BT’s Southern BBQ

Nice atmosphere. Food is good. What is inexcusable is the managements behavior — especially BT. Been there three times but probably never again thanks to the attitude. Extremely unfriendly– almost misanthropic and creepy. Counter people are nice but cold behavior ices the environment and makes you question if you want food prepared by these people. A smile now and then would warm things up BT and make your investment profitable. Get off your IPhone and make people feel welcome– not like intruders. There are plenty of restaurants in the area with positive energy and friendliness to choose from. We don’t need BT as much as they need the customers. Good luck!

We were lucky enough to be here on the only day they serve their Nashville Hot Chicken. Omg, soooo good and flavorful. I will be back and will make sure it’s a Wednesday. We got there at 7:15pm and had only 2 chickens left. So glad I got one! :)

This place is amazing! The place has a great vibe and a great selection of beer! I went for their taco Tuesday and I have to say that their tacos are hands down some of the best tacos I have had in my life. The tri-​tip and baby back rib meat tacos were just incredible, you don’t need to add salsa just eat them the way they come! If you’re in the area I highly recommend you give this place a try, they won’t dissapoint.

I hate to write a poor review of a local restaurant but I am hoping the owners read this and make improvements. This was my third visit to the restaurant and probably our last. The black bean/​chicken bowl was pasted together with black beans that seemed to have been sitting out all day. The tri tip was too greasy and tough to eat. The chicken was dry and needed to be smothered in some kind of sauce. The crinkled sweet potato fries looked liked they came out of the frozen section of Vons.
I hope they figure it out and make some changes as we need some good restaurants in our area.

We were searching for a new restaurant to try and discovered this gem. We had 4 adults and decided to try the dinner #1 to try the variety of meats. Everything was delicious, right down to the sides and biscuits. There was alot of food for four people, so brought home plenty of leftovers. Staff were friendly and helpful, highly recommend if you like a good bbq.

Came in on a Friday afternoon before Happy hour and we orders a bunch of stuff off the menu. I ordered the baby back ribs and tri tip. Over all the sauces, sides (macaroni salad and slaw) and tri tip were pretty good but the ribs were just okay. It tasted like it was cooked the night before and heated up. However the staff and service is wonderful. I will come back again and give them a try.

Between the tri-​tip bowl, a smoked turkey sandwich, and a brisket plate with corn and a side of garlic bread and fries, there were three stuffed members ready for a nap! There was enough flavor on the beef where using sauce wasn’t needed. Did manage to try it… Would definitely eat it again if I were feeling saucy. This place is super clean!!! I noticed someone actually wiping down each lever on the Coke machine! If you want to know if a place cares, always check that dispenser! They tend to be nasty! Not here!!! As I wrote earlier, it’s clean! I am giving it the stars for cleanliness, flavor, service and reasonable pricing. It’s a new place on our eateries. Thanks for opening! We will return soon!

Amazing bbq !! The environment is so welcoming. !! There trip tip is phenomenal and same goes for there sweet bbq sauce !! The owner Brad and his fiancé Sally are so sweet! One of the best bbq restaurants I’ve ever been too !!!

Proving yet again that Southern Californians don’t know shit about BBQ is the 4 stars or so blazing brightly for BT’s Southern BBQ. It is currently three stars AT BEST!!!
First of all… they have brisket on the menu… chopped brisket! Even the chains offer a choice of sliced or chopped. Brad (co-​owner) started to argue with me a bit, so problem solved, even though I love brisket and judge a BBQ restaurant by the quality of the brisket, didn’t order it…’cause I don’t EVER do chopped brisket. I want to see the bark and smoke ring on a proper slice of brisket.
Those of you who know REAL barbecue know what I am talking about… those sad bastards who think that Phil’s Grilled Meats (aka Phil’s BBQ) is BBQ are sorely missing out on great American BBQ! I informed the counter guy that was a major issue in my opinion.
What I wound up ordering was a two meat sampler;pulled pork and hot link ($ 16.95) with a glass of Cab and my buddy had the two meat sampler with tri-​tip and pork ribs ($ 19.95).
My sides were coleslaw and beans, his were grilled veggies and macaroni salad. He doesn’t know which sides to pick with BBQ, but he knows BBQ as well.
Have to say that even though this place is kind of new, it is SPOTLESS! Staff was extremely positive and committed to doing a good job.
The food,
Meats:
1. Pulled Pork-​a bit dry, served as it comes off the cooker… very lean, great flavor… very light smoke. I preferred it dipped in sauce, but just a little… not enough to pour the sauce over it, which is a travesty the uninformed pull on a regular basis… it also matters where you come from and what type of BBQ you like. I’m all about the Texas! If you are from South Carolina, you put BBQ sauce on your oatmeal!
2. Hot Link-​could see the grill marks on the link… I don’t love that, but it’s a preference thing. Flavor was good, texture was good… just not great.
3. Tri-​tip-​decent smoke ring, no discernable rub. Very tough. Sliced on a slicer, thin. Would not order again.
4. Ribs-​ribs had a nice rubbed flavor, very lean, meat was also tough… there where grill marks on the ribs… not cool by me. Would not order again.
The pulled pork was the best we had of the meats offered, and were in agreement on it.
Sides:
The coleslaw was fine, a bit less-​sweet than the usual… didn’t finish it. The beans were delish! Very filling, there is some pulled pork in there, and some red onion, as well as a splash of rootbeer.
The biscuits bear mention… they do seem like homemade cheddar soda biscuits and are scrumptious. Did not eat much of it due to gluten issues.
There are good possibilities that might develop here… time will tell. Maybe will revisit after about 6 months or so.

I’m hoping that BT’s Southern BBQ fares better than the two previous occupants, Peri Peri and Bread Bites. When my date and I arrived, they weren’t too busy, but for some reason it sure took a long time to get the food. Isn’t BBQ pretty much already cooked? We waited for a least 20 minutes. (I have a feeling they were prioritizing take out orders.)
Anyway, when my Texas style chopped brisket sandwich and smoked beans arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the bun! The bun was toasted inside and out and yet remained nice and soft. The brisket meat was smokey, albeit a bit on the dry side. (Nothing that their two house sauces, spicy and sweet couldn’t fix though.)
All in all BT’s Southern BBQ was tasty and I wish them the very best.

** 5 stars to the craft beer selection, Keith, and the hot links here at BT’s Southern BBQ **
We’ve visited twice now so were able to try a variety of items. The menu is right above the cashier. You order, pay, and the food is brought out to you when ready. Don’t forget to look for this Specials board (it’s a digital menu towards the right of the cashier).
We sat at the bar on both visits where Keith was working that afternoon. We ordered:
GREAT DIVIDE — YETI IMPERIAL STOUT:
— Friend is a huge fan of Great Divide and thought the Yeti was an IPA for some reason. It was a strong, dark heavy beer (tasted nicely of coffee) that she actually ended up enjoying.
3 MEAT PLATTER $ 16.95:
— Friend had been here just a few days prior and said the hot links were pretty good. We also choose the tri tip and their Texas style chopped brisket. The hot links were so very good. The ones here tasted smokey, spicy, and juicy. The tri tip was sliced thin and then grilled which we didn’t prefer. It was somewhat tasty but just a bit dried out. The brisket was alright-​fatty but was drier than what we had hoped for (considering how juicy the links were).
SMOKED PORK BELLY APPETIZER $ 4.50:
— The belly tasted smokey but needed a bit more char as certain pieces tasted a bit blubbery-​fatty (I’m chuckling as I’m writing that description). The meat portion of the belly tasted fine but the fat portion was a bit tough to eat. We liked the terriyaki sauce that came on the side.
$ 10.95/lb hot links:
— You get about 4 plump links in about a pound. Do you see all the delicious fattiness and juiciness of this hot link (see pic). These are good (and spicy) bbq links.
TEXAS STYLE CHOPPED BRISKET:
— One of the patrons ordered the chopped brisket and offered some for me to try (I gave him some of my hot links earlier). I was surprised at how much better this brisket tasted than on my previous visit here with friend. You can tell the brisket was just smoked and chopped. It was wonderfully fatty and succulent. I would order this again in a heartbeat. So I’m not sure if it’s the time of day you order the brisket that makes it better.
The staff and Keith are incredibly personable and easy to talk to here at BT’s Southern BBQ (at least on busy days). There’s not many places around here that has this many craft beers on draft to try out. They have another location in Newport Beach so I hope their expansion out here to San Diego goes well. We will be back to try some of their monthly specials (Wed has Nashville Chicken I think) and some more of their beers.

Venturing far into the northern hinterlands of San Diego, where pearl clutching is a profession, one does not anticipate finding good barbecue, particularly in a stereotypical SoCal strip mall. Yet BT surprisingly delivered.
As I often do upon a first visit, I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, and BT provided possibly the best I’ve had in San Diego. The meat itself packed a really fantastic flavor even without the addition of any sauce. Nonetheless, the multiple sauces available were no slouch, particularly the proprietary mustard. I overheard the owner tell another customer that he included Chinese five spice in its recipe. Everything got packaged together in a notably good bun, which is really a rarity within the area. In a meat industry, the carbs are typically a secondary concern.
I did have to wait a while for this bounty to arrive, which was the only down side, and I hope that BT improves their process as they get more experience.
Summary: March 14 shall henceforth be known as pork and a BT day.

Interesting place. Another order and pay at the front BBQ place that I’m not a fan of the concept. Either way, the menu looked good. They hooked me instantly with the rib eater plate. It’s a sampler tray of beef back, baby back and St. Louis ribs. I chose the black beans and mac & cheese as sides and they add a biscuit.
The ribs are decent. Taste good and will fill you BBQ craving, but miss the mark making you want to come back for more. I love the idea of being able to get all 3 options of ribs on one plate, but wasn’t blown away by anything. The sauces are good. I like that they have a little station that you can help yourself to. The mac & cheese was the winner of the plate. They cut no corners on it and it’s rich and decadent and will make the biggest mac & cheese snob happy. Beans were average. The biscuit was just bad. One bite and I wanted to spit it out. But, I did come late night and I understand if they’re not the freshest.
Basically this is a new big commercial place situated in a mini mall strip with average BBQ food at above average BBQ prices. It’s great place if you’re in the area and got to scratch your BBQ craving, but not a place to go out of your way for.

Great looking place, with outstanding food.
I can especially recommend the Beef Brisket. 4 of us ordered the no. 1 family meal, which was actually more than enough. (Usually this wouldn’t be) the portions were generous and the quality of the meats were excellent. Fast service and friendly staff give it 5 stars from me.

We’ve been here twice, and it’s no fluke — this place is very, very good. I’m thrilled that it’s in my neighborhood, just blocks from home. We’ve tried most of the meats — the pulled pork, brisket, tri-​tip, sausage, chicken, turkey, St Louis ribs, and beef back ribs. All are beautifully cooked, tender, and smoky, with irresistible crispy edges. The house sauces are good, but the meat is so tender and moist that you probably won’t need them. We always get the three-​meat plates because we like our leftovers — BBQ this good can be enjoyed for days.
For the sides, my wife and I can’t get past the mac/​cheese and the marinated cucumber/​tomato salad. Both are excellent, well-​prepared with high-​quality ingredients. Dinner also includes a drop biscuit — I don’t quite understand why they put garlic in the biscuit dough, I’d prefer it without, but I still manage to eat it.
The blueberry-​peach cobbler is amazing, especially a la mode. It’s big enough for two, so leave room for dessert.
Oh, and the beers! They’ve got some unusual and interesting brews on tap, and you can enjoy a small taste if you’re having trouble deciding. I’ve met some excellent beers on my two visits.
The atmosphere is friendly — the owner will stop by your table to check how you’re enjoying your meal.
Bottom line: I’m delighted to have a great new BBQ spot in the neighborhood. This restaurant is in the regular rotation for our meals out.

I went here last week the first time. My initial impression walking in was, «Oh hell yeah»! I ordered beef ribs and a pulled pork sandwich with baked beans and cole slaw. It came with a biscuit too.
They have a fantastic beer bar with great micro brews on tap. Very nice.
The ribs were delicious. The pulled pork was very dry. The baked beans were friggin amazing good. The cole slaw-​yawn. The IPA was excellent. The biscuit? Sorry guys but… that was not a biscuit. It was a piece of baked dough so dense if I had thrown it at the window it would have broken it out. I took one bite and spit it out. Someone there needs to swallow their pride and either remove it from the menu or get a new recipe.
But my experience became derailed. One of the cooks in the kitchen was so obnoxious hollering «YIP» I stopped enjoying myself. I must have heard no less than 40 – 50 YIPS. On top of that they had music playing in the kitchen for their enjoyment, not mine.
I’ll give the place one more try. I hope the management understands I’m the one spending the money there to enjoy the food, drink and ambiance, not the hired help in the back of the house. The front of the house was fantastic and the beer dude was super knowledgable and very cool.
Fix the kitchen guys. I really want to be a frequent flyer there.

Best BBQ around. Served with sause on the side to truly tast the flavor of the meat. Line out the door, suggesy calling in your order in advance.

I visited BT’s for the first time last night. First of all, I’m happy another BBQ place is opening up in the area, I really do not feel that we have enough around here in San Diego!
Overall the location is nice, there are lots of cute shops surrounding, including my favorite workout studio. Parking was ample when I was there. You walk in, and squint up at the computerized menu for a bit, before ordering at the counter. Not a great start, as there isn’t a lot of room at the front of the store. A family and I did a dance around each other to make the space work.
I asked a lot of questions, and the blonde helping me was very nice. I wasn’t a fan of the side options, and asked for biscuits/​other things instead with an up charge. No go. Oh well, the fries were a small up charge and very good. The drink options were good, including sweet tea which was a nice surprise. We sat down in a nice booth after ordering, and were sitting less than 10 minutes before the food came out.
The reason they didn’t get 4 or 5 stars was probably because I am a huge BBQ fan. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and my husband ordered the tri-​tip, with sides of sweet and regular fries and biscuits. It was a lot of food, you’re not going to leave hungry!
The sandwiches were ok, I expected a softer bun. The meat was flavorful but a bit dry. There was a sweet sauce that I added to the sandwich, but didn’t find it to be very sweet. I wish there were more sauce options! The biscuits were nothing to write home about though they weren’t stingy with the honey/​butter which was nice. Although after putting some on I realized the honey didn’t pair well at all. They don’t say so on the menu but they have a bit of a spice kick, and we didn’t finish ours (I’ve never left a biscuit behind before!) I’ll probably be back to try the ribs, beer, and the pie, which will be the big test.
For what it’s worth I saw the owner making the rounds, asking people if they enjoyed their meal. It seemed a bit over the top in the way he was approaching people, but I’ve also lived in SD for too long, so maybe I forgot what true hospitality looks like. All in all he avoided our table, though gave us some inscrutable looks.

Love this place. Great food, Keith the owner is hands on and super friendly and helpful. Good energy in this restaurant. Really like it!

Really good food. Reasonably priced, and great staff!

So glad someone brought some great BBQ to San Diego. So far the brisket and the spicy chicken are my favorites. They also have an excellent craft beer selection on tap. Lots of TVs too… so sports friendly. Good service too. I’ll probably be eating here way too often ;)

Great new spot! Amazing food, reasonably priced, friendly staff, full bar! Memphis style smoked meats, sauce bar & Blues playing in the background. Different Daily Specials from Ham to Meatballs to Corned Beef. Owner, Keith, stopped by to greet and thank us; very gracious and welcoming. Will definitely be back and highly recommend!

We have visited BT’s twice now. The first time we both got sandwich plates, they were excellent! The second time I tried a combo plate with brisket and tri tip, that too was excellent. The staff has been exceptional, and on our first visit the owner visited our table twice to make sure we were satisfied.
I haven’t yet found anything to complain about and probably won’t.

My boyfriend and I come in here at least once a week as he lives across the street and the food is always great! We’ve both found ourselves dreaming about coming back within a week. We usually get the pulled chicken and the beef ribs. Be sure to ask for the pork belly! It’s not on the menu but is a fantastic appetizer… everyone’s eyes were rolling in the back of their heads, it was so delicious.
We usually do takeout for two and grab a glass of beer or wine while we wait, but we’ve also dined in with a group and ordered a family-​style meal for a larger gathering. The owners are incredibly friendly and helpful. Everyone we’ve brought here has been blown away by the food as well.

Ok, So I have tried this place 2 times now. You order and the food comes out to quickly. Literally right after you go and get your drink and condiments. Poof food appears. You dont smell any smoke like they are cooking/​smoking anything. You would expect it to smell like a BBQ joint when you walk in. Nada nothing…
I can say its Dry Dry Dry meats even with there homemade sauces. Fries remind me of like frozen Ire-​Ida crinkle fries.
Also, They are very expensive with regards to beer and wine. Beer is about 7 buck each and a glass of wine is anywhere from 9 — 13 dollars. Its marginal wine at best.
Nothing exciting to write home about.

I really like smoked meats so I stopped by this newly established Southern BBQ spot to give them a try. I ordered the BBQ Chef’s Salad which consisted of sliced smoked turkey breast and tri-​tip served over a large green salad with Romain and cucumber for $ 9.95. For my dressing, I went for some blue cheese.
The salad came a good amount of greens, including the cucumbers, but it was rather simple and not very exciting. It not only need some color via some grape tomatoes, red pepper, carrots strips, or even some cheese, but it also need some more texture in the form of some house made croutons. Some herd focaccia croûton would of been nice. Visual appeal is very important.
Both the smoked turkey and tri-​tip had a mild smoky flavor and tasted good, but both were on the dry side, given they sliced the meats so thinly. Perhaps, if they would cut the meats into cubes with good enough thickness to retain the meats natural juices, the meats would not be as dry. The tri-​tip was the driest of the two, which is evident in the pictures I took, however, within the same pictures, you can see the great smoke ring the tri-​tip acquired from the smoking process.
The young lady at the counter, who took my order, was very nice and helpful, but after I sat down to wait and then eat my food, I was not approached by anyone, nor asked if I needed anything else. The food is good, but with a little tweaks here and there, I think it will be much better.
Let’s serve some juicy smoked meats!

Finally, a BBQ place that doesn’t soak the meat in sauce! They provide it dry (which is delicious enough for me as is) and you can add whatever sauces you want from — get this, a sauce bar.
The beef ribs are meaty, salads are huge. My favorite is a chopped brisket bowl (rice only). Prices are totally reasonable too.
Super friendly staff too.

Came in 15 mins before closing, the staff was friendly, super fast service, just came back from Dallas a few weeks ago so my standards are pretty high and… not bad. Most SoCal BBQ is laughable and completely off Kelter. I was pleased. Worth a visit.
A+ on food presentation.

Love this place! Such a great location. The food is awesome! My favorite are the fries. Great bar with a great wine and beer selection. Televisions galore! This is a Sports place to hang out and have great food! Plenty of tables and a great friendly staff! I can’t wait to go back!
Forgot to mention that there is a great dog friendly patio!!! They have my business forever!

This place is the shit! The food is amazing and the hospitality can’t be beat!
The craft beers are a nice selection as well as the «generous» wine pours!
I’ve never had such mouth watering BBQ. Keith is great and a hoot!
The dog friendly outside patio is fantastic and they even give you rib end tips to go for your dogs!!! How cool is that???
I will definitely be back to drink beer and watch football and chow down on more of this delicious BBQ!!!

Was so excited to see this open. I love bbq. Was so sad that it wasn’t great. We love pulled pork, my two little ones usually eat my entire plate, it was so dry I only ate half and had to choke that down. It was like the turkey on Christmas vacation. One the way out a lady who worked there asked if I put bbq sauce on it, unfortunately I didn’t care for their sauce but it wouldn’t have changed anything. The two bbq sauces are virtually the same just one spicy and one not. It would be better if they had a bbq sauce with a different flavor. My husband thought the truth tip was ok but the kids are the Mac and cheese side and nothing else. The sweet potatoe fries were great though! I wanted to give this 3 stars but then realized based on our dinner it was really only 2. So sad it wasn’t good. My husband said they are new maybe we should give them another try in a month or two.

I think BT’s will become a five star BBQ joint. They just opened a few days ago as of 12÷11÷15, and they still need to work out a few of the kinks. Here is a completely unbiased review of what I loved and where they can improve.
Loved!
— The BBQ is off the chain! I had the pulled pork and tri tip two meat combo. Both were really really good. The tri tip especially — they sliced it thin on meat slicer… it kind of reminded me of korean bbq.
— The Beer selection is solid — they had maybe ten microbrews on draft
— I thought the prices were fair — Brisket is $ 10 per lb, they sell it smoked and cooked for $ 14 a lb
— I dug the restaurant itself, it looked great and was really comfortable for individuals or a family
— The staff was super friendly and outgoing
— The owners made a point to stop by each table and talk about their bbq process
— I liked they served the food on small cookie sheets, kinda fun and completely fits a bbq joint
Opportunities:
— The sides were a little lack luster — I had the coleslaw and black beans, they were just okay
— The bowls they use for the sides look really tiny on the cookie sheets they serve your meal on
— The biscuits had great garlic/​cheddar flavor, but were dry and dense
— They serve the biscuits with a packet of honey, garlic cheddar doesn’t pair well with honey
— You sauce the bbq yourself, so you can decide how much you’d like — but there weren’t many bottles of sauce available
— When my tri tip was delivered, it didn’t come with a knife
I’m sure they will work out any issues in the coming months, the owners really seemed to have their act together. I work right across the street and plan on spending a TON of money at BTs. I’m really excited to go back and try more of the menu!

Food is great. Service even better. If you are a beer guy/​gal, great selection and knowledge staff on that front.
My problem with BBQ places is that they tend to focus on one style. Not at BT’s, they have them all.
This is my first time in, and I tried the brisket and baby back ribs, both excellent. The pork belly appetizer is not on the menu, but give it a try!