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Bubba's BBQ - Riberas


jkgourmet

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Looking for a little taste of home, we stopped in to Bubba's last night for dinner. I avoid finger food in restaurants (a quirk that seems to disappear at taco stands), so we decided on take out. The place was larger than it looks from the outside, and clean as a whistle.

Shocked when we saw the price of 450-500 pesos for a rack of ribs! As husband loves smoked ribs, and the place did smell wonderful, we decided to splurge and order anyway.

We ordered 1/2 rack, 1/2 rotisserie chicken (the also offered fried chicken), a cole slaw and one beer to drink as we waited. Total bill: 370 pesos.

The bad: The chicken. Small and dry as cardboard. Inedible without the sauce.

The good: The ribs. LARGE, reasonably Tender, moist, meaty and not such a smokey flavor that the meat was overpowered. (that's what I often find unpleasant about smoked foods - it's just a smokey flavor and nothing else.) Not baby backs, to be sure. But good anyway.

The average: The cole slaw was fine, but we've had better here in Lakeside. The sauce was the vinegary style with a bit of heat, and thin. (maybe Texas style or Virginia style? I'm not sure). It was a good sauce, if you like the vinegary style sauces. We would have preferred a choice of sauces, as we usually find in rib joints NOB.

Would we go back? I wouldn't. Husband might - if he just had to have a fix of those ribs.

PS - we've had the ribs at the chicken place in SAT that is across the street from La Paz Liquors. Sorry I don't know the name. But we both agreed the ribs there were better (though still rather pricey), and the cole slaw is primo.

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Another excellent (and fair) review.

We only went to Bubba's once and were incredibly disappointed after all of the rave reviews. I had fried chicken that had clearly been refried (overly brittle and greasy). Hubby's hot wings were the worst he'd ever had. They were nothing more than cooked wings drowning in way too much liquid. The sides were very, very good, though.

It was clean and the staff were friendly, but I wouldn't go back.

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Guest RevImmigrant

I go to Bubba's fairly often. The barbecue sauce served at the restaurant is fairly bland and not vinegary or spicy enough for my tastes; LBJ's barbecue sauce is much better and that's what I usually make at home. Bubba's sauce in the jar at SuperLake is also better and spicier than what is served in the restaurant. The barbecue itself is very good. The chicken fried steak is inconsistent. Sometimes it's very good, other times it is not and the meat is full of gristle. The fried chicken is usually good for a restaurant. The chili is far to bland and the meat is too finely ground so I only had it once. My biggest complaint is that they have that lousy Chapala hot sauce on the table instead of using Tabasco sauce, which is much hotter and has more flavor. I think the restaurants here use the Chapala hot sauce because it's cheaper than Tabasco.

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If I order chicken in a restaurant anywhere in mexico I have a little talk with the waiter first and explain that if my chicken is over cooked i will have to send it back. This strategy has worked for me every time. On the other hand, I cannot think of anything that would be worse than getting raw chicken, but that has never happened to me.

We love Bubbas, or Boo-bas as it is pronounced by my (Mexican) husband. We had excellent fried chicken there, really first rate. I guess it depends on who is cooking that day.

we also like Boo-ba a lot...good old homeboy. If you are not satisfied with your meal, speak up! He will make it right for you.

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Betsy, it was take out. That leaves limited opportunity to explain the problems to the owner.

And, I rarely return meals. Instead, I sometimes mention the problem IF somebody notices the large amount of food left on the plate and no request for a doggy bag.

After a not very good meal, we may return to give it another shot, or just take our business elsewhere.

This is EXACTLY why I love forums like this. We have revisited several restaurants after our initial disappointing visits when other posters encouraged me to try again. And I've been glad that we did! And I absolutely believe that food tastes are subjective and personal - even from a professional restaurant reviewer (which I am not, but I do take those reviews with a large grain of salt, too)

But the prices at bubba's are way too high. Even if the food were outstanding, the price of those ribs makes them hard to swallow.

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We are with you. My wife and I tried Bubba's once and never again. The fried chicken was dried out inside and greasy on the outside. Soriana's has much better fried chicken at a fraction of the cost. As for ribs, we prefer Jose's, on the plaza, in Chapala. Two small racks of fall off the bone baby backs with potato salad, beans, and garlic bread will set you back all of $70 pesos. Tony's is also superior to Bubba's ribs and, while not baby backs, are full of delicious meat and run something like $90 pesos.

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No hijacking intended, but since we're talking ribs, I'd like to make a comment on the food at Tony's, a place designed to please the carnivore in us.

We usually eat there in conjunction with a Superlake run, and often have his hamburgers/chickenbugers. IMO, the best in town, heavily cheesed on buns that don't dissolve. I like that I can get a baked potato instead of fries, too. Have watched the plates of ribs go by and they do look like the real deal. I don't order them because I'm just not a rib fan. If you are, try Tony's. :P

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José's Mexican American Cuisine is on the outside of the Mercado Publico, in Chapala, on the south wall, in the pedestrian area. You'll be amazed at his menu and the quality and size of his dishes. Be hungry!

As for Bubba's; we went there once....just once! Never again!

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Just to second RV's vote for Josés in Chapala. Isabel, the co-owner and your hostess there is friendly and professional, and as RV says, come hungry because the portions are generous. Aside from the outstanding ribs we've repeatedly enjoyed their excellent chuletas ahumadas ("smoked pork chops" but really more like Canadian bacon - lean and very flavorful) and pollo alla Mexicana (chicken with tomatoes, chiles and onions). Great people watching and you can shop the food market before or after.

Re: RevImmigrant's comment about Tabasco and local hot sauces: Tabasco is its own unique animal and tastes more of vinegar than chile. It's fine for Cajun food but doesn't go with Mexican so it isn't a question of the excellent local hot sauces (so good they're sold in Mexican markets back home) being cheaper. Both Valentina (my personal favorite) and Chapala hot sauces are made right here in Jalisco.

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How come none of these not so good reports were not on the forum? Pretty much all I found were positive reviews. . .

Not everyone is comfortable posting a negative review of a restaurant, especially those of us who live here full-time. Here in the village, it's very possible the owner may live on your street, shop at the same markets as you, and frequent the same barber/beauty shop. Or maybe the waitress's sister runs your local tienda. Or the waiter is the brother of your plumber. There is still (thankfully) a bit of an endearing small town atmosphere to Ajijic. I'm not saying that small town manners require you to patronize a restaurant you don't like, but posting negative comments about such a subjective topic, can end up depriving someone of their livelihood, because of the influence such a review could have over others who read it.

Besides, just because I don't like a restaurant's chiles en nogada or fillet mignon or osso bucco, doesn't mean it won't be the cat's meow to another diner.

I'm very glad people in this forum post about eateries (I have also)...it's extremely helpful to know what's out there, what sort of cuisine/food they serve, and their location/hours. It's hard to open and maintain a restaurant, especially in these economic times. I hope people who read a 'bad' review here don't decide to skip a place based on someone else's palate...they may be missing a great meal!

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Good points about the small town factor.

Whether you are happy or displeased by a restaurant, it's only fair to state the whys and wherefores, not just say you didn't like it and won't be back. Sometimes, the word will get back to the owner and improvements will be made. Sometimes not. But in any case, if you loved it or hated it, it's more helpful to say why.

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Good points about the small town factor.

Whether you are happy or displeased by a restaurant, it's only fair to state the whys and wherefores, not just say you didn't like it and won't be back. Sometimes, the word will get back to the owner and improvements will be made. Sometimes not. But in any case, if you loved it or hated it, it's more helpful to say why.

I agree - very good points indeed. And I do try to be fair and as objective as I can be.

Sadly, the downside is that we blew a fair amount of money on food from a restaurant that has had many unhappy customers, as became apparent only after my initial post. It makes this forum a less reliable resource of good information than it could be.

But one thing I will say - in retrospect, I should have carefully considered keeping my posts anonymous and not using my own name. Although, then we would not have had the opportunity to meet so many great people from this webboard (many of whom have become friends and ALL of whom have made us feel very welcome).

PS to the Moderators: Sorry that this thread went off topic.

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I hope people who read a 'bad' review here don't decide to skip a place based on someone else's palate...they may be missing a great meal!

I trust a lot of people's reviews and we have never tried this place and probably won't even if 1 friend goes and eats there 2 times a week.

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Betsy, it was take out. That leaves limited opportunity to explain the problems to the owner.

And, I rarely return meals. Instead, I sometimes mention the problem IF somebody notices the large amount of food left on the plate and no request for a doggy bag.

After a not very good meal, we may return to give it another shot, or just take our business elsewhere.

This is EXACTLY why I love forums like this. We have revisited several restaurants after our initial disappointing visits when other posters encouraged me to try again. And I've been glad that we did! And I absolutely believe that food tastes are subjective and personal - even from a professional restaurant reviewer (which I am not, but I do take those reviews with a large grain of salt, too)

But the prices at bubba's are way too high. Even if the food were outstanding, the price of those ribs makes them hard to swallow.

I actually gave the place 3 or 4 chances, ( a friend wanted to go), and have been disappointed every time. I no longer go there, having Bubba throw the BS every time did not cut it for me, nor did the fact he wouldn't go away and let us eat the replaced food. I am not interested in hearing how everything is costing more etc I wish to eat and converse with my friends. So the whole package does not work for me.

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I agree - very good points indeed. And I do try to be fair and as objective as I can be.

Sadly, the downside is that we blew a fair amount of money on food from a restaurant that has had many unhappy customers, as became apparent only after my initial post. It makes this forum a less reliable resource of good information than it could be.

But one thing I will say - in retrospect, I should have carefully considered keeping my posts anonymous and not using my own name. Although, then we would not have had the opportunity to meet so many great people from this webboard (many of whom have become friends and ALL of whom have made us feel very welcome).

PS to the Moderators: Sorry that this thread went off topic.

I think that if we all used our real names we would be more concious of our comments. annonimity sometimes lends a lot of courage to people who would otherwise watch their mouths. Critiqes are valuable to any business if they are delivered fairly and kindly, any good business will recognise and apreciate this fact.

We run a business and there have actually been offers published on other threads to ¨PM me for the truth about....¨ We responded to one but the name was recognised and they refused to comment. Later, I was forwarded emails by someone who responded to the offer and the contents were ridiculous. I have no doubt that we have lost business to this cowardly act and I am suprised that it is allowed.

I think that you have made an excellent and important point here . I don´t think this is off topic at all, given that someones livelihood is on the block here . I always like posters who use or disclose their real names.

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So Betsy: What is your real name and the name of your business?

My point being that, without anonymity, some people might be afraid to give their honest, though sometimes negative, opinions about a service or a business establishment for fear of personal reprisals from the owner. Not everyone walking around here has all their marbles in a row, sorry to say.

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So Betsy: What is your real name and the name of your business?

My point being that, without anonymity, some people might be afraid to give their honest, though sometimes negative, opinions about a service or a business establishment for fear of personal reprisals from the owner. Not everyone walking around here has all their marbles in a row, sorry to say.

actually, gringal, some of the other posters & lukers on this board worry me more than the business owners! (and I'm only half kidding - not everyone has been so nice as you and your friends when I was less than enthused about their favorite restaurant).

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