Gram's BBQ Restaurant & Catering — Restaurant in Riverside

What I love about the Mission revival is that it's widened the sidewalk allowing for some patio and parking, both of which Mission Avenue Bar & Grill have taken advantage of.

This is an industry bar so any given night you'll find workers from many of the local bars and restaurants who have closed, winding down after their shift. I've had drinks with people from PHH, Masters, Breakwater and see about a half dozen more places represented here on the weeknights. Sometimes it's dead, but that's not why they come. They come because it's inexpensive, the drinks are strong, they are open late and serve food late and it's super chill.

Patio is expansive and even has a little corner with furniture cushions. Indoor set up is clean, tall tables, bench seating on the side and a single long well lit bar. The bathrooms are around the right in the back past the office. Pretty basic stuff.

Décor is pretty classic for a Bar & grill, but nothing like Tremont. The menu is somewhere between traditional fried bar food and gastro places like say Compass. They do a solid burger and an ok steak. French fries are perfectly cooked, but they could offer up more sauces and more sauce per order. Classic presentations to things like sliders. Blackened shrimp is a bit of a small app, but well thought out with an apple salad and lemon remlouade. Papa rellena is an interesting twist on a stuffed potato, the sweetness of the raisins and the chipotle sour cream subdue the pork belly and the lamb softens the umaminess. Ty's burger lounge still makes the best burger this side of the 5, but I'm glad they offer bison, ahi and lamb here. Most places steer clear from much lamb. Ribeye is a little overpriced for not being prime, sorry, but steak needs no sauce. I still need to come and review their brunch, but you know how hard that is when you close the place down Saturday and spend most of their brunch hour recovering.

For a place that's supremely California and specifically Oceanside I love how all their beers are from California approx. 40. They have a solid selection of Whiskey and Bourbon 60 or so, but sorry no Pappy limited releases. Whiskey sours, 7 and 7s and mule's are solid. Poured with a heavy hand. Copper mugs are available. Ambiant music is solid, but it's probably just some hip Spotify station. It's certainly not a sports bar despite the TV's. The lighting hangs low and almost obstructs from certain parts of the restaurant.

It's a super solid place to come on your north bound bar crawls from LTH which closes way too early, to masters which may a little high brow and on your way to Haunted head and firewater. It's the perfect "1 drink" sort of place that has you...

My wife and I have been here several times now, our first experience was a positive one. We Loved the Beef Ribs, they were fall off the bone tender and seasoned very well. However! Each and every time we've gone back it has never been the same. We've always gotten the beef ribs and they have been either to salty, to dry, or just plain skimpy. We believe in supporting small businesses, especially Black and Hispanic owned businesses. And we dont mind driving some distance if the food is worth it. Our drive to Grams's is more than 20 miles from our home. TODAY will be our last. Our cashier was Anita, before placing our order, I asked " how are the Ribs today?" Her response was short. " they're great, perfect." I then explained, " i ask because the last time here they were skimpy and not very good." She said "sorry to hear that." With an attitude of oh well. After pausing for a second and rolling her eyes, she then said..."let me ask the cook." When she returned her comment was..." the chef said they're medium." Well against my better judgement I ordered two beef rib dinners at a cost of $60.79 plus a minimum tip for a total cost of $69.91. When they were served they were Tuff and un edible, each plate had 3 ribs each, 6 in total, of the 6 only 1 rib from each plate was capable of being eaten without a fight. With disgust we packed up the remainder and walked out. My wife asked why didnt I say something? My explanation was, " we've been here several times, I did express to the cashier that we weren't happy during our past visits, it didnt seem to matter much to her. So why waste my time or money with an establishment who's employees dont care about the concerns of its customers and where the food is not consistent in its preperation. Instead I'll keep my hard earned cash in my pocket, my gas in my car and just not come back here again. Maybe they'll hear that...

I would give it a 4.5 if I could.

We were craving some good southern bbq, so tried Gram's after a quick Google search showed a decent rating. Overall. it was delicious and we would go there again.

Portion sizes are pretty good. I ordered a little of everything. A Friday catfish special, the family bbq pack, 2 racks pork ribs, a rack of beef ribs, and a bunch of their sides. I got waaaay more than I needed, so I froze some of the trays they come in.

The meat! Deep smoked flavor and sauce was okay. The family fav was the pork ribs. They were little more tender than the beef ribs. The beef ribs were a little on the fatty side, but that happens! Sauce was decent. A bit tangy for my liking with a deep black pepper bite. I prefer a sweeter sauce, so when I reheated the leftovers (will comment on that next), I added brown sugar. The chicken and fish were excellent though.

They freeze well! As stated earleir I got too much food. After spending $256 dollars, I wasn't about to throw it out. Instead, I wrapped the aluminum containers in plastic wrap and stuck them in freezer. I added a bit of water and brown sugar and warmed them up in a skillet. They turned out just as good as the day I bought them!

Reason for loss of .5 star- I was really looking forward to the sides and they were pretty good. However, the mac n cheese was too soggy for my liking, but there was plenty of cheese on them. Coleslaw had raisins, which I don't like. The collard greens were tender, but very salty. The cornbread had good flavor, but was dry. I really enjoyed the yams, fried green tomatoes, and the potato salad.

I recommend trying Gram's if you are in the mood for...