I was really hoping things would improve under new ownership, but the fabulous Fat Ivor's flavor is lost. With each new owner, the essence of what made this place amazing is chipped away. It's become downright disrespectful to the memory of the originators. The potato skins have been hit by shrinkflation. Tiny potatoes with hardly any bacon bits. Greasy and bland. The dressings taste like they come out of an industrial bucket. Gummy, weird mouth feel, and bland. Fat Ivor's was once famous for their homemade dressings. Even if maybe only semi-homemade, they were a thousand times better than what is currently being served. The ranch and blue cheese dressings had a cult following. I knew a girl who would buy the ranch by the quart every week to enjoy at home. Broasted chicken is special and very difficult to find. It should never have been removed from the menu. Bring back the old logo! Bring back the quality! Not opposed to freshening up the menu, but totally desecrating what makes a place special is disgraceful. read more

It's located in Valley Center and definitely comes across as a local spot. Inside, it's like a darkened bar. Theres a bar inside with some tables to eat at. There's also a back room with some sun and a pool table. The staff there is super nice. I got the tri tip sandwich which was ok. It didn't have a lot of flavor to it and the waffle fries didn't either as well. Most meals you get a choice of sides. My friend got the pulled pork sandwich which he felt didn't have a lot of flavor to it as well. read more

Fat Ivor's Rib Rack - Trip tip sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Valley Center, California

See all

They have made some changes, and freshened up the decor. Lots of tvs now, great place to watch a game. Every food item I've tried is good so far. read more

Nice to see this place under new direction. Everything was great! Hope they expand their menu with time. read more

See all

We went to Fat Ivor's with friends yesterday based on their prior positive experiences there. I like to start my reviews with the good stuff so I will say that we were greeted in a friendly manner the moment we walked in. Additionally, my husband said his pork sandwich was good. Apparently Fat Ivor's is under new ownership and that changed everything because our friends were totally disappointed with their meal and are not likely to ever go there again. As for me, I ordered fried shrimp with fries and asked that they leave the fries unsalted (which they did) and to make them burn-your-mouth hot. The server seemed to take offense at my request and stated emphatically that they would be hot. They were not and sadly, tasted like they had been fried in very old, closely bordering on rancid, oil. I ate one fry and stopped. The shrimp was equally disgusting. The last time I had a meal this bad was around 1985 in Truckee, California. What a terrible waste of time and money yesterday was. Yuck!!! I'm only sorry that I don't have the option of leaving zero stars. I'll say it again, yuck!!! read more

Best to come on Thursday - Sunday when they have their smoked meats. Otherwise just a place to go for a beer or cocktail and some quick bites. read more

See all

I have been going on and off to this place for the better part of 35 years. It's what you would expect. I hear it's changed inside and have not been since the change of ascetic. So I am looking forward to checking it out at that time. Will update if need be but I don't think it will have my opinion go lower. Great food great service and new ambiance is to be determined. read more

Ambiance is good if you like restaurants from the 60's or early 70's. Service was fine but not something notable. Our meals were okay but not something I'm ever going to crave.Eating BBQ in St Louis has made me a bit of a snob when it comes to good bbq. read more

Been to fat Ivor's since the new management a few times. It's just ok. Not the best. Good place to watch sports. They have a fun cocktail menu. Although I asked for a cocktail from the menu and the bartender himself said 'I don't know how to make that but I'll try' Food can be better. Tri tip sandwich is more like a tri tip dip and has cheese and a cooked chili which was not specified in the menu. I keep trying it hopefully it will be better read more

I'll refrain from adding a rating but you guys have dug a pretty serious hole here. Food (fries, moz sticks) were brought out cold. Was hesitant to come and the reviews don't lie. Major overhaul needed: -Cook food, serve it hot -'out of ribs' but the waitress told me it was bc they were left out overnight. Didn't end up eating my food for fear of food poisoning. In dire need of health code inspection. read more

Disappointing service and poor management. They were out of their specialty (beef ribs) by mid-afternoon and got our side orders wrong. What really ruined it was paying for music on the Jukebox only for the bartender to turn it off because one regular wanted to hear the game instead. We never got water refills and had to wait forever for the check because the staff was busy catering to that one person's TV channel requests. If you aren't a regular here, don't expect to be a priority. read more

Ordered a hot dog today. Could someone please buy a jar of relish. What restaurant doesn't have relish for their hot dogs??

We had a party of 10, got there right when the restaurant opened and Dorinda our Server/Bartender/Everything, gave us a welcoming greeting. 10 minutes after we had been there the whole restaurant was packed. She was the only one serving and bartending that day and she did a wonderful job. Always had a smile on her face and was kind, she never lost her composure. Great Job Dorinda and Thank you! The food was not bad but maybe if Dorinda had more help our experience with the food probably would have been hot and better. read more

We have been coming here for a long time. The service is fantastic and the food is really great. The restaurant has a typical bar ambiance that makes you want to keep coming back. I love how the servers remember you and welcome you back. This is a Valley Center charm...a must go to! read more

Ordered the Philly cheesesteak with peppers and onions- sandwich came out with relish like onions and about 3 mini chicklets sized pepper pieces. This is definitely low grade bar food and has declined since new owners took over. Don't recommend if you want to have a bite. read more

Well I guess my first review was right. The restaurant was sold and I hate to say the new owners did not make it better. First off they changed the BBQ sauce on the ribs. The taste is sweet and not good. WHY O WHY would you change the sauce? The ribs are no longer good. I knew something was wrong when I saw mini corn dogs on the menu. I understand business are upping their prices but $30 instead of $23, that is a huge increase. My family of 5 swore off Fat Ivor's for good. This will be my last review because the ribs are longer good and we will never be back. NEVER EVER Make changes to a restaurant/business until you see what needs changing. I guarantee not one person ever complained about the old sauce. Shame on you - new owners. You ruined an institution!! read more

We discovered Fat Ivors a few years back, pre-Covid, when we stayed at Harrahs. We got the broasted chicken and it was fantastic. It's so hard to find broasted chicken I guess because the equipment you use to make it is proprietary and all that. But it was great and we always dreamt about going there again on the way to or from Harrahs. So a couple days ago we went to Harrahs again and found the food there to be mediocre with a few choices just like it was before except we did not go to hell's kitchen which I'm sure has lots of great food but is super expensive. We ate at the café there and when you looked at its menu, it was like, you look at the front and then you look at the back and then you look at the front again and you're trying to decide what to eat and nothing excites you and you pick something that will just get you by. Of course, we were dreaming of fat Ivors the whole time. When we finally made our escape from the casino food, we went up to fat Ivors and found a very nice waitress who apologized for that day's lack of ribs and for them having discontinued offering broasted chicken. She gave us a menu that was practically the same as the café menu at Harrahs. We looked at the front and then we looked at the back and then we looked at the front again and we thought we should just go somewhere else and the waitress looked at us and she said she understood if we wanted to go somewhere else, and that people walked out of there all the time because they don't have the ribs and when they do, they're not like they used to be. and of course there is no broasted chicken although she is trying to get the owner to bring it back. So we thanked her very much and we left. Back towards Harrahs is a big new gas station complex right below Valley view Casino. It's a bright big open place that reminds you of something you would see on the interstate going across country, like a flying J's or something. But inside they have a Chester's chicken on the run. We tried that. The pieces are big they cost $3.79 each, but they were the best food that we ate on the whole trip. so if you're in the neighborhood out there and you're thinking of going to fat Ivors, don't bother. just go around the corner for a couple miles to that big gas station complex and eat at Chester's chicken. I would compare it to Zaxby's but it's probably better. Although in my opinion, canes has the best chicken strip/fingers chester's is the best we found anywhere outside of canes in the southland. read more

Ate here with my family last night. Really enjoyed the pork ribs. Finally the BBQ is good again. New owners are creating a lively atmosphere. Food was great and service was too. read more

This place is the home of the all you can eat beef ribs for $20. We were around the area for a fall festival and had to drop by. Parking was easy and we were seated immediately. The service was extremely friendly and the inside really felt like a friendly neighborhood dive. I had to knock off a star because even the the beefy ribs were tender, the barbecue sauce that came with it absolutely ruined the meal. It was really salty and didn't have much other taste. The ribs come with a potato side dish, beans, and Cole slaw. I did not try their other dishes, but if they keep their barbecue sauce, I will not be coming back. read more

Fat Ivor's Rib Rack - Beef ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Valley Center, California

See all

We came here for breakfast on the first day they opened at 9:00 and started serving breakfast. Summer, the bartender, was wonderful. She makes perfect Bloody Mary's. We order breakfast and portions were big. We left totally full. I had meat lovers plate snd my wife had breakfast sandwich. Both were very good. read more

Love the new management! New owners are super friendly and accommodating. Great place to watch sports and hang out with friends. They are still refining their permanent menu. My husband wanted to try their BBQ ribs but it was limited to certain days. My son had the carnitas tacos which he loved! Their Champion Cigars were so yummy! Fun variety drink menu. Our waitress wasn't completely familiar with their menu and couldn't answer some questions, so I'd recommend the wait staff get better training on their menu and be able to offer suggestions. We'll definitely be back and support local! read more

I have been going to Fat Ivors for over 30 years. So I decided to check out the new and improved. I LOVED the new decor. It's bright and fresh and I don't have to look at John Wayne's racist face. They had all the old favorites. Food was excellent. The staff was excellent as always and shout out to our waitress Vanessa. 5 million people decided to all walk in at the same time on Saturday and let me tell you those waitresses were amazing! Glad the new owners did a great job. Enjoyed the sports bar atmosphere! read more

They have tried really hard to reinvent themselves but it doesn't seem to be working. Tried again tonight and it was a failure. Got there in time to order Thursdays night special. Burger for $10 Asked for bacon and cheese. $2 each as an add on . Bill came and our burger was $17.50 . Asked waitress what the deal was . Her words were "if it is not a plain burger " if you want anything else they charge for a regular priced burger at $15.50 plus add ons . So on top of that we ordered bacon and it came without. We ordered waffle fries and it came with cold shoestring fries . It was an epic fail for $17.50 Our friend ordered a hotdog and it came on a plate , cold bun and a hotdog . No garnish , no pickle just a plate with a bun and a hot dog . She had a side salad that came way before her 12 dollar hotdog. Happy hour wine is $9 . We have tried and now have given up . They are not going to survive at this rate . Stay away ... read more

Dorinda does an amazing job of giving the best service to everyone, even when it is very busy. You rock !!

Rustic atmosphere good music and food. Fun, community style bar. Theb8bof us came in for dinner

"Tiny details imperceptible to us decide everything!" Winfried Georg Sebald After enjoying our first chili cook-off experience recently in Colorado, it was only a matter of time before we identified our next food event. The San Diego Review Team assembled for today was unanimously focused on obtaining some BBQ, and that proved to be the opportunity that we were seeking. While scanning the menu at "Fat Ivor's Rib Rack" we heard the call of a challenge literally begging to be accepted: "All You Can Eat Smoked BBQ Ribs." While 4 of our Review Team Members immediately surrendered and waved their white paper napkins, alas there were 2 brave souls who uttered in unison, "GAME ON!" With a sketch of "Fat Ivor" himself presiding over this event, both combatants quickly learned that details are actually quite important. Combatant #1 was so amped for this greasy tussle that he neglected to contemplate an important word on the menu. These were "beef" ribs being prepared in the back that rather resembled those seen on "The Flintstones" way back in the day. Combatant #2, on the other hand, neglected to "reduce to writing" the functional terms of this engagement. Therefore, he partook of the appetizers (not required), ordered a full compliment of side orders (not required), and stripped each rib absolutely to the bone--including the fatty portions (not required). Some at our table compared how comprehensively he stripped each bone to "something you'd find out in the desert." With these details in mind you'd think (as everyone at our table did) that this competition would end up being a blow out, but it was anything but. In spite of all the additional food Combatant #2 consumed, his trash talk was consistently high quality (and convincing) and he only came up "short" by 1/2 a rib! Both combatants felt quite satisfied with their performances...until they asked the server if there was a local record (and what it was). They were informed that a different pair of combatants had together consumed no less than 17 rounds of ribs on a prior occasion. All I know is that we gotta find those people and add them to a future Henry's Take Review Team. And that's...Henry's Take. #sandiegoribs read more

See all

This is a great place with great customers. I haven't tried the ribs or prime but I do enjoy their hamburgers. Atmosphere is cowboy. A place to unwind. read more

Long time valley center resident and long time Fat Ivors customer. I've now been going there since the original owners had it( which was when the Food and atmosphere were the best) to now 2 owners later. The second owner didn't do the place any justice and lost of a lot of long time customers, myself included. We would from time to time go there to eat when we had no other options. Fast forward to the new owners who from what we understand are long time VC residents as well. So we we figured we'd give it a try. We went in and were greeted by familiar faces but then that was where the good ended. We had to wait for a while for our server and our food. Which was not their fault they were very understaffed for a Friday night. So we decided to give it another shot a while back and give them the benefit of the doubt and it was the same scenario and both times the food was just ok. Nowhere near how good it used to be a while back. Fast forward around 3 months and we decided to give it a shot tonight, mainly because we didn't have any other options in town and we're still rooting for Fat Ivors to return to their heyday. We found a table right away but had to wait at least 15-20 minutes for anyone to come up to us to ask us what we wanted to drink. That being said there were only two people working and the restaurant was packed, once again understaffed which seems to be a common theme there. Once they took our order we waited over an hour for our food and still my wife never received her meal which was just a salad with chicken. Our server did remove it from our check and gave us 50% off our bill which was much appreciated. We tipped her decently even though we didn't really receive that great of service. I understand there's only two people working but that restaurant is pretty small and very manageable if you're efficient which neither server seemed to be so needless to say and I'm very sad saying this that this will be our last time going to Fat Ivors unless we hear something drastically changes with the food and the service. Sorry new owners but you cant skimp on servers and food quality and expect for your restaurant to succeed. The frequent customers at the bar are only going to float for you for a short time unless you guys change something drastically. read more

long term valley center resident here. so sad to report fats isn't the move. listen, i boycotted rite aid, i refuse to eat at mcdonald's. i only get my gas from pala vista and refuse to use ampm or chevron. i am as loyal as it gets when it comes to supporting the small businesses in our town. i would much rather give my money to a small business. but fat ivors, you gotta meet me at minimum half way. from beginning to end, we were there two hours. we got up and refilled our own beverages. one of the meals never came. and once brought to the waitresses attention, it took over 20 minutes to have a resolution delivered; which was, "sorry, it never came, here's a discount on your meal". it's not the staffs fault. they are ridiculously understaffed. you know the saying, you get what you give. you staff three employees when there's a packed house, you're gonna get pissed off patrons and negative yelp reviews. sadly, this isn't our first crappy experience since the latest set of owners came in. best of luck. we're always rooting for VC businesses, but this is our last time being burnt. read more

I saw a big sign while driving through Valley Center for BBQ and thought I stop by and give it a try. The restaurant was quaint with plenty of in lot parking and the servers were wonderful. You can get all you can eat ribs for $20 and it comes with 3 sides. For the price, I really can't complain, but the rib fell a bit short for me. While the meat was tender and fell off from the bones, it came out lukewarm each time. The sauce also seems to "miss" something and lacked the "kick" that I was expecting from a good BBQ sauce. Normally I can wolf down my ribs but here, the odd meat temperature just threw me off... read more

Fat Ivor's Rib Rack - All you can eat Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Valley Center, California

Love the food, but what kind of self-described Rib joint known for their beef ribs deletes all ribs from their menu 3 days/wk. Unsat

Love this place! Ribs are incredible everytime! Love the wings too Friends staff always! read more

The food was not good. A taco salad with iceberg lettuce and chicken? Thats it? Food not good. Too bright. need more variety on wine menu. We need a place to hang in VC. This isn't it read more

Don't eat there if it's not a Thursday meat is old they cook once a week and sell till it runs out tastes disgusting dry cheaply made and tastes old as can legally be seems . Can't be legal ! Cook once a week was disappointing for a local known restaurant crowd seems good definitely turned into a bar not a restaurant not that my kids would enjoy the food that's the disappointed part. read more

I've been going to this restaurant for over 40 years. It's absolutely yummy and delicious!!! I always get the all you can eat Beef Ribs!!!

Have gone to fat Ivor's for over 30 years. Went to try the new owners and menu. What a disappointment. It's no longer a bbq restaurant. It's a sports bar with poor tasting food. We ordered two hamburgers and one cocktail and one coke. 65 dollars. Food was basically tasteless no longer has a grilled flavor French fries were cold. Side salad had wilted lettuce. If we want to go watch sports we prefer going to the casinos. We wanted good bbq We will not be returning. read more

Should of changed the name. New owners Not a bbq place anymore. More a sports bar with ok food. Tried it twice now not great.

Every dish has been exceedingly disappointing. Initially when the new ownership came on we couldn't get a to-go order for the life of us and we had to forgo for the first month and a half. We attempted to go in to request to go order and we were told to sit down and wait and a server would be with us to take our order and we sat and were duly ignored for over 10 minutes. I have a particular food allergy and I expressed it numerous times and was promised that the food would be adjusted to accommodate. It was not and I got sick to the point where I was ill for days. This is not okay. Sandwiches that are promised barbecue sauce get barely a dollop of it and tacos being requested with a side salad are not and I repeat not a taco salad. New ownership but the same staff make the same mistakes. Nothing is different but the menu and so far the menu sucks. There aren't even kids meals read more

Was really excited about new ownership and hopefully they are listening to feedback as there is much need for improvement. Food came out cold, fries over cooked and hard, skins burnt to a crisp and portions tiny! My "sandwich" looked more like a slider. This was a second try for my family and second time we were disappointed. Still holding out hope they are reading reviews and can turn things around. read more

Great place but stop with the Fox News TV. Politics shouldn't be part of your program. We came back after a few years of not going in because of the political tone. We were hoping the new owners would stop insulting some of us.​ read more