West Coast BBQ & Brew

After recently liberating myself from the culinary shackles of my self-​imposed fascistic vegetarianism, I have developed a bone-​deep hankerin’ for bbq. I’m a bit of a bbq aficionado, which landed me into trouble in the first place. I used to drive cross country to hit up all the renowned smoke spots– from Memphis to KC and on down to Lockhart. Seen a world of pink rings and I’ve devoured them all. My friend even got me a smoker, which I dabbled with pretty much every weekend, to the point that I had packed on an extra fifty pounds. Who’d think brisket, ribs, and pork shoulder would do that to you?
Unfortunately, San Diego is not the most bbq friendly. What passes for bbq out here is sugar-​drenched grilled picnic food. I’m talking to you, Phil’s. However, this place has it goin’ on. First off, they appear to focus their business on catering. Hence, the bare bones (pun stupidly intended) interior. But I’m not here to play dress up. I want a whole bird to go. And you can get your takeout order at the storefront window. I went straight chicken, no sides. Again, this has been a problem for me in the past. But I’m keeping it to chicken. No pork or beef. Let’s have some restraint. Got my package, cut up into six pieces, all brown bagged, ready to pound down the moment I got home.
And pound down I did. Man, I wrecked that carcass. The smoke was a pleasant perfume, perhaps from a fruity tree. No char in sight. The meat remained simultaneously moist and firm regardless of part. This is an anomaly among smoked chicken. My impression is that they probably finish off the cooking in the oven. From experience, a perfectly smoked chicken is next to impossible given the differences in texture of white and dark meat. You usually get dried breasts or greasy legs. Never a perfect balance. But this place pulls it off. My insatiable need for bbq was so intense that I was chewing up cartilage and gristle. The sauce was on the side, the right way; a rich spicy sweetness that served as a tangy compliment. Never boring, and chicken can get boring.
I think I’ve found my bbq go-​to. And after a two year vegetarian slumber, that’s back to being of significant relevance.

Great beans and pulled pork. Love the to go window too

West Coast Catering prepared and served food at our wedding September 2010. We chose steak, chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, Caesar salad, bread, and cheese raviolis as our dinner option. Everything was soooo incredibly delicious! They arrived on time and set everything up on time and were so prompt and courteous with all of our guests. One thing I would recommend is to stick with their specialties. We sampled their Mexican food, and it wasn’t any good. The beef and chicken rotisserie options were DELICIOUS.
We researched several vendors before choosing West Coast. They had the best prices, the best quality, and the best options. I would highly recommend West Coast Catering for any event!

I’m a regular here and have been for the last few years.
The food is absolutely fantastic and the portions are generous. The meats have a smoky flavor, the ribs are cooked to falling off the bones perfection, and the sides are all tasty.
The service has always been exemplary and the owners are present and involved.
I have had my last few holiday meals prepared by them as well, and the dishes were well received.
Stop in and try it!
MAY 2012 UPDATE:
New owners have recently taken over.
I have tried it twice. Slightly different menu. Different staff. Different atmosphere.
We aren’t going back.

This is another one of these places I pass by continuously but have never tried. But one day I was craving a french dip sandwich, yes a get a lot of random cravings. I was heading over to Ross next door anyway so I checked out their menu. Eureka! They had french dip.
And it was tasty. There was a good amount of great tasting roast beef and the highlight was a generous amount of au jus. I had a side of sweet potato fries which were delicious as well.
The price was very reasonable and the warm peach cobbler was yummy as well.
The only down side is that they did not have authentic Southern Sweet Tea which I come to expect with any BBQ joint.

After seeing ad’s in our circulars I finally went for it and told my husband we need to check out their $ 22 bbq feast for 2. It was pretty d*mn good! When you drive up to the establishment it’s in a sleepy looking strip mall and it’s anything but trendy. It’s just a good mom and pops style place, no frills, no loud music.
After we were seated we were given warm bread with some delicious whipped butter. The bread was especially delicious! We ordered 4 sides and the best side we had were the sweet potato fries! I do wish they had more greasy sides like mac n cheese or onion rings. When we received our bbq it was served on a big plate and looked like it could feed more than 2!
Their pulled pork was tender, chicken was well-​marinated and their ribs almost fell of of the bone. Compared to our last visit to Phil’s, West Coast’s bbq is in fact better (atleast in the meat department). What we especially enjoyed was that they had 3 of their sauces on their table which reminds us of our favorite bbq joint down in the south.
The best part of the meal was the end when they give you a choice of homemade desserts. Apparently they have a new baked goods provider and they had a lot of her samples laid out. We both had cupcakes and they were moist and not too overpowering with the sweetness.
We will definitely be going back!

Khann and I wanted to try some barbecue for dinner before a movie. This was chosen in part due to the very odd hours the place keeps. The clientele certainly has a very senior bent and that’s really reflected in the food. There’s lots and lots of barbecue so I ordered the beef ribs and the pulled pork. I was actually in the mood for a pulled pork sandwich at the time, but this was the best option available. Honestly, this place was too in love with its sauce, and that sauce was rather mediocre. The ribs had little meat on them and the pulled pork, while tender, were both slathered in the sauce. I’m a big fan of potato salad, though theirs tasted odd to me. The sweet potato fries were the best part of the whole meal. All in all, an average meal. At least we got a table rather quickly.
I think the odd hours keep them from getting more business. It feels more like a lunch place than an odd dinner place.

This is my fav bbq joint in San Diego! Today I got the $ 15.99 all you can eat rib special. First I ordered the baby back ribs. They had a nice smoke ring and a good smoke flavor. The Texas style sauce gives the ribs a delicious sweet flavor with a little bit of tang. Awesome ribs!
The beef ribs were great just like the baby back ribs and I loved them as well.
French fries were good. Small ones like you get at Burger King. Hot and crunchy just the way I like them.
Apple cobbler was also very good.
Service was good. Fast and efficient.

I had them cater my wedding last month and to be honest I didnt eat anything that day so I can’t comment on their food. but I can comment on their service. The set up was amazing the food looked delicious and the servers were really nice and on task the whole time. Everything was nice and dandy until the end. There was a ton of extra food and we were supposed to take it home since we paid for it all and they took almost all the left over food. not cool. Then When they were cleaning up they took one of the tables I had rented from another company and completely denied it. It ended up costing me $ 65 to pay the rental company back.

Love West Coast BBQ!
The only thing keeping my review at 4 stars is because sometimes I go and the pork (which I always get) isn’t great… it’ll look and taste like it was the last scoop in the pan. I’m a stickler for consistency. But, when I get a good batch, I’m in total heaven! The BBQ sauce is damn near perfect, too.
I wish it were closer to downtown (where I live)…I’d be chowin’ down twice a week.

We clipped the coupon for the $ 19.99 BBQ sampler + 3 sides and desert but we didn’t need it because they offer the same thing as a takeout special.
The Chicken, ribs, pulled pork, and sliced beef were all tender, juicy and perfectly cooked. We enjoyed the sides and the desert but the cobbler did have a STRONG smoke flavor. We really appreciated the extra container of sauce too!

Perfect BBQ ribs, as good as it gets! The sweet potatoe fries were so good I could have eaten two baskets full. We usually eat at Phil’s BBQ in San Diego but wanted to see what Western BBQ was all about.
I’m giving four stars for their food alone.
Comparison: I think Western might be a little better than Phil’s but too close to call when it comes to ribs. Western has larger portions and I prefer their sauce. No comparison when it comes to fries, Western has Phil’s beat by a long shot However, Western BBQ has zero atmosphere, it feels like a senior cafeteria. Put Western BBQ in a place like Phil’s and they’d be equally successful, until then I’ll only go there for convenience or take-​out, there’s something to be said for atmosphere when you’re taking your family out for BBQ.

I definitely felt like a minority when I went here considering the area and when I realized I was the only Asian in the restaurant for a couple of hours. The staff were friendly nonetheless and very eager to recommend dishes. I had the chicken bbq plate with a side of their fried sweet potatoes.
I have to say, they have the best sweet potatoes EVER. I’m not much of a bbq person so I can’t really give the best review concerning the flavor of their bbq dishes. The sauce to me tasted generic. I could have gone to the store to buy this flavor. The chicken though was cooked nicely; it was juicy, flavorful and the knife cut through it like whipped butter. Kudos on the chicken.
Other than that, I can say the staff were eager to please, the place is a bit cramped for the amount of customers they get during the rush lunch hour and dinner service, but their patrons seems pleased. This appears to be a locals joint so everyone seemed familiar with the staff.
Was it worth the drive for someone who lives in north side SD? Probably not. Would I go here again, no, I wouldn’t but it wasn’t a bad experience. I’d recommend it to someone who lived within that area.

Excuse me! We need another table for all this food…
If you are in La Mesa and want BBQ I would choose this place over the BBQ Pit on Fletcher.
Everything is pretty well priced for BBQ and what you get.
The Rib Lover’s special can be split between 2 hungry people. The beef ribs were actually my favorite, which is odd because they’re normally tougher than the pork. I have lunch for the next two days…
The chili tastes great.
Fries are crispy, prefer the regular ones over the wedges.
Pulled pork was tasty, didn’t try the chicken cuz I’m not a big fan of chicken on the bone.
Bread was warm at least, but lacked any real flavor.

Last week was the first time I have been to West Coast BBQ, though I have had take out several times in the last year. The place is nothing fancy, though the food and service are great.
This last visit we had beef ribs that Fred Flintstone would be happy with — they are large and meaty, chicken that was moist and smokey, and sides of a baked potato, sweet potato fries, corn, and cole slaw — all good. The order was to-​go, so the sauce came on the side.
In the past we have had the above, and brisket — which I recall as being good but, when your mother in-​law makes a killer brisket — well the bar is high to impress.
I keep thinking I will order the pork ribs, and know some day I will, but, my 2 year old daughter loves the beef ribs and there is nothing cuter than her eating one of those monster ribs.

Since our favorite bbq joint closed, this has been our go-​to fast food takeout spot. Pulled Pork and Beef Ribs and some of their sliced meats are our normal order. Haven’t had a bad meal there yet.
We introduced a friend of ours to West Coast and now she goes at least once a week for the carnitas. Addicted to say the least!

We had a Company Picnic and they catered West Coast BBQ. It was the first time I had tried their BBQ. Some of the items we had at our picnic were:
BBQ Beef Ribs
BBQ Chicken
Homemade BBQ Baked Beans
Red Potato Sour Cream and Dill Potato Salad
Freshly Tossed Green Salad with Dressings
Assorted Rolls and Butter
I love BBQ and trying new BBQ places. This wasn’t the best BBQ I’ve ever had, but it was pretty decent. I liked the ribs and chicken. I’m not really into side dishes so I didn’t try the beans or potato salad, but I heard they were good. I’d consider catering them again.

I have a smoke fetish. No I am not a fan of the ‘herb’, but rather the earthy tones mesquite, oak, apple or another fine smoking agent lends to succulent meats. In this regard West Coast BBQ excels. Their style of BBQ isn’t about elaborate seasonings, rub or sauce. It’s all about the meat. My girlfriend and I ordered combo plates of the following:
pork ribs & beef brisket
chicken & shredded pork
Fries
Potato salad
beans
Chicken was lightly seasoned, even a little bland. My pork ribs while cooked all the way through, didn’t seem to have been smoked enough. They were still tough on the meatier portions.
The stars on our plate were the beef brisket and shredded pork. The brisket could be pulled apart with the fork. Knife NOT required. The pork was flavorful and perfectly seasoned and smoked.
The service was prompt and the place was chill.
3.5 stars!

Please shut down, you are giving all of us who live in the West Coast a bad rep for BBQ…
My mom lives down the street from this place, so she was super excited to see it being open, as was I due to the fact she ALWAYS wants to go to Claim Jumper since there are no good places to eat by Grossmont College. So we went, and we got some food. She got beef ribs, i got a bbq beef sandwich and some pork ribs. The sandwich cost the same as an el toro or any other select sandwich at Phils, so I was expecting similar size and taste. Nope. Sandwich was on some cheap, looked like Albertsons brand (not even the quality of vons) roll and the meat was tough, tasted like old leather and the sauce kept me wishing for Phils. Now the ribs were crap, for a BBQ joint, you should have a good amount of meat, not mostly bone. The meat wasn’t as tender and it has no seasoning. The beef ribs were better than the pork but not much. As I said before, you are giving the West Coast a bad rep for BBQ. With all the yee-​haw type of people in east county, why can’t anyone open a decent BBQ joint?

They catered an event I went to for work.
What I saw offered
Carne asada burritos, vegetable wrap, chicken caesar wrap, fruit salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, chips.
I had a chicken caesar wrap — tasty. I am a huge caesar salad fan. Fruit salad — pretty good, fresh fruit, not fruit cocktail.