Swinging Door BBQ — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Just tried them for the first time today!!! I loved some things and others were good to just ok. Favorites: spare ribs, burnt ends, kale, and potato salad!!! I came here after another place rated higher that's nearby had a 2-5hr wait. I haven't had much luck with bbq spots in L.A. area; so, I wasn't going to get anything for the holiday, but decided to find a place last minute.To be the day of, the wait was not long (30-40mins)!!! I tried quite a bit: spare ribs, burnt ends, brisket, chicken, and hot links. For sides, I tried potato salad, cole slaw, bbq beans, and greens (kale). I prefer a dry rub with sauce on the side; I love the taste of grilled meat with a smokey seasoned flavor. They have good sauce, but it's a little thinner than I like. The spicy is spicy!! The ribs are really good with great flavor. No sauce needed! The burnt ends are absolutely amazing, full of flavor and succulent!! They melt in your mouth. I ordered a 1/2 pound and wish I ordered more. I expected the same for the brisket, but I didn't love it as much. It was moist and slow cooked, but lacked flavor to me. I'd def need sauce to finish it. The chicken breast is boneless, which worried me cause, sometimes, that can be dry. It's moist, but could also be more flavorful. The hot Links def need more time on the grill. Something about them I didn't like; probably wouldn't get it again. For sides, surprisingly, the kale is my fave!! They're cooked like collards and have really good flavor. Save that pot liquor and don't throw it away. I finished it with corn bread. I was warned the mac wasn't good; so, I didn't get it. It was cooking on the stove and I'm glad I didn't get it. The potato salad is interesting; it looks good and tastes good, yet, somehow, still needs just a lil more flavor. Nothing a lil garlic and onion powder (whatever your preferred spices are) can't fix. I love potato salad with bbq; so, I'd easily order again. The cole slaw looks good, but DEF needs seasoning. I might finish on a sandwich with the brisket. The beans are good, but looser than I like. I like a thicker sauce for my beans and a bit more of a smokey flavor. They were decent, but undecided if I'd order again. Overall, thus spot is def worth a try. I'm sure you'll like something on the...

2022 review: Really really tough tri-tip sliced the wrong way, unseasoned mashed potatoes, tasteless garlic bread, baby-back ribs were tender but lacked seasoning and flavor. Pickles were good!

This place has potential but they are not tasting their food. The lack of flavor and incorrectly cut meat indicates more training is needed.

Update: The owner called me and apologized for the food and gave me a refund. I added one ⭐ for that follow-up.

July 2025: I tried Swingin Door again without reading my last review from three years ago so I wouldn’t influence myself.

On the positive side, the person taking the order was pleasant and the order was completed quickly.

The food was again bland and unseasoned. The ingredients appeared to be high quality, but there is a marked lack of seasoning in every dish. The pulled pork (sandwich) was tender, but needed salt. The brisket (sandwich) also needed salt. The garlic mashed potatoes were lacking salt, pepper, and butter and needed a lot more of all three. The sauces were good but don’t make up for the lack of seasoning. The macaroni and cheese was fine and just lacked a bit of salt and possibly some butter such would have made them creamier and delicious. The coleslaw was actually my favorite, although my preference is not to have it chopped so finely as that detracts from the authenticity.

My request to the owner or chef is to please reconsider your seasoning amounts on all dishes. Taste the food or better yet have a neutral third party test the food with your seasoning and then with the seasoning amped up (along with more butter when appropriate) and see which one they like better.

Meals from this restaurant are not cheap, probably because the meat is good quality, so if you are not offering your customers a super-flavorful and memorable meal, I don’t think I could recommend this...

I have been here numerous times before, and was excited to introduce it to a couple of friends who live in Burbank, but have never been here before. They shared a 2-item combo. I also got a 2-item combo. We all had plenty of really yummy food to eat there on their patio, as well as take lots of leftovers home to enjoy another day. Oddly enough, we all ordered the Baby Back Ribs and the Pulled Pork, but I ordered the Baked Beans and Macaroni & Cheese. My friends ordered the Garlic Mashed Potatoes and the Macaroni & Cheese for their sides. The Baked Beans have slices of their Hot Links in it, but they're toned down by the Baked Beans and sauce, but they do still have a little bite to them. I asked one of my friends if the Garlic Mash were really garlicky. She said, "Yes." So, to be honest, I don't think that I would like them that much. She loved them. What I do love is how tender and flavorful the meat is, and the rib meat falls off the bone. 😋 The front parking was full when we arrived, so I parked on Vanowen, next to the restaurant. My friends went around the corner, and parked in the back parking lot, on the other side of the restaurant, behind the Shell station. Some people were eating there on the patio, like us. It seemed, though, like the majority of people were taking their orders to go, whether they had called ahead, or ordered there. Regardless, they pack up all orders as if they are to go. Fair warning, they don't have their usual homemade ice tea or lemonade, as they used to. I'm sure that's because of Covid. Same reason, I'm sure, that they don't have tables inside, like they used to. They don't have any fountain drinks. They only have sodas and water in bottles, which is fine. Anyway, I highly recommend this place, if you want some really...