Bandits Bar-B-Q

Bandits is the best BBQ in Thousand Oaks, which really isn’t saying much. I used to frequent this place when I lived in Ventura County several years ago. Back then, they were still in their old location.

Fast forward to July 2008. On our way from the Reagan library to Malibu, I was hungry for lunch and wanted to eat barbecue. I was craving for a place in Woodland Hills, but that would have been out of the way. I dug back into my memory and remembered Bandits. When we arrived, I was a little confused because I could not locate their old building. At first I thought they closed down, but then after circling the spot a few times, I realized they had built a new structure since I last visited.

The new building was much more larger than their old one and it was a lot more cleaner and modern. The old location had a hole in the wall ambiance. This one was more sports bar like and modern, with western motif touches. It reminded me of Phil’s BBQ in San Diego. The waitresses confirmed that they built the new building just a few years ago.

We ordered the full rack of baby back ribs for $22.99. For our sides, we chose fries and corn on the cob. Our soda drinks cost $2.59 each. The ribs were okay. Nothing to rave about – just like I remembered. The fries were good and still had their skins on them. The corn on the cob was a bit bland. It was boiled and no butter was added.

Overall, the meal was satisfactory but nothing noteworthy. If you live here, then take advantage of their all you can eat ribs special on Mondays. I would not recommend driving all the way from LA to eat here. I did get a chuckle that they opened another location in Utah because they had a ‘fan’ there that insisted they open up over there. I guess average BBQ is considered noteworthy in Utah.

The service is prompt and attentive and there is plenty of parking.