The Ribs were moist and tender. I enjoyed the Macaroni and cheese but the Collard Greens not so much. First time trying the greens. Will stick to the Baked Beans. Overall it was a delicious meal. read more

See The Gourmet Cobbler Factory, they share the same store front. Got the pulled pork that comes with a side of slaw. Pulled pork was good. The slaw was perfectly seasoned, not too sweet and just enough mayo. We got a side of mustard greens too. Very flavorful. Next review should be for Gourmet Cobbler Factory but since we ordered it with the bbq I'll just review it here. Got the mixed berry cobbler. So good! Was slightly warm still and good amount of sweetness. Parking is a little tough, no tables-so grab and go, seems like a nice mom and pop read more

Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue - Pulled pork comes with a side of slaw. - Southern Near Me - Pasadena, California

I ordered the chicken dinner plate with Mac n cheese and bbq beans. BEST bbq chicken in all of LA! The chicken was moist and full of Smokey flavor. The bbq sauce is delicious! I ordered the mild sauce. The meal comes complete with 2 slices of bread. The bbq beans have a complex flavor with a hint of bacon and jalapeño but not spicy. The Mac was also very flavorful. I also ordered a small sweet potato pie and it was amazing! What I loved most about the food was that it's definitely all made from scratch. The food tastes like it was prepared in a home kitchen. The staff were very friendly and it's easy to see they take pride in their food. This is a hidden gem in my opinion. read more

Incredible food, delightful and very helpful service, warm and welcoming ambience. My husband and I were so impressed with every item we ordered -- and we ordered a lot! The barbecue chicken, hot links, brisket, greens, Mac n cheese, peach cobbler, and the gumbo were all fantastic. Can't wait to return. Service was prompt and Karen is lovely. She made great recommendations and we are so excited to try more next time! read more

delicious. a mystvtry! i had ribs yum, the beans excellent, and mac n cheese. go, you won't be let down

Wait........yes there's a wait for eating or picking up here, yet I say it's worth it. I love eating here, especially because of the BBQ and pies made fresh on location. The food tastes like it came from someone's home oven. I love the staff here as well. I love talking to them, and asking them questions about their food/items. I love the sweet potato pie here. It comes in a single serving mini pie or different sizes depending on your event or hunger. read more

Heck yes, we highly recommend Clifton's BBQ! Best in the city and reasonably priced! We ordered 3 rib platters, a gumbo, a hot link + roll, and mac n cheese. EVERYTHING is amazing, you can taste how much love and care have gone into creating their food. Seriously, there were no leftovers. Next time we would like to try their delicious and tempting desserts (cobblers and pies). They only do takeout or catering, but lots of street parking. Go here if you're craving the real deal in bbq! read more

My husband and I shared the tri-tip dinner plate with collard greens and baked beans. It was so very delicious and generous! Definitely worth the wait. Their hot sauce has a pleasant kick at the end. Bonus - everything was seasoned perfectly and not overly salty so I didn't feel bloated at the end of my meal. Peach cobbler for dessert. Again, delicious!! The crust was excellent and the peach filling was on point. Warm and friendly customer service. The woman who took my order was so sweet and lovely, and makes easy conversation. read more

Small place with sidewalk tables. The Q smoke Hits you when you walk in the door. Went for two pulled porks with mac and cheese An collard greens The two ladies are wonderful to chat with and provide shine to anyones day. They have limited hours but worth the effort! The cobbler in the case seem trophy grade, and will try some next time out. read more

I live around the corner and was walking by this spot and it caught my eye. I decided on the pulled pork sandwich and it came with slaw. Great flavor and the hot BBQ sauce is fire. I think I'll come by again soon and try the Tri tip poboy. I'd post a picture but I forgot before it was too late lol. read more

The cobbler is to die for! What seems like a rather unassuming place turns out to a real gem. This place doesn't need any frills the great food speaks for itself. I can't wait to go back and try all the cobbler flavors, pie, and bbq. This place is all good food and I'm all for it! read more

The very best BBQ in Pasadena! Best BBQ ribs, complete perfection. No frills and craziness, just traditional, perfect homemade BBQ. Best max n cheese and the cobblers are to die for. A small little hidden gem in Pasadena. Also the owners are the sweetest people ever. read more

Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue - BBQ ribs, mac n cheese, and coleslaw. SO GOOD!! - Southern Near Me - Pasadena, California

The food here is so good, its FIRE. I had the chicken dinner, with Mac and cheese, greens, and sweet potato pie, the owner was very nice, he went above in helping us, came to our car to provide us with the pies, I told my managers about this spot for our next company lunch. This restaurant is very small. But you can be in and out fast, depending on the order. The parking is not good. read more

Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue - pie - Southern Near Me - Pasadena, California

Authentic Soul Food! Hard to find on this side of town. Friendly service - delicious food! read more

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I got the 15 dollar pork rib special that came with two sides and a piece of bread. Nothing special. Not worth 15 dollars especially with the painfully slow service. The woman behind that counter is very rude and makes sense why the product sucks. read more

Went here and the food was fire . Ordered the ribs, collard greens, potato salad, hot link and gumbo. The spicy bbq sauce was flavorful but still spicy. The ribs were tender. The collard greens were perfect and reminded me of home. The gumbo was good although it's served cold so you have to warm it up. Definitely recommend this place if you're in Pasadena and want some good food. Prices were more than reasonable. read more

I just finished eating dinner from this place and my fingers STILL smell like meat and BBQ sauce. This place is amazing. This is the real deal BBQ. The owner is Cliffton and he is outside IN THE PARKING LOT cooking and serving the meat. Just by the smell of it, I knew that it was going to be good. I ordered the combo for $15. It had a hot link, briskit, ribs, and chicken with 2 sides. I got beans and potato salad. Everything was amazing. I can't remember eating anything this good close to my house. For dessert, I went with the peach cobbler for a grand total of $20. Perfect for 2 hungry people Here is the deal. The main man Cliffton, only is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That is it. And he is is there til 7pm-ish. Oh and the last thing is its TO GO only. Perfect for locals. Or you can take it to a nearby bar Tbosley (or something like that). You order at the Gourmet Cobbler Factory @ 33 N. Catalina. Then you take the ticket to Cliffton and he works his magic. Good Stuff. read more

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I had the sampler early in the day, and I think the meat was left over from the previous day. The chicken was very dry and only about half the hotlink was edible - the rest seemed to be half freeze-dried. The ribs were OK. Good sauce, mediocre slaw, good baked beans. Friendly service by people who were probably the owners. read more

The ribs are delicious. I pair the ribs with macaroni and cheese and potato salad. The macaroni and cheese was delicious, baked and not runny. This place was a little hidden but worth the search. The service was quick and very friendly. I will be going back soon. read more

I live a good dining establishment that has that family-run feel to it, especially when that family really knows how to make some delicious food. We really don't have a lot of choices for good ethnic cuisine here in Pasadena, (yeah that's right, I said it) and I'll take authentic BBQ like this any time of the day. The food is very much as unassuming and unpretentious as the storefront where it is served, but at the same time it manages to taste as home-cooked and familiar as the warm folks fixing your order. I had a pork hotlink($5) which was served hot in a pretty standard cold hotdog bun with a plastic tub of mild BBQ sauce; not much to look at, for sure, but it's smokey flavor lingered in my mouth for hours after I was finished. It truly tasted like I was eating food at a family back-yard cook out. Theres really nothing fancy here, just good ole BBQ, served to-go, and packed with flavor. read more

First time customer but certainly not last!! Looking to support black-owned businesses and what a find! We will absolutely be back. Be sure to expect a crowd though. It's apparently no secret but absolutely worth any wait encountered!! read more

Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue - a car parked in front of a restaurant - Southern Near Me - Pasadena, California

I work around the corner and was looking for a "new" place to go. Found Clifton's on the map and went to try it out. I could smell the deliciousness down the street. Walked in and met Clifton, ordered the ribs plate and it was absolutely amazing! Fall-off-the-bone meat candy! It is take-out only so I went back to the office and everyone was asking what I had. I am now a sales person for Clifton's! He said they had been there for 20 years. Don't walk by too fast or you'll miss it. Definitely worth a try. read more

Quiet spot in a quiet place of Pasadena. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on the side. Since this was my first time visiting I didn't want to go overboard to be disappointed. I will say no disappointment here, the meat had good flavor, coleslaw was crunchy oh did I mention the side of greens were good too. The only issue was the bun, I would have preferred a Texas toast or a slightly toasted bun however it didn't really take away from the sandwich. All the cobblers were tempting,I opted for a mini pecan and sweet potato pies, though I haven't tried them yet I'm going to step out on a limb and say they will taste superb. read more

I used Clifton's to cater an event and everyone loved the food. We are using them again this year by popular demand. The ribs and chicken are delicious, as well as the sides - mac n cheese, beans and of course the corn bread! The owners were gracious and easy to work with. Altogether a great experience. read more

Outstanding BBQ! Pulled pork sandwiches, combo dinner, sides of collard greens, beans, mac & cheese, slaw on the side. Outstanding peach cobbler for dessert. Three mini sweet potato pies for later. My car smelled so good. Everything was delicious. read more

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First time coming here and I'm so glad I did! I bought two BBQ chicken dinners with baked beans, collard greens, green beans and potato salad! Remember the great homemade soul food you'd eat at you'd eat at your grandma's house or at a family reunion or a church picnic? This is all that at an amazing price!! And the best part is I never have to drive from Pasadena to Los Angeles for great BBQ again! We're about to wash it all down with a mixed berry cobbler! Lawd have mercy!! read more

I can now die and go to bbq heaven. I had the ribs with macaroni and cheese and collards. Truly delicious. Crazy delicious. Perfectly seasoned each and every dish. Then I had a peach cobbler. Gluttony is a sin, but not in bbq heaven. read more

We tried the peach cobbler a la mode and it was delicious! We stopped by today and they had a sign up stating that due to covid surge the business has temporary closed. Very sad =\ read more

My husband and I came across cliftons on yelp. And we are sure glad we did The Apple cobbler was the best I've had We look forward to coming back and trying the BBQ read more

Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue - Apple cobbler and blackberry cobbler - Southern Near Me - Pasadena, California

This place is amazing no place to sit so get it to go. They make homemade pies cobbler's ,barbecue ribs,hot links, sweet potato pie ,pecan pie ,monkey bread on the holidays ,everything is delicious their sides are string beans ,potato salad baked beans ,coleslaw ,collard greens mac & cheese ,Yum Yum Yum prices are reasonable. Everything is delicious !! I can't say anything else about this place other than you must try ! Maybe calling in your order ahead of time if you want. There is parking. Soul food in Pasadena made by one man Clifton. That's all I got to say. read more

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Disappointed didn't get a chance to try it. My husband said they told him you have to order a week in advance.

i haven't been able to properly satiate my craving for down home bbq for the longest time, why on earth did i not go to Clifton's before now!! went yesterday & got the rib plate & peach cobbler. the first bite of the ribs damn near made me cry: falling off the bone, perfectly smoked & sauced. i was weeping and flailing sauce all over myself. my sides were greens & mac n cheese, i'm a maniac for southern style greens and they were melt-in-your mouth superb. the man n cheese were wonderful & creamy but i could have easily gorged on an additional serving of the greens instead. they was that good. the adorable little cobbler was very yum only the crust seemed very meh - not much flavor? more butter, people! no doubt i'll be back again. truly heavenly bbq. read more

Amazing pecan pie (and I am from the south), great ribs, tasty berry cobbler and my friend's daughter advised the seafood gumbo was awesome!!!! read more

The pulled pork sandwich was perfectly saucy and meat was tender. Comes with Cole slaw, which was good, not too saturated with sauce. Mac and cheese was delicious also, although I like it a little cheesier tasting. Texture was good. We have now found a new place for sweet potato pie. Taste was perfect and crust flaky. Looking forward to trying other items. Reasonably priced. read more

I grew up in the South and following an appointment with the city planning commission, I stumbled into Cliffton's to (hesitantly) try out my first California BBQ. I'm an elitist when it comes to good pulled pork and haven't really considered diving into lame California white dude small-plate bbq a viable option. It's honestly a scourge. The family here has impeccable credentials, the place has amazing charm, and the bbq is the best I've had outside the South. It feels like a shooting star: It's real! It's real! In Pasadena, yes! I called my dad. Very happy to have found it and will be frequenting often. read more

Amazziiinnnggggg! Pulled pork sandwich was delicious and was really well completed with amazing sides of coleslaw and baked beans!! Also got a small sweet potato pie (my very first one) which was just delicious, soft, and creamy. Lady was also so kind and we had a fun banter convo! Overall great service and amazing food! read more

tried the pork ribs, and to be honest they were far too mushy for my taste. rib meat shouldn't 'fall off the bone', but that's how people like them for some strange reason. the couple who work there were adorable though, so i will return. next time we'll try the monkey bread and sweet potato pie. the mini pies looked pretty good. read more

This little spot in downtown Pasadena had some of the best bbq and the best bbq sauce I've ever had! The two owners were so kind and generously give free extra sauce, undercharge for drinks, and gave us free water bottles & bread. The pulled pork sandwich was the perfect one-person size with cole slaw and everything was so flavorful! The sauce comes in mild or hot but the mild is not at all spicy, just a bit sweet and full of flavor. I will definitely be coming back and recommending this spot to everyone. They also cater! read more

Clifton's Gourmet Barbecue - Amazing!! The pulled pork was amazing and the bbq sauce was some of the best I've ever had - Southern Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Awesome food! Enjoyed the ribs, sausage link, mac and cheese, baked beans, and potato salad. Finished it with pecan pie a la mode. It's just like BBQ that I would eat in Birmingham, Alabama. Great homemade authentic taste. read more

I ordered gumbo and the blackberry cobbler. They were both just ok. The gumbo was watery, didn't seem to have any okra and was without roux. The cobbler tasted like it was made from canned berries, had too much sugar, and the crust was soggy. I love supporting Mom and Pop shops, but this one was really bad. read more