This is the best BBQ spot in San Diego. I love Pete's. The portions are great, the smoked meat is great, the sides are great. There's nothing to not like here. I've never had bad service, the food has always been perfect. Their BBQ sauce compliments the meat well too. The portions are generous and I can't even eat a whole meal from here. I always have left overs. Their Ramona burger is the best burger I've had in San Diego county. Lucky for me I live in Ramona. Pete's has my business forever. read more

Look, Pete. I'm gonna be honest. And don't get upset, I'm a 25 year long restaurant professional and chef. So I have some idea what I'm saying. If I buy a $15 brisket sandwich ($15!) I expect "fresh" brisket. Not two day old cooled and paper thin slices of brisket. Which is what I got. I got your brisket that was leftover from three days ago. What I wanted was smoked, held, and fresh cut brisket from today. What I got was brisket cold cuts fried on your flat top. Tell me I'm wrong. How precisely does one get today's brisket at your restaurant? Brisket plate? Bbq plate? I understand needing to use up un-eaten brisket. I truly do. But the way one deals with that honestly is a chipped or "pulled" brisket sandwich. Not THE brisket sandwich. If you have that much leftover brisket, then you're smoking too much. Simple. And you charge less, a lot less. I won't be back. Because you charged me a premium price for a sub-par sandwich. AND you charged me $1.99 EXTRA for Mac and cheese sauce. Now I prefer baked mac and cheese yes...but you're going to pretend that mac and cheese is a premium side? It's flour and cheese sauce. It's the cheapest side you have. GTFO. Throw some bacon in it at least. Make it $2 extra. Quit that lie. read more

The Brisket burrito is one of the best burritos I've ever had, I've never tried something like BBQ on a burrito but that just blow mind. This guys really know what they are doing! read more

Pete's BBQ - Half done brisket burrito - Barbeque Near Me - Ramona, California

Been here once before and took my kid for a motorcycle ride to Ramona for lunch. I knew we were going here no matter what! You can smell the smokers down the street and it just draws you in. Got the brisket plate with Mac, potato salad and cornbread. He got the tri tip plate with baked beans Mac and rolls. Brisket was a little tough definitely not fall apart fork tender, still killed it because you know, smoked meat is always delicious. Tri tip was amazing. We're from the birthplace of Santa Maria style tri tip over oak wood so smoked tri tip is a welcome change up. Baked beans are awesome. Smoky and spicy. People say the Mac is like velveeta but it's definitely not! I had to stab his hand to keep him from stealing mine! Potato salad wasn't mushy and Mayo drenched and had a great flavor and texture. I didn't try the rolls because the boy murdered them so they must be good. The liquor store they're located in has an epic beer selection. Give these guys the support they deserve! They're putting out some great stuff! read more

Pete's BBQ - Tri tip plate and brisket plate - Barbeque Near Me - Ramona, California

I am impressed! My husband has been here before but today was my first time. I have to say, if Pete's can be consistent and the food quality can continue to be as good as it was today, they have a new customer for life! The most tender and juicy ribs I have ever had. The tri tip was very tender. The flavor of the meat is amazing. I was equally impressed with the tenderness of the chicken. Even the buttered rolls were on point. Would only change the Mac salad, a little runny- flavor was there just needed to sit up in the cooler a bit! But damn, I am hooked! Great job Pete's read more

Pete's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Ramona, California

Pete's was an awesome surprise find on our way to Julian. The food was fresh and delicious!! We got combo #5 which included all of the meats available and they were all delicious. We shared between three people, great portion size. For sides we did Mac n cheese, potato salad and corn on the cob. All were good. Yes it's located inside of the liquor store but there's plenty of seating and is family friendly. read more

Great place to grab some bbq. The biscuits are amazing and different. The tri tip is excellent and the Mac n cheese is great, lots of cheese. Chicken falls off the bone and the sauce is great. read more

If i could give zero stars I would. And if i was closer to the restaurant i would take this sorry excuse for food right back in there. It was TERRIBLE. Super tough meat and ice cold stale fries. Not to mention the nasty flavor of the sauce. I can't believe they have the nerve to charge $14 for this garbage. It's maddening. read more

Ok, I'm not a real big meat eater but my husband is and he is HOOKED on the bbq chicken and ribs...oh yeah also the brisket. What I love about the place is that he gets a TON of food for only $10.00. Every side dish you can think of and he said he's never had one he didn't like. I believe there is another "bbq" restaurant but when we tried it my husband couldn't even finish because his ribs were all fat...and the price was ridiculous! KEEP UP THE AWESOME JOB PETES AND THANKS FOR FEEDING MY HUBS SO OFTEN. read more

Went to Petes BBQ & Burgers (inside Ramona Liquor) and enjoyed a delicious lunch. We ordered the Tri-tip Sandwich and the Lamb Gyro. Generous portions and meats were tender, moist and well seasoned. The Gyro was particularly good, meat was sliced a bit thicker than I'm used to and also seemed to be cooked over a flame (it is a BBQ place after all!) but it was excellent and will definitely order it again. Large comfortable seating area inside separated from the liquor store area, great menu, beer on tap. We'll be back! read more

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I was passing through Ramona for work and decided to try this place despite vowing to never pay for bbq since I started making my own. I ordered a brisket sandwich which was supposed to include a side; I was charged die the side. The brisket was not as tender as what I make and had a lot of fat that didn't melt away in the slow cooking process. read more

Stopped here for dinner. Ordered 4 different meals. Tri-tip sandwich, 4 ribs, pulled pork over Mac n cheese and chicken fingers kids meal. The ribs where awful as they were nothing but fat. Yes, ribs are not lean but these were not typical. The mac and cheese was not very good so only the pulled pork on it was eaten. The chicken fingers were "so hard it almost brook a tooth" according to my son. Those 3 meals were only 1/4 eaten..if that. The fries were not even that good. Typical frozen kind. Leaving the frozen box of fries out on the counter probably doesn't help. 3 of us got fries and no one ate more than 25% of them. The tri-tip sandwich was ok but the meat seemed to have not been cut very recently. Cost: A- on par with other bbq but still an expensive meal compared to other choices Friendliness: C very bland "what do you want". A 'hi' would have helped. Atmosphere: A it is in a liquor store. No points lost for this as it it is something different. Cleanliness: C- the table area is fine but behind the counter made me worried. Just seemed very messy and the food case screamed that the food has been waiting a long time for me to arrive. Taste: between a F and a D-- The kids didn't even eat the fries! One might think that we talked each other into not liking it but not true. We didn't speak about the taste at all as we were talking about going to the Barona Speedway. Not until we started to clean up did we say that it was a failure. You can tell by many factors when someone is trying hard to make good food. It was evident that that was really missing here. read more

We love coming here, as James & his team have perfected BBQ and certainly "deliver" (figuratively). Dining area inside/behind the liquor store is spotless. We've dined in and have also taken-out. Although you may consider dining-in, as the fries don't make it home hot when you live quite a ways away. The buns included in the plates are super soft with a flash grilled crispy buttery crust on the underside. Will be back! read more

Patty melt is mediocre at best, over cooked onion rings & it took 27 minutes to get. There are plenty of other places to eat so don't waste your time and money read more

I will ever eat here again. Had 2 people who arrived and ordered after me got their orders before I did. Fries were cold, mac and cheese was bland and barely warm. Macaroni salad had no favor and everything was over priced. Please don't waste your time think the bbq here is actually worth it. read more

Saw this place while we were driving through town. We just wanted a snack so we ordered a half rack of ribs with Mac n cheese, fries (kids), and cornbread. I will say the ribs were fantastic but had hardly ANY bbq sauce on them, which almost ruined it. We got it to go, otherwise I'd have asked for more. It's ridiculous that they don't include a cup of sauce. The Mac n cheese was disgusting. I can't convey how gross it was. I love Mac n cheese and do not normally discriminate. This was so gross I could barely swallow a bite. My kids wouldn't eat it either, which if you have kids you know that's saying a lot. Fries were greasy and gross. I'd never go here again :( I had high hopes too. read more

The BBQ isnt bad here considering that it is Ramona... but the prices are a little steep and it's hard to find. The restaurant is inside a convenience store which is kinda weird. Overall the food was good but I would probably go somewhere else if I were looking for some good BBQ. read more

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Food was sooo good. I had the chicken burrito. I practically broke my arm getting it out of the bag because it was so giant. The bbq sauce was not sloppy and overwhelming like most bbq places. It was marinated to perfection. The team was super friendly and welcoming. I will definitely be back!! read more

All these years never really tried them thank God I finally did super good French dip excellent!! Pulled pork really good highly recommend I will be back more read more

Was driving through Ramona and the smell coming from this place got my attention, I looked them up an yelp and was happy to see they had four stars so we decided to give them a shot. We ordered a burger, brisket sandwich and 1/4 ribs. First the burger was the worst I've ever had, extremely dry with no flavor. Ribs were cold! I went back and asked cook if they used fresh or frozen meat and if they cooked dood to order, he said they made their patties fresh and asked if something was wrong with my food, I said yes ribs are cold and burger is beyond over cooked and dry. He just looked at me and walked away. Would not waste my money here! read more

This place was lowkey ass. My sister and I came here and ordered the 1/4 rack of ribs and the tri-trip plate. We also got mac n cheese, coleslaw, and cornbread as our sides. The only good thing there was the corn bread, which we fought over like feral cats. The mac n cheese tasted like microwave Velveeta mac n cheese with two packets of the thick, salty cheese. The coleslaw had a ton of mustard and was extremely tangy. The tri-tip was okay, but also very salty. It had no spice and just lots of salt. The same goes for the ribs. That were also very small. But the corn bread? Literally the best thing on that plate. It was only a small square but we actually considered ordering more corn bread because it was the only thing we liked. The food was disappointing but not surprising. I think that's what I kind of expected from a restaurant inside a liquor store‍ read more

Only fair. Rib meat was very tender but the ribs were cooked with the barbecue sauce on them so it was basically burned onto the ribs. The sides were good. read more

Don't judge by location! We stopped here last week after reading several reviews and were not disappointed. Loved the sauce and the brisket was SO tender! The pulled pork and tri-tip were good too. Beans had just a hint of kick and the macaroni salad is the best we've had at a BBQ place. Wish we lived closer but we'll make the trip again soon! read more

The brisket burrito is life changing I don't know what it is about a little bbq joint built in the back of a liquor store, but damn is it good. read more

The food was pretty good when I first tried it. The bbq and corn bread is super delicious. The Mac&Cheese and coleslaw isn't good at all, but I enjoyed the Mac salad. After going here for a while, I noticed that the food has been cold, a little dry, and the portion size got smaller. I would've give. Then 5 stars after the first time I tried them, but I have been consistently getting pretty cold food with dry meat. read more

I don't like Barbecue. But I like this place. It's odd walking into a liquor store and walking through it to get to a barbecue joint. But well worth it. Pete's smokes and cooks their meat on site, if you drive by on the 78 you can see the smoker sitting outside the store, usually billowing a delicious smelling smoke. They have a varied menu that runs from traditional barbecue to Mexican fusion. their sauce is great. My lady and I usually get the number 1 combo. Ribs, chicken and tri-tip, 2 sides and 3 rolls. $20. Good food, fair prices. Recommended for good barbecue. read more

We are staying at San Diego Country Estates and stopped in Ramona to have dinner. If you love BBQ, you will enjoy this location. We had the french fries with Brisket, WOW!! The FF were crispy and brisket savory. The pulled pork sliders with the coleslaw was tasty! All 7 of us were very happy with our meals. read more

Love this place but what keeps bringing me back is the staff..... Not only is the food delicious I cannot get enough of the brisket sandwich.... The brisket burrito is a must..... My wife loves the little breads.... And the ribs are OK read more

Had the pulled pork fries and some sweet tea. Not Southern good but it was allright. The fries were really good, not soggy. The pulled pork was pretty good too. The BBQ sauce was ok...the Cole slaw on the fries was ok also. Nothing really good or bad to say about this place read more

This is based on only one visit and one item, so take it with a grain of salt. The brisket plate. The meat, while having a nice smoke to it, was tough and dry. Corn bread was good, beans and coleslaw could be better. Beans did not seem "baked" per se, and the slaw was undistinctive. A disappointing plate for $15. read more

Best breakfast burrito in ramona period. I have had one from every taco shop in ramona. They are the best. They are big and tasty. Never would have though a bbq place could make such a great breakfast burrito. their reviews speak for themselves. Every thing is fresh. Even their salsa is pretty good. I have also had their bbq burger. It was good. Love this place. read more

This place has always been pretty good for the price. I've never had any issues with getting what I ordered, and generally it is always good. Prices have went up since I was last their, but that's kind of expected in the current environment. Didn't get the combo #3 that I usually do just because I didn't want to spend that much on a weekend feast. The full rack was still on point, and the "small" sides are much more than expected for the price. Still love this place for what it is, and that's a pretty good bang for the buck BBQ spot. read more

Food and service was good, bbq is nice, no frills food, customer service was good, portions were good for the price, we will be coming back

Went there today for lunch with my wife and wow, we had such a great experience, they brought us Mac & cheese instead of macaroni salad then they brought us the macaroni salad and wow was that awesome they gave us extra plates the bbq sauce is perfect exceeded all expectations And everyone there was so nice thank you read more

This has been a stop we made whenever we are on our way back down from the Anza Boreggo back to San Diego for YEARS, but this last (and one visit prior), we experienced the worst service (October 17, 2020). I ordered 2 sandwiches with one side and I waited inside for over 40 minutes to receive my order. I could her the owner, I believe, telling the employees making the food to "leave the small orders" and focus on the larger orders. Finally, somebody and then my self stepped up after our long wait insisting our money back, food was out within 5 minutes. Sorry to say we will not be making this a usually stop back to San Diego. What a poor way to do business. read more

This place is my favorite to come to when I want BBQ when in California. By far the best ever. Great service. Food is always top notch.

This place has such good food! Hamburgers are huge and the BBQ is excellent and made outside everyday! read more

Pete's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Ramona, California

Just upon walking up the smell of smoked bbq had me excited. I ordered the BBQ ribs and my Bf ordered the brisket. The ribs were juicy and had a nice smokey flavor. I tried some of the brisket and that too was so delicious. This place is located in the back of a liquor store but in my opinion it would do just fine all on its own. I would defiantly travel again just to eat here. read more

Pete's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Ramona, California

Man I'm so glad we stopped by here. Weirded it out it was inside a liquor store at first but everything we got was so incredibly delicious we totally forgot about it! Tried the pulled pork, ribs, fries, potato salad, and Mac and cheese. THE CORNBREAD IS MOIST!! Big plus right there. read more

They greet me respectfully and humorously with attractive menu good food for all palates. Family menu a lil pricey if on a budget though all around only place to find barbecue that's cooked in Ramona with great customer service! The owner is awesome! read more