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    Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue

    4.5 (115 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue Photos

    CLIFTON'S GOURMET BARBECUE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual

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    Recommended Reviews - Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue

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    Berry cobbler and pecan pie!
    Lynda B.

    First off this used to only be a cobbler shop.. but the aroma of an off the chart bbq sauce was beckoning me to stop park and pick up a special lunch for family ... and ... the verdict is in ... Goodness is found here ! Service is excellent dual generational and polite, friendly , kind , quick and personal. The ambiance is quaint small town and cozy out door seating to enjoy the California sun on a quiet Pasadena afternoon excellent and tidy. The coleslaw is delicious and the meats are tender simple goodness even for complex eaters!

    Front
    Kisha L.

    I had been hearing people talk about Clifton's, and I finally tried it. I wanted a hot link so I ordered a pork one. They had a chicken option as well, but I wanted the spicy pork one. The link was good and the sauces. It really was not spicy but had a tang to it. The place is small with a small section to eat outside. They have all types of barbecue combos and specials. I will try the combo with ribs, chicken, hotlink, and brisket next time. They sell desserts like sweet potato pie, apple pie, cobbler pie, etc. I never knew this place was here and I am glad I found it. Prices are very reasonable. Parking is on the street or in the parking lot adjacent to the restaurant. If you're looking for some barbecue for take-out Cliftons is the spot. The service is good and the menu has a nice variety of options. Note: They also do catering for events.

    All this was feeding a family of 4 :) nothing was left over by the time we were done. Barely got a picture of it during the feast!
    Maddelyn R.

    I was headed to Artisanal Goods but the smell coming from this shop over took everything. The aroma from his freshly baked cobblers led us to look and inside and we ended up getting bbq chicken, ribs, brisket, sausage and 4 sides, peach and boysenberry cobblers and everything was falling off the bone and so flavorful! 70 dollars totally worth it. 10/10 will be back for more. Can't believe I spent 24 dollars for 3 croissants at AG instead of spending it here first. Clifton is an OG from Mississippi. Thank you sir for this delicious food! Cant wait to come back

    Home made peach pie
    Michael F.

    I got this information from yelp and went and tried it out. The food is out of this world tender and falls right off the bone, mac and cheese is home made and the string beans was good also. It a small hole in the wall location but i highly recommend it. Service is great and friendly and the owners are super cool. I had the ribs and very very very delicious. Need to try it out I give location a 20 stars if i could

    Ariana L.

    Hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint in the heart of Pasadena. This is the best BBQ you can find in this area, and the owner Clifton is a kind and wonderful man who pours his heart into every menu item. We've tried just about every cobbler at this location, and they're all delicious. My personal favorites are the peach and the apple. I also love the sides they make... potato salad, macaroni and cheese, baked beans... we come here at least a few times a month. BBQ is expensive everywhere, but at Clifton's I do feel that you will be satisfied with the quality and hospitality.

    Blackberry, mixed berry, peach & cherry cobblers.  Pecan pie
    Julie J.

    We would definitely order the delicious pulled pork sandwich, brisket, Mac & cheese, pecan pie & mixed berry cobbler again! The pecan pie is a perfect balance of sweet & savory. The owners are so friendly & welcoming. Love the front display case of cobblers & pies and outdoor seating ambiance!

    Pecan pie
    Catherine M.

    I was looking for some BBQ in Pasadena and this place was perfect. This lovely small BBQ restaurant and bakery with outdoor seating is located on a side street near the post office The decor is welcoming with a huge menu on the wall of the meals and desserts. I was greeted by a friendly older gentleman who took my order. I ordered a combo plate with chicken, a chicken link, and ribs with potato salad & mac & cheese. I selected a peach cobbler, a pecan pie, and sweet potato pie for dessert. Everything was delicious and tasted homemade. I had enough food for three meals. My only regret is I don't live in Pasadena so I can't go every week .

    pecan pie

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    3 months ago

    I've come here for years. Service is excellent and the food is great. Not much to compare it to, but it's the best bbq in Pasadena.

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

    Customer service was good however the ribbs were definitely boiled the potato salad and Mac and Cheese was missing flavor

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    1 year ago

    The cobbler was great! It a small place with a few tables outside. The service was excellent

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    1 year ago

    Best spot in Pasadena! That's all you need to know. EVERYTHING is great. Best BBQ spot by far.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue

    Do they have indoor seating?

    Nope. Just a bench for waiting, not for dining in. There are two small tables outside however.

    What are your weekend hours?

    Sat 11:00 am - 8:00 pm… Read more

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    Fire House BBQ - Fire house chicken plate $22.99

    Fire House BBQ

    4.9(84 reviews)
    6.3 mi
    $$

    I am always served delicious fresh food and is it always served with a smile! The service is…read morealways warm and welcoming! I'm so sad that's it's closing!

    We were so impressed! We were feeling apathetic about where to eat and decided to just jump in the…read morecar and drive down verdugo looking for places we hadn't tried or hadn't been in a while. We are so glad we did! The casual atmosphere out front and the lunch special banner lead us to believe we'd be having a cheaper dinner. We were ushered into a beautiful outdoor patio dining area, greeted by very friendly staff and supplied with carefully selected table settings. The environment was charming and relaxing. The menu was large and varied. We settled on a few things to try and wished we could have ordered more. The Greek salad was absolutely delicious. Everything was so fresh, the flavors were perfectly balanced. The chicken breast kabob plate was so generous in its portions, the chicken skewers were huge. The rice was wonderful as was everything else. We also got the egg boat to share and the bread was incredible. We definitely want to go back and try other wood fired items there. I'm sure the pizza is wonderful if it uses the same bread. Pricing on everything was very reasonable considering all the factors. I definitely got the impression that this is run with love by a family. They were friendly and kind, and their love of food showed in every bite. Their pride in their endeavor showed in all of the little touches in creating a nice atmosphere. We will be back

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    Fire House BBQ - Armenian salad $13.99

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    bb.q Chicken Pasadena - bb.q Chicken Pasadena

    bb.q Chicken Pasadena

    3.5(172 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    It was a weekday evening. Two kitchen staff and one server that does to go packaging as well…read more The order is placed by a kiosk in the front. It was simple and easy to navigate. On the screen it says "food takes 25-30min" I waited 50 min... There were at least 4 people waiting for their orders. Whenever one of us tried to talk to the server and as they were approaching, I could tell she was going to somewhere else like to the kitchen and intentionally tried not to give the eye contact with customers. The customer is next to you how can you not look at them...lol After almost an hour I got my food only to find that pickled radish was spoiled. Luckily I added an extra so it saved me. When I took out the container it was already full of gas and about to explode. When I opened it, smelled horrible like raw food left in the garbage disposal for weeks. (You can see how cloudy the juice is from the picture) Over all, I understand that this location has the worst review among other bb.q chicken in SGV, I'd choose other place next time. Food was good so 3 stars for that.

    The food at bb.q Pasadena is pretty consistent and if you're looking for that typical flavor of…read moreKorean fried chicken, you will get that here. I only ever order takeout from this location and there's definitely things that could be improved. The location is on busy Colorado so parking is a nightmare. The workers here have absolutely no sense of urgency. Often I've been the only customer picking up and the speed of service could only be described as "meandering" to find and hand me my order. As previously mentioned, there's no issue with the food. It's juicy and flavorful. But there's inconsistencies like sometimes I get the side radish and utensils but other times not at all. The attitude of the workers you interact with are that of someone who has absolutely no pride in their work and are simply tolerating customers. It would go a long way to improve this location if workers were trained to do everything as efficiently and quickly as possible. The cost is also astronomically high for chicken. A whole chicken is $31 before any taxes or fees. It's not competitive with other Korean fried chicken places and you have to imagine part of the cost is due to the location. I would be sad if this branch closed, since it is closest to where I live, but it wouldn't be a shock that it did close. There's a lot of low hanging easy changes that could be made. Better training from management, more local deals, and focusing on customer service.

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    bb.q Chicken Pasadena - Bb.q Chicken Pasadena

    Bb.q Chicken Pasadena

    bb.q Chicken Pasadena - Bb.q Chicken Pasadena

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    Rodney's Ribs - The coleslaw

    Rodney's Ribs

    4.4(237 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    To all Pasadena residents, Rodney's Ribs is an absolute institution. Rodney has parked his truck…read morethere for decades and it has been consistently delicious all this time. If you're looking for "fall off the bone ribs" (this generation calls it "tendernism") or ribs that taste like smoke, then Rodney's is not for you. If you're looking for tender ribs with that perfect amount of chew and a fabulous bbq sauce with just the right sweetness-to-spicy kick ratio, then this is THE spot. I usually ask for the sauce on the side but when Rodney forgets and lays it on, I'm not going to complain because the sauce is damn tasty and he gives you so much bread that I can just use the top layer of sauce as my personal dip. The ribs are the star no doubt but don't miss the brisket and hot links because they can hold their own as well. But what makes it complete is Rodney himself. The man is a true gentleman and his love of bbq and his creations are infectious and we can't help but feel like we're guests at his backyard barbecue.

    Finally got to try Rodney's Ribs, and it did not disappoint. It's located in a CVS parking lot, so…read morethere's plenty of parking available. It's a one-man operation, so wait times can be a bit longer if he's busy--but it's understandable. I loved the neon signs and the hospitality Rodney brings. You can genuinely taste the soul he puts into his food. That said, a few notes come down to personal preference--so if you enjoy it as-is, feel free to take this with a grain of salt. The ribs were incredibly tender--10/10. They were truly fall-off-the-bone. Personally, I would have loved a bit more of that smoky char you get from Texas-style ribs, but that's just my preference. Either way, Rodney clearly knows what he's doing. The potato salad wasn't my favorite. It leaned heavily on mustard, and there seemed to be a lot of relish or pickles, which threw me off a bit. Still, I'd absolutely come back again just for the ribs. The customer ahead of us ordered brisket, and I appreciated that Rodney was upfront about whether it was on the leaner or fattier side--that level of honesty goes a long way. Overall, the BBQ smelled and tasted great, and the pricing is very reasonable for the portions you get--it's definitely worth the value. If you enjoy good BBQ, I'd recommend making the trip to check this spot out before more people discover it. One thing to note: the ribs are truly fall-off-the-bone, so if you prefer a firmer, more "bite-through" texture where you can really gnaw on the meat, this might not be your style.

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    Rodney's Ribs - Rodney's Ribs is a must for some of the most delicious ribs around!

    Rodney's Ribs is a must for some of the most delicious ribs around!

    Rodney's Ribs - The rib tip plate

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    Rodney's Ribs - Rodney's Rack  @dangit.all

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    Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue - southern - Updated May 2026

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