The Barbecue Pit

Have been a customer since 1957! Still the best ever and always the same. They use quality meat!

I’ve come here most of my life. They are just so sweet and always want to know about how my family is every week that I come by. Their bbq sauce is by far the best and the portions are wonderful. Definitely a place I’ll never stop going to.

Awesome old school Texas BBQ joint. Has that 1950s diner vibe to it. Enjoyed the pulled pork BBQ plate with potato salad and Cole slaw

My family owns two BBQ restaurants in Kentucky (I just moved here), so I’ve been searching for good BBQ since I arrived in June. Tonight I stopped in for a pulled pork sandwich with baked bean and coleslaw, with a side of their house sauce. Best meal I’ve had in San Diego! If you’re searching for GOOD authentic BBQ, look no further!

A long time customer of this place founded in 1947. I just called and asked to order a Ham for a thanksgiving potluck at my office. The lady answering the phone at 1:45pm today (Monday) seemed to care less about my question on a ham pickup for this week. In fact, the women told me she could not take my order and to call back later. Really folks? I guess I’ll look for another Ham.
I hope their not under new ownership.

The food is better than Phil’s. The service is better than Phil’s. The people are nicer than Phil’s. Enough said.

The pulled pork is LEGIT. Flavorful and melts in your mouth. I love the old school laid back atmosphere. A dozen people came in after us and all of them ordered the ham, so I will be trying that next time.

Been coming here since I was a little girl! The people are very friendly and the food is amazing! They cut the meat in front of you and fry the French frys in front of you to so everything is nice and fresh! By far one of the best Bbq places in town. Not to mention they have a very open seating area with a lot of room. (:

Eaten here a few times never been disappointed. Will Be hitting this place up again next time I’m in the area.

Great place. The food is always good, and seldom disappoints. This place is very old school, with no frills.

I can sum up my review in one word.
LOVE.
The BBQ ham sandwich is the best. And the sauce. Yummy! I live right near Phil’s in Santee, but drive to The Barbecue Pit because of their delicious food.

Excellent food and decent prices. Family owned with that quality taste of home cooking.

Pretty good food, but wasn’t the best i’ve had. Place is clean, and I have to say the people are very friendly!

A very solid, old school, bbq pit. It’s almost a twin sister of The Wrangler Family Barbecue also in El Cajon. Not sure if it used to be part of the same chain or something. The food, prices, and décor are almost identical.
I got the #5. ham, beef, and ribs (can choose pork or beef (when available)) meal with coleslaw and beans, and a separate pulled pork sandwich. The best part was the portion sizes. They were definitely more generous with the portion size than Wrangler. I shared the #5 combo with my wife and we couldn’t finish it. We ate part of the sandwich because it was tasty but we had to take left overs. I rarely have unfinished food at a restaurant, so the portions were definitely big.
The meats were also very tasty. It was pretty fresh for the most part and I’d definitely come back whenever in the area and craving bbq. The roll tasted freshly baked as well.

Really good food hidden in a little unassuming Plaza. I would definitely recommend trying it!

Well what a lunch. My rib tasted like thay came out of a crock pot and the beans no flaver. The ham was ok fuck that this whole meal sucked. I’ve eaten here before and it was alot better what the hell happened.

I went there today for a late lunch. The people were very nice and customer service oriented. My beef ribs were huge and we’re ready very quickly. Parking is easy. They offer unlimited drink refills and have a big condiments bar. One of the best barbecue places in La Mesa!

This is real deal BBQ!!! Unique sauce. Gimme some beef ribs and pork ribs, oh yeah some sliced beef wet. I wished I lived closer to the place.

Cool old school place. Reminds me of being a little kid. Basic old school BBQ as well. Love they have pies and a fixing bar. If I’m in the area again, I’m stopping in for coffee and pie.
The BBQ is good here. It’s safe old school BBQ that won’t blow your socks off but will settle that BBQ craving. I got the chopped beef sandwich without thinking it through. Thought it was going to be a chopped brisket style and came out like a sloppy joe. Falls out of the old school bun too easy. Wasn’t the biggest fan of it.
Fries were dead on and the cole slaw was hurting. I liked it was clean and fresh without too much sauce. It was just to tart and didn’t taste good. I like this place. The vibe in here is the coolest part. You’ll always get a good meal especially for the price.

Solid BBQ, as always! I’ve been to BBQ Pit a number of times and have always been satisfied with their no-​nonsense, old-​fashioned approach to genuine BBQ. On a recent visit, I placed an order for a lunch meeting I was hosting at a nearby contractors’ office. I was expecting eight attendees, so I ordered three racks of baby back ribs, a pound of sliced beef, a pound of ham, BBQ sauce, cole slaw, baked beans, potato salad and bread. The total came to $ 125 — a bargain considering all the food I got.
Everyone raved about the food — it was hit and when you are trying to impress clients, having a memorable lunch goes a long way. The BBQ sauce was on the side, so make sure you grab some spoons so people can smother their meats. Otherwise, some of them can start to get dry pretty fast.
The staff was very helpful and friendly in getting the order put together on time, and they even helped me load it into my car.
If you do happen to dine in, keep in mind that place is practically a historical landmark in El Cajon — it’s old and it shows. But that old charm just adds to the homey feel you get when you’re digging into their good old-​fashioned BBQ.

This place serves up some pretty good BBQ. I had the BBQ Pit Beef sandwich with a side of their homemade macaroni salad, and their baked beans for $ 7 and some change. (
)
The BBQ Sandwhich was simple, especially the bread. The bun was a regular hamburger bun that left me unimpressed. They use beef shoulder which can be quite tough, but thankfully their smoking process allows the meat to come out smokey and tender with a decent amount of juiciness. (
) The sandwich came with a good amount of meat that was quickly basted and that was it. The meat had a nice smoke ring and tasted good. For my sandwich, I added some of their smokey BBQ sauce that came in a bottle. (
) I prefer it than their special house sauce that came with the combo in small container.
The Baked beens were descent but simply prepared. The seasoning was light and the sauce was very mellow. No strong BBQ taste nor kick. (
) The Homemade macaroni salad was very good and was my favorite thing of the whole meal (
). It was well prepared and seasoned. It had a nice balance of a beginning sweetness, and than a nice tang, at the end. Good Macaroni salad.
The service was friendly. There is no table service. You order and pay at a counter, and then your food is called out, and you pick it up and take it to your table. I am settling for a solid 3.5 stars.