunch — however, despite hours listed on their website of 11:30 — 10:00, arrived to find lights out & a paper sign stating they’d open at 4pm. Had a lovely lunch at Spenger’s.

It’s true. They are NOT CLOSED. Somehow this needs to be fixed.
Hardly come here, but when I do, service is always great!
I love how happy hour is every day. Just have to catch times they have it. 3 – 6 & 9-​close I believe.
My fave for happy hour, is that mac & cheese, definitely! You can choose a half or full order. So yummy. Also, there is Caesar salad, is big! Really worth to get during happy hour too.
Drinks for happy hour are not my cup of tea. I think they are too sour.
Seatings are very spacious. There’s an upstairs.

Review for drinks only*
After my housewarming party, I came here on a double date. It was later in the evening, we were already pretty toasty, and had eaten. We all ordered cocktails. I ordered some «spicy» drink with jalepeno but it was hardly spicy, even after the waiter vamped it up with big talk on how spicy it was. After that, I stuck to mojitos, and they were great. It’s such a fun place I can’t wait to come back and try the food!

Are you guys seriously closed??? Branden! What the heck? We were just there on Halloween and again on Wednesday the 4^th of November. Now trying to come today, and Google says you are permanently closed! Please reply!
Denis with one N, the best waiter… out of a job?

Hubby and I decided to drive back to the eastbay after I ran the NWM in the city. We tried going to go to Assemble at Point Richmond but they didn’t open until 11:00am. I really wanted a beer after running a ½ marathon and all that I can find open between 10:30 — 11:00am was T-​Rex so we headed to Berkeley. First time at T-​Rex and there are two levels. Hubby wanted to sit on the 2^nd level to keep an eye on the car since his bike was in the back of my Subie. That area off Gilman is known for high car break ins! The beer selection was rather impressive, all local brews which I appreciate. I ended up ordering a glass of hefeweizen and the chicken/​waffles, hubby ordered their hamburger with a side of chips. The chicken and waffles were okay. I can tell the chicken wings would be something from their appetizer selection and just so happen to throw the chicken wings on top of waffles. Hubby’s burger was unimpressive and definitely not worth $ 15. At least I got to try T-​Rex. Service here was pretty good. I’d probably come back here if they have happy hour.

Great garlic fries, black bean sliders, deviled eggs (although its a very small portion). Mac and cheese to die for. Nice selection of ciders, draft and drinks. Pickles are too spicy for me @.@
Yay for happy hour, even if you only save a buck or two.
Big area with patio… and convinient parking that is never a problem. Solid service.
The BBQ smells amazing although I haven’t tried it… I’ll have to come by on a weekend meatcheat day.

I came here with my family. We were quite a large party and it took a while to take our order because half our party were late. Our waiter was extremely nice about it and checked in with us every 5 minutes.
The food came pretty fast and I was surprise at the portion of my food. I ordered the chicken and waffles. I received one regular waffle and 3 small chickens. I was expecting more waffle and larger chicken. It was still delicious though. The flavoring and breaded part of the chicken was yummy. It also wasn’t greasy! I was still hungry by the end of my meal so my bro in law shared his ribs with me and they were quite good! And big compared to my food!
I think the next time I go I’ll order something else or check out the place at night. The restaurant is extremely nice and loft like. A great lounging place.

Amazing! It has been a long time since a restaurant has blown my socks off. Thank you T-​Rex for rocking my world last night.
I knew it was going to be good when the party I was with couldn’t decide what to order, everything on the menu looked great. We ended up ordering starters– two orders of the deviled eggs (when I die and go to heaven all I want to eat are deviled eggs) and the nachos. My nieces devoured the nachos while I stuffed my face with the eggs.
Then for the main meal we ordered the brisket sandwich, three orders of fried chicken, two orders of the brisket, and a large rack of spareribs. The plate of spareribs was bigger than my seventeen year old niece! Each main plate comes with two sides. I ordered the green salad and the deviled egg (shocking, I know!) potato salad. Everyone in the party raved about their food choices.
Of course a night isn’t complete without dessert. Three orders of the pecan pie and an order of the pear cobbler. Let’s say that all of our plates were practically licked clean.
The cocktails were good and strong, and were refilled often!
T-​Rex was a great experience and we are looking forward to returning in the very near future.

Finally got to try their brunch menu! Great selection but quality is mediocre. Great portion size while still filling. Their bottomless mimosas also has gotten better. I didn’t have to wait too long to get more!
The crab cake benedict was filling but quite fishy. The trex benedict was filling, perhaps could’ve used more bacon. The poached eggs were perfectly runny but the whites seemed a little undercooked. Potatoes were greatly seasoned and lightweight crunchy.
Afterwards, the bf wanted more food so we ordered mac and cheese. Did you know they can add bacon, brisket, or fried chicken in the mac and cheese?! It was news to us too, so we ordered the brisket. Great additional flavor to the mac and cheese!
I loved our waiter and definitely had a better experience today than before. Service has most definitely improved.