01/13/09

An absolute must!

by Ja101

Exceptional food! We go there about four or five times a year, but every time is a pleasure. Parking is easy and the service is good. Not too expensive. Must go visit!

• Pros: food, parking

12/06/08

good food... need's BETTER friendly service for ALL... NOT JUST LOCALS!

by weheartbbq247

usually good food and service... but a hnadful of hostesses kept giving us weird looks as if they'd never seen anyone NOT CAUCASIAN. this was very disturbing... in addition our server's, this young caucasian girl, table side etiquette was totally "gone." she did not say much as she approached and left the table all night. she NEVER refilled any of our drinks. and more offensive she NEVER smiled. there is something unappetizing about being served by someone who won't even offer you that common courtesy. i found that very OFFENSIVE because i could not help but notice how she was smiling with all her other tables. essentially, this young lady was EXCLUDING us from a service she was providing everyone else. i would hate to think it had anything to do with the fact that our boyfriends were both, African American; because all of the other patrons at her other tables she was serving were Caucasian. there was absolutely no reason for her to exclude us from the common courtesy of a smile. we were all polite and patient with this young lady, but... no response. please, put yourself in my shoes. this made me sick to my stomach. i lost my appetite and did not finish my meal. overall, this was a disturbing and killjoy experience. but i will visit this location again because Lucille's had great food and "usually" has great service; excpet for tonight.

we all know the demographics of brea... for those who only associate with their "own kind", they really need to step it up and be willing LIVE outside that little box of theirs.

i trust and hope the company will take the time to consider our experience and carefully monitor their EMPLOYEE'S ABILITY TO RELATE AND RESPECTFULLY SERVE ANYONE AND EVERYONE.

looking forward to seeing them on a better day-

• Pros: great food
• Cons: needs better server's

06/17/08

BEST BBQ IN THE OC

by greenizz1

WE WERE AT LUCILLES FOR A GRADUATION PARTY THERE WERE APPROX. 60 PEOPLE IN THE PARTY, THE FOOD WAS SOOOO TASTY, THE SERVICE WAS FANTASTIC SMILING FACES, THE SERVERS HAD SMILES ON THEIR FACES THE WHOLE TIME IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO CELEBRATE! TRY THE PULLED PORK MMMMM AND THE BBQ PORK RIBS! OUT OF THIS WORLD. I WILL DEFINITELY BE BACK SOON!

• Pros: GREAT FRIENDLY SERVICE, GOOD FOOD

Head to this Brea barbecue joint for a slow-cooked taste of Southern 'cue.

by Contributor

In Short
This family-friendly eatery is the it-place to go for slow-cooked smoked meats--complete with Southern-style spice rubs. Two floors of seating makes this a family-friendly joint, for all sizes. Other food options include salads, biscuits and peach cobbler. The food is also available for takeout, or call to discuss the buffet catering options.

04/02/08

Worth the WAIT

by AllieSS

Really yummy BBQ dishes! The wait is a bit long but for good reason! I would go back again and again...

03/16/08

Great bbq with the finest southern hospitality!

by OCbarbie

to the last person who wrote a review.. get ur facts straight! Lucilles actually smoke most of their meat in the smoker which is in their main dinning room in all their restaurants the chicken is marinated in their own original bbq sauce made with molases and then smoked their brisket is smoked for 24 hours so on and so fourth as well as their ribs... Craig Hoffman the owner of lucilles which is not a franchise and who also owns Huffs Hut traveled with Chris Farrell the executive chef all throughout the south to create this menu and recipes.. am i a spokesperson? no.. but i do work there and believe me this is not why i am saying this even when i am home i crave anything from their salads to shrimp sandwhiches to their saint luis ribs... next thing ill probably hear from you saying is oh its pink and has a ring around it and what i say to u is look it up in the dictionary real bbq has a bark and a ring and its pinkish because its SMOKED!!! not put in the oven ! and its smoked with real hickory smoke! I would love for you to come back and take the smoker tour and learn about the process before you give readers wrong information. Its one thing to put your opinion about the service or the food but the facts need to be correct! have a great day!

• Pros: great food and tonnns of it! live blues band on fri and sat night!
• Cons: long wait.. cuz the food is that good!

01/08/08

Avoid this restaurant if you're looking for anything close to BBQ.

by llyon100

I visited the restaurant last week on a weeknight with friends who raved about the food. I've competed in sanctioned BBQ competitions and have sampled food on the BBQ trail from Texas to Alabama and Lucille's could not exist in a BBQ wasteland like the Los Angeles - Orange County area because they don't serve BBQ. BBQ means more than applying bottled BBQ sauce to rotisserie chicken or roasting ribs or brisket in the oven. The preparation involves cooking these meats for extended periods (exceeding 10 hours for brisket or pork shoulder) at low temperatures using fruit woods to add a sweet smokey taste.

If you walk in the kitchen you'll see the same type of chicken rotisserie cookers like you see at Costco. That's fine except that the price for 1/2 chicken is $16.95. The sauce applied to the chicken after it's cooked resembles standard supermarket sauce. The brisket was dry and appeared to have been roasted in the oven at high temperature and was dry and tough. The baby back ribs cost about $27 for a slab and also appear to have been oven roasted. There was no hint of smoke in any of the foods.

The decor was nice and service adequate. Expect to wait an hour or more on weekend evenings.

The price was expensive for BBQ. Expect to pay over $20 for any dinner except chicken and that doesn't include a salad which is extra.

BBQ is high calorie food so save your calories for places where you can have a good meal while you plug up your arteries.

• Pros: None.
• Cons: This is high priced school cafeteria quality food. Don't bother.

04/16/07

delicious ribs!

by juju13es

I was never big on bbq ribs, but this place is pretty hard to resist. The portions are enormous and the bbq sauce is sweet like honey. The chicken, on the other hand, is a bit dry, but then again, why would you order chicken at a place that specializes in ribs? I loved the environment- it has a very Southern salon feel with their checkered tables and coat hangers~ It gets pretty busy so reservations might be efficient if you're dining with a larger party, and beware- you might walk out a bit stinky if you're going on a date.

• Pros: ribs!, ambience
• Cons: long wait, chicken

03/17/07

Great BBQ - Tons of Food!

by qkingduck

If are looking for a bbq place that will give you way more food than you can eat! Lucille's is the place! I always really enjoy their side dishes. The shrimp poyboy is yummy and the ribs can't be beat. The only thing I try to stear away from is the corn on the cob... never sweet enough. I also like leaving the restarant and getting a tootsie roll pop for the road. The smoker let off a great smell that can wafted all around the dining room and outside. I always just go in a very small group (max 4) but big groups might want to get reservations. They are busy every night of the week.

• Pros: Tootsie Roll Pops - Sidedishes
• Cons: Too Much Food

02/14/07

Best BBQ & Value!

by newportcitizen

Lucille's restaurant has amazing food. The service is great too. The atmosphere is like an American Southern saloon and the music goes with that. The bar service is good as well. The only thing is that they don't take reservations and so if you ever go for dinner, on any night of the week, there is a wait. However, it's well worth the wait. Their meat platters can easily feed 2 people. I highly recommend!

• Pros: Food and Service
• Cons: The Wait