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    Phil's BBQ

    4.0 (2.1k reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Phil's BBQ Photos

    Business Info

    PHIL'S BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Happy hour specials
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Phil's BBQ

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    Phil's BBQ (Santee)
    Frankie M.

    Love this location! Phil's BBQ (Santee) is one of Southern California's best BBQ spots! Wildly popular because of its signature mesquite-grilled meats, sweet-and-tangy secret BBQ sauce, and high-energy atmosphere. Known for their generous portions and awesome customer service! Staff are friendly and well organized (despite the chaos)! And the food is always served in a timely manner. Meats are slow-cooked and grilled until perfectly tender, and the secret sauce is fire!!! A blend of North Carolina and Kansas City style BBQ sauces! The best of both worlds! Today, I ordered the rib dinner (half) with fries. My wife ordered the broham sandwich. And my kids shared the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and macaroni salad! The food was absolutely delightful! We will definitely be back sooner than later!

    Phils Hawaiian
    karla S.

    Happy hour at Phil's is the place to be, drinks are strong and delicious, I had the wild whiskey lemonade and my daughter had the Phil's Hawaiian, both were so good and we only paid $5 for each drink since it was happy hour. We also ordered some of their wings and a chicken tickler, the wings have a Smokey flavor to them and are spicy, the tickler comes with chicken, coleslaw, fries and the best onion rings in town, both were so good and very affordable. Staff is friendly and welcoming, great place to watch a baseball game and enjoy some amazing happy hour deals.

    Giant pay-station obstructing the view. Can't see the TV!
    Pete T.

    Becky and I had a pretty good lunch at Phil's BBQ in Santee. We shared a burger, fries and coleslaw. Philibuster $15.99: 1/2 lb. double burger char-grilled, topped with center cut smoked honey bacon, BBQ Broham, cheese, an onion ring, and BBQ sauce. They split it for us and served it in separate plates which was nice. It was a huge burger. I loved the Broham meat and the bacon. Big F'n burger. The large fries are a massive portion. We should've gotten a small, or better yet, none as the fries were pretty disappointing. Limp with no crisp. I'd ask for well-done next time. We both love the coleslaw at Phil's and that has not changed. Excellent coleslaw. Service at the bar was great. The two massive pay-stations that sit on the bar top need to be removed. There is one on each side and they are very obstructive. I could barely see the TV on the opposite wall. Phil's needs to find a better alternative.

    Half Chicken Dinner (Half)
    Tim B.

    This place was BUSYYYYYY on a Wednesday evening. Had to circle the parking lot for 15 mins to finally find parking. Basically if someone leaves, you can park. This is a good problem to have for the business! We got in and were greeted at the counter. One thing I noticed is their turnaround on food is fast, so the tables were occupied, but the line to order was very short. We ordered two full rack of ribs and a half chicken with beans, potato salad and macaroni salad. The ribs and chicken were delicious! But I had to put extra bbq sauce on it to make it even better. I love that the cups of bbq sauce I requested were warm! They didn't come cold and cool down the meat which was great. Only complaint I have is the potato salad was bland and I didn't like the fact the potatoes were so big. Otherwise great experience and the music was great.

    Family meal
    Alma M.

    If you're looking for good bbq this is the place to visit!! Everything I've had has been delicious! They have a big menu. Staff is super friendly and very helpful always!! They're constantly asking if you need anything, which is nice. The restaurant is big, there's a bar area and lots of tv's throughout the restaurant if you want to watch sports while you eat. Great music playing in the background. They also provide self grab stations for to go boxes, utensils, condiments, bags etc which is very convenient. There's plenty of parking as it is located in a big shopping center. You can dine in or take out.

    Deshaun S.

    6/16/2026 went to Happy Hour with my friends hands down Phil's has the best HH right now! Great food & affordable!! After a long day of work and kids! Santee location great, clean, our bartender Chris was amazing, super nice guy. food great , ambiance always cool Padres game & soccer games were on. We had a blast!! Service was excellent . Great job Phils BBQ In Santee come along way!

    Exterior
    Ves S.

    A lot more food than expected! We wanted bbq and stopped by. We weren't too hungry and thought the "tickler" plates would be smaller based on the price point. It was still a good amount of food! Quite generous with fries. BBQ sauce was on point. You can ask for on the side but we were fine with the meats already covered. Nicely sweet touch to the already great juicy meats. We came close to opening on a weekend morning and wasn't get too crowded. We were able to get a booth and the staff were quite attentive coming to bring supplies and bus plates.

    Menu
    Gwyn C.

    Always a winner. The only small tiny issue is it's hard to hear for seniors when they place orders. And, it would be great if they had a senior menus. Mom continues to rave about the French fries so we always have to order a large to go and put in the freezer! When dad orders tri tip burger he has enough for two meals - awesome!

    Small salad, full rack of ribs, Steamed veggies, sausage
    Brianna L.

    We had a good time here. It definitely gets busy, but we were able to snag a bar top Table. After looking at the menu, we decided against drinks. It was a good dinner. Pros: * Food was good; recommend the Ribs * Clean restaurant * Nice cashier Cons: * Salad was over $5 for a small and it was lettuce and 1/2 a tomato. Do not recommend. * Ran out of Coke Zero Extra: * We got the deal where you order a sausage and get a drink free * Parking is so-so * You order and find your own table. When your buzzer goes off, you pick up your own food * We got the sauce on the side and glad we did. We thought the sauce was crazy sweet.

    Hand washing station
    Norma D.

    I love a great BBQ - who doesn't? Phil's is one of my favorites. I love the chicklet dinner. You get 2 large onion rings, fries, Cole slaw and BBQ Chicken chunks. The best of everything. If you've never been, you gotta go! The Santee location is busy but not as busy as Sports Arena. The staff works fast and the foods always delicious. I love that they have a hand washing station (not in the restrooms) so it's easy to wash up before you eat.

    Kelly K.

    Staff was very attentive and ambiance lively with plenty of indoor seating. I ordered a beef rib with Cole slaw and baked beans. The rib looked huge but turned out to be a lot of gristle and fat. It was the fattiest rib I have ever had. The taste was of really dominated by the sweet BBQ sauce. Too sweet in my opinion. If you have a sweet tooth it should be to your liking. Cole slaw was freshly made but had a lot of large pieces of core cabbage and very little seasoning. I got one taste of a celery seed. Bland but fine. The beans were disappointing. They had a flavor that was just off. Cannot describe it. I ended up throwing the beans away. Onion rings taste like the mass produced premade kind that are just fried up. They were okay. Lots of breading. The price was affordable and so if in the area I will try again and order something different.

    Baby Back Rib Tickler (3 Bones)
    LINA M.

    Who doesn't love Phil's? It's one of San Diego's best chain restaurants for American barbecue. I love their barbecue sauce it's not too sweet and has a tiny kick at the end of either black pepper or spices. Their sides I normally always get are mac salad, potato salad, baked beans, onion rings which are huge! Their combo plated meals are usually generous servings and we usually never finish and have to take home leftovers. Extra barbecue sauce is free which is nice and they also lather your meats with a generous portion of the sauce already. Add a hot link and drink for $5! I usually alternate between this location or Point Loma depending on where I'm at, at the moment. Both locations can get pretty busy with lines outside the door. Both locations share a huge parking lot with accessible parking. It's self serve utensils and seating after you place your order at the counter and provided with a buzzer. However there are still waiters coming around to ask if you need anything.

    The Philibuster
    Wendy S.

    Phil's is an easy choice to stop in after softball Mondays at the sportplex near by. Their happy hour and monthly $5 beers is a huge draw. Often the bar is so packed so we choose to bypass the happy hour to have some space and not be so crowded. Over all the food is good. Haven't had something I haven't liked yet... love the atmosphere to just be able to go, eat at your leasure and hang out. This time the table busser was a bit to much wanting to take plates as we were still kind of snacking and talking. The place was pretty empty so wasn't an issue of needing to clear people for others. Which definitely can happen as they get busy!! I asked twice if he could just leave the plates. His response kinda got me... "it makes my job easier to do it now" okay... get that... but also, we're the customer, we aren't lingering to long, still had half a beer, snacking, and talking as a group of 4. Definitely won't deter me from coming back. Just thought it was a bit much. Give them a try if you're in and around Santee.

    Ribs, chicken, tri tip Mac salad, potato salad, fries, beans

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    7 months ago

    Food was great got the bbq service was quite efficient and the ambiance was fun with lots of sports to watch on many tv's in bar area.

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    7 months ago

    Great place for family to visit for BBQ and also very nice staff. The food is hot and delicious.

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    Phil's BBQ Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Phil's BBQ

    Do they take reservations?

    No they are walk in only.

    Are dogs allowed on the patio?

    Yes! Dogs are welcomed on our patios!

    Is there a link for online orders?

    Hi Dulcina, Unfortunately, we don't do online orders. We've changed our take-out process where… 

    Are you open Christmas Day?

    We are closed on Christmas day.

    Can u dine in?

    Yes. I went there yesterday (10/17/20). They have indoor and outdoor seating.

    Does Phil's BBQ automatically charge a service fees? I was charged a 15-20 mins fee plus service charge for dine in. I never seen that before ever.

    Hi Allie, I am happy to look into this for you. Can you please email me a copy of your receipt to… 

    Do you guys do take out?

    Hi! We do offer take-out. You can easily call the restaurant you want to place the order with and… 

    Do they have a kids menu?

    We do not have a “kids menu” but we do have our “Phils Tickler” which is smaller portion sized meals of pork, beef, or chicken :)

    It says on yelp dogs allowed but I don't see outdoor seating in photos, is there somewhere to sit with the dog inside or seating outside that I'm not seeing?

    Hey Nicholas, We do allow dogs in the patio section located by the bar. Just go in the front door… 

    Will you open this Wednesday?

    Yes we are open for the fourth

    How long is the wait?

    If you're not with kids duck into the bar. No wait. Open seating.

    It says on Yelp that they deliver... anyone know which delivery service they use? Can't find on Grub Hub, Eat24 or Door dash.

    Hey Will, Unfortunately we do not deliver through any delivery service. We deliver through our own service but we have a minimum order size of $200. You can call any location… 

    How are the burgers?

    they're GREAT! Check out the Philibuster- A half pounder topped with bacon, cheese, and pulled… 

    View All 15 Questions

    Buckboard's Barbecue & Brew - Smoked Beef Ribs

    Buckboard's Barbecue & Brew

    4.5(942 reviews)
    2.8 mi
    $$

    Ok so the husband and I love a good bbq date night. And this place did not disappoint! Amazing…read morecornbread, cobbler, mac n cheese as good as Mama makes it, and oh my god the maple butter. We're coming back!

    Can here on a Sunday late afternoon. It was fairly empty when we arrived, but filled up throughout…read moreour time there. Anyways.. we ordered at the counter and our food was brought out to us after just a few minutes.. I got there pulled pork sandwich. The sandwich had a huge amount of pulled pork. This, and their tri tip sandwich was savory and satisfying. Husband got the baby back ribs. They came off the bone easily. My family esp enjoyed their Mac n cheese balls with the dip that comes it. The sides are purchased separate and come in generous sharing portions. We enjoyed the sweet potato fries, potato wedges, and onion rings. All nice n crisp. By that point, I was too full and took some bread pudding home for later. I enjoyed the flavor, but the texture was bit too mushy for me. The ladies working were incredibly friendly and sweet to everyone. A nice casual, clean dining area. There were multiple TVs on showing sports, without it being super loud. The dining area was actually a bit quiet until more people started showing up. Prices are fair. Definitely a place to try.

    Photos
    Buckboard's Barbecue & Brew - Smoked Baby Back Ribs

    Smoked Baby Back Ribs

    Buckboard's Barbecue & Brew - Mac and Cheese Balls with Pasilla Ranch Dip!

    Mac and Cheese Balls with Pasilla Ranch Dip!

    Buckboard's Barbecue & Brew - Buckboards Bread Pudding Dessert!  Delicious!

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    Buckboards Bread Pudding Dessert! Delicious!

    Buffalo Wild Wings - Buffalo Wild Wings

    Buffalo Wild Wings

    2.5(939 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    I've been coming here for a long time, and it's a place I genuinely enjoy visiting. It may not…read morealways be perfect, but it's always been somewhere I look forward to coming back to, which is why this experience was so disappointing. I want to start by recognizing my server, who was attentive, kind, and professional throughout my visit. The head chef also deserves a lot of credit. After I sent my first dish back, he personally came out with the replacement, took the time to make sure it was prepared correctly, and handled the situation with professionalism. The second dish was much better, and I truly appreciated the effort he made. Unfortunately, what should have been a positive recovery turned into one of the most uncomfortable dining experiences I've ever had. After my replacement meal was brought out, another staff member--not my server or the chef--stood nearby watching me as I took my first bite. He even commented that he wanted to "make sure she's alright." While I understand the intention may have been to check on my experience, the way it was handled made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. Instead of simply checking in and giving me space, he continued hovering and watching me eat. It felt like I was being observed rather than allowed to enjoy my meal. As someone who already doesn't like feeling watched while eating, this completely took away my appetite. I ended up pushing my food aside because I was so uncomfortable. It wasn't the replacement meal that ruined my experience--it was the constant hovering and feeling like I was being monitored. I hope this feedback is taken constructively because I truly do enjoy this restaurant and will likely continue coming back. The chef and my server handled everything with professionalism and care, and they deserve recognition for that. My only hope is that staff understand there's a difference between checking on a guest and making them feel like they're under a microscope. A quick check-in is appreciated; standing over someone while they eat is not. I never want another guest to leave feeling as uncomfortable as I did.

    Ordered for pick up, walked in and was helped immediately by the nicest gentleman. He retrieved my…read moreorder and bagged all my sides in front of me naming them out loud to ensure they were all correct. He was very kind and had the best smile. My food was delicious, as ordered and was warm and fresh. Great experience.

    Photos
    Buffalo Wild Wings - Inside

    Inside

    Buffalo Wild Wings - Beer Cheese Cheesesteak

    Beer Cheese Cheesesteak

    Buffalo Wild Wings - Buffalo Wild Wings

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    Buffalo Wild Wings

    Phil's BBQ - bbq - Updated September 2026

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