Harper Barbecue — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

Very pleasant ambience in semi residential modern efficiency industrially decorated place...purpose built, designed by architect and thoughtfully designed by at least two teams of ex Disney professional interior desecrators...must have cost two million to design and build, maybe three plus another two to buy the land. get a bldg permit and tear down the old house. Cool sign in front must have cost 100 K. Very impressive facilities. Entrees are just slightly bigger than appetizers. Should have thought to take a foto of my allegedly smoked albacore. It was certainly cooked and served cold but not as good as Crab Cookers and similarly priced. . . Although it's been more than 6 Mos since I went to The Newport pr Tustin Crab Cooker. The rice salad was good but they must have forgotten the corn kernels in my corn bread that was mentioned by other reviews . . . And jalapeño bits were microscopic and undetectable...lots of sugar in the recipe. Or honey...was good maybe 8/10. Burnt pork belly ends were good and sauce was 8.5/10. Water was marked 'reverse osmosis...and perfectly tasteless...a plus over newport/costa mesa water which is among worst tasting water in OC and LA. Our table mates' chicken looked tiny and dry...beans looked just so so..saw no meat as advertised...but didn't try it.. It was $ 48 for what we viewed as appetizers...just 2 sides. I miss Burrels and will probably not go back due to the wait. . But the line is more pleasant and faster than Dland's lines in Anaheim (Disneyland).

Wood smell was apparent in the air outside but couldn't be detected in the pork or albacore...maybe a good thing since smoked meat is carcinogenic according to some published studies.

Will probably stick to the American barbeque restaurant on west side of Euclid in Santa Ana South of 17th in the Asian mall instead of Harpers . .forgot the name. They don't serve fries there either. Same for Burrell...must be a thing not to serve fries with smoked food.

The cute hostess girl was welcoming and warm Not sure why I decided to give a 10 percent tip when I paid at pount of sale at the counter. Staff were all nice and professional even though a little bored looking...sort of like Disney employees. I hear they are unionized at D Land now.

Won't be long before union comes to Harper's.

Would give them a 3.5 but don't know how to...

Originally, I was made aware of Harper Barbecuebecause of the smokers that they make being used at so many of my favorite barbecue spots. And when I heard that they were going to open their own shop, I was very excited. That was years ago and WELL WORTH THE WAIT. Forgoing the popular brisket, the fatty beef choice here is smoked beef cheeks. My favorite bite of barbecue. It is like taking all the various parts you love about brisket, and having it in one bite. It was so tender, yet still sliceable, that it melted in my mouth. Honestly Harper Barbecue gave me flashbacks to the first time I walked up coffee in hand to the food truck for Leroy in Lewis years ago. Of course because of the beef cheeks but also because the other choices in meats. Unlike other barbecue joints, Harper serves smoked picanha. It was easily my favorite bit of the platter. It was so good another 1/2 pound was purchased before I left to take back lolThe beefy flavor from the meat that the kiss of the fat cap that melted as it entered my mouth. Having this choice in meat felt similar to the “New School Barbecue” OG that regularly services flat iron. (And my favorite that Leroy and Lewis had on the menu for only a short while, the smoked chuck) Speaking of flat iron, talking to the crew in the smoke room, they had one they were testing on the pit. I really wish I could come tomorrow again to try it out. Obviously it being California, tri tip is a staple. Being raised in San Diego, I full heartedly loved. Tri tip is the cut of state. After nerding out with crew, I had to get the pork steak and the key lime cheesecake before leaving. I feel pork steak is one of the most underrated cuts of barbecue. I love it when great places give this cut some love. Melted in my mouth and the rendered fat just slipped down my throat. You don’t need teeth. Since they make their own pits, sounds like testing out new methods of cooking is only a matter of construction. The endless possibilities. I’ll have to come back every so often when schedule permits to see what they...

My wife and I are big barbecue people so we made it a mission to hit Harpers Barbecue while out on a double date with some good friends. It was a solid move. We didn’t hold back either. We ordered pretty much everything on the menu. We got brisket or tri tip, chicken, pork ribs, sausage, and loaded up on sides with pinto beans, coleslaw, cornbread, salad, and some extra pickles just to top things off. Total feast. The brisket or tri tip was alright, a bit dry and not as juicy as I was hoping for. Not bad by any means, just didn’t steal the show. That spotlight definitely went to the ribs and sausage. The ribs were out of this world. Perfectly smoked, juicy, and literally fell right off the bone. The sausage was another favorite, super flavorful with that good snap when you bite into it. Chicken was juicy and had that slow cooked taste that’s hard to beat. Now let’s talk sides and sauce. The pinto beans were straight fire. Had that smoky flavor and were even better when you dipped the bread in them. Cornbread was nice and moist with a good sweet corn taste. Coleslaw was decent, not really my thing but still gave it a try. Salad was refreshing and balanced out all the heavy meats. But the real MVP was that California Gold sauce. That stuff is a must. Poured it over the brisket and ribs and it instantly elevated the whole thing. Sweet, tangy, and packed with flavor. It brought everything together. Great food, great company, and the kind of spot that makes you want to come back and try even more. Perfect for a casual date or group hangout when you just want to grub...