Clifton's Gourmet BBQ

Soul Food has arrived to Pasadena. Homemade food. Full of flavor. Authentic.

Incredible food and adorable people. We had the brisket and the ribs and everything was perfect

We stopped in today for the first time after putting it off forever. I've had BBQ in Texas, Kansas City, and St. Louis; from North Dakota to Indiana to Alabama; at some of the best place across LA... Clifton's is right at the top of the list as some of the best BBQ I've ever had. We got a rib dinner plate and a brisket dinner plate. The ribs were great and the brisket fell apart on the fork. The sauce might be the best I've ever had - I wanted to drink it. The mac and cheese was good, not great, but I'll admit I'm picky on what I like. The coleslaw was very good too. The cobblers were incredible. We tried peach and mixberry and both were too good to pick a favorite. The staff were so nice and made us feel welcome. The food held up well on a 15 minute drive home. Will definitely be coming back often and couldn't recommend more!

5 Star desserts! Grab any cobbler, you'll love them all!! Sweet Potatoe, easy 5 star!! Ribs fall off the bone tender!! Collards well seasoned! Mac and cheese delicious! And the staff is as friendly as can be!

Food quality is spectacular. Everything we ordered was of the highest quality, we are very pleased!!

Some of the best BBQ I’ve had, and I’m from Texas!! Mr. Clifton is so nice and ALL the food is good from the cobbler to the BBQ!

Best barbeque I've ever eaten. As a Texan, it's a shame I have to admit it's from California. The place is take-out only, but it's a great neighborhood so eating inside or on the hood of your car is no issue. Will definitely eat again the next time I'm in the area.

The food was so good! Mac and cheese greens and the ribs were off the charts so good. I’ll tip next time I usually don’t on the first time but I got you next time. 10/10 thank you!

Went with my family and got the gumbo, ribs, GG's plate, brisket, and po boy. First off, the service was quick and friendly. Clifton and Grandma Gloria are sweethearts. For the food, the greens are perfect and the mac n cheese was a little soft for me but had great flavor. Gumbo was chock full of meat and seafood, ribs were fall off the bone, and the brisket was perfect. We also tried their peach cobbler and pecan pie and they were also phenomenal. We wanted to get better pictures of the food but we couldn't wait and forgot to take them till we were halfway through the food! Highly recommend you try this place out. Definitely one of the best places for soul food in LA.

Bun was stale and crumbled. Pork was so so and cold.Mac and cheese ice cold. Cobbler looked ok but the sandwich was so bad I didn't bother.

What a hidden gem. We got the combo with Brisket, Ribs and Chicken and ti was all delicious. I am usually a Texas BBQ Fan, so I prefer just smoke, salt and pepper on my meats but the BBQ sauce here that they drench their meat it in incredible. Would definitely come back again.

This place always gives me plenty of food. This time, I ordered 3 pecan pies and GG's plate. Price is very reasonable for the location. Portion is huge. I couldn't finish it so I have some left over for tomorrow. I love the consistency and great service. I ordered collard greens on the side but there was some coleslaw instead. I usually dislike coleslaw but this was actually delightful. I finished it before the potato salad. Everything was great as usual. Two thumbs up.

My friend had a hankering for BBQ so he picked this place. It is an incredibly small place a true hole in the wall that is attached to the gourmet cobbler factory. There is no inside seating, it seems to be a takeaway only joint. We ordered the GGs combo to try a little bit of everything. The food was pretty good, tasty. But my god were the portions tiny for $32 we 1 hot link, quarter of a baby chicken, 4 small slices of brisket and 2 tiny sides (collard greens and potato salad for me oh and they threw in 1 piece of white bread). Maybe i'm just a fatass, but I need a litte bit more food than that for $32, especially since its takeaway! I think this may have been ok in the past but bbq competition has been heating up, lots of good credible bbq places have popped up that are equally tasty or better with sit down service or other amenities.

Me and the wife were looking for something to eat when we came upon this place. All the food was on point and we received great service. Will definitely recommend this place to all friends and family.

Nice little place that shares a space with The Gourmet Cobbler Factory. It's very small and easy to miss, with only a couple tables for seating outside. I picked up GG's combo plate, which is the biggest one you can get. I wanted to sample all the meats there was to offer here. Make sure you differentiate between the Combo Dinner Plate and GG's Combo, because they are two different items. Tri-Tip - Delicious. Thinly sliced and pairs nicely with the BBQ sauce provided on the side. This might have been my favorite part of the combo plate. Ribs - Pretty decent bit of meat, but not incredibly tender either. Slightly dry, and I was ultimately kind of meh about it by the end. A little disappointing for me. Chicken - This was... okay. There was nothing wrong with it but it wasn't particularly outstanding either. It wasn't particularly flavorful or juicy and mostly relied on the sauce. Hot Link - Delicious! I got it in Pork variety, but you can get Beef/Pork/Chicken. I wanted more of this! Juicy and slightly hot. I couldn't wait to try it again. I think if I come back, I'd like to get the Spicy Hotlink on a Bun. As with most BBQ places in SoCal, it's not cheap. The place is pretty okay. I don't think it's worth raving about, but there aren't many competitors around here. I'm not sure if I would come back for BBQ short of a deep craving. Final note: As I mentioned earlier, this place shares a spot with The Gourmet Cobbler Factory. They have a bunch of small pies ready to go behind the glass counter. One pie is like maybe two to three servings. I picked up a Peach one and it was quite delicious! The guy at the counter recommended the Berry one but warned me about seeds, so I opted for the Peach one instead. It's very good and was ultimately the highlight of my visit.

got the gg combo -pork link was fine, not particularly good or bad -brisket was amazing, should have just got this.. it has good bite, good smoke, fat was nicely flavored and rendered. not dry at all -ribs were fine, but of the 2 pieces, 1 piece was dry and 1 piece was good.. not sure what to say about that -chicken was horrifically dry with no flavor at all other than the bbq sauce -collard greens were overly standard, like i can order this anywhere else and it would taste better -potato salad tasted like supermarket bought, absolutely unremarkable -sweet potato mini pie was also pretty standard service was slow and indifferent for $40+, i expected more food, and for it to be better tasting. for $40 i could have stuffed myself full anywhere else

It's a pick up only place, and if I hadn't found it first from reviews, I might have missed that it had BBQ. That being said, it was amazing. Service was awesome. Food, I inhaled it. I need everyone and their mother to know about this place so it continues to exist. The server recommended the Mix Berry Cobbler and it's so good too.

BBQ & Homemade pies. A little secret soul food in Pasadena,California. Little hole in the wall, but authentic and clean. Older couple nice couple putting love into making their pies. Very nice elderly couple, the hospitality is felt.

This is a small hole in the wall restaurant. The food is pretty good when you're craving BBQ. Small place to order, no seats so only takeout. The cashier was a young woman and she was nice. Will be coming back again.

I'd give 10 stars if I could. Ribs were tender and the Mac & Cheese was 10/10. Can't wait to go again

delicious. a mystvtry! i had ribs yum, the beans excellent, and mac n cheese. go, you won't be let down

This BBQ spot is wonderful. Delicious food and the best/sweetest service, real crown jewel of legit local Pasadena eateries. The BBQ mix plate is perfect to try everything, enough for 2 people for us, and the cobblers and pies---- yes!! Serious heaven. Love the sweet potato and pecan pies, always a must when I go. Highly recommend this place to everyone, I try to share with all my friends and family. Go!!! They take credit cards and right off Colorado so super convenient. They have my heart forever.

Walked in for the first time, older black lady glares at me with an attitude asking what I want. Bad service. The food was ok but definitely not worth the price you pay. Not to mention the portions are quite small. This place also has very inconvenient hours of operation.Don't waste your time or money here

When you walk in you will be greeted by the lovely display case of cobblers and pies. The sweet potato pie is amazing. I still have yet to try the Peach Cobbler in my fridge. I'm so full from GG's dinner plate. 4 meats + 2 sides and the sweet potatoes pie. That is a special pie. Special ingredients I'm sure and flavors that warm your soul. Gloria is so kind. I want to come back and just hang out with her. You can feel that T.L.C. tender love and care in her food. The pork ribs and chicken melt in your mouth, not in your hands. Loved the trip tip with their special BBQ sauce. It's different from any I've had. No brisket here just a heads up. See you soon! BTW masks are required!

Everything was delicious! I went in and ordered a bunch of food for a small group of friends. The owner at the counter helped me select the best array of items. It was perfect.

The Ribs were moist and tender. I enjoyed the Macaroni and cheese but the Collard Greens not so much. First time trying the greens. Will stick to the Baked Beans. Overall it was a delicious meal.

Love this place!!Food is amazing!! BBQ is the best and the cobblers to die for I would recommend this to anyone who asks

I learned the kitchen closes an hour before the shop closes. You can still buy cobbler in the last hour, but not BBQ. We snuck in at the last second for two dinners. The tri tip and chicken dinners were delicious. So. Much. Food! It's so good. A must try for locals.

I was so happy to come across Clifton's on one of my walks around the block! It's black owned and the family has been there for 20 years! First visit, I picked up a pork rib dinner. It was delicious. Great potato salad! Second visit, I picked up hot links and they didn't disappoint! And the best part are the mini cobblers. They have a very assortment of flavors but my favorite has been the apple cobblers. They're so good! Due note, they can run out of dishes. I called ahead one Sunday at around 5pm and they were out of the ribs. Make sure you order early!

We had pulled pork, ribs, cole slaw, bbq beans and potato salad. It was great BBQ! As good as it gets!

It's a little hard to find, but this spot is a gem. It's takeout only, but you can park in the next parking lot for free if your picking up food

Finally tried this place after 8 years in pasadena.. and it was delicious!! Small take out only spot that smells insanely good from ask the fresh peach and apple cobblers the sweet grandma sitting there just made that day!! Got the combo bbq plate and it was enough for 2 people... chicken and hot links were fantastic and ribs were very good too, but the stars were the authentic southern made collard greens and Mac n cheese.... Def going back to snag a fresh homemade cobbler soon to share w a friend... highly recommend this place.. and always feels nice to support a local family run business

Heck yes, we highly recommend Clifton's BBQ! Best in the city and reasonably priced! We ordered 3 rib platters, a gumbo, a hot link + roll, and mac n cheese. EVERYTHING is amazing, you can taste how much love and care have gone into creating their food. Seriously, there were no leftovers. Next time we would like to try their delicious and tempting desserts (cobblers and pies). They only do takeout or catering, but lots of street parking. Go here if you're craving the real deal in bbq!

I ordered the rib dinner and it was really tasty. I also got to meet Clinton the owner. I believe his wife took my order over the phone. Very pleasant and got my order correct. Glad to be able to patronize a black owned business during this Pandemic.

Love this spot! Top ribs in Pasadena great cobblers too! It's a small Black family owned business

Clifton's is delicious. The owner was so incredibly kind & funny. You can tell the food here is cooked with love! The ribs were so good... the meat literally fell off and the hot barbecue sauce was spicy & delicious. The baked beans were to die for & the collard greens tasted clean and tender. The best pecan pie I've ever had! Pls try it out. You won't be disappoint

Delicious food! Amazing cobblers! Straight-up lovable owners! To go only! No dine in, but worth the take out!

Incredible food, delightful and very helpful service, warm and welcoming ambience. My husband and I were so impressed with every item we ordered -- and we ordered a lot! The barbecue chicken, hot links, brisket, greens, Mac n cheese, peach cobbler, and the gumbo were all fantastic. Can't wait to return. Service was prompt and Karen is lovely. She made great recommendations and we are so excited to try more next time!

I kinda don't wanna write a review because I really wanna keep this place all to myself, but I won't be able to live with myself if I don't share. Well this place is LEGGGIIITTT!!!! I bbq myself and strive to reach Jedi bbq level like Cliftons. Everything is good. Ribs, links, chicken, greens, Mac n cheese etc. Oh and they have cobblers and pie. Did I say they they have pie???...sweet potato pie???? (Not fake @$$ pumpkin) but legit sweet potato. I don't know why this place isn't bustin at the seams with customers. Most likely because they aren't on the main Blvd. No matter because I'll be back and keep getting in line all by myself to make the line long. Again, food is bomb. Did I mention they have pie???

I called Clifton's to place a catering order. I am a production assistant with Khachadoorian Photography and I wanted to surprise the crew with some really good BBQ for our wrap day! I figured supporting a local business would be the way to go. Clifton was sooooo much more then accommodating. I needed the order for delivery and he informed me that they didn't have a delivery service. I thought that would be the end of it.... Clifton then offered to personally deliver my full order himself!!!! I couldn't believe how kind he was and how adamant he was to help us out. We ended up ordering a couple ribs, a platter of chicken, some brisket, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, hot links, green beans, and some peach cobbler. Let me tell you.... The food was amazing! One of my crew members said it reminded him of bbq in Nashville! I can't recommend Clifton's enough, whether it be for a small meal or a big event! Thank you again Clifton! You truly are the best!

If you just want a cheap pulled pork sandwich and Mac n cheese, it's here. The pulled pork sandwich includes coleslaw all for $7 and the side mac is $3, tax included (I paid in cash). GREAT VALUE imo. Sandwich- good enough to "pretty good" Mac- take a mouthful at a time and it's goood Service is a bit slower paced, but they're working in a really small establishment. But I don't even care when I saw the amount pork that they smothered my buns with.

I had the sampler early in the day, and I think the meat was left over from the previous day. The chicken was very dry and only about half the hotlink was edible - the rest seemed to be half freeze-dried. The ribs were OK. Good sauce, mediocre slaw, good baked beans. Friendly service by people who were probably the owners.

The food here is so good, its FIRE. I had the chicken dinner, with Mac and cheese, greens, and sweet potato pie, the owner was very nice, he went above in helping us, came to our car to provide us with the pies, I told my managers about this spot for our next company lunch. This restaurant is very small. But you can be in and out fast, depending on the order. The parking is not good.

I ordered the chicken dinner plate with Mac n cheese and bbq beans. BEST bbq chicken in all of LA! The chicken was moist and full of Smokey flavor. The bbq sauce is delicious! I ordered the mild sauce. The meal comes complete with 2 slices of bread. The bbq beans have a complex flavor with a hint of bacon and jalapeño but not spicy. The Mac was also very flavorful. I also ordered a small sweet potato pie and it was amazing! What I loved most about the food was that it's definitely all made from scratch. The food tastes like it was prepared in a home kitchen. The staff were very friendly and it's easy to see they take pride in their food. This is a hidden gem in my opinion.

Had to try this place out. Ordered a pint of gumbo which was exceptional. I also had an apple cobbler. This was delicious and filling. My partner gobbled it up! Since this place is near my work I'll definitely be back to try out their dinner plates.

Ordered the chicken, tri-tip, and rib dinner plates. Very affordable for delicious barbecue, especially in Pasadena. The ribs were my favorite, and fell away from the bone quite easily. The chicken and tri-tip had a fantastic flavor as well. Mac & cheese was good and the cole slaw was refreshing. It was easy to order from the phone, and they were faster than most other Pasadena restaurants that I've ordered from-- food was ready 15 minutes after ordering. Note that while they close at 8 pm, you have to order by 7 pm if you want bbq. I also got the peach cobbler, which was great with ice cream at home. I'll definitely be back to try their other meats and cobblers.

Today, I wanted to try the BBQ and Cobbler experience from this iconic store, which I've known about for several years. As I understand, there was a merging of BBQ with the Gourmet Cobbler Factory, which made for a more robust meal and some serious BBQ in Pasadena. Mind you there are other BBQ restaurants in Pasadena, but they are not small mom and pop shops usually, and do not have the taste and quality put into each meal or cobbler made by the owners. On this day, lines were long and waiting even longer, even though I called in my order several days prior to Sunday. We think the merge still needs to work some timing elements out, and also some planning, for days of anticipated rushes because of recent newspaper articles or local events, such as the 4th of July. Now I'm not a restaurant Manager, and was here for the food, which is about the best Cobbler and BBQ in the area. I also bought Gumbo, which was a hit, but I ordered too much and had some leftovers for my daughter and son-n-law to take home. Mind you, it is a tad spicy, but delicious, especially with rice or bread. I could certainly make a meal of it by itself. As for the BBQ, the sauce makes the ribs and chicken taste like it's from the South, and the sides are pretty remarkable as well, such as the Collard Greens, Macaroni and cheese and green beans. I guess my large order overwhelmed the kitchen, but I really wanted to help out this start-up, and enjoy the delicious food under new management.

Clifftons is a family owned restaurant serving bbq and specializing in cobblers, it is a small area with no seating inside, it is set up bakery style serving to go orders only. We ordered the three meat combo with greens, Mac, and baked beans. The hot link was good, although the chicken and ribs lacked flavor and were very tough, the chicken seemed to be some other type of bird, it had a weird color and texture. All of the sides were tasteless. I believe this place needs to leave the bbq on the pit and only serve cobblers, it's obvious when you walk in that the establishment was solely for baked goods then attempted to add the bbq. I would definitely be back for the cobblers, those were delicious as for the bbq I'll wait for the 4th of July.

The cobbler is to die for! What seems like a rather unassuming place turns out to a real gem. This place doesn't need any frills the great food speaks for itself. I can't wait to go back and try all the cobbler flavors, pie, and bbq. This place is all good food and I'm all for it!

The very best BBQ in Pasadena! Best BBQ ribs, complete perfection. No frills and craziness, just traditional, perfect homemade BBQ. Best max n cheese and the cobblers are to die for. A small little hidden gem in Pasadena. Also the owners are the sweetest people ever.

I live around the corner and was walking by this spot and it caught my eye. I decided on the pulled pork sandwich and it came with slaw. Great flavor and the hot BBQ sauce is fire. I think I'll come by again soon and try the Tri tip poboy. I'd post a picture but I forgot before it was too late lol.

See The Gourmet Cobbler Factory, they share the same store front. Got the pulled pork that comes with a side of slaw. Pulled pork was good. The slaw was perfectly seasoned, not too sweet and just enough mayo. We got a side of mustard greens too. Very flavorful. Next review should be for Gourmet Cobbler Factory but since we ordered it with the bbq I'll just review it here. Got the mixed berry cobbler. So good! Was slightly warm still and good amount of sweetness. Parking is a little tough, no tables-so grab and go, seems like a nice mom and pop

Wait........yes there's a wait for eating or picking up here, yet I say it's worth it. I love eating here, especially because of the BBQ and pies made fresh on location. The food tastes like it came from someone's home oven. I love the staff here as well. I love talking to them, and asking them questions about their food/items. I love the sweet potato pie here. It comes in a single serving mini pie or different sizes depending on your event or hunger.

I work around the corner and was looking for a "new" place to go. Found Clifton's on the map and went to try it out. I could smell the deliciousness down the street. Walked in and met Clifton, ordered the ribs plate and it was absolutely amazing! Fall-off-the-bone meat candy! It is take-out only so I went back to the office and everyone was asking what I had. I am now a sales person for Clifton's! He said they had been there for 20 years. Don't walk by too fast or you'll miss it. Definitely worth a try.

My husband and I shared the tri-tip dinner plate with collard greens and baked beans. It was so very delicious and generous! Definitely worth the wait. Their hot sauce has a pleasant kick at the end. Bonus - everything was seasoned perfectly and not overly salty so I didn't feel bloated at the end of my meal. Peach cobbler for dessert. Again, delicious!! The crust was excellent and the peach filling was on point. Warm and friendly customer service. The woman who took my order was so sweet and lovely, and makes easy conversation.

Small place with sidewalk tables. The Q smoke Hits you when you walk in the door. Went for two pulled porks with mac and cheese An collard greens The two ladies are wonderful to chat with and provide shine to anyones day. They have limited hours but worth the effort! The cobbler in the case seem trophy grade, and will try some next time out.

Authentic Soul Food! Hard to find on this side of town. Friendly service - delicious food!