The Barbecue Pit
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
16 Reviews for The Barbecue Pit
It's passable, but not my taste. i had lunch here last week, and found the hot link to be pretty much anything but. i think my biggest problem is the bbq sauce: chock full of cinnamon and maybe nutmeg? i was on the losing side of an argument that there was some allspice in there, but i still think there is a little. it's like christmas on a pig... and though that sounds just shy of heaven with a cherry on top, it was not jiving for me. no punch at the end! i ended up cover the plate in hot sauce, and it was pretty good then. but the preperation is excellent, and the prices are reasonable. so when your way down in south bay, i'm not complaining.
no wait, i am complaining. there's no pulled pork! AH!
Five Bar-b-que Beef Sandwiches, with two sides each, plentiful amount of bbq sauce = $37.00. Not bad.
Although this place is not the greatest in town, not by a southern mile, it is not that bad. The food is beautifully mediocre. The sauce is uninspired, but strangely does the trick.
We moved two loads of heavy equipment in a 17' U-Haul today, in this heat, and we wanted something fast and painless, something we could call in, and not pay too much for. Something that would hit the spot, but not overly fill us up and give us "itis"... and being close to National Shitty, where our U-Haul needed to be delivered, we decided on this place that would sate all of our needs and desires.
It did hit the spot just right...and I am still up (no itis yet)...
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A good way to think of this place would be "what would you expect if Denny's served barbecue"? The food is decent, but doesn't have a whole lot of taste to it. I think the sauce could be better- either sweeter or spicier.
I would recommend Phil's for some good Q or just prepare it homemade.
The place is inexpensive and the staff is friendly.. You place your order at the counter and it's out pretty quickly. There is plenty of parking.
I met my landlords (an older native San Diegan couple) for lunch here. They raved about the food, especially the sauce. At noon, there was about a 10 minute wait in line to order. I had the special for that day - a bbq chicken qtr with macaroni salad and baked beans. I had read a few of the reviews here before I went and was looking forward to some good ole' BBQ!
Daniel B. hit it right on with the sauce. "Christmas on a pig"....well, in this case, a Navidad Pollo. Way too much nutmeg (in my opinion, any nutmeg is too much) and cinnamon? I guess my southern palate is a bit too unrefined for such an unusual taste.
The other thing that was quite a strange sensation was the macaroni salad. There was some sorta very sweet fruity taste (like orange juice) that was mixed in with the mayo. I was kind of taken aback when I first tried it. It was a bit hard to get down after about 3 bites, but I tried, dammit.
Otherwise, the chicken was very well cooked. A good pink smoked color and very moist. Even with the "everything in the spice cabinet must go holiday sale" sauce, the chicken was actually tolerable. They do know how to smoke some meat here.
The beans were pretty good. There were as cold on my plate as the macaroni salad (which gave the whole meal a kinda picnic vibe), but they had a good flavor.
Overall, I would try it again. I would have to steer away from the mac salad and the sauce, but my landlords raved about the ham. Even though I didn't pay because the landlord picked up the check (which would get him an extra star when I decide to review him), it was pretty inexpensive. I will definitely go back now that I think about it, because I be diggin' some pig!
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My dad and I have recently decided that we like Barbecue Pit ham better than Honeybaked. Mind you, they are two completely different beasts. Barbecue Pit ham is more uniformly textured, smokier, and more succulent than Honeybaked. It also manages to cost more. The rest of our family doesn't share our preference, but since we usually pick up the holiday hams, their preference doesn't really matter.
I also love Barbecue Pit's sauce. For me, it's the perfect blend of tangy, spicy, and sweet. Even when my family loved Honeybaked unanimously, we'd still swing by Barbecue Pit for the sauce.
My five stars is just for the ham and the sauce. The only other thing I'd recommend at Barbecue Pit is that you avoid the fries and the beans.
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Let me preface this review by saying I am comparing this place to bbq from across the nation (Memphis, St. Louis, Texas, and the Carolinas).
The other evening my wife had planned to grab some breakfast at Big Daddy's, only to be surprised that they were closed early (or for good?). Not having a back up plan, we drove around National City looking for a place to eat, and happened upon The Barbecue Pit. BBQ in a predominantly Filipino area? We weren't quite sure what to expect.
As we went in, we were greeted by the pleasant smell of bbq. As we looked over the menu, we saw your typical bbq fare. What was missing though was pulled pork (which I was told is served Saturdays at their other location). Ok, no pulled pork, I guess I can get by. I ended up getting their beef sandwich (one of their more popular items) and my wife got the chicken.
The person helping us was SUPER friendly. When she asked us about the side dishes, she let us try them before we chose. I went with Beans and fries, while my wife did potato salad and beans.
When we got our orders, we were underwhelmed. My beef sandwich, even doused with sauce, was rather bland and flavorless. My wife's chicken (also doused with sauce) was rather dry and flavorless. I imagine you can find better bbq in the area, I just don't know where that might be. I hear Brians American eatery and Phils have it going on.
BBQ lovers, feel free to pass on this place. True I didn't try the ribs, but if it's anything like they're beef or chicken I'll pass. The only reason this place is not a one star is because of the friendly and helpful cashier.
Barbecue is such a personal thing. Depending on what part of the country you are from determines what you like. I grew up in National City. To me, barbecue is the Pit. That's it. This place has been here 50 years. The current location is a few feet from the original site. The walls smell of smoke. They menu is as antiquated as you can find. The only things that have changed in this place are the prices and the Melmac was tossed out a couple of years ago. You can't beat their beans. Prices are still cheap. And if you are really hungry go for a combo plate with the beef ribs.
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I've been going here for YEARS! It's one of those reliable, again comfort food kinda places. It's kinda served cafeteria style. You walk in and get in line at a front counter. There are guys behind the counter standing at grills with hams, ribs and the such. You tell them what you want and you watch them cut it up and put it on a plate. Baked beans, cole slaw, french fries. I have always liked it, but I have heard people say the sauce is a little sweet. The pork ribs are good as is the bbq ham sandwich. See pic of my sis chowing down on a sandwich. Very caj, laid back, drop in after movie or church.
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I've been coming to The Barbecue Pit since the 'early 70's when I was a kid. My mom would take me to the original location before the Plaza burnt down. Decades later, I find myself coming back to saver the great tasting barbeque! I typically have the barbeque beef sandwich plate. The restaurant has remained the same in terms of quality over the decades. The Barbeque Pit has catered my sister's wedding years ago. The service is always great and the food is awesome!
Angel
A family favorite! My dad suggested this place to me. He often has them cater his business meetings. When I first walked in I didn't know what to think, but it was packed so I figured the food must be good. It is and it is still packed everytime I go. The service is always prompt and efficient.
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Oak pit barbecue from the olden days, just the way it San Diego loves it. The Barbecue Pit is an institution in the county. Since 1947 they've been slinging their smoky costillas, jamon, y bif. The beans are legendary. Their clovey sauce is a perfect accompaniment to thier ham and tastes great with the beef and fries. Slaw's okay, fries are golden and crispy and have I mentioned the beans are legendary.
The chicken is smoky and good, a bit greasier than what I'm used to out. The beef ribs are a battle. Full of good smoke flavor, but not falling off the bone. In fact there was an excessive amount of meat stuck to my wife's leavings. I was forced to help her extricate the meat. Unfortunately she didn't receive the benefits of my assistance and it ended up in my stomach. The sandwiches are the basic deliciousness that is the foundation of the Barbecue Pit. White bun and sliced meat, Ham, Beef, Hotlink or Chicken, drizzled with their sweet spice sauce.
I believe the founders were okies. Their style of 'que is consistent and filling through the years. It's a family tradition for many. It was basically my first encounter with barbecue as a commercial venue.
This is where my grandfather would take me when abuelita and my mom dumped me off. I was too squirrelly for La Maze, his usual luncheon place. And so he'd say, "There goes you grandmother and your mother to spen' my money. Le's go get some lonch." And boy-o-boy, did they ever and boy did we. Funny thing is I'd get it for dinner, also. After hearing that's what we had for lunch, my mom would have to have it for herself for dinner.
SURFER TOXICO says,"Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade"
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I happened to be spending the night in National City and was looking for a good lunch place near my crappy hotel. I read some of the reviews on yelp and decided to check this place out since it was only a 2 minute drive. I really love barbecue and was hoping this would satisfy my craving. It did! Definitely not the best bbq for sure but great prices and fast service---counter style. I really liked my beef sandwich which I soaked in some pretty tasty bbq (again not the best but not bad) sauce. The potato salad and baked beans were so-so (wished they had pulled pork or other fixn's mixed in with the beans) but much better than many other more expensive bbq restaurants; the total was only 6.50 for all three items. I've had better but for the price and convenience I would go back here....if I'm ever back in National City....which I probably won't be. Thanks for not letting me down BBQ PIT.
I wish San diego had more beef BBQ choices, because Barbecue Pit just doesn't cut it. I am used to Texas BBQ beef brisket and they just don't even come close. I know people that like Barbecue Pit a lot, and they are usually people from here, that really haven't gotten to enjoy real good beef BBQ. Now Phil's, that is a different story. They have great BBQ, but that is if you are hungry for something other than beef. I would go to Phil's any day over Barbecue Pit.
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I gotta change the pace here.. This place will out do Huffmans anyday.
Their sloppy Joes is a must have here. They dont serve it everyday so its best if you call in first to see if they have it that day. If not, there Pork, beef, ham, or link sandwiches are very good. And if you cant make up your mind.. They have a combo plate that has all of the above. Its doesnt compare to Phils.. But its just as good as them.. depends on what type of BBQ flavor your going for.
One other thing.. for some reason, there Cherry Coke taste really great.. refill please
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David M. hit the review right on target! No way does it even come close to Phil's or Huffman's, but it isn't bad either. If it were up to me, I'd drive to Phil's in a heartbeat. However, the food here is more than decent and the prices aren't over the top. The hot links sandwich is awesome! I've tried almost all the sides and they're all pretty tasty. I think the pork ribs are a little better than the beef, but both are good. The inside isn't anything spectacular, but at least most of time there's a place to sit.
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way better fries than phills
beef sandwich alacarte $ 4.01 -
i love phils too but this place is truly unique, very old school.
very homey and comfortable, unlike phils
very reasonable prices, unlike phills
i live closer to phills but i eat at the bbq pit more frequently
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