The food was great and the Service is spectacular Camila was just the sweetest and made our evening better brisket was our favorite

The food here is always amazing. Just the most delicious barbecue. Not a great restaurant for vegetarians.

Great food Great service And our waitress Erlene was absolutely amazing, this was my first time here and I will definitely be back. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ is actually Great to the Bone!! Came here on 4th of July for one of their holiday feasts. It was a huge box filled with delicious bbq for the whole family! It came with 2lbs of brisket, 2 racks of ribs, 1lb of sausage, 24 pieces of bbq chicken, coleslaw, cornbread, mac n cheese, homemade potato chips, a peach cobbler, and a gallon of lemonade! The brisket was perfectly cooked with a nice smokey flavor and quite juicy. The house sausage was great, I could eat it every day. The chicken was so good with just a bit of char for that nice grilled taste. The ribs were amazing! They fell off the bone and had a perfect bite to them. Their bbq sauce is really good too, not too sweet yet smokey. Coleslaw was good and fresh. The mac n cheese was gooey and so cheesy. The chips were actually really nice, crispy, and salty. The cornbread was delicious especially with their whipped honey butter on top. For dessert I couldn't ask for a better bite than from the peach cobbler with their homemade whipped cream on top. The staff were all so nice when I went to pick up my order. Even though they were swamped for the holiday they were calm and did everything with a smile. There were 2 dining rooms that I saw so it looks like a ton of space. There's also a whole display where you can grab some bbq sauce or hot sauce to buy. Thanks Bad to the Bone for making our America 250 Independence Day so special! read more

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Unfortunately I had a horrible experience on every front here yesterday. Ordered online through their website and it does not tell you the total until after you have paid. It also changed the tip I entered to auto apply their own tip. After I paid, it showed me my total that they already collected payment for PLUS the tip they decided they wanted to force me to add. How could this be legal? I immediately called the restaurant but no one was answering the phone. Went to the restaurant and explained the situation to the cashier who told me I am the second person today to complain about this! She was unable to refund the tip that they took the liberty of applying themselves but I left my phone number and am still waiting to hear from the manager, otherwise I will have to take this up with my bank. Now for the food, I ordered a brisket sandwich and a side of mac and cheese. The brisket was not trimmed and it's inedible unless you like a mouthful of fat in every bite. Every single slice of brisket on my sandwich was just a slab of fat with a little meat hidden inside. I had to clean it myself and once I did there was barely any meat in my sandwich. I am attaching photos so you can see how pathetic it looks. Had I dined at the restaurant I would've sent this back or shown them how much fat I removed and asked them to bring me the equivalent in MEAT not fat, which I paid for! I would love to hear from management about what happened here regarding the deceptive pricing. As far as the food, not sure if they just have gotten lazy and don't trim their meat anymore but anyone who knows bbq knows the effort needed to properly clean brisket and that was certainly overlooked here. $25 total for a fat sandwich and a side of super oily mac and cheese. Definitely not happy in the slightest. read more

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I've heard about Bad to the Bone and wanted to give them a try. I ordered the 4 meat combo baby back ribs, tri tip, brisket, and sausage. My sides were corn on the cob and Mac and cheese. You order and pay up front and they bring your food to you. All the meat was flavorful. I really liked the tri tip. The brisket was a little fatty but still good. The Mac and cheese was really good. It was loaded with cheese. Not many places serve corn on the cob I enjoyed being able to get it here. People coming to SJC should come here instead of wasting time in line at Heritage. read more

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I actually called and placed an order and the girl is so sweet and patient with me while i looked at the menu, I'm sitting outside waiting for my order and it's kind of like a sketchy strip mall in SJC but the chicken smells good! I think this is basically a takeout place so I'll let you know how the chicken is. I didn't realize it was so happening in here! They have a nice bar and the bartender gave me a sample of cider while I was waiting for my chicken. We got some coleslaw and veggies too. I'm coming back here to hang out. I didn't realize it is a neighborhood hang! read more

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My colleague and I swung by here for a quick lunch break after a meeting in the area. We decided to not eat anything *too* heavy, so we split a pulled pork sandwich, upgraded the side to sweet potato fries and added a side of veggies. The gentleman taking our order was very nice and informative. When the food came out, the sandwich was already cut in half and they gave us share plates - perfection! The food was flavorful, the meat was super tender, and the fries crispy with a hint of sugary sweetness. The veggie medley was perfectly al dente. I would love to come back and try more when I'm ready for a meal that will leave me in food coma. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Pulled Pork Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Have been coming here for years. Hillary and Alberto are by far the best service and bar staff I have ever met. They anticipate and take care of your needs before you even think about them. Truly wonderful workers. Ps, ask Hillary to make you a drink just based off of a few flavor suggestions, you will never be disappointed! read more

Matthew gave me outstanding service he was friendly, attentive, and helped me with my order exactly the way I needed it. He was truly a breath of fresh air, so nice and so attentive. Unfortunately, the barbecue was overcooked, and the cornbread was hard. This is actually the second time the barbecue has been overcooked, which makes me wonder why this keeps happening. That said, Matthew's excellent service is the reason I'll still come back. I just hope the food quality improves to match the great customer service. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Hey Erlene! Not only did Bad to the Bone make our birthday celebration amazing, but the service made our days. Instead of a dull dinner experience for a 58th, we were given compliments, laughter and great BBQ! Thank you Erlene, for making our 58th a 5 star day! Olivia (12yo) read more

Ordered the chicken breast sandwich. One of the best I've had loving the crispy brioche bun and all the fresh ingredients on it. It was super yummy and the fries are fried and tallow so it was almost guilt free meal. ERLENE gave me excellent service and I will definitely be back to try some ribs. Loved the country vibe. The ambience was really cool. Tip: Carolina sweet and spicy barbecue sauce is excellent with the chicken. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Another delicious meal -- baby backs, tri tip, and a great smoked pastrami sandwich. Our great waiter Alberto recommended the blood orange wheat beer. Perfect for a warm evening. read more

Been to a lot of BBQ places but have never seen anything like this. Flavor was decent but execution was absolutely disappointing... Who cuts fatty brisket the along the grain and gives the customer huge chunks of fat? The coleslaw wasn't sealed tight and ended up leaking into the rib container. Ribs were not sliced. How is one expected to enjoy them? Seems like the kitchen did not care at all for this to go order. Really wanted to like this place. read more

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Service was good but overall the food was dry... we ordered 4 meat platter tri tip, brisket, sausage and ribs but the serving size was small and also the quality of the meat was dry and the cut of the brisket was very different from the other places we've been too it seemed like they gave us trimmings rather than a regular slice .The best was the sausage and the Mac and cheese but the rest was just okay.. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

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Great meaty and tasty ribs and drinks. We loved the chicken wings too as they had a nice crisp to them and tasty as well. The best part of this place for us is the bar that is full service but it's also really nice on the order and sit down side too. They also have a great local IPA called Gimme Docent. Nice hops and balanced. I had the Espresso Martini with Bailey's Irish Cream and I actually liked it better than the usual dark coffee one. He has the house bread pudding with ice cream on top and drizzled with homemade caramel. Truly delicious my husband said. Our bartender/server was Alberto Espinoza and he was very attentive considering the bar was full on a Tuesday night. He also has help from the kitchen who brought food to our table. It was really a nice week night date. We definitely wish to come back with family. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Bad to the Bone Bar Cocktails Menu - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

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Food was amazing! I had the street tacos ala carte upgraded to brisket for a few bucks more. But standard the choices are pulled pork or pulled chicken. Hubs had the brisket dinner with two sides. The Mac n cheese WOW we loved it. Same goes for the BBQ beans! 100% coming back. Oh yes AND GREAT SERVICE TOO. Decor is relaxed western-ish. Only reason not 5 stars is there weren't options for a smaller appetites. read more

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Good Food great service. Hillary was excellent, she let me enjoy my wine and took my order when I was ready.

Erlene was amazing. We really enjoyed the BBQ fries. Also really enjoyed the Offshore Haze by Left Coast Brewing Co.

Here's a polished review you can post: Bad to the Bone exceeded our expectations. The food was flavorful, well-prepared, and served fresh. The barbecue was tender, smoky, and packed with great taste, and the sides complemented the meal perfectly. Erlene was welcoming, attentive, and made us feel right at home. The atmosphere was relaxed and inviting, making it a great place to enjoy a meal with family or friends. We will definitely be back and highly recommend Bad to the Bone to anyone looking for excellent barbecue and outstanding service. read more

Bad to the Bone is a great local hangout whether you are meeting with Friends, clients or hanging out with the Family. Erlene and Her team are the best! read more

Love this place so much! Erlene is the best! Our favorite place to be on the weekends! 10/10

Delicious food, I appreciate that you can pay for yourself at the front, usually this is hard to do with a large group. The service was great. People were very attentive and not overly-hovering, we had an amazing time celebrating my brothers Masters graduation here. read more

Don't bother coming here, heritage bbq is way better anyways. Came here last night for a birthday and after that service, never again. I don't know what was wrong with our server who was a Latino guy, but couldn't even catch his name he was talking so fast. He seemed like he was on coke or something. And so rude to us the entire night. Never checked in once, was impatient when we were trying to figure out our order, and a different server had to tell us have a good night since our server never even bothered. Ambiance was bizarre, this couple was fighting at the bar shouting slurs and staff never bothered to really address it. read more

Great old time western ambiance-extremely casual. There's a full bar and walk-up ordering. This is my 4th visit in many years. Our family of 7 kids, a mom, my hubby and myself all give it two thumbs up for food and atmosphere. This visit was solo. Outside the bar drinks (the soda fountain) is kept open to public--it's great not waiting on anyone to get a refill. The food is good; the corn was perfectly prepared. The entire Chicken Dinner Plate presentation is mouth watering because... it looks delicious! Plenty of food, comparable price to competitors. The line to order was long-ish, which I see as a good indicator of their business. I'd suggest coming before or after dinner rushes. The service was just okay. I'm not marking them off for what happened to me, but after waiting a while in line, the lady behind me walked to the side and said she had an order to go. I was next. They told me it'll be a few minutes while they help her. I get her food is potentially prepared and ready to go, but with all the delivery services, I'd never make it to the front if they all get to go to the front--in fact it would encourage me to either not come, or order online, cut in line, then sit there and eat in front of the line. Also, I had questions about the menu and staff was vague or didn't know answers and didn't ask. Luckily, not a big deal and actually saved me some money. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Receipt Bad to the Bone BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

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Erlene's service was fantastic! As was her Passion fruit Margarita! Food is always fantastic, the best BBQ in OC. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Passion Fruit Margarita - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Food was good overall. We liked the pulled pork and corn on the cob and bashed potatoes the best. The ribs had good flavor and really good on the inside but too charred and tough on the outside. We did not care for the coleslaw. The "bashed potatoes were really good too. The corn bread was good. The waitresses in the bar were friendly but the man was not. It was clean and well kept. We would go back again and try more:) read more

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The restaurant is nice and restrooms were clean. The bbq was good but did not stand out as exceptional in flavor. My favorite thing were the ranch beans, one of the best I have tasted! I like that you can choose between full service or self service. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Ribs plate - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

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Bad to the Bone and Erlene the bartender are the best! The service was amazing. The food was incredible. Five stars all day long!

After a long day the beach we stopped by here for a bite to eat and mannnnn it was good. Location- in a shopping center with parking so you cannot miss. It wasn't packed when we went so I liked that Food- the ribs and everything had lots of flavor. The bbq sauce on the side was put on everything Mac and cheese had bread crumbs and different kinds of cheese to it. The dessert was the best way to top it off. Whip cream was home made I believe but it was so much better than what I typically get at a restaurant. Service was amazing as the young man at the cashier helped us out and recommended a few stuff to try out. Beer was great with this combo and I split this with my boyfriend so it's enough for 2 people. read more

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It was okay--but as a true Texan I would say the brisket was really really dry even with the bbq sauce. The cornbread was alright, the potato salad could've been better. Obviously it's not gonna be authentic to Texas but in general I would say it needs more work. Overall 3/5 read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Brisket Dinner - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

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Food was great! Service was really good! Very laid back place to eat & enjoy the delicious food. Peach & Blackberry cobbler were AMAZING!

This place has always been hit or miss. Lately, it's been almost 100% miss. Today was no exception.The baby back ribs were dry and tasteless. The vegetables were soggy. The vegetables were soggy. Not going back... read more

Delicious! Onion rings are super crispy Ribs were really good. Bbq beans also good. Cole slaw solid. Mac and cheese YUM. Brussels were super delicious. Sausage and tritip were good. Brisket was my favorite! Would pass on the pulled pork, a little dry but not horrible. Just not as good in comparison to the other items Would definitely come back, the wait wasn't long and was super yummy. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Half rack ribs, Four Meat Combo, Onion Rings Side - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Unbelievable experience at Bad to the Bone BBQ. I walked into the restaurant, placed a simple to-go order at the counter--one pulled pork and one tri-tip. The printed receipt clearly reflected that. When I got home, the order was wrong. I immediately called and asked to speak with a manager, explained the discrepancy, and was asked what my order said on the printed receipt. I repeated exactly what was printed and let them know the mistake was in the packaging, not the ordering. The order was taken and printed correctly, but packed incorrectly. The response I received? "There's nothing we can do about it." I honestly couldn't believe my ears. They acknowledged the error made but refused to make it right simply because I had already left the store. I stipulated that of course I've left the store the order was "to go". I even offered to send photos showing the mistake--still, "there's nothing we can do." Bad to the Bone BBQ's unwillingness to correct an error they made is truly ridiculous. It sends a very clear message: once you walk out the door, you no longer matter as a customer. Extremely poor and unreasonable customer service. I and others will not be returning, and clearly they do not care. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - The receipt and the incorrect protein. Photo is Beef Brisket. - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

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After our original plans fell through, we were starving and looking for somewhere nearby to get lunch. Bad to the Bone was about 3 minutes from our location, so we headed over. Walked in and were hit with the smell of delicious BBQ, which was a promising sign! We chose to order at the counter and seat ourselves. Smoked Pastrami Sandwich - Husband got this and wasn't thrilled with it. He didn't like the flavor of the coleslaw on it (neither did I) so he removed it, which left a dry sandwich with thick slices of pastrami. The meat was OK, not the best pastrami we've had. We did like the cheesy sourdough bread, and the fried pickles served with it were good. For his side he went with their Mac & Cheese, which had a really nice flavor, but the noodles were gummy and the sauce was really runny. 2 Meat Combo Plate - I had the Tri-Tip and House Smoked Sausage, with seasonal vegetables and garlic bashed potatoes as my sides. My tri-tip tasted good, but was cold. My potatoes tasted GREAT, but were cold. The veggies had awesome seasoning on them, and they were warm. The sausage was room temp and dried out, like it was overcooked. Whatever BBQ sauce they served on the side was tasty, I also tried their Carolina Gold sauce and really enjoyed that. Overall, it was a miss and we wouldn't return. Seemed like the flavors were pretty much there, but execution was not. It was about $50 for lunch, he had half his sandwich and mac leftover but didn't want to take them. I did bring home the veggies and one piece of tri-tip, but left over half of the dry sausage behind. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Sausage Link, Tri-Tip, Veggies & Garlic Bashed Potatoes Side - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

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If BBQ had a midlife crisis... this might be what it looks like. I've been coming to Bad to the Bone for probably 15-20 years now. It's not close to home (about a 30-minute drive), so I don't make it down often but when I'm in South County, it's always been one of those "we HAVE to stop here" spots. This place used to be something special. I hadn't been in about a year, and last night my wife and I happened to be nearby. The second we thought about Bad to the Bone, we both got excited like we were about to revisit an old favorite. She ordered the tri-tip with garlic mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. I went with the chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and BBQ beans. We also shared a peach cobbler. First red flag our food took a long time to come out. Not just a little slow... noticeably slow. What made it worse was watching other tables that ordered after us get their food first. We didn't make a big deal out of it at the time, but it was definitely odd. Then the food finally arrived... and everything was cold. That was the real letdown. My chicken was extremely overcooked, dry, small, and honestly inedible. The skin was so hard I couldn't even bite into it. It was basically chicken jerky. My wife's tri-tip was cold, the beans were cold... just all around disappointing. Another thing I noticed this place used to serve warm BBQ sauce. Now it's just bottles sitting on the table, and ours was a mess. Sauce dripping down the sides, sticky to the touch... clearly not being cleaned or maintained. You grab it once and your hands are covered. And then there was the peach cobbler. It honestly tasted like it came straight out of a can, more crust than anything else. We kept digging through it trying to find actual fruit, and after a minute or two, we finally found one peach slice. My wife and I just looked at each other, laughed, and split it in half and toasted. That was the only peach in the entire "peach" cobbler. The rest was just crust and whipped cream. On top of that, the place itself just felt... off. Not taken care of. A bit run down. Not the same energy it used to have. For the amount of money we spent and the time we waited, it just wasn't worth it. It honestly bums me out to write this because I've always liked this place, but over the years, there's been a noticeable decline. I really hope they turn it around. read more

Disappointed for the last time at Bad to the Bone BBQ. We've been steady local customers for past 8 years and in the last 2 years the quality of the food has been in a steady, sharp decline. Their prices, on the other hand, have increased significantly. Understandable in this economy, but when the basic quality of the food has tanked, it's time to move on. I ordered the Smothered Sausage Sandwich which sounded delicious on the menu description (see pics). I received ONE item that was advertised and that was the sausage...NO brisket, NO pork, NO griddled onions (had grilled peppers, which was not in description), NO pickled onions, NO Carolina BBQ sauce ( received reg bbq sauce on side), NO cheddar jack cheese (had some kind of chalky spread, not resembling any kind of cheese). For $19, totally unacceptable. I chose the coleslaw as my side, which was equally as horrible. It was shredded cabbage with a few chopped tomatoes and a squeeze of lime. No type of slaw dressing at all. Moving on from this local spot that used to hit the spot. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - Actual Smothered Sausage Sandwich received - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

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What does $86 get you at this place... 1. $30 TWELVE piece chicken wings. Dry as jerky with sides of sauce to dip them in. 2. A $14 kids meal with TWO very small chicken tenders and a small side of Mac and cheese. 3. 2 item combo with 2 sides. Fine I haven't been to this place in a while and I was sticker shock when I looked at the price I was paying for these items but...I thought for $30 twelve piece chicken wings they would be the biggest wings I had ever seen. For a $14 kids chicken tender and mac and cheese, I thought it would at least be enough to feed my two daughters, but no. My wife's meal was fine, not complaining. A long rant but I just wanted to let people know what you get with these ridiculous prices. read more

Bad to the Bone BBQ - 12 piece chicken wings - Barbeque Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Everything was great. Erlene's service is always excellent. I highly recommend this place.