I was born in Whittier and raised in that area in the 60's, 70's and left there in 82 and moved to Ventura County and been here ever since. This has always been one of my favorite places to go growing up down there and was a treat to hen we did go. I still make the 2hr trek from Ventura and go here once in awhile. After I heard they closed the Bellflower location I made it a point on 9/5/2026 to the Downey location. It was packed and they had a wait which I (Myself) was happy to see, I waited about 10 or 15 minutes and ordered the baby back ribs - Hawaiian style along with the Hawaiian style chicken with a salad, BBQ beans, and bread. It did not disappoint! 5 for me! Keep in mind this location is one of the original if not thee 1st one to open. It has a ambiance feeling when in there = Landmark. Chris & Pitts' Downey location has been operating since 1949, the year the chain was founded. All available records point to the Downey restaurant being one of the original early locations that remained open continuously while other branches closed over the decades. What a Gem! I almost forgot, the service was excellent too. read more

Don't waste your time, money and effort. This place is the "pits"! You coming for food? It's horrible. Like some ambiance? This is absolutely nasty and stinky. Had the mixed ribs special and brisket with coleslaw, mashed potatoes and baked beans. Ribs were slathered in their lame sauce and minimal meat due to overcooked ribs. Worse yet - the brisket was totally swimming in this ridiculous house sauce. Who does that? No - not in TX we don't. I managed to find a piece of the brisket without the sauce and it was tasteless! Now we know why the swim... Beans very average, mashed potatoes bland and weak gravy, coleslaw was ok. Not recommended and suggest taking your business elsewhere. Service is average. read more

What happened to this restaurant? I've been coming here with friends and family for 35 years, and I can honestly say I've never experienced this restaurant this bad. The food was horrible, the service was practically nonexistent, and the restaurant itself felt neglected and poorly maintained. There was also an unpleasant smell inside. Then there's the steak--look at the photo. After all these years, this is what is being served? I understand restaurants have an off day, but this felt like more than just one bad meal. The entire experience was disappointing from beginning to end. They recently closed another location, making this the last surviving restaurant in the Greasy Pitts family. That makes it even more disappointing to see the condition this place is in. After 35 years of coming here, I never thought I would write this review. But loyalty only goes so far when the food, service, cleanliness, and overall experience have fallen this far. Very sad to say, but I would not recommend this restaurant and I have no reason to come back. Hopefully they can turn this around and higher a manager and fix it. read more

Chris' & Pitt's - Look at the size. $20 for this - Barbeque Near Me - Downey, California

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Food was tasty, I hadn't been to a Chris and Pitts restaurant in 30 plus years and my fiance set up a dinner here with her meetup group. Service was terrible, we had a lot trouble getting a server's attention to order drinks and again for main course meals. Long time between orders and food arriving. Then again when we were ready to pay our checks. The food was good but the service was really lacking. I don't think that I will return. read more

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I checked in by mistake. I wanted the one in Bellflower on Artesia Boulevard. The one in Bellflower has been around for more than 50 years and now they are closed. They were like a permanent fixture there and we're sorry to see them go. I have never been to this location and I hit it by mistake. read more

Place needs a revamp. I'm not usually one to notice how run-down restaurants are, especially if the food is great, but the second you walk in all you see is filth. If nobody can be bothered to clean and maintain the entrance of the restaurant, what on God's green earth is going on in the kitchen? Again, walked in, spotted the dirty floors - needs power cleaning way past a mop and bucket at that point. We wait about 10-15 minutes on a Sunday night although the place was visibly empty, maybe a lack of waitstaff but who knows. Get seated, booth is covered in crumbs so I have to clear them off myself. Sit, table is covered in grease so by now I'm extremely wary. Just felt like there was a lack of care behind the restaurant. Used to come here as a kid and although as a child I probably wasn't concerned with anything like cleanliness, I still think these are basic standards that did not seem to be met. My previous visit was not this concerning and last night left me very doubtful about ever returning. I had a bad feeling overall so we just ordered an onion flower to start. It was undercooked. Raw, crunchy onion, and raw batter in the center of it. The ends of the onion appeared burnt so it seemed like someone in the kitchen goofed a bit. Onion normally comes apart easily for easy grabs but we had to tug at this one quite a bit so I think it maybe wasn't cut all the way through and that made the cooking uneven. I felt there was no sense in spending $50 on food that's more likely than not going to be a disappointment so I ordered a baked potato - can't go wrong, right? - and a piece of garlic bread. Garlic bread arrived much later than the potato and it came cold. Potato came wrapped, uncut, undressed, with packets of butter and a to-go container of sour cream mixed with green onion. Sat at a restaurant, paying restaurant prices and being served by a waiter... I'm not really expecting to have to cut and dress my own potato especially when it's $5, and you can get an entire sack for that price. Size of the potato was laughable as well. Normally a baked potato is a good sized Russet but this one looked like a fingerling potato. Total for 3 was around $50 (with tip). All we got was the onion flower, 2 baked potatoes, the side of garlic bread, and one cheeseburger meal. Pretty steep considering there was really only one meal and one appetizer. We didn't even get drinks... Not coming back anytime soon. Hopefully the owners make some necessary changes to the restaurant. read more

Came here as my wife's family took her out for her birthday. Now ribeye steak was decent and chicken sandwich was ok. But the evening steak special is a joke. The steak is the size of a playing card. That small and thin. It is $16 for that and a side. Sorry but I could buy a bigger steak for half of the cost. It was just too small and honestly looked embarrassing on the plate. Too bad I didn't take a pic but it was so wrong. Won't come here again unless someone else is paying as to me it is not worth it. read more

I can't believe this place is closing! Believe me not I will be coming here this week to grab everything I can. The prime rib has always been my favorite!!! The portions here are very generous and you can't beat the price. Love this place read more

I've been dining here my entire life. Best sauce and ribs ever. Period. Thanks Chris' & Pitt's read more

Wow, talk about a throwback. I came across this restaurant by accident, and it was a bad accident. I knew their name due to their ubiquidious BBQ sauce in grocery stores. The outside was very shabby but they had a line waiting for them to open so I assumed it might be good. The joke was on me. The interior was ugly and unchanged from the 60's but the prices were definately modern. I had not heard the term "ground beef steak" for many years and at 25 dollars I decided against it. To give the place the benefit of the doubt I ordered what should be their specialty- pork ribs. The salad was chopped non-green iceberg lettuce with saltines. The toasted bread was cold and tasted like it was left over from the day before. The ribs were unremarkable but the best thing served but when I asked for a spicier BBQ sauce they said they only have the one sauce, which was 1960's's bland. The bathroon was a mess and obviously had been for a long time. It had all the appearances of a restaurant with one foot in the grave but it would be better to cremate it. The second star was only because the waitress was decent. And before I forget, the seat had lost its bouyancy and so I sat 8 inches lower than the normal level. read more

I wanted to like this place so badly, as I've heard about it many times. The bottom line is this: management needs to staff appropriately for a Saturday night and set expectations with the staff of the basics of running a restaurant. The good: we had a party of 10 and got in on a Saturday within 25 mins. The beef barley soup and the chili were amazing. Some of the best beef barley I've ever had. The blue cheese and the onion rings were amazing. The ribs were slightly above average to me and lacked sauce. The bad: the men's restroom was a humid, dirty mess. You could tell it hadn't been cleaned and it was noticeably 10 degrees hotter and 100x more humid than the restaurant. I had to hold my breath. Maybe get some ventilation in there? Our server had two large parties. Us and another. Every other server had a few small tables of 2 to 4 people. It didn't look like any server helps any other server. We waited 45 mins for waters, salads and soups. Why couldn't the other servers offer to help our server? Poor team work. Our server was kind and had a good personality, but was severely overwhelmed and apologetic. It took an hour and a half get our dinners overall. Not acceptable. This was clearly due to understaffing and lack of teamwork. Management: train your staff to work together more and clean the bathroom. I spent $100 on a meal for 2, a bland strawberry milkshake, and an overall bad experience. If it wasn't for the delicious good, this would be one star. read more

Chris' & Pitt's - Deluxe Combo For Two - Barbeque Near Me - Downey, California

I've been coming here since I was a kid and the food has always been consistently good! Everything we tried was fresh and delicious. Order the onion rings! They're the best I've ever had. It was busy, so service was a little slow. However, everyone was nice and good came out hot. Zero complaints! read more

Came here to have dinner on a whim. Pleasantly surprised with their weekly special, which was spaghetti for $16. We decided on another special which included two baby back ribs, one spare and one beef rib for $16.95. The special also included baked potato, super salad and a piece of garlic bread all in which were very yummy. With the economy being what it is, we felt we got our moneys worth. Food was tasty very laid-back environment and most of all we get to watch the Dodger game. Our server Nathan was friendly and pleasant read more

Chris' & Pitt's - Salad with the best blue cheese ever. - Barbeque Near Me - Downey, California

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Dropped by for a late lunch and was seated right away. Wasn't too busy but quite loud with the table near us. The staff was somewhat friendly. I used to come here all the time when I was younger, but I hadn't been back in a few years. Unfortunately, the food has definitely changed. It doesn't taste the same, and the prices have gone up to the point where it no longer feels worth it. I ordered my usual: the Queen Size Prime Rib with beef barley soup and all fries. The prime rib was honestly terrible -- I'm not sure if it was the cut or the au jus, but something tasted off and seemed overcooked for medium rare. The beef barley soup was just okay, nowhere near as good as I remember. The garlic bread was still good, and the fries were just plain, nothing special. Overall, I left really disappointed. This place used to hold a lot of good memories from family dinners, but it just isn't the same anymore. read more

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One of the best fish sandwiches I've ever had giant hoagie roll giant piece of cod pretty sure I've already left a review on that. What I'm doing is leaving review. I got chili on the side and took it home with the red onions. They gave me for the fish sandwich and put it on Hotdog. It was phenomenal so I recommend if you're a chili dog person it's very tasty chili better than most Hotdog chili you get at these places. It's a slurry very little meat when you get it at these hotdog places the chili here was loaded with beef very little beans. Great flavor some of the best chili dogs I've had in a while homemade with their chili. read more

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I've been coming to this C&P's for 53 years. That's because my parents were coming here before I was born, and then I was here as a baby I've had meals that were great, and meals that were just Meh. The quality has been I consistent the last 10 years or so, but lately it's been really good. It got back to the quality I remember from 20 years ago. The only complaint I had this trip is that it seemed like the ranch dressing was not the same. I used to buy jars of it to take home, but not this time. It tasted processed and not homemade. Oh well. I had the beef ribs dinner, and they were delicious Perfectly smoked with sticky BBQ sauce permeating the meat. So good. The salad and fries were the standard good. I'll be back of course, and I hope they keep up the consistency read more

Chris' & Pitt's - Same comfy dining room for decades. - Barbeque Near Me - Downey, California

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Chris & Pitts is one of those places that keeps you coming back. The food is always delicious, fresh, and full of flavor, and the service is consistently outstanding. What really makes this restaurant special is Ruby. Ruby runs the place with such care and professionalism, making every guest feel welcomed and valued. It's clear she takes pride in what she does, and it shows in every aspect of the dining experience. Great food, amazing service Chris & Pitts never disappoints. Highly recommend! We take the drive all the way from Encino and plan our day out there and that's what I look forward to the most eat at C&P read more

Chris' & Pitt's - Barbeque Near Me - Downey, California

Best location ever! Depends what day you come in you can even meet the owner and admin staff who makes sure this place runs smoothly and they are very sweet ladies. Customer service is always welcoming and great. The staff is always friendly and the food always comes out hot and ready back to back from soup or salad to main entree. I always order a rib eye MEDIUM RARE and it comes out perfectly pink every time! The fries with 1000 island dressing! Heaven! 10/10 read more

I have loved this bbq chain for over 20 years but today I drove all the way from Alhambra for take out and everything was bad, especially the service because whoever packed my order didn't include salad dressing. I thought it was dressing but it was the sour cream for the potato. Why should I have to double check when I asked for it before I left? Fries were burnt and hard and it just was not a good experience. Food was meh. waisted 50 bucks on two plates and could've just drove to moos bbq. Not worth it and it wont be a surprise if it eventually closes. People that work there are way to lazy to pack the meals correctly. read more

Food for the OG steak and potatoes crowd. Decor is old time red vinyl. Decent food food for a decent price.

It has a great old restaurant feeling. They do have a take out counter. The booth we sat in was comfortable and roomie. I ordered the pull pork sandwich and it comes with fries and one side. I ordered the coleslaw. I did enjoy the slaw it was sweet. The pulled pork was delicious. The flavor, the BBQ sauce has a great flavor to it . The sandwich is served on a French roll. The restaurant and the restroom were clean. The waitress was friendly. read more

Chris' & Pitt's - The takeout counter - Barbeque Near Me - Downey, California

Mom and I went for lunch special here! Left spending 80 something dollars! Guys don't buy alcohol because it's Not worth it! Get water and hold the ICE!! Services were NOT great!!!!!!!! SMH read more

Chris & Pitt's in Downey is pure, unfiltered comfort--and walking through those doors instantly takes me back. It looks, smells, and tastes exactly the same as it did when I went growing up, and honestly, that's what makes it so special. There's something incredibly comforting about a place that doesn't try to reinvent itself every few years. The portions are still huge, the BBQ sauce still has that signature tangy-sweet magic, and the whole vibe is wonderfully no-frills. It's definitely not fancy, and that's part of the charm. The wood paneling, the old-school booths, the sizzling platters--it all feels like a snapshot from another time, in the best way. If you're looking for nostalgia, hearty portions, and food that hits the same every time, Chris & Pitt's delivers. It's not trying to impress--it's just consistently, reliably good, and that's exactly why I keep coming back. read more

Chris' & Pitt's - Barbeque Near Me - Downey, California

Still one of my favorite places to eat. I have been going to various Chris' & Pitt's restaurants for over thirty years. This time I ordered the large Brady cut Prime Rib. I figured I would splurge since I had a recent birthday. The salad that came with it was crispy and fresh. I have always enjoyed their homemade French dressing which is tangy and slightly sweet. The packet of saltines are Gamesa Saladitas which were very fresh. Lots of places serve stale cracker packets but not here. The prime rib was ordered medium rare but was closer to medium in temperature. It was still very good tasting. I ordered the spaghetti as a side instead of the barbecue beans and French fries. The spaghetti is still my favorite with its very meaty sauce and large singular meatball. It is a spaghetti that I measure all others with. Very delicious with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. The garlic toast came with a mushroom flavored au jus that was perfect for dipping. All in all, it was a pleasant lunch. I have previously enjoyed their "Dinner for Two" with beef ribs before. It is a good deal in itself if one has a dining companion. The service here was very polite and efficient. A separate entrance and waiting area just for take out orders is a nice convenience. Plenty of parking in their dedicated lot. This location is freeway close as well. I am looking forward to a return visit if in the area again. read more

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the wife and i had dinner at Chris & Pitts last night with the Downey Supper club. there were about 30 of us in the side room. the service was great and the food was supper yummy. the owner - Debbie and her daughter Nikki - were there and shared stories about their father who was Chris of Chris & Pitts. i had the rib combo for dinner and some of it was my lunch today. i will definitely go back for more, and so should you read more

Chris' & Pitt's - Barbeque Near Me - Downey, California

Very disappointing order special 1/4 chicken and bb ribs literally one small baby back rib. Then used debit card to pay and get charged an extra $3.00 to use that's ridiculous. Won't be coming back . read more

I loved it since the 80s or longer its the last 1 standing so if yr in the area come try it out u will not be disappointed especially if yr focus is on the food and not anything else cuz waitress come and go the food is still great either way and with yr help its here to stay! read more

It's so bad every time , I don't understand who's running it ? Whittier closed down, Bellflower has been closed for months this year because of bug infestation. When will it be Downeys turn ? I hope the owners are seriously going to fire whoever is running the business and kitchen. Is it really going to take all 3 restaurants closing till you can admit these people you put in charge have no idea what they're doing ? Do the hard thing to save the legacy of this restaurant. At this point it's not workers. Its leadership. read more

We had lunch here on Labor Day. We were surprised that it wasn't crazy crowded. It was a little wait time but not too long. The food was great like always. I had the Hawaiian chicken my favorite and it still tasted amazing. My other family members had steak and they were more than happy with it. Our waiter was very nice he was very attentive to us always making sure that we didn't need anything else. We don't get to eat here a lot and it makes me sad because this Downey Chris N Pitt's is the last one that is left for us to eat at. My wish is that it will remain here forever so our grandkids can take their grandkids here to enjoy the food. read more

First time going, not good. Won't be going back, ever. No flavor and overcooked. Overpriced.

Been a few since I've been here. The smell is still great and To Go is booming a lot of young ones working here very nice to see. Waiting a few for a table. Big change restrooms are more separate instead of going in one door they are separate. Still rustic feeling but very clean throughout the restaurant. Cristian is our wait staff and Mayra another wait staff helping out great to see team work in action. Cristian is very knowledgeable of the menu Very nice and friendly So my grandson we ordered ahead and came in good time and good portion Had to get the onion flower great size still and added a new sauce bbq with a kick as well as ranch We got soup, beef barley still a favorite and chicken soup as well. Seafood combo good spread my wife said flavorful and good portion. chicken fried steak my daughters go too for many years still the biggest you will find. My son in law so happy with ribs combo, juicy compared to others he had that were dry. D*ve & b**st*rs so to speak. I had prime rib it was great but had end cut which is a aquired taste because its well done. Stil I enjoyed it Still a great place for BBQ in its own way. Not many establishments left like this classic place atmosphere = 8 Customer service = 9 Wait staff = 8 Cleanliness = 8 Prices to product (per economy) = 8 Food = 8 I love this place been a Customer for many years. But my review is a honest one Thank you for great food read more

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Loved it for over 35 years! Same ambience, same comfort food! Treat yourself to BBQ and you'll be happy!

The owner Debbie responded to my recent post in 5 minutes , and apologized for not responding to my private message. "I'm so sorry it was minimized and I couldn't see it and it just came back up. I'll mail it out today so sorry for the delay. " I did receive the promised gift certificates today. I wanted to acknowledge that she followed through publicly. Because of her response I adjusted my review to a "2" Thank you for following through. John read more

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Quality service from Ruby! Always treats us like family. Service is perfect!! Thank you! read more

We had really good service, this place needs a facelift, however the food is still great. Prices are decent and atmosphere was good. We need to keep supporting our local gems. read more

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The food is amazing, however the owner and managers should be ashamed. Not a busboy in sight. You are seated in complete filth. 3 Tables all around in the back portion of the restaurant were not cleaned the entire time we were at the restaurant. This is unacceptable. My party just sat there amongst all these filthy tables while food was all over the floor. All the staff is very pleasant and I have no complaints about service or food. But as busy a place as this is.. hire some damn busboys. read more

An all time favorite! Nothing has changed since I was born. We have been coming here for 50 years. Very clean bathrooms. Large portions. Excellent wait staff. Barbecue done low and slow!!! read more

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Preface- In recent days I've been learning of many Establishments in the East LA and San Gabriel areas; and my visit to Chris' & Pitt's was no different. Thank you to Vince V for selecting this place and to Niki S for the invite. Here is my story: I journey to the SoCal area and one of my visits was to Chris' & Pitt's. It was not too far out of my usual place to stay when visiting and it was a Sunday so driving over to Downey was a snap. I'm glad I made that journey because this place has got to be a "blast from the past" as the furniture and interior was that of an old iconic steak/rib house. I love it! (reminded me of the old Love's a couple other places in the South Bay area to be truthful) Our server was so very polite considering we asked him for this and that; and more this and that as he politely accommodated. The menu was a busy menu (and our server knew just how to navigate as he again politely walked us through the do's and the maybe's. Niki and I opted for the Broasted Chicken. (Haven't had broasted chicken in DECADES) I'm so glad I tried C& P's Broasted Chicken as moistness of the chicken has got to be one of the best ways to eat chicken. AND it's a good thing we shared because it was a huge amount of food. In addition to the chicken came sides.... YUMMY Thank you to my dining partners for inviting me and introducing me to this place. Would I journey back? YUP even if that is not the area I'm usually at, it's not too far of a drive so I will definitely head back there one day. Parking plentiful but it's at the corner of a busy intersection so know your way around or you may just have to circle the block. read more

This place is like an old-time diner. There's nothing fancy about the food, their salad is just lettuce straight out the bag , and the portions are huge--definitely big enough to share a plate. Our group has come here a couple of times, with our most recent visit being for Friendsgiving. We noticed the "broasted chicken" on the menu and decided to give it a try not knowing what's broasted chicken. It is actually fried chicken using the pressure cook, master, It takes 20 minutes to prepare, so you have to order a little ahead of time. When it arrived, I had a wing, and it was pretty good! It had the crispiness of fried chicken, but the meat was also fall-off-the-bone tender from being pressure-cooked. Plus, it wasn't too salty or greasy. Normally, I enjoy their prime rib, but I'm cutting back on beef, so I skipped it this time. Our waiter, Andrew, was probably the best employee I've seen for a long time . He knew the menu well and explained everything clearly. For example, regular menu and the daily special menu .With such a big menu, his guidance really helped! Overall, if you're looking for delicious, unpretentious food, this is the place to go. read more

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Ordered a beef ribs dinner with baked potato, salad, added a soup and onion blossom appetizer thru Grub Hub. What did arrive was cold - was missing the beef ribs and baked potato. I even tipped extra. read more

Chris' & Pitt's - Onion blossom, side of bbq, salad, beef barley soup - Barbeque Near Me - Downey, California