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Bludso's BBQ

4.1 (793 reviews)
Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

Waitlist - Bludso's BBQ

Live Current wait: under 5 minutes

Bludso's BBQ Reservations

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BLUDSO'S BBQ ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Bludso's BBQ

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Salad
Dana M.

Party of 4.... It was my first time dining here and everyone else's 2nd time. Soon as we walked in, we were greeted right away. The wait was about 2 minutes. There were plenty of open tables and booths. They also have bar seating options with TV's as well. Once we got seated, our server Daylin (I hope I spelled it correctly) greeted us and gave us a rundown of the menu. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and made some excellent recommendations. He was very attentive as well. Everything on the menu looked delicious. We ordered beef ribs, dry rub wings, brisket, salad, Mac n cheese, fried okra and cornbread. Where do I begin!? My absolute favorite..... the wings. Do not dine here without ordering the dry rub wings. You get the entire wing seasoned to perfection! Delicious. As for the drinks, they do have a nice selection of cocktails. I ordered the CC rita (made with Henny) yum! They have a parking lot in the back (free) or you can look for meter parking. Definitely give this place a try!

Corn bread, Rib tips, hot links (top) Brisket, ribs (2nd row) Chicken link (3rd row)  Mac n cheese, Cole slaw Lean brisket (bottom)
Kathy X.

The barbecue here is one of the best you will find in LA. The brisket is slow roasted for 14 hours, and you can taste how tender that meat is. The lean brisket, is also super tender and really good. My favorite meat, however, was the rib tips, they are so tender, you have to get them! The mild and medium barbecue sauces that come with all the meats are absolute perfection, and they have a lot of dimension to it. The mac & cheese is incredible along with the cornbread. Service is fantastic here, they are so nice and friendly. They are extremely busy, but the food comes out pretty quickly, and our server checked in on us pretty frequently.

Loaded French fries
Olive D.

Bbq cravings for a weekend dinner. We ordered corn bread perfect side dish for the juicy and tender baby back ribs. Hush puppies and loaded French fries these alone are filling. We got seated right away, serve water and server got our order. Music playing on the background while huge screen TV surround the wall. A very chill vibes family friendly restaurant serving comfy foods.

Dine LA plate $45
Ashley H.

This place was okay, but honestly not my favorite. The chicken was very good, which we ordered on the side. The mac & cheese was similar to chic fil a. Corn bread was good but not amazing. Ribs were okay, but kind of dry. Everything came out Luke warm, not super fresh. Service was very friendly! Inside is warm and community friendly

Lunch anyone?  Even have jackfruit!!
Susan N.

Driving by and the whiff of the que! How can you not! They even have jackfruit for the vegans. The sides are the best! The music is on point! My 77 year old hubby was bopping along to the beats of Motown, Marvin Gay, Al Green! Oh he's happy and eating .... Awww, me and misses Jones is playing by Billy Paul! O. M. G. Keep up the vibes! Ok! Gotta go. Foods arrived. Burp! Food was on point. The greens need work, i should have asked how they're prepared, they were just not good. Lesson learned. No complaints on the staff. We were warmly greeted and able to pick out our own table with a smile. Our waitress, Daphny, was greattttt! She looked like a blast from the past, in a good way, of a person we know! Hey, I've a huge request!!! Yellow Mustard! I'm taking my bread and sausage home for the mustardddddddd sandwich tomorrow! That is all!

Matthew H.

I eat a lot of different BBQ here in LA and wow, Bludso's may be taking 1st place. Not only was their food on point, their service was amazing. Shout out to our genuine server William. He made our experience super easy and management was very friendly as well. If you are looking to eat good BBQ, this is the spot.

Our receipt for Saturday meal
Michael W.

I don't think Mr. Bludso will like this review but if it is not given the food will stay bad. Let's get the easy stuff out of the way. The staff was pretty good. The music was awesome and the restaurant was clean. Sports on all of the televisions as well. Now...The food. I had watch Chef Bludso and his friend on a cook show Saturday morning and that gave me the idea I wanted to eat some the food. This restaurant in the chain fell way short of what I know Chef is wanting when it comes to his BBQ. I had side dishes because I was not really hungry. The wings I ordered tasted old and may have been sitting out and they drinched them with BBQ sauce which did not help. Also salty as heck. Seems like all of the meats were salted to the max. 2. I also ordered the rib tips which was buffalo sauced up but the meat was tough and old. It was not juicy nor tasty but salted well. 3. The fried okra wasn't bad but the dip was again salt city. 4. The chicken/rib plate with the 2 sides was just okay. The ribs and chicken were dry and salty as well. The Mac and cheese vert mediocre. Good coleslaw. Cornbread was good but cold. I believe I will hear from someone about this. Chef Bludso believes in his restaurant and customers experience.

Lunch special brisket and hot link sandwich
Leah E.

I was in town for work and needed a quick lunch near my hotel. Bludso's popped up in my Yelp search and it was an easy choice! Plentiful lunch specials (dine in only) including a lunch plate for $25 (1/4 lb meat) with choice of 2 meats, 2 small sides. Meat choices are brisket, pulled pork and turkey. A sandwich for $19 with two small sides and drink with choice of brisket, chicken, turkey, pulled pork, brisket & hot link. Or salad and drink for $17 and choice between bbq chicken salad, or turkey Caesar. I decided to do the sandwich and get the brisket and hot link, with Mac n cheese, baked beans, and an Arnold palmer. Everything was super delicious, and the only thing better than the food was the service. I was blown away by how friendly and attentive the staff are here.

Cornbread
Christine C.

10/10 with best bbq food in west LA. Staff is extremely friendly and welcoming. No waiting time- can't recall the day we visited but they seated us fairly quickly. We ordered all the sides ofc! We also ordered brisket, ribs and sausage - this was sweet for me I like mine spicy but still very tasty this is subjective to your liking ofc so not going to discredit my review for the restaurant. I absolutely devoted my meal- btw this was a two person meal. I would highly recommend stoping by if your craving BBQ. We skipped out on the dessert, wished I wasn't so full for it. Thanks to the staff and manager for also checking up on us this is very rare nowadays so I always appreciate the small gestures.

Bar
Van C.

Just randomly saw this place driving and decided to go in. What a great decision! Upon walking in I was greeted immediately. The atmosphere was great. Lively and happy. It was rather busy. Whole bar was packed and I'd say about 5 tables. It's not super big inside. But definitely enough room to be comfortable. They do have a full bar as well so that's a plus! Let's get into the food. I ordered the pork ribs, Texas hot link, Mac n cheese with baked beans. I opted to try the mild and spicy bbq sauce. Let's start with the pork ribs. Seasoned very well. And I do mean VERY well. Smoked to absolute perfection. With an excellent seasoned crust. Honestly? You don't even need to put bbq sauce on it. It's that good. However I did try both sauces. Mild is definitely more sweet than the hot. But the hot isn't too spicy either. And I know everyone's spice levels are different. To me a grilled jalapeño is mild. So figure from there. Moving onto the hot link. Cooked well. Juicy with great taste. Can't go wrong. The sides. WOW. Ok I would legit come back for just the Mac n cheese if you wanted Mac n cheese. It's creamy, rich gooey and just excellent. Melded cheddar layer on top. Baked beans. It's heavy on the mustard. But don't let that make you stray away. It's a different taste and it's well worth the try. I greatly enjoyed them. Overall this place was a fantastic experience. I will 100% be back. It's clean, it's fun, the food is great and the atmosphere is excellent. Food: above average Staff: good people Cleanliness: clean Atmosphere: upbeat, happy and inviting.

Parking towards the back has plenty of spaces
Ivonne C.

Stopped by Bludso's BBQ in Santa Monica on Santa Monica Blvd. and 14th Street with my husband for lunch, and we left completely impressed! We ordered the six-piece wings with a turkey Caesar salad and fries, and everything was spot on. The wings were perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of crispiness, while the turkey Caesar salad was fresh and well-balanced. The fries came out hot, golden, and addictive--exactly what you want in comfort food. My husband's been coming to Bludso's since the early 2000s, back when they were in Compton on Long Beach Blvd. and Mr. Bledsoe himself was smoking meat in the parking lot. The food is still top notch and tastes the same after 30 years--authentic BBQ done right. This Santa Monica location was spotless, with plenty of seating, ample parking in the back plus off-street parking. Page and Terry's attentive, welcoming service made the visit even better. Bludso's is still the real deal! the Ambiance is amazing!

"Dinosaur Beef Rib" - full of smoky, succulent goodness
Terry C.

Bludso's BBQ has some of the best authentic Texas-style BBQ in the Los Angeles area. Our waitress, Paige, was super as was the floor manager, Tarri. The friendly and efficient service took our visit to the next level. Bludso's mouthwatering, succulent meats are slow smoked until they are done to perfection. Our selections of their Dinosaur Beef Rib (it's HUGE!) and Pulled Pork almost melted in our mouths. Along with these, we ordered their delicious house-made 3-cheese Mac & Cheese, a side of cole slaw, and enjoyed all with a glass of Red Ale. This SaMo location is of good size and can fill up fast as it is popular, so I suggest a reservation if you're thinking of chowing down around dinner time. There is off-street free parking in the back of the restaurant which is a real plus.

Brisket, ribs, beans, and Mac n cheese
Sofis K.

BANANA PUDDING 9.5/10: This banana pudding was so fricking good. If you have ever heard of Magnolia Bakery you would know of their banana pudding and this one is like theirs but dare I say a bit better. It is creamy, not overly sweet, and has many pieces of banana. It did also have a good amount of wafers but I prefer mine with a good 1 to 1 ratio of wafer to cream.. that's just preference. TRY IT! ($25 Lunch Deal) BRISKET , RIBS 7/10: I would say these are solid meats. The ribs have a nice crust on them, good flavor, so does the brisket, but I would say that I wish it were more juicy. I found that the brisket was a bit on the dry side :( MAC N CHEESE 8/10: Solid Mac n cheese as well, nothing too crazy but also good. If you have ever tried Chick-fil-A's Mac n cheese this taste just like that and I really like their Mac. BAKED BEANS 10/10: My mom LOVED these. They are perfectly cooked, have a nice tang and sweetness to them, and are just a good side of beans. I would definitely say though that they are sweet, like bbq sweet, so if you are not fond of beans that are on the sweet side this may not be for you. *Note: We paid $25 dollars for the plate which is a great price but I think normally it is $35 and we think that for that price, the sides should be bigger. CORN BREAD 9/10: My mom also loved this (so did I, I didn't like corn bread before this but now I do!). It has a good taste and pairs so wonderfully with the butter. I would say that the bread is a bit on the crumblier side, so note this if you have a different preference. SERVICE 10/10: Shoutout to Deilond! He was so sweet and attentive and he made us feel so welcome there. Amazing service! NOTES-- - Clean restaurant, tables are clean, comfy seating, and love the natural lighting. - Street parking available, we didn't have a hard time finding parking but it might be hard during busier hours.

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Ask the Community - Bludso's BBQ

Does the Santa Monica location take reservations?

Yes.

Is takeout available?

YES!

View All 4 Questions

The Mulberry - Cheesecake

The Mulberry

4.1(102 reviews)
2.7 miSawtelle

Absolutely LOVE this place. The Mulberry is a very warm and intimate place where you can enjoy…read moremodern Korean comfort food. All dishes are carefully crafted with its colorful details, and its simple but bold flavors prepared for you through an open kitchen. This place gets busy the minute they open their doors so make reservations prior. 1. Korean Aguachile: fresh tilefish sashimi with finely sliced cucumber and white floral decor simmered in ice cold kimchee broth they pour at the table. Soooo good. Must order. 2. Soy Marinade Blue Prawn: My favorite dish of the night. Huge raw blue prawns (head attached) marinaded with soy sauce. Served with barley rice topped with Ssam jang (type of bean paste sauce), and seaweed paper. You wrap all ingredients in the seaweed paper to make a hand roll. Soooooo delicious. Can't walk out without trying this. 3. Beef short ribs: good but nothing unique in its flavoring . Beef steak(medium rare and super tender) that's lightly marinaded/glazed (so not overly sweet) with kbbq/short rib sauce. This is one of their fan favorites so I suggest you try it.. 4. Chilled Acorn Noodles: chewy cOLD noodles made with acorn (just like the acorn jelly side dish we eat). The noodles are seasoned with Korean Cho-go-chu-jang (Gochujang paste), crispy cucumber slices, loads of dried seaweed flakes, and perilla oil. And you just mix them all together. Sooo good and paired well with the short ribs. Incredible. 5. Bluefin tuna and trout Bibimbop: like a poke bowl but so much better. Rice at the bottom with loads of lettuce strips, bluefin tuna sashimi, radish slices, and cavier. Seasoned with Korean Cho-go-chu jang (Gochujang paste with a twist of vinegar). Very good as well. For drinks we tried the shikhye slush (shikhye is a Korean sweet rice drink dessert). They used a slushy shikhye base with warm cinnamon and ginger spices and pisco for a kick. Also tried the Sujinggwa manhattan which is sujunggwa (traditional Korean cinnamon ginger dessert tea served cold) and a single malt. This was fabulous. Overall fantastic experience. Fantastic food, cool ambiance's. And great service. Highly highly recommend this place!

Parking: street parking can be rough to find during peak dinner time on weekends but not bad early…read moreevening on weekdays Reservations: Limited availability on Resy makes it seem harder to get though we were able to make one. Tables looked available around 5pm though so walk-ins could be possible. Ambiance: Outside was nice and inside looked dimly lit and romantic. We were seated promptly and service was good. Food: Rice slushy had a strangely strong cinnamon-like taste to it that traditional rice punch doesn't have which was so overpowering, it made it difficult to go back for more sips. Oysters - good though small, enjoyed the kelp mignonette Korean Aguachile - Delicate tilefish completely overwhelmed by cold kimchi broth with actual icy slush in it and small amounts of fish Steak Tartare - The hot stone bowl seemed to defeat the purpose of a tartare, as it cooked the steak once mixed. The perilla leaves were also cut in large strips relative to the beef. Chilled Acorn Noodle - The perilla oil was nonexistent in flavor though the dish didn't need it and was good without. Overall, portions were small for the price and dishes weren't well-executed so despite being excited for more Korean options in West LA, I'd much rather make the drive to Koreatown for better portions, prices, and flavors.

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The Mulberry
The Mulberry - Salad, had too much white lettuce which was very bitter 7/10

Salad, had too much white lettuce which was very bitter 7/10

The Mulberry - Acorn noodles

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Acorn noodles

R+D Kitchen - Smoked trout dip

R+D Kitchen

4.0(1.6k reviews)
0.8 mi
$$

GET THE SMOKED ALBACORE dip, do it! It's soooo good the salting crackers are the perfect combo. I…read morealso ordered the shrimp it came Ruth cause of melted butter delicious! Couldn't get enough. I ordered the cheeseburger - this is their popular item on the menu they prepare the meat every morning for that days business. It took about 25 minutes for a table but we grabbed a glass of wine while we waited. Our waiter was very friendly, cheerful and helpful. It's perfect for family- kid friendly, large parties and date nights. I would definitely return for the apps and burger. I'm certain everything on the menu is just as great as what I ordered.

Ugggh. What a lousy cheeseburger. Mushy. Huge in height…read moreto visually impress, and difficult to physically eat, oozing all over the place, developing into a wet mess. Tasteless except for the pickles. What a struggle. I finally gave up 2/3 through. I realized I was forcing myself to eat it just to have something in my stomach. So then we ordered two so-called French fries. They are hardened little chips. None of the five of us at our table could stand them, and that included my grandson who normally likes crispier fries. He tried cutting 2 or 3 of them with a knife, and couldn't. I could tell my husband was very so-so about his salad. My daughter-in-law liked her Asian noodle salad though. My grandson liked his plain hamburger on a bare bun - how ridiculously basic. My son liked his pasta. At this point, we all decided on no dessert because the batting average was so low. Obviously, not coming back.

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R+D Kitchen - The kitchen

The kitchen

R+D Kitchen - Beef ribs

Beef ribs

R+D Kitchen - The bar

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The bar

Laurel Grill - Smoked Bacon and Pineapple Pizza

Laurel Grill

4.3(466 reviews)
5.3 mi
$$$

It was my first time going to Laurel Grill. We had a party of 5 which means you can't make a…read morereservation (since we had kids in tow, we showed up at 5pm on a Saturday and there was no problem getting in). The place itself is very modern and nice. Overall the vibe it basically a Houston's-type place. And service was good. All of the food overall was very good. Nothing really too crazy. To me, the menu is a little... boring. But, I will say everything was tasty. We got the Cajun shrimp salad (which was simple and clean but tasty), a cheese pizza for the kids (which was good!), a brisket French dip (very tasty and a horseradish sauce with a LOT of bite), a vodka pasta (was good but it actually is TOO big a portion to eat by one's self), the Ahi Tuna frites (the tuna was good and served with a nice green sauce), and the grilled cabbage side (with brown butter and some pomegranate molasses--it was actually my favorite thing!). The key distinctive thing about Laurel Grill seems to be that a lot of things get cooked by that fire which really adds a nice smoky touch (like the shrimp and the ahi tuna and the cabbage). My only major complaint would be the fries were just okay. After a minute or two they weren't crispy anymore. As good as everything else was, I thought they would step things up with the fries but they were just average. Anyways, while I overall am not that excited by the menu, it definitely is a great place to go where everybody will be able to find something tasty to eat. And overall, the portions were pretty fair.

Excellent food, service, atmosphere. Have been here a few times with friends and family, but had a…read morememorable brunch today! It was sunny on the patio and there was a lovely breeze. Victor took care of us and was very attentive. Some recommendations: - good cappuccino - hamachi crudo for appetizer - margarita pizza from wood oven - asian chicken salad - apple pie with ice cream was so well done

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Laurel Grill - Also where the magic happens

Also where the magic happens

Laurel Grill - Pepperoni pizza

Pepperoni pizza

Laurel Grill - Loaded baked

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Loaded baked

Massilia

Massilia

4.3(1k reviews)
0.7 mi
$$

Wonderful indoor/outdoor patio adjacent to cool dark-ish dining room and large bar. (Looks like…read moreit wud be awesome place to rent out for a special event!) -- They have a great happy hour drink+food menu and the full dinner menu has several dishes I really enjoy. (There's 1 main dish I didn't care for -- but can't even remember what was.) The wonderful ambiance, enhanced by friendly, attentive & fun servers (+ enticing happy hour prices) are the driving reasons I continue to return. Sometimes I bring my laptop and can do my work while comfortably enjoying happy hour....... and then I'll stay for dinner too. I live in the neighborhood and I'm appreciative of Massilia's delicious hospitality.

My in-laws were in the area and my wife got to choose where we went for dinner, so let's insert…read moreMassilia into the mix! We had what I believe was a 7PM reservation and got seated right away on a Saturday night inside an absolutely stunning restaurant. It's on the darker side in here (which I personally like), is absolutely massive with both indoor and outdoor seating, and had such a friendly staff I now personally consider our waiter a family member and my new Uncle. The menu here has a a great selection of french dishes, pasta dishes, appetizers, and desserts to top it off (even though I was too stuffed for that). For an appetizer the table ordered the Pan Con Tomate with Prosciutto and even though it's not something I would of personally picked, I did enjoy the small amount I had. For a main course I went with one of my favourite dishes of all time, Steak Frites! Massilia did not skimp on portions here or kill you with price. The steak itself was served with an absolutely amazing chimichurri sauce and a boat load of french fries. Every aspect of the plate was incredible and for $32? Yeah, I'll be coming back in the future. The steak was served rare and was absolutely mouth watering while the french fries were crispy and had great flavour. Overall, Massilia was perfect choice for dinner and an absolute gem in Santa Monica. The atmosphere and restaurant were amazing, the staff was delightful, and the food was perfect. I couldn't recommend this place more if I wanted too, I'll definitely be back in the future!

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Massilia - Rolling fresh pita bread

Rolling fresh pita bread

Massilia - Shrimp Aguachile - Avocado

Shrimp Aguachile - Avocado

Massilia - Fresh Homemade pasta with Kale and Squash

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Fresh Homemade pasta with Kale and Squash

Bludso's BBQ - bbq - Updated May 2026

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