On a trip to the area, Phil's was highly recommended. They didn't disappoint! Huge portions served fast with great French fries and onion rings. The pulled pork sandwich is definitely a knife and fork item for it is far too big to pick up. We were here in a car tour and I'm glad that we had the opportunity to enjoy this great venue read more

We are here from out of town with a group of 30 people. We saw a large line but Noah helped us out and ensured we got some tables. Anthony took our orders and was great. The ordering process is smooth and amazing for a large group Don't let the long line discourage you. It's fast and the food was amazing. Eddie the manager was working hard to ensure everything was smooth. Overall the best experience Thank you Noah and Anthony For taking care of us. read more

First, Phil's is always a good bet for hot BBQ and I've been eating his food since he had only one location. I live close so I come here often with my kids. My one and only gripe is consistency. Consistency of quality and consistency of quantity. Last night it was the latter. For some reason, despite the steamed veggie side only coming as a large side, what they gave me was barely a half amount of what they usually do. I brought it up to the manager and he happily said we can put in for more. Given that the cauliflower barely filled 1/4 of the plate that's what I expected him to say. But the problem is this shouldn't have gone through to the customer. The people grabbing the orders and putting them out for pick-up should not have let this one through. Not the first time I've dealt with stuff like this. As a customer, I shouldn't have to worry about whether I'm getting what I paid for every time I go. Phil's has always been in my rotation for places to eat and will always be. Just do better is all I'm saying. Oh!!! And those kid-sized water glasses? Really? With ice they hold like 6 ounces tops. You know how many times I have to refill? Like, a lot. Can us adults get regular sized glasses for water? Maybe? read more

Phil's BBQ - Rib-Less Dinner with only half of a large side - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

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Lunch was good - two of us....chicken and sandwich, then we noticed the bill when we were home.....20% gratuity added onto the bill. They did not even tell us? not catering....not a large party.....was it written somewhere and we missed it off the large menu board? I guess we did not need to leave the extra cash tip. Fries were cold. read more

I've passed through my share of Phil's BBQ restaurants. This one may be the best. Service on point. The food was excellent. What surprised me is their liquor menu and the price point. Much more affordable than your average bar in town. This might low key be the spot to catch a drink and some games. They had a decent set up for watching sports at the bar. read more

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

I was craving BBQ so a friend and I decided to fulfill this craving for BBQ at Phil's! When we walked in the door, the restaurant was very crowded so I figured the food must be delicious with this kind of busy crowd! We were greeted by friendly staff who efficiently took our order. The hospitality here is very welcoming and pleasant. Chicken wings were ordered, and I normally don't eat them but I decided to try them. I do not like deep-fried food or wings so I was happy to hear their wings are BBQd! I had 10 wings to share with my friend who helped me eat them because there were so many. We both are watching our calories so we split the wings. I also had a side of broccoli and Cole Slaw to share. The wings remedied me of a special family BBQ recipe because they were cooked to perfection. The flavor was so indulgent and packed with abundant spices whatever their secret recipe is for the seasoning, it was incredible! They also gave me a good sized container of BBQ sauce and Ranch for dipping. The BBQ sauce was tangy and sweet and well you already know Rancho is always a winner! Before heading out, Sergio and Jesus both of the Managers were kind, helpful, and professional. They both went out of their way to help with providing a bag and two boxes to go because there were so many chicken wings my friend and I could not finish! BBQ Cravings? Make sure you head over to Phil's BBQ! They deliver the best BBQ, atmosphere, and food ever! They make you feel right at home! Love it! read more

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Phil's BBQ never disappoints. Burgers, ribs, and the BBQ wings are always good. Happy hour has great prices on food and drinks. Staff is always quick on attending you and very friendly. Always best to come during the week to avoid crowds during the weekend. read more

Phil's BBQ - Baby Back Rib Tickler (3 Bones) and BBQ wings (Happy Hour) - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

Food was great as usual. Food gets the stars and food servers, as well as order takers. Cleanliness not so good. Hand Wash station only had water, paper towel machine out. Soap dispensers out of order and, empty. Wife said ladies room needed attention and told the worker which took immediate action. Only complaint is on hand wash station requires attn. Employee said soap dispenser is broken but no sign up about that trash can by hand wash station overflowed also. read more

Time for a review update of this location. Still offering friendly service. They have knowledgeable staff. Plenty of seating in dining room. We chose to order "to go" this time. NOTE: since COVID, no call ahead to go orders accepted. Order and pay at counter. We waited less than the quoted "15 minutes" after placing our order. Our order was mostly correct--only missing one requested Ranch dip for the onion rings. Portions adequate. Prices average. Would return. read more

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Honestly once you get out of your car you get hit with the smell of some good bbq. The food was amazing and the portions were pretty good size. Not bad for 80 bucks. The establishment has a cookout vibe to it. They also have a bar there in the cut so there are single seating accommodations read more

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Our server, Will was excellent and so attentive. And the manager , Carla is an outstanding communicator and has done an excellent job of training her superb and friendly team. The ribs are the best I have ever had and we love coming to Phil's BBQ. The sides, baked potato loaded and delicious, and the coleslaw is excellent and onion rings are amazing! The store is spotless, the sauce is amazing and Phil's we have never had a bad meal or bad time at Phil's in Santee. read more

Greatest ribs you'll ever have, the service is impeccable & love the atmosphere in the bar area, too. You can never pass up some Phil's BBQ

my family and I alwyas love coming here. the food is delicious and that staff is always so friendly. Landen stuck out to us on our last visit because he was so attentive and helpful. love the family friendly atmosphere here. recommend to anyone and everyone. read more

Phils BBQ in Santee, CA is WILDLY good. I had the pleasure of visiting this popular San Diego spot and it was worth the hype. I went on a Friday mid day and thankfully it wasn't too packed, as I hav heard it can get pretty crazy during the weekends. Phil's BBQ is serving up the most delicous and mouth watering meals I have ever had and it definitely reminded me of the delicous fair food but now you can get it whenever you like. The service here was great. Upon arrival the staff is very nice and welcoming, so the ambiance is amazing. They have an extensive menu which makes it difficult to not pick everything. All items contain their iconic BBQ sauce which might I say might be the best I have had. If you go you have to get the Colossal Onion Rings. They were HUGE and crispy and savory. The BBQ Cheeseburger, the El Toro, and the Po' Boy were all super yummy and can't pick my favorite because they all had me and my group in shock of how great every item was. Honestly can't wait to go back ! read more

Phil's BBQ - Onion Rings, PO' Boy, Loaded Fries, BBQ Cheeseburger, and the El Toro - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

Still my favorite bbq place in sam diego. The beef ribs are deliciously decadent. Nice and fatty but still a ton of meaty goodness. The sauce is nice and sweet. The onion rings are ginormous and deliciously crunchy. A huge pile of coleslaw cuts through the richness of the beef. Top it off with an ice cold sweet tea to bring the whole experience together. The staff is always friendly and they're very efficient. Not a long wait at all despite there being a lot of people there. They really know how to take care of their guests. This location is nice because it's pretty big and has ample parking. If you're hungry and you want delicious bbq, come to Phil's. read more

Phil's BBQ - Beefy Rib Tickler - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

Great variety of meat options and majority of food is very tasty. The baby back ribs and the Caesar salad were my favorite. We got baby back ribs, the baby back beef and chicken dinner, one sausage link and a Caesar salad. For sides we got fries, coleslaw salad, backed potato and the baked beans. I wouldn't order the baked beans or the baked potato again but the rest was good. The service was great and our food was ready quickly. They have a happy hour starting at 3 pm so we enjoyed some wine and beers for $5/drink. Average pricing and it's pet friendly if you eat in the patio (always a plus to me!). Overall a good place to enjoy some American BBQ. read more

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The Philibuster is a top 10 burger in San Diego. However fearing the burger at first because it was the size of my head, it was phenomenal. The building esthetic is so amazing giving a feel of a Texas establishment. The easy accessible drink stands with amazing sweet tea, plus the sinks for a quick hand wash. Our busser William was fantastic! Constantly taking our trash and empty plates constantly checking up on us. Great job Phil's I will be back! read more

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

Besides burritos, Phil's BBQ is my San Diego comfort food. No trip to San Diego is complete, unless you get some Phil's! I was in East County tonight and was debating on what to eat. I remembered that Phil's was close by, and some Phil's fries and some bbq sounded great. I took a solo mission to the Santee location. I ordered my usual, the Ribless Tickler. Their ticklers are flat out awesome. They don't cost too much money ($12.49), you get a variety of stuff, and the portion sizes are perfect. Tonights tickler had a ton of pork pieces, perfectly crisp fries (my favorite fries in the whole World are Phil's), 2 delicious onion rings, and some creamy cole slaw (the only cole slaw I will eat). I ate every last morsel on my plate and enjoyed every bit of it. Service was great, too. Cashier was friendly, busgirl was friendly, and even the manager? came by and asked every table how their meal was etc. Really enjoyed my meal tonight in Santee and am actually going to hit the one down at Sports Arena in a few days ;-). read more

Phil's BBQ - Ribless Tickler. The best! - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

We just had the greatest experience at Phil's! We've been coming here for many years for the awesome BBQ. Today we were helped by the nicest bus girl, Brooklyn. She was so kind and happy and helpful! If you're the store manager, you should give her a raise!! She's definitely the kind of person you want in your restaurant! read more

Phil's BBQ - Brooklyn and the birthday boy! - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

The only times I eat BBQ are when I"m visiting Dad in San Diego or visiting friends in Austin. IMHO, the Phil's location in El Cajon is more accessible than Sports Arena and it's also relatively close to my Dad's retirement community. I either get the Ribless Chickless meal or the pulled pork sandwich. Both are delicious especially if you douse them with the tangy, spicy house BBQ sauce. The house sweet tea is great especially if you cut it with the unsweetened tea so that it's not super sugary. The staff are friendly and attentive! read more

I give him a big fat zero. They've recently changed their takeout services and now you can only order by going in ridiculous old people can't do this shit not a good change. I will not be going back to Phil's. read more

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

Ample parking. Fast process to order the food for dine-in with plenty of seating options. Menu's were far away (while waiting in line) and I did feel blind LOL so it took me a little bit longer to order once I was at the counter. They have a ton of options. Pretty much everything is good. I definitely don't come often due to I don't crave bbq or a main meat course too often. This was my first dine-in at this location and I enjoyed the ordering process, the waiter bringing our meal, and the overall set up of the restaurant. The table condiments were great. They also have an area where you can grab plates, utensils, ketchup, and a hand washing station. I am excited to come back and try new items. My favorite item was the fries and ranch! I want to buy a bottle just for my home meals. The onion rings were also HUGE. very filling and I only had two-ate only one. read more

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We visit the Pt Loma location OFTEN! We LOVE Phils. We found ourselves in Santee with a baseball tournament... went in for dinner and our rack of ribs were very fatty and just not edible. One of the serveres/perhaps asst manager named Noah came by asking us how our dinner was.. and I shared about our dinner. He was so kind and immediately brought us new ribs! I love when Customer Service WINS! Thank you Noah for taking care of us. We will absolutely be back! Thank you! read more

Food was good. Had half rack of baby back ribs and chicken. Staff was friendly and fast. Place was busy but they have plenty of staff helping you find a seat and help with taking you your food if your dining in. If you visit them a must have is the corn bread read more

Phil's BBQ - Chick-Less Dinner - Barbeque Near Me - Santee, California

I don't usually write reviews, but I had to give a quick shout-out to Eddie. He was awesome! Super friendly, easygoing, and just made the whole visit better. You can tell he actually cares about the customers and takes pride in what he does. It's not every day you get service like that, he really stood out. If you happen to stop by, hope you get Eddie helping you out. The place is always great, but he made it even better! read more

EDDIE was so dope, came with my in laws. and hands down best customer Service. The food was great as always but what stood out to this visit was Eddie and how accommodating, friendly, and helpful he was. my in laws from new zealand were just talking about of awful the customer service has been in America but even they were saying wow that man needs a raise. lol. Props to eddie read more

Phil's BBQ has the best happy hour deal ever! We were able to get three loaded fries and three drinks for an amazing price. The loaded fries were absolutely delicious, huge portions, perfectly cooked, and packed with flavor. Definitely a spot worth visiting if you want great food and a great deal! read more

My last experience at Phil's BBQ was great. I ordered takeout because I had a taste for BBQ after a long day at work. They have designated parking for take out orders which made searching for parking less stressful. I went right in to the takeout line and ordered within minutes. I ordered the BBQ Ribs and Chicken dish that came with two small sides. I picked the sweet baked beans and the potato salad. I also added the link and a drink special and a side of chocolate chip cookies. My order plus the tip was about $38 which wasn't bad in my opinion. I waited by the pick up order section for about 20-25 minutes and it was done. I probably should've asked for my sauce on the food instead of on the side because I like my meat saucy. I give it 4.5 stars for the value and the to-go experience. The only critique I have is that they should watch their capacity limit because people were packed like sardines inside the restaurant and even though I was only there for a to-go order, it made me feel a little uncomfortable in terms of cleanliness. read more

Phil's never disappoints! The food is great quality and flavorful. The service is friendly, I was confused and felt a little rushed my first couple of visits because it's so loud and hard to communicate with the people your order. But the staff is always super friendly and patient. It's a casual dining place, so it's pretty noisy with a lot of chatter and music. The parking can get full, but it has never been a problem. Phil's is a very popular place, so it's nice that they have cameras to check on the lines. This location is usually not as packed as the Point Loma one. It's out of our way, but worth the drive. There are lots of shopping centers nearby, so you can make a trip out of it. read more

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

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The food is just okay. The service is friendly. Came in during the Super Bowl not busy. Perfect for large crowds. Came by during a a quick day trip to SD. Probably won't be back. The food just isn't what you expect from a BBQ spot the BBQ isn't good just bland. It's a little loud but not overwhelming loud just a lot of kids/family chatter. This could be more a lunch spot than dinner spot. Consulted with a SD local after and he warned me that this spot is just hyped but definitely not worth it. Will not likely come back. read more

Living in South San Diego, we have plenty of BBQ options closer to home, but we always prefer to make the drive to Phil's BBQ in Santee. The customer service here is simply A1, setting it apart from other locations. Every visit feels special. On our last trip, they gave our two daughters adorable stickers and even brought cookies to our table. The food is consistently better here, with every dish cooked to perfection. Thank you, Phil's BBQ, for making each visit memorable. We'll definitely be back--it's always worth the drive! read more

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

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I would give the ribs a 5. They are great, both beef and pork. And love the sauce. But dinner is not ribs alone. The large ceasar salad was huge, but had almost no dressing and 3 croutons. Seriously, almost no dressing at all. It was like eating washed romaine. The beans were good, but more liquid than beans. The potato salad was big chunks of potato and little everything else. The corn bread was sweet and moist, delicious! Go for the ribs and corn bread. Especially the meaty beef ribs! read more

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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

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

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

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

*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

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

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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