Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

The bar-​b-​que was bad — my husband and I ordered a 3 meat platter. The ribs had the texture of being boiled, the brisket was all string and they serve sausage instead of links.
The absolute worst thing about this restaurant is it is FILTHY from floor to ceiling. Thick layers of dust are everywhere (including napkin holders) Air vents are black with dirt. Tablecloths are worn and frayed. Self-​serve areas have remnants of old sauce and crumbs (who knows how long they were there). I made two soft drinks out of the machine and then after looking at the VISIBLE dirt, thought better of drinking anything from the machine.
Despite all the work that needs to be done, the two staffers behind the counters stood around and talked with each other as if there was nothing to be done.
This is a franchise and someone should contact the headquarters about this disgrace to their corporate name.

My wife and I decided to try this place because we love BBQ style food, and have never tried «Dickey’s».
When we first walked in, we were impressed with the atmosphere and the look of the restaurant but then we discovered the horror of the actual interior past the front door. There was visible food and trash on the floors. Multiple tables had old food trays sitting on them still not cleaned up. Keep in mind, there was no crowd of people in the building and no line. The two workers even seemed to have time to sit in a booth nearby and eat, despite the terrible filthy mess that covered every corner! To add to the oddity of the staff taking time off to eat among the filth, they had a few unopened shipment boxes sitting on their table as well.
The self-​service areas that have soda and ice cream were completely dirty and covered in old spills and wrappers. The ice cream machine looked so dirty and covered with old dripping ice cream, broken cones and spills neither of us wanted any despite that it was free.
The self serve BBQ sauce looked like a spilled over slime pit that had not been cleaned in days if not weeks. The whole eating area from floors to ceiling was absolutely disgusting and we aren’t even picky, nor do we usually review food places.
Both of us ate our meal, the food was dry but edible. We both couldn’t help but be nervous of the sanitation of the kitchen while sitting in the uncomfortable dirty eating area.
My wife and I would only consider trying it again if we were sure that the place was clean and had standards like all other restaurants in town. I’m not sure if this was just an off night, or if the employees are not held accountable for keeping the place clean and sanitary.

We came in on a Saturday evening and ordered the picnic pack. The picnic pack came with your choice of meat, 2 sides and 4 rolls for $ 27. We ended up picking the beef brisket, green beans with bacon and baked potato casserole.
I like the fact that they have regular and spicy barbeque sauce but I felt the spicy wasn’t really spicy. Perhaps it’s because my tolerance for spice is up there.
The beef brisket and baked potato casserole were the best items on the menu. Brisket was cut thick and had a good smoky flavor to it. It was very moist and was great with the spicy barbeque sauce. The baked potato casserole was a good side. It was rich and creamy and had small chunks of potato. The green beans tasted like it came out of the can and the rolls were heavy and dense. Don’t waste your calories and carbs on the rolls. I’d rather have a slice of white bread and I don’t eat white bread.
Service could have been better. We came in famished and when they were preparing our food, I felt like it was taking forever. One worker packed all the food for us and it just sat there for a good 5 minutes. Also, when I was trying to get change, another worker needed to break a bigger bill and said, «I need change!» He took off for another 5 mins. That was 10 mins of getting our food and this is to go. Not sure if I’ll come back. It was just ok to me.

My experience here was good. It’s Texan BBQ, best served from a hole in the wall. They have more and better fixings than California BBQ places. Meat was moist. BBQ sauce is good. It feels so out of place having a southern restaurant in the bay area but it’s just like it was in Texas.

Don’t come here if you’re craving juicy saucy BBQ, this place will just disappoint you.
The potato salad tastes like literally only potato and mayo, no flavor.

I am actually going to give this place five stars because I don’t want it to go away! As a Texan living in the Bay Area, it’s been impossible to find BBQ that is anywhere near passable compared to back home. Even Gorilla BBQ in Pacifica misses the mark. So I was excited when this Texas chain hit San Bruno. Mmmmm MMM. Just like home. I have eaten here twice and catered a birthday party once. The quality is extremely consistent, the fried okra is crackling hot and the service has been excellent. If there were service issues before, I’m guessing they fixed the problem. Nice kids serving up reliable Texas BBQ. By the way, the plastic cups and the killer pellet ice is abundant, in the best Texas tradition. Put some sweet tea in that cup and reminisce.

Bbq doesn’t come cheap. but it shouldn’t come dry either!
Me and my dad came in to grab some dinner because we wanted to try this place out. We got it to go, so it could have contributed to why it was so dry when I got home to grub… but it seriously was so dry that I had to open a bottle of bbq sauce and coat it to be able to put it down. The only thing that wasn’t too disappointing was the polish sausage.
Definitely have had better. I’ll pass next time.

It does the job. Quality varies a bit depending on when you go, but if you find something you like stick to it. The meat is always a little on the dry side, but that’s because you’re supposed to slather it with BBQ sauce. I love the pulled pork, Wife likes the brisket sliced.
The sides can be hit or miss, but the Onion Tanglers are awesome if a little overly salty. Love the Mac & Cheese because it isn’t runny and the Potato casserole is good as well.
The down side are the rolls. Don’t know what it is about them, but they’ve got a boring «white bread sitting on the shelf for days» The ice cream for free is nice. I usually grab a sauce container and fill it up just because I don’t need a full cone’s worth.
I’ve had better BBQ in Texas, but, well, it’s Texas. While some people think it’s expensive it’s pretty cheap compared to places in San Francisco. I never noticed it being dirty like some people have mentioned and it’s a nice air conditioned place to sit on a hot day.

I used to frequent this chain when I lived in west Texas. There, the sides were always help yourself and you could see what you were getting. There were also a lot more choices there. The meat here is a bit on the dry side, slightly less smoky flavor and the buns don’t have to be buttered. The staff aren’t enthusiastic about the food as they were in Texas. The manager seems to run the place without much TLC. Tables are often dirty or taken up for business use (like a place to put orders they’re preparing to deliver or putting packages of napkins they need as refills, etc.), floor is greasy and it’s a little gloomy on the inside. However, the food is decent though not cheap and unique in that it’s rare to find Texan-​style BBQ (in California).

Wow, glad I didn’t read reviews prior to coming here or would have never made it here.
With a busy work schedule and lacking the energy to shop, marinate, and organize BBQ’s at the house these days, I’ve had difficulties in finding a decent much less good BBQ restaurant. With July 4^th falling on a Saturday, I was on a shopping run to Target and thought about this place. Dining at the Red Lobster across the mall, I grabbed a menu several months ago with intentions of coming here.
I tried to order a few meals to share with my parents and brother. Trying to order by phone, I got their answering machine so I went on my phone and ordered online instead. It was pretty efficient though some parts were a bit confusing with so many sides to choose from. I ordered two meals for my family to share for lunch while opting for a larger meal for myself, the 3-​meat plate for $ 15.50 before tax. My selection was ribs, cheddar sausage and Texas chopped beef brisket (
) and my two sides were barbecue beans (
) and waffle iron fries. There was a buttered roll included with the meal. Summary: Thumbs up for the ribs (came of the bone without utensils), brisket, sauce, and waffle fries. Beans were okay and the cheddar sausage was a bit odd for my palate; like my sausage with stronger or more interesting flavors and there wasn’t much bite texture wise.
It sure beats literally standing over the coals and waiting for food to be cranked out; especially when there’s no guarantee on whether it’ll turn out right… overcooked, undercooked, enough flavor?
Let’s just say that our Dickey’s meal made me want to patriotically salute an convenient and on spot barbecue meal for my family. Will be back to try other menu items but might steer away from the many sides that brought down the ratings for this place.

FILTHY!!! When we walked in the trash can was overflowing with flies all around it. The cashier was eating something as we walked in behind the counter. Then, as we walked up to the counter to order, the cook wiped his face with a napkin and stuffed it in his apron.
They were all out of ribs, pulled pork? I get they close in 45 minutes but damn. The only things they had were chicken breast, ham & polish sausage. My BF was going to order something but I convinced him otherwise. Their food handling is AWFUL and all customers should beware! I wish I could give them ZERO stars!

Got a $ 25 Dickey’s giftcard so we want to spend it somehow… and bbq sounded nice on a sunny Saturday!
But we were more than disappointed! We ordered their picnic pack with a pound of beef brisket, waffle fries and cesar salad (I gotta have my vegetables even at a bbq places: P). I was glad that I ordered the salad or else I would have left hungrily — there were only 5 strips of brisket, which were all dry and salty! I ate a couple small pieces of it and it already dried up my tongue so I had to stop eating it. The fries were pretty good and the rolls were served warm.
Sorry, not gonna come back…

The service was ok I was ordering from the lady and the cashier keep cutting in like she can’t speak… I order a rack of ribs .they were hard and not fresh an I had the spicy cheddar sausage the meat color and was, off

I was skeptical about this place because of the reviews but it was time for me to try it myself. It’s my first time here and I wanted to see what kind of tasteful food they have.
Once you enter you order your food then order sides on another section then the cashier register for you to pay. I kind of got confused bcus it was a small square. I was just gonna say my order at the front cashier but my bf said there’s steps to it. Which I really don’t give a damn.
I give 4 stars bcus everyone thinks it’s bad but I thought it wasn’t bad at all and I’m glad I tried it. But my boyfriend thinks the opposite.
I was not satisfied with the ribs. It was dry and idk I had better. But the brisket and pull pork was bomb. One less star for not having the brisket and pull pork hot nor warm. It was pretty cold. You get a big cup souvenir if u buy it, only if you want a drink. They have sodas and sweet tea. I wonder if I can bring it back again? Lol. Is it free refills if I go in with it another day? Probably not.
Free soft serve just vanilla flavor.
I thought it was a little over priced bcus they don’t give generous portions, but I’ll be back for the day deals they have. $ 10.99 for a full meal is worth it to me and its different meals every day.
rib plate — $ 16
2 meat plate — $ 13
And I’m just rounding by the cent up.
Staff was ok and the manager was nice or whoever he was he dressed like the manager. I had left overs and he gave me To go box and a free bag. I know San Mateo County charges .25 cents.

After seeing the many Unilocal reviews for this place that varied from bad to good, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. And I’m glad I did. I enjoyed the food.
I had the rib plate and my friend had the brisket plate. Both meats were very delicious and tender and seasoned perfectly. We liked the offer of 3 sauces, but settled on the standard classic sauce.
Our sides were waffle fries, onion strings, baked beans and green beans. The fried foods are cooked to order so they’re hot and fresh; the beans were very good, however, avoid the green beans; they didn’t taste good and were disappointing.
The dinner roll was solid.
The free soft serve ice cream is a nice bonus, but it’s slightly runny. Since it’s free, I won’t complain. I still ate it and it still tasted refreshing.
Service was good — can’t complain. I take away one star b/​c of the green beans and the fact that they serve Pepsi, not Coke. Pepsi is never okay.
I will come here again.

Love this place. The barbecue is always delicious, albeit sometimes a little fatty (but it’s bbq, soooooo…). At first glance, it’s a seemingly unhealthy joint, but I was pleasantly surprised at their healthy meat and side options. The staff has always provided friendly service to me and the location is easy to find. This restaurant is definitely a favorite in my family!

I used to come here often, back when it first opened the franchise owner use to spend a lot of time here. The quality was good service was great. At least I think he was the owner. Asian guy with salt and pepper hair.
Fast forward to today last time I ordered a family pack they stiffed us on rolls.
Today I went and the staff didn’t even know their own menu. I had to repeat my order 5 times and they still got it wrong. They gave my wife a Pork and Tangler salad. When we ordered a baked potato.
My green beans were cold and looked like something a hog threw up.
If you are the owner and reading this please do something about the staff.

I am updating my review after an initial bad experience. The owner Dan went out of his way to hand deliver a fresh rack of ribs to my friends and I for the Seahawks game to ensure to we had a good experience from Dickeys. I can honestly say that this batch of ribs was far better and I enjoyed them. I really respect a business owner going above and beyond to make his business succeed and to do whatever it takes to make his business succeed. The proposition I made was that if he wanted me to update my review, I would take his best rack of ribs, sample it with a group of my friends and provide and updated, honest post with quotes from all the people that sampled it, for better or worse. Here are some responses from my friends that sampled todays offering.
Sampler #1 — tastes like bacon, melts in your mouth.
sampler #2 — Good tenderness, pulled away from the bone without falling apart, nice tooth. Nice hybrid of Kansas and Memphis style rib. Good flavor but a little salty
Sampler #3 — The memphis/​Kansas city taste was good and I enjoyed the saltiness.
Sampler #4 — Compared to the first time i tried them, it was significantly improved result. I could not make it through a half rack the first time I tried it, but this time I I ate 6 and could have handled more.
Sampler #5 — I would eat them again, top 3 for ribs in Tri-​Cities

this place was pretty average for a BBQ place. Nothing too spectacular. I got the 3-​meat meal that came with two sides and a roll. I choose the brisket, pulled pork, and ribs. All three were decent, a little bit dry, and only tasted much better when I drowned everything in their BBQ sauce, which was the shining star out of everything.
The potato salad had too much liquid, not enough potato.
Service was good and very fast. Try it out if you’re craving BBQ. If not then I would move on!

Stopped by to find the desired order of rib was not available due to being sold out. Was told they would be ready in another 40 minutes. Who runs out of ribs at 6:30 in the evening without having so more in the oven being readied.
Luckily I had to take a pit stop while stopping by for food. By the time I came out I found that a new set of ribs was out of the oven and ready for sale. Much faster than their estimate. I ordered and stayed to eat. The ribs were good,. Well cooked. Soon finished. Side of green beans and a Coke made the meal.
i reccomend this Dickey’s Barbecue Pit location to others needing a chain BBQ fix.