Joey's Smokin' BBQ Review (Carlsbad Restaurants)

Pricing:

Not too bad.  Most of the entrees (pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, etc...) are about $8.  Every entree includes a side of your choice.  

Distance:

It's in the La Costa shopping center cornered by El Camino Real and Aviara Parkway.  Takes about 15 minutes to drive to from Encinitas.

Thoughts:

I confess that I have pretty high standards when it comes to barbeque.  I have visited Kansas City numerous times so I've had the original stuff.  The cooked-with-sauce-that-probably-was-made-in-the-Civil-War kind of original bbq.  And once you've gone to that level it's tough to look imitators in the eye.  But I do try because I like bbq.

Joey's Smokin' BBQ is not the original stuff.  It's not even good stuff.  It's corporate stuff.    The service was mediocre at best.  There's a soulless attempt at creating a Southern farm atmosphere.  And the food was average at best.  The whole experience was just... depressing.

I really can't see this place lasting.  There's no trademark sauce or anything that would make it remotely memorable.  Plus, there are a dozen other places where you could get pulled pork or ribs; practically every brewery restaurant serves them.

The only upside that I can see to Joey's is that it's cheap.  So I guess if you're looking for a lunch place and you don't feel like Subway, this could be an okay option.