Coop’s BBQ, our favorite barbeque joint in San Diego, recently opened a second location. Unfortunately for DH and I, the second location is in Chula Vista, which is not any closer to us than their original Lemon Grove location.
Nonetheless, we were curious. We were craving Coop’s smoked brisket and ribs the other day, so DH made the trip to Chula Vista to pick up our take-out order. I armed him with one of my cameras so he could take photos of the new spot.
The new location is much bigger than the original location and is mainly being managed by Coop’s daughter. There are large tvs and cushy booths.
Triple Threat Plate (Homemade Sausage, Hot Links, Pulled Pork)
DH and I have a habit of getting the same thing every time we come, so I decided we needed to try some other menu items. I enjoyed the homemade sausage the most from this trio. The pulled pork chunks were a little big and didn’t have too much flavor. The hot links were like typical hot links.
We were hoping to try the mac n cheese side, but it’s only available on Saturdays. So for our sides we got the corned bread and potato salad. They wrapped the corn bread separately and generously gave us an extra scoop of their red beans and rice to fill the other side section.
Of course, after making the drive down, we had to get our favorites as well:
Beef Brisket
We really love the brisket here. Thick slices, with the salty smoky flavor apparent in every bite. We usually get this by the pound.
Pork Ribs
We always get a 1/2 slab of pork ribs and love that it includes rib tips. One of these days we’ll try out the beef ribs, but so far we just can’t give up the pork ones.
Red beans and rice
This remains my favorite side here. The beans and rice are cooked with chunks of brisket, adding a bit of smokiness to the rice and beans. Delicious
Collard greens
Buttermilk PIe
We both love pie, so we can never resist getting a few slices. Each slice is quite generous of a serving. The buttermilk one is very subtle and tastes a little bit like a custard pie.
Sweet Potato Pie
We did notice that the quality of the food overall here wasn’t as great as our experiences at Lemon Grove. I think a lot of it probably has to do with them still working out the kinks. The ribs were a bit on the dry side and didn’t have as much smoky flavor as we are used to on this visit.
We’re glad to see Coop’s doing so well and expanding. We will probably stick to the Lemon Grove location though because it is slightly closer and the food quality more consistent.
One big note: the GPS and google maps does not take you to the right location. Coop’s is located next to Atlantis Laser Tag. The building still says “Center Cut,” with the Coop’s sign in the windows.
For another review, check out CC’s post here.
Coop’s BBQ
534 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Appreciate the visit to the Coops’ CV location as we were curious about it. This blog is informative, well-presented, and to the point, …glad I came across it. I’ll recommend others to visit your website. 😉
I’m glad you found it informative and thanks for recommending my blog to others.
Great tip, my husband loves BBQ.
Definitely check out Coops!
I never really understood why Phil’s was the end all be all of SD BBQ and I’m glad to hear someone else has a different opinion! Phil’s is good but I think everything tastes a little overly sweet? I might just make the drive out to Lemon Grove to see if maybe this kind of BBQ suits me more! (I still prefer my Brazilian BBQ to any American kind I have encountered…haha)
I definitely recommend trying Coop’s. Lemon Drive is a little far for us but we make the trip just for Coop’s. A lot of time the Phil’s ribs are burned. The ribs themselves also don’t have much flavor without the sauce.
Bummer about the ribs. Does the brisket taste the same as at Lemon Grove?
Yes, brisket was good at both locations!
way to go, coop’s! i will have to try the red beans and rice next time!
Def try the red beans and rice! I could eat just that alone
The brisket and ribs look divine! Now you’ve got me thinking about barbecue.
We can never get enough! It’s a constant craving. We even had it for our New Year’s Eve pig out meal. haha.
Wow the buttermilk pie looks delicious! How would you compare Coop’s to Phil’s? I love Phil’s but it’s always so crowded there 🙁
It’s a very different style of bbq. Phil’s is good for their sauce and the meat falls of the bone, but they also cook their meat differently. Coops is traditional Texas bbq. They smoke their meat and you can definitely taste that smokey flavor throughout the meal. The meat is tender, but it’s not going to fall off the bone like Phil’s. I used to love Phil’s until I had the bbq at Coop’s. I love love Coop’s brisket and ribs. The meat is so flavorful on its own that it doesn’t need to be drenched in sauce. Definitely try it out!
Yay, glad to see that DH made it out there! When we went, they were out of their house made sausage and hotlinks, which means we will have to go again, haha! I haven’t tried their pie (yet). This place would be busier if they had a liquor license. Beer ‘n ribs, yeah…
I love the sweet potato and buttermilk pies! We also get some. I want to try some of their new sides like the mac n’ cheese and yams.