Phil's Barbecue - San Diego, California

Phil's Barbecue is easily the most popular barbecue place in San Diego. When I went with the boys there was a line that would probably have taken us an hour to get through. However, since we're problem solving college students we decided to order the food to-go. There was no line for food to go so we got our ribs in about five minutes instead of waiting an hour. 

This picture shows that the seating area is filled. I would have taken a picture of the line outside but I would have needed a wide angle lens because it was so long. We were there on a Thursday night around 7:30 which makes this sight even more ridiculous. 

As you can see here, there are plenty of registers. However, because of the limited seating inside the restaurant there is a line outside of the restaurant nearly every night. If you want to try this place but don't want to wait in line just call in your order to-go and you can bypass the line completely.

After ordering, paying and driving to some park by the beach we finally got to eat. I was pretty hungry and riding in a car that smelled like ribs was not an easy task. These ribs are covered with a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. Although the sauce isn't my personal favorite it is pretty good.

My sides were also good, although they aren't what I ordered. I ordered baked beans and mac and cheese. I was given fries and macaroni salad. In that sense the service was slightly disappointing. However, the sides that I was given tasted good and I was satisfied. If you haven't been to a barbecue restaurant be ready to spend a decent amount of money. A rack of ribs with two sides, which is what I ordered, was $18.95 before tax.

Overall I would definitely recommend Phil's to anybody in San Diego looking for a good barbecue restaurant. However, you out of town barbecue snobs may not be huge fans.

Phil's Barbecue
3750 Sports Arena Boulevard
San Diego, California 92120

State Street Grill - San Diego, California

State Street Grill is located across the street from San Diego State University. Their location is great for students living on or near campus. It isn't a very big restaurant, which is emphasized by the lack of available parking.

We went to State Street at dusk and sat outside. They have a nice enclosed patio which is great for the beautiful San Diego weather.

State Street has an interesting menu. They mix diner classics like burgers, sandwiches and salads with an Asian-American menu. Although I'm not a big fan of sushi my friends say that State Street's sushi is pretty good.

This was my first visit to State Street and my friends told me that I had to have fries. There weren't any other recommendations so I decided to get a burger. The "Hall of Flame" burger was what I ultimately decided to get. The burger had bacon, pepper jack cheese, avocados, lettuce, tomato, Frank's hot sauce and habanero lime mayo.

If you don't like spicy food, don't get this burger. It was hot and left my mouth a little tender afterwards. However, despite the heat the burger was great. I really enjoyed the combination of flavors. After the burger I  dove into the fries. They tasted really good and had a nice crispness to them which many places do not get right.

Overall State Street Grill is a good place to eat if you're at San Diego State and you're looking for a casual sit down meal. The relaxed atmosphere makes it a good place to hang out if you want to get appetizers and drinks with friends while watching a game.

5131 College Avenue
Suite F
San Diego, California 92115