Coop’s West Texas Barbeque

Great Barbeque! I am from Virginia so I’ve been to my far share of barbeque places, this one tops the list. Great meat and the sides are delicious-​mac n cheese and greens were on point.

Best BBQ in San Diego. True Texas BBQ. Specials daily. Old fashioned hospitality. The pulled pork is fantastic

Best in San Diego (or Lemon Grove as far as that goes too!)
Coop’s is my favorite bar none, whats good on the menu? EVERYTHING!!!

I loved almost everything about this spot!
Very friendly staff!
I had the brisket which I loved!
Greens were on point, yams were extra tasty, and Mac and cheese was yummy!
Sweat tea was sooo good too!
My one and only complaint… Sorry to say it… Lol but the big ol slice of corn bread that I was so excited for… Was terrible! Just dry and no flavor what so ever!
Anywho, I demolished my plate!
I’ll be back again for sure!

GREASY. OVERRATED. Not recommended.
Drove out from Clairemont to experience a well-​rated, true Texas bbq place. The parking lot was a bit tight so I recommend just finding a spot on the street. The boy and I came at 2pm on a Sunday– which is prime time for the local after-​church crowd. This place is a no frills, hole-​in-​the-​wall kinda joint. It was busy busy with 3 booths, 1 large table and then 2 smaller tables– all taken.
My table-​getting technique was as follows: I hugged the wall & just watched ppl eat. When I saw a couple finishing up, I walked over and asked them if I could have their table when they finished. Sure enough, we got a table within 5 minutes (we got lucky). The dine-​in situation is a bit nuts. It is 25% luck, 75% dependent on kindness, creativity and TIMING.
POST-​MEAL review:
The brisket plate came and looked delicious. The smell in the air did not disappoint. However, the meat itself was almost ALL FAT. I kept having to spit out gristle into my napkin, until finally I just stuck to eating the sides. The mac & cheese was fantastic and the coleslaw was also great. Cornbread was only ok (dry). Total cost came to $ 21.52.
If you come here, go crazy on the sides but be careful with the meat. Our brisket was TERRIBLE and since this is a bbq place I gotta dock stars for that.
Cannot recommend. Will not recommend.

**If you are looking for the best bbq in San Diego, go here. Don’t go to Phil’s. You don’t even need to read the rest of my review. Just go here.***
I’m not sure why this is called «West Texas Barbeque.» I’ve had bbq from eastern and central Texas, but I didn’t really find any toward the Western side. Despite that, this was very good barbeque for anywhere (and that’s saying something because I’ve had some pretty terrible bbq in San Diego).
The brisket was juicy even though it didn’t have much fat. I’d definitely get it again.
The candied yams (Sundays only) were awesome! So sweet! My boyfriend loved them so much that he would barely share any with me.
The baked beans were interesting, but they might not be everyone’s thing. They had an unusual spice in them that I couldn’t identify. The small portion was too much for me.
The peach cobbler was basically soup that tasted like play-​doh. I’d recommend skipping it.
The mac and cheese was good, especially when compared to other places. Usually, mac and cheese at a bbq joint is horrendous. It was a little peppery here, which I enjoyed.
The corn bread was okay. I didn’t see any butter/​honey for it though, so it was pretty dry.
The tables have three bottles of sauce on them: sweet, normal, and spicy. I liked mixing sweet and spicy. The sauce was extremely thin though. I’m used to thicker sauce in Texas.
Overall, this is the best place to get bbq in San Diego. Is it the best anywhere? No. But I’m confident that you will not find better bbq here on the coast.

Great ribs!!! Ribs so tender and moist! Gonna come back! It gets off the bone and it just melts in your mouth… The side i picked are potato salad and it’s really good taste, not too strong taste and coleslow taste so fresh.

I have never had authentic West Texan BBQ. I went in to Coop’s with zero preconceptions of how it should taste except for, well, hopefully delicious. And delicious they were!
We visited on a Sunday afternoon, but there was already a line to the door. It is a smaller establishment with probably around 7 or 8 small to mid-​sized tables. I waited for a few minutes before I was helped at the cashier by a nice gentleman with beautiful blue eyes (or «BBE» for short). I checked in on Unilocal for the $ 2 discount off any combo plate, but was advised by BBE that it is valid only on the 1 lb plate offering. Gone are the days where I can inhale 5% of my body weight in one sitting, so I gladly took the ½ lb plate. Maybe we will take advantage of the check-​in offer next time by sharing the larger plate, but for our first visit, we wanted to try different meats. I thoroughly enjoyed my brisket and snuck some of my dining companions’ food.
Now let’s talk about the sides. The potato salad I got was pretty good, but the candied yams are stellar! They are available only on Sundays and now I know why. Normally, I lead a pretty healthy lifestyle and diet, but these decadent yams are TO. DIE. FOR! I literally closed my eyes when I took my first bite to savor the pillowy sweetness enveloping my senses. Like, I wouldn’t even be mad if I gained weight from this stuff. I wouldn’t be mad at all.
Would I rate this better than the wildly popular Phil’s BBQ? Probably. I like Phil’s just enough to recommend them to visitors but thoroughly enjoyed the no-​nonsense vibe I got from Coop’s. Lemon Grove is not my usual nesting ground, but this place makes me want to visit more often!

My husband and I just left Coops. The argument was their Briskets better than his, our friends. It was so tender, full of flavor. If you haven’t tried it make the drive. Come on in the food is fine!
Now if it was my daddy’s brisket

I walked up around 1045 and there was already a truck of Navy guys waiting by their cars for this place to open. At exactly 11 on the dot they opened and people came from who knows where creating a line of already 10 people. I believe I only stayed 20 minutes to sample my pound platter of brisket and ribs, double corn bread and potato salad. I recognized Coop from the photos, and he was in and out unloading inventory for the shop. He was sure to smile at everyone and make sure everyone was being taken care of.
The food. My brisket was a little saucy, like it had been smoked dry and had some au jus poured over it. The bark was thin, but the smoke rings were a vibrant pink. The brisket was thinly sliced, so I couldn’t get that pull apart texture I was looking for, but it definitely was tender as I stuck my fork in it and it already began to break off. The ribs weren’t fall of the bone tender, but they weren’t tough to bite either. I felt the flavor of the ribs stuck out more than the brisket. The cornbread was a perfect median to the soft/​moist yet crumbly texture, that didn’t leave my mouth pasty dry after each bite. Lastly, the sweet potato pie! Tbh, that’s the reason I came here. I haven’t found a place with sweet potato pie in San Diego and was trying to satisfy a painful craving. The sweet potato pie here is pretty good, it’s orange and resembles pumpkin pie and even has a similar Thanksgiving warmth in the taste. The slice is $ 4, but it is a pretty wide slice. If you have self control, it can be 2 servings! Overall, pretty good!

There were a whole lotta people coming though at 1:30 pm today! Almost standing room only.
These were some of the NICEST folks that I have ever seen at a restaurant, I mean, make you feel welcome, and for that, much gratitude…
But…
It’s about the food…
Had the 1 lb plate, split brisket and hot links, coleslaw, baked beans and a nice hunk of cornbread… Pepsi to drink… for me and my buddy, who had the ½ lb brisket plate the total was about $ 37.00.
You will NEVER find me complaining about the price of ‘cue unless it’s awful, because it is so time and labor intensive… it just is… and this wasn’t awful… so the price was fair…
It was okay. There was a good smoke ring on the brisket, but the uniform consistency of the slice was alarming, like they cut it on a slicer, and the meat was TOO tender (yes, there is such a thing). Not sure how that was managed, but getting it on the fork was difficult… texture did not work for me. Flavor was good, not great… there was no bark to speak of on the brisket and that is a requirement.
The hot links suffered from the same issue… too soft. If you were toothless, you could gum them into paste… and they were DAYUM spicy. If you like WHOO! spicy, these are your links.
Coleslaw was the cabbage and carrot mix with some creamy dressing splashed on the top, not my thing, I like the veggies to marinate in the dressing some and get just a touch limp.
Pineapple in the beans was not expected and not to my taste either… it gave a crunchy, sweet profile when silky and soft was the order of the day.
Cornbread was dry and not sweet… rather bland… when I have savory cornbread, it’s nice to have it with a strong flavor, like bacon grease, or jalapeño.
Due to how many positive reviews this joint gets and how packed it was today, they are doing something VERY right for someone, but on this day, at this time, it wasn’t me… and I feel bad about it, because they were so nice… and that my friends is sometimes the life of an Elite Unilocaler… even if they are nice, you gotta write it like you experience it, otherwise, it’s not worth reading!
Real reviews by real peoples… that’s me… thank you and happy Unilocaling!

Slap my butt and call me Susie! This is authentic backyard que served with class. Most authentic bbq I’ve ever eaten. I will forever compare anything that I eat with coops. It’s like God himself decided Eden needed to be carnivorous and dropped mesquite smokers from the heavens and Adam and Eve ate till they both had food babies and thus the human race began.
I no longer budget to pay bills, I measure dollars earned in how many times I can go to coops. In fact, I’d rather work for coops bbq than cash, is amazing, better than sex, better than a winning lotto ticket, better than, well you get the point. This should be everyone’s first, second, and third stop in San Diego.

What a wonderful little hidden gem this place is! Right when you walk through the door, the wafting smell of barbecue sets you on your way, and you know you’re in for a treat. The Big Boy sandwich with brisket is absolutely amazing, and isn’t as big and un-​conquerable as it might sound. Friendly service that takes their craft very seriously, and it shows. This is excellent barbecue.

I took one bite of brisket and my first thought was «Get out of line at Phils.»
The hike to Lemon Grove is not only worth it, it is necessary. Holy moly dudes the brisket. There are so many things that can go wrong with brisket — too dry, too tough, too chewy, too fatty — and none of these were true. It falls apart, but not before you wanted it to; the fat melts in your mouth; the smoky flavor wasn’t dominated by the barbecue sauce. Unbelievable. The rib tips are also incredible, but the brisket, guys, the brisket.
The waitstaff is friendly and patient and the prices are decent, but I would sign over my first born child to a surly cashier for more brisket. Perfection.

Review for the Knockout Plate: choose 6 meats along with 2 sides.
The name really does what it says: you def knock out after eating.
This place is good enough for about 4 people. I’m not sure why my boyfriend and I thought we could handle it.
Candied yams (only available Sunday’s) were delicious. Great balance of spices and sugar.
Mac and cheese: pretty good Mac and cheese. U can taste the black pepper and there was cheese oozing out of it.
Pulled pork: one of the best pulled parks I’ve had! Super smokey and tender
Brisket: I love how they cut it in strips. Great flavor, super tender.
Pork ribs: u can definitely eat these without sauce.
Rib tips: same as above
Beef rib: didn’t try bc my boyfriend ate most of it. Also, i don’t care to eat beef ribs in general
Homemade sausage links: only available on Sunday’s. Damn good sausage!
We didn’t get to finish. We have plenty of leftovers. As soon as we are a ¼ of the combo plate, we definitely knocked out. So if u plan on staying awake I suggest drinking some coffee afterwards bc we didn’t do anything all day today (sunday). Lying in bed as we speak. just woke up from a 6 hr «nap»

It was great food, a TON of food, and very reasonably priced for what you get. Missed the 5 star because of the sides. We got Mac and cheese and greens and both were just so/​so. I personally wouldn’t get the sides again, other than the cornbread.
As for meats we got rib tips, brisket, pulled pork, sausage, and jerk chicken and ribs. It was great, and their sauce is fantastic!

I know Coops is proud of their 4 ½ star Unilocal rating (because they run out of some items before the end of the evening — they ran out of collards tonight ;) — but, I have to give 5 stars!
We ordered a combo plate with brisket, jerk chicken, hot link, rib tips, pork ribs and ½ rack of baby backs. We had baked beans, red beans/​rice, cole slaw, and tater salad. The sauce options (all on the side) were Texas, spicy and sweet. We tried everything — every piece of meat without sauce and then each of the sauces — the flavors were amazing. Many BBQ places end up serving meat that all taste the same — Coops serves up each piece of meat with individual seasoning and flavor.
We had a bit of a wait and if dining in, you may need to wait for a table — seating is limited, I think we got lucky with a booth. The wait was worth it — the line never seemed to quit. That’s a good sign when the place is packed.
Thank you Coops for bringing excellent BBQ to town! We will be back.

Stopped in on the fly to have lunch with my husband. So glad me did too!
I don’t know what to say that everyone else hasn’t already said. Amazing food, sweet hospitality, they have it all!
May be a hole in the wall but it’s defiantly worth stopping. I recommend the chicken, Mac n cheese & greens; yum, yum, YUM!!! My belly is very happy: D
Owner introduced himself and said they are expanding and going to add some true southern classics; fried chicken, old fashion hamburgers. It should be insane to be this excited about food lol

Quizá no sea suficientemente Texano!
Yo uso las costillas de res para comparar y evaluar BBQ. Muchos prefieren las de cerdo– lo sé– ni modo. Tal vez me recomendaron tanto este lugar que mis expectativas eran demasiado altas. Lo que haya sido, el veredicto es el mismo: Meh. No estaban malas pero demasiado secas para mi gusto y las demás cosas que probamos «ni fu, ni fa.» Quienes lean mis otras reseñas sabrán cual sigue siendo mi lugar favorito de BBQ en San Diego. Provecho!

5% off for military discount
$ 2 off with Unilocal check in
This place is expensive but worth it! The best bbq place I ever had. The taste is of home cooking. And the ribs are HUGE. With full of flavor and juiciness.
The shop is Very small, and pact. You wait in a line outlining the inside of the store and then pay first. There’s 3 small booths and 4 tables that seat 4.
My hubby got a Half slab of beef ribs, for a dollar more you can add side orders.
I ordered the pork ribs plate with 3 bones and 2 side orders and a piece of cornbread for $ 15. The Mac and cheese is a must! It’s sooooo good!!! And their greens is good also. It’s not as good as roscoes chicken and waffles but it’s good.
Every payday I will be sure to come back !

Embarrassed by Phil’s? Frustrated by SQUE? Perplexed by Cali Comfort? Do you really, really miss Barnes’ BBQ?
Me too.
But Coop’s West Texas BBQ disappoints me in ways that the County’s other poor performers don’t, because I’ve been eating BBQ from Coop’s smoker since long before they took the place over from Barnes’, and I know it can turn out superb Q.
Look at my photo: you’ll see that on a pork rib, Coop’s gets the bark and the smoke ring right. But that’s as far as the good news goes.
For some reason, Coop’s rib meat is not firmly wrapped on the bone. It falls away from the bone as though the ribs were boiled, steamed or perhaps wrapped in plastic while still warm. And Coop’s pulled pork resembles stewed meat, being so mushy that, last week, as an experiment, I gently placed a water glass on a small pile of Coop’s pulled pork that literally left a ring in the meat.
These textural issues could be corrected by adjusting cooking times and temps and by modifying methods of holding the meats for service. That’s just process stuff, the sort of thing restaurants work to improve all the time, and I’m sure Coop’s will eventually do just that.
But every time I’ve eaten Coop’s pork ribs, pulled pork or brisket, the meats have had an unexpected, unusual and unpleasant taste, like classic beef jerky, but not as sweet, and with something added that makes the meat taste funky, plus mesquite smoke, which to my Southern taste buds tastes a lot like creosote smells.
And that’s not even the problem. Here’s the problem: Coop’s chose these flavors, and they have no intention of changing them.
I get that whoever created the rub/​marinade/​wood smoke combination is wedded to their recipe. Kitchens run on pride as much as anything else, and the common understanding is that if you don’t like what a chef is serving, you can move on down the road. No sweat. I can smoke meats at home.
But what about people who don’t know any better? who think that Coop’s is what BBQ is supposed to taste like?
I’ve said it before: I wish I could take all of Coop’s (and Phil’s, and Cali Comfort’s, etc.) fans out to dinner in any of a number of cities around the country that take BBQ seriously, cities whose BBQ chefs have mastered the process and perfected the flavors. I’m no genius where BBQ is concerned, but I know from experience that this food can taste much better than the product Coop’s provides — regardless of which tradition is used to make it — and I’d like to transfer that awareness to my friends.
Though, thinking about it, if I showed my friends what they’re missing, that would make them dissatisfied with what, at the moment, pleases them, which isn’t a very friendly thing to do.
So, never mind. Coop’s rocks.
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Phil’s BBQ:
SQUE BBQ:
Cali Comfort BBQ: