Coop’s West Texas Barbeque: A Lemon Grove Secret Revealed

Years ago while driving through rural Texas, I stopped at a middle-of-nowhere convenience store to get gas. After filling up the car, I saw a little shack off to the side of the building with smoke rising from the top. Going inside to pay I inquired about it, and the counter person pointed to a wood menu board on the wall. He said: “Some folks say we got good barbecue.” I bought some to go, and the guy was right. This was some darn good barbecue — sweet and smoky. The sauce stain on my car seat reminded me of this meal for years.

I had forgotten about my Texas experience until last week when I dined at in Lemon Grove. The restaurant has only been open since October, but it's already generating a major buzz for their smoked meats and side dishes. This is a different style of barbecue than most San Diegans are used to eating. The meat starts with a handmade dry rub of spices, then is smoked either in the giant smoker in front of the restaurant or in the brick oven inside. Everything on the menu is homemade.

My dining companion and I ordered a new special called the Whole Kit’n Kaboodle for $18.99, consisting of four meats, two sides and cornbread. Our meat choices were the pork spareribs, beef brisket, pulled pork and jerk chicken. The sides we picked were collard greens and baked beans. They also tried to get us hooked on some other tasty offerings with generous samplings of their homemade sausage and rib tips.

All of the meats were smoked to oh-so tender perfection, and were absolutely delicious. This is not a place where the barbecue is served swimming in sauce. This is a self-saucing spot — hallelujah! There are two homemade sauces on the table, one mild (sweet) and other spicy (sassy). They are both very good, but use them sparingly because you do not want to miss out on the flavors in the meats. Personally, I only liberally applied the sassy version to the pulled pork, and liked a little of the sweet sauce on the spareribs.

The sides we picked were equally wonderful. The baked beans are cooked with little chunks of pineapple, nutmeg and cinnamon. They may be the best I’ve ever eaten. The special vegetarian recipe for the collard greens was tasty. Coop’s also offers sides of potato salad and red beans and rice. Compared to the rest of the meal, the cornbread muffins were just acceptable ... remember, even in heaven you don’t get to sing all the time.

Aside from the food, the other great things about Coop’s are the service and the staff. Brad “Coop” Cooper, his wife Yolanda, and the two other workers there that day could not have been nicer. We explained it was our first visit and had some questions. They were so patient and helpful, offered good suggestions and made our dining experience a real pleasure. They treat their customers with genuine care and respect — a valuable commodity in today's service sector.

This place is really going to pop once the word gets out on the quality of the food and its preparation. Now I’m not trying to convert vegetarians back to eating something that can look you right in the eye, but, if you were to stray, this would the first place to try. It’s that good. Visit Coop’s West Texas Barbeque now, before the line is out the door.

I want to come back to try the sweet potato pie, plus have more of everything I had before. I’ll save the buttermilk pie … or the peach cobbler … for my third visit. You get the picture.

Coop’s West Texas Barbeque is located at 2625 Lemon Grove Avenue, near the corner of Cypress Avenue. They take credit cards, and are open 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 11 a.m.–4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Food to go is available. You can call in your order to 619-589-0478. For menus and more information, check their website. Lunch specials are offered 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Coop’s is also available to cater events.