Heritage Barbecue — Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

We arrived at 10:48AM on a Wednesday, and there were already ~25 people waiting. After they opened at 11AM, we waited 25 minutes for our turn. FYI, the line had grown to about double in length by opening. It took us a total of three minutes to order four meat options and three sides, and that included the time it took for them to present, cut, and weigh the meats for approval. And it only took approximately two minutes for our order to arrive at our table, so we were ready to eat by 11:30AM.

The daily offerings are presented on two “chalkboard” sidewalk signs, one with the available meats (they recommend 1/2lb per person), and the other with sides, dessert, and specials. Note: all beverages must be ordered at the bar. There’s complimentary water available as well.

We ordered a half pound each of their Brisket, Pork Spare Ribs, and Char Siu Pork Belly, and one Sausage of the Day. We were shown each, then after slicing, they were weighed, and required our approval for the final weight. We ended up with 0.62lb, 0.50lb, and 0.52lb, respectively, which we were happy to accept. After paying, we received a number, then found a table, and before we could even get fully settled in, our food had already arrived!

The presentation was beautiful. The meats were arranged nicely with the sides surrounding it. The tray was also loaded with sliced dill pickles, pickled jalapeños (decently spicy!), pickled red onions, and their two sauces – one is what I consider the quintessential barbecue sauce that’s rich, a little smoky, tangy, and molasses-y, and the other is a sharp whole grain mustard sauce, which is perfect for their sausages!

Their 12-Hour Oak-Smoked Creekstone Farms Natural Black Angus Prime Beef Brisket was amazing! Incredibly tender, juicy, and flavorful with the perfect smokiness. It doesn’t even need sauce! It’s great with the sauce, but it’s that good on its own. The fatty cut was unreal, and while there was a section of the lean slices that was unfortunately dry, most of it was perfectly cooked and delicious. The Smoked Heritage Duroc Pork Spare Ribs were also wonderfully tender, smoky, and flavorful, and they required very little effort to separate the meat cleanly from the bones. Even the cartilage was really soft! The 10-12 Hour Cold-Smoked Char Siu Pork Belly with a housemade glaze featuring brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin, mirin, Chinese five spice seasoning, was succulent and mostly tender, but the thin exterior layer was tough at the bottom (it even took them a second pass to slice the pork), and while I wasn’t expecting the Char Siu that I know and love, the flavor was faint and didn’t have any of that characteristic depth and complexity. The Knackwurst, originally a German sausage, has many variations, and while I’m unsure of Heritage’s particular style, the intensely flavorful smoked link was heavily spiced, and there were large chunks of beef, pork, and fat which gave it a fantastic texture and bite.

The Mac & Cheese (cavatappi, housemade cheese sauce, breadcrumbs, parsley) was excellent and the Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Muffin from local FKN Bread was equally tasty with a hydrated crumb, but I wish it had a little more cheese. Also, all of the complimentary pickled vegetables were great, complementing the meat well.

We tried the Los Rios parking lot first, which would’ve been a ~5 minute walk, but it was full when we checked around 10:40AM. There’s a lot of street parking in the vicinity, but it was difficult to find a vacancy at that time. We were incredibly lucky to find a spot right in front of...

Let me start off by saying, thank you to Heritage BBQ for providing great southern bbq to south OC.

I was born and raised in Alabama near Dreamland so for my family, bbq was a way to celebrate life and always a staple at birthdays or special events.

Since living in California, it has been hard to find bbq that felt similar on quality levels, but look no more. Heritage is my new bbq home away from home!

My partner and I ordered the following:

Meats 1lbs ribs 1lbs turkey breast 1lbs brisket

Sides Potato salad Pickled onion Pickled peppers 1 jalapeno cornbread Mustard and sweet bbq sauce Bread pudding dessert

This was a ton of food! Took us three meals each to finish off the food and we still have pickled veggies and mustard sauce leftover.

The meats were cooked perfectly. Meat was falling off the rib bone and the turkey breast was moist with the perfect amount of smoke flavor. The brisket was fantastic too. Only note was the brisket was a tad too salty for my partner but I didn't share the same sentiment.

As for the sides, Heritage didn't hold back here. The bread pudding is something I may order when I'm in the neighborhood regardless of wanting BBQ. It's killer and honestly beats most New Orleans style bread pudding that I have had in the French Quarter when I lived there.

The pickled veggies and peppers are a must companion with your bbq, no complaints here, just get em!

Potato salad, was good. I will say as a Bama boy, fancy potato salad is a bit lost on me but it is very good if you like your potato salad all jazzed up. Wife destroyed it.

The cornbread is the only side I personally didn't like. In the south, how your family cook cornbread is often a sign of where you're from. In bama, our cornbread has a different texture and a bit more savory than sweet. This reminds me of North Carolina style cornbread, and a lot of folks love that style. Heritage, my grandma made killer jalapeno cornbread. DM me if you want her recipe!

Last but not least is sauce. I see a lot of reviews complaining about paying for the sauces and yes in the south you don't typically pay for your sauce, but Heritage BBQ gets a pass because their sauce tasted better than what I've had at Dreamland. Enough said.

Only downside in regards to the sauce is I ordered roadside pick-up and they forgot my sweet bbq sauce so I just had one small cup to use for 3lbs of meat. I'll check the bag next time!

My final notes:

Is heritage worth going? Yes, go early and on a weekday if you can.

Is Heritage too expensive? I couldn't afford to eat it every week, but this is top notch smoked meats served with love and personality. Only you can say if it is worth it, I enthusiastically say yes it is.

Thanks again Heritage BBQ, I'll...

we arrived at Heritage around noon on a beautiful saturday, and folks were commenting the line was as long as they had ever seen it. it stretched all the way through the pit area, down the block and the small hill to the municipal lot. the line moved, slowly, and several groups ahead of us bailed before getting to the front. their loss. we got to the front of the line roughly 2h40m after arriving, our group shared a couple rounds of the excellent beers they have on draft while waiting (you can enjoy drinks once you make it to the pit area) and the time passed quickly. By the time we ordered, the last biscuit had just sold out, and the pork belly had gone sometime before that. but we were able to order everything we wanted. the sides - the macaroni was deeply satisfying, not super cheesy tasting, but definitely creamy, a superb foil for a fatty peppery bite of brisket the chili was recommended and while delicious, was not my favorite thing we got. it was a little greasy, but the rest of my group loved it. the potato salad is a must order - SALTY! light and fluffy and cold, it’s excellent. parker house rolls were garlicky, buttery and soft. you need these if there are no biscuits left. we ordered a whole beef rib which rang in around $50, and well worth the money. if you come on a weekend it’s a must order. the bark is excellent, so peppery and crisp, and the meat just melts like nothing else. i’ve had some beef ribs in TX and this was up there with the best of them. we ordered fatty brisket (ask for the point) and a small piece of burnt ends (all they had left) and both were succulent and deeply smoky and beefy. the leaner part of the point had just a little bit of chew which i appreciated. doesn’t need sauce, but the smoky, sweet BBQ sauce at heritage elevated any bite. jalapeño cheddar kielbasa were a group favorite. generous nuggets of cheddar, not much jalapeño spice, but an incredible texture from an extended smoke. and the half chicken was outstanding. moist breast, tender leg, grab a couple pickles or pickled chilis that come on your tray with a little sauce or mustard and you’re in heaven. finally, the pulled pork certainly held its own, very moist, tender, would make a killer sandwich. bring a group of friends, brave the line, enjoy one of the best communal dining experiences in SoCal. thank...