Robin's Woodfire BBQ & Grill

Never felt compelled to leave a review here before but Robin's BBQ earned it. This place really brought back childhood memories of growing up in Mississippi and eating barbeque on Friday nights after a trip to the local bowling alley. A friend recommended it from an Elmer Dills television review a couple years ago and we finally dropped in. The place is decked out like walking into a time warp from the 50's or 60's. Old beer neons from 40 years ago, highway signs etc and the music was vintage 60's. Peanuts on the tabel and shells on the floor. Just like back at home. We split the garbage can combo and still took home leftovers. Stand outs were the beef ribs, tri tip and sausage. Well seasoned and smoked, really good stuff. The corn was charred just right, the blue cheese coleslaw was different but great and the blueberry cornbread was sublime. Our server Sergio was professional, fast and not real talkative, just efficient. we even met the owner Robin himself while he was asking if we needed lemonade refills. We will be back and like another reviewer said, it's worth the drive. Pros: Real good barbeque, sides, music, looks and sergio the server Cons: Crowded but the wait went fast while eating the free salted peanuts. more

Our party of 8 had barbeque at Robin's and it really was great. We drove in from San Dimas upon hearing great reviews and it was well worth the trip. The staff was efficient, bathrooms were clean, the place had a rib joint feel to it and we even met Robin as he was walking around the tables. Our best picks were the garbage can platter, the beef ribs which were excellent and full of well smoked meat , the onion rings and the fresh squeezed lemonade. We watched the server squeezing and hand shaking it per order. I hadn't seen that in years and it was great. Our first time here won't be out last time. They got it right. Pros: best beef ribs, fresh squeezed lemonade, mad dog barbeque sauce, pabst on tap Cons: please open a Robin's in the San Dimas area, gets a bit noisy from crowds more

We love this place. Were else will you hear Gene Pitney, James Brown and the Dave Clark Five at one sitting. The music is HOT and the place looks like a Southern roadhouse from down in Mississippi or Texas. That's all good but the real deal is the BBQ. We stop in on Wed & Sun for the all you can eat rib tips.At $12.95 we can eat like a pig but still look like a fox. These tips are smoked, charred and sauced and really are good. We also like the garbage can combo which has everything that they offer. The blue cheese pecan coleslaw is different but excellent and the blueberry cornbread is off the charts. I think that Robin's is one of the best ""Q"" joints in the country. This place ain't cheap but you get more food than you bargained for. Worth checking out. Pros: Great BBQ, Well smoked, you can smell the smoke in the lot, great slaw and cornbread Cons: Sometimes a bit noisy, sometimes a bit too crowded more

Their BBQ is excellent! Its a pretty noisy place with a bar, so its not bad for a group of friends to come and eat here. Their food proportions match their prices, and its pretty easy to share with other people. This place has very good spicy sauce and requires you to use your hands, since forks and knives just won't help you too much. They probably assume as much, since there is a roll of paper towels around the table. I would recommend coming here no more than once every few months though, since eating so much meat gives you a sauce overload and it won't taste as good if you came too often. more

First of all, reservations are useless. If the owner rather have his friends there, he will simply just bump you for his friends. The staff is severly shorthanded so you do not get prompt service. more

Very disappointed how my family was treated. Cons: Reservations evidently don't mean a thing more

If I could I would give Robins 0 stars. The food is hardly ok. And the service is horrible. Last night my husband and I went in for dinner with our 6 year old. We were seated around 7pm, around 7:10 the owner came over and took our drink order. 5 minutes later our waiter came over and took our food order never to return again. We sat and waited for our food, we noticed the customers that came in after us were already served. We got up and walked out at 7:40pm...What really upset us, was there was a waiter who was serving the table behind us telling some customers his whole life story he started talking to them at about 7:10 and when we walked out he was still conversing with them, while the whole time we just sat around waited for service. We were extremely disgusted. When we walked out the owner was on a telephone call I looked at him and shook my head he didnt bother hanging up the phone or coming after us. The worse service I've ever had in my life. Will never ever return. Not our f more

I have frequented Robin's often over the years and although the food has stayed consistently good, the service has continued to deteroriate. The ribs are tasty, the blueberry cornbread is awesome but the desserts too have declined in quality, especially the chocolate cake which used to be ""death by chocolate"" and now is more akin to cheap birthday cake. The servers range in quality from relatively attentive to uninterested, as do managers. On one trip to Robin's, I ordered a coke that tasted bad - probably due to low syrup - and I sent it back, requesting water instead. At the end of the meal the soda was still on our bill, so I brought it to the server's attention. She told me that she couldn't take it off because the manager had left, but could give me something else off of the menu for the same price - I declined and paid for a drink I never consumed. Another time I ordered take out and got home to discover the sides were wrong on two of the three meals, only one side of cornbread had been packed when there should have been three and the dessert wasn't in the bags. I called to complain and they said they would give me what was left out if I came back - at this point, I was hoping they would just give me a credit for my next visit instead of making the 15 minute drive back out. Pros: Good bbq Cons: poor service, management indifference, attention to detail lacking in take out service more

This was very good BBQ and also very authentic being that the owner is from Wisconsin. Ordered the Garbage Can Lid special which is a pretty good deal at under $30.00. You get 1 link, beef ribs, spare ribs, sliced tri-tip and even a whole 1/2 chicken! The sliced tri-tip was moist smokey and very tender and the spare ribs are fall off the bone. I am not a fan of beef ribs and in fact never order or even think about them but these were pretty damn good! The sausage link was dry but I have never had a moist juicy sausage link in any restaurant ever so I was not suprised, it was tasty though. The chicken was was well done, some other reviews called it dry but it wasn't that bad. Also had the rib tips which were brilliant. You can have several choices of sauce, I forgot about that and we were givin the standard house sauce which was pretty damn good. All the meat was very well smoked and even came with the blue ring which is the sign for authentic BBQ. There is definatly better BBQ in LA but this is pretty damn good for the Pasadena area. The service is a little weak but quality of the BBQ makes up for it. We waited for a little longer than necessary specialy since it was a weeknight, they deffinitly need a hostess. If you go in with both eyes open, ears and a light heart you will be able to weather though the service just fine. The staff is very friendly and easy going, just remember that this is not a chain place and the staff may not be as polished but they also aren't corporate chain drones either. The sides are ok at best, we had the cole slaw which was standard but made well, the mashed taters which were full of garlic and parmesan and very tasty and finally the much tauted blueberry cornbread which was nothing special. The flour to corn meal ratio was to high and it was very dry. If you are going to feed a BBQ craving the sides are not what matters and what matters is the meat. Robin's is very good and the only thing lacking is a brisket and sliced pork. Pros: Great BBQ meat for area Cons: So, so sides and service more

Robins is a classic. It's a place to pig out. The portions are huge, the sauces are great, and the beef ribs are just about the best I've had any... more

Robins is a classic. It's a place to pig out. The portions are huge, the sauces are great, and the beef ribs are just about the best I've had any... more

The place is not romantic, but the food and service is good. The atmosphere is bright and alive with plenty of patrons lookig for good BBQ. I went for the first time last night with a group of friends and we were all in consensus that we would go back. Overall recommend. Pros: BBQ, Service and Abmience Cons: Too Bright more

That's what the bumper sticker says and I agree. Everything we had was great including the service. The BBQ sampler or garbage can plate was big enough for 3 of us. At $29.95 the math worked out well. Though the spare ribs had some fat on them they still were fine. The baby backs were fall off the bone tender and the blueberry cornbread was unique and delicious. The music was cool and they have this killer hand dryer in the restroom that is so powerful it nearly knocks your hands down to your knees. Never seen anything like it. Cool place and worth a drive. Pros: Tender baby backs, killer hand dryer in restroom, cool music Cons: Kind of noisy, a bit pricey but worth every penny. more

To be blunt the barbque is horrible. If you have eaten at places like Big Jims or the Rendezvous in Memphis then you will hate this place. We ate there twice and both were big dissapointments. The ribs are cooked quickly and are therefore tough. They need to wake up early and cook for at least 4 hours. Pros: nice place Cons: they have to learn to barbeque more

Get the garbage pail lid full of BBQ meats - it is the best way to get messy with friends! Afterwards, try out the really sloppy sundae... save room for dessert and don't wear anything you might not want stained. more

I have tried to have City Search change some of the info, but no luck. So here goes... Robin's is closed in Mondays and no longer offers all you can eat nights or kid's eat free. For more reviews check out thechefknows Pros: Great food, friendly service Cons: Kids running amock more

The food is average at best. We've even tried their combos to get a taste of everything including their ribs that they are so proud of. The meat is dry and the taste is bland. The side dishes like coleslaw are tasteless, and the corn bread/muffins leave little to be desired. Don't let the other reviews fool you, the food is mediocre at best. We even went there a second time to give it another chance--same average food at relatively high prices. We will not be back. Pros: Ambience, Parking, Service Cons: Food more

the food was great, and good/fun service. the decor inside is cool, could be family or cool date night place. Pros: flavor, decor Cons: i always eat to much. more

Casual family style eatin' and finger lickin' good. Four sauces-for first timers try the garbage can-one meal can serve 4. Pork spare ribs, beef ribs, baby back ribs, half a chicken, tri-tip and dont miss the blue cheese pecan cole slaw. I have been going to Houston annually for the National BBQ cook off and Robins has it down. They will be adding long sufferring brisket soon and it takes real expertise to cook this long and right. Meat is smoked with either mesquite or hickory and it is moist and tasty. Outdoor patio. Not much of a wine list but who cares with a $2 corking charge! This is a must for true BBQ afficionados. Pros: Simply the best BBQ around town. Cons: Could be too casual or too noisy for some. more

Got to rank Robin's up there with the best. Though the incredibly huge crowds on weekends tend to make the service a bit slower the food greatly makes up for it. My must haves are the garbage can combo, an extra couple of blueberry cornbreads & the bluecheese pecan coleslaw. I also think that the combination of decor, music and laidback staff give it a good roadhouse kind of vibe. BTW, I revisited Zeke's in Montrose and they are doing a much better job than on my last visit several years ago. I miss the fresh baked bread that they used to serve but the garlic bread replacement is quite good. A side note, avoid Barnburner in Pasadena. The place is overpriced and the food has never been the same since one of the founders Tex Morgan left. He put out a decent plate of BBQ but know where near as good as Robin's or Zeke's. Happy eating Y'all. Pros: All around exceptional in the total experience. Cons: Too crowded on weekend nights, very small wine list more