We tried this place out on a whim for my boyfriend birthday and the food was delish! Best beef ribs in SD. Sauce was either sweet or spicy - sides were good. Sweet potato fries mm mm. His entire family was there - 12 people in all, including twins! Everyone really like the food! They even let me keep my bf's birthday "cake" - a key lime pie - his fave in their fridge until after dinner - with candles and sang happy birthday! Thanks soo much! You made our night special :) They even put the Angels game on for us! Go Angels!!! read more

Not that great. Prices are high and the service is not that good. Food is just OK. Not worth a second trip. read more

The food is very good.(Quarter Chicken/Two Beef Ribs) Just like Phils BBQ I do not like how you order then go get it when it is done. Go to the bar area and be waited on if you prefer this. The beef ribs were huge & tasted great. I ranked this place low due the not so bright bartender. It also took us a while to get the food read more

Great food, service and atmosphere! Rosalind the catering manager really went above and beyond to make it a great experience for our team. This is a great place to go! read more

Mike's BBQ - The girls enjoying the World Cup game @ Mike's BBQ. - Barbeque Near Me - Escondido, California

After skipping lunch, and spending all afternoon walking up and down all the hills at the San Diego Zoo, we had worked up quite an appetite for dinner and thought this the perfect opportunity to try out Mike's BBQ on our way back to the hotel. While the service was friendly and the atmosphere comfortable, we were left disappointed by bland food. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich which was okay (good portion size), along with a side of Mac n cheese which was completely bland. My favorite part of my meal was the dill pickle spear that came on the side. My husband ordered the brisket combo with potato salad, BBQ beans, and garlic bread. His brisket was tough, the potato salad okay. He said the beans were good, but the bread was probably the best thing on his plate while still not anything to write home about. It was pretty pricey for what we got, so a bit disappointed. read more

The only thing wrong with Mike's BBQ is they haven't figured out where they want their entrance to be. Seriously, they've got three glass doors spaced pretty far apart, each with an arrow pointing towards another door! No complaints about the chow...tri-tip, baked beans, potato salad, garlic bread, all good. read more

Excellent place to enjoy some great BBQ and drinks from all over the country. The staff was great and very knowledgeable on the products they provided. I had the baby back ribs with sweet bbq sauce and loved it. I will definitely be going again. read more

Great experience! The server was really friendly and the food was really good, especially the sausage, brisket and chicken! Oh and don't forget to get the cornbread! read more

Mike's BBQ - YUM! - Barbeque Near Me - Escondido, California

Everything about this place makes me happy. The service is always great and the BBQ never disappoints. My husband I and I like to get both pork and beef ribs. I'm a fan of the beef and he loves the pork. Their sides are great as well. I am not much for BBQ sauce but love barbecued meat. Their sauce is awesome though! Not over sweet. I like the spicy BBQ. Don't be a fool, stop here and satisfy that craving!!! read more

Mike's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Escondido, California

Great place enjoy every time I'm here with my friends but I will say their asparagus need a double order for 550$ it has potential read more

Mike's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Escondido, California

Mikes BBQ is in the rotation in our home. Most of what I've eaten here has been good, except the GF bun. If you have to be GF, do yourself a favor skip the GF bun and save $2 on the up charge. Also, the chicken was a little dry the one time I had it. I generally stick to the beef ribs or the brisket, but the 10yo loves their burgers. The service can be a little slow at times, and it's not cheap. For a family of 4 the bill runs around $70, and that's with no adult beverages. The baked beans, cole slaw and potato salad are all good, and my 16yo really likes the mac and cheese. Anyway, if you're in the mood for some BBQ and don't want to wait in line at Phil's check out Mike's BBQ. Be aware, they do have the fights so if there is a big fight on it gets packed in the bar, but there is the restaurant side that is totally separate if you don't want to fight the crowds in the bar. read more

The cornbread is awesome. However, the pulled pork sandwich is drenched in sauce and is way too sweet for my favoring. If you don't like to much sauce be sure to get it on the side. The macaroni and cheese is a weird color and has a funny taste. read more

Mike's BBQ - The Cornbread - Barbeque Near Me - Escondido, California

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This place is great. Ribs awesome. Fun atmosphere. Service great. I would give it a five star but it is a little spendy. But worth it.

I've eaten here multiple times and the food is good so you'll not have to worry about the taste of what you order. However, not all things are equal and sometimes customer service can be hit or miss. I'd say particularly as it pertains to phone orders. I've had two instances where I've called in an order and it was either incorrect or just this evening when I called in the order. I was told it would be up in 20 minutes and so I arrived within 20 minutes. I paid and was asked by the cashier to take a seat. 15 minutes later (35 minutes after the order had been called in) I mentioned to the person preparing orders that I wasn't given an order number or an order alarm gadget for my phone in order. She said "I'll call you when it's up." So I sat down again. I waiting for another 15 minutes and by then I still had not received my order. I walked up to the cashier who originally took my order and asked, "do you know when my phone order will be ready. I called it in at 8:00 pm and I've been waiting 30 minutes in the restaurant for the order?" (50 minutes since the order was called in). She looked shocked and face blushed. She walked over to the counter and got bags sitting there...yes, it was my order. It had been sitting there the entire time. She proceeded to pack it up and give it to me. No qualms about it being cold. I politely said that I needed a fresh order. You would think that given her carelessness she would have had the order redone. Anyhow, I finally received my food at 9:20 pm (1 hour and 20 minutes after I called the order in). The preparer was kind and apologetic but the cashier who made the mistake was dismissive and was focused on leaving for the evening. The preparer has asked about my order yet the cashier was set on leaving as the restaurant was closed. She did not help, did not apologize, and did a poor job of representing this Mike's BBQ. Note to management: this is the second time this has happened to me by the same cashier. I'd have a conversation about protocols to be followed and customer service. You can lose interest in your restaurant when you have inconsistent and dismissive employees. I left the restaurant feeling like I wasted time and made me upset. Although the food wasn't the problem, my experience impacted the dinner and I wish that I hadn't eaten there this evening. I hope next time will be a better experience. read more

Mike's BBQ is always a 5 star restaurant in my opinion. This is our usual go to BBQ restaurant but we went in today and even in a pandemic, service levels and food quality are still top notch. Never had a bad experience here. We will always come back! read more

Food is ok, staff is friendly. Kitchen is super slow. They're not busy during these pandemic times, especially with take out only. I don't understand why a cup of soup/salad combo and an order of fried zucchini takes 30+ minutes. read more

Bomb food. Full bar. Great prices. They were a little busy. But expected to wait for the food. Waiter was great. Didn't catch his name. Will definitely be going again. Brisket was amazing! read more

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We are fans. We literally live walking distance to Phil's and we don't get it, been there twice in 2 years. Mikes isn't dry, while Phil's tends to be almost every time. I'm not one that judges on customer service unless I'm in a higher end place. I go for food, and living on a street filled with guys that have Traeger's, Green Eggs, electric smokers and others, we all agree that Mike's is better. read more

They have a nice selection of beers! But decided to order food , had the brisket dinner , they have it served to you in foil , not great , wouldn't order again . If you like pieces of foil inside your food , then this is for you . As for me , not again ! read more

Zero Stars. Waited 30 minutes for a simple 1 item to go order. After watching the two much larger orders who ordered after me get their food I was out of time. I handed back my buzzer and said I couldn't wait any longer. No sorry, no excuse, no nothing, just a blank stare. Wanted to try this place for a long time, now I never will and you shouldn't either read more

Came in hopes of getting some bbq, didn't realize I would have to argue for decent customer service. Walked in and the place was super busy so the hostess told us if we were here for the fight then we would have to pay $5 each for a cover or we could seat ourselves in the open seating section. Unfortunately there were no tables available and the ones that were open were covered in trash and no one seemed to have any enthusiasm to clean any of it up. We got in line to order optimistically thinking that by the time the food would be done, a table would be available. We walk around aimlessly looking then eventually decide to go back to the host. So we ask her if someone can clear a table or if we could move into another section and pay whatever cover charge so we could at least have a seat by the time our food was done and she agreed then said no problem I'll just add the $10 on the tab and you guys can order drinks... only to have a guy storm up a few minutes later to yell at us that if we want sit in this section we have to pay the cover now and we shouldn't have came here since they are separate places and we need to go back. So I told him to clear a few tables himself for the poor customers still in line and to please pack up my order when it's done because my friends and I will NEVER COME BACK to this establishment ever again. That man was completely out of line and should be fired on the spot for his poor ethics. To the sweet hostess who checked us in and tried her best, to the cashier who was a total delight, and waitress who tried to explain how sorry she was for his behavior and honestly tried to make it right, thank you. You guys were a pleasure and I'm sorry you have to work with someone so unpleasant, but for now on we will be going to Phil's. Update: food was mediocre, what a waste of time and money. read more

It's . . . just okay. The atmosphere is fine and the place is clean, but it's pricey and the food is nothing even close to special. I had baby back's and I don't know how they cooked them, but I'd guess they were boiled, then thrown on the grill for a few minutes & drenched in sauce. They're tender - really TOO tender if you ask me, bordering on mushy; over-cooked by BBQ standards. They're also just not that flavorful. All you really taste is the sauce they're swimming in. I liked the fries (similar to Phil's), but my recommendation is to just go to Phil's. Or . . . if you're further south, go to the BBQ Pit in El Cajon - it's the best BBQ in San Diego County IMO, and even though a 45 min drive for us, worth it. read more

The brisket is awesome and melts in your mouth. I knocked off a star because the sides suck. Fix your macaroni salad and cole slaw.

Awful. Just awful. And that isnt even food. We wouldn't know, because we never got it. We ordered 4 entrees and nachos to start. The server (who said she was by herself to explain our 20 min wait to order) asked if we would like nacho cheese or shredded. We replied shredded. 15 minutes later a different server delivered nachos with the nacho cheese. We corrected her, she apologized and took it back. 25 minutes later the same server dropped off nachos. The nachos had shredded cheese COVERING THE NACHO CHEESE. Like we wouldn't notice it was just shredded cheese thrown on and put under a broiler. As a chef, I am shocked. This is tacky and speaks poorly to how high this establishment holds their standard of both service and quality food. When our server came by, we showed her. She apologized and agreed it was very wrong. She asked if we still wanted anything, but at that point enough time had been wasted with our hungry kids waiting. Shame on your staff for cutting corners on a dish as simple and quick as nachos. No Saturday is that busy. read more

I really like this place. One side is family style sit and eat and the other is Pub/Sports Bar style. It's a really nice mix and feel. 4 out of 5 stars because the staff took too long to seat us. Besides that, the food is great. I like the atmosphere and the bbq is better than Phil's. Come check it out! read more

Pretty good. The macaroni and cheese pasta is a little overdone. Potato salad was good. The sauce was great! The meat was phenomenal. Would come back but wouldn't go out of my way. read more

Been there 2 times and both times had good food. One time I forgot to order a drink and the lady gave me a glass and apologized she didn't ask me if I wanted one... I offered to pay, but she said it's ok. I was very impressed and will be coming back. Their bbq is really good! read more

I so want to like this place. But I just can't. And neither can the friends and relatives I have taken there to eat-in or order takeout for in the past year on multiple locations. This last time was the last straw. Ordered takeout and paid for it in advance at 11:54 am on a Wednesday morning to be picked up at 6:00 pm the same day. 4 lbs pulled chicken and 4 lbs pulled pork was $111.00. That's $13.87/lb including tax. I kicked in a $10.00 tip because I knew from a previous takeout order that pulled chicken in bulk was not their normal procedure. This is kinda high priced for this food but the flavor and tenderness has always been fantastic! Young man takes my order and I pay with a card. Same young man mentions that it comes with BBQ sauce (which I had paid extra for in a previous order) and I thanked him for that. Was handed a credit card receipt that only shows the total paid and not what I ordered. Thought that was unusual but i had a party for 14 to get ready for and was out the door and on my way. Arrived that night at 6:12 pm to pickup my order. Had one of the guests with me. In the past everything was always ready to go. That was not the case this time. I left finally at 6:54 with my order and my 2 pints of sauce. This was after I was told that my order for 7 lbs of chicken would be right up. Huh? 7 lbs of chicken? I told them that was not what I had ordered. They showed me the printout that the person who took my order entered showing 2 each 4 lb orders of pulled pork and that someone had hand written pulled chicken over both orders. Yet they were handing me 7 lbs of pulled chicken instead of 8 lbs? I will spare you the rest of the ridiculousness that occurred after that. Other than to say that comments by the staff were made such as "the chicken does not come pulled like the pork does" and "it takes time to hand pull the chicken". Yet, they had already handed me the pulled chicken at 6:34 pm. Other people came in and got there takeout orders while we waited another 20 minutes for apparently pre-pulled pork to be placed in a container...I was not happy. 10 minutes into our wait time for the pork I asked someone if we could have something to drink while we waited and I was handed 2 glasses for free fountain drinks. I told them thank you and my friend and I sat down for 10 more minutes and decided this was the last time we would be coming to Mike's. 42 minutes after we arrived we finally were handed our order and reminded to "look out for all the bones in the pulled chicken". BTW, the chicken and the pork tasted fantastic. At least the parts that were not burnt to a charcoal black did. This place has SOOO much potential. But like all great opportunities, bad execution will kill them every time. Sure killed it for me. read more

4 stars down to 1 :( . our food and service last week was terrible. We not only waited about 20 minutes our food, but we also paid at least 2.00 more per plate. Service sucks. we were asked by the waitstaff at least twice per floater how we were doing and that was annoying as well. Save your money and visit Phils or Famous Daves. Im bummed because its so close to home too. read more

Being a well traveled Midwestern fellow transplanted to California, sometimes I get a taste for great BBQ. Coming off the highway a town over, I spied a little sign pointing the way to Mike's BBQ. My Mouth starting to water, I soon found it in a shoppette within proximity to a sporting good store. Having visited the south and eaten pulled pork in multiple regions, I decided to give Mike's best seller a go. After all, if a BBQ joint can't make pulled pork tasty, then the rest is circumspect. As my pulled pork sandwich arrived at the table, I was excited by the speed of service and such a huge looking sandwich! As I couldn't decide on the sauce, I got both the sweet and the spicy. Presentation wise, it's BBQ food, so one cannot expect a picturesque plate of food and I certainly didn't. I did make a mental note that the pulled pork looked a bit odd as the meat appeared flat, having no sheen of juice, making it a mystery I had to solve. Less than 30 seconds later, and much to my surprise, the mystery was solved, the meat was dry! "Thank God for the sauce", I thought. Not knowing what either sauce tasted like, I dipped some of the meat into the sweet sauce and plopped it in my eager mouth! Surprise number 2 washed over me like a sound wave emitted by nails on a chalk board. It was like tasting a sweet catchup! After washing my mouth out with some Magic Hat Apricot Ale (yummy!), I decided to give the spicy sauce a go. Surprise number three hit me in the back of my throat. After a little cough, I recognized a short lived spicy flavor hit my tongue. Having been surprised three times, I decided to create an opportunity for a fourth surprise, I mixed the sauce. As was expected, the mixing of sauces was a good idea as it made both sauces a bit more palatable. Because the food really wasn't engaging, and the Mac and cheese was like eating tasteless saucy pasta, I decided to read yelp reviews. I can say, service wise, one person took my order and a second person came by to take my order. I couldn't tell if waiting tables was a free for all. Crazier still, the food was delivered by a third person. After receiving 3 visits to make sure I was ok, I deduced who the waiter was, not the person that took my order. All in all, i was looking to be surprised and got exactly what I wanted! Given the oddity of service, I don't know who is going to get the 20% tip I left. Note to the management, the stars are for you all, if you have to use a little sign half a mile down the road to bring in business, try understanding what is wrong with your food. Mac and cheese should taste unmistakably cheesy and not like a tasteless yellow colored sauce. If buns are grilled, they should be brown or have grill marks, not appear or feel like stale buns. Pulled pork should be juicy not dry and mushy, it's beyond weird. And your guests should know who the server is after they sit down. I've had much better food for the price point. Note to self: when you see a little sign to a restaurant in a shoppette, something ain't right, avoid like plague. read more

It was good. Macaroni salad and creamy coleslaw is tasty. I was not a fan on their mac and cheese. Corn On the cob so yummy. I'll be back. read more

Mike's BBQ - Digging in. - Barbeque Near Me - Escondido, California

Nothing really wrong with their food, just not a lot right. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, decently fair prices ...but the food sort of tastes heavy and loveless. Far prefer Phil's BBQ sauces and food, but Mike's is a good second if you're close by. read more

Meh. I have been here about 5 tines now, and have yet to be impressed by anything. Some servers are great, but last time I asked for new silverware because ours was dirty. She did bring us new silverware but said "Just so you know, the silverware was clean-those were water spots." No, there was actual food stuck to our knives. Do you really think I've gotten to the age of forty something and don't understand water spots? Don't correct your customer, especially when you're not right in the first place. Anyway, the food is ok and they have a good selection of beer. But they over sauce everything. I'm really picky about my bbq sauce, and I think their spicy is actually pretty good, but if you have quality well-seasoned meat, you don't need much sauce. Three times I've had pulled pork and tri tip and both were drowning in sauce. Last time I asked for no sauce on my tri tip. Found it to be pretty flavorless after all. There really aren't many good BBQ joints in San Diego County so I give them 3 stars based on the community. read more

Im from Reno nevada and wanted to eat somewhere local. This place is GREAT and our server Bree was amazing! Super nice and got anything we asked without hesitation. Food tasted great and the ribs fell off the bone! read more

I'm appalled by the overall review of this place. I'm not big on barbecue, but I love this place. There's nothing to dislike about it. The food is great, comes in good quantity for a good price, the staff is very efficient and really friendly, and the atmosphere is so unique and wonderful. My favorite barbecue ever, my favorite staff, one of my favorite atmospheres, and just overall one of my favorite places to go eat. They also sell firewood I think. That's cool. But yeah, love this place, and would highly recommend it if you're in the North County area looking for good barbecue. read more

Ordered to go for hubby's birthday. The food was very good! If you like BBQ try Pete's! We ordered a combo #3 recommended for six people and it was the perfect amount of food for 5 hungry adults and enough left over for 1 lunch the next day. The only recommendation I would have is order to go. If I order again I would request a side of bbq sauce, which my combo did not come with, the sauce is so good you will want extra! read more

Came here with our All Star Team Sunday, I called Mike's maybe 30 minutes before heading over there to give them fair warning we were coming with 35-40 people. Mike's BBQ was on it and reserved a bunch of tables for us. Took awhile for everyone to order their food but it was worth the wait. I had the Tri-Tip Sandwich with cole slaw and a side of onion rings with fries, all was tasty. Thank you Mike's BBQ for being so accommodating, if I'm ever in the area I will return. read more

We had a slab of ribs. We had eaten there before and thought it was just ok. We decided to try it again with the same results. The bone meat had no real taste at all. We do not plan to go back as we know several other places with better ribs. read more

A Phi's BBQ wanabe that fails miserably. Upon entering the place there was a huge throng of people, who appeared to be waiting in line. Finally, after about 5 minutes, a lady in the party ahead of us asked we had put our name in. We took that as a clue that we needed to find the host/hostess desk among the crowd. We were told that there was 30 minute wait (Friday, around 7:15). Though over half of the tables were empty, we waited our full 30 minutes. We were "escorted" to the register area, as if we couldn't find it ourselves. Placing our order, my wife asked if she could get the half chicken with all white meat, and was told that she could. The fact that the cashier did not indicate that there was an upcharge for that should have been our first clue that something wasn't right. When the cashier echoed the order back to us, my wife repeated that she wanted white meat only, to which the cashier "assured" her that that's what she'd get. After standing in line for five minutes to get our drinks at, what appeared to be the only beverage bar, we picked out one of the multitude of empty tables. We later did find that there was a second beverage bar tucked away in a small room behind the main entrance. After a 35 minute wait our buzzer went off. My wife went to pick up the food, suspecting that there would be an issue with her chicken. There was. It was a half of a chicken - breast, wing, thigh and leg. After a lengthy discussion, the person at the pick-up counter offered to refund the couple of bucks difference between the quarter and half chicken. Soon after returning to our table with the food, one of the roaming staff asked if there was anything that we needed. I was okay, but my wife asked for some more BBQ sauce and sour cream. Only the latter was brought back. My wife had to go get more sauce herself. The chicken was mediocre. The baked potato was small and spongy. My baby backs were tasty, though I did bite into several bone shards. The cole slaw and macaroni salad are tasteless - the styrofoam bowls that they come in may have been tastier. Though Phil's is a tad longer of a drive, we'll definitely be going back there for BBQ. Chances of returning to Mike's are pretty slim. MAYBE after Mike's has been open for several months we'll return to see if they've improved. read more

I came here for the first time today. I gave 5 stars because everything was good. The baby back ribs, the cowboy beans, potato salad, and cornbread were all good. The ribs weren't the best I've ever had, but they were good. The cornbread was really crumbly but it has cinnamon in it and the butter is honey butter which was a nice surprise. I will be back. read more