T-Rex Barbeque
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri 11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m.
Sat 10:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m.
Sun 10:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
42 reviews
El Cerrito, CA
"I have this place programmed on my cell phone and it always takes 10 minutes for the order to be ready and the food is so delicious! We…" read more »
287 Reviews for T-Rex Barbeque
This is a fine place to go for B-B-Q and my reasons:
1) it's clean!
2) it's good
3) it's kid friendly
4) the staff has a good attitude
5) early evening is key for a choice of seating
6) a whole lotta food!
Wow, call me nuts, but I fail to see how this place has earned such a loyal and enthusiastic following. I started with a mixed green salad, which should have been a slam dunk considering the quality of ingredients; it was just marginal. Next up, the most vulgar, gristly sparerib I've ever tasted; I barely made a dent in the thing. The small bite I did manage was analogous to chewing a greasy rubber band. (But I mean, if size matters, you might be willing to overlook this.)
On the plus side, I did enjoy a bite of my friend's burger, which was quite delicious. I was also introduced to Hangar One, which I enjoyed. Our server was perky and chatty, which I found annoying after several interruptions, but my friend seemed to appreciate the attention, so maybe it was just me.
I really wanted to love this place, but other than a drink at the bar, I doubt I'll attempt the menu again.
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For the bar:
Not the most scintillating bar crowd, but it beats Pyramid! Excellent beer and cocktail offerings. Nice seating area. Pretty laid back. Helpful but easily-made-standoffish waitstaff. I was already tipsy* when I showed up here, so I suppose the more appropriate thing to do than review would be to book mark "to try"** I'm a fan of the food at Fonda***, so I'm guessing they put together a good brunch here.**** I'll be back.
*Which is to say, slightly less absorbant of important details. OK and also excessively opinionated and without that overrated quality called tact. But that's neither here nor there.
**again. I said "appropriate" - which I don't really do.
***Same owners, right? Or am I getting confused?
****One of those times when us mammal-meat avoiders can still fill up at a barbeque joint.
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Four stars for happy hour at T-Rex! $3 draft beers, $5 cocktails, and specials on food too. $1 Oysters, served on ice with two dipping sauces. Fries $3. Yummy BBQ riblets $5. And much more. Happy hour from 3 - 6pm Monday through Friday. Similar vibe to Fonda, just different type of food. Nice bartenders.
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1. Major improvements since opening.
2. Much better service.
3. Food is still ok--some flaws.
4. Prices are a bit too high for the qualitly.
5. Brunch was pretty good, but service was m.i.a. and cost was $$$
6. Parking is easy.
7. Cocktails are good.
8. BBQ should be much better.
Ok kids -- if you want to go and drink, I am sure this is an ok place.
The food is less than stellar -- if you think this is good BBQ, then you really haven't ever had BBQ.
Only order the burgers - if you want real BBQ, there are other places in the Bay Area to go though your best bet is to hope on the Southwest flight at Oakland Airport and fly to Nashville and then Memphis.
Back to T-rex.
In the opening chit-chat with our waiter we asked him how he was doing? He said that he was excited for his vacation, then, we didn't see him for 1/2 hour. We worried he had already left for Maine.
We said so upon his return and he was feisty, I so like a quick thinking waiter/ress. + 1/2 star
Also, I solved the "Dry brisket" dilemma. If you feel like ordering brisket (because who doesn't, really) - ask when it was smoked. From the mouth of our waiter, "If it was smoked in the last 6 hours - get the brisket. Any more than that, get something else." +1 star for honesty.
Sooo, if 6 hours is the acceptable timeline for good brisket storage, why aren't they smoking brisket every 6 hours, why are they serving brisket beyond that 6 hour storage window, and how long do they wait before they toss it because they know it will be too dry? -1/2 star for serving brisket (though not today) past the 6 hour window.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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07/02/2008
Every single time I come to T-rex, someone orders the brisket and every single time it is dry - I… Read more »
way too many reviews, so i'll keep it short and sweet.
food: great. lamb burger superb. pulled pork and chipotle bbq sauce=yum.
atmosphere: great layout, interesting architecture, good location
best of all-doggy friendly.
i'll be coming back.
You might think that I'm crazy to keep going back to a restaurant that I really hated two years ago, but: (1) I like barbeque, T-Rex is conveniently located, and it always has open tables; and (2) I respect Lalimes and was confident that they could get their act together. My recent experiences have been a lot better than the nightmare time that a large group of us had in 2006. There's a semi-human host who greets people who come for dinner, and the staff more or less has its act together as far as getting diners their food and drinks. The barbeque is good, and it seems to me that the prices and portion sizes have been adjusted a bit -- I no longer feel like I'm being ripped off.
I went with a friend for lunch this week, thinking that we could try the outdoor garden that's open only for the noon meal. The garden area was sealed up with a chain-link fence and a lock, but there was a helpful sign to the effect that one could order outdoor food in the actual restaurant. Same food, same prices. This sounded OK, and we went for it. Even though we said that we wanted to order outdoor burgers, our server punched in our orders as indoor burgers ($10 instead of $5). However, a discussion involving cheese and bacon clued us in to what had gone wrong, and we were able to correct that particular error.
We ended up with two "outdoor burgers," an order of fries with chipotle ketchup, and a couple of beers. The outdoor burgers were grilled indoors over a wood fire, and they were quite good. I ordered cheese and bacon with my burger -- which is something I almost never do -- and loved the result. We loved the fries. I ordered a Trumer Pils, which is brewed down the street, and thought that it was clean and fresh, but pretty boring. Next time I'll have the Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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09/11/2006
I've been here 4 or 5 times, and I've never loved the place. There's always something wrong. We… Read more »
They charged me $4 for an Arnold Palmer and then charged me $4 for the refill. What the "F"? Everywhere else that refill would be free. It is just ice tea with country time lemonade?!?!? If nothing else, I would have appreciated a heads up that it was not a free refill.
Okay the Mac and Cheese was really good!!! BBQ sauce was too vinegary/acidic and the service was slow. This place seemed like it would be a cool place to hang out after work to grab drinks and some appetizers/Mac-n-cheese. I might give it another chance.
It seems kinda useless to write Yet Another Review, piling on almost 300 others, but a couple of points:
--when it opened, T-Rex offered a couple of sides with the meal instead of the current Everything's A Separate Dish approach, which basically is a big take away
--the sauce for ribs is hidden under the ribs. I always have to ask for some on the side
--maybe the menu should describe the more rarely seen beers to avoid having to ask for the details and then make a fast decision
--greens are limited, as I recall, to chilled asparagus and slow cooked greens (with pork). Some other totally veg cooked greens would be nice.
Food: Very good. I tried the chicken sandwich which was very tasty. The chicken was nice and moist. The Bbq chips were also a nice appetizer! Good quality food.
Price: Not bad. Sandwiches, burgers are around $12 and entrees are $17 and up. Good portions for the price.
Service: Not bad.
Atmosphere: A nice, casual restaurant. Good for groups!
Location: Located off Gilman near R.E.I. Parking available on side streets or in their lot.
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If the server was nicer, my experience would've been better. I had the fried oysters which were pretty standard. My friend had the ribs with cheese grits and greens. The Grits tasted like melted cheese (yum) and the greens were tasty too. The corn bread was drowning in syrup- WAY too sweet.
Prices are fair. Parking is tight. People are aight.
I loved this place. LOVED. The food was delish. Their bloody mary is potent alcoholic splendor wrapped in tasty goodness. Our waiter, Kenny, rocked my socks and I dug the laid back/hipster/barish vibe. Their drink menu is longer than their food list. What's not to like?
The food was ok. I'm not much for relying on the BBQ sauce for the meal. The meat was tender, but FATTY and greasy. I do have to say the service was incredible. The server we had was a super-nice guy, and knew his stuff when I asked what to order.
Not really a great place for the terribly calorie-conscious.
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The food is good: the Spareribs, great - little to no rub, smoked perfectly, top notch sauce on the side - thats how i do - they admittedly, do it better; but stay away from the babybacks - way too tender - meat falls off the bone before the touch- must eat with a fork. not BBQ.The pulled pork is meh, okay; the brisket above average; the absence of sausage on the menu is curious; the sides are generally good, though avoid the long cooked greens...
Yea, the food is good... but these prices are outrageous. I mean i get it and appreciate it - free range, all natural, organic fed animals cost more on every level - but there is no need to charge me $28 for a full rack of ribs and NO SIDES! No sides -$28- really? And, If a BBQ restaurant is inexplicably gonna charge $14 for half a rack, they must charge no more than $26 for a full rack - basic economics - the more product you buy of a priced item the better value you get... and $5 for cornbread, really? Yes its fucking delicious and its at least 2 portions, but how can you charge $5 when every other BBQ restaurant in the country gives it away for free with any order. Blasphemous. $10 side of mac n cheese, bullshit.... dish to dish(outside of the $10 burger), the overall value is some of the worst I've seen in any restaurant..
I like to eat at TRex - the BBQ is good, the space is cool and the beer and whiskey flow - but I leave frustrated over the value every time I go there to the point where i dont think I'll go back... until um, im really drunk and want whiskey and bbq during football season.
Holy crap! If they think this is bbq their so called "Chef" needs to head south and take a few more cooking classes. I swear if I had dropped one of these baby backs on the ground it would've bounced right back up. For being just outside San Francisco the calamari also left much to be desired. If you're looking for a place to hang out and grab a beer than this is probably a good call but I'd bring in some McDs before eating here again. Oh, and $28 for a rack of ribs, are you f-ing kidding me. NEXT!
I really enjoyed my lunch here. We started with the oysters, very tasty. I had a salad with just the right amount of chicken. My bf enjoyed the brisket, but didn't seem too thrilled and he had definitely had better. The service was great and the space is fun. Definitely worth checking out if you have never been there as they have many items on the menu to choose from.
Drinks are slight over priced, but always a good selection of signature drinks. A couple of champagne screws will really set the mood for a weekend day.
Spare ribs are great. Some days you just need a big helping of meat for brunch, and this is the place.
I really prefer going to the smaller independent bbq spots or homestyle bbq if I want some barbeque but this is a cool spot for a sit down. They have a great selection of beer and you can easily watch a game upstairs on their loungy seating and plasma screens. They also do have happy hour but I believe it ends at 6 ($1 oysters, $3 draft, $5 well).
I like their mac and cheese and the corn bread with maple butter is so good! The last time I was there I ordered the Smoked Half Sonoma Chicken with Long-Cooked Greens and Organic Grits which I was afraid was going to be dry. But it wasn't and was actually pretty damn good. I've also tried the brisket sandwich which was good too...and with the creamy horseradish, even better. I also love their cole slaw and salads.
We ate here for dinner only once and it was only okay. The news here is the rocking happy hour - $5 well drinks with Bombay and Maker's Mark on the rail - makes up for the so-so food. They also have cheap booze sponges (aka appetizers) during the 3-6 p.m. happy hour (yes! 3 p.m.!!) - deviled eggs, fries, onion rings, riblets, etc. We down a couple drinks each, eat up six or seven apps and are out of there for under $50 with tip. That makes it a three-star "a-Ok" in Yelp-speak.
The menu is too limited for me. I like the ambiance but not enough dishes that I enjoy. Service is generic
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Tonight we came here again for fried chicken (I think I'm done w/ fried chicken for a while) and noticed that they'd added fried calamari to the menu. After confirming that it had tentacles, we ordered it. It was crisp, almost to the point of being overcooked. The breading overwhelmed the calamari and while the calamari itself wasn't tough, it also wasn't much in evidence. It came w/ fried slices of fennel, which were tasty, but not enough to redeem the dish. We wouldn't order it again.
Service was fast and good and the busser was involved in a very nice way, asking if we'd enjoyed the meal, etc. It was the antithesis of our Max's service experience. The fried chicken was good, a breast w/ wing, leg and thigh. By longstanding tradition the leg goes to Alan, the rest is mine. It came w/ tasty, tasty mashed potatoes and greens. I got one of the last orders. We heard someone say they'd run out and it was about 7:15. Alan ordered mac 'n cheese, curried cauliflower and coleslaw and liked them all. The portions were huge and he brought home leftover mac 'n' cheese and slaw.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/06/2007
That's 3 1/2 stars. I enjoy T-Rex. The space is beautiful, the service is good and I like their… Read more »
Lesson learned: do not get drunk at office parties.
I celebrated my last day at work with my boss, fellow intern, and coworkers one 4th of July. From what I recall the food here was pretty good, especially the mac n cheese, corn bread, and the ribs. Sadly, all that BBQ was not enough to soak up the alcohol from the cocktails that kept flowing my way.
5 stars for an awesome time!
Minus 1 star for making bad decisions.
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The main component of restaurant reviews ends up essentially being a result of the food quality and taste. This place, as nice as it looks inside, just didn't make the grade.
I started out with a Green salad with peaches and candied pecans that was excellent. I was getting pretty excited with this salad as a precursor to my meal. However when the food came the high came to an end.
The ribs were about average with a tiny side of potato salad that tasted awful and was over smothered with mayo. The side dish of mashed potatoes were just too creamy if you can believe that this is possible. They tasted alright but had the consistency of babyfood. Now there is the issue with the corn bread. I just can not say enough how God Awful BAD this corn bread was. Without a doubt this was the worst corn bread that I have ever tried to eat. It initially came out swimming in some kind of maple butter sauce. It was pretty much soaked through. I sent it back for a plain piece which was also unedible. It was just a dried out horrible excuse for corn bread.
This place might have it's sense of style going for it, but if you are going here to eat, drink a lot from their impressively stocked bar. Then you might not notice how bad this BBQ place's food really is. Luckily my waitress, who was quite nice took the corn bread off my check. Too bad she is leaving in two weeks.
Sadly I found this place in the AAA magazine. They should have promoted E & J instead.
WE LOVE THIS PLACE. Happy hour is nice although they don't use the "good liquor". If you prefer beer, than it's a good deal. I'm not an oyster person, but my bf and his mom love them. (I think it's the stuff you put on them and the fact that the oysters are tiny, not all big and nasty.)
I always order the brisket with hot BBQ sauce and a side of their creamy horseradish, yum!!!! Mac and cheese can be ordered with ham, yum again, but heavy, so share it with some piggie friends or kids so you don't eat too much. Other favs are the pulled pork, but it's a lot so do the 2 choice thing on the menu. Ribs are messy, not my thing, but my bf orders them a lot. He also LOVES the beer on tap, "Arrogant Bastard" (LOVE hearing him order that, lol).
They don't mind kids, they have plenty of highchairs (no changing table in the bathroom though). It's loud and casual.There's also an outdoor seating area, so you can bring your dog! Lots of parking. Can't believe this place is so close to my house. The service is great, they're nice and helpful if you have questions. If you're hungry and in the neighborhood, go! You won't find better food in the area.
The Mac and Cheese and corn bread is to die for. Moderate-High prices. Not really my style of barbeque though. the meat always seems a little dry to my tastes. Service overall is okay. I've had one really good entertaining waitor once (on my birthday/new years Eve) and one horrible waitor which neglected us because his friends were in the restaurant, so it balances out.
sluuuurp
That's the sound of oysters being sucked into my mouth during happy hour. YUMMO Their oyster and bloody mary specials are what's worth coming to this place for. My bf may beg to differ. He ate one bad oyster and threw up a brick at home. yikes! We haven't been back since =(
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They have a great happy hour special and no lines for Sunday brunch. If you're on a diet or vegetarian this is no place to be, run. But if you like corn bread soaked in grade B maple syrup, fried chicken and greens simmered with lard then you've found your home away from home. My suggestion, is to go with a group of friends so you can sample a little bit of everything!
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This is the second time I've been here for lunch. Never been for dinner but the lunch was great both times. Had the several of the salads and though pricey and small for sharing purposes, they were all great, especially the smoked trout with grapefruit etc. Yum. I'm a pulled pork sort of person and there version is rock solid. Yum. The ribs are good too but less than meaty. Great for bone suckers but either way the flavor was nice and spicy. The chips were crispy and delicious. Yum. Pass on the potato products, either bland, not very crispy or over dressed. Service was great, everyone was friendly and attentive. Never had to wait for a table for lunch, weekday and weekend so I'd definitely recommend it for lunch as the space is quite striking and mellow during the daytime.
Went there for a birthday party. The food was pretty good. We had the ribs and the ribs were tasty and the meat was very moist. The place had very nice décor and the service of the wait staff was very good. The place is pretty pricy for BBQ food but you do pay for quality.
The cornbread alone is worth a visit. I went for the pulled pork, but they didn't have the Carolina-style vinegar sauce that is the only way to eat pulled pork IMO, so just get a bunch of sides and enjoy. For Carolina-style BBQ, go to Memphis Minnie's on Haight in SF.
I came here with my family....and was not in a meat-eating mood that day. So my impression is based on side dishes and drinks.
The decor/ambiance is quite different from most BBQ places, it felt like I was in an upscale sandwich joint. The upstairs looked nice, with comfy chairs, a fireplace and carpet.
They have an extensive beer list. I went for the hard a, my 'Raffles Sling' was too sweet, even for my girlish tastes in alcohol.
I had a grilled artichoke with garlic aioli that was to die for. Perfectly cooked, it barely needed the sauce. However, my macaroni and cheese was disappointing. The mac and cheese was made with parmesan and gruyere, which was delicious for 2 bites, but was too strong tasting to actually finish.
The rest of the fam said their skirt steaks and pulled pork were perfectly cooked, but that they were a little stingy on the sauce.
All in all, not too bad, but we probably won't be heading back. Experiences may vary....
This is the worse barbecue place ever. Meat was just smokey flavor. It was a small portion and just plain bland. Side dishes were OK but overpriced even for lunch time. On the plus side the decor was wonderful and the Staff was outstanding. Go for a drink yes food NEVER.They should be ashame to call it barbecue.
I don't like it. My coworker does because, I fear, she don't know bbq like I know bbq. I will never go back here...and it's overpriced. The grits were disgustingly overcooked and 'sticky' for lack of a better word. Who eats grits that are like paste. I don't. The kale had no flavor. The mac and cheese was...odd. the chicken was fine but the sauce had a bit too much vinegar for my taste.
I liked T-Rex. Didn't blow me away, but it did blow away KC and Flint's, who we visited earlier in the day.
Baby-back ribs: good seasoning, OK smoke flavor, but really should fall off the bone, and these weren't even close. But overall, the flavors were right on and complemented well by medium or hot sauce (thankfully served on the side).
Brisket: again, well seasoned, but a bit more of a disappointment than the ribs. The meat itself wasn't as tender as I'd hoped, and didn't have enough of a smoke ring compared to great briskets I've had before. The blackened, well-seasoned edges were fantastic, but the rest of the meat not as good. But with T-Rex's good-tasting sauces, I happily ate mine.
If we consider just the aforementioned meats, probably 3.5 stars. But with the cornbread and mac n' ham, four stars. As others have noted, the cornbread sits in a too-sweet syrup. It's great on its own or with just a tiny dribble of syrup. The mac n' ham was deadly and delicious.
T-Rex shouldn't win any awards for the best BBQ in the Bay Area (so far that honor belongs to the Brick Pig). The pulled pork sandwich is really good although not traditional, but the ribs are too greasy and fatty and the accompanying bbq sauce doesn't have enough depth.
The 4 stars are because the mac & cheese and cornbread are fantastic and the beers on tap are really good. Come for the bbq if you must, but stay for the mac & cheese.
The Barbecue is always a disappointment. The only thing I actually enjoy eating at T-Rex is the $12 Pulled Pork Sandwich.... and that's sad... Just go get a guaranteed gourmet $7 sandwich at Gregoire downtown... The pulled pork is better at Gregoire too
Everything else just don't taste like barbecue to me. I'd like to know how they actually cook their BBQ because I've put out better product cooking in my backyard. Brisket should be tender, ribs shouldn't be dry and sauce shouldn't sting the roof of your mouth.
I still find myself coming in to get Whiskey flights though.... The saving grace of this whole establishment is the Whiskey Book, without it, it might as well just close down to save everybody time and money... or just make the food taste as good as the price suggests
Maybe 2.5 stars based on take out alone. The portions seemed skimpy for the price and the flavors didn't do it for me. To be fair: I have not eaten in the restaurant, so it's possible the food just doesn't travel well.
I did have a cocktail while I waited for the food to go. It was alright but not worth the price (almost $10!). I thought the interior and decor was very nice--and unexpected based on the industrial location off Gilman.
I love Jimmy Beans so was disappointed by my one and only T-Rex BBQ experience. I am curious about the burger garden but don't make it to the neighborhood too often.
Bottom line: Nice decor/interior but not worth the price for "gourmet BBQ," an oxymoron in itself.
Pulled pork yummiliciousness.
That's all I have to say.
Oh wait, cheesy grits.
I have that to say too.
And good service - good service is tres important.
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