Beach Pit BBQ

Went to Harper Barbecue for the first time on a Saturday evening with friends…read more Is there anything quite as wonderful as dining with fellow foodies who are open to ordering a little bit of everything and sharing?!! I was in HEAVEN! The most memorable items for me were the beef cheek and the chili, but everything was truly outstanding. Attentive service, and a more elevated and polished vibe than you'll find in most BBQ joints, all while being super comfortable, cute, and enjoyable! Can't wait to return. :)

I got the ribs, Picanha and chicken from the staff recommendations. Honestly, the chicken was very…read moredry and bland. I thought it would help to drown it in sauce, but their sauces were weak. The Picanha was the best and ribs were just okay. They really need to work on their barbecue sauces. Their sides are really expensive but the jalapeño cheesy honey butter corn bread was tasty!

Inside dining area

Pork belly BLT (comes with little side of potatoes)

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Warm Brookie Sundae

Holé Smokes

4.1(449 reviews)

3.1 mi

3rd time eating Hole Smokes and it's solid bbq. And incredibly underrated…read more Ordered the "try it all" platter that came with: -1/2 brisket -1/2 pork ribs -1/3 pulled pork -1/4 tri tip -2 chicken 1/4 shrimp 3 16oz sides Brisket; the thickest cuts. Lots of restaurants give thin ones, even broken ones but not Hole Smokes. This is the brisket model I've been trying to smoke towards. Amazing. Pork ribs: decent. Not as juicy but still tasty Pulled pork: the only restaurant so far with juicy/tender pulled pork Tri tip: got the end bits, dry and mostly inedible. This was already overcooked and reheated too much. The only disappointing item of the platter Links: good kick but also seemed reheated, dry. Shrimp; tasty Brussels sprouts, mac and cheese and elote (must get) were solid. Definitely a top bbq location for me. Overall, quality smokes with great flavors.

I've been coming to Hole Spokes since 2023, and it's honestly been one of the better spots I've…read morefound for pulled pork around Costa Mesa and Orange County. The pulled pork sandwich on the brioche bun with the slaw is super good, and I really appreciate that they don't drench the meat in sauce beforehand. They let you choose your own sauces at the table, and all of them are really tasty. The fries are great, the beans are good, and the sides overall are solid. The restaurant itself is also really nice with plenty of parking, family friendly, huge indoor seating area with heating, patio seating, and even a little bar area. The only reason it's not a full 5 stars for me is because I've been here probably 6 or 7 times now, and the pulled pork consistently has a little too much fat/gristle mixed in. Sometimes you'll get a bite that's mostly squishy fat, and occasionally the smoke flavor can taste a little overpowering, almost like extra smoke flavoring was added. It's not a deal breaker at all because the food is still really good, but if they trimmed the pork a bit more and toned down the smoke flavor slightly, this would easily be a 5-star spot for me.

The bar

Smash burger and Mac n cheese

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Brisket, links, ribs, pulled pork and chicken were all on point. Not to mention the service with a smile. Thank you Holé Smokes.

Anjin

4.3(2.1k reviews)

3.9 mi

I've been to Anjin many a time - and have yet to do a review! On a crispy Saturday night, the wife…read morewanted some delicious a la carte JBBQ, and I wanted some warm sake, compliments for a spring evening. We were seated promptly, and Anjin isn't as busy during 10pm to close, so if you're looking for an almost all night eatery with great service, you should stop by. We had: - Marinated Ribeye - Regular Ribeye - Scallops The beef carpacio is a must try, and the scallops were large, great to share as well. The Ribeyes were also very fatty and cooked quickly, so please keep your eyes on them. The ribeye was quite delicious, and if you like a chewier piece of meet, the pork cheek with some sauce was also tasty. Great service, with team members continuously taking finished plates off your table, and always there if you needed anything. A classic JBBQ spot, and a must try in OC.

What in the holographic charizard?!? All these photos and…read morecheck ins but no formal review for my favorite Japanese bbq joint in OC? Okay, fine. I'll do it cus I'm a nice bigback. This is the best in Orange County. Not that there's that many Japanese bbq spots overall, but it's certainly the best one I've had. The fact that it's open until 1am makes this so clutch. Probably one of the best places to eat (of any genre or style) that's available during the late hours. If you haven't tried it yet you're a dummy. 美味しい

Inside

Sanchu with bean paste! the best sauce ever!

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4. Marbled Prime Rib Eye

Newport Rib Company

3.8(1.1k reviews)

1.7 mi

excellent service . great delicious food. easy to get to and…read morebig parking lot. we are happy every time we go there! come here if you want tasty food ,excelent, friendly service. and priced right!!!! joy pg in fountain valley

We ate here last night as a group of 10, and we were really impressed. They were able to…read moreaccommodate us without a reservation, and the wait wasn't long at all, which we appreciated. The service was great. The staff were attentive and seemed to anticipate what we needed before we even asked. They also gave us two baskets of cornbread, and honestly, everyone in our group agreed it was really good. The prices are very reasonable. We ordered a combo plus an extra BBQ item, and the portion size was more than enough for four people to share. Definitely good value for the money. The place is clean, including the restrooms, which is always a big plus. Overall, a great experience. I would come back again, especially for group dining.

Inside

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Beef Ribs, brisket, Baby Back Ribs, beans

Manpuku Japanese BBQ Dining - Costa Mesa

4.1(954 reviews)

3.6 mi

New favorite BBQ place! They have waygu, an omakase menu, traditional seating on one side of the…read morerestaurant, they make their own sauces in house. The general manager came to greet us and everyone checked on us made sure our drinks were topped off. Vibes are chill

Quality of this place has gone down, which makes me sad because I liked coming here and enjoyed the…read morepre-set and meats they have to offer. For those who say the marinade is too sweet, you can request to have it without the bbq sauce or perhaps sauce on the side. We opted for all of our meats to not be marinated with the bbq sauce since it is way too sweet for us, taking away the quality and actual taste of the meats. We opted for a light salt/pepper which is perfect. Out of the meats we tried, the short rib would be our favorite. The others were not as memorable. What baffled me was the $30 cake fee.. which is the price of a birthday cake itself. We were surprising our friends with a cake and were told it would be $30 to hold and serve the cake.... If we said no, then we wouldn't have been able to cut the cake and surprise our sweet friends. I'm shocked. I would've been fine with $10-$15 but $30?! The cake fee included 1 candle, a serving cake knife, serving plates and plastic forks... I saw a group come with a cake and they ended up not cutting it and just carrying it back home. If you plan a birthday or celebration here, don't bring your cake unless you want to pay $30.. kind of ruined the ambiance especially if you plan to surprise someone.

Manpuku Japanese BBQ Dining - Costa Mesa

Seared Beef Nigiri | $7.5/ea (2pc min.)

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Ikura Tamagoyaki: Japanese Omelette w/Salmon Roe | $10

Smoke Queen Barbecue

4.3(948 reviews)

10.1 mi

Absolutely delicious brisket. Super juicy and tender. The ambiance is also very nice. We sat at the…read moreoutsie patio.

Worth the wait! The line does get pretty long but they do have online ordering. The staff were…read morefriendly! The food was amazing!! They had a lot of seating outside and a great space for families or kids. We did the 4 meats & 4 sides meal. We were trying to come for the beef rib on Sunday and char siu burnt ends, but it was sold out already. We did get to try the brisket, siu yuk, pork ribs, and char siu. I'm usually not a fan of brisket but it was probably the best brisket I've ever had. We definitely want to come back to at least try the sausage too. We tried to mapo chili, shells n cheese, coleslaw, cornbread, tallow fries, and dirty rice. Also had the pandan pudding. I would probably skip having the mapo chili. For drinks we had the strawberry lemonade and mango sangria.

Doors open for the day ; picture of the order counter

Pork Belly - Skin was nice and crispy

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4 Meat 4 Sides: Pulled Pork, Sausage, Brisket, Char Siu. Double Tallow Fries, Sesame Slaw, Spicy Cucumbers.

The SmoKING Ribs

4.3(2.3k reviews)

8.9 mi

I've been telling my family about this place for years and finally we made plans for dinner to come…read morehere. We got here on Friday night 4/3/26 around 5:30pm. All the tables were full and there was one party of 11 just ahead of us. Our wait for a table was like 30 minutes or so. Once we were up we were guided to a table towards the back for five. Our server asked if we been here before and if we wanted anything else besides water to drink. My brother and his fiance split a full order of the beef ribs and side order of sauteed garlic green beans. My mom and step dad split a full order of beef ribs while I ordered a full rack of baby back ribs which came with two side orders. I picked coleslaw and onion rings which I shared with the family. The food came out promptly. Everyone enjoyed their food. The baby back ribs were moist with flavor, smoked and went well with their bbq sauce. The rest of the family really like their beef ribs. And they even commented that it was better than the other bbq places we been to. Definitely will return and highly recommend.

*** SCAM ALERT *** I…read moredon't use the word "SCAM" lightly, but that's what this was. My adult son called in a $281.62 order off the menu for Mother's Day. They would not accept the order or payment over the phone because the order was "too big." They asked that someone go there and pay up front for the entire order. Since it was the evening before Mother's Day, I drove to them and paid for the order. Yes, I was also presented with a minumum 20% TIP screen, which I declined. When I got there at pickup time (4:00pm) on Mother's Day, the price changed to $325.51. I was told that, for some reason, they had cut about 50% larger portions than the menu specified (see the line items, which should have been 1 lb. each), so they charged me for the difference ($325.51 - $281.62) which was $43.89 (about 50% more for the 2 items they cut heavier). No, there was no mention when I placed the order that the total cost might change due to extra meat. Neither is it shown on their web site or printed menus. When I protested, there was no option. If I don't pay the $43.89 difference, I don't get the Mother's Day food. After about 20 minutes of bickering at the counter with two different clerks (note the time stamp differences on the credit card slips), I was given my original order, with a net price reduction of ($281.62 - $254.93) $26.69. My persistence had paid off. On a positive note, the cook did, twice, walk up to me and quietly apologize for what was going on. I know many folks would have folded in this situation, but that's not my nature. I don't stand for dishonesty. Yes, it was embarrassing, other clients in line were not happy (I let them skip ahead of me so as not to inconvenience them). None of them had price increases. I don't know if the clerks wanted a tip because the management doesn't pay them much, or it this goes deeper and is standard operating procedure that assumes most clients will simply approve of the overage and pay up. In any case, from this client's point of view, this is a SCAM! When it was all over, I took my 11 and 12 year old grandsons (who had been sitting patiently waiting for grandpa to pay) and my food package to the car, drove home and proudly presented the meat to my family. After all, I am a hunter-gatherer; and the food was great!

Spare ribs, 6-17-2023

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Backbone beef ribs with garlic mash potatoes

JW Hayes BBQ

4.3(62 reviews)

3.0 mi

Best ribs ever!! Great side dishes. Totally recommend this…read moreplace. Get there early till run out.

This truly is the best BBQ in SoCal and it blows my mind that they only have this many reviews. I…read morecan't wait till summer till they are open more days. Not only is the meat insane but the sides are just as good. The corn, coleslaw, Mac n cheese are 10/10 just to name a few.

IG: myfoodiegirl

My haul today. At 1:30pm I got the last 1/2 lb of brisket.

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8.2025 brisket and beef rib

Tsuruhashi - Fountain Valley

4.4(1.7k reviews)

4.8 mi

Good food and good atmosphere. Good selection of meat and…read moreseafood. Easy to find restaurant and great staff.

Definitely one of the best yakiniku places in orange county. We arrived 10 minutes before opening…read moreon a Sunday and there was a small line to get it. There were more than enough tables to accommodate everyone that arrived at 5 although the tables did fill up and there was a wait during the dinner rush. Tsuruhashi feels more relaxed and less rushed compared with Anjin. There isn't the constant line out the door which helps make the experience more enjoyable. The decor matched the vibe of the restaurant and adds to the overall experience. All the meats we tried were on the more expensive side, but the quality definitely matched the price. The yukke bibimbap was delicious. The raw marinated meat was an unusual but absolutely worth trying. Both the panna cotta and mango pudding were delicious. We ended up ordering two of the mango puddings and still wanted more.

Booth seatings 4.07.23

Never a disappointment

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Kobe "GOLD" kalbi

Myung Dong Tofu House & BBQ

4.6(131 reviews)

3.8 mi

Food was delicious and incredibly fresh! My husband and I were very impressed with both the…read morepresentation and flavor of everything we ordered. Each dish was seasoned beautifully, and the side dishes were absolutely marvelous. The service was also wonderful from start to finish. We were greeted warmly and seated immediately, and I truly appreciated the calm and welcoming atmosphere. It was such a refreshing experience compared to another place I had been visiting for over three decades. The restaurant itself is open, spacious, and very comfortable. I also noticed how clean and well-maintained the restrooms were, which I always appreciate. Our waiter even informed us that the food is MSG-free, which made me especially happy. This is definitely our new favorite spot for soft tofu soup!

From the first moment to the last the experience was awesome!…read more We came as a clan of 18, 8 adults, 4 teens and 6 wild children. From the first moment their staff sat us quickly, suggested dishes for not only the kids and the teens but also us adults...and the craziest part it was all spot on. Just the right amount of food, the right kind of soups and protein options to their appetizers all the way down to the banchan. The place is also immaculate to boot! Their galbi was one of the best we've had and the owner told us the special marinade which I'm surely going to try at home. Their pork and kimchi soup was great. Their korean pancake dish with this dipping sauce and onions was perfect! It's rare to have a really perfect dining experience with a decent sized group, but to have one with a crazy wild bunch of kids and very hungry pack of teens and adults too is amazing to me. Great job by the family that runs this place. We will most definitely be back and very soon!