Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que

A follow up to a previous review…
We have been back several times since my review of a few months ago, and just had dinner at the Lucille’s in Brea a few nights ago.
It was great! maybe it was my imagination, but the TRI TIP tasted better than ever! I think the slices were thicker and tastier! whatever it was, Lucille’s still has the best Tri Tip around, and we’ve tried them all.
And I love the Wedge Salad. also one of the best!
Food was served hot and prompt! thanks for a great dinner!

There I was, sitting at a table with five of my friends at Lucille’s. Then that was the moment my life changed forever. I looked up at our waitress and there she was, Heidi. I think my life would not be the same without her service. She was the most amazing and friendly waitress I could’ve had. Her presence and angelic aura opened my eyes to what I had been blind to before. The true meaning of life. Heidi is the heroine we need for all people. The amazing food was only a complement to her service. Our stomachs were full but our hearts were not. I could barely bring myself to leave. I believe she was the reincarnate of a saint. Heidi is love, Heidi is life. I was blind but now I see. In Heidi we trust.

This place is definitely a must come for any bbq lovers. The wait can be long Friday-​Sunday past 5:00pm, but it is worth it.
Location is right off the 57 so traffic can build up around that area. All the employees are kind and well trained, dining areas are kept extremely clean. Our server Daniel was truly an exemplar to all waiters. Not only tending to all our wants but also checking up on us every few minutes to make sure we got the experience Lucilles wants to provide to all its diners. Studying the other tables, it looked as though everyone received that care as well.
The food is delicious. From ribs to tri-​tip to even some country fried steaks, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
The prices can be quite high, something to keep in mind when you’ve drawn the shortest straw and are paying for the group ;) all in all, it’s exactly the same every time I go. Good food, great customer service, a true ⁵⁄₅ stars.

Really good food. The food came out quick. I came with family to celebrate father’s day. We arrived at 9 when they close at 10. We were glad they took us in. We got the back porch feast which comes with 2 racks of ribs, 4 sides and 1 chicken for $ 130.00. We got 2 baby back ribs, coleslaw mac&cheese bbq beans and mash potatoes. Our waitress was very attentive. I wish we remembered her name. She brought us hot towels which when having a toddler eating is a must. She was super nice. We had a blast. We weren’t being rushed out even though they were closing. We will be back for sure.

When we came here we had not great service. The food was great as usual, but we shouldn’t have to repeat ourselves. I’ve been to other Lucille’s and their service was better.

Ordered the combo it took over 25 minutes for the order to come out and when we did get it all we can say was eh.
The baby back ribs were dry and the brisket slices were really dry. Dipping them in the juice that they provided did not help at all. :(
The baked beans was very sweet. The only thing I enjoyed were the brisket burnt ends. That was the best part of the meal. If you must come then do yourself a favor and only order the brisket burnt ends.
Your belly will thank you!

babyback ribs were disappointingly dry and harder than we would have expected-​almost like biting into beef jerky.
however, the rest of the dishes were fairly delicious (cajun shrimp salad, chicken pasta, sausage trio).

EXcellent ribs! If you have ever been to san diego’s Phil’s I would say this is a fierce competitor!
The wait is always super long; 1H+ on busy weekends/​holidays; however, I think they are pretty inaccurate. We got called after about 35−40minutes even though was told 1H ½. This happened about twice for a party of 4, and party of 6.
If you have a small group go sit at the bar! Same Service. No wait and first come first serve!
Foods to get: any ribs combo. I prefer pork over beef. Chicken is always moist as well if you like that. Apple butter buiscuits! Drinks are also amazing and in big mason jars!
will be coming back

The wait: The hostess informed us that there was a 1-​hour wait. 60 minutes later, we were called. Nice!
The biscuit: I am not a fan of the biscuit. It’s a southern-​thing which I do not get. You know… biscuit and gravy… meh! It’s like eating a powdery rock most of the time. However, the apple butter made it bearable.
Main course: We shared one order of the baby-​back ribs. The ribs were not too soggy and not drowned in BBQ sauce. The BBQ flavor was just right.
Service: Our waiter was very attentive despite the restaurant being very busy.

So they have this stupid policy that says you can’t be added to the wait list unless 5 people from your party are present. We were celebrating my sister’s bday Sunday and my other sister who lives near this location arrived 30 minutes ahead of our arrival and tried putting our name on the wait list. They wouldn’t do it because she was the only one in our party of 9 who was there. The rest of us were on our way from 3 different cities where we reside and they wouldn’t allow her to be on the wait list until we got there.
So we get there 30 minutes later and go to the front to put our name down and then they tell us the wait is 1.5 hours. I then questioned their policy and asked why we couldn’t have been put on the list to save us some time if we had one guest in our party who was there waiting before us and the girl just said that was policy.
Aside from that ordeal, when we finally got called, the girl who escorted us was holding the door for us to walk in, but then she continued holding the door for everyone else who was exiting just leaving us standing there for about 2 minutes while people walked in an out. I then wondered if we were supposed to be waiting for her, so I went to the front desk and informed them that our name was called and who we should wait for to seat us. Lo and behold, it was the girl holding the door for all humanity. Hey, what’s an extra 2 minutes when you’ve waited almost 2 hours right?
Once we were seated, our service was good from then on out.
Over all, good table service but minus 3 stars for the dumb wait list policy which is unheard of anywhere else and the lack of communication from the girl who escorted us to the table.
As a reference, they do accept reservations if you call days in advance. But if you are planning a same day visit, be prepared for a long wait.

I have been hearing great things about Lucile’s from my friends. I finally got a chance to try it! We ordered BBQ chicken salad, baby back ribs, and St. Louis spare ribs. The portion was perfect for three people. They served the famed biscuits and apple butter right after we ordered. I love the dressing for the BBQ chicken salad. It made the salad tasted so goooooood! The baby back ribs, and St. Louis spare ribs were savory, sweet and juicy. They provided three different barbecue sauce (original, Memphis, hot n spicy). These sauces made the ribs tasted even better! This joint definitely just became one of my favorite barbecue places.

I made a reservation to Lucilles for my friend’s birthday dinner, and was seated within 10 minutes.
The seating that i was led to was very good.
Quiet and isolated, which i had said i wanted from the beginning. So i appreciate that.
Ordered strawberry lemonade and it was very good.
The apple butter and the flaky bisquit was very delicious also.
Ordered the two bbq combo platter, which i was quick to decide, because i studied so many Unilocal reviews on here before i went today.
The beef ribs were huge!
And the baby back ribs were so savory and sweet and juicy. Mmphh! The meat fell off the bone smoothly.
My friend and i ate ravenously and i picked the huge beef rib apart by mouth like a hungry hyena.
I’m sure that looked very funny and ill mannered, but i was so hungry and the food was so goooood.
Left one beef rib and took it home.
Too much food.
The only problem i had was that the server only attended in the beginning, and no servers came near our area, so had a hard time asking for the tab and the togo box.
Nice vibe and the delicious food though.

I just love this place. I cant get enough. Today I had lunch with an colleague and he just kept saying «I cant believe how good the Jambalaya is». I had a plate that included some ribs and my favorite, the burnt ends.
It doesn’t matter what you get, its always good here. I like to come for the Happy Hour and love the small plates that allow you to suit your mood. The sausage is always a must for me and the bread with the apple butter is amazing. The service is always good and our waiter today was on top of his game. He offered more bread, the drinks were always full.

Having spent a few years in Mississippi, I had a chance to try a number of famous barbecue places. Saw a lot of «This show filmed here on this date» signs. Honestly, I was never blown away. There was some good stuff to be sure. Most of it was just meat with barbecue sauce on it though. Lucille’s is right up there with the best of them, even though that may not come off as the highest praise.
We had the full rack of baby back ribs, garlic mashed potatoes, and the mac & cheese. The ribs were meaty and well-​smothered in a pretty bangin’ sauce. There was also a genuinely noticeable smoky taste to the meat. Splitting the rack between two people left plenty of ribs for the both of us. They were genuinely very good and top notch.
The sides, the garlic mashed potatoes and mac & cheese, were mixed. The garlic mashed potatoes were excellent; better than any I had in the South. On the other hand, the mac & cheese were a black hole of flavor. They tasted like boxed Kraft stuff, but watered down to the point of confusion when you put it in your mouth. Water has more flavor than this mac & cheese. I scooped some of the garlic potatoes into the mac & cheese and couldn’t stop crying over the wasted potatoes.
Overall, a yummy place for barbecue that really knocks it out of the park. Just stay so, so far away from the mac & cheese.

Pretty good place — they offer lunch specials Monday — Friday, but I always end up just getting a full rack of baby back ribs!
First off — get the biscuits!!! They’re complimentary and so good! They come with apple butter and it’s divine! I pile that stuff onto my biscuits…
The plate comes with two sides and it’s big enough to share among two or three people. I highly recommend the garlic mashed potatoes, they’re really good! The mac n cheese is bland and would pass on it next time. The ribs themselves are very good! They offer three barbecue sauces on the side, but I think the one that comes with the ribs is the best! The meat is super tender and cooked very well.
If you’re looking to get an appetizer, the onion straws are really good! They’re just super crisp onions, but so good! The full size is huuuge, so I would just get the half.
The wait does get a little long when you come during peak hours — even on the weekdays — so either make a reservation or come a little earlier or a little later! Service is whatever, they try to be nice, but you can tell they don’t want to be. Prices are also little high, so be prepared. (Costco offers gift cards though, $ 100 worth for $ 80, I believe)
Overall, will be back when I’m craving some BBQ!

5 STAR SERVICE:
Last night we dined at your establishment to celebrate my uncles birthday, and I must say, Cory, our server, was exceptional. We were a party of 14 and from start to finish, Cory did not miss a beat. We dine out frequently and it’s rare you come across exceptional service, especially when it’s a large party. We just wanted to thank Cory for giving us a memorable experience last night. Kudos to you buddy, you were amazing!!!

I just received an email from Unilocal informing me that one of the photos that I uploaded for Lucille’s blah, blah, blah. I can assure you that the photo (whichever one that was) was of the BLOODY chicken that I posted with my first or second review since it happened not one but two times in a row. I guess it’s true what Unilocalers have suspected for quite some time now, businesses can pay to have negative reviews (and apparently photos) removed to boost their rating. I took a few screenshots of the photos available for Lucille’s as of today and I came across another Unilocaler’s photo who suffered the same gross experience that my girlfriend and I did. I’ll upload the photos for your review.
P. S. Since I stopped eating at Lucille’s I was forced to find another place and that place is Newport Rib Company. Disclaimer: they round up your bill which I think is wrong but it’s usually a penny or two and I’ve already been addressed by the general manager so I’m good with it now.

This place has it ALL! Top notch food, service, ambience, and location!!! By far the best BBQ I’ve had here in Orange County.
My absolute favorite meal here is the Carolina Stuffed Baked Potato and Salad with pulled pork, it is heavenly. And for a lunch special, it is a plentiful serving. I recommend their Caesar salad with it. The other favorite here is their fried chicken. The mashed potatoes and vegetable medley are delicious. I have to recommend their watermelon iced tea, it’s soo divine that you don’t even need sugar! Also their lemonades are also very delicious, a must try! Everytime we eat here we get do stuffed that we never have room for dessert. And their desserts look phenomenal… This last visit we ordered the Banana pudding to go. Later in the evening we ate it and oh my goodness it was unbelievably scrumptious. I will dream of that pudding lol.
We’ve had the pleasure of having Blanca & Candace serve us, they are both amazing! Blanca was on top of everything, very efficient, made our visit wonderdul. We’ve been lucky to have Candace more than once. She truly is the best server I’ve ever had. She goes above and beyond the call of duty. She anticipates your needs, is always friendly, incredibly effecient, and delightful.

Lucilles, just the name makes me smile. I have always been a huge fan of this place. The food to me is cooked so good. The wait times are a killer, but that is what reservations are for!
Me and my hubby came here on Valentine’s day for dinner. Had called a couple weeks in advance for a reservation, which I’m pretty proud of myself for not waiting until the last minute.
What’s awesome about Lucilles is that they sell gift cards at Costco for a cheaper price and you pay less. So if you plan to eat here it helps to get the gift cards at Costco to help you save.
Our reservation was at 7pm and we arrived probably exactly at 7pm. I checked in and we were seated within 5 minutes. It was awesome. Service was great throughout the night. Even with the amount of people in the restaurant the food comes out quickly.
We ordered a couple appetizers to start, which I was regretting after. There was just too much food! The complementary bread was warm and flakey, yum. We ordered the burnt tips which I wasn’t a fan of, it was just all fat. We also got deep fried shrimp which had good flavor it was just too hot to eat and seemed to take forever to cool down. For entrée I ordered the half chicken, with two meats: pulled pork and rib tips with a side of mashed potatoes and mac n cheese. After all the starters I literally took like 2 bites of each meat I was so full. The food was so good though. Meats were soft and juicy. Potatoes were well seasoned.
They sell the 3 BBQ sauces they have at the tables for a good price. On the way out don’t forget to grab a tootsie pop!

Love the beef ribs here, there’s no restaurants that even come close to it. Also, if you like Pina Coladas, it’s also the best I’ve ever had. Service is always consistently amazing and facilities absolutely immaculate. For such a busy place, I am impressed how well they maintain the Cleanliness and servers consistent great service. One of my favorite restaurants of all time.
Quality: ⁵⁄₅
Quantity: ⁵⁄₅
Price: ⁵⁄₅
Cleanliness: ⁵⁄₅
Service:5/5