Huffman's BBQ is a Logan Heights institution, established in 1967, Huffman's has been around for nearly forty years! So they must be doing something right.
Though I've been told by a few former and current residents of the area that the food at Huffman's is not quite as good as it used to be, we still decided to drop by.
On this day, the Missus had been craving some homestyle "soul food". Don't ask me to explain how a Girl from Qingdao can crave Fried Okra and Hush puppies, after all this Guy from Hawaii loves good collard greens.....
The interior of Huffman's is always clean, though very spare. Drive-In style furniture is placed around the dining area, along with signed photos of various celebrities.
The Missus, in a state of full soul food frenzy, walked up to the counter and started ordering: "Can I get the Gumbo, a half dozen hush puppies, an order of fried okra, a Red Snapper sandwich, and 1 dozen chicken gizzards....and a Diet Coke!"
The Lady behind the counter: "This'll be to go?"
The Missus: "No I'LL be eating this here"
The Lady: "Okay your total will be..."
Me: "Oh, ummm, excuse me, but that's just for Her.....I'll take a Center Cut Pork Rib Dinner, for here, and 3 pieces of Fried Chicken to go"
The Lady: "I see......." I guess she did understand; you never mess with someone in the midst of a soul food frenzy.
We knew there would be a short wait for our food, since Huffman's is a real Mom-and-Pop type operation. Soon enough our order was ready(except for the Fried Chicken which takes 20 minutes). The "Creole Gumbo" ($8.55):
A generous portion of gumbo, with lots of shrimp, and a good amount of crab, real crab! I thought the flavoring was a bit on the mild side, and the gumbo was slightly watery, but the Missus enjoyed it.
1/2 Dozen Hush Puppies($1.95):
For some reason I thought the Hush Puppies looked like Falafel. These were on the small side, and not as moist as I would have enjoyed them to be. But again, the Missus loved them, so they must be pretty good.
An order of Fried Okra($2.15):
The Fried Okra was excellent, nicely breaded, and perfectly fried. Great texture, good okra flavor, not over seasoned.....good Okra!
The Red Snapper portion of the Red Snapper Sandwich(with 4 slices white bread and stuff - $5.95:
We both agreed that the snapper was borderline terrible; dry and fishy. I'm thinking the fish was on the old side. The Missus, bless Her heart tried everything to make it edible. She even used some Tartar Sauce, which She hates. Nothing worked.
Worth the trip! Some of the best Chicken Gizzards(1 dozen - $5.25):
The chicken gizzards were worth the trip to Huffman's. Battered and fried, chewy but not hard, these were delici-yoso!!! Not only did the batter taste great, but the large sized gizzards had a good amount of flavor as well. (Do they marinate them?)
The BBQ Pork Ribs Dinner (Center Cut - $11.55):
The ribs were a bit of a disappointment, a bit on the tough side, not a hint of any smokey flavor, and a very uninspired tasting ketchup based sauce.
I did enjoy the Collard Greens which had just the right amount of bitter, along with a slight spicy "kick".
The Candied Yams, were not so candied, they were blander than orange colored mashed potatoes.
We also ordered 3 pieces of Fried Chicken($4.90 - chicken only) while we ate(yes, this was one meal), because there's a 20 minute wait.
I enjoyed the Fried Chicken, which had what seemed to be a corn meal based coating. It is worth the wait. And it never did see the next morning, as we had them as a snack.
I had thought about a Hot Link Sandwich as well, but we needed to show some restraint.....
We'll be returning to Huffman's in the near future; the Missus is already craving for those Gizzards, and looking forward to possibly some fried oysters. I feel another soul food frenzy coming on.......
Some Notes: Like I mentioned, there is the very strong possibility that you will have a bit of a wait. So if you're in a rush, I think it'll be wise to phone in your order. Remember, the Fried Chicken takes 20 minutes.(whaddaya mean Huffman's isn't on speed-dial???) Parking is very limited as well. We've always experienced pretty good service, and the other customers always crack up to see 2 Asians chowing down all this food. The menu is not large, but we're certain that you will find something you enjoy.
Huffman's Barbeque
5039 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92113
This seems like a normal sized meal for a party of six! Surely, you had leftovers?
Posted by: Scott | Thursday, 06 July 2006 at 09:50 PM
thanks for exposing huffman's! for me, going to huffman's is a trip down memory lane, literally. i grew up on imperial, a block from huffman's. i may be alone on this one, but i like huffman's more than the place on goldfinch street. which, ironically, is a couple of blocks from where i currently reside. my appologies for being so random, but has anyone tried tazablanca?
Posted by: toisan | Thursday, 06 July 2006 at 09:54 PM
wow! this is definitely on my to go list when i go down to SD...
how was the gumbo?
if you ever go to Memphis in O.C. you should check out their gumbo, its amazing..
Posted by: dietchilicheesefries | Thursday, 06 July 2006 at 10:03 PM
Ooh, I haven't had hush puppies in 10 years. I have to try this place out!
Posted by: howie | Thursday, 06 July 2006 at 10:29 PM
gumbo!!! Chicken gizzrds!!! ribs !!! What more could a girl want! I can't wait to hear the rest. This is my kind of joint :P~
Posted by: Rachel | Friday, 07 July 2006 at 06:17 AM
Oh man, that looks so damn good. How do you find these places? The fried okra is calling out my name!
Posted by: elmomonster | Friday, 07 July 2006 at 09:51 AM
i'm hungry :-)
Posted by: nhbilly | Friday, 07 July 2006 at 11:51 AM
Mmm...I love hushpuppies.
BTW, Bob's Okazuya Post on the way!
Posted by: keri | Saturday, 08 July 2006 at 01:54 PM
I love Huffman's. Next time try the smothered chicken.
Jack
Posted by: Jack Kress | Saturday, 08 July 2006 at 07:58 PM
hehehe, I'll split that hot link sandwich with you! Cause you know, I'll probably have stuffed myself silly with hush puppies and gizzards :)
Posted by: Kathy | Sunday, 09 July 2006 at 02:24 AM
Hi Scott - We had some leftovers.....not much.
Hi toisan - I'd been told that the BBQ ribs at Huffman's wasn't as good as it used to be, and I really didn't enjoy it quite as much as those gizzards. Still, Huffman's is quite a landmark, and everyone should eat there at least once.
Hi DCCF - The Missus enjoyed the gumbo more than I. I think Bud's(sorry haven't done a post yet) is better in that department. But who is going to argue with the Missus???
Hi Howie - Give Huffman's a try, you might enjoy those Hush Puppies.
Hi Rachel - Aaah, another gumbo-gizzard-rib girl, eh??? I didn't think there could be 2 of you in the world.
Hi Elmo - I thought everybody knew about Huffman's, but I guess I'm wrong since no one at work ever heard about them.....
Hi nhbilly - Soul food cravings are really painful.
Hi Keri - Can't wait for the Bob's post!
Hi Jack - Thanks for the recommendation, I'll try it the next time we're there!
Hi Kathy - We may have a major fight over those gizzards!!! LOL!
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 09 July 2006 at 09:54 PM
Have you had a heart attack yet? :) My goodness that's a lot of fried food!!!!
Posted by: Kady | Monday, 10 July 2006 at 06:08 PM
Hi Kady - We're fine. Keep in mind that we don't do this very often....but when we get our shots in, we make the best of it!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 10 July 2006 at 08:08 PM
Looks good Kirk. I haven't been to Huffman's in quite awhile. That fried okra looks like it could be tasty.
Posted by: Jack | Monday, 10 July 2006 at 08:38 PM
Hi Jack - And don't forget them gizzards.....
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 10 July 2006 at 09:38 PM
went to huffman's last weekend. the gizzards and collard greens were really really good... the shortribs in gravy were also really tender and tasty. but the batter for everything was a touch too salty.
not ragging on the area or the ppl, but also got singled out and heckled for money and all that. worth going to.. but not at night!
Posted by: charsiubao | Tuesday, 18 July 2006 at 12:13 AM
Hi CSB - Yes, the area can be kind of on the "rough" side.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 18 July 2006 at 07:19 AM
Oy, Kirk. Glad to see you've found this place. I've always like the gizzards too. And the collard was pretty good. Found the place through a friend who lived around the corner from there. Best hush puppies in town, he said. He wasn't wrong, but the chicken was good.
Time for me to go visit again.
Posted by: Didi | Wednesday, 19 July 2006 at 09:44 AM
Hi Didi - Those gizzards are very good!
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 19 July 2006 at 11:45 AM
besides the great foods your staff are wondefful and i must say i'm pleased with your restuarant sevice and servers.Keep up the great work and stay in business for the next 20 or so years.jalilis mom
Posted by: dunea cowans | Thursday, 21 June 2007 at 08:38 AM
huffmans is off the hook with its hush puppies, greens ,hot link sandwich,and down home staff. I have lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years
Posted by: B | Thursday, 10 January 2008 at 07:13 PM
If you like Fried Oysters,this is the only place in SD to get them...MMMMM, they're the best in SD! And dont forget the Chitterlin,Smothered Chicken,Pork Chop Sandwich(and smothered PC dinner), Collard Greens,Pigs Feet Rib Tips, hell,everything I've had there has been DELICIOUS!
Posted by: rm blackwell | Sunday, 20 April 2008 at 11:22 PM
dont forget the sweet potato pie
Posted by: waymond wade | Saturday, 21 February 2009 at 01:27 PM
I just love huffmann's bar-b-que
Posted by: tamaicas@earthlink.net | Tuesday, 21 July 2009 at 11:15 AM
next time order the pork spare ribs but the small end. I orgasm with each bite of those heavenly ribs. the hot links are amazing too as well as the smothered fired chicken. the bbq baked beans are 2nd my favorite side but the yams are the best cant belive you didnt like them, every thanksgiving I drive to SD just to order an x-large order of those yams and I live in LA now
Posted by: esteban arellano | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 05:34 PM