Came here because our friend was gifted a gift card to come here. The bbq was good, the bark on their brisket was actually pretty impressive. Service was cool, nothing special the girl behind the counter was a young introverted young lady that answered questions. Plenty of outdoors seating here bathroom is located right in front of the smoker which is cool to see. I highly reccomend the brisket melt. It comes on sourdough bread and it was greasy and delicious. Great spot to bring the kids after the park or train ride and plenty of parking across the street. We'll be back read more

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I have been by Smokin J's BBQ many times but never stopped in. Well that all changed about a week ago. I was hungry, searching for something different for lunch and found myself in Old Town Poway. I ordered 1/2 pound of pulled pork, 1/2 pound of brisket and 1/2 pound of fatty brisket. The pulled pork and fatty brisket was juicy, full of flavor and on point. The regular brisket was good but a little dry. The staff is super helpful and friendly. My first introduction to Smokin J's went very well. Looking forward to bringing the family here for dinner so we can order a bunch of different things and experience more of their very appealing menu. I love that they have plenty of seating inside and out. read more

The brisket is honestly pretty disappointing. It can be dry, and overall the portions are really small for the price. You don't leave feeling full at all, especially compared to other spots where you actually get a solid amount of food for what you're paying. The people working there also tend to have attitudes, which doesn't help the experience. That said, the mac and cheese is actually really good, and I wish the cornbread was more moist because it had potential. Just kind of a mixed place for me. read more

This is beginning to be a habit! Smokin J's is located in the Old Poway Village Shopping Center. A beautiful and historic part of Poway. It's the exact type of place I look for when I travel. Fortunately for me (but not my waist line) it's close, convenient, and open seven days a week! They have an extensive menu of delicious barbecue items that will satisfy everyone in your party. My go to is the pork belly taco. Although it's not prepared consistently (sometimes the pork is one large piece and other times it's chopped). I prefer it whole, but it's always tasty either way. I also like the brisket sandwich. My new favorite sides are the crack beans and cornbread (perfect texture and density). They don't have beef ribs on the menu but I was told they sell it once in a while. Bonus: gift cards are sold at Poway Costco. read more

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***take out review*** The TV dinners are small. Any grown adult will need to add more meat. The BBQ sauce is super tasty and needed for the dry chicken. Corn bread was very dense and a bit bland. My wife loved the potato salad and brisket. My favorite part was the sausage. So yummy. I'll go back to dine in and hope for a better experience. I have faith. Worth the try! read more

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Everything here is absolutely delicious. Quick, friendly, counter service where you take can take your food to one of the shaded tables outside to enjoy. read more

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Great location in Old Poway. Easy parking. Love the outdoor seating! If it weren't so hot I'd definitely bring my dog next time. Shelby was super friendly and helpful. The pulled pork loaded fries was amazing! The seasoning on the fries was exciting; would have loved some of that mixed into the next layer, which was mac and cheese. Such tender pulled pork! Definitely great for sharing. I enjoyed their Smokin' J's lager. Smooth, light. Great for the hot day! Wonderful experience! I had enjoyed them twice before but as takeout. Am so glad I visited the location. Will definitely be back! read more

Perhaps the worst brisket I've ever had. Half of my order was straight up FAT. And yes I realize that brisket is typically a more fatty cut of meat... Smoking J's takes it to a whole new level see pics below. A $19 order of brisket should not be half fat no way no how. Barbecue sauce okay, fries okay, brisket a complete fail. read more

Smokin J's BBQ - How it started out..... - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

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We frequent this place often. Good food, nice location, a tad pricey. We enjoy ordering party packs for our employees. Remember- bbq meat is expensive, and you get just enough- it's not just this place, bbq is general is that way. Flavor? Exceptional. They seem to be broadening the menu- which is cool! I can get with the fun desserts! read more

Pretty sweet bbq place outside seating with a good view of the historic poway train yard. I had the pork belly sandwich which was really good. They were out of corn bread to i went with the baked beans they were okay. Beans with celery kinda leaves a funny after taste. Bbq sauce was okay spicy could be more spicy but its poway soo ya know. Over all pretty good. read more

Smokin J's BBQ - Pork belly sandwich baked beans n mac n cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

Came here on vacation, got seated quickly and immediately felt a off vibe from the waitress (Lesly) every time she would come to our table she would set things down and walk away, not asking if we need anything. Forgot to bring out drink, food came out fast but was really cold and told them if they could do something about it. As we were closing out our tab she seemed more interested in talking to her coworker about a party and gave me the wrong bill (50$ over of my original) read more

Our group of about 30 came on a Sunday afternoon. Seating is very limited so keep that in mind if you come with a big party. They don't take reservations and it is open and outdoor seating (no indoor seating is available). Lots of free parking available in the lot or street parking. It's the type of place where you order at the counter and the staff brings out your order. There could be a long line depending on the day/time you go. I opted to order the 3x3 which ample enough for 2 people to share! I shared my entree with my daughter. Since we aren't fans of beans and cole slaw, I requested an upgrade to the Mac n Cheese and they were able to accommodate. My meal came with brisket, pulled pork, chicken leg and thigh, cornbread, and mac n cheese. The flavor was real smokey and the bbq had a nice flavor - not spicy and not sweet. Surprised that everything was delicious! The brisket is my favorite and in fact I ordered 1lbs of brisket as takeout. I paid about $80 which isn't cheap but a solid spot as an option to eat out in the area. read more

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This is a small jewel in a old neighborhood in Poway. People working in the restaurant are friendly with family like vibe. They are one of few places that offers dry rub BBQ around here. The BBQ is good. I guess was not how I wanted to be but, there was many customers taking togo so, I guess is popular here. read more

Smokin J's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

We heard their breakfast menu returned to the Poway location so we just had to come back to see if it was as delicious as we remembered! But I have gotten accustomed to their regular burritos at this point, so which burrito would I choose? Well, we came at 11AM and both the brunch as well as the lunch menu were available, so we ordered from both menus! We ordered the breakfast brisket burrito ($18), Cali J-rito ($19.25), and cajun fries ($6.50). - Breakfast brisket burrito: I did not take a picture of the brunch menu (to provide you the specific ingredients), but there was a hefty portion of brisket and a runny egg inside. It was just as delicious as I remembered. - Cali J-rito: If you can't make up your mind regarding whether you want pork belly or brisket, don't worry about it. There is a giant helping of both stuffed into this burrito. - Cajun fries: I always order these because the seasoning is out of this world, but I never understand why the fries are not crispy? I generally take them home as leftovers to reheat and crisp up in my air fryer. ONE DAY, I will try the other items that I am desperately wanting to try (brisket hash, melted bird, boneless rib sandwich, brisket chimi fries), but when I show up I automatically crave the burritos. The main drawback from the whole dining experience is the only option for outdoor dining. WHY is it so hot yet the outdoor fans are not turned on? I was sweating from the spicy BBQ sauce (TOO spicy. I much prefer their regular BBQ sauce and homemade ketchup) and the oppressive heat. Also SO MANY FLIES. I don't know if they grow them bigger in North County, but the flies were huge, had no fear, and kept trying to crawl into my paper bag of fries. I don't think I can come back this summer for dine-in, only take-out. The bathroom is for the entire shopping center (doesn't belong to Smokin J's). There is only a hand dryer so for those of you who do not like touching the door knob with your bare hands after you've just washed them, I would recommend bringing a paper towel with you. read more

Smokin J's BBQ - Breakfast brisket burrito - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

This place is always great. Brought my coworkers, and they are already planning our next trip. I got my usual TV dinner of dark meat chicken, slaw, and mac. The spicy BBQ is the best. My coworkers tried the tacos, which were highly recommended for next time, and the burrito, which my coworker said was good. When we left, we saw a table get an order of cheesy fries with meat on top, and the portion was large. We are definitely planning to try that next time we come. read more

Smokin J's BBQ - TV dinner dark meat chicken - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

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Food is always good. But guy at the front was dismissive. Hope to come back to more hospitality

Love, love, love this place! They start smoking the meat very early everyday and it smells great. Food is always on point and staff is always nice. Price is high but I don't mind supporting a local business. read more

I was so excited to try this place. I've heard so many great reviews. I'm sad to say I was really disappointed. The brisket, I've heard so much about was dry, really dry. I ordered a plate with chicken, brisket and pulled pork. The chicken thigh was a size of a small mandarin orange. It was tiny. The chicken leg was tiny as well with hardly any meat on it. The only good thing was the pulled pork, except that a third of the serving of pulled pork was a big gob of fat. The sweet potatoes were good. The sweet potato fries were not but considering I didn't order sweet potato fries and I ordered cornbread that was really frustrating. Fortunately, I upgraded the white bread to cornbread or I wouldn't have gotten any. The cornbread was good not the best I've had but it was good overall, I was really disappointed. read more

Located in Old Town Poway. I was super excited to check out this spot but unfortunately, we were all disappointed. The service was rushed & unfriendly. The food was served cool. We came a few hours before closing but the food did not taste fresh & tasted as if they just threw together whatever food they had left without heating it. Way overpriced for what you get. TV Dinner: Brisket, corn bread, candied yams. The candied yams had a weird metallic taste, maybe expired? The Smokin' J: 2 pieces of cold brisket in the sandwich, & this was $17! Loaded Fries: Pulled pork. Loads of fries with a sprinkling of dry pulled pork... 3x3 Combo: They ran out of dark meat chicken so they said if we wanted to order this, we would have to pay extra for white meat. If you run out, why is on the customer to pay more? The cashier went over the options for the bread side & we chose cornbread but he failed to mention that that it would be extra. Double check your receipt because they will slide in extra fees without letting you know. No indoor dining, just outdoors. read more

Overall Food: 3.0 but BRISKET = 5.0 Customer service: 2.0 My brother recommended this place for their brisket. So he had my wife at "brisket", LOL And off we went to Smokin' J's BBQ We ended up parking behind the restaurant; be aware that there is no seating inside and only outdoor tables and chairs. Not a deal breaker for us since we are visiting & staying at a hotel. It was a slow Friday night (maybe due to the rain); so the girls at the counter were more worried about their conversation than us. I didn't really care but a nice acknowledgment would have been appreciated. And I asked one of the three young girls for recommendations and she couldn't provide one since she apparently doesn't eat the food, but state "we're famous for our brisket"...hmmmm? So I just chuckled and grabbed their menu then ordered: TV Dinner with brisket , beans & cornbread & another TV Dinner with pull pork, Mac & cornbread. We waited/stood (not waiting outside in the rain) for our food; 10-15 minutes later and we're heading back to the hotel in RB. Uncovering our dinners was literally food in compartments like an "old school" TV Dinner Now to the food: wife get to her food first (while I'm getting the dog's dinner ready) and she eating like a champ then gets full really fast and leaves half of her brisket portion for me. I'm thinking to myself the brisket is no good or she's just full from the beans and cornbread. So it's my turn: pulled pork was weird when some parts were dry and some parts moist but taste was okay; then I added some of their bbq sauce and it made it better to eat, but IMO bbq pulled pork (or any bbq) shouldn't need sauce if done right. Cornbread was more of a dense cake and on the dry side and their Mac was dry as well and not cheesy, so more like baked shell pasta with cheese with a hint of jalapeño. But the entire SAVING GRACE IS THE BRISKET!!! Now take it by the time I got to the brisket it had been sitting for about 20++ minutes but when I took a bite, it was still moist and tender and everything brisket should be: seasoned, smokey...and now I want more just texting this review!!!! So when we're back in San Diego, we'll be back to maybe try the other meats but definitely ordering THE BRISKET!!! read more

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Bbq was amazing always is Can't complain. One on my To-go places. Cant go wrong the wings are a bit different from last time but still good. The Mac n cheese is the reason why I drive all the way up to Poway. And the. Tri tip is always good read more

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Hands down the best bbq and customer service! Professional, friendly, and patient with answering all our questions. Plenty of outdoor seating. You can purchase the seasoninga and sauces. My favorite was the Cali-J-rito, it was so delicious, on the larger side, and I could not stop eating it even tho I was super full. I loved the slaw, it was vinegar based more than the mayonnaise type. Everything was fresh and flavorful. read more

Smokin J's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

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Small place but the food is delicious! They were so kind to service my family during the 4th of July, the portions weren't skimpy at all! The meats were all so flavorful, tender, and well seasoned that you can really see, feel, and taste the love! The bbq sauce for the meats is so good, it's tangy and sweet. Chicken, roast, ribs, everything is just so tasty! Worth a try and a spot I will tell everyone about! read more

Had a freebie for one of their bread pudding. So here I am and here was my experience. AMBIANCE: Parking: Street parking and plaza parking. I didn't have any issues. Seating: All outside seating but a semi-patio setup. There's room for maybe 30 people, 10 groups. Vibes: Welcome to Poway! It has a nice small-town feel to things. This area in particular gives a Western feel to things from the buildings to the history. The spot itself is nice. I enjoyed being welcomed by the smokey bbq scent and the pop music. Great for a food adventure or if you're trying to cater for a sizable event. FOOD: 3x3 (Recommend) For those decisive people (like me) this is a good choice. Three mains (brisket, pulled pork, and chicken) and three sides (mac & cheese, coleslaw & pickles, and beans). I enjoyed everything about. The meats were cooked, smokey, and seasoned (don't forget to get some bbq sauce). The mac cheese is gooey and the beans are smokey sweet. Bread Pudding (Recommend) A generous slab of bread and sweets. Best served fresh to enjoy the soft, crunch, and warm sweet caramel. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Awesome! Friendly people that are knowledgeable with the menu and quick with service. TL; DR OVERALL: 4.5 Stars. Good selections, delicious food, and pleasant vibes. Philz may be the most popular bbq spot in San Diego but this spot gives a good run for its money. If I'm in Poway, I'd certainly consider coming back here. All the best to Jeremy/Josh and the rest of the Smokin J's BBQ team! TIPS: * Check out their website for the weekend menu! read more

Smokin J's BBQ - Wooo! - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

Outdoor seating. Order inside and wait for your order to be delivered at the table. They were quite busy during lunch but our order arrived at the table quickly. Out of everything we ordered, the brisket was the most liked item. It was nice and tender, with the perfect amount of fat. Least liked item would be the pork ribs, which were too dry and salty. The burnt ends were a little sweet for our liking but their side BBQ sauce was good. The brisket chili was actually good, too. I bet it would taste better on a hot dog. Overall, food was ok. It's not worth the price, though. read more

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It was worth the drive we live in Fallbrook and was looking for good Bbq found this spot. We were hesitant on going but just decided too and we are happy we did! It is such a cute restraint with outdoor seating. Lots of options the cashier whom helped us was so knowledgeable and helpful with the menu knowing we were newbies. He was so professional and recommended great options. The pull pork and brisket were 10/10!! We will definitely be back read more

Smokin J's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

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There's only outdoor seating under umbrellas which is nice on a sunny day. You can see the smoker by the side of Smoking J's. I really liked how they have a lot of different items like a breakfast burrito. Service was pretty minimal but good - they bring the food out and clean up afterwards. There's self serve water and utensils too. I really liked the meat - you could taste the smoke. The meat is definitely something I prefer over Phil's however that's about it. I prefer Phil's bbq sauce and sides over Smoking J's but thats just my preference. I will definitely be back to get some meat or try their other items! read more

Smokin J's BBQ - 3 x 3 - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

The BBQ here is absolutely outstanding. The half bird is flavorful, the brisket is melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the burger is to die for. The fries are perfectly crispy, and the sides are just as impressive--especially the brisket chili, which is my favorite. This is hands down my go-to BBQ spot in the area. I even tried their weekend brisket breakfast burrito once, and it was out of this world. The only item I didn't love as much were the beef hot links, but everything else more than makes up for it and it was still good. Highly recommend the place and I'd go out of my way for it. read more

This restaurant is located in a shopping center with plenty of free parking. Ordering is done inside and there are picnic style tables outside. The food was brought out quickly. We ordered the burnt ends, brisket, and potato salad. The brisket was dry and needed to be drenched in BBQ sauce. The burnt ends had a good flavor, but were also dry. The potato salad was made up of huge chunks of potato. It seemed like we were eating a baked potato with a potato salad sauce on top. Overall, I would skip coming here when craving BBQ. read more

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Why did we wait so long to go back to Smokin J's BBQ? The food is always soooo good. The Smokin J sandwich has brisket, pork belly and coleslaw and is one of the best barbecue sandwiches ever. I loved the brisket TV dinner. It is served with brisket (or your choice of meat) and two sides. You have to try the Bean Crack - some of the best beans I've had. The staff are friendly and helpful and we sat outside on a beautiful sunny afternoon. read more

Smokin J's BBQ - The Smokin J with the best fries - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

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How much meat would you like? Me: Yes I love American BBQ, so when my wife recommends a BBQ spot, I go all in! This BBQ joint is located in a really cute part of Poway near the Poway Midland Railroad Train Depot. There's plenty of street parking with more parking in a lot next to it with You walk inside a small house to order and then take a number to your table. There are roughly 12 tables outside for dine in each seating about 4. Food came out in about 15 minutes, and all the workers were nice and friendly. We ordered half a rack of St. Louis pork ribs, half a pound of brisket, a pork belly TV dinner, with sides of fries, Mac and cheese, chili, and a smoked succotash. Everything was a little over $75. The Mac and cheese was creamy and cheesy, the chili was tender with very complex flavors, the succotash was decent, and the fries were super crispy and oily. Sides - 4/5 The 3 BBQ sauces were well balanced and flavorful - 4/5 The brisket was beefy, somewhat tender, with a good amount of fat. - 4/5 The pork ribs were kind of tough, but had a good Smokey flavor and was a good balance of lean to fat. - 3/5 The pork belly was so crispy, smoky, fatty, salty, tender, and flavorful. The most heavenly pork belly I've ever had in my life! - 10/5 The Pork belly was hands down the best thing here. Next time I come here, that's all I'm getting. Highly recommend this place for BBQ overall. read more

Smokin J's BBQ - Half rack pork Ribs front right, pork belly TV dinner top right, brisket bottom left - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

This is sort of a then and now review since I've been here a number of times but it's been a little while. Just recently had the pulled port TV dinner, which I've had before, and it seemed just a little off in the sense that the flavor was definitely there but it was just a little dryer than usual. Their sauces are great as always and that definitely helped tie it together. Maybe it was just an oddball day so I'd definitely be back because I really like this place. Always like the relaxed atmosphere and easy parking, and the service is always superb here! read more

In nostalgic Old Poway Park area, Smokin J's BBQ is usually smokin' delicious but I must have arrived on an off day today for lunch (on Tuesday). We ordered 2 TV dinners: brisket (with 2 sides: slaw and potato salad) and pulled pork (with corn bread and slaw). The brisket is usually juicy and tender but unfortunately today, it was dry. So was the pulled pork! Thankfully, I had the BBQ sauce to moisten both meats. Sad they no longer have the succotash (corn and lima beans) as a side. It was our favorite! Service is always friendly and quick. Lots of parking and casual outdoor seating only. This place usually earns 5 stars in my book, but today, it only got 4 stars. read more

The meats: I got pulled pork, ribs, brisket, and dark meat chicken. Ribs were amazing and worth getting. Brisket was good. It wasn't dry but it wasn't super moist either. I liked that it wasn't super fatty. Chicken was good and seasoned well. Pulled pork was ok. I probably won't order it again. The sides: They were ok. The potato salad was pretty good. It has a different flavor profile than traditional potato salad. It has a smoky flavor. Not a fan of the slaw. Too much purple cabbage for my liking. (If you like purple cabbage, you will probably love it) Nothing special with the Mac and cheese The sauces: very good! We liked both the bbq sauce and homemade ketchup. Worth buying a bottle of the ketchup. The service: employees were nice and helpful. The atmosphere: no indoor seating but the outdoor seating is very nice. It is a little on the smaller end so it would not be ideal for large parties. The price: it is definitely on the more expensive side. If I loved the sides more, I think the price would be worth it. I would probably just order the meat and skip the sides if I visit again. read more

On my third visit I tried the 3 x 3 platter to go rather than my favorite, the Smokin' J sandwich. The pulled pork was a bit too dry, the brisket had a big segment of unappetizing fat (see photo), and the chicken leg looked old/tired tired but the thigh fine. The mere total 3.5 oz of sides were good if uninspired. It was all okay, but not a good value at $26 -- nearly $30 with a modest tip and tax. read more

I ordered catering for an important event I was hosting. The food was absolutely delicious! We had brisket, chicken, pork and Mac n cheese. Smokin J's has excellent customer service all around. I was impressed. Thank you for the positive experience and amazing food! ​ read more

One of the worst we've had... actually the worst. Super dry, bbq sauce couldn't save it. The sides also couldn't save the meal. Was surprised we had to order everything in 1/2 lb, all other places allow less (ie 1/4lb) so customers can try different meats. We ended up ordering double what we wanted and ended up double disappointed. Service was slow, we shouldn't have to wait 10 min to get a beer with 2 other customers around. Half of the beers on tap were out (on a Sat at 3). Apparently phone calls are more important than people waiting in line. Anyway, spent far too much for some pretty terrible bbq... literally went to the Birria food truck 2 min away right after... just really disappointing overall. Poor food, poor service. read more

Smokin J's BBQ - Brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

Came right after our workout right before they closed! Woohoo!!! Got their burnt ends, hot links, wings and brisket chilli. Even though we came right as they were about to close, Ryan was so kind and gave us great recommendations and guided us to order some total winners! Everything was so delicious, sauces were on point. The smoke and cook of everything was made to perfection, and the place is such a vibe! The seating area is outside, and even though it's out in the patio, the tables, chairs, spotless and squeaky clean. We will totally be back!!! read more

Smokin J's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Poway, California

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Smoking J's was a smoking good time for our group. We came hungry after hiking the potato chip rock. I ordered the full rack of ribs and I normally eat about two bones but today, I had four bones and could have kept going if I didn't refrain myself. The rib was well marinated and well BBQ'd. My friends got the TV dinner with brisket, the burrito, and the pull pork sandwich. All were very delicious. We would totally come back for more good food and good fun with good company. Parking was easy. Seating was only offered outside and it was a bit cold even with the heater on. Service was fast and friendly. Please visit to create your own experience. read more

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Updated review. We got their Christmas Eve takeout. We had a pick up time of 11 am (first one of the day) and they were BUSY! It did take 20 ish minutes and their was confusion about what name it was under. I think they were still figuring out the kinks/process so the delay would not deter me from ordering again. The meat was delicious. The sides were okay. Probably wouldn't order corn bread again (a little dry). The beans were good, but Mac and cheese lacked flavor. Fan favorite was ribs! read more