Phil's BBQ — Restaurant in Temecula

So I have to say, if I'm being completely honest here I have to rate tonight's dinner fairly low but not for the reasons some might think. The cuts and taste of the barbecue on both of our orders was extremely delicious since we both ordered two different kinds of meat for our meal, each had its own taste but the flavor was awesome! The serving size of the meat portions themselves was awesome as well and so were the fries however the fries seemed like they had been taken out of the fryer a half an hour before they were even put on our plate and probably tasted like they were rejuvenated by a heat lamp or even possibly microwave that's how stale they tasted. My problem is the dish was loaded fries and I can assure you they were not loaded with anything except for the barbecue which is the most expensive item and makes no sense because the amount of cheese we got was about 1 tbsp on an entire order of loaded fries oh, and not the small one either they were the large order. Like I said makes no sense considering the meat is what happens to cost the most which was completely tasty but the whole thing was blown by stale fries stacked underneath the barbecue with about a tablespoon worth of cheese so that pretty much kills the deal in my opinion. I have been going to Phil's BBQ for many years however this was my first visit to the Inland Empire location and I can assure you if this is what I can expect it will be my last sadly. When you walk out of an establishment like this and wish you would have went to the place with the yellow sign that's pretty bad considering how much time and effort Phil's puts into their BBQ Meats. Like I mentioned I hope this is just a one-off thing because I really would hate to think that quality Is this vastly different between the two locations. It could very well have been but this was a small night out after a very long week so far and it just kind of killed it for me. Maybe next time I'll have better luck. Don't get me wrong the customer service was awesome and the beer was absolutely excellent! It's just the execution of the...

This sucks. I have come here since they were tiny. In the early 2000s. I used to visit their first location in the neighborhood of Hillcrest in San Diego. The line used to be out the door and down the street. I have had a lot of great experiences at their different locations over the years. Today was a zero star, though. I live in Phoenix. I drove six hours to get here this morning to see my parents. We arrived at Phil's immediately after they opened at 11 am. We were the 2nd customer of the day. We ordered our food and sat down like every other time. 20 minutes go by, and I notice the man that ordered after us is eating. The couple after him is eating, and the 4-top that ordered after them is just getting their food. I decided to go up and ask where our order was. They claimed it's coming right up. I go back and sit down again. I immediately noticed the 6-top that came in four customers after us is now getting their food. I told my parents to grab their stuff we are leaving. I went up and asked to speak to a manager for a refund. He offers to give me my food in a box because it is supposedly done now. Sure it was. Just like it was "coming right up" before. No thanks. The last thing I need is food that somebody has spit in. Then he proceeds to tell me that he can't give me a refund on the spot. It has to go through corporate. He needs my name, my number, and my email address. Are you serious? Do you need my address too? Are you going to send me a check? Maybe deliver it by horseback? Do you not have a computer system? What a clown show. I walked out without a refund. It's best to walk away from something like that before you end up doing something you will regret. To top it all off, my handicapped father leaves his phone there in our booth. So my Mom has to go back and deal with an unkind arrogant female employee at the front. Congrats on becoming garbage, Phil's. Thanks for the 20+ years...

I can't understand the good reviews. We ordered a pulled pork sandwich and a rib teaser. The pulled pork was extremely dry and quite charred. We were choking on it trying to get it down. The char didn't add to the flavor at all. The ribs were well-cooked, if somewhat charred. At least they were moist. The fries were cold and old. The two onion rings were cold and the breading was starting to soften. Maybe it was because we came at 4 and the food wasn't moving as fast. The worst part for both of us was the terrible bbq sauce. I made the mistake of telling them I wanted it on the ribs and sandwich. I thought this meant they cook it on a bit so it's caramelized. No they just pour the uncooked sauce on top. It is disgusting. Imagine the sweet apple flavor of apple butter, but more of an apple cider. You get this super-sweet, extremely sour and sharp flavor that had us choking. I used all my napkins trying to wipe it off.

This place is probably not irredeemable. If you want to try it, get the rib teaser. They gave a good amount of ribs, and you get to try the fries, onion rings and coleslaw. This will save you from wasting more money trying more than one thing. Get the sauce on the side so you aren't stuck with it if you find it as we did. Go at a time they are moving food fast, or ask for them to make your sides fresh. This will maximize the possibility of you enjoying your dining experience.

The highlight of the experience was the guy that came over and asked us if this was our first time, and was super-friendly and helpful in taking our order. I never got his name but he was a good looking (above the mask) black guy in this late teens. Give this guy a gold star because he went above and beyond.

I wish I could say the experience was a good one, but the food was a disaster and it was just a waste of money that had us regretting finally getting down to...