Beach Pit BBQ

We came here to try something new. The atmosphere was nice. Great outdoor seating. We ordered a sample platter, which had chicken, pulled pork, ribs, brisket and sausage. I felt that the meats were a bit dry and lacked flavor. We also ordered burnt ends and that was actually really good. I should’ve just ordered that as my meal with some dinner rolls and would’ve been satisfied. The baked beans were tasty, Mac and cheese was blah and coleslaw was just ok.
Staff were super nice and friendly.

Best BBQ in Orange County! The owner and staff are all extremely friendly and helpful, and the food is absolutely amazing every single time! I will definitely be coming back again, and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for great tasting food at an affordable price!

The kindest staff and the best barbecue. I love the ambiance, and sitting outside when it’s warm and sunny out for dinner is so wonderful with their benches and cute set up. It has an old rustic feel but the food is timeless.

Holy smokes the pulled pork sandwich is AH-​MAZING! Smokey deliciousness and I love that you have the option of the sauce on the side. Mac n cheese was good and so was the cornbread! Service was fantastic and we will definitely be back– soon! I would have taken a picture but I was so hungry I forgot. Sorry people, just try it.

Great food, love the pulled pork, great service, very cool atmosphere. Definitely recommend this place!
P. s. Don’t forget the banana pudding for dessert

Disclaimer: I’m from California, and my only «real BBQ» experience is Rudy’s in Austin, TX and Chandler, AZ — I love that place! So all y’all who are BBQ experts, sorry…
Beach Pit is one of my favorite spots in Orange County, and is the only place I go to get my BBQ fix. I pretty much just order burnt ends any time I go. Although the salad and their sandwiches are all really good. It has been several years since I tried their ribs. At the time, they were good, but not great. I’ll have to try them again soon. The sides are all decent, and their sauces are right up my alley. The updated décor is nice, and the new ownership seems really friendly.

Burnt ends. … BOOOOOO-​YA!!!### EFFEN love em here. The street corn is a great way too round out your meal … along with a frosty beer. This paver also place alos plays blues so thats really puts it over the top. A+++

Some very dear friends asked us to dinner and suggested their favorite BBQ spot the area. I’ve never heard of this place, Beach Pit BBQ. Lots of cool new restaurants up and down this block but was really a hidden gem. An old converted house that has had several owners in recent years. I can tell you this… whoever owns it now is doing a great job. I never asked his name but the owner was all over the place greeting guests, clearing tables and giving menu suggestions. He also owns Pizza Lounge on Main St. In HB.
We took an outside table on this gorgeous Friday night and were quite comfortable. A really pretty spot even though we were next to the parking lot. The inside was available as well and had two different big screen TVs. You order at the counter and they bring out the food to you. Decent beers on tap… maybe 5 to choose from.
My wife and I split two plates including baby back ribs, brisket, BBQ beans, mac n cheese, collard greens, sweet potato fries and blueberry cornbread. The ribs were delicious. Decent flavor and smokiness with a nice glaze. The brisket disappointed as it came out a little dry. The side dishes were some of the best I ever had. Exceptionally good, all the way around. Very unique flavors and textures to the beans.
3.5 stars, rounded up based on value, service and ambiance. Not the best meat, pretty dang important in a BBQ joint, but I loved everything else about the place.

This place has fantastic BBQ! I had chopped BBQ chicken salad. My southern gentleman loves the collard greens. Excellent!

OK BEST BBQ !!! we love this place AMAZING burnt ends !! great sauces ,
we live in newport so its so great to have this close, there is others but nothing as good as this place, LOVE LOVE !!!

Just wow! What a hidden Gem. The brisket and pulled Pork are the best I’ve had in Orange County. And blueberry corn bread. Yummm. This place is a must try

What can I say, Garrett is one of the best ever! He was running the restaurant like a boss when things got hectic. Every business would love to have a guy like this working for them. He kept saying «gotting» though, I’m not sure what that means, but the food and service were as good as ever! Thanks Beach Pit BBQ!

After being let down by Newport Ribs we gave Beach Pit a go, what a great find! The St. Louis ribs were perfectly cooked, seasoning was absolutely on point and each rib was fall off the bone moist tender bliss.
Their sides were creative, sweet potato fries with a great dipping sauce are a must, coleslaw was light and tasty. Their corn bread will also be a unique and pleasant discovery.
Small outdoor seating area goes great with the typical Costa Mesa weather.
Can’t wait to try their catering services!

Timmy’s Texas Toast. Blueberry corn bread!!!
The three slider combo is great! I tried the pulled chicken, pulled pork, and the beef brisket. They are served on Hawaiian rolls with one side. I tried the coleslaw, it’s vinegar-​based, a little sweet and a little spicy. Everything was good, but the pulled pork was my favorite by far.
We also tried the fried pickles, which are new to the menu since the new owners took over. They are good, but can be extremely salty. I recommend putting them on your pulled pork sandwich for extra salt and crunch. They should make that a sandwich option! Because a whole basket of fried pickle chips is a lot to finish for one or two or even three people.

Great Music!
Then there is the awesomely clean bathrooms. And the look is quaint and homey. I really hate to discourage you from coming here as It has good food, just not as good as it could be. Stay away from the collards, no one orders them so they are stewed well. The Cornbread, well my Mississippi girl says they put sugar in it and thats a no go. other than that the sweet potato fries are great and the meat falls off the pork ribs. I thought they were good and reasonable for the full rack. But not Mississippi prices, California reasonable.

Beach Pit Barbecue
First time I’ve had you
Pulled pork, chicken or brisket sandwiches, oh my!
Dumped the sauce on, not an inch of it was dry
Make sure you get extra napkins, I said
He forgot, and I slapped him on the head
They said best pulled pork sandwich ever
Go somewhere else? I say never!
P. S. Jk about the slapping… no abuse occurred, I promise

Beach Pit BBQ is definitely one of the eating places we miss since we moved to the other side of the bay. However, when we do make a trip to the Western side of the Upper Newport Bay we have a short list of favorite places visit or to get food to bring home.
Beach Pit has been a favorite since their first week of business. Fortunately everyone in our family loves Bar-​B-​Q and Beach Pit makes it with a traditional slow smoke method.
The toughest decision is what Not to order. Luckily they have nice family packs which allow us to get just about everything. Besides all of the meats being delicious, they have maintained the same quality or better. Other yummy items are the best Beans and Blueberry Cornbread around. I have some southern roots so I’m kinda partial to the fried Okra too.
Great place to have dinner or lunch with family or friends and comfortable outdoor seating if you choose makes it feel like you’re attending a good BBQ without having to do the work. Just kick back and enjoy.

This place is amazing ! Just had the brisket salad. Worked perfectly for paleo too. Delicious meat very tasty will be back soon. My friend had the bbq chicken salad.

We love beach pit BBQ. It’s so cozy here and the food is beyond yummy. We had the new BBQ brisket salad and Ceaser turkey sandwich. The ribs are amazing and my go to fave with the MacnCheese and coleslaw. They also have craft beers on tap and it’s dog friendly with a cute outdoor patio.

Beach Pit will work in the event you are fiending barbecue in south Costa Mesa, but true aficionados will leave disappointed.
As great as the Hispanic and Asian cuisine can be in Orange County, barbecue has always been a point of frustration for us down here in the orange curtain (well, SoCal as a whole really… less Bludo’s). Beach Pit has aimed to change that for years now and although I applaud their effort, OC isn’t going to be confused with KC, Memphis or even St. Louis anytime soon.
The restaurant is a retrofitted home right off of 17^th and that gives the joint a quirky feel but at the expense of little parking and somewhat cramped eating quarters. The employees are all jovial and willing to please and the format is your standard fast casual. The prices could be argued as high, but that is sadly the case with almost all Barbecue regardless of where you are. Expect to spend about $ 20.00 a head to really get the experience along with a beer.
The Pièce De Résistance for lunch would have to be the North Carolina Style Beef Brisket which features a hefty helping of their slow smoked brisket along with a scoop of homemade cole slaw on top served on a large hoagie style roll. The smoke flavor is well balanced but less pronounced than I hoped for and I will admit it was rather dry. Complaints aside, it was still real deal barbecue and smoky enough to quell the yearnings until the next time I make it out east.
I have also tried their St. Louis Spare Rib and at $ 15.99 for a half rack, it is not cheap but they do a decent job paying homage to the ‘Lou. The meat took on a nice about of smoke and you can distinguish the bark as soon as you cut off a piece. My ribs suffered from a bit of dryness and Beach Pit’s own Barbecue sauce needed to be employed which is something I hate doing but again, it saved me a trip to Compton so I will take it for now.
The Blueberry Cornbread and Mac ‘N Cheese sides both served purpose but lacked and flair while doing so and the Mexican dishes they dare to churn out are an abomination. The thought of them as menu items left me perplexed as I tried to figure out who would be interested in a Burrito from a Barbecue joint in the first place. Add to the fact you are trying to compete with Mexican in a city named Costa Mesa and my only advice is to stick with Barbecue and focus on perfecting it before taking on an entirely different genre. Face palm material at best.
Beach Pit is hardly something I would bring company from out of state to try. Hell, with Santa Maria’s barbecue I wouldn’t bring people from California there to show off. That said, it is an option in an arena with few contenders (the superior Famous Dave’s and overly expensive Lucille’s are on the short list) so I have to grade on a curve here and give Beach Pit the benefit of a 3 star rating.