Highest-rated barbecue restaurants in San Diego

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Cooking meat low and slow over an indirect heat source—the only real qualifications for barbecue—is a truly American tradition, going back to indigenous cultures and picked up by early Spanish colonizers who also gave it the name the cooking style goes by now: barbacoa. Today, barbecue is a wildly popular staple across the U.S., with many cities and regions boasting their own take (and all claiming to have the best). Because barbecue meat spends hours upon hours cooking, restaurants are a go-to source for many Americans who would rather not spend all day and all night tending to their flames. Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated barbecue restaurants in San Diego on Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor rankings factor in the average rating and number of reviews. Some restaurants on the list may have recently closed.

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#24. BT's Southern BBQ

- Rating: 3.5 / 5 (21 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (3.5/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (3.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: Barbecue, Bar
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 7845 Highland Village Pl Suite C101, San Diego, CA 92129-5186
- Read more on Tripadvisor
2 / 24

#23. Buga Korean Barbecue Restaurant

- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (45 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (3.5/5)
- Type of cuisine: Barbecue, Asian
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 5580 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117-2347
- Read more on Tripadvisor
3 / 24

#22. Taegukgi Korean BBQ House

- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (43 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (3.5/5), Atmosphere (3.5/5)
- Type of cuisine: Barbecue, Asian
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 501, San Diego, CA 92111-1558
- Read more on Tripadvisor
4 / 24

#21. The Smok'd Hog

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (12 reviews)
- Detailed ratings:
- Type of cuisine: Quick Bites, Barbecue
- Price: $
- Address: 3749 Park Blvd Park Blvd at Robinson Ave, San Diego, CA 92103-3607
- Read more on Tripadvisor
5 / 24

#20. Phil's BBQ

- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (53 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (3.5/5)
- Type of cuisine: Quick Bites, American
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 3225 N Harbor Dr San Diego International Airport, San Diego, CA 92101-1072
- Read more on Tripadvisor

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6 / 24

#19. Gaslamp BBQ

- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (102 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (3.5/5), Atmosphere (3.5/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Bar
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 524 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92101-7014
- Read more on Tripadvisor
7 / 24

#18. The Pioneer

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (15 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (5.0/5), Value (4.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: Barbecue, Bar
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 8622 Lake Murray Blvd, San Diego, CA 92119-2828
- Read more on Tripadvisor
8 / 24

#17. Dae Jang Keum

- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (32 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (3.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: Barbecue, Asian
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 7905 Engineer Rd, San Diego, CA 92111-1903
- Read more on Tripadvisor
9 / 24

#16. Real Texas Abbeys BBQ

- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (41 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (3.5/5), Atmosphere (3.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Barbecue
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 6904 Miramar Rd, San Diego, CA 92121-2617
- Read more on Tripadvisor
11 / 24

#14. Rei Do Gado Brazilian Steak House

- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (560 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: Steakhouse, Brazilian
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 939 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101-6123
- Read more on Tripadvisor
12 / 24

#13. Kansas City Barbeque

- Rating: 3.5 / 5 (1,081 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (3.0/5), Service (3.5/5), Value (3.5/5), Atmosphere (3.5/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Bar
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 610 W Market St, San Diego, CA 92101-6720
- Read more on Tripadvisor
13 / 24

#12. Phils

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (39 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (4.5/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Barbecue
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: San Diego Mission Rd, San Diego, CA 92108-2139
- Read more on Tripadvisor
14 / 24

#11. Manna Korean BBQ

- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (76 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: Barbecue, Asian
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 4428 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111-3761
- Read more on Tripadvisor
16 / 24

#9. Grand Ole Bbq y Asado

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (34 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (5.0/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (5.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Barbecue
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 3302 32nd St Thorn North Park, San Diego, CA 92104-4738
- Read more on Tripadvisor
17 / 24

#8. BBQ House Bar & Grill

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (66 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (3.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Barbecue
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 5025 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107-3009
- Read more on Tripadvisor
18 / 24

#7. Bulls Smokin' BBQ

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (83 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Barbecue
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 1127 W Morena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110-3834
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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#6. Iron Pig Alehouse

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (114 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Bar
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 1520 Garnet Ave Suite 263, San Diego, CA 92109-3016
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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#5. Coop's West Texas BBQ

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (98 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (5.0/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Barbecue
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 2625 Lemon Grove Ave, Lemon Grove, CA 91945
- Read more on Tripadvisor

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#4. Lil Piggy's Bar-B-Q

- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (289 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Barbecue
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 1201 1st St Coronado Ferry Landing, Coronado, CA 92118
- Read more on Tripadvisor
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#3. Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill

- Rating: 4.0 / 5 (179 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: American, Bar
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 7510 Hazard Center Dr Suite 215, San Diego, CA 92108-4521
- Read more on Tripadvisor
23 / 24

#2. Bubba's Smokehouse BBQ

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (329 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: Quick Bites, American
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 888 Prospect St, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92037-4260
- Read more on Tripadvisor
24 / 24

#1. Phil's BBQ

- Rating: 4.5 / 5 (3,992 reviews)
- Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
- Type of cuisine: Quick Bites, American
- Price: $$ - $$$
- Address: 3750 Sports Arena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110-5129
- Read more on Tripadvisor