But we also ask for the sauce on the side which they are happy to do. Personally, we think the sauce is quite addicting and buy it regularly. The motto at Phil’s is that “the sauce is the boss” and everything comes covered in Phil’s own spicy/sweet sauce that is now available in many stores. However, many BBQ purists will likely judge Phil harshly because 1) he grills his meat instead of smoking them and 2) he douses them with sauce. To many Phil’s is the pinnacle of San Diego barbeque. They also have locations at Petco Park and the airport. There are now locations in far-flung areas of the county including San Marcos, Santee, and Rancho Bernardo. Phil’s has expanded rapidly in the past few years. If it crowded the line moves pretty fast. We tend to avoid the Sports Arena location and our new favorite is the Rancho Bernardo location which opened in 2016. The original Phil’s is now Lefty’s Chicago Pizza, another San Diego favorite. Since opening, this location regularly sees lines out the door on a regular basis. In 2007, Phil’s opened their now flagship location next to the Sports Arena. The restaurant made news because neighbors claimed of the smoke smell. The original Phil’s BBQ was opened by Phil Pace in 1998 in a modest location in Mission Hills. So, of course, we need to add our own two cents, In our hunt for San Diego’s best we present our Phil’s BBQ Review. Yelp consistently adds Phil’s to its top restaurants in the nation list. The main location has over 11,000 Yelp reviews. Overall this, now mini-chain, is probably San Diego’s most popular restaurant. We admit we are among the legions of Phil’s BBQ fans.

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