There are some problem areas in this venue. Not enough people working. The structure of the very system they have in place. How clean the restaurant looks. I never point out the vibe, but on a Saturday night, the lack of vibe was concerning. Food wise. Mac and cheese, 3/5. That's a lot of corners being cut to make this. Tritip. 4/5. There was bit of uncomfortable burnt flavor on it. Like bit too much. Beef ribs. 5/5. This one was great. Overall, between 3 or 4 stars. I will go for 4. Also, can you give us an option of having bbq sauce on the side and table salt on every table? read more

A sad place, very run down. Several inop food vending machines in the dining area, apparently a place where these things go to die. The floor surface is unsightly, and none of the flat screens were working. Not surprising since my son and I were literally the only customers during a weekday dinner hour. I believe I saw two To-Go orders being picked up. There is no customer service, just an order-taker at a cash register standing under a wall menu. I ordered the Santa Fe Tri-Tip sando, but the meat was tough, and somewhat lacking in taste. Disappointing for a $14 item. The side of beans tasted right out of the can. Judging from past reviews, this place has gone downhill over the years. Where's Chef Ramsay when you really need him? read more

This is a small run down BBQ place, I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The whole place looks dirty, and slowly falling apart. The customer service is a 1 star, she wanted us to order as soon as we walked in as if we knew the whole menu. Their fountain machine said out of order so you had no choice but to get their can of soda for $3 The fries are thin and a bit burnt Ribs are dry inside with the BBQ tasting like it was store bought. The wings were also terrible, the buffalo sauce tasted like I was drinking straight up vinegar. read more

I was really looking forward to trying Lil Alex BBQ, but unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. The pulled pork sandwich had several small bone pieces in it, and the meat was extremely burnt and tasted like it had been reheated. The BBQ beans also tasted burnt, to the point that I couldn't eat them. The mac and cheese tasted like it had been frozen and reheated, lacking the fresh, creamy flavor I was expecting. I understand that every restaurant can have an off day, but based on this visit, the quality of the food did not meet my expectations. I hope they take this feedback into consideration because I had heard good things and was hoping for a much better experience. read more

I was really craving beef ribs, so after a friend mentioned Lil Alex BBQ near the hospital, we decided to make the 45-minute drive and place a to-go order. We ordered before our friend, and the cashier initially told us the wait would be about 20 minutes. Since it was Father's Day and I wanted it to be a nice celebration, I waited patiently. Thirty-five minutes later, our friend had already received his food while we were still waiting. After more time passed, I asked the cashier about our order. She said she would check on it, but never followed up. As she was cleaning a table in front of us, I asked again because it was obvious she hadn't checked. She eventually went to the kitchen and returned to tell us that our beef ribs hadn't even been cooked yet and it would be another 40 minutes before they were ready. At that point, after waiting more than an hour, she offered pork ribs instead or a refund. I chose the refund. What disappointed me most wasn't just the delay--it was the lack of communication and customer service. No one proactively updated us, and it took repeated inquiries to find out the status of our order. After spending over an hour waiting, I left frustrated and disappointed. Unfortunately, a 45-minute drive each way and over an hour of waiting resulted in a very disappointing Father's Day experience. read more

Lil Alex BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Bonita, California

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Cool place. They have a pool table. I ordered a full rack of ribs. Ribs were grilled with mesquite. I could smell it from the parking lot. Ribs had a nice char from the grill which imparted a smoky flavor. Beef ribs were high quality with lots of meat on the bone. Beef was tender and juicy. Sauce gave a mix of sweet and tangy flavor. Very good tasting dish. Staff was nice and efficient. read more

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I would not eat here again, since the original owner left. It has gone downhill fast. The new owner has the worst attitude and the food was microwaved and tasted like plastic. Also more expensive than Phills BBQ. read more

After hiking Mother Miguel I was hungry. I read all the bad reviews and accepted that the service would suck but decided to go anyway. The woman came to greet me as soon as I entered. She was polite and recommended the Rib special (pork, comes with one side for 14.99). The food came out hot and in under 5 minutes. The potato salad was excellent- not sweet, not mustardy but laced with herbs and consisted of red potato chunks. Perfection. The ribs were sauces, juicy, with a hint of heat. Right down my alley. The restaurant is dim but it has lots of seating and a pool table! How fun! Going to make a habit of this read more

Lil Alex BBQ - Pork rib special. Half rack with one side for 14.99 - Barbeque Near Me - Bonita, California

My husband and I really thought this place was going to be good but no! It was bad! I felt so bad for my husband because not only was the food horrible but for the price my husband paid for was not matching. Highly DO not recommend. read more

When the ice water is the best item on the table, there is something seriously wrong. The empty restaurant was only marginally cooler than the outside ambient temperature as we sat down and waited for our dinner. The water arrived first, fresh from the 5 gallon dispenser in the corner of the room. The soda machine had given up the ghost some indeterminate time ago. The food arrived minutes later. The BBQ burger consisted of a stale, square bread split in half, rather than a pillowy hamburger bun. The previously frozen and overly salted patty served as the base for breaded onion ring and manufactured cheese. It was drenched in a sour and overly smoky barbecue sauce. The accompanying fries had recently gone through a putrid oil bath, then were doused in table salt. The flavor of decade-old oil couldn't be exorcised by any condiment on earth. It took every ounce of my being not to wretch. Once I was done punishing my guts, I got up, smiled politely and waved goodbye to what was the most horrific dining experience in many years. Pepto Bismol has never tasted so good... read more

The web page stated a price for their beef ribs which included 2 small sides or 1 large side. The restaurant cashier said no the sides are extra. I took a picture of their website to show here but she on her phone no it's not. In short they do not honer what is on their website Prices are expensive there Disappointment read more

By far, this is the BEST small business (family owned) BBQ restaurant within San Diego county. Great food, VERY honest staff, absolutely VERY clean and always OUTSTANDING service with a great smile! Keep up the great job. read more

Great food. Just pick it up or Door Dash it. The criticism about the food is unwarranted. We had ribs, chicken and all of their salads. Better than Phil's. A hole in the wall inside, but so what. read more

I just got home and ate. It was so terrible I had to post NOW. I am a born and raised local who loved this place when they opened. I am back in town and decided to treat the family to dinner. I picked up a full rack or pork ribs, half a chicken, beans, Mac and cheese and onion rings. The child of the family was "starving" so I made their plate first. I served them chicken and mac. I licked off the fork and was hit with the most disgusting taste. It totally threw me off. It tasted like burnt dirty charcoal mixed into a tasteless goo. When I tell you it wanted to immediately spit it out I am not exaggerating. I waited to see what the kid would say as they were taking their first bite. They chewed a couple of times and looked at me with a "I'm going to throw up face" I grabbed a napkin and put it at their mouth for them to spit out. They yelled asking how I could give them something so awful. And I don't blame them. It truly was freaking disgusting. Onto the rest of the meal. To my dismay it all was terrible. Their bbq sauce tasted sour/tangy and not in a good way. It tasted old sour. The meat fell off the bone but the flavor of their sauce is so different than it used to be. And again, this was not intentional "tangy". It was not good. I went for the onion ring in hopes that it is a safe bet and I was again proven wrong. It was SO greasy and again with an old used greasy flavor. You know the flavor. There is a difference between greasy because it's fried and old grease greasy. Regular greasy you can blot off and the taste is fine. You taste the batter and onion and all is good. OLD GREASY- it doesn't matter how much you blot- ALL YOU TASTE IS OLD OIL. And that is exactly how those onion rings were. I did not bother with the beans. None of us finished our meal. I spent over $60 for trash. I would have rather fed my kid McD's. This place once was an establishment that seemed like someone's little dream to have a small town restaurant. It had great flavor! You can definitely tell this place is a thing of the past and standards are no longer important to the owners. Highly disappointed and still freakin hungry. read more

Ordered via Door dash, no utensils or napkins were provided., Beef ribs brisket were goodl,mac and cheese was awful along with tasteless potato salad. The sides were not up to part. read more

My wife and I decided to try something different for dinner, and after looking at the variety of options in the area, we chose Lil Alex BBQ. We called ahead to place a takeout order and arrived after the estimated pickup time, but unfortunately, our food was still not ready. Once we received our order, we noticed right away that the chicken was not the piece we had requested. The ribs and chicken were also very dry and did not seem fresh; they tasted as though they may have been cooked earlier and reheated. For our sides, we ordered potato salad and macaroni salad. The potato salad was mushy and had a strong vinegar taste. Overall, the meal was disappointing and did not feel worth the amount we paid. Based on this experience, I would not recommend Lil Alex BBQ. read more

Not a fan. The pla e was stifling hot! Took foreve for someone to come to the counter. The only other time we ever saw an employee again was when she brought our food, which took FOREVER by the way. Seriously, no other customers in there and our party of 3 took 25 minutes to get our food. My burger patty was so salty I could choke it down. The ribs were ok. A little mushy but huge. Mac/cheese reminded me of boxed from the store. The fries were fresh and delish, literally the one plus of the meal. read more

Calling to place an order. If you don't pick up the phone so that people can do so, you're gonna lose business. I guess a little drive to Lemon Grove will do. read more

If you like the Phil's, you'll like the lil Alex. The founder was a cook at Phil's and got into a legal battle by opening the place. He's still around, so the big corporations don't always win. When I go, the service is spotty. The food is good, and it has a good feel. read more

walked in a Monday evening , there was no customes (which didn't bother me), the cashier seemed like she didn't know what she was doing, asked if the potato salad had egg and she said she didn't know , proceeded to ask the cook and he said he didn't know. The pork ribs were very hard , dry, the fries tasted like they were 2 days old , the burger patty was way too dry and tasted terrible. I was expecting something better after the price that we paid. Very disappointed . read more

I will say, READ THE REVIEWS BEFORE COMING! I wanted some BBQ and since I live 3 mins away, I wanted to give this place a go. I ordered the family BBQ beef ribs family dinner with a full rack and 2 large sides. The sides I ordered were potato salad and bbq beans. Let's start with the potato salad, don't get it. Bland, no seasoning. Store bought tastes better. It tastes like fat free... salad dressing. I will say the texture is really good, but doesn't help without taste The baked beans... canned. They literally taste like store bought Bush's Baked Beans, which now thinking about it, wasn't bad. Now, the ribs. The plus are the bones, they are huge. Think Flintstones size bones. HOWEVER, there is barely any meat, and it's not prepared properly. They sectioned 2 bones, but it's not cut all the way. The meat is on one side of the bone. They look boiled first, and grilled later, which to me, it makes them a bit mushy. The ribs had some seasoning to them, but you can tell they want the sauce to carry the flavoring. Which, the sauce isn't that great. Would I go back, probably not. Phil's BBQ (which is nasty) is better than this. read more

Lil Alex BBQ - Beef ribs FAMILY #2 - Barbeque Near Me - Bonita, California

Food is amazing. Great service. BBQ isn't my goto if I'm hungry. This is our 2nd time here in 5 days and everything has been consistent both days. Atmosphere here makes me feel welcome and that means a lot to me. read more

Lil Alex BBQ - Lunch special. If you think the price is a bit too much, they have lunch special just like any other place. - Barbeque Near Me - Bonita, California

I love this place! Watch out Phil's Bbq! I love there Santa Fe tri-tip with potato salad! Oh and the Onion Rings are a meal themselves! Must try them! . read more

Everything was great except the Mac & cheese. Was expecting it to be the best part but it definitely tasted as if it was pre made in a bag. I know some fast food places who have better Mac&cheese. I was expecting the pork sandwich to have some type of spread but it didn't. I like the rack of ribs better than the pulled pork but it was ok. Macaroni salad was also a no go. Was expecting more seasoning in it. The onions we're the best part and the ribs were good... read more

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Le doy 4 estrellas porque el Domingo que fui la cajera es muy indiferente muy mala atención la cajera nos dejó esperando 10 minutos se fue para la parte de atrás y nos dejó como mensos ahí.! Fuimos al lil Alex bbq porque varias de mis amistades nos lo han recomendado la comida está deliciosa pero el customer service es pésimo horrible la cajera no ofrece no nos da opciones y pienso que para ser un cliente nuevo eso cuenta mucho. De hecho la cajera solo se la paso en el teléfono de hoy en adelante ya no hire los domingos porque no quiero que esa cajera me vuelva atender. Pobre de la dueña del restaurante le da la confianza ala cajera de los domingos sin saber que su servicio es horrible y la va a llevar a la ruina. Hojala y la dueña del restaurante abra los ojos yo ya la hubiera corrido aparte del mal servicio tiene un carácter muy horrible. read more

I went to pick up the family platter #3 for my mothers-in-law's 80th birthday dinner yesterday, May1st 2025. I was very disappointed when I unpackaged the food when I got home. The 4 "Large" sides were Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Potato Salad and Fresh Veggies. Also order 3 corn on the cobbs.. Large would not be the right word to describe the portions. Basically, serving size for 1 maybe 2. We had 4 people. KFC offers larger sides. See pictures for size reference. Coleslaw had no taste, very bland. Baked Beans tasted like they were from a can, Potato Salad was okay. Fresh veggies was a joke. Corn on the cobb was overcooked and tough. The pork and beef ribs were so saturated with BBQ Sauce that it was like mush. Lesson learned. I will not be back. The only reason I went here here other than to support a local business was because my mother in law had lunch here before and said she liked it. Definitely a huge disappointment when celebrating a milestone birthday and not worth the 130 bucks I spent. read more

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This place is so amazing I keep coming back sooner and sooner than I expect... lol. I keep trying different things...the ladies at the counter are usually too notch perky and smiley, sometimes I get for pickup orders and don't really interact. The spot inside is awesome western Mexico decor that's definitely atmospheric!! Just had the Beef ribs with tri tip.... Absolutely BOMB!!! I love it when they make special sauces.. they haven't had one in a while but they've had a seeet bbq one that was GOOD. And they had a Mango one that was AMAZING!!!!! Hope they do them again!!! read more

This place used to be amazing but we got spoiled food. The mac and cheese taste sour.

Family Rib Meal is delicious with coleslaw and macaroni salad! Ribs fall off the bone!

We really wanted to like this place. The food even smelled great when it was given to us. We got the tri tip plate and it came with 2 small sides and garlic bread. The Mac and cheese tasted watery, which is strange because it looked like it should have been amazing. But surprisingly watery. The beans were great! Different, but flavorful. But last and most important, we found mold on the garlic bread. Unfortunately, would not recommend this place. read more

Lil Alex BBQ - Mold on garlic Garlig Bread - Barbeque Near Me - Bonita, California

They never open on time regardless what day it is. Today, the girl (Annie) didn't open until 1107am, and then she greeted me with an unprofessional, unapologetic attitude, and just a damn bad attitude. Her words in a snouty tone of voice was; 'what 7 min too long to wait?!' Tip = $0 Owner - I'm NOT going to return to your restaurant ever again! You need to hire nicer more professional people. read more

Ok, I don't know about the bad experiences other yelpers had, but this was my first time here and it was pretty decent! Yes, I know it's been here awhile, it's taken me this long to try it out. We walked in and there were customers already seated. Apparently you order and pay at the front first, and then you may sit in the dining area. Not a problem for me, I always carry cash to leave tips later. It's always better for servers to receive cash tips anyway, in case you didn't know... After a minute, I realized that there was a one man show going on - the host was also the waiter and cook this afternoon, and he was hustlin'...He did great taking care of my party and three others until his back up arrived (she had to pick up a little guy from school). Service was quick and friendly, he even stopped to ask how everything tasted! Well the half rack of beef rib was delicious, fall off the bone, tender, tasty, and tasted fresh, not frozen or heated in a microwave. The garlic breads were cute. Needed more garlic flavor IMO, buttery and toasted outside, soft at the bite, with ok flavor. I enjoyed the potato salad which also tasted fresh. I would come back. To me, it's worth a try! read more

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Food was delicious! Far exceeded my expectations and Annie provided great service!! Bbq sauce is

I am giving this place a 2 only because the customer service was fine. I feel it is my duty to let others know so that they do not waste their money. For a place that expensive we expected way better quality food. But oh lordy, this place was bad. I am usually not picky but I could not even have but a few bites of my food except for the fries. The overall quality of meat was fine I guess-just couldnt get over the taste of the sauce. read more

My absolute favorite for ribs!!! The best hands down!!! The spice is perfect, the meat tender and the portions are very generous!! Can't wait to go back again and again!!! read more

There's virtually no service other than the person who takes your order at the counter, collects your payment up front, then delivers the food. Self service on drinks and packing your own to go box. Food was ok. The macaroni salad was ladened with garlic powder. Beans were a bit runny. My advice, spend the extra 14 minute drive to get to Cali Bbq on Troy. read more

The place is a small almost hidden spot but it was delicious. We had the pulled pork sandwich, the fire hotdog and for sides the potato salad. All were perfectly cooked and the spice was perfect. Will definitely come back. read more

Food is OKAY. Came here to try it for the first time cause i kept hearing about it but to me its nothing special. My food was barely warm. I got the tri tip plate with beans and mac. The beans themselves are good. The Mac n Cheese was bland and cold. The Sauce thats on the tri tip is mid. Not a fan of the after taste. Its sour. It was originally going to get 2 stars but the onion rings are good. So those alone get a star. But other than that, Phil's BBQ is still on top. Nothing ever comes close to them. Response to the owner: i was with my mom and her friend. He even said that the ribs were dry like if they were overcooked. But as a customer i would really heat up the food not put in the microwave. The plates were hot but the food itself was still cold. For the place being empty as hell it says alot already. Good luck with your business. read more

Placed a catering order for my crew for our Christmas party. I had never eaten here so I blindly took a chance that the BBQ would impress my guys and so glad I did! The rib meat was crazy tender and fell off the bone. The BBQ sauce was perfect..not too sweet or too much vinegar, just right. The potato salad and macaroni salad was very tasty as well. The only thing I could suggest is that when delivering the food, serving spoons were included for the sides. Other than that, the choice to have Lil' Alex BBQ cater our party was a huge success! Thanks read more

We went to Lil Alex BBQ located in Bonita, CA because someone had recommended this place to us. As a foodie, cook, and traveler, we've had the opportunity to try different BBQ restaurants in different states and some BBQ joints in California that were outstanding. I do like to support small businesses and had passed this restaurant many times and thought we'd give it a chance after someone had recommended to us. The restaurant was clean, and service was good. We were the only customers there, but saw that other customer's were mainly doing take out. When we got our BBQ pork ribs, they were cold and weren't tender enough. The ribs also needed more seasoning. We had to request for our food to get heated, but this shouldn't be happening when the restaurant is empty. The BBQ sauce was a 4 out of 5. The beans and Mac and cheese we ordered tasted like something out of a can. I really don't like to give bad reviews and like to be fair, but this BBQ joint wasn't for me. Maybe other people have had better experiences, but we did not. read more

Lil Alex BBQ - Beans - Barbeque Near Me - Bonita, California

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