Wow!!! Line around building...yet reported wait was 15-20. Said no way! We ended up going into bar area where seating is first come first serve...ordered the ribs with beans and potato salad. My buddy shared an order of onion rings with me. Food was hot, fresh, and in front of us in five minutes max!! I've had BBQ all over the country and this was the hands down best I've ever had!!! Great servers and bar tender...plus a better than average selection of NA beers. read more

went to phil's bbq today. excellent food and service. love their bbq. =)) clean and such yummy food.

This was my first time visiting. You order and pay before finding your seat, but the food came out delicious and the atmosphere was fun and enjoyable. The waitress checks on you and make sure that everything is fine. Definitely will be back again. read more

*Note: review for take out only* Wanted to call ahead to place my take out order, but when I called, their phone system said they are no longer doing take out orders over the phone! So you do have to go in person, wait in the take out line, place your order in person, and wait for the order. Keep in mind that the restaurant is packed, so there really isn't an area to stand and wait for your order. I did get lucky and did not have to wait too long for the order, so overall it took around 20 minutes to get my order, which was nice. I ordered: -Beef rib dinner (3 bones) - $32.49 which includes 2 small sides or 1 large side. I went with two small sides, and chose the macaroni salad and french fries. I noticed that they removed the 5 bone beef rib dinner from their menu! This makes me so sad, especially since their beef bones are so much smaller than what they used to be. The flavor is still there but for the price, it felt so small. -Colossal onion rings - $9.49 comes with their homemade ranch dressing and is so good. read more

I normally do not write reviews but felt compelled to do so because of the fantastic food and excellent service we received last night at Phil's BBQ in Santee. Our family ordered the beef and baby ribs along with onion rings, coleslaw, and baked beans. Everything was cooked to perfection! We also got to try the cornbread with maple butter along with their delicious chocolate chip cookies - both were so good! The best part of the evening was meeting Eddie. He took our order and made sure to check on us to see if our food was good and if we needed anything. He was so friendly, attentive, and hospitable! Best service we've received in a long time. Thank you , Eddie, for your wonderful service. We'll be back to see you again soon! read more

Came here on a Saturday night, very busy but def worth waiting, it wasn't too bad, the like does move and if you don't want to wait you can always sit at the bar. Our server was very attentive in fact all of them were and kept checking on us, bringing water, making sure we were having a great time, made sure our food got to us warm and took all the other dirty dishes away, I really liked when servers are very attentive so that is 2 thumbs up!! Food was amazing!! The sauce was so mouth watering and tasty our drinks were sooo yummy and strong but sooooo cheap another thing why me and my girls went here was for the $8 margaritas!! The placed looked awesome, there was sink for just washing ur hands cause I mean let's be real these bbq is worth getting dirty hands for! Definitely recommend and try out the margaritas! read more

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When I'm the area, Phil's is a must! Unfortunately wasn't too hungry enough to get the usual huge beef ribs so I went with the tickler. Little bit of ribs, little bit of fries, little bit of coleslaw and and some onion rings adds up to a pretty hefty meal. Restaurant was clean plenty of seating for lunch time. And the staff was polite and helpful! Can't wait to come back! read more

Phil's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

Solid BBQ joint for being a chain. I've consistently gotten their food and it's been delicious! My favorite item on their menu is the baby back ribs but we got the combo which included beef ribs, chicken, one sausage link, Caesar salad, fries, coleslaw, baked potato and beans. Good price for what we received and our order fed 5 adults. There was happy hour starting at 3pm so we were able to get beers and wine for only $5! read more

Came in from Phoenix to San Diego and saw and heard of this spot so we had to try it out . Clean spot , good service , friendly people good presentation of food but I have to say the flavor was not there for me or our friends either . read more

Phil's BBQ - Ribs and fries good portion just not in flavor - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

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Wanted something tasty for dinner. Called to place an order for take out. Not an option, you have to go in and order. Website states, "So your order will be hot and juicy." Sounds good let's get some- Okay, so husband went in to order two full racks of ribs and sides. The sides were okay... The ribs were extremely dry we were very disappointed. They certainly were not juicy at all and only slightly warm. read more

Phil's BBQ - Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

Wanted some BBQ for dinner and brought this home. Comfort food to share and enjoy! Yum!!! read more

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I don't do much with two very young kids but we felt cabin fever tonight. 5/5 for Phil's at 5pm on a Thursday. Great food. Better service. Sneaky best happy hour ever? Thank you to the floater Noah, extremely attentive and kind that we had two little kids that makes his job more difficult. We appreciated it. read more

William was my server honestly such a great worker and hustler he was so polite and kind and was always there when needed I will be coming back soon. read more

Being from San Diego we have two Phil's locations (Santee & Sport Arena) I never thought Phil's could be made better, but I think the Phil's here in Temecula is the best Phil's BBQ that I have had. The food was just better haha, the service was great, servers and bartenders were very cool. Every time my wife and I are in town after wine tasting we stop in as we know we are going to get some great great BBQ read more

Phil's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

Phil's barbq never disappoints! Great customer service at to go counter! Food is always consistently good.

Was in the neighborhood at lunch time and was smelling some cooked ribs beef/pork and just had to head over. Wanted a beef rib and the price was so cheap $8.99 and also grabbed a corn bread. Service was fast and friendly and my to-go order was ready in less than 5 minutes. read more

Phil's BBQ - Beef Rib Only (Full) - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

Food is mostly good and at times great! Our server person was very on point and a fantastic attitude. I really like to wash station outside of the bathrooms, perfect for those messy eaters, mostly like due to only blowers in bathrooms. read more

I was sitting at the bar tonight and Fitz recommended a wonderful cocktail, Mango Margarita with Tajin rim. He also suggested onion rings which were huge and delicious with ranch. I had the amazing cornbread. He was friendly and nice. All his suggestions were great. I will be back soon. Thank you, Fitz! read more

Food sucks and salty never going back not worth the money I had sent it back twice still came back even worst

Never a disappointment at Phil's, whichever the location. The food, service, and ambiance are top notch.

Great place, service and ambience, was perfect. Just beat the crowd for a Saturday 4pm. The ribs were the best item. The onion rings, beans and fries were just okay. I would return and try other items and more ribs. read more

Phil's is always our go to stop for BBQ and this time was just what we expected. The service is always exceptional and the servers are always welcoming and friendly. The food didn't take long to arrive and the overall quality of the restaurant is great. It is always clean and well maintained. read more

the food is a hit or a miss - very unpredictable. I used to love phils, but i never see a char on any of the pork ribs anymore. even if you ask for the sauce on the side. the meat can be fatty sometimes, perfect other times. the potatoes in the potato salad are hard and not fully cooked about half of the time. the onion rings come our perfect sometimes and overcooked and dry/crunchy other times. It is getting too pricey to not rely on consistency in the quality and taste of the meal. read more

One of my favorite BBQ spots in SD. I prefer this location over the one near sports arena since the wait usually isn't so bad here. The baby back ribs are super tender, the chicken is nice & juicy (I like to get my sauce on the side so I can control how much sauce goes on my food). My favorite sides are the potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, & the Mac salad! Their onion rings are fried to perfection & are one of the best I've had! Get the "link & a drink" option, the sausage is a nice addition & definitely a good deal with the drink! Their portion sizes are always huge here so I always look forward to taking leftovers home. read more

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Best BBQ in the San Diego Area. I'm from GA and this is just like home, great attention to detail and service. Awesome atmosphere never a miss. read more

The moment you walked into Phil's BBQ, the smell is tantalizing. You order at the cashier and pick a table to sit down. You will have to get up once your buzzer goes off to pick up your food. To order drinks, you'll have to go to the bar side. They have an option to keep your tab open. If you dine on the bar side, it's full service. The ribs were fall off the bone kinda ribs. Smothered with Phil's BBQ sauce. Veggie burger was ok, but I liked how the Phil's BBQ sauce was contained inside the massive onion ring. I assume it was to prevent the sauce from spilling all over the burger before you get a chance to take a bite. Not a coleslaw fan, but the coleslaw had a fine balance between vinaigrette-y and creamy. Would definitely come back. read more

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Nice place! Fast seating and good service! Dont really go to a bbq place for a burger, but I got a plate off bbq chicken to go with our burgers...everything was soo good! read more

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THIS IS AN IMPORTANT UPDATE TO MY PREVIOUS POST. I made a mistake in quoting the price of the 1/2 chicken dinner. The manager contacted me to point this out, and once I found my reciept, found that the price was actually $15.99. As a Elite Yelper, we need to be most responsible for what we post, so I fully appoligize to Phils BBQ for this mistake, and I appreciate the manager offering to make this right by offering a gift card to try again. One thing, everyone has a BBQ preference, though I quoted the price wrong, BBQ is personal, and my review of my dinner still stands, but I will come back to give them another try, but I'm buying. read more

Christian was our server, he provided the best customer service & was very attentive.The food was delicious,first time trying the sausage & it was pretty good ,the only problem was the portion size of the onion rings was pretty small for the price but was good too. Definitely recommend this place to eat with the family read more

So I am big on BBQ. I have 3 grills of my own. I love to smoke meat. So I love to try different BBQ spots in San Diego. That being said. I am not too much of a fan of Phil's BBQ. There is not one dish that I can point out that would make me go back. The smell of the outside the restaurant is amazing, It draws you in. The food on the other hand is ok. I always have the sauce on the side, that way I can taste the meat. Other wise, you are just tasting the sauce. The meat itself is pretty bland. The sauce is pretty good. I believe the sauce is what brings people back. I am not sure, but the ribs taste and feel like they are steamed or boiled first. There is no bite to it. Which some people love. The service is ok, nothing good or bad. The ambience is somewhat of a country feel. More of a mashup design. It does get very crowded. So if you are a bbq sauce lover. This is the place for you. This is not a dry rub lovers place. read more

A staple of San Diego, a must visit whenever we're in town. We chose this particular location because it was farther out and we wouldn't have to wait nor compete with the crowd. To our surprise (we haven't been here for years), it looks like their menu grew larger! We ordered our usual full rib dinner (with fries and potato salad) and tried out their new BBQ wings! The wings had a nice char mesquite taste with a kick! They were generous with the ranch dipping sauce. Well staffed on a Sunday evening, cant wait to return back whenever we're in SD! read more

Phil's BBQ - Full Baby Back Rib Dinner with Fries and Potato Salad sides - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

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Tried the pulled pork, ribs, and burnt ends all incredible. Bbq sauce is tangy and complemented the meats perfectly. Can't wait to go back!! Front staff was super helpful to read more

My wife and I visited today. We last went two years ago. We were hoping for a better experience and craving bbq. The staff has gotten better but I hate that they ask for a tip at checkout when all you have done is order. We went just after lunch rush on a Sunday and the place was very dirty with dirty tables. We were at the Santee location as it's close to home. It took 40 minutes to receive our order and mine was 100% wrong! My wife ordered just a burger and hers was fine. They "re-made" mine and that took another 10 minutes. I ordered the pork ribs and chicken dinner. The pork ribs are a joke. They look like they came off a piglet. Literally three inches long. I would fire that butcher. The chicken consists of a leg and thigh that came from a pigeon. So small. For $24 I could cook this meal twice with double the food. I asked for two small sides, I ordered fries and potato salad. The fries were abundant but cold. The potato salad was good but the potatoes were way undercooked. I'm not sure how this place stays in business. I've lived in Santee for over twenty years and we will not give this place a third chance. read more

Phil's BBQ - Rib and chicken dinner - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

i should have checked my bag, when customers ask for sauce on the side i would expect to get more than one tiny cup, especially for a full rack of ribs, do better phil's.. read more

Decided to come to this location instead of waiting for hours at the main location and so glad we did! Food is just as spectacular with better service if anything. Servers were extremely accommodating and the manager, Jesus was out here bussing with his staff. You can never go wrong with Phil's, seriously. read more

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Best BBQ in East County. Santee location is great. Eddie, one of the Managers, is always friendly and has a great attitude. This store must be a wonderful place to work with managers like him. The food is always perfect. read more

Well I went to college in San Diego some 20 years ago and I remember the original by the stadium. Now they have a few and I wasn't sure what to expect but ordered the half rack. Some beef brisket and a hot link. I think it was amazing. The beef ribs are just amazing and huge. So tender and the char on them is great. I love their sauce it's so tangy and flavorful. The sausage link was great and the brisket or whatever was also great. The prices are great and the sides were decent. I do love their sauce but I wish the other meats outside of the ribs were not drenched so much. Don't get me wrong I love the sauce but I think it was so drenched it took away a little from the natural Smokey bbq flavor read more

Phil's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

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In town from Phoenix and as always work in a visit to Phil's BBQ in Santee. So good, the best! Always I take an opportunity to ask when they will open a location up in Phoenix, last nite it was while giving my takeout order to Fitz, good guy along with the rest of the crew. I think opening in North Phoenix would be a fantastic success! Will keep my fingers crossed that Phil will seriously consider making a move to open in Phoenix soon. read more

The definition of BBQ. Tender, juicy, and with lots of flavor! Everything is delicious from the beef ribs to baby back, onion rings, and sides you can't go wrong with anything you choose. Don't forget a side of cookies! read more

Phil's BBQ - Beef Rib Dinner (Full), Baby Back Rib & Chick - less Dinner, Colossal Onion Rings (Large) - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

This place was amazing. I have been there three times now and have loved every single thing I have ordered each time. The service is always great and I love the atmosphere! The bar is the best place to sit!! read more