Serpentine Cider & Smokehouse

The Brisket here is bar far the best BBQ I have had in quite some time. Jeremy really knows what he is doing when it comes to his BBQ. The dirty rice, Mac and cheese and bean crack are on point and are perfect side dishes. Everything I have had here is lip-smacking good. Definitely returning and HIGHLY Recommended!!! P.s. the dirty rice has a little spicy zing to it, but I love it.

This place offers a great selection of meads, ciders, beers, and food! They offer both indoor and outdoor seating, and also dog friendly. The atmosphere is very chill and relaxed, and hip at the same time. A great hangout spot to be with friends and family. The servers, Fatima and Sarah are very friendly. They were so easy to talk to and engage in conversation. They made us feel welcomed. I’ll start with the food first because it was the highlight of my visit! The cost to quality ratio is the best in San Diego for me by far. They offer combo deals called “TV Dinners”, which consist of a choice of meat and two sides, all for only $18.50! My wife and I both had a TV Dinner combo. I had the rib tips with slaw and brisket chili. My wife went with brisket with mac & cheese and bean crack. Both meats were very flavorful and cooked to perfection. Very juicy and tender. I haven’t had smoked meat this good since my visit to Texas last year! All of the sides exceeded my expectations, except the slaw which I thought was just basic. We had two flights of ciders and were able to taste 9 different flavors. All of the flavors were very tasty and crafted very well. Even the experimental ciders were surprisingly very good. This place has now become one of my favorite places to eat. My wife and I agreed to visit at least once a month. If you’re looking for amazing bbq and smoked meats and a great variety of drinks, I highly recommend this place.

Came here for the BBQ (not the beer) and ordered a few pounds of fatty brisket. Better than average for San Diego, but still dry in spots and not on par with Texas or Carolina standards. The pork belly was the standout: crispy, juicy, and flavorful. Several sides, like coleslaw and mac & cheese, were sold out, which made it hard to get the full experience. Service was great, and the waitress even sent us home with extra rice on the house. Overall, not blown away but better than average, and I would come back while still searching for San Diego’s best BBQ.

Wow! Love this place! There are ciders for everyone’s tastes. The Barbecue is a lovely complement and the staff couldn’t have been nicer.

This was my first time here. Our experience was perfect. Ryan was working, gave us great recommendations and a run down on the smokehouse, and all the ciders. He was super attentive and accommodating, kind and cool. BBQ and all the sides were fantastic. Best bbq I’ve had in California. Will definitely be back till we’ve tried everything!

We went right at noon on a Saturday excited for some lunch because we had enjoyed a previous experience here. This time all of our food came out cold or lukewarm. Mac and cheese - cold. Pulled pork - cold. Bean crack - lukewarm. We requested a refund and left without eating any more than a few cold bites. Now we have to worry about getting food poisoning. Their excuse was the equipment was new in the kitchen. I guess we were the test subjects then. Will not return or recommend this place to friends.

Came here on a Sunday for lunch because I was craving bbq ribs and corn bread. Found out that it shares a space with a cider place and a mead place. The cider was very interesting, we had a flight of 3. The strawberry black pepper was the best.

I LOVE IT HERE!!! BEST CIDER! BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE! BEST FOOD! They are always having new ciders it’s awesome always checking in to see what’s new. Food is great the cook really takes pride in the kitchen! Brisket! Is so yummy! Events are always happening ! I love it ! This place is for sure a hidden Gem! Check it out ! !!!!!!!!!

Quiet cider house with a welcoming vibe. Ciders are refreshing with a rotating batch. The BBQ is amazing. Definitely recommend trying the brisket burrito. Best of all, staff are really welcoming!

Doordash Order - Smoking J's review Only Date of Visit: 8.30.2025 Cuisine Type: American BBQ Vibe: N/A Cost: ~$35 Depending on what you order I do want to preface this that the original smoking J's was good so i wanted to try it again. What I Ordered & How It Was: TV Dinner (Brisket, Bean Crack) Brisket - 2/5 - Upon initial inspection you will notice the that the fatty part of the brisket will be delicious (it was!) and the bark will be unfortunately super dry. I want to like this but when i had to drink water to down the knot of meat in my throat that was a nope to me. Pork Belly - 3/5 - Same issue like the brisket a bit more dry along the outer bark area. It works ok since the intent is for the pork belly to be crispy. There is good seasoning though (maybe a bit more salty than I prefer) The fatty portion works well with the meaty portion. I think if you get just the bark it will be unfortunately super dry. Bean Crack -3/5- It is baked beans with some kind of somewhat sweet ketchup (bbq?) and shredded brisket. You can't really taste the brisket as chunks so it tastes like sweet beans and meat essence. Not bad but not that good. A bit too sweet for me. Texas Twinkie -3/5- This is a jalapeno wrapped in back stuffed with cheese and brisket. I think conceptually this is a great idea but in execution I don't understand how this dish had less flavor than their other offerings. The bacon is mostly charred and for some reason seem to lose their distinct brine and I guess I expected this jalapeno popper to pop in flavor but it didn't really (Wasn't spicy also) Service & Atmosphere: Service: N/A Ambiance: N/A Overall Thoughts: Best thing I ate: Pork belly Something to improve: I'm sure this is just YMMV situation since I've had a good experience here in the past. It is possible dry brisket just means they were holding the brisket for a while (so it dries out)..maybe wrap it and keep it moist? Pork belly: Needs to be a bit more tender somehow the flavor is great just maybe less salt. Bean Crack: Too sweet give me chunks of meat. Texas Twinkie: Jalapeno needs to pop Would I come back? Mmm...not anytime soon

A good friend of mine loves their cider and wanted to go after a bike ride. I'm not a cider fan personally, but I do like to eat! I ordered the TV dinner with brisket, macaroni and cheese and slaw. I also ordered their lemonade, which they did not have enough of to pour me a full serving. The bartender gave me a cup with a little bit of it, and it tasted good. I ordered a sweet tea in its place and asked for lemons, but they don't have lemons. The tea came out and it was OK but seemed like it either came from concentrate or was made a couple days ago. I mixed in the bit of lemonade that I had and that was good as an Arnold Palmer. Our food came out almost immediately. My macaroni and cheese and brisket were barely warm. The macaroni and cheese had heavy Velveeta shells and cheese vibes... just OK but nothing special. The brisket had a very good flavor but was very dry. It came with barbecue sauce, but I'm not a fan of barbecue sauce so I ate it like it was. The slaw was excellent. My friend got an order of fries which were delicious, I ate a bunch of them. She also got these jalapeño peppers that were wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese and I think pulled pork. She seemed to like them a lot, but she said that she's gotten them before a few times and every time they've been different The bartender that served us was really nice, she was happy to make recommendations. I thought the interior of this business was really nicely put together. Very clean and well organized.

Food was great! It was greasy but oh well, that just means it tasted amazing! Service was quick! Staff were cool and friendly. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. There's games and books. The vibe was welcoming and I dug the music they were playing (AFI). 100% recommend! Get the sour cherry cider!

The strawberry pepper cider is the perfect amount of sweetness to compliment the pepper. The TV dinner is such a cute concept and how it's served as such. I did find the brisket a little dry without the BBQ sauce but overall, it was fall apart tender. What stood out for my was the spicy cucumbers, they were marinated but still maintained this crunch that was so satisfying and refreshing. I low-key wanted to souse everything in hot sauce. For a Saturday afternoon, it wasnt too crowded and I thoroughly appreciated the music.

The ciders are all pretty solid and the bartenders are friendly. I walked here 3 miles from my hotel only to find that the kitchen here closes an hour early . It would be really helpful of the business actually communicated this .

Stumbled upon this place and wow. I had the guava cider which was delicious and the brisket tv dinner with beans and dirty rice. Service is bar service or a QR code. it's very casual inside.

First time here and I came for the food . Ordered the Tv dinner and it's amazing, had it with a side of pork belly (recommended). Came with brisket and Mac and cheese with dirty rice. The image doesn't do it justice. I'll be back

Great food great service (even when it's packed). I like the different ciders too and there aren't too many spots in San Diego that serve this wide array of ciders. Also, Smokin J's is the best BBQ in the county.

I love the rotating cider options, here! They're all very unique and I can honestly say I've never had a bad one. The food is phenomenal! Would highly recommend the burrito as well as the Cajun fries... And the Texas Twinkie?? Out of this world. The service is always great and I love that they are constantly hosting events. There's always something for someone at some point. During the summertime, it can get a little warm inside, but the fans do a good job at keeping you cool... There's also a large selection of board games that you can use while sipping away. I love this place and I recommend it to all my friends and family!

Really good barbecue. Had a barbecue brisket sandwich that was really good for San Diego. It's hard to find good barbecue in San Diego had quite a bit of cider on top. I had a lavender one which was refreshing. They also said they had meat, but they only had one tap, and I have enough of that. A lot of people were drinking it. bartender is very friendly. Will be back multiple times.

I love coming here for their special events. They are very *nerd* welcoming. Their themed nights - including star wars, lord of the rings, and general trivia nights - are an amazing way to meet like minded similarly nerdy people (hey, ain't no shame in my nerd game). Plus the cider-tenders are amazing to talk to, geeky in each of their own rights, and it's just an enjoyable time all around. Oh yeh, and the cider is good - ranging from "weird" to "sweet" to "that's the right spot". Highly recommend.

Serpentine Cider has been our go-to spot over the last year because of its great food, ciders and overall atmosphere. The service is always so amazing, today especially. My partner and I had met with some friends to celebrate our recent engagement and our server, Ryan, took the extra step to congratulate us by bringing some drinks on the house! It was incredibly touching as we are two women who felt celebrated by the staff and it felt like such a safe space. We also wanted to thank Shawn who also helped make today special!

I'll say this....it's some good ___ cider! My fiance and I went there a few days ago and let me tell you, when we left we had the ultimate experience of being happy lol. You can taste the clean ingredients. This week we are going back with some coworkers to really enjoy all the ciders. Totally recommend

This is a cool and popular place to hang out I am not the cider biggest fan but tried one of their flights They were mostly good except the apricot which was very bitter Service was fine Tap payment didn't work I wish they had a few beer options

I stopped by for a drink with friends. I tried a cider flight and enjoyed it. I didn't eat any food but it looked and smelled good. This spot is cute and a great spot to grab cider with friends. The bartenders were very friendly.

Good service, great cider & food, and a lovely cozy, low key atmosphere! A real hidden gem in the area, so glad we found it :)

Overall very chill place to sip some cider and have some Smoking J's bbq if you decide (they share the same space). They offer a really good and extensive selection of cider (both seasonal and everyday selections). I love cider so I really enjoyed what we ordered. The staff is kind just chilling behind the bar and won't approach you until you ask them for help. We had a 5 cider flight sampler which was perfect for the 2 of us to share. We had a pumpkin spice flavor that was really good and tested just like thanksgiving, the pineapple, pineapple coconut (was my least favorite), guava, and pineapple hibiscus (this was my favorite).

[Food/Drinks] - Cider Flight: They all tasted good but my favorite one is the strawberry one cause there's a nice sweetness that's not overpowering. - Frozen Cider: My friend got the Juniper as a frozen cider and she highly recommended it. Nice to get on a warm day. - Brisket: Tender, juicy, flavorful. Was tastier than I expected! Great with beer [Service] - Friendly, chill, attentive [Ambiance] - Has indoor and outdoor seating - Spacious and has a air hockey table [Overall] - Friends brought me here cause I liked ciders and we had a nice time! - Would recommend if you like ciders as there's a variety here compared to most breweries. - Also a plus that they have food here!

Great beers. Food is enjoyable and fast. Service is amazing. Vibe is wonderfully chill. I'll be back!

Came here for a fundraising event and had the cherry sour - very delicious, refreshing and not too sweet! My partner got the apricot hops cider, what they called the "beer drinker's intro to cider," and loved it - crisp and dry. Great ambiance and service. You can tell this establishment is beloved by the community!

Really cool spot! I'm a cider lover and immediately knew we had to stop by here when we were in town for the weekend. The employees are super nice and helpful; they give great recommendations. The inside is of the shop is gorgeous (the snake art is epic), and we also loved getting to sit at the front window barstools and people-watch on a beautiful day. My husband and I shared two different three-flavor flights--my favorites were the pomegranate mint (to die for) and the pineapple (sweet and tasty) while my husband favored the guava one almost exclusively. The apple one was probably my least favorite since it very much resembled a white wine rather than a cider, as their menu describes. Whether you're a cider fan or not, the variety of flavors here has something for everyone.

Amazing food and service! I had such a great time. I will certainly be back soon. Can't wait to bring my friends :)

I am actually embarrassed that I have not written them a review already. I have been coming to Serpentine for nearly 5 years now. Best cider I have ever had. The owner and cider master, Sean, is truly exceptional at the craft. The environment is always relaxing. My husband and I love coming to their monthly movie events and charities. Smokin J's is yummy and people are just cool there. Highly recommend and we are so glad we live close by!

Super chill spot !! Came and got the pork belly and brisket sandwich, Texas Twinkie's, and ohh lawwddyy lawd the Cajun fries . I got to say overall delicious and the damn cider was just the wash down it needs to make you feel like royalty . They got board games , outdoor seating , super relax spot and nice service . Going back for that burrito . Cheers !!

Fatima and Sarah has been amazing came down here for my birthday with friends and wife they have really awesome customer service and I asked Fatima about the ciders and she gave me samples and was really kind every time she brought out the food she said good stuff about the food and recommend a lot of good things to us so if your ever in San Diego stop by cause they have amazing customer service and good vibes ask for Sarah and Fatima

Affordable refreshing cider! Guava cider was good and was able to enjoy some Smokin' Js bbq with it. Plenty of seating, spacious, nice place to hang out. Friendly service

Great ciders. Probably the best I have ever had. Parking isn't bad and it's not usually too busy. Service is abysmal. I've been here a few times and the young ladies are more into their phones and conversations at the bar and amongst themselves than anything else. They close at 9pm on Saturdays but come early because they didn't seem as if they wanted to take any orders after 8. They started cleaning up and even cleaning the bathrooms 45 mins before close.....while no one was behind the bar to serve drinks for the 6 people here! Amazing I asked when they close since she hasn't been behind the bar in a half hour and she became argumentative. She said "I was trying to close"! An hour early! Come on

Never had made before. Fantastic. Great place. Inside and outside seating. They have some games you can play, or you are welcome to bring your own. Will definitely visit again

came here to try out their cider, happy with their brisket/beans/colesloaw. like wow. first bite into the brisket was smoky and tender, their beans were sweet and savory, their coleslaw was crisp and fresh. staff was amazing, loved their nordic vibe, wasn't a cider man but starting to love it more. i like the progression of the ciders , started with apple and finished with apple pie, they sound the same but u can taste and smell the cinnamon in the apple pie which i think was a nice and gentle finisher. nice costume too.

The drinks were AMAZING. Sounds like most (if not all) of their drinks were made from real ingredients (ie, guava cider uses real guava, habanero mango cider used real habanero). And the quality really shined through the drinks! And staff was so cool and friendly! (Shout out to Bree!!). We didn't get a chance to try their food, but I def want to come back for that! Sounded delicious!

I really like the vibes here! It shares a building with Lost Cause and Smokin' J's BBQ (previously Rollin' Roots) and I quite enjoyed it! I got the POG (Passionfruit, Orange, Guava) during the happy hour so it was 40% off for the full pour! The service was excellent and speedy! The guy at the bar was very patient with trying to give me input on what to get. In general, the ciders here are not too much on the sweet side, they are a bit drier, so something to keep in mind! Love that despite it being a small funky spot, the aesthetic is cool, with wall art on the bathroom doors and walls. We also came during the karaoke night (didn't partake though). I'll have to come back for a flight though! (Not included in happy hour specials I believe) Parking wasn't too bad for a Friday night (it wasn't too busy) and there is room for parking alongside the street too. Tables inside and outside, so it shouldn't be too hard to snatch a place to sit. Recommend coming to play board games (bring your own or use one of theirs, they have quite a few available to play!) while sipping on cider :)

such a fun spot, can't believe we hadn't found it sooner! great cider, yummy food. the brisket chili is to die for! already becoming regulars for this place!

Nigel FTW! I saw they had cider slushies so I knew I had to try at leat one. They had 2 flavors, Pineapple Toasted Coconut and I believe the other was a Salted Margarita. I was skeptical about the Pineapple because if coconut anything is involved, I usually don't have it. I'm not allergic to it, just haven't ever liked it...just like taro/ube! Ughhh, lol! I asked Nigel if it was possible to taste both before I purchased one. He happily gave me both to try. He said the Pineapple one didn't really taste like coconut, and fellow Yelper Cheryl R. had one earlier so she confirmed it for me. After tasting both, the Pineapple was the winner for me! The other one tasted like an original marg. Pass! The slushy melted quickly due to the hot weather coupled with a lot of body heat in a small space. It was so yummy though, and I must have inhaled it in a matter of seconds! I hope the next time I return, they'll have other fruity flavors. Thank you Nigel, I'm coming back no doubt!! IG: @serpentine_cider

First of all, shoutout to Nigel for being a great bartender! Great recommendations and very knowledgeable about everything offered. This place is definitely hard to find and I think it would help if they got some better signage out front. I would've never known about this place if I didn't have a Yelp Event in the same space. I got a glass of their Sour Cherry. While I did really enjoy it, I wish there was a stronger cherry flavor to it. I did taste test two others as well: the Raspberry BlackBerry was really lacking in flavor, so I wouldn't get that again, and the Guava, which was a really nice, refreshing summer cider. If you enjoy guava, you would love this for sure! They also had two cider slushies, which I thought was very unique: Margarita and Pineapple Coconut. Unfortunately, I don't like either of those flavors much, so I didn't try it. But I would love to come back and try some if they change up the flavors.

As a local, Serprentine Cider is where me and my partner go where we just want to have a relaxing night. There is indoor and outdoor seating (when we want to bring our pups), the staff are always relaxed and nice, good recommendations, always exploring new flavors while still having the classics, and I love all the creative/fun things they do like trivia night. The ONLY thing is..parking can SUCK! It's a little store and so you have to find side street parking. I wish I could take 0.4 stars off, but Yelp don;t work like that. Not that it's Serpentine Cider;s fault, but that my only caveat. Everything else is so great, I have little room to complain.

Came here for some last minute drinks and remembered this amazing spot! We went on late afternoon on a Saturday and there were a couple of groups but there was plenty of seating inside and outside. Had to get the full pour of the Sour Cherry because I loved that one last time and it was so good!!!! It might be my favorite alcoholic drink of all time and they sell crowlers and cans of them too. My boyfriend got to the Guava and we hadn't tried that one last time but he said he loved this one too! Didn't get them this time but I definitely will next time I stop by!

Didn't know this place existed and glad that there's another cider place in the 'hood! Nigel helped me and explained the ciders they had! Appreciated the lil rundown he gave us! I had a 3 flight that consisted of their raspberry blackberry, guava, and pineapple coconut slush! All were so flavorful and delicious! Am def wanting to come back and try their other flavors!

So many choices of cider! Highly recommend a flight. The staff was so friendly and fun

The food was great! The TV dinner concept is genius! The meat was flavorful and the sides were tasty! We'll definitely be back!!

This lovely little tasting room shares its space with a couple of other businesses (Lost Cause Meadery and Rollin Roots) so you can sample quite a few things if you're looking to explore. Folks were quite lovely to interact with at all of the spots so show them some love next time you swing by! They do have some non-alcoholic offerings too, just in case you can't drink, so something for everybody. Parking was pretty trivial to find in the expansive lot, as was seating (which was mostly interior, though a few outside seats were available). Our bartender was very knowledgeable and answered our every question about their menu and offerings. We went with a 5-flight offerings of their experimental ciders: Sour Tropics, Juniper Sage, Apple Pie, Pineapple, Blood Orange Hibiscus. They even had a bunch of customized flight holders with marker labels on them (the usefulness of this cannot be overstated). Sure enough the descriptors are remarkably true to what we got. The apple pie was indeed remarkably like drinking liquified apple pie (minus the carbs and texture of course). The juniper was quite the unusual one that I found rather pleasant for sipping, but my brother couldn't stand at all. The sour tropics and pineapple were a bit too sour for my tastes. That said, the blood orange hibiscus was a common favorite. We then proceeded to take home some crowlers filled with their hot chocolate (because really, that sounds amazing and we felt lucky) and the blood orange. All in all, we had a great time and it's a lovely place to chillax and sip some local brews.

so, now the co-located mead place, Lost Cause, is no longer there. The co-located Smokin J's BBQ is merging (?) with Serpentine (so you can order food and cider from the same place/register/pos). As I understand it, there will be beer there in the future (not sure when) I tried a new menu Smokin J's menu item; the burritos (specifically with brisket and "Texas Twinkies" (bacon wrapped stuffed hot peppers) added) and it was amazing. Really, a meal for 2. The fact that the cider is less dry (i.e. more sweet) makes it work better with the bbq. Also, I saw Jackfruit on the menu for the vegetarians I imagine.

The space holding Serpentine Cider also holds a meadery and a little vegan food spot. So, when you come here, expect lots of options and an actively social environment. Which, in my experience, is what I want out of a brewery spot! The options for cider here are VOLUMOUS and the menu board displaying them does a wonderful job of laying out every single one. You can get flights of various sizes, which is awesome, and not something I see many places. The tender was very friendly, funny, quick-witted, and ready to serve. You can get any cider canned up or growled quickly. The cider wasn't my thing once I started tasting it, however, but maybe it's just not for me! I am giving it a 5 star because it's just such a great place to visit, the mead available at the same bar top is incredible, and the food is also incredible. The cider was probably a 6.5/10, but I did only try three! So that's on me.

What a great place! Everyone was friendly, food was great, and the cider is now my favorite cider! Comfortable and relaxing atmosphere with games to play at the table if wanted. It made for a very special evening for our celebration. Can't wait to go back!

I love Serpentine Cider, and I love this shared space with Lost Cause Meadery and Rollin Roots. It is a great place to hang out with friends with different options to satisfy everyone. One side of the bar is dedicated for Lost Cause, while the other side around the corner is for Serpentine. Before the bar, there is a window where you can purchase food from Rollin Roots. The last time I went, I came on a Friday evening with a few friends. We were able to find a seat quickly for the four of us. I opted to do a cider flight with 5 different ciders to try. All of the ciders were great, and I will definitely be back.

been here a few times now and I still love getting the 4 piece flight. it's the perfect amount to pair with dinner from rollin roots and the right amount of variety to try each flavor and remember them. my go to is always the pineapple cider as well as the margarita cider. they're both so flavorful and unique! their apple cider is also solid. Juniper sage and spa water are definitely unique...but can taste a bit too soapy floral for me. I prefer the reliable fruit flavors over the botanical. I love that they have a rotating menu so each time I come in, there's always something new to try! and if you're not feeling cider, then just step to the side to try some mead from lost meadery!

Went for trivia night and had a blast, get there early on trivia night or you won't get a seat. Service was good and I enjoyed myself quite a bit.

Wonderful atmosphere to catch up with friends! On a Friday night I met my friends here at 6pm. We hadn't seen me another in a long while due to the pandemic. The ciders did not disappoint and neither did the company! I loved that you could get a flight--it's my favorite thing to do--sample multiple beverages! My absolute favorite of theirs was sour cherry. I actually ended up getting a full pour of this drink it was so amazing. They have a cider for everyone. I sampled lemon, raspberry, ginger, sour cherry and one other--the name eludes me. I think lemon was my least favorite. They also had food here. We got truffle fries, Mac and cheese balls, and fried pickles. All were BOMB! I think this is through another business within the facility, because they had a sign for it as we ordered but I do not recall the name. Either way, this place will NOT disappoint! Oh and they rent out their outdoor patio, too. It was rented when we went for a surprise birthday party.

My wife and I aren't cider drinkers but we thought we give it a try and we loved their Cider selections. We also ordered the Pork Belly, Mac n cheese and Cajun fries. Everything was a 10/10. The workers were amazing in recommendations and we would definitely come back.