Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que

So I went to Lucille’s for dinner a week ago the food was terrible some of the driest brisket I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. The brisket was flavorless also the service wasn’t very great so I have to write this your restaurant at 1star

The meat was hard. The fries were cold. Don’t sit in Indigo’s section. She’s rude!!! This was at 1pm on a Thursday. No excuse!

The brisket here is the best. Came in thinking chicken but saw a brisket plate and immediately changed my mind and glad I did. Great tea great, great food great service.

It hurts me to write this review but my food experience was awful, bad service and cold food. However when I spoke to management he did try to offer other ordering options but it was to late. This was supposed to a girls out lunch but it wasn’t. Oh lastly the waitress got upset when I asked for extra biscuits!!! I

My friends chose this place to celebrate a graduation. We had a party of 10.
We started off with drinks, a couple of us got the strawberry lemonade, which was insanely sweet; if I think something is too sweet, everyone else would too, since I constantly consume sugar all day. They did confirm my assumption.
We had a family platter which contained really good bbq chicken (best thing they had), okay pork ribs (nothing special), and some disgusting popcorn okra (it made me literally gag; mistaken for a fried mozzarella ball). Sweet potato fries were a good option.
I had the catfish and shrimp plate. The popcorn shrimp was great. The catfish was grey and uncooked on one half. I tried eating part of it and it tasted like slime. I told the waitress and she had the manager bring out another one that was guaranteed fully cooked (it was only about 90% white, 10% grey). I don’t blame the manager or waitress. I blame the cook. They took out the price of the catfish from the bill, which was really considerate of them.
Service is great and the manager cares for customer satisfaction. However, the food just didn’t work with me that time. If I return, I’ll only go for bbq chicken and their biscuits with apple butter.

Update:
Manager contacted me on Unilocal and sent me a $ 25 gift card. Tried again and specifically asked for melted, melted cheese. Had no problems. Server was uncommonly good.

I am giving this location three stars because of the inconsistent service and food quality. This is one of my favorite restaurants, if they actually get those two important things right. I have been here several times and sometimes the servers are slow getting back to you, don’t check on you, or orders are incorrect. I have also ordered and have had issues with my food not fully cooked (last time I ordered for pick up, the biscuits were stale and the sausage was undercooked). My most recent experience, I had good food, but the server Jojo was terrible. She never came to check to see if we needed anything or our drinks refilled, not once. She only was seen for our orders, picking up the plates while bringing the check out (which is when she finally asked if we wanted a refill on drinks). After I placed my debit card in the slot to pay, it took 16 min and still no sign of her (I had somewhere to go and was checking my time, this is unfortunately accurate), so I asked for someone else to take my payment.
Furthermore, I think on weekends they should still offer their lunch menu.

Just ate dinner here tonight. Been coming to eat here for awhile. The Baby Back Ribs are so amazing. I’ve never had better ribs than Lucille’s. The best bargain for 2 – 3 people is the Back Porch which comes with ¼ BBQ chicken, 3 slices of tri-​tip, ½ ribs and 2 sides for $ 32.99. And the biscuits on top of it, that’s plenty of food for 2 – 3 people to share. And you get to try everything.
We always get the BBQ chips as the appetizer. They are addictive so be careful! Tonight they had an amazing Blues band playing in the bar. We had such a fun evening. Lucille’s never disappoints. If you are looking for amazing smoke house BBQ, this is your place.

This was my first time at this location and I have to say I’m not a major fan but a gift card and free appetizer coupon got us here Friday night.
We arrived around 6ish and the place was getting busy but we still managed to get a booth in the bar. Service was pretty decent for a Friday night.
We ordered some drinks and the onion straw appetizer which I would suggest only ordering half for 2 people but since we had the free coupon we did the full serving. They are good and addicting and you can’t stop eating them. The same goes for the apple butter and biscuits! Yummm!
I had the BBQ chicken sandwich with no cheese and it was really really good! Next time (if there is one) I’ll ask for the French roll to be toasted. The bread was kind of blah! My BF had the pub burger and he loved it except for the raw bacon on it. We told the server and they brought out a cooked side of bacon. Otherwise he would order again. The fries are shoestring fries and realllly good too!
Overall it was a pleasant experience and slightly changed my view of Lucille’s! If I do end up wanting to eat here again I’ll definitely choose this location over lake forest!

We went on Memorial Day so no wait time YAY!
Food is always good and portions are big so bring your appetite Great place for families they have indoor and outdoor seating. Very friendly staff and just an all around great place to dine. My mom loves this place so we come here often. Plus Costco has a gift card deal where you get $ 100 card for like $ 80 so you get $ 20 of food for basically free.

First off I want to start by saying I love Lucille’s. I love Lucille’s so much that I had them cater my wedding. The catering service was top notch and they were amazing and the food was as fresh as ordering it at the restaurant. I paid for the full service and they set up everything beautifully with their own table and linens. You can even request what linens you want them to use to go along with your theme. I didn’t know this special fact until right before but I was still able to request it. The lady at the catering service phone line was polite and worked with me on when I had to give final head counts and when I had to pay, which suprisingly enough wasn’t until like a few days before my wedding. Also be careful how much you order if you have 80 guests you can be safe by saying you have 70 or even 60 and still have enough food to feed 80 because they portion out such large portions per person. I had trays upon trays of food left and that was after I took 15 people off my order. So that just goes to show how much food they portion out per person.
Needless to say I would recommend Lucille’s to anybody even for your wedding, as many people commented on how great the food was.
Love. Love. Love. Love

I came here with a big group of ~20 guys to celebrate someone’s birthday. We were able to all be seated together as this place is pretty huge. It reminds me of Texas Roadhouse, but not as impressive as far as the food goes. The prices are definitely comparable, and the portions are huge, but I expected more from the food quality.
Sugar biscuit with apple butter: a nice starter, and the biscuit is really more like a dinner roll. Some people really liked it, and the sugar on top is not too sweet.
Queso dip with beef and tortilla chips: not as tasty as Café Rio, but still pretty good. A decent size to share with three or four people.
Brisket nachos: boring overall, it’s just nachos with meat on it, and you can get better at other places. If it was $ 2 – 3 cheaper it would be worth it.
Brisket: I got this as part of the combo plate and was probably the best thing I had, but hit or miss with the party overall. Some people got pretty dry portions, and I was lucky enough to get some with good amount of juicy fat.
Ribs: Part of the combo plate, a little dry but liked the flavor. I like the ribs at Texas better, as these are less meaty.
I also got collared greens and sweet potato fries as part of the plate, pretty respectable. Overall I didn’t like that there was so much variation with the same food given to each of us, kind of hit or miss whether your will get the good brisket.

I come here for my birthday and special occasions because I can’t get enough of this place!
The price is a lot but th food is just so good! Their biscuits and apple butter are to die for. I usually hate bread but I eat at least 2 – 3 of their biscuits. I wish I could eat just those sometimes.
The tri tip and hot link are my favorite items on the menu. For sides, get the garlic mashed potatoes and barbecue beans. Don’t get the grits as you will probably be disappointed.
My girlfriend loves the beef ribs here as well.
Appetizers have all been good so far. I love the queso dip with brisket. Their sausage sampler was good but not worth ordering again.
Their custard dessert was delicious also.
Have always found their servers to be top notch

The location itself is very nice – by far the coolest looking Lucille’s I’ve been to.
The service is decent but the food and the quality not good at all.
We ordered the ribs and there was not meat on them just fat. I ordered a sangria that didn’t taste that good. We got that amazing bread with the apple sauce, I’m guessing they freeze it because it was hard and as time went by a liquid (I’m assuming water) started to form at the top of the dip. The bread was barely warm. Overall not so tasty.
I like the location but I’m questioning the food. Not from the area so wont be back.

I’ve been here twice, and forgot to write up a review for the first time, so I’ll write up a review for yesterday’s experience. I wasn’t expecting this place to be that packed since the two times I’ve been here were on weekdays. I got the four-​alarm burger, and to be honest, the burger tasted all right for something that’s not that hot and spicy. Sure, it’s not like the 50-​alarm burger like the one I’ve had at Slater’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ two years ago, but as far as size wise, the four-​alarm was pretty close. It came with a ½ — pound patty with pepperjack cheese, and a spicy and smokey BBQ sauce, which was GOOD, and both fresh AND crispy jalapeños, as well as a chipotle mayonnaise on a herb focaccia bread. YUM! The sweet potato fries were also good, but I expected them to be warmed up a bit, but I won’t take off a star for that since it’s was a minor thing.
Since there was no one inside the restaurant, I could say that the service could use a little pick-​up, but again, minor thing, so I won’t take a star off for this review. As long as the food was up to my standards, that’s all that matters. :)

We had a group luncheon here this past Saturday for about 10 of us. We made a reservation and our table was set up right on time. Our waitress, Melissa was just a doll. I know it’s hard to take care of a large group but she had no problems being sure that we had everything that we needed.
For appetizers we got the Brisket Burnt Ends and the Southern Fried Okra, both were delicious. I kept it simple and ordered their chicken sandwich which was good. The ladies ordered a wide variety of items from fried chicken to tri-​tip to sliders. Everyone loved their food and we had leftovers to take home.
It’s a great place to host large get togethers and there is plenty of parking right in front. This will definitely be on our list when we have our luncheons.

I went here last night for dinner with a friend. We ended up sitting at the bar and eating because there was no wait to sit there. The bartender was friendly and took our orders. The food runner came and brought our food but left so quickly we couldn’t even ask her for silverware. We sat there for a few minutes trying to flag down a bartender and finally did, but if you’re running out the food– couldn’t you make sure the people have silverware? The bartender also could have given it to us when we first ordered which would have streamlined everything. Train the bartenders to do this, most people at the bar were eating.
No one asked either me or my friend if we needed a drink refill throughout the meal. At the end of the meal I managed to get a bartenders attention to get more water.
As for the food…
Beef Brisket: Not good. It looks and tastes over processed. I’ve had real BBQ down in Texas and loved beef brisket so this was a disappointment.
The BBQ sauce: The Lucille’s original BBQ sauce was very tasty.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Really good. I love red mashed potatoes with a little of the skin in them, these were that kind, good garlic taste.
Macaroni and Cheese: Really good as well. They said that they make the mac and cheese there. It tasted homemade.
I wanted to do dessert but by the time we could get anyone’s attention it was so long we decided to go elsewhere. The main bartender was doing something at the end of the bar– schedule or something like that with one of the waitresses and not paying attention. There was another guy there that finally got us our check.
My friend got the ribs and loved them, she says that is what they do really well. However, I would expect a BBQ place to do brisket well too. I might go back to try something else on the menu, the sides (Garlic Mash and Mac&Cheese) were really good. Also, I feel like if we were at a table with a server, the service would have been better. The bar area is where they could improve.

#HUMPDAY Date Nights at Lucille’s — it’s casual and relaxing atmosphere lends itself to a memorable time with the right company. Service is muy excelente!

We always have a great time here. Helpful friendly staff. Great food. The last time I ate here I was under the weather with not much of an appitite. I had the tritip salad which was AMAZING and BIG enough to share. The server Dulce was so nice and helpful when I asked about the ginger ale they served. This company knows how to do BBQ and their staff know how to serve the guests that come in. We’ll definitely be back soon.

Basically: liked the food, hated the service.
I guess it’s partially my fault that I came here on such a busy Sunday night, but our server was less than okay. Although he was friendly, he rarely came by to check on us, took 20 minutes after ordering to give us our bread, and when he did he only gave us two, when we were a party of three. When we finally got our food after forty minutes of waiting, it was alright. Tried the gumbo and it was super salty. Tri tip sandwich was pretty good, and the tri tip salad was enough to satisfy I guess. Their ribs are way better in my opinion. When we were ready to get our check, it was difficult to track down our server and ask for it. Will probably be coming back soon, but definitely on a less busier day and will order something else.

Terrible service!!! Waited 20 minutes and we didn’t even get water. We left the restaurant and nobody even noticed. Keep in mind that it was a party of 5.

Used to love Lucille’s consistent good food and service, but the last 3 visits have been mediocre. Went on ²⁄₁₀ to celebrate Valentine’s Day early, as Hubby will be out of town, so I splurged on the New York steak. So disappointed with the tough, gristle piece of meat I received, not worth $ 30, that’s for sure.
There are so many dining choices in the area, will go elsewhere for awhile, then maybe try again. Bummer.

I have to say I was quite excited to try this place. Fresh off work, and biting at the bit for something good. I ordered a chicken bbq sandwich and my boyfriend ordered a smoked chicken pasta, both just okay for the price and the wait time.
It was a shame we waited at least 35 minutes for it, we hardly saw our staff although she was nice, we tipped for her. But waited another 10 – 15 for the check and then to get the card back. It’s fairly hard to hear one another in the venue and we decided to leave to get some silence.

Service here is top notch, really friendly workers who make you feel comfortable and check up on you to see how you’re doing.
I came here wanting to rip meat but I got a sandwich instead — cajun chicken sandwich. The bread was crispy outside and fluffy inside, like a baguette, it was wonderful. My cajun chicken was just the perfect spice level I like, and I love that they include avocado in addition to fresh lettuce and tomato in it. I also got a lemonade on the side — made perfectly, just the way I like it, just how my dad makes it, with the perfect balance of sweet and sour. It came in a huge mason jar and is refillable — wonderful. I also got sweet potato fries as my side — so good — and there were many other options for sides, like cole slaw, even watermelon slices — whaaaat. I liked how there were 3 bbq sauces on the table — bbq sauce is what I live for and is what I came to Lucille’s for — and I enjoyed my sandwich with the classic bbq sauce.
My boyfriend and I sniffed the hot and spicy bbq sauce and it smelled really spicy and we chickened out from trying it lol. He got a bacon bbq burger and it was deliciously melted with cheddar cheese, with Dr. Pepper in a big mason jar as well.
We really enjoyed our meal and the experience but I do have to complain about the noise level. I was trying to have a nice date with my boyfriend but it’s just way too loud to have conversation here. We were placed at a table right next to the bar and sadly it was the only table (4 seats available) for 2 because the place was packed. The doors to the bar were open and the band was playing loud, and even though I love live bands and live music, this was not the time and occasion. I had to shout to my boyfriend and we were right next to each other.
But this place is great to eat, lots of options with a vast menu, and great customer service. Just make sure you don’t come too late because its packed (we waited 15 minutes, not too bad) and there’s no good tables to sit at. We also got complementary biscuits with some sweet cream on the side, which was nice.

I’ve been wanting to try this location a few times before giving a thoughtful review. Since 1 visit is not fair because we’ll we all have off days!
Recently had dinner with hubby and dad, what a treat!
Their bbq although a chain is quite good. I will admit for the price you can get a better deal elsewhere however they’ve really captured the southern flare!
We did the 2 meat combo with bbq beans and potatoes. Delish! Also do yourself a favor and try their sweet tea, it’s not the best I’ve ever tasted however it’s consistently good!
All in all you won’t be disappointed, treat your server fairly and you will have a great time.

I will be back just because our server was A-​MA-​ZING! You don’t expect to have fantastic service at a place like this, but as a former server, I was really impressed! I am so mad at myself for forgetting his name!
We came in on New Year’s Day in a party of 10. Working holiday’s sucks for server’s, but he was super personable and quite attentive. He made great recommendations (being my first time at Lucille’s), and was obviously experienced dealing with 10 people (only two were kids).
The food was good. It’s not the most amazing BBQ in the world, but it definitely is pretty good.

I always enjoy my time here. They have a sizable menu and good BBQ. But their quality is inconsistent. Service is friendly but they can get backed up. I’ve always left happy but not always satisfied.

Couldn’t decide what to eat for today’s lunch so I decided to drop by Tustin District. My first choice was going to Blue Water Grill but after I read some reviews on Unilocal I found out they serve skimpy portions. So I choose Lucilles BBQ instead and had the following.
BBQ Sausage ³⁄₅ it has a nice flavor but it was dried
Hot Sausage ³⁄₅ it was dried with a little kick
Small Onion Straws ²⁄₅ wasn’t crunchy but the dipping sauce wasn’t bad
BBQ Ribs Tips ³⁄₅ part of my portions were burnt
Smoked House BBQ Burger ⁴⁄₅ now this is a party in my mouth with big slices of bacon and melting cheddar cheese with the onion straws and BBQ sauce.
Snickers Ice Cream Pie ⁵⁄₅ one word to describe this desert «heaven» if you don’t mind the burning some calories later on.
Muddy Water ³⁄₅ AKA Arnold Palmer the best Arnold Palmer I had was at Ruth Chris Steak House.
Service ⁴⁄₅ service was great, waitress keeps on filling up my glass and provided warm towels.
This could been a 4 stars review but both of my sausage was dried not juicy. Also my ribs tips part of my order was burnt. Also the waitress didn’t offer me any biscuit I had better experience food wise at the Cerritos location.

Smelled great when walking in. Had my reservation so I didn’t have to wait 2 hours. Got in in 20 min. Great service by Johnny.
Food was ok. Pulled pork… awesome.
Tri-​tip was not. It was dry and lacking flavor. I usually like to enjoy the meat without sauce but I needed to drench the meat to enjoy it.
The cornbread and muffins and garlic mashed potatoes was awesome also.. Just let down by the tri tip. I was never asked how cooked I wanted it either. Over all. .it was good. Had a gift card to use.

5 star for food. St. Louis ribs and beef ribs. Creamy cole slaw very good. I like it better Than peanut slaw. I recommend. I always eat at the bar to avoid the wait

Came again and we had a much better visit this time. Only waited about 15 minutes from our reservation time. Got the tri tip & baby back rib combo with fries and corn to share. Everything was pretty good, I love the biscuits and apple butter! Customer service could’ve been better but overall had a good experience.

Came here for lunch and snagged a table. Ordered the crispy fried chicken burger and the sausage sandwich. Both proteins on the burger were tasty, well seasoned,
and well prepared. The color on the baguettes for the sausage sandwich definitely needed some color and the buns in the burger could of used some toasting but still tasted good nonetheless.
Their complimentary biscuits with their sweet butter is awesome. I could fill myself up on theses alone.
I prefer this location than the one in lake forest for service and atmosphere.

My parents, brother, BF, and I came here for NYE happy hour, but we were not aware that it was only available at the bar. But that’s okay! Our server was friendly and attentive with our order and drink refills of strawberry lemonade. We shared: the 10 oz BBQ beef brisket and the family feast of Tri-​tip, BBQ chicken, and Baby back Ribs with sides of mac and cheese, corned bread, garlic mashed potatoes, and crispy french fries. Everything was delicious aside from the tough tri-​tip, maybe it is just the day and time we came because the tri-​tip is usually a favorite among the BBQ items. My brother ordered a vegetarian burger with side of cornbread and thoroughly enjoyed his entrée as well. I have been here previously for call-​in and pick-​up without any hassle as well.
Parking is ample. Restrooms were clean and well-​maintained. Complimentary biscuits with their honey cinnamon butter were offered along with tootsie roll lollipops at the end.
Tip: Join their e-​mail club for $ 5 off a future visit. Also get a complimentary dessert on your birthday (which I forgot to print out and bring with me… oops!)

This review is for the food only. Came here for some lunch. Order the Irish nachos.
BUYER BEWARE!:: is pretty much a huge pile of fries, with a little bit of melted cheese on the very top (only!) and a few pieces of pork.
See the pics of unstated plate, as well as partially eaten!
Also, servers here never make eye contact. If you need something, you’ll have three or four servers walk by at least three times before you can flag them down.

We are fans for sure. Although it’s a chain, they have a great homey feel and the staff has always been amazingly friendly and welcoming every time we’ve been. Usually we split the 2 meats platter — it’s a TON of food, so it’s more than enough. Even splitting this we don’t usually have room for dessert after.
The brisket is a great option, as is the chicken. The chicken itself has a slightly sweet BBQ sauce on it, but I usually add some of the house sauce as well. The brisket is really perfect as is, but sauce can’t hurt!
The staff is great. Even when it’s busy we don’t wait more than a few minutes since this location is pretty sizable. There are also only 2 of us, so we can sit pretty much anywhere without having to join tables and such.
Overall: A
Great BBQ with a home style feel.

Ribs on ribs on ribs!
To start, Lucille’s biscuits and apple butter are amazing! I could just eat that for the entire meal and be satisfied; you can also ask for more throughout the night for free! Drinks are served in mason jars which is a cool concept.
I usually get the full rack of Baby Back Ribs which is always juicy, flavorful, and filling. For sides, sweet potato fries and braised greens are my go to.
The meal is pricey ($ 30+) but it is totally worth it due to the amount of flavorful food you get.