Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

I was really happy to see that this place came to the community. I would always go to the one in Brea when I lived up there. They only get three stars because this location is laid out a little odd, it’s not the friendliest staff I’ve ever seen and they were out of ice cream one time I went. And I mean come on the free ice cream is half the reason you go. I consider Dickey’s a sort of fast food barbecue place but with restaurant pricing. I know it’s not this locations fault but for what you get it is way too expensive to come here regularly. I’m pretty sure if you just drop the price a dollar or so so people don’t have to spend $ 14 for a sandwich and a drink you would probably have a ton of repeat customers and make six times the money. If it was the greatest barbecue in the world that would be another story but you’re next to a Starbucks and a bank in a cookie-​cutter building. Let’s make this community great again and give us a great place for affordable barbecue!

I have never written a review but this place deserves it. I will admit the first time I had dickeys it got to me cold so I wasn’t able to enjoy it. However, I phoned the Laguna store at like 8:55pm and asked if they were still open. The gentleman asked where I was and I told him about 10 minutes away. This guy so generously waited for me to come to the store and order my food!!! The rest of the staff had to wait as well and not only did he make my stuffed potato perfectly, he told me he gave me the biggest one he had and he wasn’t kidding, I ate it for two meals!!! I unfortunately did not get the gentleman’s name but want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was really craving your pulled pork stuffed potato and magically this man met my wish. Thank you it will never be forgotten and I now tell everyone to try you guys out especially the pulled pork and ribs, beans, potatoes and creamed spinach, all my favs!!!

I went there for take out one day last week around noon. I ordered a full slab of smoked ribs, a side of mac & cheese and potato salad.
The ribs were so good, they fell right off the bone. A full slab goes a long way. The mac & cheese was so good and cheesy-​creamy. The potato salad was also good. Forgot they had free pickles. I didn’t get any, but I did get a small ice cream on the way out; it was very good.
Forgot to add. The guy who helped us was very nice. He seemed to be the only one working. He prepared our food, rung us up and proceeded to take care of the long line of the noon rush completely unfrazzled.

This particular dickies is the best one I have ever been to in my life. Jose knows how to smoke meat and his knowledge is reflected in his product. He takes pride in his work and it’s always a pleasure to come and eat. You gotta go here if you love BBQ, it’s amazing.

Don’t go here. My friend took me here and got a salad with bbq meat and it Sucked. The salad was iceberg. All lettuce not much else. The meat was hardly enough for a small child. When I went up to the counter and said there is no meat on here! I paid good money. can you please add some more? He side no we use the same amount. ounces on every salad. Really? You are losing a potential customer for not making me happy that one day? You know the saying… the customer is always right. make them happy and they will come back… I will never go back. Waste of money…

I am visit Texas quite frequently and enjoy the BBQ out there. Dickey’s is a good place to cure my bbq craving but is not quite as good as those Texas BBQ Joints. So if you don’t go in with huge expectations you won’t be disappointed. Prices are reasonable and facility is clean and the soundtrack is Old School Country…

I don’t understand the negative reviews. My experience was somewhat different though because I opted to order online and pickup. …my preferred super easy walk-​in/​walk-​out and eat method.
I did notice the wall normal visitors walk up to for ordering. I have seen this at other bbq joints because of all the kitchen equipment in a tight area. This didn’t turn me off though.
There is a «internet/​phone order pick up’ sign above the register and laughed because I could get in front of the people trying to order and just pick food up so quickly and walk out.
FOOD…BBQ…deliciosa!
My pulled pork was tender, smokey and missing a few crispy edges that I prefer to have included. But it wasn’t dry as other people have stated.
The ribs were equally tender and melted off the bone. Perfection and award winning? NO. .A QUICK DELICIOUS BBQ FIX?! Yes. I’m sold.
Sides? Who cares. We want the meat! Seriously. Get the okra though.

When I had so many issues with the Laguna Nigel location and made numerous complaints and negative reviews the area manager gave me a $ 25.00 gift card, even though I spent over $ 200.00
He told me about all the problems this location has and that the franchisee might loss his franchise and that I should go to the Ladera Ranch location.
We did this yesterday and while the service was better, the same angry attitudes were there. Sadly to say the tasteless dry pulled pork and brisket was also here.
Stay away from this chain if you really know and enjoy BBQ or go to any other restaurant. We will never return.

LIKE:
–the baked potato casserole (side)
–the large yellow soda cups that I can reuse at home
–the free ice cream
DISLIKE:
–the order window. You have to talk to employees over a very tall glass window. I find this a little odd.
–the side (s) menu is around the corner from the order window. This doesn’t make much sense.

After finding plastic in our sandwich, we contacted management and they said they wouldn’t give us a refund until we brought all the food down. The fun began there.
Drove down Sunday afternoon as if I had nothing better to do. Started talking to management about our issue with plastic inside our food. These kids who run the store are giving me attitude about wanting a gift card. After being firm with them, another one comes up to me and says «Do we have a problem here bro.» His body language and tone was super threatening.
After wasting 40mins there, they couldn’t give us the refund on the spot. Refused to give us a gift card. Refused to call the owner. Bottom line everyone makes mistakes but it’s all about how you handle it. This staff is completely incompetent and cannot make a simple sandwich! BBB here I come!!!

I can’t stop dreaming about their buttery rolls. These things feel dense and heavy when you first pick them up, but after biting into them they turn into airy dough pillows slathered in butter :)
I think BBQ is usually on the higher end of price, but I thought Dickey’s was reasonable. I ordered the 2 meat plate with the Jalapeño Cheddar Sausage, and the Brisket with my sides being the green beans and the coleslaw. Everything we tasted was delicious. The sausage had a heat kick and the brisket was tender and moist. The green beans I loved, but if you’re not into the canned green beans, you won’t enjoy these. The coleslaw reminded me of KFC coleslaw, which was a good thing in my eyes.
They offer free soft serve in the back of the house. They also have good selection of BBQ sauces — you can try each and see which one is your favorite.

I’m a serious fan of BBQ. I’ve eaten it all over the Country, especially in the States and cities that are famous for it. I also own two pits, and make home and competition BBQ often, and have been doing so for almost three decades.
What I had here could not be called BBQ. Nope.
I ordered a pound of the sliced brisket, ½ lean and ½ fatty. There was absolutely no discernable smoke ring on all but one edge of one slice, which had the barest sliver. There was absolutely no flavor of smoke, or rub or any seasoning of any kind. The only aroma that came through was the faintly band-​aid smell characteristic of using poorly cured wood, or softwood. Yuck.
The meat was about the right texture, tender but not mushy, but was almost completely dry. I weighed my pound of brisket when I got home, and found that I had been shorted almost an ounce. Not cool when charging $ 13.95 a pound plus tax. I paid $ 15.07 out the door, and so they charged me for the full pound and shorted me almost $ 1 worth of meat. Not a good way to stay in business. They did throw in a scrap of fat that had smoke on one side that they called bark. Lol.
Speaking of business, when I stopped by about 12:20 the Phở place next door was packed, with a line out the door and groups waiting for tables. Dickey’s was nearly deserted.
And for good reason.

I don’t really like BBQ restaurants. I usually only enjoy BBQ or smoked meats from home, but when my coworker suggested Dicky’s, I placed my order.
HOLY DELICIOUS, IM SO GLAD I DID!!!
So.
Darn.
Good.
!!!
The brisket, green beans and pork ribs are sooooo delicious! I literally want to eat it everyday now, and drive the two hours to get there from my house.
The bomb dot com. Hella good.

Only came here because of the awesome grand opening gift card. Although I did walk away with buying some brisket and pulled pork
Waited in line for the grand opening for about 45 mins, BOOO, luckily I had an hr lunch. I’m a very picky eater, especially when it comes to bbq’s. I usually find that american BBQ’s are sweeter, the sauces and marinades. So I got ¼ lb brisket since it looked juicy and tender. Also got ¼ lb pulled pork.
What I noticed immediately was that the food was really smokey, I love it! All the people that complained about how smokey it was in the restaurant, who cares! The food is actually smoked in house and I rather have the food smelling smokey than not. I love the smokey flavor. Just make sure to go in the your crappy clothes and not your fine work clothes like I did.
Brisket: Some parts were tender and juicy, others were kind of dry. I tried these sans sauce since I was right, the sauce was on the sweet side and salty.
Pulled Pork: Downright dry. Ugh. yes I love how they are smoked to hell, but I’m not okay with dry meats.

There are a lot of uninformed reviews for this establishment. I lived in Dallas/​Fort Worth for 16 years so I KNOW Texas BBQ and LOVE it. This is my attempt to set the record straight. :)
1) Dickey’s is a FRANCHISED restaurant chain that started in Texas. They serve TEXAS Barbecue. All locations serve the same food whether in CA or NY.
2) The menus and ordering process are the same at every location. This is very typical for a Texas BBQ place! People writing negative reviews because of the menu being placed high on the wall (NOT 15 ft) need to get a grip!
3) Barbecue places are smokey — no way around it. If you can’t stand that, don’t eat here — it is not a «defect».
4) The BBQ sauce is NOT «all the same». I tasted all three and they all taste different as expected. Only downside is they come out of a CAN, so each restaurant serves the same sauce. This is how franchises work.
5) The employees were all very cordial to us. Don’t know what other people are talking about…
6) Now to the food (from a recent visit by my wife and I):
(a) The sliced brisket portion was a little small, but tasted excellent. Very tender. Small amount of «bark». If you want more flavor, you can add the sauce of your choice.
(b) The polish sausage was excellent — perfectly cooked and with a medium «bite». Portion on this was large.
© Ribs were outstanding — the portion again was two ribs (a little small) but tender and very flavorful.
(d) Pulled pork is absolutely great. Much better than what Lucille’s is serving these days. Very tender and cooked perfectly.
(e) Sides were a mixed bag — BBQ beans were just OK, baked potato casserole was very good, green beans were flavorful and mushy (how they are SUPPOSED to be), onion rings were excellent!
7) Prices are not cheap, but I think it’s worth it for what you get.
I hope you will try this place and ignore the negative reviews. I would give this place 4.5 stars if I could. We are so stoked that this place has opened up in our neck of the woods! Enjoy!

Don’t agree with the low ratings… went there today with the fam and it was delish! I ordered the 3 meat plate with Beef brisket, pork ribs and spicy cheddar sausage. All were very good and Smokey taste was just right. As a bonus, Kids eat Free on Sundays! Great value!
Service was good and place was clean!

Upon visiting a 2^nd time, and not during a hectic grand opening, I was able to make better observations.
I agree with other reviewers that the ordering process is awkward, confusing and unwelcoming. There isn’t an obvious menu when you walk in. I’ve been to a couple other locations and they’re laid out a lot better with the menu board immediately before and or above where you order. And that’s the next problem.
You have no idea where to order. And when they tell you where to order you look at them like they’re nuts. You basically have to stand and talk to a wall of their equipment as they stand several feet behind and try to see you and hear your order. They don’t have any combos or easy to follow menu items so you feel like your just putting together an a la carte meal. To top it off, the guy was rude treating me like an idiot for not knowing where to order. «Hey, jack hole, make it more obvious where the start of the line is!»
That leads to the next issue. The pricing is way too high for what you get. I ordered a sandwich with two sides and a drink and it was almost $ 14. Are you kidding me?! I’ve gone to great bbq spots, not chains, and I’ve paid way less for much better food.
The food taste is average at best with the bbq being fairly good, but the sides tasting like they all came out of a can.
Besides the knucklehead taking my order, I thought the rest of the staff was very nice and did their best. My suggestion is to either move the guy from taking orders or fire him.
I may try them one more time when I’m craving bbq, but if the experience is similar I will never be back. I don’t see them lasting unless they make changes. Every business that’s been in that space has failed and I don’t see this one being any better.