Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill opened a location in Mission Valley a few months ago. The BBQ chain restaurant has several locations throughout California. We were invited to come in for a visit and dined there earlier last month.
It was pouring buckets of rain the day we went, so sorry there is no photo of the storefront. The interior is quite spacious, but also very dark, reminding me of a steakhouse.
Garlic Bread Rolls
Our meal started with their signature complimentary garlic bread rolls. Soft, warm, buttery– there wasn’t much to complain about and I can see why these are so popular.
Wood Ranch Tri Tip with Macaroni & Cheese
For my entree, I chose their tri tip which was highly recommended by our server. Each entree comes with one side dish and I chose their macaroni and cheese. I thought the plating looked a little odd, with so much empty space. It wasn’t that the portions weren’t big– the plate they used was just too big and made my two items look rather lonely.
The tri-tip, was indeed as good as advertised. It was my favorite item from our meal. Cooked to a medium, with a still slightly pink center, the meat was juicy with a hint of smoky flavor.
The macaroni and cheese was creamy and satisfying.
Three Item BBQ Combo (Baby back ribs, Texas-style brisket, and Carolina pulled pork)
Mr. K opted for the three item bbq plate. This was definitely a lot of food for one person. My favorite item on his plate was the pulled pork which I enjoyed almost as much as my tri tip. A lot of the pulled pork in San Diego is doused in sauce. This one allows the smoky pork flavor to shine, which I really liked.
The baby back ribs were fall off the bone tender, but tasted similar to ribs you can get just about anywhere. The Texas-style brisket was the most disappointing of the trio. It lacked any smoke rings or color indication that it had been smoked and yet it packed an unusually concentrated and almost artificial tasting smoke flavor.
For his side, he chose the loaded mashed potatoes, which were topped with bacon and cheddar cheese. It was creamy, hearty and quite tasty.
Overall, we had an okay visit here. We liked the tri tip and the pulled pork, but the other BBQ items failed to really shine. I think we are a little picky with our BBQ though, having visited and eaten it in several Southern cities this year. It’s not our top choice for BBQ in San Diego, but it may make a good spot if you have a large party or are craving some tri-tip.
Looking for more BBQ in San Diego? Be sure to check out my post about International Smoke.
Please note, as indicated above, we were invited to dine here and our meal was complimentary. All opinions expressed in this post remain my own.
Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill
7510 Hazard Center Dr #215, San Diego, CA 92108
https://www.woodranch.com/
For a second, I thought you were reviewing Ranchwood BBQ which is my new favorite obsession! They have this awesome sandwich with brisket and cheddar in between garlic buttered Texas Toast.
You know I’ve heard so many good things about ranchwood! I must check it out asap!
Mr. K’s plate looks awesome! Bummer the authentic smoky flavors were missing. I’ll have to go and try the tri-tip!
haha, thought u’d think so! def a very full plate